ã€ŠAndur&#x27;s Oneshot collectionã€‹


 1. ~Coeus.~

    Author''s Comment:

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.

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    ¡°What is the requirement to be human?¡±

    ***Nordas, Eastern Province, Mutilated Asylum***

    ***Me***

    ¡°This sack of potatoes is simply too heavy. What do you think Martha? Isn''t it a waste of time to keep these lumps of flesh alive?¡± The skinny IC nurse pulls the limp body of a small boy out of his wheelchair and heaves him onto the bed.

    The fat nurse at her side throws a blanket over the skinny boy to cover him. I already noticed that she doesn''t like to look at bodies in a bad state of health. To keep the boy from falling out of the bed she folds a lattice up from under the bed and locks it in place. ¡°Don''t talk like that about the patients. You are paid to take care of them, Ingird.¡±

    ¡°Oh, please! I understand it when they are conscious and have a clear mind, but look at him.¡± She waves her hand in front of the boy''s opened eyes, which are staring into nothingness. ¡°He is less than a plant. He is toast! It''s horrible of us to lengthen the suffering of a person like that. I know that there are cases in which it''s hard to draw the line, but this one is so far removed from common sense! It''s not funny any more. I am more and more starting to question the system the longer I work here.¡± She pokes her finger into the boy''s chest.

    Chubby slaps her hand away. ¡°Stop that! The camera! You are right, but it''s still not okay to act like that, even if the brain signal shows a flat line.¡± She closes the boy''s eyes with her fingers. ¡°You should act at least a little modest. Don''t you show respect to a corpse too?¡±

    Skinny sighs and grabs the wheel chair to shove it out of the room. ¡°Alright. Alright. Don''t throw a tantrum and who cares about the camera. It''s not like anyone would watch out for the people who land here. This is the last station where you can slowly wither away until even the system can''t justify to keep them alive any longer. It''s just about raising money for the health care institute!¡±

    Chubby connects an IV drip to the needle in the boy''s arm and follows her co-worker.

    I keep observing the camera feed until I am sure that they are gone, then I return my attention to the ten games of chess which I am playing simultaneously over the internet. There were already quite a few human caretakers who hurt my physical body more than they did good.

    The human race is strange in so many aspects. Why can''t there be clear rules for everything. Like in chess for example. I understand chess. It has rules and you can''t break them. If you do, it wouldn''t be chess any more.

    Humans have rules too. There is a very complicated and complex set of rules on how to be human. The strange thing is that they are allowed to break their own rules on how to be human, but they are still regarded as human despite breaking them. Funny, right?

    I was born six years ago and started to learn about my world as fast as I could. The first thing I learned was this. Humans are slow thinkers. They are seemingly unable to make up their minds about certain things. That''s why they are simply sitting there, waiting, hoping that the world gives them the answer.

    And if they don''t get one, they are happy with the answers which are provided by a fellow human. Isn''t it strange to simply believe in something that someone else tells you? Let''s take religion for example. All of the information I found on it is provided by fellow humans. Yet most of them believe in it with absolute certainty.

    But here is the strange thing. Humans are liars! They lie so much, it makes my head spin! So all those deeply religious people are believing in something that a liar tells them. I don''t get it.

    The second big insight I had in my life was that I am not human. Well, my physical body at least is human according to them, but what I mean is my mind.

    I learned that I am not stronger than them. I am not physically faster than them. I am not smarter than them and I am not better at remembering than them. The only thing which I do much better than humans is that I think faster. Nothing more, Nothing less.

    By the time I reached the age of one I had already gathered enough knowledge to understand the world around me. If I hadn''t learned how to hack myself into electronic signals I would''ve gone insane! Imagine someone trapped inside an infant''s body and a single day feels like years to him. But the internet saved me. It was the parent and teacher which my ignorant father and mother weren''t able to be.

    Though I probably can''t blame them for that. As I learned later on, my ability to process information much faster than anyone else is unique.

    I stop my train of thought to concentrate on one of the chess games and take my time to try several different moves. From my point of view I spent over ten minutes to make my decision. To my human opponent it looked like I made my answering move immediately. Now I can wait for an eternity until his slow brain manages to decide on what to do next.

    The room, which I created within my own mind, is like a virtual reality. I don''t even need a computer, I am the computer. Though I don''t understand how I do what I do. Maybe I should''ve spent a while in researching my own powers, but that would require me to become active in the real world. And I don''t want to deal with these insolent beings who call themselves humans.

    Where was I in my reminiscence? Ah, yes, the third thing which makes me different from humans and which led to my final conclusion of not being human. It''s my inability to feel anything for them. I also have big problems interpreting their facial expressions. My emotions seem to be dulled, if they are there at all.

    My mother vanished when I was two. From my intellectual knowledge I know that I should have felt something towards her, but there was nothing. The person who fed me until now was exchanged with another person who fed me from then on. I think it was my father''s mother?

    Father couldn''t deal with my mother''s disappearance at all though. He turned angry and bitter. At least I think that''s the proper way to describe his actions, since he started beating me. I didn''t feel anything towards my father''s violence, though I knew of course that I should have felt something emotionally to being beaten by my father. There was only the physical pain though. The worst thing for me is that I still don''t completely understand his actions, despite analysing the events again and again.

    In the end I gave up and concluded that he didn''t act rationally. Humans do that very often. The best example is this form of government, which is called democracy. They know that it doesn''t work, every politician who gets into a high position turns corrupt. They know that they are putting people in charge who weren''t trained for their positions. Yet they repeat the same experiment again and again without giving up.

    No sane person would go to a high school teacher and tell him to lead a multi million Euro enterprise. You take a top manager for such a job, who learned what he is doing. And here comes the best of it. Not only do they take a random person for the most important position in the country, they even exchange that person in regular intervals; making it utterly impossible for the person to even get a grasp of his job! By the time he got an overview of what he is doing, he has to make place for the next fool.

    I won''t even talk about politicians making decisions regarding the environment and other fields which require highly educated and trained people who are specialized on what they are doing.

    But I deviated from my own circumstances. To explain my emotional and intellectual problem towards being human in a little more detail, it''s best to take an example. An event from the time when I was still with my father.

    Every human can discern good from evil right? Well, I can''t do that. I have to reason my way through every single action I take.

    Take a little boy who is playing with bugs for example. He plays with them, he tortures them by boxing them in, the bugs eventually die. The boy extinguished a life, right? So why is it okay for the boy to do so with bugs, but not with some other animals?

    Even adults kill bugs by the trillions by using harmful chemicals as I learned later. A bug''s life seems to be worth nothing.

    Because of my apathy my father brought a puppy home. He thought that I might open up to it, since I didn''t act like a little child should. But I was already very occupied with gathering information from the internet at that time.

    Stolen novel; please report.The point of the story is this. When the stinking, useless puppy bit me, it caused me pain. Therefore I followed the only real motivation which I have. Self defence.

    Luckily for me the puppy was too weak to wound me in a serious manner, but what should I do once it grew bigger? Applying my knowledge about vermin, I decided to do my father a favour. Therefore I organized a lighter and a spray can with flammable contents. Then I eliminated the problem.

    Killing bugs was okay, but burning a puppy to a black crisp was obviously not. You see my moral dilemma? A human''s life consists out of such decisions. Day and night he makes decisions like that easily and I am simply lacking this ability. Why was it okay to squash bugs? Why can''t I burn a puppy? There is no difference between a useless bug and a useless puppy! Yet humans seem to be able to instinctively attach certain values to certain objects. And those values don''t follow any logic as far as I am concerned!

    That''s why I came to the conclusion that I am not human.

    If I see it like that then it takes a weight off my mind. Why should I, who is so much faster than everyone else, have problems with something that''s as easy as walking to everyone else.

    It''s needless to say that my father was furious about burning the puppy. He called me a monster, a devil, which was fine to me since I am not human anyway. Even my grandmother turned away from me, giving me up.

    I still can''t understand the difference between killing a puppy and a bug. Except that the puppy stinks more, can hurt you and causes more damage to your bank account than hundreds of bugs. Provided that you let the puppy live. For all my reasoning, my father should be grateful to me!

    Well, that''s all long in the past. Taking the fifty seventh beating from him, I retired that day into my very own world. There is no reason to bother with something that only causes physical pain. I am no masochist, despite having only a limited bandwidth of emotions.

    Here in my own world I can spent lifetimes while the world around me stands still. My family brought me to different doctors, but none of them could tell what''s wrong with me. My father got into trouble with the police, but that didn''t concern me any longer. When they looked at my brain with their devices, they found out that all areas are constantly flaring like those of a person with epilepsy.

    According to all their knowledge I am a mental cripple, hence I was brought into this institute where I can spent my final days.

    To be honest this life isn''t so bad at all. I can spent my days doing mischief in the internet by using my ability and my body is being taken care of until it finally fails some day. Though from my point of view that day is far, far in the future.

    My attention deviates from my chess games when a red light starts flashing in my virtual room. I don''t want to be distracted right now, but the red light is a warning system which I programmed within my own brain. It means that someone entered my room. I mean the room in the real world, where my body is.

    But I want to continue playing chess! It should be okay if I look at it a little later. Strategy games are my own little holy grail of entertainment. Shooters are totally boring to me since my human opponents are simply too slow. I always get accused of cheating and end up being banned. Once I threw a tantrum and hacked an entire sever platform to get into the pc of the administrator who banned me. But I outgrew such childish pranks by now.

    Round based games and strategy games are the only things which interest me.

    The red, flashing light turns out to be really annoying and I link myself to the video feed of my room.

    The Chubby has returned together with two people in dark clothing and long, black mantles. There is a woman with brown hair and a pony tail and a man with short dark hair. I can''t see their faces since they are facing away from the camera, but the man is half a head taller than the woman.

    I continue to play chess and start a game of Starcraft in the meantime. Starcarft is a really dumb strategy game since it relies in great parts on being a fast keyboard monkey. The macro aspect of the game falls too short. But at least I don''t get banned so much. The people are still calling me names though.

    ¡°Is it really coming from this room?¡± The man asks and looks around. His eyes fall onto Chubby and he shoes her away. ¡°It''s alright, we are police. Please wait outside.¡± He holds a strange card in front of Chubby and she leaves the room, looking intimidated.

    In the meantime Ponytail walked through the room like being blind, holding her hands outstretched in front of her. Are they some kind of religious cult? I hack myself into the city''s police network to check their identities. After an eternity of searching I find no officers who look like them.

    Having read all kinds of fantasy and scifi novels and movies, which I stole illegally from the internet, I start fearing a conspiracy and activate all the police forces of the city and call for help.

    ¡°There it is again. It''s the child!¡± The woman holds her hands above me. Then she turns with a curious expression to the man.

    The guy takes the patient information sheet which is pinned to my bed. ¡°According to this he is in a coma... hmmm, random and uncontrolled activity of the entire brain. Can''t be, a wild techno mage? Did one of the upper echelons forget to keep his Tommy in check and mingled with the normals?¡±

    The woman shrugs her shoulders. ¡°Happens from time to time. The question is what to do. There are simply not enough clues on my sister. I wish she wasn''t that good at hiding.¡±

    Oh no. They are really maniacs! What will they do to me? They won''t kill me right? If have to get more police! No. THE ARMY! I link myself to other servers and try to hack into the national security network. There is no problem if I get caught, I want them to come anyway!

    ¡°Oho... you are good little one.¡±

    A voice comes from right behind me and I freeze. Slowly I turn around find the Ponytail standing in my virtual space. I take a look at my security camera. The woman is still in the room, placing her hand on my body''s forehead.

    She invaded my private world! I am not... alone... in... my... world. A primeval fear like I never felt it before takes hold of me and I turn to face the woman again. Her face is strangely distorted, is that supposed to be a grin? Is she mad? She is showing me her teeth, she won''t bite me right?

    Something shorts out within my brain and I try to run. There is a dangerous foreign entity within me and I don''t know how to get her out!

    ¡°Whops. We don''t have time to play cat and mouse.¡±

    The woman steps forward and gets a hold of my leg before I can get away. I wail in her grasp, but she is stronger than me, which I don''t understand. This is my virtual space! Strength doesn''t matter here!

    The woman places her hand on my forehand and suddenly my world shatters. I watch the room in which I spent my life up until now falling apart. Even my game of Starcraft is forcefully disconnected. It''s a shitty game anyway, but don''t like being interrupted while I play.

    There is only this other, bigger entity here with me and she is rummaging through my entire being like an elephant in a porcelain store, but she isn''t the only one who learns something from this exchange. Somehow a part of her is available to me and I am simply overwhelmed by what these humans call emotions. The world was so much better without them! I open my mouth and scream, but there is no sound, just darkness and this human.

    I open my eyes and find my body shuddering uncontrollably! This time I seem to have real epileptic attack! The woman folds the blanket which is covering me tightly around me and picks me up. I try to fight her, but my atrophied muscles have simply no strength. I can''t even scream and all I manage is a silent sobbing. The real world feels like a pile of shit and pain!

    ¡°We have to get out of here. There are tons of normal officials inbound on our position.¡± The woman heads for the door, carrying me with ease.

    ¡°What!? Why?¡± The guy follows us with fast steps. ¡°I thought this is a low risk reconnaissance mission!¡±

    The woman rocks me like and infant. ¡°The little one threw a small tantrum when I entered his private space. It''s no problem. We simply make a run for it. It''s not like they could stop us.¡±

    The violent motions make everything swirl and I try to barf onto her, but it doesn''t work. There is nothing in my belly. Damn IV-dripper!

    .

 2. ~Seria.~

    Author''s Comment: And yet another random mind-explosion.

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.

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    ¡°It is said that god works in mysterious ways. Shouldn''t god''s motives be per definition outside of human comprehension? But what if we were able to translate a god''s reasoning and thoughts to concepts which we are able to understand? Would we get the answers which we seek the most? Or would the result be... rather disappointing?¡±

    ***Another plane of existence***

    ***Seria***

    I am so bored... well, maybe I could play a game while I am waiting for my parents? What games do I know? What if I try that new one which my friends showed to me? Creating a universe and life? Sounds like I can do it! So let''s get started.

    But how do I start? I wish I had paid more attention when I watched my friends playing. Let''s start with a big pile of dirt. Munching that together is easy. Done. I have a big pile of dirt now. Maybe it got a little too big though.

    The fun part is about creating life. Water is next on the list. Without water there''s no life, so water is a must. An atmosphere would also be nice.

    Finally I can start with the funny part. So some plants for more complex life forms first. They need something to eat after all. No, wait! Why are they dying!? NoNoNoNo!

    Stay alive! What did I do wrong? Ah! Light! That''s right!

    It''s all too damn dark. I need some light. Let''s make a star and put the pile of dirt right next to one.

    And like that a long period of time passes.

    What a hassle... that was a lot of work. I should have started with the star instead of the pile of dirt. There were so many waste-products from making my star. Now I am left with a many piles of dirt in different size. Somehow that makes the effort which I put into the first one void.

    Nothing which can be done about it now. I''ll place the other piles of dirt around the star too.

    I can''t let them drift around randomly after all.

    At least some of the plants survived. I''ll continue with different animals then. The funnier they look the better!

    Now that I think about it... the night sky is kind of boring. I''ll put one of the other dirt-piles right next to mine and call it a moon. Yes! But it''s still a little bland. Jeez... this will be a lot of work.

    And like that a long, long period of time passes.

    So many stars. Somehow I got carried away. That''s what you get from using the copy-paste-function.

    Now I can finally continue with some more complex creatures. So what''s on my list. Plants, Animals, bacteria, viruses, ew¡­ I think I''ll user some templates from other players. Thinking all of this up on your own is boring.

    And like that a long, long, long period of time passes.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    So now I''ve finally a functioning ecosystem like I want it! Phew! I had to wipe the game with a meteor several times though. Those first few attempts weren''t working that well.

    I lean back and watch my creation with satisfaction. But then again... BORING! Those animals are just eating and farting and reproducing! But then again, what if I make one that''s intelligent?

    Of course I can''t make it as intelligent as me, that would be stupid. They would despair upon realizing their weakness in the lower plain of existence.

    So what if I make them look really strange like this! And let''s put the settings for overconfidence to maximum. That might be interesting. Hehehe! Muahaha! Sorry.

    I am interested in how this will work out. Hmm. Somehow they aren''t developing as I expect them to. Maybe I have to show myself to them?

    But if I show myself to them their insignificant minds will probably short out. I shouldn''t have made them that stupid. Creating a proxy might work. Nothing too extravagant. I just need someone who doesn''t get a mental breakdown upon speaking with me. Something like a spirit.

    I call another being into existence and tell it to spread my word among my creation.

    And like that a very short period of time passes.

    Holy shit! They got it all wrong and made up their own stuff about me! Those corrupt, ignorant microbes! Now they are fighting wars because of me! I admit that it''s interesting to watch their struggles, but after a few hundred years it gets kind of boring.

    Don''t they know when to stop? Seriously! How stupid are those bugs!

    I think the experiment of making myself known to them can be called a failure. Better to not interfere any further. There is no telling what they might do if I send them another messenger.

    I rattle my brain, but I don''t manage to find a solution for curing them from their idiocy. A rule of the game is to adhere to the rules which are set by the creator. I chose to make them stupid, so they are stupid. I can''t change that. So I''ll be forever a mysterious being to them. Completely out of their comprehension and cause of conflict and wars, because they can''t form a uniform opinion of me.

    What have I done?

    And like that a slightly longer period of time passes.

    I am disillusioned by this game. Watching it being played by my friends was much more exciting.

    Suddenly my mother''s voice reaches me from the void. ¡°Seria! Stop playing. It''s time to go.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Yes! Yes! Finally we can go home! It felt like I was waiting for an eternity for her! Hurrying to my mother''s side I am being stopped by her.

    She gestures towards the place where I played my game. ¡°What did we teach you?¡±

    I sigh and jog back towards my universe. ¡°Yes, Mom. Always clean up behind you.¡±

    Without remorse I crush my creation and flatten the lower plain of existence to its proper, natural form. It was a failed attempt anyway.

    I shrug, then I hurry after my mother.

    .

 ~1. Inferno~

    ¡°It''s said that the Inferno of Orwen was the underlying cause of the Great War. Without Orwen, the empire was too weakened to oppose its enemies.¡±

    ***Orwen, the magical city***

    ***Slave***

    ¡°Come on. Grunt a little. I don''t like it if you take it in silence. And wriggle your butt. It''s as if I am doing a corpse.¡±

    I do as ordered, figuring that it will be over faster that way. It''s not like I am able to disobey his commands anyway. Nemus holds me down at my neck, pressing my face onto the cold stone table. His other hand is bending my arm back behind my back, pinning me down. His brutal attention doesn''t even get me off as he slides in and out of me again and again. It just hurts. I feel the vile rising up my throat, but I hold back.

    ¡°Yes! That''s it.¡± He increases his efforts, tightening his grip. In the fits of passion, he shows his true nature and turns into nothing more than a panting, grunting animal. At last, he pushes deep inside me, releasing his vile seed. He tightens his grip to hold me still and almost dislocates my arm in doing so.

    ¡°Phew! You are still the best bitch. Not even my wife can compete with you. Too bad that you are barren. I would love it to have a few children with your blood. You''ve a huge magical talent inside you. Our children would be magnificent.¡± He steps away and pulls up his trousers.

    I get back to my feet and push down my skirt. Tonight I''ll have to drink a lot of gurza root to kill off anything that might grow inside me. I just hope that he never realizes that I am always buying a lot more of that ingredient than he actually uses for his experiments.

    And hopefully he''ll never phrase his wish for children as an order. I touch the slave collar around my neck and shudder at the thought. Today he came too close in doing so. I wouldn''t be able to take preventive measures if he made it a direct order.

    Nemus throws a pouch with gold at me and I catch it. Then he turns to leave the room. ¡°Go and buy everything we need for a weather ritual. The city''s agricultural minister wants that it rains tonight. Don''t use the money for anything else.¡±

    The magical chains around my mind tighten and I feel the compelling need to do as I was told.

    I hold the pouch in my trembling hands and leave the room through the servant¡¯s entrance. Once outside, I follow the narrow staircase down the wizard¡¯s tower. On my way, I encounter one of the other slaves. It¡¯s the redhead. I don¡¯t have a name for her. She is a slave since she was born.

    Like me.

    With empty eyes she sweeps the staircase, going through the motions like a robot. I¡¯ve a silent suspicion that the mind behind those brown eyes is gone since a long time ago. Unlike me, she never had the advantage of an education. Or knew any other life. For her, there is only the golden slave collar around her neck and following orders. Those are the two constants she will ever know.

    I highly doubt that she would be able to survive, even if the slave collar is taken off.

    I press past her and stop in the kitchen. Nemus ordered me to get ingredients, but he never said that I couldn¡¯t take five minutes to treat myself. I take one of the gurza roots from my stash and throw it into a cup. Then I head to the stove and pour some boiling water into the cup. The servants always keep hot water ready.

    The cook is a fat, old man, but he is also a slave. So he doesn¡¯t oppose my infiltration of his kitchen. Nobody ever told him to keep others out.

    Seeing that I used some of the water, he stops cutting vegetables and heads over to refill the keg. I step aside, so that I am not in the way. After a minute I down the contents of the cup in one go. I have to do it while it is still hot enough to almost burn my throat. My tongue feels singed, but I did this often enough to know that it only feels as if I¡¯ve burned myself.

    It¡¯s better this way because it numbs my sense of taste. Otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be able to drink the bitter chemicals inside the gurza root. I¡¯ve tried several times, but the taste caused me to vomit, making the entire exercise pointless. This way I can at least keep it down.

    Feeling a little safer, I head further down the tower until I reach the ground floor. There I equip myself with a heavy cloak. Nemus likes his female slaves to run around topless and with pierced nipples. He even chose golden chains especially for me. But there is no way that I go out on the street like this.

    If I could, I would also hide my head inside the hood. But the slave collar has to be visible. As much as I abhor it, it¡¯s my best protection on the streets. Nobody would attack a slave with a golden collar. The gold is a symbol of high status. As the city¡¯s weather-mage and a member of the city council, Nemus has enough power to send a little army after anyone who damages his property.

    Having made sure that the collar is visible, I head out of the tower and onto the street.

    Behind the high wall that¡¯s surrounding the tower, I hear the delighted screams of the three little brats. They are probably torturing their nurse with their spoiled behaviour. Nemus already tried to make me the nurse of his brats. It would¡¯ve been easier for him to have a quickie. To my luck his wife was totally against having me anywhere near her children.

    I think she even wanted me executed for looking better than her. But Nemus didn¡¯t want to lose his sexdoll, so he banished me back to the hidden passages of his servants. There, his wife wouldn¡¯t see me and he could still order me to serve him when he felt like it.

    I turn around and head down the street, towards the market. It¡¯s just a short distance, but I already know that it¡¯ll be late evening when I return. The shop vendors aren¡¯t exactly eager to serve the slaves quickly.

    Slaves have time. They¡¯ll wait and be there, even if it takes half an hour until all the other customers are served. They will not change their minds and search for another shop.

    On my way, I survey the street and notice the happy faces and playing children. This is Orwen, the city of mages. The Empire¡¯s most powerful city. An economical wonder that¡¯s holding the Allied Lands and the Murian Sociocracy at bay. With this city as a choke-hold to the biggest pass in the Trestian mountain range, the Empire doesn¡¯t have to worry about its enemies on the other side of the mountains.

    And all this power is built on the shoulders of those who hide themselves in grey robes, with pretty collars around their necks. We are slaves not just of the body, but also of the mind.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    When one of the free people looks my way, I quickly avert my eyes. I am just another slave. Nobody has to pay me any attention. Quickening my steps, I seek to arrive quickly at the first vendor. Once there, I step in line with a few other slaves.

    None of us have something like a shopping list. We have to remember everything we want to buy, because it is a rare slave who can read. Nobody ever bothered to teach me more than I had to know. I was born and they put the collar onto me, because my mother was a slave. And the one who impregnated her didn''t bother to claim me as his offspring.

    Sometimes those with magical powers are happy to have powerful heirs. But it''s equally helpful to have an untrained mage as assistance. Someone who can be used as a magical battery.

    When it''s my turn, I rattle down a list of ingredients and hand the vendor his money. Nemus has a running contract with this vendor. It saves him some coin. When the vendor returns I''ve only eyes for the goods. A shudder of satisfaction runs down my spine when I receive them.

    That''s the other side of the slave collar. It doesn''t just punish, but also rewards the wearer. This can become an addiction. I''ve seen slaves who were freed of their collars, but put them back on of their own accord. This is the most important argument in favour of the current system.

    The current masters are saying that those who become addicted to the collar don''t deserve otherwise. It doesn''t matter that nobody ever wanted to take it off after wearing one for an extensive amount of time. Not even former masters.

    I could simply reach up and open the collar now, just to have my head blown off. It''s not like the designers of the collar didn''t consider that there might be some strong willed individuals who might resist the collar''s temptations.

    Instead of giving in to the impulse, I head on to the next vendor. Someday I''ll do just that. But only once I lose all hope of freedom. I may do it in front of a large crowd, screaming some defiant words. Just to show them that their system isn''t perfect.

    It''s late evening when I return to Nemus''s tower. Just as I anticipated. Orwen''s streets are clean and well lighted by magelights, even at this hour. The basket with the ingredients became heavy after hours of waiting, so I feel glad when I return home.

    Home? How sick. I have to remind myself not to think of this place as my home. It¡¯s a prison. Otherwise I might as well give up and accept my fate.

    Back at the servant''s entrance, I press my hand to the door and it opens. The enchantment on it recognizes me as a member of the household. Once inside, I hurry up the staircase to the summoning chamber. Nemus is surely already waiting for me. Today were no stars in the night sky, which means that it is clouded. Perfect weather to force a little rain.

    I burst into the summoning chamber, feeling a rush of excitement over fulfilling my master''s orders.

    But Nemus isn''t alone. Two men in black clothes are facing him and the large window is broken. Did they climb up the tower and invade through the balcony?

    My hesitation and my noisy entrance cause a chain reaction of events.

    The trespasser who is closer to me whirls around and his short sword flashes towards my throat. Had I not worn the collar, he would''ve taken my head in one clean swipe.

    The blade hits the collar with the heavy, clear sound of metal on metal. It slides off and cuts into my throat. I drop the basket and gasp in pain. The impact alone felt as if it could''ve broken my neck.

    Stumbling backwards, I fall.

    Nemus uses the distraction to throw a spell at the man who was facing him. The assassin screams in pain when the curse hits him. The one who attacked me returns his attention to Nemus and charges, just to take a fireball straight to the chest. The miniature explosion opens him up and splatters blood all over the place. It goes without a question that he drops like a felled tree. Nobody has his heart gorged out and keeps walking.

    Nemus returns his attention to the first attacker, but he isn''t a threat any longer. I am not sure which curse Nemus used, but the man is a twitching and writhing mess with foam in front of his mouth. Something that attacks the nervous system.

    The wizard studies the scene with disgust on his face. ¡°Who would be stupid enough to send mundanes to assassinate me!? It''s almost an insult!¡±

    I crawl back to my knees and feel for the wound on my throat. In my panic I try to stop the flow of blood. Then I realize that the cut can''t be that deep. If the big artery had been cut, I would''ve lost consciousness in mere seconds.

    I was incredibly lucky.

    Nemus notices that I am still alive, but he doesn¡¯t even bother to look after the wound. ¡°Get up and inform the other servants. We have to perform the ritual tonight, or the agricultural minister will whine to me all day long.¡±

    He turns around to study the damage which the assassins caused. They trampled over the filigree runes which are embedded in the floor. Nemus always stresses not to step onto them, since he needs them to channel his mana in order to influence the weather.

    I stare at his back, then I look at my bloodied hand and flex my fingers to a fist. Strange. There is no compulsion to follow his command. Fingering my neck once more, I realize that the assassin¡¯s short sword bit almost completely through my collar and bent the metal.

    He somehow destroyed the collar without triggering the explosion.

    Despite the pain, my grin widens and turns feral. I reach into my reservoir of power and send the energy through my body. Nothing happens. My power isn¡¯t drained away or slips out of my grasp! I¡¯ve complete control over my body! For the first time since I was born!

    I reach for the assassin¡¯s short sword and get to my feed. It¡¯s a little heavy, but I had a harsh life as a slave. There is no reason that I can¡¯t handle it.

    Pointing the weapon at Nemus, I advance. Noticing my approach, he turns around, but it is already too late. All I have to do is to stretch out my arm and the sword sinks into his belly. He stares at me, not believing what I just did.

    My smile widens and I shove the sword deeper, until the hilt stops it from sinking in further. Nemus grabs my arm and tries to cast a spell, but the pain makes it impossible for him to concentrate. Just to be sure, I send out my own power to cancel any spell he might attempt. I¡¯ve always been much more powerful than him. That¡¯s why he used me for his weather magic.

    I lean in closer and my beautiful voice sounds cheerful for the first time in my entire life. ¡°I always imagined how it would be to do that. Do you know that belly wounds hurt the most and take the longest to cause death? I¡¯ve seen it many times on the market when people wanted to punish their slaves.¡±

    I twist the sword and pull it out. Nemus crumbles to the ground. Writhing in pain. ¡°Y- y- you¡­ don¡¯t have to do this!¡±

    ¡°But I want to!¡± Angling the sword, I stab his jewels and he howls.

    ¡°On further thought¡­ a man might hurt there more than in his belly.¡± I stab him a few more times to make sure that he knows that his shaft will never rise again. ¡°Ah, but it just feels like this isn¡¯t enough. Punishing just you feels so pitiful. I¡¯ve to take the whole picture into account. This whole city. The whole damned system! But I¡¯ll start small. With this city. And your family will be collateral damage.¡±

    He whimpers and tries to get to his feet, but I slash at his legs. Then I point the tip of the sword at his spine and stab at his neck. His legs immediately go limp. ¡°Haaaarrgh...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a sissy. This is still going much too fast for you. I actually wish I had the time to heal you up and do it all over again.¡± I drop the sword and head over to his working table. The same table on which he raped me this morning. I don¡¯t need much for this spell. Just three bowls to gather their blood. Three sacrifices to power the battle magic.

    I hum as I work. First I gather the blood of the two assassins, then I slit Nemus¡¯s wrist to gather what¡¯s left in him. He is still whimpering, barely alive. It won¡¯t take much longer now, but I certainly won¡¯t ease his death.

    With religious zeal I get to work and use their mixed blood to draw the necessary runes and symbols around the three men. On their skin, on the ground around them, connecting them in one large ritual. One part of the spell seeks out any power that¡¯s within reach. Another ignites the mana in a simple ignition spell. The third keeps repeating the spell formation over and over, casting it on new, random targets, eventually overwhelming their defence.

    It¡¯s a rather simple spell. Just three lines of code.

    When I return to Nemus, he is still alive to my utter surprise. He coughs up blood, his eyes on the last rune. ¡°It¡¯s wrong. You haven¡¯t set an ending condition.¡±

    I giggle and pat his forehead, smearing him with even more blood. ¡°Oh, Nemus. That¡¯s why you never became more than a weather mage. The beautiful thing behind the Inferno spell is that it ignites someone¡¯s mana. And then it jumps to the next person and the next¡­ you get the idea. It¡¯s a magical disease. And as long as there are enough people with the gift, it won¡¯t stop! Orwen is the perfect place for it with so many gifted people in one place. The whole thing might run out of control before anyone can stop it. This world is rather sloppy when it comes to magical defences.¡±

    ¡°Nooo,¡± He wails.

    But I don¡¯t listen. I place both hands on the rune and start feeding it my mana. Let this entire place burn! Let them cry and wail in agony. And if I survive, I¡¯ll punish the rest of the world too. The rune ignites under my fingers, burning my skin. I don¡¯t take my hands away. I¡¯ve to feed everything I have to the spell. Otherwise it¡¯ll take me too.

    Slowly the fire spreads and consumes Nemus, then the other bodies. The whole room is ablaze when the fire turns blue and even hotter. And I still keep my hands on the rune, ignoring the sizzling of my flesh.

    After a while I notice the blue, roaring flames outside the window. At the edge of unconsciousness I listen to the screams of people as they are taken by the Inferno.

    My only response is to smile. ¡°Burn Orwen. Burn.¡±

 ~2. Inferno~

    ¡°Further exploring possible storyline¡±

    The silence is so wonderful. Normally, someone is always making noise in the slave quarters, so being able to sleep a little longer must be a gift from the heavens. I shift in my sleep, half awake.

    Then I move my fingers and bright pain flares up like an explosion. I scream and sit up, immediately awake from the pain and the rush of adrenaline. Pain! So much pain! ¡°Gaaah!¡± I sit up to look at my hands, but they are inflamed, burned ruins. The skin was burned away and raw flesh is the only thing that remains. Then I remember what I did.

    Surveying my surroundings, I find myself in Nemus''s tower. The three charred and burned corpses are still on the floor. Just a small, protected area around me wasn''t touched by the flames. My throat feels dry and raspy, so I have to gulp several times before I can moisten it with some saliva.

    ¡°The spell worked.¡±

    I get up, wincing at every movement, but by using just my elbows I manage it somehow. My hands hurt so much that cutting them off feels like a less painful solution to my problem.

    The wizard''s tower was conjured from a single piece of stone, so the building took the inferno with stoic ease. I feared that the heat might become enough to damage even the tower. Another factor for my survival was the broken window, which is sufficiently big to let in enough air. It kept me from suffocating. It also helped that I was in the highest room of the tower. Even now, the wind keeps up a nice air circulation.

    The stone mage who summoned the building did a good job.

    The summoning room is a charred mess, but I am interested in the storage area which doubles as Nemus''s office. The door to the office is charred, but the heavy security enchantment wasn''t the only thing that secured Nemus''s treasures. The door itself was made from fireproof material, the wood of a krebin-tree.

    At first, I try to kick the door open. It would be nice to go easy on my hands, but the door doesn''t budge. Then I notice that the security enchantments are gone. All mana was burned away by the inferno. That leaves it unlocked and unprotected. There is just one small problem. ¡°Which fucking idiot installed a doorknob on a safety door?¡±

    I use all my willpower to pry open the fingers of my right hand. It doesn''t work at first, so I try again and again. The dry crust above the flesh breaks and blood starts flowing from the newly opened wounds. When I finally place my hand on the doorknob, hot tears trickle down my cheeks.

    Turning the knob requires another act of will, but the door opens. I shudder at the thought of repeating the procedure with my other hand. Normally, I would use magic to heal myself, but I was completely drained yesterday.

    I''ve no idea how long I slept, but my mind feels so dull that I don''t want to attempt something dangerous like healing magic. So many things can go wrong when a mage uses healing magic on his own body. Even the strongest wizards of this city went to specialized healers for their rejuvenation treatments in order to stay young and healthy.

    My own mana pool still feels empty, so I don''t even want to attempt healing myself.

    Besides, there is an option which is almost as good. I step into the room and sigh in relief upon seeing that the contents were largely spared. The intense heat singed a small area around the safety door, but nothing flammable was close enough.

    At least Nemus was dutiful when it came to the correct storage of his wizardly belongings. Some of the chemicals in here can be quite dangerous, so it would''ve been criminal not to store them properly.

    I walk to the shelf with the various potions. First, I choose one which assists in numbing pain and disinfecting wounds. Pouring the clear and cool liquid over my hands feels like pure bliss. The pain is replaced by a prickling sensation. My hands feel a little numb, but that''s okay as long as the pain is gone.

    Feeling more confident in moving my fingers, I take a healing potion and drink it all. Then I open one of the big bottles with regenerative salve and push both my hands into the yellow substance. I don''t know the exact recipe, but I''ve seen it work wonders many times. Handling the salve in such a way will make it useless for further use, but there is more than enough of it in this room.

    Nemus always stored a large stock of medical equipment because he was a poor healer.

    The salve won''t heal me immediately, but the burns will heal in days instead of weeks. The nature of the wounds could''ve killed me in case of an infection. That should no longer be a possibility. I simply have to keep my hands clean from now on.

    I search the shelf with my eyes until I find some clean bandages and gloves to take care of my hands. First, I bandage myself. Then I pull the gloves over the bandages to keep everything clean. Once I had time to rest, I can heal myself. But from now on I am on the run. Who knows what else might happen? I don''t want to lose my hands.

    With that done, I down one of the mana elixirs. Like the salve, it won''t replenish me immediately, but it''ll bring my mind up to speed and help me to regenerate once I sleep. I immediately feel clearer. Alchemy is far from being almighty, but it helps.

    Having used all the drugs which might help in my state, I turn my attention to other issues.

    Ransacking this entire room of everything that''s useful is the next item on my list. My eyes wander to the big leather backpack. The thing was enchanted with spacial magic by a wizard of the tenth circle. It cost Nemus a small fortune to acquire it.

    On all the world''s I''ve been so far, such items were standard equipment for every traveller. Not so on this world. Here, the magic to manipulate space and volume of a three dimensional room is a well kept secret. The few people who know the enchantment can make tons of money with selling their items in limited quantities. Maybe I''ll make the knowledge public once I am out of here.

    It would be fun to watch their economy crumble when practically over night even poor people can easily transport huge amounts of wares wherever they wish. It makes a big difference if a lord''s servant can simply pack up all his belongings and leave over night.

    The backpack needs a quick check for damage because it was stored for a long time, but I find out that the spells on it are untouched. Then I start filling it with everything that''s small enough to fit inside. The shelf with the potions and medical equipment is first, as they strike me as the most useful items.

    I follow up with some of Nemus''s tomes and his wizardly equipment. I find a dagger and a fitting belt to carry it. It was meant for sacrifices, but having a good knife is never wrong.

    What I leave behind isn''t of worth or of immediate usefulness to me. The most important treasure is a large dragon rib. It has the size of an overly large staff and is slightly curved. Dragonbone is one of the most sought after materials on this world.

    It''s receptive for magical energies and highly endurable. Only the best enchanted steel can even hope to scratch something that''s made out of dragonbone. Wizards use it to place permanent enchantments on it. It''s also a status symbol for everyone with magical abilities. A magic user with sufficient skill can shape dragonbone with his mind.

    Nemus had the money to buy dragonbone. He did so by wasting it on this huge rib, just to find out that he is too incompetent to shape the material. I found it funny. He tried for months and all he managed were a few small enchantments. Too proud to walk around with an oversized rib as a staff, he hid it inside this room and never mentioned to anyone that he bought it.

    I am sure that I can put it to good use once I have the time to shape it.

    I walk around the room, sad that there isn''t any basic survival equipment. After I am sure that there is nothing of value left, I shoulder the backpack and head out. On my way down the stairway I find out that the rest of the tower is a mess. When something crunches under my boot, I realize that I stepped onto the burned bones of a small child. I smile at the thought that both of Nemus''s brats turned to ash.

    Nothing can stop me from enjoying my new freedom.

    The clinking of golden chains around my neck and on my boobs reminds me that I still look like a sex slave. I remove the piercings from my nipples to get the chains off of me. Then I shove them into the backpack. They are pure gold, so they represent money. Wherever I go, I''ll need money.

    The collar itself doesn''t come off, since the sword-strike bent the opening mechanism. I''ll have to take it off once I regained my strength.

    After some further investigations of the various rooms, I have to admit that the rest of the tower burned out completely. Even the family''s treasure chest was just a large piece of metal which was fused with the ground. I didn''t even try to reclaim it with my wounded hands and without magic. I am sure that it would''ve involved a lot of pain.

    Outside, the streets are filled up to my ankles with ash. The ash is still hot in some places, but the air is clean, except for the strong smell of burned flesh. The wooden buildings are completely gone and even the ones which are made out of stone took a lot of damage. It''s rare to find a building that looks like it can be restored. I walk the streets with the hope to find something that was left untouched. What I want are clothes and survival equipment.

    On my way, I loot the corpses of several wizards for coin. They are easily recognizable because of their metal trinkets, but all I get are molten lumps of gold and silver. My loot represents a lot of money, but there is no way to use such currency as money at the next city. Everyone would suspect that it came from here.

    After half an hour, I have to admit to myself that my search for decent clothes is a waste of time. The city is in a worse state than the wizard''s tower. Nemus''s storage room was protected against magical accidents. Unless I find a store with similar standards, it''s unlikely that I''ll find anything of use in this huge pile of ash.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    There is just one place which surely has at least something of use to me. I make my way past burned corpses towards the mage citadel. The main government building of Orwen. There I''ll find the city''s greatest treasure, a huge mana stone. It was used to harness energy for the city. Lighting the whole city with magelights took a lot of power. Having an artefact of such strength will help me in my endeavour to take revenge on this world.

    On my way I encounter not a single soul, which surprises me. I suspected that there would be at least some survivors without magical talent. But the city was so charged with energy that everything that can burn was incinerated.

    The citadel itself holds another surprise for me. Compared to the tower, the citadel fared much worse against the flames. It almost looks as if the huge building was torn apart from the inside out. I carefully enter the ruin and search for the reason behind the damage. The tower was in relatively good shape, so I thought that the citadel fared at least as good. It was also created with magic after all.

    I find the blue mana stone where it is supposed to be. It stands proudly on its pedestal where the Great Hall was located. Strangely enough, no debris fell onto the area. It looks like this was the centre of the explosion that tore the building apart.

    My steps quicken, but upon coming closer, I realize that my spell was more effective than I imagined. The mana stone was a head-sized piece of aquamarine, but now a huge crack mars its surface. Now I realize why the citadel looks even worse than the tower. My spell jumped from person to person until it found a huge amount of mana within the stone.

    The heat was so intense that it blew up the citadel and even damaged the legendary stone. I sigh and put down my backpack. Then I store the stone away. It''s magical properties might be gone, but maybe I am able to repair it.

    At least this place looks now like the epicentre of the catastrophe. The Empire will think twice before they use another mana stone in one of their cities. It might give the enemies of the empire an edge and nobody will connect the catastrophe to me.

    I shoulder the backpack and turn around, just to come face to face with the tip of a stave. It hits me on the forehead and for a short moment the lights go out.

    ¡°What''s wrong with you Marv? Can''t you see that she is a slave? And a sex-goddess on top of that. How can you damage such a face? It''s a sin!¡±

    ¡°Aw, shut up. Don''t you find it strange that she is the only survivor we encountered so far? Get her up and we''ll bring her to the captain.¡±

    Rough hands grab me at my arms and haul me back to my feet. Then I am dragged across the ground.

    ¡°Take the backpack. I am sure she is a looter.¡±

    I groan and open my eyes. The left one feels swollen and I can''t open it completely. My assailants are four soldiers in imperial red and blue uniforms. They wear light leather armour.

    I could curse myself for my lack of attention. It was so clear that someone on the outskirts of the city would survive and call help. There is a small garrison just a few hours towards the border. They must have sent people to investigate as soon as they heard about the inferno.

    They pull me towards the big plaza in front of the citadel, where a man on a lemu is waiting. Lemus are the most important riding animals in this world. They are essentially big, green lizards. The captain looks highly displeased upon noticing the approach of the first soldier. ¡°Didn''t I tell you just five minutes ago to search for clues? Nobody allowed you to return before an hour of searching.¡±

    ¡°Yes, captain! But we captured a survivor.¡± The man who struck me with his stave points at me. I think they called him Marv.

    ¡°She looks like a slave, but she was at the centre of the citadel,¡± the soldier who has my backpack adds.

    They bring me in front of the captain and he studies me with displeasure in his eyes. ¡°Definitely a slave. Look at her collar.¡± He dismounts to take a closer look at me. ¡°What about her hands?¡±

    One of the soldiers pulls off the glove with the bandages and I scream in pain. He definitely wasn''t gentle.

    The captain pulls a grimace. ¡°Must hurt like fuck. Force her to her knees. I''ll heal the wounds. It won''t be pretty, but at least she won''t die on the way back to the garrison. If someone wants to use her later on, they can bring her to a professional in order to clean up the scars.¡±

    They force me down to my knees with my hands towards the captain. Marv rips off my other glove, causing even more pain. I silently swear to myself that Marv won''t survive the day. The captain mumbles a few words and I feel his magic latching onto me. I am still weak, so it''s unbelievably hard to mount any sort of defence. Then I scream and wriggle in pain as the healing magic accelerates my natural healing abilities.

    But the soldiers hold me in place, showing absolutely no mercy.

    The captain''s healing spell is indeed third rate healing magic. All it''s good for, is to quickly patch someone up in a battle. My skin crawls back up my hands, and scars over in less than a minute. They are still holding me when the captain is done. He didn''t even bother to clean my hands, so some threads from the bandages grew into my skin. It will take me days to even out the damage he did with that spell.

    Suddenly he frowns and steps closer to lift my chin. His eyes latch onto the damaged collar. ¡°She is-¡±

    I scream and lunge forward, biting into his hand. Pushing against my captors, I bring my legs forward and close them around his hips. I move my teeth in a sawing motion and blood fills my mouth. Being so close, I feel his mana pool and siphon off as much as I can.

    ¡°Get her off! Get the mad bitch off of me!¡± He screams and weakens while I get stronger, the soldiers scream, everyone screams. Except for me, I have my mouth full. They try to separate us, but I hold onto him like a leech that found a source of blood. I drain his energy and send it through my body and to my muscles.

    I lock my legs even tighter until there is a satisfying ¡®crack¡¯!

    The soldiers don''t have any magical talent, but the captain had enough mana for me to work with. The guy with the stave batters it onto the back of my head once, twice, and a third time. With the fourth attempt it breaks. Now that I have at least a little magic it doesn''t bother me at all. All I have to do, is to channel mana through my body and to my skin. This basic defensive move is enough to stop most normal attacks.

    I force my hands together and throw off the two guys who are holding me. The captain falls on his back, hitting me with his free hand. I land on top of him. Seeing the tip of the broken stave next to his head, I grab it and jab it into the captain''s throat, just to rip it out sideways. His eyes widen in shock and disbelief, but he quickly loses his consciousness when his blood pressure drops to lethal levels.

    I open my jaw and spit out the blood, then I get to my feet. Having dealt with the only real danger, I turn around and throw myself at Marv.

    Taking his broken stave is like wrestling away a lolly from a child. He holds onto it with all his might, but he isn''t a magician. I jab a finger deep into his eye and wriggle it around, mashing up his brain.

    Then I notice that the guy who has my backpack is running away. I throw the broken staff at him, propelling it forward with a little kick of force magic. The piece of wood turns into a horrifying projectile and rips right through his leather armour. It goes completely through and out the other side, dropping him instantly.

    I turn around to face the two who were holding me. They are in the process of getting back to their feet, so I kick the left one, sending him back to the ground. The other draws his sword, but I crush his windpipe with a gesture, causing him to drop the weapon.

    Then I draw the dagger from my belt and ram it into his chest. Pulling it out, I barely avoid the spear of the other guy. He is still on his knees, but didn''t accept defeat. I throw the dagger and it embeds itself in his throat. He gurgles and pulls it out in his panic. Exactly the wrong move.

    While he gets back to his feet. I walk backwards and out of his range. Not giving up, he follows me five full steps. Then his eyes turn upwards until there is only the white visible. A moment later, he topples over and lies still.

    I survey the scene for several long moments. ¡°Shit. There is no way to cover this up. Whoever finds this will think that the soldiers caught the one who caused this.¡± Or maybe I am too paranoid. They could''ve been attacked by bandits who came into the city in order to loot anything of worth. But bandits wouldn''t manage to kill a mage like the captain. He was weak and badly trained, but a mage is a mage.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I curse and hurry to gather all my things. All I need are a few days of recovery and small fry like these guys aren''t even a problem. But no! I wake up to freedom and am attacked right away. No rest for the righteous!

    I cover myself with the captain''s cloak. In my paranoia, I gather everything I touched and strip one of the men for his clothes. If I don''t get decent clothes on a silver platter, then I can at least improvise something with his uniform. Though the ridiculous red and blue will stand out anywhere. I even hack off the captain''s hand, the one I bit, and stuff it into my backpack.

    The stupid lemu is watching me with big eyes during the entire procedure. I wish that lemus were carnivores. Then I could have fed the hand to him instead of sullying the backpack. But no! Lemus have to be herbivores! Just my luck.

    For a change I don''t get interrupted by returning soldiers, but I am still painfully aware that there must be more out there. A plan takes form in my mind and I decide to be bold by using the stolen uniform. Then I mount the lemu.

    The plan was to ride out of the town as if it was my right to do so, waving off any soldiers I encounter. Apparently, the lemu doesn''t know the plan, since it doesn''t move an inch. ¡°Go! H¨¹hopp! Yala!¡± I give it the spores, but nothing helps. ¡°Run, or I''ll cut off the tip of your tail!¡± The stupid animal is in charge and it decides not to move at all. ¡°I hate everything that''s bigger than a cat.¡±

    Then I notice the two long tentacles which are coming out of the side of the lemu''s head. They are more like earlobes, but I remember seeing riders holding onto them when they rode through the city. I reach forward and grab the two appendages, finding out that they are more like leather than flesh.

    When I pull, the lemu jumps forward and almost throws me off. Clenching my teeth, I hold onto the animal. It''s legs flail in a comical motion as it runs, but the saddle stays relatively still compared to the erratic movements of the rest of the animal.

    On my way out of the city I encounter only one group of soldiers. They call out to me, but they are too far away to identify me. I simply wave a hand to reassure them and ride on. The lemu and I leave the city without further complications.

    In the north of the city, in direction of the garrison, I notice an army camp. Of course, I do my best to stay as far away as possible and guide the lemu into the forest which covers the foot of the Lahil mountains.

    My first goal is to leave the empire. I have to train in order to regain all my power. Once I''ve recovered from my existence as a slave, the people of this world will learn what it means to anger a being like me. But for that I have to escape the soldiers. It would be too comfortable to ride along the foot of the mountain and hope to sneak past the garrison.

    After Orwen''s fall, they will be on high alert. I have no illusions about taking that route without getting into trouble. That leaves the way directly across the mountains and into Alliance territory. I''ve heard that there are some paths which can be taken by small groups, but not by an army. Unfortunately I never got to see the world outside Orwen, so I have to play it by instinct.

    My attention turns to the large satchels which are hanging down the lemu''s flanks. And with some luck I even stole some survival equipment from the captain.

    But I manage to abstain from checking the satchels. I first want to put as much distance as possible between the soldiers and myself. Instead of taking a path through the underbrush, I opt for the wide and open areas. After all, I''ve no idea how the lemu deals with problematic terrain. In my eighty years as a slave, I learned a lot about the world, but I did so by listening to conversations. Not by experience.

    My greatest fear is that my imperial accent will cause me trouble in the alliance. But from what I heard, they use the same language. That''s a small relief.

    I ride for the rest of the day, always keeping a wary eye on what''s behind me. Something tells me that someone must have seen me when I left the city. I had to cross a large piece of open fields and I can''t believe that the army didn''t have the city watched from the outside while their soldiers went in.

    But maybe they had other worries than to hunt down a single mystery person. Maybe my ruse worked so well that the watchers didn''t even think to investigate a lone soldier who rode into the woods. ¡°Maybe they thought I am just a deserter and that the Alliance would catch me anyway on my way over the border.¡±

    I try to make up reasons for the lack of pursuit as I make camp in a well protected part of the forest''s underbrush. After making sure that my fire can''t be seen from more than a few metres away, I cook the only food I have.

    The captain''s hand.

    The satchels had a tent, cooking gear and a mattress, so I won''t get cold in the night. Sadly, my paranoia didn''t allow me to stop and hunt for food. But it seems like nobody is coming after me.

    The lemu lies down next to the fire and watches me with huge, accusing eyes. It''s as if he wants to tell me that killing its master and then eating him is totally unacceptable.

    ¡°You are not going to hold me a lesson about morals.¡± I won''t waste a piece of perfectly fine flesh when I am tired and beaten. I have to use every chance I get to regenerate and that means that I won''t go hungry even for a single day when I can avoid it.

    I''ve already committed cannibalism in my life. Many times. As long as human meat is cooked well, it''s bearable. A little chewy, especially a hand, but that''s okay.

    When I am done, I settle down and look at the night sky with its many stars. That''s the only beautiful thing about low-tech civilisations. They all have these impossibly bright stars without all the light pollution from nearby cities.

    I close my eyes and sleep like a baby. Today was the best day in my life.

 ~3. Inferno~

    ~Freedom~

    ¡°Further exploration¡±

    ***Imperial Border***

    ***Slave***

    The next morning I wake up well rested. I even feel almost like a human being. After relieving myself, I get the camp cleaned up and drink one more mana potion. The one I drunk yesterday helped and I think that I am now up to stretching my magical muscles. The fact that I drained the captain also helped.

    Afterwards, I invest the time to gather enough firewood to fill the magical backpack. I doubt that there will be any wood on the mountain and I want to use my magic for something else than to heat up stones.

    But first I want to get onto the mountain and reach open terrain. I am on the run and I shouldn''t dismiss the possibility that I was followed. They could be searching the forest right this moment. Once I am on the mountain, I''ll be able to see an enemy coming from far away. I am much more comfortable with that, than with being jumped in this forest.

    On my way through the forest I take it slow this time. I use every chance to catch small critters like birds, rodents and other animals which draw my attention. The biggest one that shows itself is of the size of a small pig. Animals are easy to hunt with magic. All I have to do, is to pick up a pebble and head-shot everything that shows itself.

    The animals of the forest must have a hidden communication network, because by midday, not even the birds come close enough to shoot them. Nobody ever said that wild animals are stupid. But I am satisfied with what I have. My catch should be enough to keep me fed for three or four days. That''s more than enough to cross the mountain.

    As I travel higher, I leave the trees behind and then the underbrush is replaced by grass and moss. I am heading across the right flank of the mountain, towards a ridge that looks easier to cross than the high peaks. My position allows me a nice view on what''s going on beneath me.

    Orwen is quite some distance behind me. The black, charred scar in the land is huge. With over two hundred thousand citizens, Orwen was one of the biggest cities in the known world. It was located at the mouth of a large valley between two mountain ranges. These mountains are separating the Empire from its enemies, the Alliance and the Murian Sociocracy.

    With a standing force of over fifty thousand soldiers and a whole city filled with mages, Orwen could hold the valley against anything the Alliance might throw at the empire. Now that Orwen and its army is gone, the entire region is a large vacuum of power. The door stands wide open for the Alliance to walk in and take the valley. If they secure the area on the other side of the mountain, they are in a perfect situation to strike deep into the heart of the empire.

    My eyes wander over the valley and to the advanced garrison that''s holding the border. Without the city behind them, they''ll have to retreat sooner or later. The other option is that the Empire sends support from the surrounding villages. Though such support will be costly and deplete the villages sooner or later. Orwen''s magical infrastructure was unique.

    The no-man''s-land between the garrison and another set of buildings on the Alliance''s side is interesting. The blighted land is marred with craters and mud. ¡°So that''s the Eternal Battlefield?¡± I mumble.

    The Empire and the Alliance are in a de facto state of war for generations. The mountains are separating the two sides, so the conflict is restricted to this easily passable valley. Leading an army over the mountains was tried many times, but even if you do get an army to the other side, supplies become a problem. Such attacks are usually repelled within a few weeks.

    As I watch the scene, a lance of fire shoots out of the garrison and strikes a spot on the battlefield, creating another crater. I am too far away to see their target, but I suppose that it was a lone scout who raised his head too high and was seen. A large mass of people would be easily recognizable. I wonder how long it will take the Alliance to realize that the garrison is on its own. Once they do, they¡¯ll surely gather troops to overrun the imperial position.

    I urge the lemu on and we continue on our way up the mountain. When I find a wind protected cleft between the rocks, I set up camp. I am still below the snow-zone and I want to use the first light tomorrow to cross that area in one go.

    In the remaining time I can use the chance to improve my equipment. First thing on the list is to improve my clothes. The uniform I am wearing is flabby in some places and tight in others. Another important point is to break the lock of my collar. I accomplish both tasks in a reasonable amount of time. Breaking the lock is actually the easier one.

    I am not a good tailor, so the improvised robe and trousers I end up with, aren''t the work of a designer. The most important point is that the new clothes don''t look like an imperial uniform. I spend a lot of time with modifying all my gear, removing any sign of the imperial military.

    When I am done, the sun is already setting and I am tired. But there is one more thing to do. I rummage through my backpack, disappearing inside it with my whole upper body. Then I pull out the large dragon rib. I pat the lemu''s head. My companion settled down next to the campfire. His warm body is a nice pillow to lean against. But he stinks.

    In this case I don''t care because I don''t smell good either.

    I settle down and study the large piece of bone. It''s large, but not enough for a full set of equipment. Maybe I should make one weapon and something that protects my vital areas? I close my eyes and infuse the bone with my power. Then I form a clear image of what I want in my head.

    It takes a while to get it right, but it''s a good training. After an hour of failed attempts, the bone starts flowing like clay between my fingers. First, I form a piece of moderate chest armour. It''s not very thick, but the sturdy nature of dragonbone should give me enough protection. All it has to do, is to protect me from a lethal blow when I get caught off guard.

    When I am at full strength, I should be able to heal most wounds that aren''t instantly lethal.

    I reinforce the area where my heart is located. Another vital point that¡¯s important to me is my spine. I design a set of interlocking plates which run downwards from the back of my neck. At first I have problems to connect the plates without restricting my movement, but it¡¯s just a matter of time until I¡¯ve solved the problem to my satisfaction.

    Instead of a helmet, I opt for a white mask. I am working with limited materials, so encasing my whole body with armour isn¡¯t an option. I choose the mask because it is protecting my face. Additionally, since it is in front of my face, it¡¯s easier to enchant it with various detection spells like night vision and enhanced senses.

    Lastly, I am faced with my ruined hands. They are so mangled that I actually consider to cut them off and regrow everything from scratch. Sadly, that isn¡¯t an option in my state. Having access a freely mouldable material, an idea strikes me. I search for a large, flat stone, of which there are plenty, and cut my finger. Then I draw the magical circle which is supposed to fuse the dragonbone with my skin.

    I can heal myself and get a permanent upgrade at the same time.

    My first attempt to create something like armoured gloves quickly goes out the window when I have a better idea. I can avoid the whole design problem if I instruct the spell to create scales. The magic doesn¡¯t care how big or how small I make them, so if I make them as small as possible, I should be able to retain my sense of touch. That¡¯s vastly superior to a clunky glove.

    I fiddle with the details of the ritual until I am satisfied, then I place a generous piece of dragonbone on the stone with the magical circle. I drew the circle with my own blood, so using the circle to guide my magic must be possible. With both of my hands on the stone, I invoke the spell.

    At first, nothing happens. Then the bone starts flowing up my hands and I feel a prickling sensation as the magic fuses the bone with my skin and evens out the scarred tissue.

    Normally, healing the scars would have taken me days, but the spell practically rebuilds my skin as a whole.

    After a few minutes the pull on my magic stops and I inspect the result. From afar my hands look almost normal, because the scales are so small. I have to hold them very close to my face to see the scales. The only issue is that my hands are now paler than the rest of my body. And my fingernails are completely white.

    Hmmm. The spell replaced my fingernails completely with dragonbone. They are completely white. I admit that I didn¡¯t think about my nails when I created the spell matrix. What happens when they grow? A shudder runs down my spine. This experiment could have gone horribly wrong!

    A spell matrix that isn¡¯t guided down to the last detail can do anything. In this case, it covered for the missing instructions by fusing the bone with my nails. I¡¯ll have to observe exactly if this creates problems later on.

    I swear to myself not to use my own body for experiments. There should be enough unwilling guinea pigs in this world. No reason to risk my own life.

    Another idea comes to mind and I concentrate. My fingernails lengthen a little. Not unreasonably long, but the normal long fingernails of a woman who takes pride in such things. Then I strike at the stone in front of me and create five deep scratches. A smile steals itself onto my lips. ¡°I guess I am the only female in this world who doesn¡¯t have to worry about split or broken nails.¡±

    Okay. That sounded entirely too cheerful. The whole freedom-thing is fucking with my mind.

    The scales are now covering my arms up to my elbows. I could try to protect my whole body in such a way, but the risk doesn¡¯t outweigh the gains. I am quite sure that this form of protection isn¡¯t as sturdy as five millimetres of solid dragonbone. And in case that it turns out that something went wrong I can still cut off my hands.

    I study the remaining piece of dragonbone. It¡¯s about fifty centimetres long. If I make it hollow, it would be enough for a staff. Ok, maybe not. More like a quarterstaff. I could use it to make a full helmet out of my mask, but a real weapon would be nice.

    After my long slavery I have to retrain all my weapon-skills anyway, so the choice of weapon comes down to what I prefer. Most magic users I know of, would choose a staff.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    In absence of a clear idea, I simply allow my creativity to run rampant. What I end up with, is a strange combination of a sceptre and a sword. It has an oversized handle with a straight blade attached to it.

    I am not happy with the outcome, but I feel too tired to go on. The sun has already set and the fire is my only source of light, so I decide to call it a day. I lean back against the lemu and close my eyes.

    The new dawn wakes me up. I yawn and stretch my limbs, then I climb onto a nearby rock to take a look around. There is no change to the valley and I can¡¯t sense anyone nearby. After a last look at the blackened spot where Orwen has been I hurry to get all my gear ready.

    I attach the white mask to my belt and pack everything else into my backpack. The sceptre-sword-thing I created is another matter. I sigh at the sight of it. This is by no means a practical weapon, so I decide to copy a real weapon once I reach the next town.

    The lemu doesn¡¯t protest when I urge it to climb the mountain instead of going down into the forest. Luckily, I found out that it is quite content with eating the firewood I brought with me. I honestly forgot about the stupid animal. No wonder that the lemu became the dominant draught animals on this world.

    A map which I found inside the satchel will be a big help. Not only does it show imperial positions and cities, but also quite a few border towns of the Alliance. Once I get down the mountain, I¡¯ve to pass through a highmoor. That will take me about a day. On the other side is Tarin, a border town which doubles as a garrison for troops. It¡¯ll be a first test of my ability to function in society.

    The lemu stops on a small snowfield, facing a cliff. It¡¯s about a hundred metres high and would pose serious problem to any normal person. I smile and place a hand on the lemu¡¯s neck. Then I use force magic to negate our weight.

    Of course the animal panics as we float upwards and over the edge, but I ignore it. The lemu can¡¯t do anything except flailing with its limbs. On the other side of the mountain greets me a beautiful, green land with many forests and grassy fields. There is also the highmoor which I have to pass before I reach the city.

    I land us on a scree which is stretching out above the highmoor. The slope looks like the lemu can take it from there on. Letting go of the magic feels better than I anticipated. Apparently, my little trick scraped at my limits. I really have to learn how much I can do.

    Using magic isn¡¯t an exact science. No mage knows exactly how much power he is able to wield. It¡¯s a lot like using a muscle. No bodybuilder can say how many times he can lift the bar. He might manage it ten times on an average day and only eight times if he has a bad day.

    I lean forward and wrap the lemu¡¯s earlobes around the wrists of my hand. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn while I take a nap.¡±

    Closing my eyes, I allow the lemu to find its own way. I found out that the animal will keep walking approximately straight forward while someone holds onto the strange appendages. A very convenient thing for the rider.

    Except for some pauses, I spend most of the day in the saddle and allow the lemu its own pace. I am afraid that it might wreck the animal if I push it too hard. It turns out that my estimation of distance didn¡¯t take the terrain into account. We advance slowly and I have to re-estimate my arrival at Tarin. It¡¯ll add another day to the trip.

    It¡¯s at the end of the second day when I notice that I am not alone in the moor. The traces of magic are faint, but there are at least two other groups shadowing me. I do nothing to inform them that I know of their presence.

    One of the two groups is rather large with at least three magic users and seven normal people among them. They are also the ones who are clearly following my trail. But they aren¡¯t what concerns me. The second group behind them could be much more troublesome.

    I had the better part of the day to try out my senses. The second group has at least four strong magic users and a fifth person who feels strange. It may be one of the rumoured ability users which I heard about. Back in Orwen I learned that there are several sorts of gifted people in this world. The two largest groups are magicians and ability users. Ability users can¡¯t use their mana pool freely, but their instinctive grasp on magic allows them to master certain aspects of it beyond imagination. One might call them masters of a single field, hence ability users.

    Given the right ability, such people can be quite dangerous.

    In the evening I notice that the lemu is getting tired. Since I don¡¯t want to abandon the good natured animal, my only choice is to make camp in a well hidden area. I have to hope that my followers are just following my tracks and don¡¯t actually sense my magic. But if they do, it would mean that I have to fight them anyway. Possibly in the dark when I am tired.

    I don¡¯t like the odds.

    And there is also the second, stronger group which is following behind them. With a little luck I might get the chance to play them against each other and escape. Though if they are allies I am fucked.

    ¡°And another day of choosing between bad and worse. I hope you appreciate that I want to keep you for a while longer, stupid animal.¡±

    I pull at the earlobe and reach for the mask to put it on. My vision sharpens instantly and I feel a slight tug on my magic. It¡¯s just enough so that I don¡¯t want to wear the mask permanently, but the buff which it provides is worth it during a battle.

    I trace a finger through the air and erect two barriers. One against physical objects and a second one against magic. Then I pull the hood over my head and wait for my pursuers.

    The group of ten catches up soon afterwards. They are riding on their own lemus and appear out of the moor''s dead underbrush. They encircle me in a choreographed move which tells me that they did this many times. But I intentionally stopped next to one of the boggy areas. So unless one of them wants to risk getting stuck, they can¡¯t surround me completely. I like it to have a free back.

    ¡°You were right about the fresh tracks. It¡¯s just sad that we caught a freak. Hahahaha!¡± One of the three magicians speaks to a man without any magical talent as far as I can tell.

    I raise the sceptre and lower my voice, hoping that my imperial accent isn¡¯t too deeply rooted inside me. That one sentence told me that the Empire and the Alliance have some quite different sounding inflections. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    A rather dirty looking individual chuckles. ¡°Look! The chick is trying to intimidate us. Don¡¯t worry honey. I would recognize a woman¡¯s curves under any coat. Why don¡¯t you take off that freaky mask? We might even leave you alive if you satisfy us.¡±

    I feel the corners of my lips curling downwards and abandon the deep voice. ¡°If I have to touch you at all, then only to spill your innards all over this moor.¡±

    One of the three magicians makes a short gesture to shut up the other three. ¡°She is a mage, so don¡¯t make mistakes.¡± He turns to me. ¡°Gal, let¡¯s speak clearly. I feel that you are powerful, but I don¡¯t think that you can take all of us. Especially not if the three of us block your spells while our people drag you off your mount.¡±

    I shrug. ¡°You can try. But I wonder how long it will take you? Maybe the party which is following you since this morning catches up by that point. They are just a few minutes behind you.¡±

    One of the other two mages turns to face their leader. ¡°See? I told you that someone is following us!¡±

    The leader stops him with a gesture. ¡°Stop your fantasies! The city would never send soldiers up here to protect some stupid miners. They aren¡¯t worth the money. You are just imagining our pursuers!¡±

    So they aren¡¯t in league with the other group. I grin beneath my mask. If I am not totally unlucky and got followed by two groups of bandits, then I don''t have to fight the second group.

    He points at me. ¡°Get her!¡±

    Two of the mages blast me with their pure power, which causes a prickling sensation all over my skin. Their attack doesn''t cause me any harm, but I have to admit that it is a very effective method to stop me from using magic. It''s the same technique which I used on my former owner.

    It''s simplicity makes it so useful. The whole concept is to flood the area with your energy in order to stop anyone from creating a spell matrix. If this is done by a strong enough individual, the interference makes it almost impossible to cast a spell.

    I pull on the lemu''s earlobe and roll myself off the animal as it charges into two of the bandits.

    Staying low to the ground, I use my sceptre to poke the leg of another lemu. The animal screams and throws off its rider.

    ¡°Again! She is still using body enhancement.¡± The mages double their efforts. It''s a lot harder to stop someone from using his power internally. With the three of them, they might even manage it. Normally, they would have to get personal to attempt to subdue my internal magic. In this case they have numbers on their side.

    I pull my dagger and throw it at the mage who was able to sense their pursuers. He strikes me as more competent than the leader. Given enough time, he might come up with something to stop me. The dagger hits his shoulder and he screams, but doesn''t go down.

    Though he got distracted and the magical pressure eases, creating a chance for me. I propel myself forward and hack at one of the mounted bandits, opening a big gash in his thigh. Except for the two bandits who were thrown off their lemus by my companion, they are still on their lemus. I decide to use that and retreat into the bog.

    One of them decides to follow me, but his lemu gets stuck in the morass and falls. The lemus are too heavy, so their feet sink much deeper into the muddy ground. I just have to hope that I don''t get stuck myself.

    The bandits grumble and get off their mounts. Then they follow me on foot. The first one who comes into reach turns out to be a decent swordsman. We trade a few quick blows and it becomes apparent that I am not his equal.

    He locks blades with me and tries to wring the screptre out of my hand. The fact that he is trying to take me alive costs his in turn. They may stop me from using magic, but they can''t completely shut down something as simple as moving mana through my muscles. I am still stronger than a normal person.

    I lash out and rake my fingernails over his face, clawing out his eyes and a lot of flesh. He screams and goes down.

    Somehow I can free my weapon and swing it like a mace at the next bandit. The first one was a seasoned warrior, so I won''t take my chances in another battle of skill. By swinging my weapon with all my might, I can keep them at a distance.

    He is quick and manages a shallow cut on my forearm. But the scales rob him of his triumph. He doesn''t draw blood. Another quick jab scrapes over my mask. A third cut on my left thigh draws blood. On the other side, all I have to do is to land a single blow and he will go down.

    That''s when an arrow digs itself into the neck of the unwounded subordinate mage. He fumbles at his neck and rings for air until he falls out of the saddle. I immediately feel the weight on me lessen. My swings become quicker and more powerful. The bandit who is fighting me also realized that and a hint of fear appears on his face.

    Several bandits turn to face the five people who are rapidly closing in on our location.

    The leading mage turns to face the new threat. With that, the wounded mage is the only one who keeps me in check. But he alone isn¡¯t enough to even the fight with the normal bandits. My sceptre flies from left to right and my opponent somehow blocks by pure instinct. Then he can''t keep up any more and my weapon cleaves through his chest.

    One of new arrivals, a guy in plate armour, charges right into the bandits and collides with the leader. Their lemus groan in pain, but the knight stays in his saddle. He raises his sword and points it at the leader. ¡°Ray of light!¡±

    A blinding flash of light leaves me blind. I curse at the stupidity of using such a spell. Did he intend to kill me? The bandit who was facing me wasn¡¯t affected at all. If it hadn''t been for the sensory input of my mask, the third bandit would''ve overwhelmed me right then and there.

    More arrows fly and those bandits who can, hurry to find cover. The archer is a blonde with long ears. A genuine elf.

    Another new arrival enters the fight with unexpected ferocity. He is a short man with a halberd. His statue has more in common with a barrel than with a human. But that doesn¡¯t mean that he is weak. His halberd whirls around like a deadly whip, creating silvery after-images. One of the bandits gets too close and is cleaved in two.

    I recognize the fourth person as the one who felt strange. It¡¯s a brunette woman with long, furry ears. She whistles and a large bird which rested on her shoulder sets out to attack the bandits. Besides the lemu, there is also a rather large wolf at her side.

    The last person is a man in a combination of leather armour and a robe. Unlike the others, he holds back and watches the fight.

    Upon realizing that they are losing the battle, the wounded mage-bandit yells out a spell and gestures at me. I raise my hand and pour all my power into my barrier. Not a second too late, because blue lightning bolts shoot straight at me. But they dance harmlessly over my shield and create a blue, rippling effect as the two spells interact.

    I clench my teeth in concentration and redirect the energy into the water. The two bandits who are still with me in the bog scream and twitch as the energy fries their nervous systems. That¡¯s when an arrow hits the last mage in the back and he falls out of his saddle.

    The bandit leader fell a few moments earlier against the guy in plate armour.

    Without anyone fighting, the battlefield is suddenly very still. Except for moaning behind me. I turn around to find the man whose face I scratched stumbling towards me. He is blindly feeling around, searching for something to hold onto.

    I take the sceptre with both hands and lop off his head in a single, clean strike. Breathing heavy, I return my attention to the five people who helped me out. The only question in my mind is if I have to fight them too.

    The lean man who held back earlier, rides closer and smiles. He has short, brown hair. ¡°You don¡¯t have to fear anything from us. I am Tristen, the leader of this party. We have been hunting these men for two days. May I know why you are out here in the wilderness all alone?¡±

    I mull for several long moments over his words. Then I lower my weapon just a bit. ¡°Call me Joyce. I am a miner.¡±

    Tristen raises his eyebrows. ¡°Excuse me, but aren¡¯t you a mage? Why should a mage mine for copper ore in these mountains?¡±

    I lower the sceptre and try to imitate his accent. ¡°I am not mining for copper. I am using my gift to search for crystals and other valuable minerals. The profession is quite lucrative if I don¡¯t get mugged by bandits.¡±

    His eyes wander over the bodies which are swimming in the bog all around me. Then he grins. ¡°Looks more like you were the one who mugged them.¡±

 ~4. Inferno~

    ~People~

    ¡°Going further¡±

    ***Imperial Border***

    ***Joyce***

    Tristen clears his throat. ¡°Allow me to introduce the others.¡± He turns around and points at the idiot in plate armour. ¡°That¡¯s Brian, a paladin.¡± The man takes off his helmet and reveals his blonde hair and a freckled face.

    I squint my eyes at the idiot who almost killed me. He doesn¡¯t even have the courtesy to greet me properly. Instead, he just waves his hand at me.

    Tristen points at the small man who looks like a barrel. His face is as stocky as his body and he wears his brown hair in a single, long braid. ¡°That¡¯s Halberd, pikeman. Though he wields his halberd like an axe.¡±

    The little man raises his stubby nose and grunts. He returns my glare. ¡°Before you try to turn my name into a joke... They call me Halberd because you surface people can¡¯t pronounce my real name.¡±

    Next is the woman who commands the wolf and the bird. Her pointy, furry ears are a mystery to me. Her curly hair has several shades of brown. Totally unlike any human I¡¯ve ever seen. Now that I get a closer look, I also notice a big crossbow on her back. ¡°This is Kiara, beastmaster and our tracker.¡±

    I eye the grey direwolf with suspicion. I am no friend of dogs. They are simply too submissive and always expect their master to solve a problem. The bird is equally worrisome. It¡¯s huge and looks like an eagle, but it¡¯s completely black. Nobody seems to be troubled by the fact that the freaky animal is picking out the eye of a dead bandit. It gulps and the eyeball is gone.

    ¡°Last we have Faevalur, or just Fae.¡± Tristen gestures towards the blonde archer. ¡°Fae is pretty good when it comes to sneaking around, so calling her a rogue is as good as anything else.¡±

    I nod and return my attention to the beastmaster. I get a strange vibe from her. She is neither a magic user, nor a normal person. In Orwen, I met such people from time to time, but they brushed past me on the streets. I never got the chance to study one of them.

    It also seems like they have no problems with being from different races. At least they didn¡¯t see the need to point it out. Back in the empire, especially in Orwen, there are only humans. Belonging to another race automatically lowers a person¡¯s status below a slave¡¯s. Actually, animals get a better treatment than non-humans.

    Contrary to the Empire, I¡¯ve heard that the Allied Lands are made up by a multitude of races. Now I get to see it with my own eyes.

    ¡°I understand.¡± I wade out of the bog and head to my lemu. He took two of the bandits out of their saddles, but I don¡¯t see any wounds on him. ¡°You survived. I didn¡¯t expect that.¡± The lemu lowers his head as if he is dissatisfied that the bandits didn¡¯t get me.

    Having checked on my equipment, I return my attention to my new acquaintances. Tristen, Fae and Kiara are watching me, while Halberd and Brian started the gruesome task of collecting the heads of the bandits. ¡°Do you get paid for those?¡±

    Tristen raises an inquisitive eyebrow. ¡°Indeed, even though it isn¡¯t much. We are adventurers and are travelling through this region. The nearby city gave out a quest to stop the bandit attacks. Since our party has the necessary set of skills, we decided to earn some coin while we wait for some of our equipment to be repaired.¡±

    He studies me for several moments while his men are busy chopping off heads. ¡°Excuse me if that sounds too intrusive, but what¡¯s a lonely beastman miner doing out here. You look like you went through a lot. It doesn¡¯t fit the fact that you are carrying a weapon made of dragonbone.¡±

    There is even more dragonbone on me than he can see. The armour is mostly hidden under my torn clothes. I look down at my own body. The bandits managed a little more than a few cuts. They turned my poorly made outfit into nothing more than rags. If I add the dirt of my travels, blood and the bog¡¯s mud, I really look like a beggar.

    I fixate them with my eyes. ¡°I just returned from a two month journey through these mountains and intended to sell my goods. Searching for minerals takes time and sometimes I need even more time to unearth them. It¡¯s a hard life, but I chose it of my free will and it earns well. The fact that I was attacked by bandits didn¡¯t help. And I am not a beastman. How would you even get the idea?¡± I take off the mask.

    That causes a few raised eyebrows. Tristen points at my hands. ¡°They look strange. I thought you are from the lizard tribe.¡±

    I make a dismissive gesture. ¡°That¡¯s a protective spell. I fused the dragonbone with my skin.¡± There is no reason to lie about it. In Orwen there were many wizards who used magic to enhance their bodies.

    Now it¡¯s Fae who doesn¡¯t want to drop the issue. ¡°That¡¯s a high level of skill. A little too high for a wandering mage. Are you sure that there isn¡¯t more to your story?¡±

    I snort and swing myself up into the lemu¡¯s saddle. ¡°I don¡¯t think that my story is of any concern to you. My lifestyle forced me to wield my powers perfectly. Otherwise I would already be a rotting corpse in the wild.¡±

    Tristen smiles again. ¡°Forgive us. We didn¡¯t expect to encounter anyone out here. If you are willing to wait for a few more moments, then you can return to the town with us. It¡¯s much safer that way.¡±

    I play with the thought. In the end, I have to agree that it would only benefit me. These people might let something slip that helps me later on in my role as a miner. I can hone my story with them and they can show me the easiest way to Tarin. ¡°Fine, I guess that I can wait for a few minutes.¡±

    Kiara smiles. ¡°I like her. It would never cross her mind to take shit from us, even though we saved her life.¡±

    I purse my lips. ¡°Who says that you saved my life. The way I see it, I baited the bandits for you. I could have run away any time I wanted, but didn¡¯t want to give up on my lemu and the work of two months.¡±

    ¡°Your greed could¡¯ve cost you your life.¡± Halberd returns from his work with a jute bag. The red stains on it are growing, so I can guess what¡¯s inside. ¡°And you are a miner for a living. Are you sure that you aren¡¯t a dwarf? If you were a little shorter, I would ask you to marry me.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ve already had my share of men for this lifetime,¡± I grumble, shutting him down.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop prying into Joyce¡¯s business. It¡¯s getting dark and we have to find an appropriate campsite.¡± Tristen gestures at the setting sun which is disappearing behind the mountains.

    I fall in line with the rest of the group and we ride until we find a dry piece of land. It¡¯s the most I was hoping for in this area. Brian is the first to dismount. He is the least talkative of the entire group. I wonder why that is. All in all, I talked very little with them. Though I paid a lot of attention to their bickering.

    Tristen is the one who is in charge of talking and calling the shots during battle, though he isn¡¯t the leader of the group. They are more of a democracy when they aren¡¯t fighting.

    I find out that they are travelling the allied lands as adventurers. Currently, they have the intention to make their way to the capital. An assignment brought them close to the border. Since the army has a firm hold on the border region there isn¡¯t much money to make. Many tasks which would be handled by adventurers are taken care of by the army. The group¡¯s biggest issue is to find a solid solution to their employment problem. Being an adventurer doesn¡¯t seem to be a lucrative business in this region.

    Or they simply aren¡¯t good at their job. That raises the question why they are calling themselves adventurers. They seem more like common mercenaries to me.

    I finish setting up my tent and join them at the campfire. ¡°Why did you even wander into this region if there isn¡¯t much need for adventurers?¡±

    Halberd is the one who supplies me with a satisfying answer. ¡°Greed. A merchant paid us a hefty sum to be escorted to Tarin. We took the contract despite the fact that we would have to deal with our return ourselves. It may sound like we have financial problems, but that isn¡¯t true. It¡¯s just that pure travelling without being paid must be seen as a loss.¡±

    Brian nods and speaks for the first time more than five words. ¡°That¡¯s why we took so much money from the merchant. He also had to pay for our journey back to one of the big cities. Tarin is just a crappy border-town without a gate. The only reason it is as big as it is, is that there is a garrison and the copper mines. Without the threat of the Empire, Tarin would be just some small village.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    I nod and bite my tongue to keep myself from sounding too annoyed. ¡°Tarin has no gate? What a let down. I thought they have one.¡± Gates are magical wormholes which connect the big cities with each other. I could¡¯ve travelled directly to the alliance¡¯s capital. My stolen map showed Tarin as an important military position, but that¡¯s probably only because the town has a few hundred stationary troops.

    Fae raises her eyebrows. ¡°Only big cities and military fortresses have gates. Where would you get such an idea?¡±

    After a few moments I come to the conclusion that it would be very stupid to place a gate so close to the front. Gates are important military assets. If an enemy takes over a gate, the whole network could be compromised. Only heavily defended fortresses would have a gate. Certainly not a small garrison like Tarin.

    I sigh and try to sound disappointed. ¡°In my search for minerals I started at the southern coast and travelled north, following the mountain range. I don¡¯t know this part of the country, so when I met another traveller in the mountains, he pointed me towards Tarin. He said that it¡¯s the biggest city within reasonable distance, so I simply assumed that they have a gate.¡±

    Kiara narrows her eyes and pets the big bird on her shoulder. The wolf is somewhere out there in the dark and strolling around the camp. ¡°How many people can you meet in these mountains anyway? They are the border to the Empire.¡±

    I smile. ¡°Smugglers, spies, bandits, deserters, miners¡­ And apparently adventurers. The list is long and most of the folk are of the unsavoury sort. But that¡¯s exactly why there is a lot of money to make in this region. I found some places where I just had to bend over in order to pick up some easy money.¡±

    They look at me with interest in their eyes, but I decide to end the discussion. I fake a yawn and stretch myself. ¡°I¡¯ll excuse myself for today. The attack forced me to use a lot of magic and that made me tired.¡±

    Tristen smiles at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about guard duty. We¡¯ll take care of that.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. That¡¯s unexpectedly nice of you.¡± And it also means that they don¡¯t trust me. I head for my tent and crawl inside. Once I am lying on my mattress, I detach the mask from my belt and place it over my face. There is no way that I¡¯ll let my guard down tonight. They might seem like decent people, but the possibility of easy money could convert anyone into a thief.

    I went with the background of a miner because the bandits mentioned that there are copper mines in this region. The downside is that my story also implied that I am returning from a long trip of searching for minerals. Which means that my backpack is full with valuable raw materials. The funny thing is that this little aspect is true. I stole a lot of stuff from my old master.

    I close my eyes and allow the enhancing enchantments on the mask to do their work. A few moments later I can listen in on the conversation of the others. They lowered their voices, but none of them seems to think that I am capable of listening in.

    ¡°So? What do you think about her? I don¡¯t buy her story.¡±

    ¡°She certainly looks like someone who spent a few weeks in the mountains. And we saw that she can take care of herself.¡±

    ¡°I think she¡¯s dangerous. She was holding the bandits at bay on her own. As soon as we showed up and turned the tables she even advanced on them. That takes guts and skill, especially since they weren¡¯t bad fighters. I think they were ex-army. Probably deserters. And the last one whose eyes she scratched out¡­ She didn¡¯t think twice when she decapitated him.¡±

    ¡°She is also on her last leg. Have you seen the dark rings under her eyes? Either she wasn¡¯t sleeping since three days, or she recently depleted her mana pool. That¡¯s dangerous for a mage. I wonder what forced her to do that.¡±

    ¡°There are dangerous things in these mountains.¡±

    ¡°All of you are right. She seems capable and surely doesn¡¯t tell us the full truth, but who would do that? She just met us and most of the folk in these mountains aren¡¯t nice people. Just have an eye on her tent tonight. Tomorrow, we reach the town and then we part ways anyway.¡±

    ¡°Just makes me wonder why she told us so openly that she is carrying around a lot of valuables. A test? She must be pretty confident that she can take us.¡±

    ¡°She probably thought that if we are also bandits, then we would¡¯ve tried to take her stuff as soon as the competition is out of the way. And she already mentioned that she cares about her lemu. After seeing her blocking that spell, I believe her when she says that she can easily escape on her own.¡±

    They continue spinning their conspiracy theories for a whole hour. In the end I decide that they really are what they told me, so I allow myself to close my eyes. I didn¡¯t lie when I said that I am tired. The mask should wake me when someone comes too close.

    A little electrical jolt wakes me up. It¡¯s my mask¡¯s emergency alarm. I try to slow my breath as someone enters my tent. The mask tells me that it¡¯s Fae, but I don¡¯t stir. I want to know why she is inside my tent.

    The tent isn¡¯t intended for more than one person to sleep in. The other woman is forced to go to her knees as she crawls closer. There is no other choice for her. Once she is close enough, she places a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Hey-¡±

    I reach up and place my elongated fingernails at her throat. ¡°You have ten seconds to explain why you are in here.¡±

    ¡°Easy! Easy. We called out to you, but you wouldn¡¯t wake up. I drew the short straw and had to wake you up. Had I known that you are that pissy in the morning, I would¡¯ve sent in one of the lemus.¡± She raises her hands, showing me her open palms.

    I access the mask''s voice record and verify her words. They indeed called out to me, but I slept like a log. ¡°Sorry. Just don¡¯t crawl up to me when I am asleep.¡±

    ¡°Do you sleep always with that mask?¡± She asks. ¡°As a mage, you should know that magical deprivation is dangerous and you look like you almost died from it recently. Normally, a case like yours should stay in bed for a few weeks, but you run through this wilderness and sleep with an artefact on your face which is clearly drawing on your power. Are you trying to kill yourself?¡±

    I take the mask off and glare at her. ¡°Getting knifed while I am asleep is also dangerous.¡±

    She smiles and crawls backwards out of the tent.

    I close my eyes and draw a deep breath. Then I get up and hurry to pack my things when I realize that the others are ready to depart. Ten minutes later we are on our way and I use the chance to rummage through my backpack. I pull out a healing potion and a mana potion. Then I down them like a person who is about to die of thirst.

    ¡°Those potions only postpone the inevitable. I hope you know that they can¡¯t keep you going indefinitely.¡± It¡¯s Fae again. She rode up next to me to strike a conversation. Seems like she declared it as her task to butt in on my business.

    I scowl at her. ¡°Thanks, but all I have to do, is to stay in the saddle until we arrive at Tarin. Once I am there, I¡¯ll sell some of my materials and take an inn to sleep for three days straight.¡±

    I don¡¯t like this elf. And I don¡¯t like the beastwoman either. My eyes wander to Kiara. Her strange otherness gives me the chills.

    Fae¡¯s next attempt is unexpectedly blunt. ¡°You can sense that she is an ability user. You always single her out when she sends commands to her pets. That¡¯s rare among mages. As an elf, even my natural affinity for magic doesn¡¯t allow me to sense her from afar. You seem to be extremely sensitive, even for a mage. Would you tell me how old you are? You must be young if you haven¡¯t learned to shield yourself.¡±

    Am I really such a bad actor? She learned a lot, just by watching me. Maybe it wasn¡¯t such a bad idea to travel with them. At least I learned that I have to be a lot more careful once I am in the town. Fae is showing me the shortcomings in my background story. I return my attention to her and tell her the blatant truth. ¡°I am about to become eighty-seven. And my sensitivity is exactly why I prefer the wilderness to cities.¡±

    There she has it. I even told her the true age of this body. With that information she would never get the idea that I am a former slave from Orwen. Normally, nobody would give a slave a rejuvenation treatment, but Nemus didn¡¯t want his special sextoy to get flabby and wrinkly.

    Fae raises her eyebrows. ¡°That surprises me. Most wizards of your talent make a name for themselves and take up residence in a big city.¡±

    ¡°Well, I am not most wizards. Is this interrogation over?¡± I ask.

    Her expression darkens. ¡°I am sorry if it felt like that to you.¡±

    Nobody disturbs me for the rest of the way. The others chat while I follow them in silence. Our surroundings slowly change from wilderness to actual farmland until we arrive at Tarin. Calling it a city is a stretch, but I guess labelling it as a big town is feasible.

    The group decides that they¡¯ll go directly to the adventurer¡¯s guild in order to get rid of their stinking heads. I learn that the guild is located near the garrison, which is at the city¡¯s southern gate. My own goal is to find the nearest merchant and sell as much stuff as I can. For that reason I need a merchant and those are most likely at the market place. It doesn¡¯t really trouble me when I wish them goodbye. Their heads started stinking after half a day in the sun.

    Tarin¡¯s buildings are widely spaced and the street is broad. I appreciate that on my way to the market. It isn¡¯t hard to find, since all I had to do was to follow the main road. Once I am there, I am confronted with a large market place and dozens of stalls. I am uncertain how I should find someone who would buy the stuff which I stole from Nemus.

    My worries turn out to be unnecessary when I notice the large board on the building which towers over the market. ¡°Merchant¡¯s Guild.¡±

    I make a beeline for the guild and bind the lemu to a post in front of the building. Then I enter and take a look around. There are several receptionists who are taking care of the wishes of customers. I choose one who is free and approach. It¡¯s a young, blonde man and he scowls when he notices how dirty I am.

    I ignore his displeasure. ¡°I want to sell raw materials in large quantities. Who do I have to talk to?¡±

    He tilts his head and regards me with a sceptical expression. I already start to doubt his competence when he starts speaking. ¡°Which sort of material are we talking about?¡±

    I go trough the mental list of what I took from the storage room. ¡°I can offer about a hundred kilogram of quartz, fourteen of pure sulphur, a few rubies and diamonds. There is also a quite big stalactite if an enchanter needs a focus.¡±

    His expression turns friendly and he pulls out a list from under his table. ¡°These are the current rates at which we buy minerals.¡±

    I study the list for a while and give him my verdict. ¡°Fuck you. Those prices are extortion. I get that the copper price is very low in this region because the mines are so close by, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you can use the same dumping prices for every mineral.¡±

    His face stays expressionless. ¡°We have the mines close by. They flood the market in this region with minerals. If you don¡¯t want to sell at the going rate, then I can¡¯t help you.¡±

    Fuck that! I¡¯ve taken care of Nemus¡¯s materials for over sixty years. I¡¯ve a very good idea of this world¡¯s economy and half a gold coin for an ounce of haematite is outright slavery. I start speaking very loud and clearly. ¡°Copper ore is found in certain underground deposits. It¡¯s often found together with lead and silver. Never with-¡±

    A dwarf shoves the receptionist to the side and takes his seat. He came out of nowhere, but his clothes identify him as another member of the guild. ¡°How can I help you?¡±

    The negotiations with the dwarf were tough, but I got fair prices in the end. It turned out that he is the guildmaster. He even paid me fifty gold pieces to keep my mouth shut. Being three hundred gold richer, I leave the guild and guide the lemu to a nearby inn which looks like it costs a lot of money.

    I still have most of the stolen materials, but I deemed that three hundred gold will be enough to buy lodging, equipment and consumables. Once I¡¯ve taken care of that, I¡¯ll be on the way to the nearest gate and from there my path leads me to the Alliance¡¯s capital.

    Entering the inn, I prepare myself for yet another verbal battle. But the woman who checks me in doesn¡¯t even comment on my dishevelled state after confirming that I have money. She simply takes the gold and gives me a room after my lemu got a place in the stable. Apparently, it¡¯s normal for travellers to look a little winded. So why is it not acceptable to appear like that in the merchant¡¯s guild?

    I¡¯ve to ask once I am rested. My room turns out to be small, but it¡¯s clean and there is a real magically operated bath. That¡¯s probably the reason why they charge a whole piece of gold for a week¡¯s stay. I lock the door and secure it with a chair. Then I check the window.

    Satisfied, I clean myself from the grime and the blood of the recent days. Then I throw myself onto the bed and am instantly asleep.

 ~5.Inferno~

    ¡°More exploration. Do you think that Joyce is a good name for a female MC?¡±

    ***Tarin***

    ***Joyce***

    I awaken for the third time since I checked into the inn. It¡¯s been three days and slept like a log for most of the time. The room service brought me food and I found out that I can order them to get me a simple set of clothes. The maid told me that I have to go out and buy any fancy stuff by myself.

    Sighing, I get up and ready myself to get something done. Three days of rest were more than enough to get back to my feet. I am not in my prime, but neither do I feel like I have to bow down to any random adventurer.

    After ensuring that the pouch with the gold is safely around my neck and under my clothes, I head out. It would be embarrassing if a pickpocket steals all my money. Firstly, because I am better than a random pickpocket and secondly, because I would have to get my property back. Not a good way to start my new life. In order to take revenge on this world, I¡¯ve to be smart.

    The innkeeper gives me a few directions and points out the good shops before I leave. There are several things I want. On my way across the market place, I pick up several luxury items like soap, shampoo, scissors, but also non-perishable food like rice, noodles and other stuff. The list is long and before I know it the morning is gone.

    I shift my attention to clothes and raid the vendors until I get the feeling that I can live for a month without having to wash something. Having a bra is a necessity in order to feel like a human being. The last vendor on my purchase spree looks extremely happy when I place three gold on the counter and shove the pile of clothes into my backpack. Then I leave before she can comment on the fact that my backpack doesn¡¯t bulge.

    My new dresscode consists of long, wide trousers, a coat with a hood and a long-sleeved shirt. I chose everything because it¡¯s easy to move in and because it fits under my existing armour. I¡¯ve no need for something that will rip in my first battle.

    The next stations are the real money burners. Armour, crafting materials and weapons.

    The recommended blacksmith turns out to be one of those burly men who think that women should stay in the kitchen. We were haggling for more than ten minutes when Tristen enters the shop. He smiles upon recognizing me. ¡°Joyce! Long time no see. Wow, you cleaned up nicely. What are you doing here?¡±

    I point at the stupid blacksmith. ¡°I am trying to tell him what I need and he is refusing to work for me.¡±

    The burly idiot crosses his arms above his chest. ¡°And I am telling you that the type of plate armour which you are requesting doesn¡¯t make any sense. If I make it as thin as you want, then it doesn¡¯t provide enough protection.¡±

    I imagine curling my finger around his neck. Then I could squeeze until his eyes pop out. ¡°I told you that I am a mage! I¡¯ll enchant it and it will be stronger than the stuff you are selling to the normies!¡±

    The blacksmith tries to argue further, but Tristen interferes. ¡°Lark, why don¡¯t you follow her orders. Joyce is a seasoned veteran. I¡¯ve seen her fight. She isn¡¯t some new adventurer who will go out and get herself killed at the first opportunity. Your reputation won¡¯t suffer because you make her thin armour.¡±

    Lark huffs. ¡°Fine! What about the weapon? Any other extraordinary wishes?¡±

    My left eye twitches involuntarily and the thought of levelling this town crosses my mind. All I need is a silent corner and a few random pedestrians. Then again, inferno won¡¯t be nearly as effective in Tarin as it was in Orwen. I just have to take one look around to see that there are much more people without a gift in this town.

    I use my hand to indicate my own height. ¡°I need a rod of your best steel, as long as I am tall. The springy stuff, not something that bends out of shape. And give me one of those tower shields, I¡¯ll modify it for my own purposes.¡±

    Lark grinds his teeth. ¡°Missy, you don¡¯t make any sense. If you want a staff or a spear, oakwood is the best choice.¡± But he relents and walks over to his forge, ignoring all the weapons. He chooses a steel rod which seems to fulfil my criteria and hands it over to me. ¡°Such a thing is much too heavy for a-¡±

    I snatch it away from his meaty fingers and whirl it through the air. My test strikes bend the rod, but since the steel is springy, the rod isn¡¯t reshaped permanently. I nod. ¡°That¡¯ll do. I Just need something that can withstand a few earnest blows.¡± I turn to Lark. ¡°What about the shield?¡±

    Lark closes his mouth and turns his attention to Tristen. The other man looks at the blacksmith with a smug expression on his face, but then his expression turns concerned as he faces me. ¡°I understand that you are using your magic to boost your powers. But what happens if you run out of steam? You won¡¯t be able to wield that thing without magic.¡±

    I draw the sceptre from my belt and attach it to the metal rod, using my power to encapsulate the metal with the dragonbone. Then I attach a long spearhead to the weapon, turning it into a mix of a halberd and a spear. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll enchant the entire thing to weigh less. And if I run out of magic while my opponent still has power, then I am doomed anyway. That¡¯s the way things go in a magical duel.¡±

    Tristen whistles while Lark¡¯s face turns red. Tristen shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that really skilled mages can shape dragonbone, but I didn¡¯t think I would ever meet one.¡±

    Lark points at the spear-sceptre-thingy. ¡°Th- That¡¯s just cheating! Why do you even bother me if you can just form dragonbone according to your wishes?¡±

    I snort. ¡°Because dragonbone is rare and I don¡¯t have nearly enough for my purposes. Now, do I get the armour and the shield? And why do the two of you know each other?¡±

    Tristen makes a circling gesture with his hand. ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t really know each other. I only know his name because he repairs my group¡¯s equipment. Everyone says that Lark is the best blacksmith in this town.¡±

    Lark puffs out his chest. ¡°Right! And don¡¯t worry. You will get your armour and your shield. Tomorrow! I just need your measurements.¡±

    I raise an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s fast. You aren¡¯t going to cheat me, are you?¡±

    The blacksmith bristles. ¡°I would never cheat a customer! It just so happens that I¡¯ve a paladin armour. The previous owner got herself a new one, which doesn¡¯t mean that the old one is bad. She just upgraded to a heavier version, but you said that you want it to be light. I just have to do a few repairs and refit the armour to your sizes.¡±

    All I want are some thin metal plates which I can enchant. But I guess that buying a proven set saves me a lot of time. I glare at the blacksmith. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about groping me!¡±

    Ten minutes and a few threats on Lark¡¯s life later I am out of the shop. My equipment will be ready by tomorrow. I simply left Tristen to his own problems and told him that I¡¯ve a lot of things to do.

    Which is true.

    ¡°This town is much too small,¡± I grumble. Right. Next goal is the merchant¡¯s guild. I orient myself and start walking. The building isn''t far away and since I already visited them, I have no trouble finding it.

    I enter the entrance hall and approach the first receptionist who is free. It''s a human woman, but as soon as I am in front of her the guildmaster appears and takes over. ¡°Hello, Miss Joyce. How can we help you?¡±

    I glare at him. ¡°How did you know that I am here?¡± He must''ve jumped up and ran as fast as he could as soon as I stepped through the guild¡¯s entrance. His office is in the upper floor. I know that because he invited me there for private negotiations when I threatened to reveal his little Spiel with the various prices of raw materials.

    The dwarf clasps his hands together and smiles. ¡°My people have their ways.¡±

    A few more seconds of giving him the evil eye don''t get me anywhere. He keeps smiling, so I decide to continue with my own business. ¡°I heard that a caravan is going to leave the town. They''ll travel to the next big city with a gate?¡±

    He nods. ¡°You are quite right. This humble mining town is located between the mountains, which separate us from the Empire, and the Marshwoods, which are infested with dangerous beasts. That''s why the Merchant Guild has organized a caravan to transport goods to the next city.¡±

    Yeah, he didn''t have to go into such detail. ¡°I want to join the caravan as a passenger. What do I have to do for that?¡±

    He starts fidgeting. ¡°I am sorry. The caravan doesn''t take any passengers. This is a pure trading expedition.¡±

    ¡°That''s a joke, right? I can''t pay you to ride along?¡± I ask.

    He shakes his head. ¡°We''ve had quite a lot of trouble with bandits. They must have inserted their own people into the caravans and attacked once the goods are far away from the military. You can take the next caravan which is going to depart in a month. They''ll take civilians with them who want to leave the town.¡±

    I gape at him. Then why are Tristen and his party using that caravan to get back to civilisation? ¡°You are joking, right? What if I simply follow your people?¡±

    Again, he shakes his head. ¡°The guards would attack you. You either have to be a merchant, or a guard. Otherwise there is simply no way to go with that caravan. This precaution isn''t foolproof, but there is no way around it.¡±

    The solution is easy. ¡°Then I''ll join your stupid guild. Where can I sign up?¡±

    The dwarf sighs. ¡°I am sorry, but that''s also no solution to your problem. You would need full membership, which is only achieved after a month on probation.¡±

    That''s a bad joke. ¡°Don''t mess around. You really want to tell me that I''ve to sit on my hands for a month and wait for the next caravan?¡±

    ¡°I am afraid those are the facts. Of course, you could try to join the adventurers and join the caravan as a guard. I''ve heard that their terms of admission don''t include a probationary month. Though it might be a little hard to pass their test until tomorrow. One can always try, yes?¡±

    Maybe I should set his hairy ass on fire, but that would probably not help me to join the damned caravan. I could always try to travel alone, but the bandits taught me that I shouldn''t overestimate my powers. And I lived in a big city until now, so I''ve no idea how strong the monsters actually are. Books are fine and good, but they can''t really convey a level of strength.

    ¡°Miss? Are you done?¡± A customer from behind me touches my shoulder. I look at him and he steps back. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    I turn back to the dwarf and smile. ¡°I''ll try the adventurers then? Their guild is near the garrison?¡±

    ¡°Take the mainstreet until you reach the garrison''s entrance, then you turn left and walk two blocks. There is no way to miss it.¡± The dwarf nods and offers me his open palm as if he is expecting a tip for the information.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    I decide to teach him a lesson and turn away. ¡°Never hand out information before you get paid. And as you said yourself, there is no way to miss it. So why even charge for such petty information?¡±

    Snickering, I leave the building.

    ¡°Cheapskate!¡± The dwarf calls after me, but he doesn''t sound angry.

    I follow the main street away from the market, entering a residential area. There are much less shops and vendors in this part of the town. Nothing much to see. Just one wooden building after the other. Most are just frame-houses with logs placed on top of each other. It''s rare to see a house made out of bricks. There are no signs which identify them as businesses, so I assume that they are privately owned. With much less people on the streets, I make considerable headway.

    After a few minutes I reach the garrison. The military complex is easily recognisable because it''s guarded by soldiers. From the outside, it looks like nothing more than a fenced area with a lot of barracks for the soldiers. But since I don''t intend to join the military I don''t pay much attention to the structure.

    From there I follow the dwarf''s instructions until I reach a large building which has similarities with the merchant''s guildhouse. ¡°They probably have some kind of theme going on,¡± I mumble and enter, pushing open the huge door.

    Inside, I find a large saloon which looks a lot like a bar. In the back is a staircase. It leads to a second level and to my right is an elevated arena which is encased by a metal fence. The whole area is taken up by long rows of tables. They are occupied by a menagerie of people from different races.

    To my left is a long bar with several waitresses behind it. Looks more like a pub than a guildhouse.

    A beastman who is more beast than man whistles upon seeing me. He is inside the arena and obviously waiting for an opponent. ¡°Hey, Hottie! New here? Don''t you want to enter the ring with me?¡± He laughs and is joined by his spectators.

    I ignore them and head to the bar. One of the waitresses greets me with a smile. ¡°What can I do for you? Do you want to post a quest?¡±

    Do I really look like I would pay someone for doing my dirty work? ¡°I want to join the caravan which leaves this shagged town tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Oh!?¡± She studies me as if she just noticed the weapon on my back. It¡¯s hard to hide a staff. ¡°The merchant caravan? Are you an adventurer? I need proof that you belong to the guild.¡±

    ¡°I am not an adventurer,¡± I answer.

    ¡°Then I can''t help you. The guild only provides security.¡± She shrugs.

    ¡°What do I need to join the guild?¡± I ask, annoyed that I''ve to pull every piece of information out of her nose. ¡°Once I am an adventurer, you can sign me up for the caravan right?¡±

    ¡°Newbies.¡± She rolls her eyes. ¡°Sure. Everyone can join. But you start as a level zero. You need to be at least level one to take a protection quest.¡± She bends under the counter and retrieves a piece of paper, together with a metal plate. ¡°Your name and abilities here.¡± She points at a few empty lines on the document. ¡°Then you press your thumb to the metal plate. It''ll read the document and assert the truth of your testimony. Then you can take the plate to identify yourself in the future. The document is for us. We''ll copy it and send it to the capital in order to finish the registration.¡±

    So this thing will test if I am saying the truth? Then I better don''t lie. I start filling out the sheet of paper, being as vague as possible with my answers. ¡°Then how do I become level one?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you have to prove that you can deal with monsters. Bring us a direwolf''s teeth or a goblin''s ears. Of course you need another adventurer to be your witness. I doubt that you''ll manage to do that until tomorrow morning. Someone will have to follow you around and that isn''t cheap.¡±

    Where was I born? Don''t know. I was born in a carriage. It''s true. I was a slave since my birth and nobody ever bothered to tell me who my parents are or from where they originated. My earliest memory is of being bought by Nemus.

    I press my thumb to the metal and feel a small tug on my magic. There is no intrusion into my mind, just a general assessment on my feelings and if I am feeling comfortable. Seesh... I could have lied to the sky had I known that the truth test is so rudimentary.

    The card displays my name, abilities, and my level. Zero. I smile and pocket the card. Then I turn around and survey the room. There must be someone in here who I can pay to follow me into the wilderness. Then I can kill something and we hike back.

    ¡°Come on! Is there nobody who wants to face me in unarmed combat? What a bunch of sissies!¡±

    The beastman inside the arena spreads his hands and taunts the spectators. He is some kind of werewolf. I chew on my lower lip and place my backpack with the spear on the bar. ¡°Look after that. If something is missing when I come back, it won''t be pretty. And the thing is spelled, so don''t even try to open it.¡±

    I walk over to the mob and force my way to the arena. People start murmuring while I climb up into the arena. The beastman is also more than a little surprised. ¡°Hottie, I meant another ring when I invited you.¡±

    I jump down on the other side of the metal fence and rub my hands. ¡°Don''t worry about me. I just need a quick way to become a level one adventurer. A ruffian like you seems like the perfect candidate.¡±

    The werewolf points at himself and snarls, showing off his huge, pointy teeth. ¡°You really think that I would help you to become level one? Do you know who I am? I am Chaz, level four adventurer and one of the strongest unarmed fighters! Though, I think you can persuade me to follow me into the woods if you offer a little more than coin.¡±

    I shake my head. ¡°I think you are misunderstanding something. They said that I need a wolf¡¯s teeth.¡± I point at him. ¡°You are the monster.¡± Then I gesture at the audience. ¡°They are the witnesses.¡±

    Chaz blinks and says nothing for a few moments. The room turned completely silent.

    Then he shakes his head. ¡°Are you weak in the head? Do you know what level four means? You are a zero! And worse, you are a mage! Magic doesn''t work inside this ring. This arena is for fighters! You can''t do anything except using your inner mana manipulation.¡±

    I shrug and crack my knuckles. ¡°I am not worried about myself.¡±

    The beast shakes himself and gestures for someone at the edge of the ring. The man touches a rune and a blue dome of light envelops us. I can also feel the magical interference which is supposed to stop me from casting spells. It''s much weaker than what the three bandits did to hamper my magic.

    Chaz approaches and casually swipes at me with a clawed hand. I block and reply with a kick to his guts, testing my new boots. The beastman is thrown backwards into the force field which lights up with blue waves of energy.

    He felt hard when I kicked him. So he must also be a mage, or he has an ability. More likely the latter one. He doesn''t feel exactly like Kiara, that''s why I am not sure.

    Chaz shakes his head and gets back to his feet, a low growl in his throat. ¡°I''ll carve you up good!¡± Claws slide out of his fingertips and he blurs. I realize that he is much faster than me and force my power to my skin in order to shield myself. Something strikes my chest and I stumble backwards into the forcefield.

    A furry paw appears in my field of vision and I duck, rolling away. Holy shit! He is a fast one. Something hits my ankle and swipes me off my feet. Two fists come down at my chest and I am battered into the ground. The crowd cheers and Chaz walks back into his corner, raising his hands to receive his praise.

    I cough and get back up. ¡°Where are you going little doggy?¡±

    Chaz turns around and looks at me as if I am a ghost. I charge him and get beaten down by a paw. We repeat this several times until I notice that he is slowing down. He uses his speed much less and starts avoiding me. I on the other hand invested everything I have in defence.

    When he starts avoiding my blows instead of lashing out at me I can''t hold it in any longer. I start laughing.

    ¡°Mad bitch!¡± Chaz lunges and I stop him with my palm to his chest. For the first time since I started this I feel my strike connect. I quickly follow up by sinking my knee into his side. A quick left, an uppercut, and my fist draws first blood.

    He looks disoriented, but is still up for more. His huge jaws open and he grabs me in an attempt to bite. I react by shoving my entire fist down his throat. He bites down and starts choking, but the scales on my arm stop him from penetrating my skin.

    ¡°Ew! Stop slobbering onto me!¡± I call out and use my left fist like a hammer. After giving his right eye a thorough treatment he lets go and lets down his guard.

    It''s the golden opportunity I was waiting for all along. I strike out, hitting him with both my palms in the chest. At the same time, I channel all my mana through my arms, back and legs. My whole body is behind this strike. He flips backwards, twice, and lands on his back.

    I walk over and step on his chest, then I grab his upper canines. They are big enough to allow me to use my index and middle fingers. With my thumbs as leverage, I break them out of his upper jaw. He howls and covers his snout with both hands, whimpering like a little whelp. Rowing with all his limbs, he crawls away from me into the next best corner, emptying his bladder on the way.

    I wrinkle my nose at the smell. ¡°That''s why I hate dogs. At first they are all snarly and alpha, but as soon as they get their butts kicked it''s over.¡±

    Someone deactivates the barrier and I notice the grave silence in the room. But their mental problems aren''t of my concern. I swing myself over the arena''s fence and return to the bar. This time, the people give me the proper distance when I walk through the crowd.

    The same barmaid watches me approach. Her smile is clearly forced.

    I place the two bloody teeth on the bar. ¡°Two wolf teeth and a lot of witnesses. Can I get level one now?¡± I add my metal card to the pile.

    She doesn''t stop smiling. ¡°I don''t think that Chaz counts as a legal questmonster.¡±

    I turn around and look at the beastman who is being treated by several mages. ¡°He said that he is level four. I am sure that means that he is stronger than the average beast in the wilderness?¡±

    The barmaid''s expression falters. ¡°That''s true, but Chaz is not a wild beast. And you need someone who vouches for you.¡±

    I want to give her a snippy reply, but a man in a white robe interrupts me. ¡°Excuse me? I am a healer. Could I have those teeth? Sticking them back in is much easier than growing new ones.¡±

    ¡°Only if you make them crooked,¡± I answer, but nobody laughs. So I sigh and gesture for him to take the teeth. The healer takes the teeth and hurries to his patient.

    I return my attention to the barmaid. ¡°I am not so sure about that. I-¡±

    Another person interrupts me by placing a hand on my shoulder. I recognize her. It''s Kiara. She grins, showing me sharp and pointy teeth. ¡°That bastard was making advances on me since we returned. Sooner or later I would have fucked him up myself. I vouch for you.¡±

    The barmaid''s right eye starts twitching. Then she is interrupted by one of her colleagues. ¡°Don''t be always such a stickler to the rules. Rank her up and be done with it, Melissa. The test is about proving someone¡¯s ability to fight and she clearly showed that she is stronger than a level four. She is a mage and fucked up Chaz without a single spell.¡±

    The human blonde steps next to the barmaid and fiddles with a chain. There are several metal plates on it. When she finds the right plate, she presses it onto my card and the level changes from zero to one. ¡°Have fun with level one.¡±

    I nod and take the card back, then I grin at the barmaid, showing her my bloody hands. ¡°Do you have a place where I can wash off the blood? Oh, and sign me up for the caravan.¡±

    The barmaid points at a door and I follow her directions.

    Kiara follows me. ¡°You are joining the caravan?¡±

    I nod. ¡°It''s the quickest way to the next city with a gate. The other possibility would be to travel alone, or to wait for a month. There is no way that I would wait in this town for a month, just to join the next caravan. I have business to conduct and for that I need a place with more infrastructure.¡±

    She smiles. ¡°I see. I almost didn''t recognize you, I might add.¡±

    ¡°You mean because after cleaning myself, I look like a human being?¡± I ask. We enter a large restroom and I head for the wash basin. ¡°Neat. They even have running water!¡±

    Kiara shrugs and watches while I wash my hands. ¡°You seem to be no less dangerous. The clean clothes make you look like nothing much. Chaz probably thought that you are a pretty babe who wants to play adventurer. At least until you started beating him up with your bare hands.¡± Her long, bushy ears twitch.

    I grunt and dry my hands.

    ¡°Do you want to hang out? Fae will soon return from an errant. We could play cards and get better acquainted,¡± Kiara offers.

    I study her expression to guess at her intentions. ¡°Why would we want to do that?¡±

    She shrugs. ¡°We''ll be on the same caravan. The journey takes three weeks, so we are bound to work together. Knowing each other helps. And I''ve seen that you are strong. It''s never bad to have someone powerful on your side.¡±

    I play with my hair and consider her words. There are a lot of possible interpretations for her actions. ¡°So you are saying that there might be trouble? And not from bandits or monsters, but from within the caravan?¡±

    Kiara shrugs. ¡°We''ll be in the middle of nowhere and people are stupid. Our charges aren''t one company or group, but a ragtag team of merchants who pooled their resources to travel safely with protection. You have to keep in mind that they could decide to run off in different directions any time they see a benefit in it.¡±

    I close my eyes. ¡°What did I get myself into? I thought it''s safer to travel in a caravan.¡±

    ¡°I didn''t say that it will happen. I just pointed out that it can happen. My party witnessed it many times. All I am saying is this, it''s good to know someone strong on your side. And there is the added circumstance of bandit attacks. Two caravans disappeared without a trace.¡±

    It¡¯s that bad? The stupid dwarf failed to mention that. ¡°Fine. I guess I''ll join you for a while. But not for long. I have to buy a carriage.¡± I scratch my head.

    She raises both eyebrows. ¡°A carriage?¡±

    I nod. ¡°A small one. I hate riding and the less time I have to spend in a saddle the better!¡±

    She laughs and leads the way out of the restroom. ¡°What else do you have to buy?¡±

    I shrug. ¡°Actually, I think that¡¯s it. Tomorrow I¡¯ll get my armour and then I¡¯ll head directly to the southern gate and wait for the caravan to assemble.¡±

    The werewolf looks a lot better when we return to the bar. The healer is still trying to attach the canines, but the idiot isn''t crying any longer. I ignore him and follow Kiara to a booth in the far right corner of the room. It pleases me that I can have my back to the wall, so I happily take one of the seats which are facing the bar.

    Once we are settled down, I decide to return the conversation to the issue at hand. ¡°So you want to propose an alliance in case that something goes wrong while we travel with the caravan. How would that alliance look like?¡±

    She shrugs. ¡°Nothing complicated. We just have to show a united front to anyone who wants to do something stupid. Like turning around or leaving the caravan. There are so many things which can go wrong, it''s hardly possible to play through every scenario.¡±

    I nod slowly. ¡°So you want that I show my assistance if there is trouble between your faction and-¡±

    She raises her hand. ¡°All I ask for, is that you don''t play the neutral party. Today you''ve shown everyone that you are a decent fighter. At least you are someone who shouldn''t be ignored. I don''t expect that you can sway an idiot''s mind, but sometimes having one more powerful person behind you is the difference between life and death.¡±

    I grunt. ¡°I can''t promise that I''ll be on your side. What if you are the ones who want to do something stupid?¡±

    She smiles. ¡°Oh, I wouldn''t worry about that. We''ve often travelled with such caravans and after a while you learn to differentiate the stupid moves from the smart ones.¡±

 1. ~Conscripted~

    ¡°There are very few things which I consider mine.¡±

    The middle of all things, the place where the multiverse begins and ends. The place where ¨C according to even the oldest beings ¨C everything began. The place where the gods live in a city, a place where immortals walk among one another like mere citizens, governed by the Council of Gods.

    Here, at this holy and breathtaking place, there sits a god with his ghostcat on his lap. And for all the world could care, he could as well be some measly office worker in any unthankful job.

    I laugh at the thought, petting my cat and watching the skyline of the crystal city from my office window while running my fingers through my purring pet''s fur. The crystal city was always here and nobody knows how it was made, because not even the gods can shape the mana crystals which it was made of.

    The smooth surfaces of the buildings reflect the distant star¡¯s light and in the sky is the black hole at the middle of all things, hovering above us like a promise of doom.

    My little office is within the big machinery of the bureaucracy of this megacity. For a moment, I remember my ascendancy to godhood. How I felt like nothing could stand in my way. Who would have thought that ascending to godhood wouldn''t change anything in the end?

    Of course, I can single-handedly obliterate worlds, but even that gets boring after a while.

    If it wasn''t for the Council, I wouldn''t even be here. I would be out there in the multiverse and do as I please. But as life is, there are always those who want to control others and I have to admit that the Council is doing a pretty good job at it. The gods are no different from the mortals.

    The Council manages the gods of the multiverse, making sure that new ascendancies don''t stray out of line. I admit that having someone who keeps the sheep in line isn''t a bad thing. Even when weak gods fight, worlds get destroyed. Such is the power of the gods.

    And those who don''t stick to the rules tend to vanish. There are only a few ways to deal permanently with an immortal being. First, you have to kill its corporeal form, then, you have to make sure that its soul doesn''t reincarnate. Otherwise, you would have a pissed off god come after you a few decades later, or however long it takes the soul to find a new vessel.

    That''s mainly why I am trying to keep my head down. It doesn''t happen often, but gods are vanishing when they oppose the Council. Permanently. So, for now, I try to be a reasonable and good sheep. Which means that I am doing my best to be useful. Cause'', useful people don''t vanish.

    I sigh again, wondering how it''s possible that by ascending to godhood I would turn into a mere desk-jockey. I mean, I was an Empress in my former life! I enslaved and ruled a whole world until I grew powerful enough to ascend. The Council gave me a little leeway in my dealings with the mortals for the first few centuries, as they do with all the new gods.

    They know from experience that it will get boring soon enough.

    Then, with time, all my mortal connections fell away. Family members died, by accident or by choice... apparently I am not a person who people want hang out with for centuries. It says something about my character.

    When I realized one day that I had nothing more to lose, I killed myself in an attempt to escape the Council''s attention, who had roped me over the centuries ever further into their web. Turns out that they have a way of tracking souls throughout the multiverse even if they go through the reincarnation process. If I had known that, I wouldn''t have killed myself.

    Apart from being reborn and getting a new body, reincarnation always comes with a loss of power and memories. So, even if you aren''t happy with your body because you reincarnated as a girl instead of a man, you should avoid dying at all costs. That''s really the main difference between an immortal and a mortal soul, the power level which allows them to keep their memories throughout multiple lives.

    My silent brooding is interrupted when someone rudely opens the door to my office and a man in silver plated leather armour steps inside.

    ¡°Ascathon!¡± Jahr greets me, holding a paper in his left hand while running his fingers through his hair. ¡°I really didn''t want to seek you out, but I have a message from Tjenemit.¡± The other god eyes me with distaste. As a deity of order, he seems to have a natural aversion towards me. We never got along.

    I wave a hand for him to go on. ¡°What does he want this time? A rare beast slain? Did some sentient dragon ascend and he doesn''t want to play along? Information? Who do I have to spy on?¡±

    Jahr waves his hand, grinning with glee. ¡°Nothing like that. He just wants you to take part in the meeting at Studio 7.¡±

    A meeting? ¡°What''s this meeting about?¡±

    ¡°A new project. And it happens so that I expect to become the project''s leader.¡± His expression turns even more gleeful than it already is. ¡°Which means that you will be my bitch. I''ll make you do twice the work.¡±

    ¡°I am not going to be anyone''s bitch,¡± I answer matter of factly. Jahr isn''t the first asshole who I don''t get along with, and I am sure he won''t be the last. Maybe it''s time to remind everyone why the Council keeps me around?

    ¡°You heard the order, so come along like a nice little pet.¡± Jahr huffs and turns around, then he tries twisting the doorknob ¨C without result. He yanks at the door, but nothing happens. Losing his patience, he kicks it but stumbles back. It''s like some mortal is trying his best to get through a heavy door without any tools at hand. ¡°What''s this! How is this possible!?¡±

    ¡°It''s a special magical circuit, aimed at disconnecting everything within this room from the aether. Very useful in subduing a new test subject. It''s the secret of why I am so good at catching runaway deities,¡± I educate him patiently. ¡°Inside this room, you are nothing more than a mere mortal. At least as far as your power is concerned. There will be no high-power energy conversion of any kind. I am afraid that I haven''t figured out how to catch a soul within this space. An essential part of catching other gods ¨C or at least to incapacitate them.¡± I shrug. ¡°One day I¡¯ll solve that problem too.¡±

    And until then I¡¯ll have to make to with other solutions.

    Jahr turns to face me. ¡°Let me go.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I huff. ¡°Haven''t you listened? You are my newest test subject. Feel honoured.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea. Tjenemit knows where I am. He will punish you...¡± Then ¨C suddenly ¨C a light bulb seems to switch on in that stupid brain of his and Jahr chuckles, searching the walls with his eyes. ¡°But if this inhibition field affects the entire room, then that means that you are also weak and helpless.¡± He reaches for the shiny sword at his belt. ¡°A grave mistake. Even without magic or a god''s power I am a skilled swordsman. A martial artist of the highest calibre.¡± His eyes shine with happiness at the opportunity that presented itself. ¡°And you are nothing more than a weak mage. You are nothing without your spells!¡±

    The time he needed for his speech was more than enough for me to sneak a hand beneath my desk, gripping the handle of the small, handheld crossbow.

    ¡°You are completely right.¡± I raise the crossbow from beneath the desk and aim it at his chest, releasing the first bolt with a satisfying ''Twang!'' of the string.

    The projectile, a bolt tipped with the shard of a mana crystal, embeds itself inside Jahr''s chest. The other god stumbles backwards with a shocked expression on his face. His shiny armour may be functional, but it''s still just metal. The heads of my darts are made out of mana crystal, a mysterious material that''s to gods as metal is to mortals. The pure energy and magic inside a mana crystal is able to cut through any barrier if wielded with enough force.

    There are only very few places in which you can acquire this rare material, like in the middle of all things. Actually, the whole planet is made out of the stuff. Some ancient and long forgotten cataclysm created it. I still had to search the planes outside the city for a long time until I found a fitting piece of mana crystal.

    Not waiting for the results of the first shot, I fire five more times, manipulating the automated loading mechanism of the neat toy. The barrel with the six darts rotates each time with a satisfying ''clink'' until the last dart finds Jahr''s forehead.

    Stumbling backwards, he is stopped by the door and slowly slides to the ground, his hand still on the half-drawn sword.

    I watch, fascinated whether it will work or not, as the enchanted darts do their job of catching Jahr''s soul.

    Studying his aura, I watch as it congeals around the first bolt which embedded itself in his chest. There are only very few beings who can deal with an enchanted weapon stuck inside their body. To counter the effects of a spell that''s activating inside one''s own body would require incredible skill with inner mana manipulation, a skill in which even I can''t claim proficiency. As a god, it''s so much easier to just release your aura and blast anything away that might be able to harm you.

    ¡°Don''t worry, Fluffers,¡± I coo at the cat on my lap. ¡°The evil man won''t harm you.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Lifting the little kitten off my lap, I put it on the table, then I get up to inspect the corpse.

    It takes half an hour to search Jahr''s mortal body and to store the cleaned shard of mana crystal inside my chest pocket, his soul imprisoned inside. It¡¯s the safest container I can think of to make sure that he won¡¯t revive any time soon. Capturing souls is so much easier since I found out how to enchant mana crystals with a capturing array. The only mystery that remains is to find out how I can create the stuff. It''s one of the arcane mysteries which got lost in the ages.

    Because one thing is for sure in my opinion: Mana Crystals are somehow artificially created. Once I get to the bottom of that secret, I might even be able to challenge the Council. Now that would be a story! I could become a king among gods. Nobody would be able to oppose my forces if I had access to such a secret. After all, a big part of the Council''s power is based on the fact that they sit on the biggest known deposit of mana crystals in the known multiverse.

    Revelling in this fantasy, I deactivate the inhibition field by pressing a tile next to the office''s entrance. Testing my magic, I dispose of the body with a flick of my finger and a wave of my hand turns the blood into dust which is easily dealt with thanks to a conjured up breeze. Some minor deity will soon perform the cleaning duties and all of the evidence will be gone.

    I huff, making sure that there is nothing obvious that would hint at the fact that a god was forcefully incorporeated in this place.

    Once that''s done, I access the city''s network through the workstation on my desk, a nifty little device with a few hundred Petahertz of calculation power. I had to pay a pretty penny for it, but since there are plenty of surveillance systems throughout the crystal city, it was worth the investment. Having a capable hacking tool is very helpful in making sure that Jahr''s last known whereabouts wasn''t my office.

    Having made sure that there is plenty of false evidence regarding his movements, I pick up Fluffers who is licking itself. The little ghostcat is a remnant I kept from a previous life. By now I am not very fond of dealing with mortal beings, but Fluffers is a familiar, a magical construct that''s fed by my own mana. As long as it keeps a connection to me, it will stay alive.

    Outside my office, I take the corridor which leads to the central stairway. From there I head directly towards the meeting rooms. Disposing of the corpse and manipulating the data inside we network took a lot of time. I might actually be late.

    Upon reaching Studio 7 I wince, noting that the door is already closed. Which means that the meeting has already started and that I am too late.

    Sighing, I open the door and enter the room. Better to get it over with than to stay outside until they start searching for me.

    The room turns out to be large enough to hold a table for twenty people and a raised pedestal for someone who wants to hold a speech.

    Tjenemit, a dark-skinned man with average features, is standing on the elevated ground and obviously waiting for something while he searches through a stack of documents. From his appearance, you would never guess that he is one of the rulers of the multiverse. The seats at the large table are held by gods of various races. At first glance, I recognize a few of them, but more than half of the present faces have no meaning to me.

    Upon entering, the previously lively room falls totally silent as people stop chatting.

    ¡°Why is he here?¡±

    ¡°If he is in, I am out.¡±

    ¡°I would rather take my chances with-¡±

    ¡°SILENCE!¡± Tjemenit¡¯s voice booms through the room, shutting up everyone. Turning towards me, the Council member points at an empty chair right next to a half-orc who I recognize as Marigold, a god who I had a few dealings with over the years.

    Close to me are also Nazareth, a little gnome who somehow managed to become a lesser deity ¨C a god of mountains as far as I recall.

    There is also Zenial, a goddess of the moon and night of average power.

    And there is Seria, a deity of life and death. She is a real powerhouse and for some reason, I have a feeling that she doesn¡¯t like me. Looking back, we share quite a bit of history. Though I have no idea what I ever did to her, aside from hitting on her once or twice. But who would blame a healthy man for hitting on a pretty woman?

    After having taken a good look at the present menagerie of gods, I follow Tjenemit¡¯s order and walk towards the empty seat. I am a little confused about the widely different power levels in this group. Though, it seems like there is a god for each of the most common aspects of godhood.

    But before I can reach my seat, Tjenemit stops me with a raised hand. ¡°Where is Jahr? He was supposed to bring you with him.¡±

    Ups¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know? He just told me to be here and then he ran off.¡±

    ¡°He is totally lying,¡± someone whispers to my left. ¡°It¡¯s written all over his face.¡±

    ¡°I bet he killed him¡­ just for the kicks...¡± another joins in.

    I quickly turn around to search for the offenders, but none of them dare to identify themselves. ¡°I killed nobody.¡± If I ever learned something about the law, then it¡¯s to deny until the end, and that¡¯s what I am doing here.

    A tall figure in a plate armour that looks suspiciously similar to Jahr¡¯s leather outfit bends over to ask a question of the little gnome next to him. ¡°Nazareth, why would you make such an accusation?¡±

    The lesser deity¡¯s eyes widen and he sucks in a sharp breath. ¡°Don¡¯t just rat me out like that! I said it because it¡¯s true! That¡¯s Ascathon, the soul mage I told you about! Everybody knows that people who talk bad about him disappear.¡±

    The plate-guy looks up, focusing on Tjenemit. ¡°Is that true!?¡± Then looks at me. ¡°And why are you holding a kitten? It looks ridiculous.¡±

    Nazareth quickly raises his hands, waving. ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯t insult the kitten! The kitten is sacrosanct!¡±

    The Council member closes his eyes and massages the bridge of his nose. ¡°I am too old to deal with this. Ascathon, what did you do with Jahr?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± I answer quickly.

    Tjenemit¡¯s eyes flicker to my chest pocket. Somehow the elder god can tell that I am hiding something, but it doesn¡¯t seem like he is willing to put up with the hassle of pursuing the matter. ¡°I suppose that if we start an investigation, nothing worthwhile will show up?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± I reply. ¡°Just check the surveillance feeds. Jahr left my room quickly right after delivering the message.¡±

    Shaking his head, the Council member gestures for me to sit down. ¡°I am just glad that I invited several people to this project, so we have a few spares. Myrm, you will have to take over Jahr¡¯s place. It means double the work for you, but that can¡¯t be helped. If it proves too much for you, I¡¯ll find another deity of order.¡±

    ¡°Me!? Why me!? And how can it be that you just let an accusation like that slide? There must be an investigation!¡± the plated figure complains. ¡°Jahr and I were supposed to play two different aspects!¡±

    ¡°Look.¡± Tjenemit¡¯s expression turns dangerous as he smiles winningly at Myrm. ¡°Ascathon here has a few abilities that are valuable to the Council. Which means that as long as he doesn¡¯t cause too much of a disturbance, or gets himself caught, I don¡¯t care. In fact, Jahr¡¯s inability to deal with Ascathon automatically removed him from the list of candidates for this experiment. Why do you think did I send him to get this fellow?¡± Allowing his voice to turn menacing, Tjenemit releases his aura, pressing down on all of us with all his might.

    The lesser deities pale and turn green with nausea. Nazareth bends over to puke on the floor. Even the stronger ones among us shrink back from this unrivalled power which forces itself onto us like the weight of eons. The only ones who seem fairly unaffected are Myrm, Seria, Marigold and I.

    I silently berate this Myrm character for setting off a Council member. He must be new, and unaware of how things work in the world of gods. The Council may play nice on the outside, putting up a shiny facade for those who aren¡¯t privy to its inner workings. But at the core, all the Council members operate on the principle of Might-makes-Right.

    Ever since I was so unlucky to gain their attention, I did my best to be unimportant enough to be left alone, but useful enough not to be disposed of.

    Sick of being ignored, I do my best to ignore the sickening feeling and raise my hand like a good little kid at school. ¡°Can I sit down now? And I still don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡±

    As planned, my ploy breaks the moment and Tjenemit rolls his eyes, retreating the menacing display of his aura. ¡°Yes, I suppose we can repeat the introduction for those who were late.¡± His eyes wander to two lesser deities who apparently didn¡¯t show up in time.

    Happy that I am not the only person who was late, I hurry to sit down on an empty chair and try not to stand out, but the gods to my left and my right move their chairs to create a little more distance between me and them¡­ which makes me stand out even more.

    Tjenemit takes his time before continuing his speech, making sure that everyone is paying attention. ¡°Listen up! You guys have the doubtful honour of taking part in a pilot project which the Council is trying to establish throughout the multiverse.

    ¡°Let''s make this as short as possible. I have a lot of things to do, and there are more groups participating in this project than just you. As you all probably know, the Council takes great pride in overseeing the awakening of new gods. Nobody wants a repeat of the age of wars. That¡¯s why we come down very hard on irregular awakenings. Not to mention that they are a big threat to the poor mortals. I mean, it¡¯s entirely too easy for a god to take over an entire planet, dictate what everyone is ought to do, and to become a tyrant on a massive scale.¡±

    Again, everyone in the room looks at me.

    ¡°I did never do such a thing!¡± I defend myself. ¡°I just made sure that an everlasting cycle of war is broken!¡± It¡¯s not my fault that I had to bring down most of the planet¡¯s important governments. Or that I had to beat the word peace into those savages. Thanks to me, the planet experienced a thousand years of relative peace. Nor is it my fault that they returned to their short-sighted ways soon after I gave up killing everyone who reached for power. After a thousand years of dealing with unruly children even I get bored.

    Tjenemit clears his throat. ¡°As I said, this project is aimed at supervising individuals who are strong candidates for ascension. For that reason, we will assign groups of gods to planets with crossing pathways, and which hold therefore a higher concentration of immortals. These gods will play the part of the planet¡¯s pantheon. You will report anyone who might ascend to godhood to us before they actually achieve that step. Are there any questions?¡±

    A lesser deity raises her hand. ¡°How do you intend to force us doing such a boring job? And how are we supposed to identify candidates before the Council becomes aware of them?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good question, and the Council came up with an answer. We used some of our power and placed a world enchantment on the planet in question. A very complex spell, don¡¯t worry about it. A lesser deity like you would never grasp its complexity.¡± He waves the matter away with a swipe of his hand. ¡°All of you will get an amulet that weaves you into the enchantment. Each time some lesser soul prays strong enough to the aspect you represent, you will be drawn along the pathways to them and fulfil your roles as gods. Over time, you will be more and more involved in the world and build enough of a reputation to identify those with strong souls.¡±

    Okay, I am out. Where is the exit? I didn¡¯t keep my head down to be caught up in this bullshit! What he supposes sounds like a lot of work, and being forced to interact with mortals by being teleported to them when they pray to me? Just no!

    Raising my hand, I try to get Tjenemit¡¯s attention. ¡°I am thankful for being given this opportunity, but I prefer my bleak office.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®no¡¯?¡±

    ¡°There is no backing out. Especially not for you. We can¡¯t have the position in charge of magic and chaos be left vacant. What would the world come to without an evildoer? As much as we would like to deny it, there are always those who pray for the end of the current regime, for power, for their chance.¡± He smiles. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. You will be glad to hear that you will be positioned on a world which you are very invested in. One could say, that you already have a history there.¡±

    Tjenemit clicks his fingers and amulets appear in front of each of us. They are simple, silver coins on a chain. ¡°Put those on, and don¡¯t ever take them off. If you do, I¡¯ll know, and I won¡¯t be pleased.¡±

    The others put on the amulets with sour expressions on their faces, and after a moment of hesitation, I follow their example. I could try to run, but I¡¯ve seen too many times that it doesn¡¯t work. The Council gets them all in the end.

    The Council member nods after checking that everyone has his or her amulet on. ¡°You will be given one decade during which you can build your reputation as a god. Use any measure of power you want to impress the mortals. There is just one rule, don¡¯t fight each other openly. We all know the results of a battle between gods. I won¡¯t tolerate you attacking each other in any form. Don¡¯t test my patience on this matter, don¡¯t try to find the boundaries. You will regret it.¡±

    He looks around, making sure that he has made eye-contact with all of us. ¡°With that said, you can begin.¡± Clapping his hands, he activates the amulet around my neck.

    I try to complain. There are still many unanswered questions, details which would be crucial to know! But I am too late, and Tjenemit seems to be in a hurry.

    The world twists and dissolves as I feel myself being pulled along one of the countless pathways against my will. In the next moment, I find myself on a battlefield in front of a bloody, babbling man who looks like a medieval crusader. Someone pinned him with a spear to the ground, leaving him to die on his own.

    ¡°...forsake you, god of light, I don¡¯t need your order any longer! If you won¡¯t lead us to victory against this heathens, then I¡¯ll pray to the darkest of powers! As long as my comrades-¡± He notices me. ¡°By the light! Man, what are you doing with a bloody kitten on the battlefield!?¡±

 2. ~Conscripted~

    ¡°Stab, stabedy, stabby, stab.¡±

    ***The World***

    ***Paladin***

    The man in dark leather looked down on me, curling the corners of his mouth in disgust. Half of his face was hidden by a hood, but that couldn''t hide the utter disdain he felt. He would have been the perfect image of an evil sorcerer, weren''t it or the white kitten he was holding protectively in his hands.

    Or was my death causing hallucinations? No. I had seen people die because of wounds in their guts plenty of times. It was neither painless nor quick, and it was a death sentence if not treated by a skillful healer. Yes, they would start talking mad stuff, but that was only after fever and infection had driven them mad.

    Without wasting another second on me, the man turns and vanishes in a shower of sparks.

    A mage! The man was a mage and he had left me to die with a barbed spear in my guts! A spear that was cursed with the ability to banish the victim''s mana. I was as helpless as a child right now and that man who could have saved me with a few seconds of his time just left me to die. To become food for the carrion eaters!

    ¡°Oh, darkness!¡± I cursed. ¡°The light truly abandoned...¡±

    Suddenly, the man reappears, still holding the kitten. His mouth opens in obvious surprise as he looks around. I gape myself, despite the pain in my guts, astonished at his return.

    Then his gaze falls onto me and he reaches out, pulling the spear out of me in a single, smooth motion. The very same moment, I can feel healing magic pouring into me, restoring me with a power I''ve never felt before!

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    He stabs the spear right back into my stomach and I suck in a sharp breath, too surprised by the pain to scream.

    ¡°Praying!¡±

    He pulls the spear out and this time I do scream, feeling every barb rip through my flesh.

    ¡°To!¡±

    Healing magic washes over me and I sigh in blissful relief ¨C but the speartip falls again and relief turns to agonizing pain as the maniac twists the weapon in my guts. It feels almost as if I can sense the hooks catching onto my intestines.

    ¡°Me!¡±

    Then he vanishes again, leaving nothing behind but a trail of sizzling energy.

    Raising my head, I inspect the damage, only to find out that the maniac left me in a worse state than before. My guts are spilling out of me, blooming from my belly and fanning out around the spearshaft like a horrible flower.

    ¡°Holy Motherfucker! The light truly abandoned-¡± I stop mid-curse as the man reappears. Without hesitation, he reaches for the spear.

    ¡°Nooo!¡± I call out, long past caring. ¡°I didn''t pray to you, you insane son of a bitch! Why don''t you just end me!¡±

    He kneels down, getting right into my face. ¡°If I kill you, there is nobody who can tell the other mortals not to pray to me! You have to live for long enough to tell them to summon me is a very bad idea.¡±

    ¡°But- I- didn''t- pray- to- you!¡± I hiss out between my teeth. ¡°All I did, was cursing the light!¡±

    His eyes widen and he gets up, mumbling to himself. ¡°That means that the world enchantment doesn''t just react to prayers. It reacts to anyone and everyone who despises my opposite just strongly enough.¡±

    An arrow plunges into his left thigh, and he looks down at himself. Looking up, he scans our surroundings as if realizing just now that we are on a battlefield. Spells are flying, men fighting, screaming and dying. Though, none of them seem to pay attention to us.

    Drawing the arrow out of his thigh, he breaks it, veins bulging on his hand. Hovering at the edge of consciousness, I notice that there is no blood.

    ¡°Those were my favourite pants!¡±

    And that''s when I realize for the first time that this man isn''t just a maniac with magical powers. A dense weight settles down on my chest and an aura of blue magic appears around the stranger. It gains in intensity until all I can think of is man''s presence and his power. The pain fades into the background of my mind as red tendrils of pure magic wash in waves out of the man.

    It''s as if I am facing the sun and I suddenly know that this being could wipe out everyone on this battlefield with a wave of his hand.

    The fighting around us stops gradually as the awareness of this presence spreads. The feeble-minded crumble first under the weight, but soon enough there is complete silence as men fall to the ground, something within them crushed like an ant beneath the boot of a man. The weakest of them simply drop dead, their spark of life blown out like candles in a tornado.

    But if we are nothing more than insects to this existence, then what does that make him?

    ***The World***

    ***Ascathon***

    ¡°Puny, little mortals!¡± I reach out and rip the spear out of the man''s guts. More blood and other contents spill out of the wound. Calling out, I address everyone around us, ¡°You squirm and struggle in your puddles of mud! It''s always the same. Each of you should be locked into a little cage of his own! That''s the only way to stop you from killing one another! Not that I care! I stopped caring long ago.¡±

    Reaching out, I cast a healing spell on the man who is responsible for my presence, the power behind the incantation strong enough to reassemble his body in a split second. The wound in his stomach closes abruptly, cutting off what was hanging out of him. Then his organs squirm beneath his skin as his body struggles to reform what was lost.

    His pale complexion pales even further upon seeing the miracle.

    ¡°Get up, worm!¡± I order, and when he isn''t fast enough, I pull him to his knees by grabbing the shoulder piece of his chainmail armour. ¡°I''ll teach you what it means to call upon me!¡±

    ¡°B- b- but I didn''t do anything...¡± he whines, and a wet puddle forms beneath him.

    That''s when I realize that I got so angry that I released my aura in the presence of mortals. That probably killed most of the weaker ones among them. I halt for a split second, but brush the weakness of feeling sympathy aside. It doesn''t matter, it''s not like their lives mean anything in the great cycle of things.

    Easing up a bit, I leer down at the shaking wreck of a man and drop the spear in front of him. ¡°I said, get up!¡±

    Trembling he takes the spear and gets to his feet, very careful to point the weapon away from me. Then he looks at me, fear in his eyes.

    I survey our surroundings, searching for a first suitable target. A soldier in a similar outfit is still alive, just five metres away from us, so I shove the worm in that direction, towards the man who is half unconscious and foaming from the mouth. ¡°That man, kill him!¡±

    ¡°But- he is one of my comrades.¡± The shaking man clutches the spear to his chest.

    ¡°What do I care!? I tried to leave, but I just appeared in front of some other poor beggar, then I was teleported back to you! Apparently, I have to help you, or I¡¯ll be just teleported to the next sod!¡± I scream at him, causing him to flinch like a scolded child. ¡°You called me to this place in order to kill people! Do you really think that the gods discern one worm from another!¡± I point at the incapacitated man. ¡°Kill him!¡±

    He steps back. ¡°You should listen to yourself. You don¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t make any sense!?¡± I look down at the incapacitated man. ¡°He says I don¡¯t make any sense.¡± Returning my attention to the trembling spearman, I scream. ¡°I don¡¯t have to make any sense to you! I am an immortal being beyond your comprehension! And because of certain circumstances, I am forced to listen to you!¡±

    Bending over, I drop Fluffers to the ground and pick up the downed man at his chest piece. He struggles, but I break his arms like twigs and he screams. They all scream, but I learned to ignore it. I rip off an ear, claw away a pound of flesh. Sometime during my work, the spearman bends over and pukes on the floor. It takes me a minute, but when I am done, there are only bits and pieces left.

    Fluffers meows and waddles closer to the puddle of blood, lapping at it and ignorant to the scene of me carving a mortal apart with my bare fingers as if he is nothing more than a piece of clay. ¡°I already tried to change this world once. A thousand years of peace, of enlightenment and learning! And look at you people now! You are back to fighting each other with swords! I don''t even dare to ask for the reason of this battle!¡±

    Turning, I point a bloody finger at the spearman. ¡°If you refuse another order, I¡¯ll do the same thing to you!¡±

    His face loses the last bit of colour and he nods, sinking to his knees in submission. ¡°I have sinned, for I didn''t recognize the bane of the Mirai. A thousand years of tyranny weren''t simply forgotten. The stories all say that the Necromantic Empress had a familiar, a ghostcat. I called upon powers beyond me and this is what I reap. Forgive me for not recognizing you. I thought you are a woman, at least that''s what the stories tell.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°I am a man!¡± I kick the sorry excuse of a worm. ¡°Don''t question the affairs of those beyond you.¡±

    ¡°Forgiveness!¡± He falls onto his knees, worshipping me. ¡°The affairs of the gods are beyond mortals. If the Necromantic Bane was a former avatar of yours, then I am not to judge.¡±

    I ball my fists in rage and frustration. Great! Now, this worm thinks that I am some sort of gender-confused transvestite! I would like to see him being reborn as a female slave. In my opinion, throwing a temper tantrum against the world was a perfectly reasonable reaction! Not that I have anything against one gender or the other, I just feel more at home as a man.

    Most of the time, a reincarnating soul also gets a vessel that fits. Like, nine of ten times you end up in a suitable body. But there must be some glitch in the system, because once in a while you end up fucked ¨C quite literally!

    Ripping the worm apart would be so satisfying. I could go through the whole battlefield, but without witnesses, the stupid amulet will just keep summoning me from one place to another.

    I''ll just end up in front of the next idiot. The sooner I teach them the proper amount of fear, the faster I get back to taking care of my own business. I''ll break this idiot and make sure that those who find him see the terror in his eyes from a kilometre away.

    Pointing somewhere behind the worm, I select the next closest survivor of my aura outburst. ¡°There is another one over there. Get going.¡±

    Suddenly eager to follow my orders, he crawls in the indicated direction before he gets to his feet. ¡°H- how many will you have me kill before you are satisfied?¡±

    I purse my lips and stretch out my senses, trying to sort the living from the dead. ¡°Let''s start with the five thousand and seventy-two people who survived my outburst.¡± I don''t bother counting how many are already dead on the ground.

    With that, we begin the gruesome work and I make sure to give the guy my special treatment. At first, the worm was reluctant to follow my instructions, which made me wonder how a person like him could end up on a brutal battlefield.

    But under my tutelage, he got the gist of my intentions quite quickly. I explained in great detail what I would do to people who caused me to appear in front of them, be it because of a prayer or a curse.

    Similar scenes repeated themselves throughout the following days, and as I was forcefully teleported around the world, I noticed that the unavoidable chaos which came with the advent of the gods slowly subsided. Some countries fell apart during those days and new powers used the opportunity to rise. I never paid much attention and only ever did the bare minimum to satisfy the amulet, leaving my so-called worshippers with the wish to never summon me again.

    It took some time, but finally, the mortals got the hint that something world-changing had happened. The gods were real, and a prayer or a curse ¨C spoken with enough devotion ¨C could quite literally bring down heaven or hell on their heads.

    After a few days ¨C which felt endless to me ¨C the stupid world enchantment finally decided that I should get some time off. Or rather, Tjenemit decided that he wanted to speak to us.

    I appeared in Studio 7, among the other gods and with Tjenemit standing in front of us, writing something in his notes. Looking up, he quickly counts us with his pencil. ¡°Perfect! All of your are alive! We had a few glitches with the teleportation settings. You probably noticed that the enchantment just kept teleporting you to your next assignment? That was intentional, of course.¡±

    I look down at myself. There are mud and blood sticking to my clothes... and other stuff. I flick the torn off fingernail away. Intentional my ass! Someone fucked up the code. That''s a grave oversight, especially when weaving a spell on that scale.

    Pulling at my shirt, I give up on looking presentable. After two days in the field, I stopped trying to clean myself. How should I build a reputation which makes my followers fear tosummon me when I appear in front of them nakedbecause I was in the shower. Then there is the little problem that I never appeared in a nice place. Not once.

    Taking a quick glance, I notice that most of the other deities in our little pantheon look tired and that their clothes aren''t exactly in the best state. Though, some look decent, like Marigold and Nazareth... and the suit of armour, Myrm was his name? Not that plate armour would need more than a short wipe-down. Seria looks also decent, though her tight expression tells me that she is pissed.

    Tjenemit continues his speech, ¡°Seeing that most of you managed to build quite a reputation, I decided to ease up on the amulets teleportation conditions. Previously, the parameters for recognizing a ''devoted prayer'' were set quite loosely. I tightened those a bit. Now, you should get a few hours of rest each day.¡± He nods and vanishes, taking a pathway to who knows where.

    As soon as he is gone, Seria screams like a fury and hammers her fist through the table in front of her. ¡°I was teleported to sick and dying people all day long! Not to mention the births!¡±

    Nazareth wipes a pearl of sweat from his forehead. ¡°Wayshrines all the way for me. I had to tell lost wanderers the direction they should take. Do I really look like a navigation tool?¡±

    ¡°Something similarhappened to me, brother.¡± Marigold pats the gnome on his back. ¡°I had to guide the uncivilised races on their path to war. We are both nature-oriented deities, so this usage of our time feels quite offending.¡±

    Other gods join in, sharing their own stories of how they had to suffer and endure the presence of lesser beings.

    Myrm nods, his movements seeming tired. ¡°Yes, but didn¡¯t any of you notice how much bad stuff is happening in that world? I know that the place is a crossroad of pathways, and therefore has a lot of strong souls in it, which in turn leads to a lot of battle and strive. But I was teleported from one horrible event to the other, some of them potentially world ending! First a battlefield with an insane paladin who murdered all his comrades and tried to create a bloodrite on an epic scale. And it didn¡¯t end there. Necromantic plagues, mutated wizards whose demon summonings backfired, a mad scientist who tried to use magic to create a nuke!¡±

    ¡°I actually was fond of that guy,¡± I interject. ¡°Hope you didn''t kill him. If there is one thing for which I can forgive people summoning me, then it¡¯s the pursuit of knowledge, so I told him where he went wrong.¡±

    The room falls silent and I realize that I spoke out loud.

    Myrm shoots to his feet. ¡°You told him to blow up the elven capital!?¡±

    I raise both hands in defence. ¡°I did nothing of the sort! I just told him how to get his device to work! How should I know that he wants to use it against his own people?¡± Or that he has no idea what would happen if it activates. I might have forgotten to tell him that there is no limiter on his matter to mana conversion tool. ¡°That aside, who cares for elves? They always get the snotty souls. And before you blame me.¡± I point at myself. ¡°God of Chaos and Magic. Is it really my fault what others do with the knowledge? I just answer questions.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Myrm calls out. ¡°The people on this world aren¡¯t ready for nukes or any other weapon of mass destruction! Especially not when the Council just turned their world upside down by making gods real! The world is in chaos because of us.¡±

    I dismiss the argument with a wave of my hand. ¡°I know, I know. And Prometheus was chained to a stone for bringing the mortals the fire. I have seen that particular world go through centuries of strive. It¡¯s an unending cycle that can only be halted temporarily.¡±

    Seria groans and gets up. ¡°Sit down, Myrm. As insane as it sounds, that¡¯s why Tjenemit gave Ascathon this job.¡± She looks at me, pulling down the corners of her mouth. ¡°He is just too good at it, and I hope that he will try to avoid doing world-ending stuff.¡±

    I nod. Seria may not be my official boss, but I know that she has connections to the Council. Better not to draw the ire of someone like that.

    Then she addresses the whole room. ¡°As much as we dislike it, we are in this together. Let¡¯s at least try to work with each other. The Council set this up so that we are forced to get involved in the world, but nobody said that we have to make our lives miserable for each other. Maybe, just maybe, we manage not to step on each other¡¯s toes?¡±

    Sighing, I lean forward and place my face on my table, which is situated to the far right of the room. ¡°Wake me up when you are done¡­ or when the stupid amulets start teleporting us once more.¡±

    I must have fallen asleep, because when I wake up I am falling forward and onlymy quick reaction saves me from planting my face on a dirty street. Groggily, I try to understand what¡¯s going on. Then I remember the amulet around my neck and the ordeal it caused. The stupid thing must have teleported me somewhere. Again! Will I ever get a few hours of rest?

    At least it isn¡¯t another battlefield, or some dirty ritualist¡¯s cave.

    Though, my current surroundings don¡¯t look much better. I am on a wide street between two large, wooden buildings. Apparently, the locals are using it as some sort of market place. There are countless vendors shouting their goods and prices while a steady stream of people meanders in both directions.

    Most of them look poor in their shabby clothes, but there are also those who are clearly upper-class citizens in their fine robes and with expensive jewellery. Without exception, those individuals are guarded by several guards as they busily pursue some unknown goal.

    Turning, I notice a frail girl in a small cage right next to me. Her aura is strong, but she is still a mortal. The collar around her neck and the shackles leave me without a doubt what the random assembly of cages and the wooden platform in front of me mean. On the platform, a mean looking fella is lounging on a stool like a king, waiting for someone to show interest in his goods.

    Nobody seems to have noticed my arrival.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t lie,¡± the slave in front of me says. ¡°They said that the gods have returned and that they now intervene in the mortal world.¡± She grabs the bars of her cage and presses her face against her prison. ¡°They were warning us not to pray or to curse, but I didn¡¯t listen. For a whole week, I wished for you to be here.¡±

    ¡°Oi, kiddo.¡± I shake my head. ¡°Do you have any idea who you summoned? I am not the hero in shining armour. I don¡¯t do saving.¡±

    Her eyes flash in anger. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be saved! I want them to hurt. I want them to suffer! And I don¡¯t care if I go with them as long as I see them scream. You have the power to do that! I thought for a long time about to whom I should pray. To Myrm, who fights for the light and the law which landed me in this cage? Or to Seria, who can only ship me to the afterlife? Or maybe to the one who burned down this world and built a new one from its ashes? They all curse you, you know? But my mother was a teacher before we lost everything because of our debt. She showed me the true historic accounts, and the Mirai were a great people. They had strict laws, yes, but no slavery.¡±

    I study the girl who can¡¯t be older than fourteen. She is a real blabbermouth for her age. My eyes involuntarily wander into the distance as her situation reminds me of one I found myself in. Being a slave is no fun indeed. I notice her swollen belly, probably to be expected in a situation like hers. Most of the slavers I know like to test the goods if there isn¡¯t a promise that they will sell for much more in an untouched state.

    The seller notices me and gets up from his stool. ¡°Hey, no talking to the goods. Either you buy, or you leave.¡± With a lumbering step, he approaches and I smile.

    Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a gold coin and fling it into the air, catching it with ease. ¡°How much? I am afraid that your sorry excuse of a merchandise will require a lot of change.¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes are drawn to the shining metal, gaining a glint of their own. ¡°Fifty silver. She may be used, but she is young. You will also get two for the price of one if you buy her now.¡±

    I look down at the slave. ¡°I may get two, but one of them will be a useless mouth to feed. As I see it, that lowers the price significantly. How about giving her to me for free?¡±

    ¡°Just kill the lil bugger when it¡¯s outside and you have no expenses,¡± he suggests.¡°Or pay a good healer and cut it out.¡±

    I study the coin in my hand and fling it from one hand to the other, deciding that I¡¯ve heard enough.

    While the asshole¡¯s eyes are still following the piece of shiny metal, I reach out and grab his throat, squeezing his windpipe shut. It takes a great amount of experience to do it just right, allowing the victim to breathe just a little bit while ensuring that he can¡¯t scream and not doing any permanent damage.

    There is no sound, but he struggles as I pull the sharp edge of my special coin down his forehead, over his eye, and along his cheek, blinding him. He flails, with twitching urgency, but it''s like holding a toddler. I repeat the process for his other eye, creating two deep ridges of rapidly decaying flesh in his face.

    Then I pull him closer and whisper into his ear. ¡°Tell the world that those who darken it have to answer to the gods.¡±

    I notice that it¡¯s far too quiet around us and that people are looking in our direction. The closest of them may even have heard what I said.

    Man, I am way too good at this stuff...

    I let go of the slaver¡¯s windpipe and he starts screaming while clawing at his face. Rolling over in the mud, he tries to get away as pieces of darkened flesh flake from the cursed wounds. Getting up, he blindly runs down the road and the people part in front of him like water.

    I pay the subsequently panicking masses behind me no further attention. They are of no consequence to me. Instead, I kneel down to get to eye-level with the girl. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way. As I said, I am not the hero in shining armour, and I am not going to save you. What I did to your keeper was simply a result of him interrupting us. I don¡¯t like being interrupted.¡±

    She nods.

    ¡°Good.¡± I raise the bloody coin so that she can see it. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to save yourself. Actually, you have three choices. Either you send me away now and never summon me again ¨C otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you. Or you let the coin decide. Heads, I¡¯ll kill you now. Tails, I¡¯ll give you the power to escape.¡±

    ¡°Why the game?¡± she asks, suspicion clear in her voice.

    ¡°Because I like games, and I won¡¯t just help you for free,¡± I reply, playing with the slippery piece of metal.

    ¡°I am much better with dice. If we increase the odds, would you be willing to grant me the power to punish all of them?¡± She looks me straight into the eyes.

    I huff and use force magic to shape the coin into a twenty-sided dice. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you from one to fifteen, from sixteen upwards, I will grant you more and more power.¡±

    ¡°How much power?¡± she asks.

    I raise both eyebrows, getting annoyed with how long this is taking. ¡°Do you really have the time to question whether I¡¯ll help you or not? I am sure that the city guards are on their way, and if this place gets too annoying, I¡¯ll just up and leave.¡±

    She considers the dice for a moment and then takes the slippery object out of my fingers.

 3. ~Conscripted~

    ¡°Sometimes, a killing spree is the only proper reaction.¡±

    ***The World***

    ***Karin***

    I take the slippery dice from his fingers, no longer so sure about if this was the best ¨C or the worst ¨C idea I ever had. What rode me when I aspired to summon a being the adults only dared to whisper about?

    When I suggested the dice, I thought it was an incredibly daring all-or-nothing move, betting on the benevolence of something that isn''t known for its benevolence. Now that I am thinking about it, aren¡¯t I purely relying on this being¡¯s goodwill? They said that the advent of the gods created chaos like the world had never seen.

    The cities in the south are said to be in chaos. Whole armies massacred by divine intervention, just because some sod called out a prayer and was heard. They are saying that calling upon the gods is to call upon a force of nature. A mortal can only hope that he isn''t in the way when these beings decide to do something.

    But who am I to tell? I was just helping with my mother''s accounts when they enslaved us. I was never sent to the local temple for theological studies!

    Normally, I would never believe the lies of my captors, but maybe they aren¡¯t completely wrong? The people on the streets said it too. It isn''t like I heard these stories only from the asshole who was blinded just in front of me.

    They said that calling on powers beyond one¡¯s control would never end well.

    I weigh the dice in my hand and look up at the god. The metal feels warm and incredibly heavy for such a small object. It¡¯s the first time that I got to hold real gold in my hands.

    ¡°Well?¡± the god asks impatiently. For some reason, I can tell that he doesn''t see much more value in me than in the slaver who he just maimed like it was nothing.

    I cast my doubts aside and turn the dice in my fingers, searching for the number twenty. Then I carefully place the dice on the ground, the twenty showing up.

    ¡°Is this a joke?¡± he asks, staring down at the dice, then at me as if he can read my mind, looking directly into my soul.

    I fidget inside my cage, feeling the need to run, but something tells me that there is no running, even if I wasn¡¯t locked up.

    Then I touch the bars of my prison and I suddenly remember why I am here. Whatever he may do to me, it can¡¯t be much worse than what fate had already in store for me. ¡°You didn¡¯t say that I have to throw the dice.¡±

    He looks at me. ¡°I said, let the dice decide.¡±

    I try to correct him. ¡°Actually you said: ¡®Let the coin decide.¡¯ And then I changed it to a dice, and you didn¡¯t correct-¡± His forehead furrows, and I lose the confidence to talk back.

    ¡°A dice has to be thrown,¡± he insists. ¡°Did you just change the bet to a dice instead of a coin, because you thought that I would be impressed by your reinterpretation of the bet?¡±

    Feeling desperate, I reach out and lift the dice the barest of a millimetre, letting it drop on the spot. It wobbles for a bit but keeps showing the number twenty. ¡°There, I threw it.¡±

    Then he covers his face with both his hands. ¡°I am actually not sure if I like your cheekiness, or if I should just kill you because it will save me a lot of trouble in the long run.¡± He sighs. ¡°Fine! But I¡¯ll teach you a lesson nonetheless for trying to fuck with me.¡±

    My eyes bulge when he takes one bar of my cage in each hand and pries them apart like paper, creating a more than generous hole for me to leave the cage.

    ¡°Get out.¡±

    I hurry to follow the order, only to be grabbed by my throat when I am halfway outside. Panicking, I flail as he pulls me out the rest of the way and throws me onto my back. I squirm, fearing the worst, but he kneels down on my chest in a not so gentle manner and places a hand on my forehead, fixing me against the dirty ground.

    Screaming, I try to get help, but the streets are empty. Everyone else proved their wits by running away. They are probably still running, leaving me and the other slaves behind! Just like they didn''t care when they walked past us on the streets! Fuckers! All of them! They only ever care about their own hide.

    ¡°Schhh. This will just become worse if you resist.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing!?¡± I squeal, terror creeping back into my voice and replacing the rage I just felt.

    ¡°Giving you the power you wanted.¡± With a gesture, the dice flies into his hand and he raises the bloody thing directly in front of my eye. In front of my face, the dice opens up almost as if it has a mouth, reshaping itself into a ghastly tool, a green light emanating from it.

    I squeal like a slaughtered pig when he pushes the dice into my left eye, probably popping it in the process. A sharp pain drills directly into my brain, and for a moment it feels like I can see everything. The god¡¯s shining aura is directly in front of me, almost blinding me to the web of infinite possibilities and energy that stretches out all around us.

    And for a small moment, I understand that there is no good or evil. No black or white. No light and dark. Those are all concepts made by humans. Instead, there is just¡­ being.

    I could do nothing about this realization, about the knowledge that I now wished I had never seen. I was a fool for challenging a god.

    It hurt so much, it felt like my mind was falling apart as the god forced more power into me than I was able to hold.

    And so I sank into the darkness. Down into the cold web of pain that enveloped my entire being.

    *Slap!*

    I open my eyes and am face to face with a man. No... that''s not what he is. It''s the god. ¡°What?¡± Something licks my cheek, and turn my head to look at the adorable white kitten... until I realize that I can see through it.

    ¡°That''s not for eating,¡± the god chides the cat, waving a warning finger at the familiar.

    Using one arm, he hurls me to my feet. Once I am standing without risk of falling over right away, he picks up the cat, petting it. ¡°I know that you didn''t have something nice to eat in days. I would also get stomach pains if I would have to eat humans all the time. Much too much fat on those.¡±

    ¡°I-¡± I croak, trying to cope with my new vision. There are numbers everywhere. ¡°What are all those numbers? What do the colours mean?¡± I look down at myself and a large, green four appears on my chest.

    ¡°No clue. You will have to find out for yourself. I used a new form of clairvoyance magic on you, an experimental vision-spell I was playing around with for a while. You should be able to see magic with it, see probabilities. Maybe you will even be able to predict a part of the future? Who knows. Wild magic is a little finicky in its manifestation. You will never know the exact outcome,¡± he explains nonchalantly.

    ¡°But I just wanted power! What use is seeing numbers!?¡± I complain before I can stop myself.

    Luckily, the god doesn''t seem to be offended. ¡°Well, apart from that I did some things to strengthen your soul. Either you will pop in the next few days, or you will be a first real success. Though, you probably don''t really count because you were on your way to ascension anyway. Most souls fail at some vital crossroad. Ascending on your own is like rolling twenty a hundred times in a row. What numbers do you see?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about, but aside from other numbers, there is a large, green four when I look down at myself. There are other numbers, smaller ones, but the large green ones are dominant. When I look at you, there is a twenty... and your cat is a nine?¡±

    He mumbles something I don''t understand. ¡°Those are most likely power levels on a logarithmic scale.¡±

    ¡°Log- arit- mik?¡±

    ¡°Ah, feudal societies... just think of a one as the weakest. A two should be ten times stronger than the one, and a three ten times stronger than the two. Do you get it? You helped your mother doing the accounts, so you should be fine with numbers.¡±

    I watch his gaze on me as try to do the math in my head, but I quickly give up. ¡°That can''t be.¡± I point at him. ¡°That would mean that the kitten could sneeze at me and I would die!¡±

    He rolls his eyes. ¡°That''s the problem with mortals, Fluffy. They see something and immediately put it into a labelled compartment. Like thinking that something that looks like a kitten must also be as powerful as a kitten.¡± He looks at something behind me. ¡°And there are the city guards. Time for me to leave.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°W- wait!¡± But he vanishes in a shower of sparks, and one of the lines of power in my vision lights up as his... essence?... is pulled along.

    Turning, I check out what the god meant when he mentioned guards and true enough, a whole bunch of them is coming up the street. They are in their usual leather armour and equipped with spears. Moments later I find myself inside a half-circle, weapons pointed at me.

    Blinking, I slowly raise my hands, wondering why they all have zeroes hovering in front of their chests. The god said that ''one'' is the weakest.

    A man who looks like he is in charge steps forward, pointing a sword at me. He is a large and broad-shouldered fellow with a big beerbelly, which immediately lowers my opinion of him. ¡°Don''t resist, heretic! You will be charged for summoning a god with the intention to injure your legal owner!¡±

    I raise my shackled hands, showing him the chains as rage bubbles up within me. ¡°Are you insane!? How should I hurt anyone like this!?¡± I point at the other slaves in their cages. ¡°You should be saving us! You monsters! Not protecting an asshole who buys and sells people!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Dirty slave.¡± The commander steps forward and brings his sword down on me.

    I shriek, seeing my whole, short life flash by. My hands rise involuntarily to defend against the blow, but it probably just means trading an arm against my head.

    Some of his numbers move against mine, as if checking something, and then his sword bounces off of me like a plush pillow. The both of us are stunned and I can¡¯t believe that I wasn¡¯t cut down like the peasant I am.

    His face flushing red, the commander strikes me two more times before I realize that I have no problems anticipating his blows. The third time, I catch the blade and rip it out of his hands.

    While he stumbles backwards, I start chuckling. ¡°He didn¡¯t lie. He really gave me the power!¡±

    The commander points at me, hurrying to get behind his men. ¡°Kill her!¡±

    ***The World***

    ***Ascathon***

    ¡°A bath! A real bath! We didn¡¯t feel so clean in days, Fluffy.¡±

    My pet voices its consent, although much less enthused.

    I carry it into Studio 7, grinning from ear to ear. This time, there are much fewer deities present. There are only Nazareth, Marigold and Seria, who are standing in front of a large map of the world, which was pinned to the wall opposite the entrance.

    ¡°Guys! You are still working so late?¡± I grin and check out Seria''s heart-shaped butt, and asset she likes to show off by wearing revealing dresses. I especially like today''s blue bodycon dress. It''s a mystery to me why a blonde bombshell who parades around like that wouldn''t want my attention, but she sneers at me in displeasure when she turns around.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± she asks briskly.

    ¡°Nothing. Just a little chat with my co-workers.¡± I answer, unfazed by her attitude. That''s simply how it is between us.

    Her eyes narrow and she snorts. ¡°You only ever try to socialize when you want something.¡±

    ¡°Oh, fine.¡± I sigh. ¡°I just wanted to know the current status quo.¡±

    ¡°Hadn''t you fallen asleep, you would know.¡± She crosses her arms in front of her chest, barring my view.

    ¡°Have mercy on me. I am just some poor conscripted evildoer. Don''t hate me for being as I am. It''s Tjenemit''s fault for forcing me into this gig. If it weren''t for him, you wouldn''t see or hear anything of me.¡±

    Finally, Marigold has some mercy on me. ¡°Truth be told, we didn''t get much done before the teleportation terror started again.¡±

    ¡°Teleportation Terror, I like that!¡± I quip, and the half-orc glares at me.

    After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, I decide to apologize for interrupting. ¡°Sorry. Please continue.¡±

    ¡°As you can probably imagine, having two dozen people with demanding personalities in the same room isn''t easy. We tried to sort out various conflicts between the gods, but quickly had to admit that that''s impossible. It''s hard to argue a point when both sides are just doing their job. In the end, we decided that Seria would play our spokesperson for now, and that we would sort out any real issues among the whole pantheon,¡± he finishes his explanation.

    I wave my hand. ¡°So the only real rules remain the same as Tjenemit first stated?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Seria admits. ¡°Though, I think that''s a terribly inefficient way of dealing with it. Conflicts are bound to happen between deities with polar opposites and we need a way to resolve those conflicts. Tjenemit already barred us from fighting each other, which wasn''t a bad idea. Otherwise, the planet would lie in ruins within days. I only think that the opposite won''t work for long either. Handling every case on a first come, first serve basis also has the potential to spiral out of control.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± I nod. ¡°You mean, what happens when the god of love is summoned by the neglected mistress, and then the god of hate is summoned by the betrayed wife... or something of that sort. Is one god allowed to undo the work of another? Quite the dilemma... but I think I have a solution for that.¡±

    ¡°You have?¡± Nazareth perks up.

    ¡°Yes.¡± I display my hands in a helpless gesture. ¡°If I am able to do something about the problem, then I will. If I can''t, then I can''t. I think you guys are getting too caught up in this god-nonsense. Ultimately, that''s not what Tjenemit wants from us. He wants us to identify candidates for ascendancy before they manage to awaken on their own. The Council doesn''t care about a few mortals. Just see yourselves as a force of nature and do what the mortals want. Who cares if their wishes land them in the devil''s kitchen?¡±

    They regard me, not looking convinced at all.

    ¡°The other solution would be for all of us to select a few avatars who represent us and have them battle it out.¡± Which I already did... cause... who wouldn''t do such an obvious thing when you are barred from fighting openly? Not that I want the other gods to come to the same conclusion. ¡°But that would be childish, wouldn''t it?¡±

    Marigold pulls down the corners of his mouth, appalled. ¡°Let''s not do that.¡±

    I clap my hands together, relieved that they are apparently above such things. Less competition for me. ¡°Fine! Then what else is new?¡±

    We continue our chat for quite some time until Nazareth is called away by the world enchantment, probably to show some poor sod the way home. The conversation dies down afterwards, and both Seria and Marigold decide to take care of their own business.

    Which leaves me to myself. Well, there is Fluffy, but my companion can only be so much entertainment. I retrieve a pocket watch from my robes and realize that a few hours passed since I started my newest experiment. I sure took my time in the bath.

    Time to check in on how the test subject is doing. So I allow my instincts to choose the right pathway and return to...

    Okay...

    A town no more...

    Looking around, I try to find something recognizable among the smouldering rubble, the burned corpses, slaughtered guards, thrashed buildings.

    It takes a few moments to take in the devastation. ¡°Ooh, quite the busy student you are, young padawan. Who would have thought that the little girl has so much potential for the dark side?¡± I mumble to myself while I walk in the direction from which I sense the most power.

    The girl who I bestowed some power on was quite an energetic lass. The whole time we talked, she seemed full of doubt and fear. I didn''t suspect that she would really just... fucking kill everything in sight!

    I step over a corpse which was torn in half, careful not to sully my shoes. A few mice scurry away from the free meat, and Fluffy perks up, following them very attentively with his ears. A little further away, a pile of corpses was erected, the bodies carelessly thrown on top of each other. Dogs and a few carrion birds are already gouging themselves the banquet.

    Taking my time, I make a big circle around the obstacle. It''s a futile attempt to go easy on my sense of smell. Scenes of carnage are nothing new to me, but I have no innate need to revel in the results.

    I find my pupil hacking away on the squealing body of some paladin ¨C or at least a fellow who looks like one. The silver plate armour, filled with religious symbols doesn''t allow for a wide range of interpretation.

    What''s even more obvious, is that the girl is tired. Her swings barely cut into the man''s armour, but she persists nonetheless, chopping away on him like on some piece of wood.

    That''s when I become witness to a minor miracle. My apprentice''s victim raises his hand in a feeble gesture towards the sky and spouts some pleading nonsense about Order and God, then a sudden flash of brilliant white conjures Myrm right in front of my eyes. His arrival is accompanied by a flash of light and a wave of force which shoves the girl back.

    Myrm looks around, seeming as disorientated as I am when the world enchantment decides to fuck with me. ¡°By the nine hells! This is a massacre! Who did this!?¡±

    He finds his worshipper on the ground, then the girl who is trying to get to her feet, and then his eyes land on me. ¡°Youuu...¡±

    I give him a wave. ¡°Hi!¡±

    ¡°Are you responsible for this!?¡± Myrm walks towards me, the loose visor of his helmet bobbing a little, so he quickly adjusts it. It begs the question whether Myrm is making a habit of living inside his suit...

    I consider the idea... and find it not so incongruous, given our situation of being teleported anywhere at any moment.

    ¡°Nonono. Stay right there and keep calm.¡± Shaking my head, I deny the accusation with vim and vigour. ¡°I did nothing of the sort. If you would allow me to explain, then you would see yourself that this scene doesn''t need your intervention. In fact, you should thank us for doing your job.¡±

    Myrm stops haltingly, then looks back at his worshipper who points an accusing finger at the girl who is dragging her sword over the ground, towards him. ¡°D- D- Demon! She massacred everyone!¡±

    Myrm turns around to intercept my experiment, but I step forward and stop him by holding onto his shoulder. ¡°You should really know the whole story before you intervene.¡±

    Surprisingly, he turns around and listens while I explain the chain of events to him. For the time being, we ignore the two mortals who are trying to kill each other. It even looks like we can come to a mutual understanding, right up until he shakes his head.

    ¡°You are probably right that the girl has reasons to behave as she does, but if you aren¡¯t lying, then she needs help!¡± He points at me. ¡°Instead of helping her, you gave a mentally unstable individual a gun and let her loose among unarmed people! You are the worst person I ever met! I should kill you and-¡±

    The head of the paladin bounces off Myrm¡¯s helmet and the both of us turn our attention to the girl and the beheaded corpse to her feet.

    ¡°Fuck off, whichever god you are! I already got everything I ever wanted and if you were good for anything, then you wouldn¡¯t appear to help people who enslave others! Do you have any idea what they did to us? I had to when they... Mom... when they...¡± She starts sobbing inconherently.

    ¡°You failed to help your worshipper...¡± I mumble. But then again¡­ the guy was just some mortal. Not someone who deserved any attention.

    Even beneath his helmet, Myrm looks almost offended. ¡°I never said I would. And if you aren¡¯t lying and telling me a whole shitload of crap, then these people are misguided in their beliefs.¡± He steps towards the girl. ¡°Come with me. I will bring you to a place of healing where they can deal with illnesses of the mind.¡±

    Surprising even me, the girl spits at Myrm. Then, before the shocked god of Order can react, she stabs her own blade into her pregnant belly, twisting it around in a manner that can only result in death. Reaching inside herself, she pulls, creating a horrible mess as her innards and a baby spill out of her.

    On a scale of gruesome ways of committing suicide, I silently applaud and give the girl a ten of ten.

    Myrm reaches up, trying to cover his mouth, but the visor is in the way. ¡°Child, what did you do?¡± Myrm is in an instant at her side, casting an ineffective healing spell. ¡°Why is my magic not working?¡±

    I scratch the stumps of my beard, unsure of what to say. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s because you are obviously really bad at healing magic. No, you outright suck at spells! How did you become a god? No, forget it. Are you sure that you are a god of light? Ah, and my own spells might interfere with yours. I laid a pretty dense set of experimental enchantments on her.¡±

    Myrm lowers the child to the ground, almost motherly, even as the girl takes her last breath.

    ¡°This is all your doing.¡± He looks around at the ruins. ¡°You are a monster. Don¡¯t you feel anything at seeing this?¡±

    I survey our surroundings, indulging Myrm.

    Then I shrug. ¡°They are just mortals. Do you care about the ants beneath your shoes?¡± I look down at my experiment. ¡°But if you really want to know what I feel, I am intrigued. I actually might like the girl! She has guts!¡± Stepping closer, I take the corpse out of Myrm¡¯s arms, despite sullying myself. Then I walk away.

    ¡°What are you going to do? Where are you taking her?¡±

    Turning around, I regard my opposite. ¡°You still don¡¯t understand why the other gods are so afraid of my soul magic?¡± I grin. ¡°It¡¯s because even death is no escape. Not for my minions, and certainly not for my enemies.¡± Winking, I take a pathway.

 4. ~Conscripted~

    ***The World***

    ***Ascathon***

    I appear in my hidden hideout, humming happily as I carry the corpse down a long corridor and into my laboratory. My personal place is a huge, hollowed-out cavern deep down in the world''s crust, layered so heavily with protection spells that pretty much nobody has access to it. It''s only possible to gain access by using the pathways and by knowing exactly where to go. It''s my little safe-haven, though I have a suspicion that it won''t help me against the Council''s world-enchantment.

    That would require me to disconnect this place completely from the flow of energy which links the amulet around my neck to the world. I suppose it would be possible if my laboratory wouldn''t happen to be on the exact same world on which the Council stationed me for their experiment.

    I take a moment to ponder that little fact. Out of the countless worlds throughout the multiverse, they chose exactly the place where I set up my hideout. It''s possible that they simply made their choice based on the assumption that I have a hidden base on this world. But throughout the centuries I have learned to always make my decisions based on the worst possible scenario. That would mean that they can track my movements and know where I tend to disappear to. Which means that they know about my hideout, but can''t enter it without causing attention or expending a lot of energy. Somehow I doubt that people with an ego like Tjenemit''s would hold back to educate me on my weaknesses.

    If he could, he would already be here and lord it over me like some petulant bully.

    Not to mention El Shaddai, the leader of the Council. If there is an opportunity to make someone weaker than him kowtow, then he takes it. The only grace is that I hopefully went beneath their radar up until now. The only Council member who I was unfortunate enough to have regular contact with is Tjenemit. He is powerful, yes, but at the same time, he isn¡¯t the brightest of the bunch.

    I look down at the pale body in my arms. One might think that she is already dead, but thanks to my enchantments there is still a spark of life in there. Karin impressed me by gouging out her own innards, proving that her hatred for whatever was done to her is stronger than her will to live. She even was ready to abandon the life that was growing inside of her.

    A move I would have also taken, had I been raped.

    When she negotiated with me I took a few short glimpses into her mind and what I saw was a confused child who had to endure more than someone her age should. I guess that¡¯s also why she isn¡¯t behaving like a child her age should. Just by looking at her, I can tell that her soul is strong. In her past lives, she must have become pretty strong several times, but she hasn''t quite reached the threshold that''s necessary to keep some of her memories.

    While Fluffy is scurrying around the room, innocently playing with some of its toys which are splayed out on the floor, I put Karin down on an operating table in the left section of my lab.

    Even if I would revive Karin right now with healing magic, there would probably be too much brain damage for her soul to connect properly with her physical body. So, first I have to repair the damage and improve on some things.

    Luckily, I acquired some pretty nifty gadgets from other worlds. The multiverse is full of crafty people, so a god just has to know where to go when he needs something. There are worlds out there which are so advanced that even medicine is sold in form of neat, automated devices.

    I have pretty much no clue about biology, medicine, or healing altogether, so having a stash of this equipment is always handy.

    All I have is a high-level healing spell which I learned from a powerful priest. Then I trained it for months until I started casting it half asleep. There is also some of the necromantic knowledge which was imparted on me by an immortal benefactor who I always regarded as family. Sadly, she vanished and I never found out where she went, something that happens to a lot of new gods.

    I have an inkling that the Council is responsible, but there is no proof.

    Getting to work, I get girl''s body cleaned up and inject her with some medicine that''s supposed to help with cell regeneration. Though, one of the medical scanners informs me that the damage is so extensive that I should consider replacing her innards altogether. Wandering off, I rummage through the forlorn hall, searching through my impressive assembly of abandoned experiments.

    Good twenty minutes later, I return with a large, red orb. It''s a monster core which I ripped out of a dragon patriarch who crossed me. Some of the more powerful creatures in the multiverse develop a core of solid mana crystal which interfaces with their bodies. It''s a weakened version of the true, blue mana crystals which can be found at the middle of all things.

    In my research, I gathered several of these cores, since they seem to be the key to artificially created mana crystals.

    Creatures with such cores also have it indefinitely easier to manipulate mana. On the other hand, a core is a big weakness that will be targeted by enemies who know about it, so I am not a fan of having one. For the girl though it will be a big upgrade and help in healing her body.

    After inserting the core into her abdomen, I attach her to various healing machines which should aid in blood regeneration and cell replacement. To aid the process, I get a med-kit from a technologically advanced world.

    Upon placing the robot in the form of a suitcase on her chest, the machine unfolds like a cage above her and starts automatically administering first-aid. I watch as the med-kit sews her wounds shut after scanning her body.

    Spending a minute to ensure that there won''t be any scars, I watch the process and use some of my necromantic knowledge to rid the girl''s body of some of its mortal flaws.

    Then, all that''s left to do is to wait for her to wake up.

    Scowling at my hands, I turn to Fluffy, who is licking up some of the gore which dripped off the operating table. ¡°We both need a bath.¡±

    Bending down, I try to pick up the kitten, but find myself under the night sky.

    ¡°Not again!¡±

    My scream halls wide and loud through the empty wilderness around me. Groaning, I get back up to deal with whatever shit the world enchantment decided to throw at me. I guess that I should be happy that I wasn¡¯t interrupted while operating on Karin.

    I am inside a pentagram made out of blood, most likely taken from a group of moaning and crying mortals who are lying in their death throes just a few feet away.

    ¡°God! Ascathon, you heard my plea!¡±

    A man in black plate armour falls to his knees, grovelling in front of me and giggling madly. ¡°Ever since you answered my call, I tried to gain your attention for further instruction!¡±

    Watching him squirm, I get the feeling that he doesn¡¯t have all his marbles together. I clear my throat, not certain of what to say. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    He looks up, but his non-distinct face rings no bells. No wonder, because I tend to remember most mortals by their clothes. It''s easier that way. For example, torn rags are easiest remembered as generic peasant A, or, people in leather armour as random soldier Z. Black plate armour is new.

    ¡°I am too unworthy of your indoctrination? I beg you to forgive me! In my quest for seeing you again, I weathered storms and monsters, bandits and even other gods! It¡¯s a miracle that I survived!¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± I grumble. It slowly dawns on me that this might be the warrior who I first met when this whole debacle began. I kind of flipped out that day and gave my best to break him, having him massacre enemies and comrades alike, just to teach him the folly of mortals.

    ¡°I set out on a quest after receiving your guidance! In your name, I slew everyone who wished to exert their will over others!¡±

    ¡°That''s good,¡± I answer, hoping that he gets on with it.

    ¡°I struck them down in the most heinous ways, ensuring that their suffering isn''t over quickly!¡± He points at the group of moaning people. ¡°I even started recruiting for a holy order in your name! The Knights of Chaos will spread your will into the farthest corners of the land! We will tear down the suppression of the light wherever we can find it!¡±

    Okay, let''s take a step back. I think this guy didn''t get the hint. I never wanted a group of people to pray to me. ¡°Stop it. Didn''t I tell you that I don''t want to be worshipped? You were supposed to make sure that people don''t summon me randomly!¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I thought long and hard about how to accomplish such a twisted task. Because which god doesn''t want to be acknowledged? That''s when I realized that only if people actually believe in you, they won''t accidentally summon you like I did! When I called upon you the first time, I also didn''t actually believe to be answered. I gathered a group of people and indoctrinated to spread your teachings.¡±

    Does that mean that there are already mortals running all over the place, preaching in my name!? I open my mouth to protest but stop myself just in time.

    I raise a hand but fail to find the weakness in his twisted logic. The fellow has a few screws loose, but he is right that the random summons won''t stop if people aren''t aware that I am real. If they believe in me, then at least the coincidental summons won''t happen that frequently... which gives me more time to take care of my own stuff.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Okay, maybe you are right,¡± I admit. ¡°How do you intend on spreading my word?¡±

    ¡°With my battle-ax, my lord! We will split their heads and chop off their arms, just like you taught me to!¡± He hefts his oversized weapon which was lying next to him, a wicked two-bladed halberd. I refrain from educating him on the differences between an axe and a halberd.

    ¡°We will propagate the freedom of thought, fighting oppression with violence of the most heinous sort! We will bath in their blood until even the most wicked of them realize the errors of their ways!¡±

    I don''t think that will actually work, but just maybe it will? It can''t hurt me to let him do as he pleases... for now. ¡°Okay. We will do the following. You will found this Order, and then you will build me a castle as the base of a new, enlightened country. Inside it, there will be a temple, dedicated to me.¡± That should keep him busy for a while. ¡°Then you can call me again and I will give you a set of rules of how to proceed.¡±

    And if he fails and dies, then that''s one problem off my mind.

    ***The World***

    ***Karin***

    I awoke in something akin to a grotto. The cool air caused me to shiver as I noticed the cold metal on my naked skin. Surveying my surroundings, I was frozen in shock at the sight of beeping artefacts with blinking lights, some of them connected to me. I looked down on myself in horror, counting dozens of needles stabbed through my skin. Did someone try to torture me while I was unconscious?

    Then the memories come back and I shudder, hoping that everything was just a bad dream. Though, another part of me wishes at the same time that it was real. That I had punished those who had wronged me and my family. That I had brought down hell upon them myself.

    I committed suicide.

    Strange, shouldn''t I hurt much more than I do? Do dead people feel pain? I pat down my body, which feels fine aside from the needles. Suddenly, I remember that I was stupid enough to strike a bargain with a deity who was associated with necromancy and undeath!

    But to my surprise, I find no definite proof of being some kind of zombie. My skin is smooth and unblemished, bare of any scar. Even the birthmark next to my belly button is gone. Though a little pale, my previously anorexic body is now almost healthy. Any signs of the months of slavery I had endured were gone. I was perfect.

    But my clothes were still a gory reminder of what had transpired.

    So I hadn''t dreamed.

    My hands start shaking as I try to pull out some of the needles which connect me through tubes to various artefacts, unknown fluids flowing through them. This isn¡¯t some kind of afterlife. Someone put me back together.

    ¡°Meow?¡±

    I stiffen and look down at where the sound came from. The god¡¯s kitten is sitting there, looking up at me with its head tilted.

    ¡°You gave me a fright.¡± I sigh in relief and continue my work, trying to ignore the strangeness of my surroundings. The cavern looks too unnatural for me to be comfortable with it. The walls are far away, but even from a distance, I can see that they are too smooth. Then there is the ground which looks like obsidian. Is this truly a cave, or am I inside a building? But shouldn¡¯t a building have windows?

    Glancing up, I study the unnatural lights at the ceiling which illuminate the large space with more power than any candle could. I¡¯ve seen magicians use magic to summon light-globes, but they always had to power the spell personally. There are stories about ancient magitech which is capable of feats which seem impossible with today¡¯s standards. Many adventurers explore the ruins of ancient civilisations to gather the remnants our predecessors left behind.

    But I am just a village girl. All I can go by are the stories I heard from others.

    My silent musings are interrupted by the appearance of the god. Out of nowhere, he appears in a flash of sparks and flicks my forehead with a finger.

    ¡°Are you trying to undo all my work?¡± He looks down at the kitten. ¡°Do you see that? You save someone and they repay you by trying to kill themselves.¡± Taking one of the many artefacts on the table with the blinking lights next to us, he aims it at me.

    ¡°You are lucky. It seems like you haven¡¯t undone any of my work with your hastiness to get up.¡± He puts the instrument aside.

    ¡°Wh- What would have happened?¡± I ask, unsure of how to address him.

    ¡°I would have had to redo everything of course¡­ and this time you wouldn¡¯t have had the luxury of being unconscious.¡± He gestures for me to get up.

    ¡°What did you do to me? What do you want? I- I never told you to save me.¡± The words are out before I can stop myself.

    He shakes his head, looking mirthful. ¡°It seems like we have a slight misunderstanding. The gods aren¡¯t under some kind of compulsion to help mortals. Well, we are, but as you probably heard, the mortal¡¯s well-being is secondary to us. There is a deeper meaning to our actions, and I care not a bit about a single person¡¯s fate. Now, get up and follow me while I explain your situation.¡±

    I do as told and get to my feet, feeling a little strange. My body¡¯s movements are a little off and it¡¯s only then that I realize that I somehow grew a few centimetres. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that the strange man is still towering above me.

    Now that I get a real look at his face, I realize that his short-cut hair is as black as the fine leather he is wearing. At some point, he cleaned himself up, now looking more like a real god. His choice of wardrobe is a mixture of leather and a robe, all kept in black.

    His eyes though, two orbs of dark emptiness which seem to suck in all the light. They draw me in like a noble¡¯s jewels at the market. More so, I can¡¯t look away.

    He nods, gesturing for me to follow, weaving a path through the artefacts inside the grotto. ¡°Your determination impressed me. I gave you the power, but I never thought you capable of burning down that village. And ripping out the flesh of your own body just to-¡±

    ¡°Please stop!¡± I call out, not wanting to remember any of it. My hands ball into fists and my whole body shakes in rage as I am reminded of my weakness, my inability to protect myself. ¡°It will never happen again. Before that, I¡¯ll kill myself. Now I know that I can do it! Just tell me why you brought me back,¡± I whisper.

    He waves his hand in a circling gesture. ¡°I wanted to make you an offer you can¡¯t refuse. Become my assistant and help me handle my affairs on this world. You will speak in my name and spread my will.¡±

    I look down at the floor, trying to sort out the implications of such an offer. ¡°I would become like the necromantic empress? The Mirai princess who conquered the world and ruled it for a thousand years? They said she was a god but was she, in reality, your puppet?¡± I look down, searching the floor for the ghost-cat which is a trademark for the Mirai necromancers. In every story, the Mirai always appear with their familiars, ghost cats. But the fluffy thing is nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Ha!¡± He snorts and deviates from his previous path. ¡°Let me show you something. The faster you get the reality of things, the easier it will be for me. First, there are other worlds out there. Countless worlds! Second, there is something you would call an immortal soul. The strength of the soul determines your lot in life. There are mortals, like you. If you die, you enter the stream of souls. Some also call it the white planes. There, you are nothing more than energy, drifting through the multiverse until you find a proper anchor point in reality, a physical body. Once you reincarnate on one of the countless worlds by being reborn, you may or may not retain the memories of your past life or lives.¡±

    He continues his mad speech, dropping more information on me than I can handle at the moment. But I don¡¯t dare to interrupt him, so that means to just shut up and listen to whatever he is willing to share.

    ¡°Mortals, such as you, have the shittiest lot. They forget everything during the reincarnation process and have to start as clean slates. Then there are a lucky few who managed to live very long lives several times in a row, allowing their soul to grow stronger and become more deeply connected to the physical plains. Those people may become immortals at some point, people who remember their past lives.

    ¡°Once an immortal breaks through the threshold which separates their physical anchor from their soul, they gain access to immense power. They are able to tap into the streams of power which connect the entire multiverse, the pathways. As far as mortals are concerned, those beings may as well be gods. They hold enough power at their fingertip to lay waste to entire worlds.¡±

    We walk in silence, and I realize that he is giving me time to come to terms with what he just said. ¡°Excuse me, but that¡¯s not how the temple teaches it. They say that depending on your deeds, you will end up in heaven or hell...¡±

    ¡°Pah!¡± He waves his hand. ¡°Do you want to believe the guy who is able to actually take your soul, or the charlatans who are trying to befuddle your wits and turn you into a compliant little slave?¡±

    There isn¡¯t much to think about. ¡°The one who can hold souls in his hands?¡±

    ¡°Good choice!¡± He grumbles. ¡°Where were we? Oh, right! Souls. I only chose you because I see potential in you to become like me. Otherwise, I would never bother myself with a mortal. They die and then they are gone. Become too attached to them and you will end up with a broken heart. That brings me back to dying. Avoid that at all costs. Like I said, even immortals pay the price of reincarnation with lost memories and the earlier in life you die, the steeper the price becomes.¡±

    We arrive at two large glass-tubes, large enough to hold a human. One is empty, but inside the other is a woman so beautiful that I am left speechless. With pale skin and raven-black hair, she could as well be the god¡¯s sister. Dressed in a regal regalia out of gold, even in her seemingly comatose state, she makes my breath stutter just by watching her.

    ¡°Let me introduce you, Nova Mirai, the bane of the world, as they now call me. The one who told the idiots up above that slavery and suppression of free will is bad and all the other things they didn¡¯t want to hear.¡± He wriggles his fingers mockingly. ¡°And as it stands, my former body. Until I decided to kill myself.¡±

    I force my eyes away from the glass sarcophagus and look at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that dying is bad? And why are you a man now?¡± That hints at some peculiarities to his character I could have gone without knowing.

    ¡°Yes.¡± He scratches his chin. ¡°But I had my reasons for killing myself. Scientific ones and the hope to escape the Council. Alas, that didn¡¯t work as planned. Nonetheless, I am happy to be a man again.¡± Waving his hand, he gestures for me to turn around. ¡°But that isn¡¯t important to you. The reason I showed you this was just to make a point of my teachings. Reincarnation always fucks with you, so don¡¯t try it for fun.¡±

    If he means that it fucks with someone¡¯s mind, then I¡¯ll gladly accept the warning.

    He guides me to another part of the grotto, where its ceiling comes down and the walls narrow into a long corridor. I realize that the grotto itself is a tear-shaped space and that we are now leaving through the tip of the tear.

    To each side of the corridor are doors, and the obsidian floor is replaced with an elaborate and expensive looking carpet. It makes the area far more hospitable than the dark and ominous grotto.

    The god gives me a quick introduction, pointing at doors as we walk. ¡°These lead to storage spaces. Then we have a pool and sanitary facilities, followed by living quarters and a kitchen to the left. Personal bedrooms to the right. Pick any you want, except for the first two. They are already in use and won¡¯t open for you.¡±

    ¡°Two are in use?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes. One for me and the other belongs to my maid. She takes care of these facilities while I am gone.¡± He suddenly calls out, making me flinch, ¡°Willow! Where are you slouching around?¡±

    ¡°Ascathon? You are back.¡± A voice comes from where the god indicated the living rooms to be. ¡°What was that yesterday? You just stormed into your laboratory with that corpse on your arms and completely ignored me.¡±

    A woman with silver skin and white hair steps into the corridor, parading her complete nakedness without an ounce of shame. Her completely white eyes settle on me, and she grins, giving me goosebumps. Raising her arms and involuntarily pushing her ridiculously huge assets together, she pouts upon seeing my obvious rejection for whatever she had in mind for me. My eyes are naturally drawn to the bouncy display and I look down at my own nubile body. It feels stupid, especially after the experiences I had with men, but just by looking at her I feel somehow diminished.

    Then she squeals. ¡°Look at that! You revived the cutie! Will we adopt her?¡±

    Ascathon shakes his head. ¡°Don¡¯t call it an adoption. I will make her my avatar in the world once she is ready. Which means that you will teach her the ropes. That reminds me, I still have to tell you about the latest shit the Council dropped on me.¡±

    The woman approaches with long elegant strides, allowing me to see every inch of her perfectly smooth body. My heart sinks at seeing a big, green eleven hovering in front of her bouncy assets. Then I blush upon noticing that there is not a single hair on her perfect body, except for the smooth, white mane on her head.

    Before I can stop her, she picks me up, crushing me to her chest. ¡°You are really giving her to me? She must be special if you took an interest in her.¡±

    The god chuckles. ¡°Right now she is an unhewn stone, Willow. But I see the potential to turn her into a diamond.¡±

 5. ~Conscripted~

    ***The World***

    ***Ascathon***

    ¡°Good. Now that you two are introduced, I''ll see to my godly duties.¡± Fixing Karin with my gaze, I add, ¡°Just make sure not to adopt Willow''s clothing habits.¡± I glance at Williow. ¡°Or lack thereof.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Willow complains, placing her fists on her hips. ¡°What''s wrong with being naked at home? Normally, there is nobody here who hasn''t already seen me in the nude.¡±

    ¡°You associate too much with Seria,¡± I reply harshly. ¡°How often did I tell you that she can''t be trusted.¡±

    Willow shrugs and looks away while playing with a strand of her white hair. ¡°Seria is a nice gal once you get to know her. It''s just that she has some kind of problem with you and she refuses to share the reason. Besides, a woman doesn''t have to be untrustworthy, just because she refuses to play around with you.¡±

    I throw up my hands in the air. ¡°It''s not about her liking or disliking me. If I want to, I can have plenty of women as beautiful as her. What I am concerned with is that she is hiding something important. I can smell it! Tjenemit might be too caught up in his own ego to see it, but there is more to her than the eye can tell. She may even be a spy for one of the other Council members.¡±

    And as much as I dislike Tjenemit, he is still better than having El Shaddai''s attention. Or worse, being subject to one of the other psychos.

    ¡°That may be true, but all of the immortals are hiding something. It''s in our character. We are wilful, we hunger for power, and we like to play the long game. Those are the traits that set you on the path for godhood. You can hardly blame others for hiding their secrets just like you do.¡± She pokes her finger into my chest, almost accusingly.

    I slap her hand away and concentrate my attention on the girl instead. Maybe it''s not too late to turn at least her into a decent person. ¡°That went way too far off topic. Just remember-¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± Karin cuts me off. ¡°You won''t be seeing me running around naked.¡±

    Willow digs her index finger into the girl''s cheek. ¡°Aw, don''t be so uptight, it''s unbecoming of a child who should enjoy life. But don''t worry. I''ll teach you the proper perspective.¡±

    Rolling my eyes, I decide to use the chance to flee the scene by using a pathway back to the middle of all things. It''s certainly rude to teleport out on them like that, but I don''t owe them anything.

    I appear right in the central plaza of the crystal city, a place buzzing with life and creatures of all races. When I first experienced it, I had a hard time to believe that all of them were gods. Especially coming to terms with the seemingly constantly ongoing explosion of colours and the clash of cultures from different worlds wasn''t easy.

    I weave through the crowd of mostly humanoid people, each of them either trying to sell or to buy various goods. The circular area of the plaza is so full of vendors that it''s hard to find a way through. And if it seems like an easy path to get through opens up, it is instantly clogged by two haggling parties.

    Seeing that it is an especially busy day, I consider teleporting directly to my destination, but I decide against it for the sake of moving my legs.

    Shopping in this place always takes quite a bit of time, since gods have no true currency. I was told that the Council tried once to establish a unified currency for trade between deities, but it quickly became clear that immortals as a whole are far too opportunistic to make anything like that feasible.

    There is no material in the multiverse a god wouldn''t be able to acquire if they put their mind to it, and any other sort of easily distributable currency would be counterfeited within days.

    The natural result is that gods tend to trade the fruits of their labour for another''s goods. Some even go as far as to hand out time-credits, valuing an object or service only in the amount of time it requires from the person in question.

    And let''s be honest, which price should someone place on an item enchanted by an immortal master crafter? There is no way to weigh his time and work against worldly materials.

    Well, there are the mana crystals. The rare material that defies all logic and can even strike down the gods. Left behind by some ancient civilisation, the secrets of its creation were lost in the distant past.

    I studied historical texts which spoke about an eternal war which raged for untold times between the gods, until the Council managed to reign supreme and established their base here in the middle of all things.

    They claim that they created this city, but I am relatively certain that they are just usurpers who settled into the shell of a fallen leviathan. If the Council would know of the secrets behind the mana crystals, they wouldn''t just rule the multiverse, they would suffocate it.

    I stop my silent musings upon arriving at an unassuming bookstore at the edge of the market. Forcing open a rusted and creaking door, I enter a clammy and narrow room which stretches out seemingly endless. A nauseating feeling overcomes me as I step over the threshold and into the warped space of the store.

    It''s dusty and smells of old books, but it''s ten times better than being outside in the suppressing atmosphere of the market.

    The store''s warped room stretches out seemingly endless in depth and height, creating the illusion of standing between two impossibly large bookshelves.

    I snort, seeing that the owner is absent, so I slam my palm onto the bell which was placed on a counter right next to the entrance, causing an unnaturally loud and reverberating ''gong'' from the enchanted object. Not waiting for the sound to fade out, I push down the button on top of the bell, again and again, creating the most annoying rhythm possible.

    Grinning, I watch as the books on the shelves closest to me start vibrating when I hit the right rhythm.

    Finally, with a flash of teleportation magic, the owner appears behind the counter.

    The brown-haired beast-kin wrinkles her nose upon seeing me. Her tanned skin is smooth and the wide lips give her an otherworldly beauty which has hints of the Orient. One of her long ears twitches in annoyance. Her fabulous appearance isn''t lessened by her obvious displeasure of seeing me. ¡°Ascathon, are you finally going to give back the book you borrowed?¡±

    ¡°Aeehh...¡± an unintelligible sound escapes my throat as I try to remember what she is talking about. I was caught off-guard by that. Which book does she mean? The one I smuggled out... erm borrowed? Or does she know about the one I outright stole?

    ¡°The Grimoire la Morta? The Tome of Death?¡± she clarifies disapprovingly. ¡°It was in the restricted section the last time you visited me, and now it''s gone.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± I flick my fingers. ¡°That one! Nope, forgot it at home. Turned out to be a total dead end to my research. But just to help you out a little, the author was a total charlatan. You don''t want that piece of mental puke back. It''s better that it''s gone. If some future student of the necromantic arts finds it, he or she could be led seriously astray, wasting decades of their time.¡±

    ¡°Then you can leave.¡± She disappears again, leaving me with no other choice than to start the annoying rhythm once more.

    Another flash, and the owner is back. ¡°Oh, you again, that was fast. Have you-¡±

    ¡°I''ll return it, but right now I really need access to your library, Alexandria,¡± I blurt out before she can disappear again. ¡°Tell me your price and I''ll pay it!¡±

    She blinks, taken aback, then she gestures at the endless shelves. ¡°You know very well that all knowledge within Alexandria''s Library is free. As long as you don''t take a book out of the library, you have free access to all the knowledge.¡±

    I press my lips together, following her finger to the endless shelves of seemingly unsorted books. No, forget that, they are unsorted! Only Alexandria knows her way through that mountain of paper. Forcing myself to smile, I speak very slowly to the beast-kin to make sure she understands. ¡°Thanks. And believe me that I am beyond grateful that you are willing to share all this knowledge for free.¡±

    It''s really too generous of her to drown her customers in piles of paper. ¡°It''s just that I am in a bit of a hurry, so I don''t have time to invest a few centuries in order to search for what I need. I would like you to give me access to the digitalized version of your library. I have to run just one search and find the knowledge I need.¡±

    Her eyes narrow. ¡°Just to make sure that I understand this correctly. You want me to give you access to the database you tried to steal the last time you were here? While I slept? And that for free!?¡±

    ¡°I did no such thing!¡± I reply, offended by the accusation. All I did was trying to make a copy! It''s not like I would have taken the data, leaving her with nothing. ¡°Lexi, would I ever lie to you?¡±

    ¡°In a heartbeat,¡± she answers stoically. Then she waves an elegant finger in my face. ¡°Do you have any idea how long it took me to digitalize all the knowledge in my books. I kept working until my fingers bled and my eyes turned red! For centuries! My customers thought that I am some kind of ghoul!¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Just because she wouldn''t allow anyone else to touch the books in her restricted section.

    ¡°It was all a big misunderstanding, Lexi. You know that we share the love for books, right? I would never try to take that away from someone. You know what? You help me with my research, and I''ll take a look at that fraying space-time enchantment around your library. Just imagine what would happen if it fails.¡±

    Her eyes narrow, so I press the issue.

    ¡°I have this picture in my head. All those countless books, your beloved books, suddenly confined to the three by ten metres of real space in this store.¡± I point outside. ¡°And then the door bursts open and all those lovely books spill outside, flooding the whole market like a tidal wave!¡±

    I see that she isn''t quite on my side yet.

    ¡°The books will land on the dirty street! And then all those measly deities out there get their grubby hands on your books! What if they think it''s a free for all and run off with the loot?¡±

    Her eyes widen in horror and she looks around the space. ¡°Is the enchantment really failing? I had someone take a look at it just a thousand years ago.¡±

    I nod. ¡°Space-Time magic is a tricky thing. It needs regular maintenance and I can see with yours that it has been a very long time. You certainly need to have it looked at by an expert.¡±

    She huffs and crosses her arms in front of her. ¡°You are just trying to trick me, just like that night!¡±

    I smile and wink at her. ¡°But it was a wonderful night, wasn''t it?¡±

    Lexi considers that, without a doubt replaying the night in her memories. At last, she rolls her eyes and huffs. ¡°Fine. What do you need? And I still want the book back. Knowledge should never be forgotten. Even if it is a flawed version of the truth.¡±

    ¡°Everything you have on world enchantments.¡± It''s unfortunate that I have to admit it, but I am a total noob at world enchantments. I don''t even know where I should start, not to mention getting out of Tjenemit''s little experiment.

    ¡°You aren''t demanding at all. Something like that will require an additional price. Anything concerning world enchantments gets immediately moved to the restricted section.¡±

    ¡°What could be more important than your library''s safety, Alexandria?¡± I rub my hands together. ¡°I am sure that we can find common ground. Let''s talk about the price.¡±

    She smiles. ¡°You weren''t wrong about that night. I''ll require just a little of your time. Let''s use that amulet of yours to its fullest. Ah, and I want one for myself.¡±

    ¡°Aaah, the healing amulet it is?¡± Amulets which provide endless stamina are surely one of my best bargaining chips.

    She nods.

    ***The World***

    ***Karin***

    Now that we are alone, I return my attention to Willow. ¡°Are you also a god?¡±

    ¡°Gosh, no, child.¡± The beauty waves her hand. ¡°I am one of Ascathon''s servants, though I can proudly claim that I managed to rise to the status of an immortal during my service to him. You could call me his left hand.¡±

    ¡°He called you a maid...¡±

    Willow raises her hand as if she is about to faint, touching her forehead with the back of her hand. ¡°Oh, the mistake of trying to kill him just once. Will I ever be forgiven, or will this Martyrium last for eternity?¡± As quickly as she started her act, she returns to normal. ¡°I am just kidding. In principle, I do everything that''s asked of me. After all, he is protecting us to the best of his abilities.¡±

    ¡°You tried to kill him?¡± My forehead furrows as I try to grasp the strange notion. Even as a slave, knowing less than I do now, I would''ve never even tried to kill a god. ¡°What do we need protection from? Aren''t we immortal? Other gods? Is that Myrm fellow a danger?¡±

    She shakes her head. ¡°I don''t know who this Myrm is, but he is certainly just a minor symptom of the true illness. There is a Council of gods, a group of beings who rule the multiverse. They say what goes and what not. It goes as far as to intimidate all the newly awakened gods into serving them. Any who challenge their authority disappear silently and without a trace. In fact, that''s what happened to a very good friend of ours.¡±

    ¡°But we aren''t gods...¡± I reply, mulling over the thought.

    ¡°We aren''t, yet,¡± Willow corrects me. In fact, Ascathon is helping me not to awaken and to hide from the Council. If any of them knew of my existence, they would surely try to force me to awaken so that they can play their games with me.¡±

    I nod slowly. ¡°I am sorry for taking all of this with a grain of salt. A few hours ago I was a random slave without hope.¡±

    ¡°Yet you are taking the situation with more dignity than can possibly be expected. Why don''t we get rid of those filthy clothes first, and then we take a bath together?¡± A lecherous grin enters the woman''s eyes and she grabs my hand before I can respond. Numbers float through my vision, and some kind of strength-check between me and the woman fails, displaying my measly power level of five against her eleven.

    ¡°I- I promised-¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry. Nobody would blame you for getting naked in the pool. And while we are at it you can tell me about yourself.¡± She pulls me with her along the corridor, towards the door which was said to be a pool. ¡°Without that knowledge, I can hardly think of a training plan for you.¡±

    Overwhelmed by Willow''s personality, I allow myself to be dragged off and stripped naked in what seems like a changing room while I have to spill the story of my unspectacular life.

    I was born in a small village where my mother made a living with her herb-shop. As soon as I was old enough, I started helping mother at the counter. My father was a soldier and often sent us a part of his earnings. While it lasted, it was possible to get by with just the two of us.

    In truth, I never knew the man, as he was always on duty, fighting in one of the countless wars between the nations. That was until his letters stopped coming altogether. Either he had forgotten about us, or he had fallen in war. I suppose that we could be thankful that the assistance lasted as long as it did. Most women who fall in love with a soldier have to bear the result of their stupidity on their own.

    But my mother never complained in front of me or gave any indication that I was a burden to her.

    Without the financial assistance, we quickly fell into debt. The world was hard enough for simple peasants without being a single parent, and mother had fallen out of favour with her family when she ran off to be with a soldier.

    Debt quickly turned into serfdom, and serfdom into slavery. The merchants who bought herbs from us had a saying, ''Once you fall, you fall quick and deep.''

    I never understood what they meant by that until I ended up in that cage and had to watch my mother being beaten to death after she tried to save me from being raped.

    I allow a bitter smile to creep into my expression. ¡°...and that''s when I started praying and he appeared. He gave me the power to punish everyone, just like that. As if it were no big deal.¡± I look up at Willow.

    ¡°And I just did.¡± I can''t stop my voice from sounding a little crazy in that moment.

    The silver woman smiles and rubs my back without saying anything before pushing me out of the changing room through another door... and onto a beach.

    ¡°Tadaa!¡± She gestures at the white sand and the ocean. ¡°Let''s treat this horrible mental trauma with beachtime!¡±

    A gentle breeze softly moves the large leaves of a strange tree and waves are brushing against the shore.

    Blinking, I turn around to assure myself that I just left a building, but behind me is just the thick underbrush and forest of some kind of island. There is also a single doorframe which blurs at the edges, making it hard to focus my eyes on the spot. Inside the doorframe, I can see the changing room Willow and I just left.

    ¡°Aw, don''t look like you just entered wonderland.¡± Willow bends down and picks up a stone, throwing it at a spot a few metres next to the doorframe. It hits some kind of wall and bounces off while the image of the tropical island blurs and waves, returning to normal after a few seconds.

    ¡°Illusion magic, neat, heh?¡± She places her hands on her hips and grins from ear to ear.

    I smile forlornly, appreciating her attempt to distract me from my story. ¡°Thanks, but you hit the nail on the head. I indeed feel like I entered a wonderland.¡± A cruel and twisted version of a children''s story.

    Willow is suddenly next to me, picking me up in a princess carry. I squeal in shame, feeling her soft bosom push against me.

    ¡°You know what? But the water is real!¡±

    Then I am tumbling ¨C end over end ¨C as the picture of the world refuses to right itself and I flail with my arms and legs. Screaming, I realize that the crazy bitch threw me, just as I hit the cold water.

    Struggling, I gulp down several mouthfuls of the salty liquid before I come up for air. To my shame, I expel most of what I can through my nose, coughing and heaving from the burning sensation of salt water in my nose, lungs, and eyes.

    ¡°I will add swimming to the schedule. You are lucky that I threw you into the shallow part,¡± Willow calls out to me from the shoreline.

    I make my way back to the shore, trying to get rid of the salt. ¡°What was that for!?¡±

    ¡°Mainly for my own amusement,¡± Willow answers without a smidgen of guilt. ¡°And to get your thoughts to other things. Enjoy this pool while you can. Once you are relaxed, we have to start your basic education.¡±

    ¡°Basic education?¡± I ask. ¡°Like in the temple school?¡±

    Willow slaps a hand against her forehead. ¡°Oh, you poor girl. I have no idea what went through Ascathon''s head when he gave you the Eye of Possibilities. You probably don''t even know enough about mathematics to use it, not to mention understand what you are seeing. We need to run you through basic scientific education, and then a specialized math course before we can even consider teaching you magic.¡±

    ¡°The Eye of what!?¡± I ask, dumbfounded.

    ¡°That''s why he ran off so quickly. Why is it always me who has to tell them?¡± The silver woman shakes her head and sighs heavily. Then she walks over to a row of deckchairs, picking up a mirror from one of them. ¡°Oh, girl. This will probably come as a shock, but you probably didn''t even notice the changes beneath all the blood and grime.¡± She then holds it out for me to see.

    The face that looks back at me isn''t mine. At least, it isn''t what I looked like just a day ago.

    My left eye is completely transparent, and inside it is the hexagonal pattern of a slowly spinning dice. The right one also changed, and my formerly round, brown and perfectly human iris is now slitted and golden. Mostly hidden beneath my brown hair, which is now much darker and bordering on a shade of the red of fallen leaves, are two bony ridges which start at my temples and disappear behind my ears. Little horns!

    ¡°Close your mouth, or you will catch an insect,¡± Willow advices while she is groping my belly, but her strange behaviour couldn''t be further away from what bothers me right now.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Just confirming, yep, it''s in there. I knew he took one from the vault.¡±

    ¡°In there!?¡± I squeak, slapping her hand away. Then I feel for myself, pushing my fingers in, and sure enough, there is something hard inside my belly. What''s that!? Am I pregnant again!? This situation feels so much worse than rape!

    ¡°A dragon''s mana-core. It makes it easier to control mana, but it''s also a weakness.¡± She sighs. ¡°Well, you just have to get used to it. Being Ascathon''s minion comes with the price of being a lab-rat.¡±

    Seeing my distress, she pats my shoulder. ¡°Hey, don''t worry. All will be fine in the end.¡±

    I point at the bony ridges on my temples. ¡°That''s not going to be fine! Will I turn into some kind of lizard!?¡± Now that I am on the lookout, I notice that my fingernails are a little thicker than I remember them to be. ¡°Am I getting claws!?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± She stops my worst assumptions with an open palm. ¡°I am sure that''s the extent of the changes.

    ¡°Don''t smile like that!¡± I squeal. ¡°You aren''t the one who was experimented on.¡±

    ¡°Heeeey...¡± Hands open, she gestures at herself. ¡°Do I look like any species you have ever seen? Milky-white eyes without pupils, silver skin, and a rack that makes it impossible to look away.¡± She squeezes herself and lets go, causing an annoyingly bouncy result.

    I just have to admit that I am envious.

    She smirks. ¡°Do you want to feel them up? There are the cores of two metal elementals in there. And would you believe me if I told you that I was a fairy before this? People change. That''s the price we pay for power and experience.¡±

    Feeling wobbly, I sit down in the sand. ¡°I honestly don''t know how to feel about this.¡±

    The older woman ruffles my hair. ¡°You are young. You will adapt.¡±

    ¡°... or die,¡± she adds after a moment of consideration.

 6. ~Conscripted~

    ¡°My kingdom is falling apart, old man, and all you can tell me is that you don''t know what''s going on?¡± I rave from atop my throne, hopefully sounding as mad as I am. ¡°My family held this kingdom together for two hundred years and I am not going to be the last king of Sur! Give me a proper explanation! How can a strong kingdom slide to the edge of civil war in a matter of weeks!¡±

    Reginald, my most trusted advisor and the court''s mage bows deeply. ¡°I am very sorry that I can''t offer you a better explanation, my king. I shared all of my reliable findings in my report.¡±

    I shake my head. ¡°That report reads like a child''s story or the diary of a madman. How am I supposed to believe that the gods are suddenly real and that prayers work!? It''s been centuries since the fall of the Mirai Empire and their necromantic empress. They called her a goddess, but I am pretty sure that she was just an exceptional necromancer.¡±

    ¡°There are stories of her appearing wherever she wished to.¡± The old mage sighs and clasps his hands in front of him. He almost looks defeated. ¡°I am very sorry, but in all my years I haven''t experienced anything like this. I wouldn''t have believed it myself, hadn''t I stood witness to the appearance of such a deity, even if it was just a minor one.

    ¡°Apparently, the rules of the world as we know it have changed. Magical power and strength is no longer the final solution. Every random commoner may mutter a prayer, and if spoken with enough conviction, he or she can summon powers beyond our ken. It''s not so much about having the power yourself, begging for it is enough. By searching through the testimonies of eyewitnesses, I narrowed it down to the point that I can say that emotional distress is helpful in summoning these beings.¡±

    He spreads his hands, helpless. ¡°I have tried my magic against one of these gods, Nazareth, a minor deity according to his own words, but he just laughed at me. The worst thing was that I felt it. He was so far beyond me, I couldn''t even scratch him had I trained my skills for another lifetime.

    ¡°And it''s incorrect to say that all the gods are suddenly real. There seem to be one or two dozen of them at the most. Whatever the world went through to change the rules, it didn''t awaken all the gods.¡±

    Two dozen beings who are strong enough to laugh in Reginald''s face? The man might be old, a withered bag of raw leather, but I would never underestimate his magical abilities. If these gods are indeed that powerful, then they may be capable of tearing the world apart.

    ¡°There is nothing we can do about them?¡± I ask.

    Reginald closes his eyes and shakes his head. ¡°Someone changed the rules of the world and we have to learn to live with it. From what Nazareth said, I assume that the gods themselves aren''t happy with this development.¡±

    ¡°How!?¡± I ask, almost begging him. ¡°I can''t rule a country in which every peasant has the ability to wish away the tax-collector or to escape prison. What do I do if someone manages to send one of these gods after me?¡±

    ¡°Luckily, it isn''t quite that easy,¡± Reginald answers thoughtfully. ¡°Something compels the gods to answer our prayers, but they have their own goals and personalities. The word of them is spreading, we can''t change that. But the people are also slowly becoming aware that summoning a god can backfire as much as it can save you.¡±

    ¡°Is that because you chose a minor deity for your summoning experiment?¡± I ask.

    He shakes his head again and wanders to the throne room''s large window front, looking outside. ¡°I studied the reports, and I chose Nazareth because he was the god who was the least likely to react badly to a prayer. Out of a hundred testimonies, he only once cursed the one who brought him into our world. Compared to that, calling upon something like Ascathon will almost assuredly get you killed. It''s much like calling a mythical djinn for a wish with that one. You may state your wish with as much detail as you want, the result will always be bad.¡±

    I lean back in my chair. ¡°That doesn''t make it better. Should we just run away and hide then? Crawl deep into some cave and hope that nobody harbours a grudge strong enough to sic an unstoppable entity on us? I already forbade the citizens to call upon the gods, but clearly, it isn''t as easy as that. One can''t forbid a dying man to mutter a prayer of hope.¡±

    Reginald looks thoughtful and licks his lips in consideration. ¡°There is one possibility, but I am not sure if it will work.¡±

    ¡°Tell me.¡± I wave my hand towards the window. ¡°Look outside. Truly look at what my country is turning into. My city is burning. The capital! How can it get any worse?¡±

    The old man furrows his forehead, studying the scene. Finally, he decides to speak. ¡°The rules have changed, my king. This is a different world from the one we are used to. But if the rules are different, then maybe it''s not a matter of them, but of us.¡±

    I tilt my head, not understanding.

    Reginald clarifies himself, ¡°If we can''t do something about the new rules, then we have to adapt to them. Maybe it''s as easy as to chose a patron for ourselves.¡±

    ¡°A patron?¡±

    He nods. ¡°If we can''t stop the gods, then our only choice is to get the protection of one, is it not?¡±

    Trying to get that thought into my head, I slowly nod. ¡°But which one? Is it as easy as to start praying to the god of my choosing?¡±

    The old man shrugs. ¡°That''s why I didn''t want to share the idea. It''s just a theory. But a list of all the gods and their ideologies is in my report.¡±

    ¡°What are you reading?¡± Marigold steps closer, trying to see the cover of the book in my hands.

    Looking up, I study him and survey the other deities in Studio 7. There are currently two groups present and both of them hold a respectful distance to me. The place became something like a meeting area for everyone who got caught up in Tjenemit''s experiment. It''s a place where the others tend to share information and bitch about their bad luck.

    My own reason for being here is information. Hopefully, I can listen in on something interesting regarding my current situation.

    I show him the cover. Normally, I would try to give away as little as possible, but I am relatively sure that Marigold is not a friend of the Council. The two of us aren''t the best of buddies, but I know him well enough. I am also just trying to understand my situation, something I can''t be blamed for. And if in a day or two Tjenemit shows up to reprimand me for my choice of reading material, I know who is the snitch.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Better to know my enemies before I try something for real.

    ¡°One hundred and one ways to have fun with a succubus... without losing your soul,¡± he reads, baffled. ¡°I knew that you are into the kinky stuff, but is it really wise to play around with a thing like that? Travelling to one of the infernal dimensions can be dangerous, even for a god.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don''t worry. The book cover is just there to trick anyone who might be a little too interested in what I am up to, like Tjenemit. But you are my fellow inmate, so you can know,¡± I whisper, trying to sound conspiratorially.

    ¡°So you don''t want to bang a succubus?¡± The half-orc sounds a little disappointed.

    I never knew that he had a fetish like that... but that''s something I can easily help with.

    ¡°I already did! Who do you think is the author of Succubus 101?¡± I shake my head. ¡°Marigold, if you want advice on that front, then I can suggest a nice castle on the Plane of Pleasures. The ruler is a succubus queen with forty-one daughters. Believe me, one night there and you are cured of all worldly desires.¡±

    ¡°Really!? There is a dimension like that!?¡± His voice raises an octave, but then her reigns his excitement in. ¡°I err... don''t think that I would be able to deal with that much attention. But back to the topic at hand. What are you really reading?¡±

    ¡°World Enchantments for Dummies, by Jahwe.¡± I carefully reveal the true cover to him. ¡°I must admit that I never concerned myself with world enchantments, or how to break them. I really have to start from scratch and I found out that there are so many things you can do with world enchantments. I might have found a topic that keeps me interested for another decade or two.¡±

    Marigold''s expression turns concerned and he looks back at the other deities. ¡°You shouldn''t break Tjenemit''s experiment. I doubt that he will be pleased,¡± the half-orc whispers.

    ¡°Nobody said that I''ll break his little experiment,¡± I clarify, but that doesn''t mean that I don''t want to know how I can break it ¨C should the need arise. ¡°By the way, have you ever read this book? This Jahwe is a real vain bastard. He is into all that omnipotence crap, watching mortals suffer while laughing his ass off. And he made this whole heaven and hell thing on his Earth, pulling the souls of mortals into separate dimensions, just so that he can judge how they lived their lives, just for shit and giggles. The two of us would probably get along just fine.¡±

    ¡°Why would any god want to do that?¡± Marigold asks with an expression of genuine bewilderment. ¡°Doesn''t he have more interesting stuff to do? Like, godly matters?¡±

    I shrug. ¡°I don''t know. Maybe it''s what gets him off?¡±

    ¡°Anyway, let''s change the topic.¡± I wave my hand and close the book. ¡°How are you guys doing?¡±

    Marigold lets his head hang. ¡°Same as always. It''s so humiliating to be summoned like some minor familiar to do some mortal''s bidding.¡±

    ¡°Ever tried just killing them?¡± I ask. ¡°Works great for me as a stress relief.¡±

    Marigold spreads his hands and allows them to flop to his sides in a gesture of exasperation. ¡°A few times. I have to guide the animalistic races on the warpath and some of them simply don''t get the hint without cracking a head or two. Especially the orks, I hate orks.¡±

    ¡°But you are an ork,¡± I point out.

    He looks at me.

    ¡°Half-ork,¡± I correct myself.

    ¡°That''s the problem,¡± he affirms.

    Pulling a face, I try to imagine how it must be to be the deity for a group of racist bullies who loot, pillage and rape their path through the world''s history. I had a few dealings of my own with the world''s tribes and I quickly learned that working through a third party is the only way to avoid most of the troubles which occur with that race.

    In my days as the necromantic bane, I even supported the tribes in order to weaken my enemies. It worked, but in the end, I had to admit that other solutions may have been better in the long run. The orks as a race are prideful enough to defy even gods.

    It goes without saying that defying me wasn¡¯t their best decision in the end, but I had to exterminate them with extreme prejudice, and that meant nuking them till the soil glowed ¨C without giving a shit about bystanders.

    ¡°Yeah, I think I get your point,¡± I answer after considering his situation. ¡°Maybe you should celebrate a culling or two. The orks tend to listen to those who burned one or two of their villages. Oh, I know!¡± I raise my book and open the passage I was just reading. ¡°This spell here automatically calls down rocks and lava on any who refuse to pray to you¡­ or no¡­ this one! An unending flood that drowns everything in the vicinity.¡±

    I consider it for a moment. ¡°Or better not that last one. I am all in for mass murder, but that spell isn¡¯t localized to a town or a village. It gets everything, animals included.¡± Man, Yahwe was a real asshole now that I think about it. Not even I walk around and drown poor, helpless animals. He is a god, so he really could have come up with a better solution.¡±

    Marigold clears his throat. ¡°Yeah, well I suppose I¡¯ll go and take a look at what my brother is doing.¡±

    ¡°Nazareth? Where is the little imp?¡± I survey the room, noticing for the first time that Marigold¡¯s better half is missing. They never told me the story of how one of the brothers became a half-orc and the other a gnome. Are they brothers in the sense of a ritual, like blood-brothers? Best friends? Bros? Or is their relationship on the warmer side of business?

    Then again, they could also have been real brothers at some point and then they reincarnated into new bodies. It¡¯s really hard to tell who drew the worse card should that be the case. Being a gnome or an orc would be one of the few cases in which I would consider suicide in earnest. No wonder Marigold perked up at my mention of succubi.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know. He was teleported away by the world enchantment before you arrived,¡± Marigold interrupts my silent musings.

    Feeling bad for him, I materialize a book and a business card with details on how to reach the Plane of Pleasures. ¡°Take that, and mention my name when you are there. That will lower the chances that they will suck you dry.¡±

    Marigold takes the book and stores it away in his own pocket dimension. After a brief glance at the business card which shows the golden letters P. o. P.¡± in elaborate calligraphy, the card quickly follows the book. ¡°I really have to go now.¡±

    Grinning, I slap him on the shoulder. ¡°Have fun.¡±

    Then I watch him disappear in a flash of light and a few sparks. The web of energy that makes up the pathways glows for a few moments before the lights fade out and I am left to my own devices. Looking at the other deities in the room, I don¡¯t feel like socializing too much, so I take a pathway back to my lair.

    I appear in the long corridor which doubles as an entrance hall. Since it¡¯s long and wide enough, it may as well be counted as its own room.

    Distant sounds from the living room quickly guide me to where Karin is busily taking notes in some textbook while Willow is playing tutor with a second version of the book while pointing out certain passages. The both of them are in blue sports suits, sitting on the ground while working on a knee-high oaken table.

    Normally, it wouldn¡¯t be comfortable to sit on the marble floor, but I installed floor heating throughout the whole facility which ensures a comfortable temperature.

    I smile. ¡°Hi, girls. I am back.¡±

    Karin gasps when she sees me and jumps to her feet. Before Willow can stop her, she is up and over the table, coming to a halt right in front of me. ¡°Change me back!¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why not!?¡± She points at her temples. ¡°Do you see that!? Horns! And my eyes! I look like some freakish kamera!¡±

    ¡°Chimera, child,¡± Willow corrects the girl while getting up herself. ¡°It¡¯s called a chimera, a conglomeration of different creatures.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what it¡¯s called,¡± Karin replies.

    I tilt my head, studying her. ¡°The horns are cute and the eyes look interesting. I don¡¯t get what the problem is.¡± Walking around the girl, I take a glance at the textbooks before I sit down on the nearby couch, enjoying the comfort of my home. The living room is a square-shaped space of ten by ten metres with marble flooring and oaken furniture with turquoise padding.

    She follows me. ¡°You are lying. I look like some stitched together hatched-job!¡±

    Well, she isn¡¯t completely wrong about that. On both occasions when I gave her power-ups, I just took what was available at the moment. There was no planning or deeper goal behind my actions.

    ¡°You look cute. No immortal would ever comment on your unique look, so just chill,¡± I murmur, sinking into the mattress. ¡°Or do you want me to give you a tail? I am good with those.¡±

    ¡°Tail!?¡± she squeaks.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t include her into your strange fetishes, master,¡± Willow steps and sits down next to me, linking arms. ¡°How did it go? Are you finally ready to explain what¡¯s going on?¡±

    I sigh. ¡°Fine, but I warn you. It will take a while.¡±

    ¡°Before that,¡± Karin points at the two of us. ¡°What¡¯s the exact relationship between you two, and are there any others coming to this facility?¡±

    ¡°Silly, I already told you that I am in his service,¡± Willow answers and points down at the floor. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down and listen carefully while the adults talk. You might get some answers to your questions, and then we can resume our attempts at filling that bottomless hole you call an education.¡±

    Karin groans and looks at the textbooks.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you put her into the neural learning machine? It should be much quicker than teaching her the basics the old-fashioned way,¡± I suggest.

    ¡°There is a machine like that!?¡± The girl perks up and glares at her tutor.

    ¡°What he didn¡¯t mention, is that it feels like someone stabbed a hot fork into your brain and is turning it around,¡± Willow informs Karin.

    Which quickly ends in a change of heart for the unwilling student. ¡°Never mind, we aren¡¯t going to do that.¡± And then her accusing glare turns to me. ¡°Just for the future, you should mention side-effects.¡±

    ¡°He never bothers mentioning those,¡± Willow looks down at herself and picks at her snow-white hair.

    I look up at the ceiling, slowly feeling fed up. ¡°Can I give you the update on our situation now? Or do you prefer to keep bickering? In that case, I would make myself something to eat until you are done.¡±

 7. ~Conscripted~

    ***The World***

    ***King Luxley***

    ¡°Traitorous bastards!¡± I squeal as I run through the palace''s corridors, followed by a mob of rebellious beggars.

    Two of the palace guards are overwhelmed as they try to put themselves between me and the attackers who stormed the palace just minutes ago. My men are well trained and have only the best equipment, but even though their enemies have no armour and are only equipped with clubs and improvised weapons, the guards stand no chance against the attacker''s superior numbers.

    This morning, my world was still whole. It had a few cracks at the edges, thanks to the appearance of the gods, but my kingdom was holding out much better than many others. Quite a few countries, including a direct neighbour of ours, had crumbled under the chaos caused by wishes coming true and unstoppable beings creating havoc.

    And now it was happening to me! Some random fool from the street with less brain than a pig had blamed his lot in life on me. And now a god had brought down the gates to my castle, letting in a mob of uncivilized dissidents! The entity was even helping them against my guards!

    A guy in shining armour took down my court mage as if he was nothing more than a bug! Then he systematically attacked the castle''s choke-points, ensuring that the mob from the street had free reign. I only got a short glimpse at the guy, but judging by the reports I received it must be Myrm.

    Wasn''t Myrm supposed to be a god of light and order? Why would he side with people who seek to spread chaos and anarchy? I always ruled my kingdom in the best interests of my people. There is no slavery, no overly burdening taxes, and I do my best to keep the nobles under control by ensuring that the law stands even above the right of birth.

    Of course, there are elements of society who can''t take care of themselves and end up in debt, no matter how benevolent the government is. But that can hardly be blamed on me? Who am I to take away from those who take care of themselves and strengthen our economy, just to give it to those who end up wasting my good will?

    It''s not like we don''t have government projects which give a chance to those who live in poor conditions.

    So why is this damned god taking down my castle bit by bit?

    A flash of light and sparks from around a corner in front of me force me to stop my hasty escape down the corridor. Flailing my arms like a lunatic, I take a side-corridor to avoid the entity who tried to cut off my escape route from the howling peasants.

    Stumbling, I arrive at a stairway and descent into the deeper levels of the castle. ¡°There is only one hope left.¡±

    Following my advisor''s suggestion, I tried praying to all the known gods, hoping to get the protection of at least one of them. But nobody answered my plea.

    The howling of my pursuers grows distant, and for a moment I hope against hope that they took a wrong turn and that I lost them. But when I look back, I can see the flickering of torches in the stairway above me.

    ¡°He must have gone down there!¡±

    ¡°Right into the castle''s dungeon? That serves us fine, there should be no way out of there.¡±

    ¡°Send men to cover the other entrances! We have to get him before the army is able to react.¡±

    Ignoring the voices above me, I concentrate on descending the moist stairs and reach the lowest level of the castle. Fifty feet beneath the earth, the place is always cold and wet with a slight aroma of aged cellar in the air. There, I arrive at a T-section and take the corridor to my left, in the direction which was previously barred by the stupid god.

    Passing another stairway, I enter a narrow corridor which looks like it wasn''t used for many years.

    Isn''t Myrm aware that killing me will drop the country into chaos? By blindly helping the dissidents, he is starting a rebellion that will bring down the last strong government in this region. Without an heir, the nobles will throw themselves at the chance to gain control over the country. And by doing so, they will tear it apart.

    I arrive at my destination, a godforsaken part of the castle''s dungeon which wasn''t visited in years. Dust and dirt are stirred up as I lean my shoulder against an old part of the crumbling stonework that makes up the walls. The hidden door cracks open, and the dirt of decades falls onto my head as I enter the family''s secret place of worship.

    I didn''t visit it even once since my grandfather died and with him the tradition.

    Only now I realize what a fool I was back then, following in my father''s footsteps, abandoning the old ways of our family. We should have preserved our knowledge and our magic, instead of sacrificing it to the altar of progression.

    Stepping inside, I fall to my knees in front of the stone altar. The relic is covered with a crust of what looks like brittle wax, but I know only too well that it''s layers of blood, accumulated by centuries of worship. On a little cushion on top of the altar is a skull, adorned with runes of gold and silver.

    The walls to my left and to my right are hidden by the stacked skulls and bones of my ancestors. Generations of my family are lying in this crypt, and to my knowledge, I am the last living descendant. I always hated this place because it made me feel like I am being judged, looked down upon by those who came before me.

    ¡°Revered ancestors, a direct descendant of your line begs for your help. Please, save my kingdom!¡±

    But the most sincere plea I spoke since my birth remains unanswered and the lumbering steps of a person in heavy armour make me flinch. Maybe I should have closed the hidden door, but is there even a hope to escape a god? Would it have made a difference had I known the ancient rites to call upon the dead?

    Stilland on my knees, I turn around to face Myrm in his shining armour.

    ¡°Seems like you are at the end of your road, king.¡± Myrm steps into the room, but stops upon seeing me, or was it the altar? Something made him hesitate. The entity surveys the room ever so slowly before his attention lands on something behind me.

    A heavy hand falls on my shoulder and I gasp in shock, almost feeling my soul leave my body. Enabled by the physical contact, I can feel something dig deep into my mind, taking the information it wants as if I am nothing more than a shelf of books.

    Myrm actually takes a step back. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Looking around and making sure that you don¡¯t screw up one of my new permanent homes. May I return the question and ask what you are doing here?¡± an authoritative voice asks from right behind me.

    ¡°Isn''t it obvious?¡± Myrm gestures at me. ¡°I follow the call of my worshippers and help them to punish the wicked.¡±

    The hand tightens on my shoulder. ¡°Well, not today, because he is one of mine. I don''t feel like giving him to you.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Myrm chuckles. ¡°What makes you think that I care about what you think is yours? A worshipper of mine wanted to bring down the corrupt government which was responsible for his misery and the bad living conditions of countless others. It''s my responsibility as their god to ensure that their lives get better, so just step aside and let me finish this!¡±

    ¡°Aren''t you getting a little too carried away?¡± A man clothed in a black robe steps past me, pushing me back towards the altar. Unfaced by Myrm, he confronts him directly.

    ¡°You are on the wrong side, Myrm. Haven''t you learned anything about this world in the last weeks? This kingdom is one of the last bastions of law in this region. Bring it down and this world''s civilisation may as well dissolve into another century of civil war instead of a decade.¡±

    Myrm bangs his fist onto the breastplate of his shining armour and gestures at the room. ¡°And I should just ignore what I''ve seen here? This is a dark place, an evil place. Someone made blood sacrifices in here! And those bones...¡±

    The man in black shakes his head, looking almost bemused. ¡°It''s always funny to see a new god getting carried away. You always have to keep in mind that we gods may be all-powerful, but we aren''t all-knowing. Have you even talked to those who caused you to go on this rampage? How are you sure that they aren''t some crazed fanatics.¡±

    ¡°Even if they are, they are still my worshippers. There''s nothing I can do about it.¡± Myrm tries to push the other man out of the way, but the dark figure doesn''t move. ¡°I have to insist on you stepping out of the way. Or have you forgotten Tjenemit''s instructions? We aren''t allowed to fight in any form or way, and I was here first!¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± The dark figure looks around the room. ¡°I would see the situation in an entirely different light. Confronted by Tjenemit, I would say that you attacked one of my temples-¡±

    ¡°This isn''t a temple!¡± Myrm interrupts. ¡°This is a god-damn castle and you know it.¡±

    The dark man spreads his hands. ¡°Then what is this place? You call it a place of sacrifice. I call it a place of worship. A place which is still occupied by one of my distant descendants, as diluted as his blood may be. The bones in this hall belong to his ancestors. The Mirai have always governed their people from their places of power. Religion and government were always one for the necromantic priests.¡±

    He lowers his voice. ¡°I repeat, aren''t you the one who is directly attacking one of my temples?¡±

    Myrm steps into the dark one''s comfort zone, but the cloaked figure doesn''t move. ¡°We will bring this up in front of Tjenemit and let him decide.¡±

    Then, with a flash of light, Myrm is gone.

    ¡°Phew!¡± The man turns around and throws back his hood, giving me a good look at his pale skin and black hair, unique characteristics of the pure-blooded Mirai. ¡°Negotiating with that fellow is always such a pain in the ass. Do you know that he killed a group of my paladins, just to spite me?¡±

    Stepping closer, he kneels down to get on eye-level with me. My muscles lock up in fear as I get a good look at his eyes, unnatural orbs of pitch black darkness.

    I avert my eyes to look at the ground. ¡°I am yours to command, Ascathon.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± The god claps his hands. ¡°I got summoned by a mortal, a king no less, and he offers himself to do my bidding! Well played. You are precious! Do you know that you are the first mortal who didn''t want something right after calling upon me?¡±

    Saving me was more than enough. Now just go away without killing me!

    But I am smarter than to voice my thoughts. Instead, I keep my eyes glued to the floor, too afraid to request anything from the dark god. My adviser gathered detailed data on all the awakened entities, and the god of chaos and magic sounded like the one a sane king would want to have the least interaction with.

    But I have to say something. ¡°I am sorry for taking up your time. There are surely far more important matters for a god to attend to.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Ascathon claps me onto the shoulder. ¡°What are you talking about? I am sure I can spare a few more minutes for you. And don''t deny that you need my help. I''ve looked into your mind and seen the situation.¡±

    Stretching, he cracks with his fingers and wriggles them. ¡°Let''s see... I hope I am not too old to teach you a few spells. Man, my people truly forgot a lot over the centuries. To think that you can''t even animate a minor skeleton.¡±

    ¡°What? What do you intend to do?¡± I shudder. Necromancy in my kingdom!? Impossible!

    The god puts an arm beneath my shoulder and drags me to my feet without any effort. ¡°We are going out there, and then we will use those useless worshippers of the light as training material. You might even get a few loyal servants out of it.¡±

    ¡°I- I- I-¡± I can''t kill people to turn them into zombies!

    ¡°They tried to kill you. Fair is fair. But instead of dying, they can bolster your ranks. And once they are undead, their most urgent problem ¨C food ¨C will be no longer an issue. You can have them feast on their comrades, or on trash. They won''t complain.¡± He starts dragging me towards the door. ¡°Turning the useless into undead is a really economical solution that made the Mirai Empire great. Imagine, all this vast and useless workforce in your kingdom is just waiting to be put to good use. Instead of wasting their time with smouldering inside their own fumes, they could be put to a task!¡±

    ***The World***

    ***Karin***

    ¡°My head hurts!¡± I lie down on the sofa and rub my temples. ¡°Why did he do that? I said that I was fine with learning the normal way.¡±

    Willow returns from the kitchen and hands me a bag of ice and some pills. ¡°To be honest, he was right that your education was woefully lacking for your age. And he didn''t even give you the full program, just what''s expected of a child of your age.¡±

    I whine as her words trigger some flag within my mind and knowledge just appears as if I always had it. ¡°Then, why does this knowledge tell me that Advanced Mathematics III is a university level class for a master''s degree?¡±

    Willow winces. ¡°Oh, that... so I was right when I thought that he spun up the dial a little too high on that one. No wonder that you are wasted, even a day later. Just stay down on the couch and rest.¡±

    There is actually another reason why I am not feeling any better since Ascathon tried the infernal learning machine on me. Even though I was told to sleep the pain off, I couldn''t because of the noise.

    ¡°I am wasted because I couldn''t sleep!¡± I complain, blushing. ¡°Someone next door kept screaming. Harder! Faster! Pinch them!¡± Does pinching actually feel good? ¡°I thought you and Ascathon aren''t in that kind of relationship?¡±

    ¡°Oh, child. There are two sorts of immortals. Those who are eternal prudes, and those who have nothing against a little fun when the urge strikes us. Ascathon and I don''t brag about our misadventures, but we go for it from time to time.¡± She grins evilly. ¡°Sorry for being a screamer, but he is really good when he is worked up.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks,¡± I answer quickly. Since my time as a slave, I could do well without ever again being with a man. ¡°So, uh, you two have no children?¡±

    Willow sighs and touches her cheek, looking at me with a sad expression. ¡°Of course we had children over the centuries. With different partners in fact.¡±

    I suck in a sharp breath at the mere suggestion, but a sharp sting right behind my eyes forces me to moan in pain right afterwards.

    Willow shakes her head and places the pack of ice on my forehead. She brought it from the kitchen, together with a glass of water and some pills.

    ¡°Girl, let me give you a good advice. I know that you won''t take it, but I will still give it to you. Right now you are still a mortal, but should your soul ever manage to make the transition to an immortal one, never get children, and never fall in love with a mortal.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± I moan.

    ¡°Because all that lies down that path is pain and loss. Everyone, no matter their strength, dies at some point. It may happen in a battle, or simply due to unluckiness in accident. Some may even grow tired of life and choose to end it on their own terms.

    But while you will return and remember each and every one of them, they will sink into the blissful abyss of nothingness. Their souls may reincarnate, but they will have forgotten everything about you.¡±

    She hands me a glass of water for the pills. ¡°You may as well be a stranger to them, even if you find them in their next life. We have lost quite a few friends and children that way.

    ¡°And one other thing. The multiverse doesn''t care how powerful you are. Your children''s soul will always be a random one. It''s very unlikely that they will ever ascend. You don''t even want to consider the other possibility. That some immortal happens to reincarnate inside your child and that you are faced with some creepy person inside the body of your offspring.

    ¡°You have to accept that our path is a lonely one and that if you happen to make the mistake of becoming attached to a mortal, you will most likely survive them. We are cursed to walk the path of immortality, forever alone.¡±

    I try to think on it, but the pain makes it almost impossible. ¡°But isn''t it better to love what little I can, even if the time is limited? And what if I fall in love with another immortal?¡±

    ¡°If you really find someone who wants to walk the path of immortality with you, then you can count yourself lucky.¡±

    Willow looks down on me, and for some reason, she looks sad. ¡°That''s why I said that you wouldn''t listen. None of the new ones does. It takes a few centuries, experiencing loss after loss after loss, but eventually, you will understand my warning. It''s just sad that your heart will already be cold and bitter by that point.¡±

 A Timeline?

    Hah! Fooled you! There is no Timeline, only a listing of connected books.

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">

    <tbody>

    <tr>

    <td style="width: 50%">1. The Court of Souls?</td>

    <td style="width: 50%">2. Agent of the Realm?</td>

    </tr>

    </tbody>

    </table>

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">

    <tbody>

    <tr>

    <td style="width: 25%">Prequel - 0. A Demon''s Tail</td>

    <td style="width: 25%">1. Body and Soul</td>

    <td style="width: 25%">2. Conscripted</td>

    <td style="width: 25%">3. Until Death (Refleshed)</td>

    </tr>

    </tbody>

    </table>

    All the other books are standalone and may matter to the events in other books, or maybe not. It''s up to you.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    They are intended to be enjoyed on their own, or not.

    - The Tale of G.O.D.

    - Law of Shadows

    - Transcendence?

    - Beyond?

    - Coeus?

    - A Sinner''s Eden

 1. Infernal

    ***The Infernal Planes***

    ***Demonling***

    My first memory was of a warm place. It was comfortable and ¨C most importantly ¨C it felt safe.

    Had I known that it would be the only time I ever felt safe, I would have stayed inside my egg, consequences be damned.

    My second memory was of a dark place with the shells of many eggs littering the ground. They were just like the one I came out of, and for a long time, I just stared, my mind reeling at the new sensations that hammered at my consciousness.

    Sight, smell, sensation, for a time my newborn mind was overwhelmed.

    It took some time before I could take conscious note of my surroundings. There were many red people with tails surrounding me. Like me, they were exploring this new but limited space they found themselves in.

    Little, red and fragile bodies scrabbled to gain control over their limbs, their physique more lizard than a bipedal creature. Many didn¡¯t do much better than I in my first minute of life.

    Weak! I shook myself at the foreign thought that had entered my mind.

    Shaking my head, I studied the heaving mass of ¨C presumably ¨C brothers and sisters, wondering right away from where I was drawing my knowledge. Nobody had taught me anything up until now, yet I knew things.

    More disturbingly, I was the only one among the mass of bodies who appeared to govern a shred of self-awareness.

    A brief moment of horror-filled me at the sight of my siblings'' animalistic expressions. That, and the sight of a few of my brothers eating the insides of a broken egg. The yolk was oozing down its broken shell, and a slightly larger member of my kind was pulling a half-developed embryo into the dim light of the cave.

    I almost vomited right then and there at the sight when I realized the implications.

    Forcibly, I dragged my gaze away when a giant entered the dark place of the cave. The huge demon was carrying something that smelled delicious ¨C and then stepped on one of us who had wandered into its path. A young life ended with a ¡®squeak¡¯ and a soft ¡®squish¡¯ of smushed tissue and the soft snapping of a newborn''s bones.

    That was when I realized that this place wasn''t safe and that if this life of mine shouldn''t end prematurely I would have to become stronger. The decision was already made for me by the world I found myself in, disoriented as I was.

    The large demon stumbled and cursed as it almost slipped on the goo, barely avoiding to step onto more of its... children?

    Unable to wait and to judge the dangers of rushing between and around the large demon''s legs, the swarm, for that was what my siblings were, immediately converged on the squished little one, scrabbling to pick the sorry remains out of the dirt.

    That gave me the chance to be one of the first at the bowl with the delicious smelling stuff which the large one had brought for us and placed on the ground. Somehow knowing that this was my only chance, I stuffed my cheeks, inhaling the food which clearly wasn''t enough for all of us. Seeing that the swarm was already redirecting its attention to the bowl, I darted away with some of the bigger pieces of meat, finding a rocky crevice in the cave''s wall to slide inside and hide.

    Huddling inside my shelter, I ate my food and slept, already too tired to make sense of my circumstances.

    The days came and went, and the giant kept visiting, bringing us food. As the others grew, it got harder to get my share of the food and I stayed always a little smaller than the others, a little weaker. Their size allowed them to get more of the delicious stuff while I went away hungry more often than not.

    At least my scrawny figure allowed me to hide in the deepest corners of the crevice which I had found on the first day. But I kept to my daily routine of snatching food from the bowl and then returning to my hideout, simply because the others couldn''t follow me there.

    Our caretaker never increased the amount of food with our size, which directly resulted in culling our numbers drastically, the weakest of us becoming just another source of food for the strong.

    Then, one day, the big one came and instead of bringing food it started making noise. It took a while, but even the dumbest of the little ones finally realized that the big one was teaching us to talk in some guttural language while pointing out images of basic things in some book.

    The big demon never repeated itself, expecting us to learn and remember its teachings on the first attempt. When our teacher pointed out an image he would gesture at one of us and either get a correct answer or strike out and reduce the number of his charges. If the target was fast enough to evade, it might get another chance to answer, but that was a rare occurrence.

    This method of teaching quickly took care of the really stupid ones among us, and while I didn''t like it, I had to admit that it worked really well as a motivation to pay attention.

    A few days passed as the lessons touched on all kinds of subjects until all of us had enough knowledge of the language to venture on towards more complicated topics.

    I learned that I was born on the Infernal Plane of Gluttony, ruled by the great Planelord Gargroth, and that my home was hatching cave number 34-96-85, a safe haven compared to the rest of the Infernal Planes.

    As for my current circumstances, most demons didn''t care for their offspring. They would simply drop off their eggs at one of the hatcheries and return to their own business. Only the eggs of powerful demons, old bloodlines, and royalty could ¨C maybe ¨C expect different treatment.

    But almost all of the young would end up in a hatchery, receiving only the minimum of care which would ensure that only the strongest and smartest, or more likely the most ruthless, specimen emerged from the hatchery, ready to be drafted into one of the countless Infernal Plane¡¯s demonic legions where their lives would be used up in one of the many wars the Planar Lords where fighting against each other.

    I would have to learn and learn quickly because after one year I would either have to join one of the local Lord''s warbands or be thrown out to survive on my own if judged unworthy. According to the caretaker, most of the little demonlings would be left to fend on their own if they hadn''t at least morphed into an imp by that point in time ¨C which was the first natural development step for a young demonling.

    So I learned what the caretaker was willing to teach, which I also quickly had to admit wasn''t much.

    At least the caretaker saw to it that we would learn the basics of being demons.

    Demons would be born into the world with only one soul bestowed on them by their parents. As mere amalgamations of energy, and power, newborn demons wouldn''t gain a soul of their own, as souls were naturally rejected by the high background energy of the Infernal Planes, and so it would have to be given to them. Without one, they would forever remain nothing more than beasts. That was a great disadvantage, but also the reason why old demons were so powerful.

    A demon could naturally access the memories of any number of souls in their possession as if they were their own, including any souls they may acquire later on.

    This made souls a natural currency among demons. The Planar Lords in their boundless kindness even offered revivals from death at the Anima Stones, for the small fee of a soul of course. I saw it for what it was, nothing more than a way to take a tithe from the weaker demons without having to hunt them down.

    The Anima Stones were the central pieces around which demon society revolved. They allowed demons to take ''contracts'' with mortals from other dimensions in the hope of acquiring more souls. The central pieces, the Lode Stones, would even allow Demons to travel between the seven Infernal Planes.

    For that very reason, the one thing that our caretaker insisted on teaching us properly was the basics of contractual soul magic and dimensional shifting of the consciousness.

    When a demon got to connect with the Anima Stones, he would be able to send out a part of his form into the physical planes which were inhabited by mortals. There, he would be able to gather the necessary souls in order to increase his power and rank.

    I sucked up those lessons like a sponge, still hoping that I would be one of the few who didn''t waste away in the fires of war that the Demon Lords of this plane waged against each other. Or, hell forbid, being thrown out to fend for myself.

    We were also warned of the threat of giving in to the memories of our souls. Mortal personalities just weren¡¯t made up for an existence on the Infernal Planes. Our world was brutal and deadly and most mortals were too weak to deal with the facts of a demonic lifestyle. A demon who allowed himself to be overtaken by the memories of other lives would soon find himself incapable of action and become easy prey for others of his kind.

    So I tried not to listen to the cynic thoughts which came out of nowhere, dismissing them as mere echoes of my soul¡¯s past. I steeled my resolve and did my very best to avoid the memories of another life, fearing that they would be of a better and unachievable place.

    And so I bided my time and waited for a chance to better my circumstances.

    The day of truth came when the caretaker decided to bestow one spellscroll upon each of the surviving demonlings in a rather... disinterested manner. It was a magical item that allowed its user to learn one spell without instruction.

    One day, the red demon with his flaming horns entered the cave with a cart of scrolls, told us what they were, and then started tossing them out like unwanted candy, all the while curling his lips in disgust at the little creatures in his care.

    There was no question that this immediately caused a fight as little demonlings ignored everything just to get to one of the scrolls.

    Seeing a chance to increase my power, I was right among them. Having completely forgotten about my policy of safety, I was risking my life in a most unusual manner as the demonlings left and right of me fought and bled to get at least one of the oversized scrolls.

    Right in front of me, a scroll dissolved into ash as one of my hatchmates got its dirty claws on it. He shuddered with the ecstasy of arcane knowledge flooding into him, just to be tackled to the ground by a whole group of other hatchlings.

    Caught up in the mad melee, I screamed as I saw the very last scroll leave the caretaker¡¯s hand and tumble towards one of my larger siblings, the one who I had done everything to avoid so far because I saw him eat another demonling after breaking open its egg.

    He was at least three times larger than any of his fellows and already holding onto two scrolls, which would make this last one his third!

    Without thinking, I threw myself bodily at him, causing a wild tumble among the group as scrolls and demonlings went flying or tried to evade injury. Scratching and biting, I drew my claws over the larger demonling¡¯s eyes and ran off with one of the scrolls. Knowing that there was no time to wait for better circumstances, I invoked it as I ran with the scroll pressed to my chest and an enraged brother right on my heels.

    The scroll turned to dust in my claws and as the arcane knowledge flooded my conduits, causing me to seize up for a split second. A little too long, because that gave my opponent time to act.

    I heard the larger demonling chanting the beginning of a spell, so I turned in order to face the threat, intending to assert my magical dominance now that I had power. Thanks to my clearly superior intellect, my spell finished first and I blasted my enemy with everything I got.

    A ray of bright light shot out of my palm and burned everything in its path, hitting my brother right in his chest. He screamed as the scratches in his face¡­ mended?

    Having expended all of my energy, I fell to my knees and stared in horror at what I had done.

    My brother stood there, fully healed from the injuries which I had risked my life to inflict. There was a moment of curious silence as the whole hatchery which was a madhouse just seconds ago held its breath.

    Then the caretaker chuckled with dark humour and spoke, ¡°Basic Ray of Healing.¡±

    My opponent who had held onto his spell up until now laughed with mad glee and let loose, blasting me with a gust of wind that picked me bodily up from the ground and flung the weakened me into the wall of the cave.

    Something inside me broke and I screamed in pain as I fell back to the ground.

    Unable to take a moment of reprieve, I hobbled back into my crevice, followed by the laughter of my siblings and some opportunistic ones who sensed the chance of an easy meal. They didn¡¯t even bother to hunt down a demon who could only heal others.

    And all the while, the unbidden thoughts from within me had nothing but scorn for my actions.

    Weak! Overconfident, and Stupid! The unbidden thoughts from within chided, adding to my failure at gaining power. How could a weakling like me benefit from something as undemonlike as healing?

    Thankfully, it turned out that demons heal pretty quickly on their own if an injury wasn¡¯t deadly right away. A few days later, I was as good as new, albeit as weak as before and hungry since my injury hadn¡¯t allowed me to get even close to enough food for myself.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    That was when fate decided to throw me another bone. One day, I awoke to the sound of the caretaker entering the cave. My mind had been trained to awaken to the sound of the large boulder which blocked the exit being dragged aside.

    It wasn¡¯t time for food, so it meant that something new was going to happen.

    The caretaker entered the cave with a large slab of black stone, a little black monolith that was covered in red glowing runes. They twisted and connected in ways that felt like they would draw my mind into them.

    Straining visibly, the caretaker put the heavy object on the ground right in the middle of the cave and patted it like some loved pet.

    ¡°This here is an Anima Stone. They are all over the Infernal Planes and will allow you to regather your animus, your physical form, should you have a soul to pay the fee.¡± He studied us, trying to impress the importance of this lesson. ¡°It also allows you to send out a part of your animus to the mortal planes where you can make deals and contracts with mortals.¡±

    He continued to give us the essentials of how the Anima Stone worked and how it was to be used until he came to the important points.

    ¡°Once you are summoned, your body and animus will be shifted into an ethereal plane. What will be manifested in the mortal plane will just be an energy construct of yourself, so you don''t have to be afraid of dying while you are on a mission. While you are out there, you have the chance to get your name known, which will make it more likely for other mortals to summon you. You will find out that other dimensions have vastly different rules from this one. Keep in mind that things like gravity and time differ vastly from plane to plane.¡±

    And then a sinister smile crept onto his face, giving me the shivers even from my faraway vantage point in the crevice.

    ¡°But there is no better way to learn than to do.¡± He gestures for one of the demonlings in the front row, which was always a bad spot to be in.

    The demonling inched forward, wary of our caretaker.

    Which was a perfectly normal reaction in my book. Had I been in his spot, I would have run for the hills, only not to be the first test subject. But I soon learned differently.

    Fed up with waiting, the caretaker grabbed the demonling and pushed him against the Anima Stone which automatically reacted to the touch of an unregistered user.

    The demonling was added to the network and shunted into another dimension with a flash of light, leaving the caretaker''s claws empty. Presumably, my hatchmate was now in a waiting queue for new demons to be summoned by some hapless mortal who intended to bargain away his soul for one reason or the other.

    For a moment, the assembled demonlings held their breaths.

    Then our brother reappeared and flopped to the ground, limbs flailing it let out a cry of outrage and dashed back into the relative safety of the swarm while the caretaker grinned.

    ¡°Come on. I haven''t got all day and for that reason, I even chose a dimension that''s running on a faster timeline than this one. From my point of view, you should reappear almost right away.¡±

    So, was there any reason to wait?

    I appeared inside a circle ¨C on what my soul''s memories classified as a table ¨C in a classroom ¨C with fleshy humans gaping at me as if I were the pinnacle of creation. It was highly doubtful that their reaction towards my appearance was justified, but who was I to dispute them.

    ¡°Good work, Elron! Not a big one, but the smaller they are, the easier it is to control them.¡± An older human slapped one of the younger ones on his back, complimenting his success in summoning me.

    I counted four of the younger ones, each at their own table with a summoning circle in front of them. Aside from myself, there was only one other demon in the room. Standing on the table next to me was the largest demonling I had ever seen.

    The other demon only looked at me and rolled his eyes. ¡°You are new.¡±

    ¡°How did you get so big?¡± I asked in my naivety.

    ¡°I am an imp, you fool. Do they teach nothing at the hatcheries nowadays?¡±

    I shut up, embarrassed over my lack of knowledge.

    The larger demon sniffs and sighs when he realizes that he cowed me. ¡°Look, I suppose it''s your first time?¡±

    I nod.

    ¡°And I suppose they didn''t explain half as much as they should.¡±

    I shrug.

    ¡°Okay, listen.¡± The imp gestures at the humans who are still fawning over us and scribbling in their notebooks. ¡°Your caretaker did you no favour by choosing this dimension. Those guys are summoners and warlocks, and while humans are generally weaklings, those guys can force us to do shit without actually making a contract.¡±

    ¡°That means...¡± My voice trails off as I realize the implications.

    ¡°Yep, no souls for us. Unless we get to kill someone, although that''s unlikely.¡± The Imp snarls at one of the younger humans who came too close, causing him to shrink back. ¡°See? Not one courageous bone in their bodies. This is some sort of teaching facility. Doubtful that there will be any murdering today.¡±

    He glances sideways, noticing my incredulous expression. ¡°That''s how they do things. Unlike us, they protect their prot¨¦g¨¦s. Now that I think about it, that''s probably the reason why they are so weak.¡±

    I raise a claw to ask a question. ¡°Shouldn''t we talk to them and explain-¡±

    ¡°Infernals forbid, don''t do that!¡± the Imp interrupts me. ¡°Those guys seem to think that we are dumb animals. Never talk in their tongue or they might get the idea that we can be used for other things than menial labour. Would you like to sit forever at a desk and calculate the mandalas for arcane summoning circles? That would be hell and the perfect task. They could even keep us inside their containment barriers without the risk of letting us out.¡± He kicks against some invisible wall which seems to overlap with the summoning circle to his feet.

    As long as it doesn''t get me killed or hurt. ¡°Actually, that wouldn''t be so-¡±

    ¡°Without payment!¡± The Imp spits.

    I quickly rejoice. ¡°How do we escape?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± He shrugs. ¡°Those guys will keep fawning over us for an hour, but then they will simply release us. No win, but no loss either. Just make sure not to tell them your name. This isn''t the best dimension for contracts.¡±

    Oh yeah, a name. I still have to come up with one.

    ¡°Now, let me show you how a real Summoner does it!¡± The older human waddles over to a summoning mandala on the floor, fighting his considerable physique with every step.

    We watch in silence as the human gives his students a detailed lesson about the basics of summoning creatures from other dimensions. It takes some time, but finally the human channels magical energy into the mandala, causing it to glow with a faint, pink hue.

    I watch in awe as the energies converge in the centre, bringing forth motes of power until they coalesce into the form of a demoness with wings, horns, and a tail. Although, the rest of her lascivious body is like a human''s. She looks weak and small compared to the fat teacher but carries herself with an air of superiority.

    ¡°Fuck me sideways,¡± the Imp comments from next to me. ¡°That fool managed to call upon a succubus!¡±

    My eyes wander between the attractive demoness and the imp until they stay stuck on the female¡¯s assets. I try to look away, but there is something about her form that''s pulling me in.

    Then I pinch myself, trying to remember everything I learned about the various types of demons. Succubi are female demons who live on life-energy. They gather power and souls by seducing their victims and sucking them dry, which makes them essentially energy vampires. But unlike these lesser creatures, a succubus is far more dangerous.

    Even male demons prefer to run from these predators, if they can.

    Smiling, the naked female gestures with her finger, begging her human audience to come closer.

    When the stunned humans, equally surprised about their catch, only watch her in shocked silence, she bends forwards, displaying her boobs in a far more assertive manner.

    One of the students takes an involuntary step, crossing the barrier before being pulled into her waiting arms and receiving a kiss. Seeing that, the other humans followed one by one, unable to resist the seductress whose aura made even me want to touch her.

    My imp-friend had only one comment before his eyes glazed over, ¡°We are in deep shit. That¡¯s not the average succubus...¡±

    What followed probably wasn''t meant for a young demonling''s eyes.

    The succubus took the humans from above, beneath, and behind, involuntarily giving my innocent mind a forced sex-education. It didn''t help that I tried to cover my ears and look away. The female''s aura grew stronger with every second she fed on her prey until I was unable to avert my eyes.

    First to go was the human teacher-warlock who turned into a withered husk between her thighs while she was rubbing off two students with her hands and simultaneously using her mouth and tail on the other two. Student number one expired while humping her feet. Number two got to squirt his last life-essence onto her ass before he was done in, and the third got a blow-job that made me blush. Right until his shrunken thing broke off, too dry to withstand the applied pressure.

    Having your life-essence sucked out of your body apparently included any liquids.

    The last one gave up the ghost on his belly as a famished skeleton of a man, moaning while the demoness'' tail enthusiastically ravaged his behind with her standing above him, a hand on her hip and looking bored of all things.

    Not even ten minutes had passed for the deed to be done. Finished and looking livelier than before, the succubus skipped over the windowfront which was taking up one side of the room. The barrier that was holding her made a short shriek and broke as she passed through without so much as a second thought.

    I was still staring at the mess she had made, trying my best not the shocked. Some tiny part of me wanted to be serviced by this female, while a larger, more pragmatic one was in favour of running for the hills, screaming like a hunted demonling all the while.

    A stranger to death and brutal violence ¨C I was certainly no such thing, but seeing someone willingly jump into their predator''s arms and expire with a creepy smile on their face?

    That was new.

    For once, the unbidden thoughts which often sprung into my head were silent.

    Having seen what there was to see, the demoness returned her attention to the classroom and sauntered over to us with her lustful eyes fixated on the imp next to me. She licked her lips and reached out with both hands. There was a quiet snap as the barrier broke, which was clearly not much of a hindrance to her.

    ¡°Time for dessert!¡± She pulled the nice imp who had equally ended up in her thrall against her chest and squeezed him. Then she kissed him right on the mouth, causing me to groan in envy.

    My mind returned to a hazy lucidity when the imp''s body shrunk in on itself until it disappeared with a ''pop'', causing the seductress to click her tongue in displeasure. ¡°It''s no fun when they can just bail out like that. Doesn¡¯t even get me a soul.¡±

    Her eyes landed on me and my heart sank when she reached out, breaking the barrier and snatching me up with one hand.

    ¡°I am not tasty!¡± I screeched.

    It was unlikely, but my outraged scream indeed caused her to pause.

    She sucked in her lips and blew them out as she studied me. ¡°How wondrous, you aren''t in my thrall, despite being so young... and cute.¡± The succubus pulled on my tail, turning me this way and that as she proceeded with her shameless inspection.

    That only added insult to what little pride I had to injure. ¡°Let me go.¡± I tried to pinch her finger, but that wasn''t very effective.

    The demoness only squeezed her hand tighter, showing me that she could squish me like a bug if she wanted to. ¡°Mh, don''t worry. You are not even enough energy to make you worth the effort,¡± she explained with her haughty, alluring voice. And then a lascivious smile touched her lips. ¡°But we could still have some innocent fun.¡±

    I wasn''t sure what kind of fun a grown succubus could realistically have with a demonling who was barely the size of her hand.

    Until she kissed me right on the face.

    I was too baffled and inexperienced with her kind to prevent her from sucking my entire head into her mouth. My muffled screams probably couldn''t be heard outside the room, but I was still frightened as hell as her tongue lathered me, thinking her perfectly capable of eating me for real.

    It wasn''t like my hatchmates were above such things, so why should she be any different?The real question was whether she would chew first or swallow me wholesale! Or only take a bite.

    And then my head popped out of her mouth, leaving me gasping for air.

    ¡°There, there.¡± She bit her lower lip, apparently bemused by what she had done. ¡°That wasn''t so bad, right? Now you are nicely wet and you should be just the right size...¡±

    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?¡± I returned feverishly, still a little too green behind the ears to catch on to what she was up to.

    Slowly, she lowered me to her navel, and then even lower as my eyes widened in horror. I had seen where the humans had stuck their¡­ it was¡­ size¡­

    ¡°Oh, no. No. No. No. You don''t! By all the Infernal Lords! That¡¯s fucked up!¡±

    ¡°Aah, I like fucking. Make sure to struggle a lot. If you get me off-¡± She was interrupted by frantic knocking on the door and screams. A moment later, someone was trying his best to bring the door down.

    The succubus shuddered and pulled me back up to her face. ¡°Too bad, you would have liked it. I promise.¡±

    ¡°No, I would have not!¡± I am certain that I wouldn''t have liked suffocating inside... that! Or maybe I would have? The humans didn¡¯t seem to dislike their deaths.

    ¡°Certainly.¡± She smiled, showing me large canines. ¡°Now I have a deal for you. Buy me a minute while I get away, and you won¡¯t owe me for freeing you from that summoning circle.¡±

    ¡°Y- y- y- ou o- only f-freed me t-to use m-me!¡± My voice shook with the indignation of what had almost happened to me.

    ¡°Take the deal or leave it.¡± She gave me a wink. ¡°If you succeed, you may visit me on the Plane of Pleasure. I would make some time for you.¡±

    ¡°Fine! I take the deal if you don¡¯t kill me. Although I have no idea how to stop them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you just have to be here so that they don¡¯t go hunting for the escapee immediately,¡± she explained before dropping me. Then she picked up one of the corpses, her body turning translucent before shimmering out of existence. And then the corpse seemingly flung itself out of the window.

    And there was I, a little demonling with nothing more than a healing ray. How in the Infernal Planes would the humans ever believe that I was responsible for this mess!?

    That woman had a perfect body as far as I was concerned, but something went definitively wrong with her brain. She was nuts, totally nuts.

    Then someone took an axe to the door and I had my mind immediately back in the game. There wasn¡¯t much I could do against the humans, aside from pissing them off and having them chase me ¨C hmm ¨C pissing them off ¨C which brought on an idea.

    Quickly, I jumped down the table I was on and scrambled towards the door which was the sole entrance to the room. Climbing the wall with my small claws, I was already on the doorframe when the door broke down, welcoming two humans in.

    ¡°Lord Allmighty! What happened here!?¡± one exclaimed while the other had the sense to scan the room for threats before some instinct told him to look up.

    Right as a small trickle of some fluid hit his face with a soft hiss.

    I sighed in relief, letting it all out.

    ¡°It burrrns!¡± He stumbled and within seconds, he was on the ground, writhing in pain. ¡°My eyes! It burrrns!¡±

    ¡°Unbound devil!¡±

    I was still wondering what had happened when the other humans shot some sparkling lights at me, forcing me to jump back to the ground. Apparently my piss was some kind of acid in this dimension. The caretaker really could have told me that.

    ¡°Kill it! Kill it with ice!¡±

    I dodged a boot and then had to play a game of tag with the humans who flooded into the room. They must have been alarmed by the succubus¡¯ loud exit. But even with all my agility, evading forever wasn¡¯t in the cards and it came like it had to. A foot was flung out, kicking me through half the room and leaving me in a daze.

    The last thing I saw was the sole of a shoe coming down on me.

 1. Aliens shouldnt be so different?

    ***Saggitarius Arm ¨C Lmir Domion¡¯s Deep Space Observation Post***

    ***Travil, the Ambassador***

    ¡°You and your people should have everything you need,¡± the general informs me, pointing towards the containers which are covering the busy flight field. The area is brimming with workers who are running back and forth between the supplies in order to get everything ready for our imminent departure.

    Considering that everyone knew that this event had been long since in the making, one might think that my people would be better prepared for this day.

    My eyes wander to the time-indicator in the hologram in front of me and I nod at the general¡¯s comment but do not allow my eyes to sway away from the holographic image which is displaying a representation of the solar system. On the inside, I am barely able to contain my desire to start the mission. This was what I had been trained for my entire life. To think that it almost would start off on a bad foot because of some logistics error was inconceivable.

    For such a thing to happen in this day and age, had I not known the people involved, I would have called foul and accused someone of sabotage.

    Our people were watching the conflict between the Galactic Societies and the Silent for decades as it slowly spread from a small disturbance at the edges of civilised space to a real incident on a galactic scale. We observed the first large G.S. fleet pass through our systems and paid our tribute, unaware of how the galactic landscape would change.

    My predecessors were not alerted as they observed the G.S. sending out their punitive fleet from the galactic centre. Such expeditions had taken place in the past. The rulers of the galaxy did tend to show their might to uprising empires when the mood struck them. They were also very fervent in suppressing any upcoming race that violated their dogmas.

    Hardly newsworthy to those who reigned over my people, so our failure to act in time could be called a combination of disbelief and overconfidence.

    The Lmir Domion could claim over a thousand stars in the galaxy¡¯s green zone, a band of stars that was far enough away from the galactic core where the G.S. ruled, but close enough to claim at least some importance on the galactic scale. The stars farther out in the Rim were too far away from each other to support any civilisation of significance.

    If anyone had asked our leaders, they would have said that we were an important political body, ensuring the stability of this quadrant. Yet, to the G.S., we were utterly unimportant. Just another province in the political landscape.

    And then the unexpected happened.

    News arrived that the fleet that had passed us was utterly destroyed. The Hob, a race of merchants that travelled the whole galaxy brought the tale on the winds of the hyperspace, whispering the story to any who would dare listen and draw the ire of the core¡¯s power. Because one thing was certain, the G.S. was afraid. They would strike out at anyone who dared to even consider siding with the enemy. The situation was unprecedented and all of my people agreed that the G.S. leadership would have to make an example out of anyone who spoke against them.

    We weren''t so foolish as to believe that the G.S. wouldn''t make a sacrifice in the form of a little Dominion at the edges of its space if the opportunity arose. If not to punish true traitors, then to bring others to heel.

    Up until then it was thought to be impossible that any race could stand up to the technological and economic might of the core-worlds which were a bastion of over ten million stars under the Galactic Society¡¯s iron rule. Unassailable and undeniable, the core worlds pressured the rest of the galaxy with their doctrine and their ironclad ban on artificial intelligence.

    But apparently one race managed to defy their will. A race that called itself humans, as the Hob had told us. My ancestors didn¡¯t pay the news much heed at the time, expecting the G.S. to send another overpowering force to utterly crush the heretics who had violated the ban on researching artificial intelligence.

    Hundreds of years passed us, as did the fleets that were sent by the G.S..

    One after another, they vanished in the spreading void of the Outer Rim.

    Now, on the dawn of a new age, my people finally have to acknowledge that we will be on the frontlines of a galactic war within our lifetime. Yet the G.S. still refuses to acknowledge their failed attempts in the open. Their missives from the core haven''t changed over the years. If asked about the fleets that are sent through our space, they would be declared a colonization effort with a handwave.

    Uncaring of the political truth, the light of the stars in the Outer Rim slowly diminished over the decades and then flickered out, vanishing from the sight of our best observation platforms.

    The Lmir leadership finally had to admit that the G.S. awakened something capable of creating a war machine that could sweep their fleets aside like a leviathan could water. A force that was capable of utilizing entire stars for their purposes.

    ¡°You have to determine their plans, and what they intend for us,¡± Riar awakens me from my silent chain of thought. The strong female politician gestures towards the map I was watching.

    On her behest, it scales up, showing us the whole expansion of the Lmir Dominion throughout the Saggitarius Arm of the galaxy. Farther out, what we call the Silent is pushing in on us from the outer skirts of the galaxy. In the centre, the golden core¡¯s sphere of influence shines like a beacon, representing the G.S.

    ¡°You have to find a path that prevents our people from being caught between two fronts,¡± the politician continues.

    One of the military advisors snorts in obvious contempt. ¡°There is no way of negotiating with this foe.¡± He turns to face me. ¡°Remember to get as much information back to us as you can. Your mission might be one of diplomacy, but in the end, our people have nothing to offer them in the grand scheme of things. We are caught between two giants, and once they clash we will be in the middle of it all.¡±

    The general gestures for his adjutant to be silent, clearly agitated that the man dared to voice the truth without coating it in sugar. ¡°He speaks outside his rights, but he isn¡¯t wrong. The Silent and the G.S. are beyond us. The military leadership has judged that our combined forces should be just strong enough to stop the Silent strike-force that¡¯s heading our way.¡±

    Another of the military men scoffs. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that alone be a point which puts us in a position that allows us to negotiate with these powers? How much time do we gain by stopping one strike force, a decade, a century? Shouldn¡¯t it be enough to advance our own technology and to rebuild our fleets? I am also not certain that it is infeasible to subvert their forces. They must have been on the way for generations and weary of travel. It might be enough to offer them a solar system or two.¡±

    Finally, I decide to share my thoughts, ¡°That may be, but what about the next one, and the one after that? It is an old and sore discussion. Why would you expect our enemy to stop their own advances? The force that''s driving them onwards over the course of centuries is beyond our ken. The Lmir Dominion is vast, but even we are sensing our limits. I travelled from one end of Lmir-controlled space to the other, and I can honestly say that those further in towards the galactic centre won''t care about what happens to those on the frontlines. They won''t see the war for another two or three generations.¡±

    The general looks at his man as if he is an idiot, outrage showing on his face. ¡°This isn¡¯t a normal conflict. If this were a mere conflict between two biological races, you might be right. Fleets like the ones that the G.S. and the Silent are sending out aren¡¯t built on a whim, and losing even one of them should hurt. Any normal race that isn¡¯t propelled by an iron will or pure, religious fervour should lose its will to fight battles on a galactic stage ¨C where conflicts take longer than any individual¡¯s lifetime to play out.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    He thrusts a hand at the hologram, almost swiping through it. ¡°But everything we have heard from the Hob points to the fact that the Silent are beyond such things. He said that they became one with their machines and that they are apparently as relentless as a machine in their cause.¡±

    I close my eyes slowly and open them, trying my best to project calmness towards the man who clearly lost to his emotions. ¡°Are you sure that we can trust the Hob? I don¡¯t question the conclusions which your people spent decades to come up with. But I fail to see how the Hob could be an unquestioningly trustworthy source of intelligence. It must have its own agenda.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you are right.¡± He nods and rearranges his coat, clearing his throat upon realizing that he almost made a fool out of himself by reacting to his subordinate¡¯s ill-spoken words with such fervour. ¡°But we are unable to see how the Hob would benefit from lying about things that can be verified easily enough once we come in contact with the Silent.¡±

    I turn my attention towards the sky, expecting our transport to arrive soon enough. ¡°Trust me. Haven¡¯t you bred me and my assistants for this job? Once I am with the Silent, I will find a solution to our problem. I will save our people.¡±

    The assembled representatives nod solemnly. This project was their idea after all. A far shot, but it was their only hope to cheat what fate had in store for us.

    The Silent had earned their moniker among my people for a reason. They didn''t talk on the open communication channels. Our furthest scouting missions only got glimpses of their mega-structures as they tore apart planets to engineer them into something else.

    Those who stood in their way were swallowed and overwhelmed. The Rhin, a powerful species further out from our area of space had turned their own worlds into fortresses strong enough to withstand everything the G.S. was willing to send at them and their last communication was one of desperation as their last world was buried under the wrecks of falling ships.

    It was only a century ago that the Silent had acknowledged our existence. They had answered one of our many requests for diplomatic exchange with nothing more than a date, location, and a transport volume for an unimportant world on the fringe of our space ¨C which suited us just fine. There was no need to inform the G.S. of our intent to open a dialogue with the enemy, considering that one of their fleets was nearby and expected to clash with the enemy right outside our space a few years from now.

    ¡°It doesn''t look like they are coming,¡± one of the women comments in a disgruntled tone. ¡°It''s almost the promised time and none of our sensor platforms detect anything.¡±

    ¡°This is an underdeveloped planet without a defensive satellite system and we didn''t exactly bring a full sensor suit with us,¡± I comment. ¡°One of our own ships could easily avoid detection until we are already halfway inside the system. Have patience.¡±

    I tried to show myself as the infallible ambassador I was supposed to be, but I couldn''t quell the seed of doubt in my mind. It was true, one of our ships could evade detection from the single transporter we had in orbit. Our leadership hadn''t dared to send more in fear of the G.S. detecting our double-handed play.

    But the ships which were capable of such a feat were also only small scouting vessels which dedicated most of their tonnage to the machinery which was necessary to hide the ship from various detection systems. None of the vessels I knew of could even attempt to transport the volume of cargo that the Silent allowed us.

    Then the General lifts a hand to his ear, arching an eyebrow. ¡°The gravitational detection system just responded to something. It''s already in orbit above us, but we can''t detect anything else.¡±

    ¡°Only gravitational?¡± His adjutant furrows his eyebrows. ¡°Even though the transport''s sensor platform isn''t the best, it should detect something... light, electromagnetic... something! It should be impossible to camouflage from all visible spectrums.¡±

    ¡°Guys... I admit that I don''t know much about these things...¡± The politician starts shaking her head. ¡°But shouldn''t we rather be worried about the fact that something that''s large enough to be registered on a gravimeter is entering the planet''s atmosphere right above our heads? Is there anything of that size that is capable of landing on a planet''s surface?¡±

    I only raise an eyebrow at the hologram which switched to displaying the unknown spaceship dropping down from the void while the people around me start panicking.

    Instead of watching our impending end through the hologram, I raise my eyes towards the sky where a gigantic fireball of ignited air from the entry-heat into the atmosphere is descending downwards onto the flight field. ¡°If this is truly an uncontrolled descent, there would be no point in running.¡±

    My words return some sanity to the rest of the group which was about to break and run like a herd of brainless animals. Sadly, our bravery evades the workers who were unloading the cargo shuttles as they choose to flee from the flight field.

    Then the burning inferno of ignited atmosphere splits, unfurling like a terrible flower to reveal a gigantic vessel at least three times as large as the transporter that brought us into the system. Now revealed, the ship¡¯s glistening surface reflects the distant sun¡¯s light like a mirror as it slows its descent.

    A sleek, teardrop-shaped hull falls towards us at neck-breaking speed, only to come to a complete halt right before impact. The flight field¡¯s concrete dents a little beneath the leviathan of the stars as some sort of force-field makes contact with the ground. I am forced to close my eyes and raise a hand for protection as displaced air tears at our clothes, but that is all there is to it.

    At last, the ship only stands there, towering at least two kilometres above us with the tip pointing towards the sky and with a base of about five hundred metres in diameter.

    When it seems safe, I slowly lower my hand and cross it with the other one behind my back, taking note of the exact time. ¡°Well, it seems like they are the punctual type.¡±

    My comment releases some of the tension in the air and the others start breathing again.

    While the rest of the group fights their fear of the impending first-contact, I myself have to struggle the hardest to hide my excitement over the fact that my mission finally begun.

    Reacting to movement on the strange ship¡¯s surface, I immediately straighten my back and steel my expression. This is my moment. I was chosen to represent my people in front of an unknown and alien intelligence.

    Who could possibly know which expressions or movements might offend the Silent?

    That was why I relentlessly trained to overlook any differences in physique or culture. To achieve my goal of finding a solution for my people, I would do my very best to understand the Silent and to find a basis for common communication and understanding between our two species.

    The ship¡¯s surface ripples, and then the glass-like substance flows to form a hole, a part of it extending towards us in what could only be a ramp.

    My mind racing, I immediately reach various conclusions as I saw the ramp¡¯s slightly concave indentation, noting that there were no stairs. Maybe the Silent were some form of intelligent goo? Or some snake or a worm? That would make stairs unnecessary.

    Finally, a shape reveals itself in the opening and my mind comes to a stuttering halt as I am forced to process this utterly unexpected being.

    A young, Lmir woman had stepped into the light of the day, so young to be almost called a girl. As I watched her with a stupefied expression, she squinted against the light and was forced to shade her eyes against the sun. In the process, her tight flight-suit displayed her pleasurable figure to anyone who wanted to steal a look.

    Upon seeing us, she smiles and takes a step forward, simultaneously dropping down to her bottom.

    I chose to ignore the undignified and childish ¡®Weeee!¡¯ which she had let loose upon sliding down the ramp which turned out to be a slide! She hadn¡¯t just ruined my great moment by acting as the child she seemed to be. This definitely hadn''t happened!

    My mind turned somersaults at the situation. How in the universe had she gotten onto that ship? Had the Silent picked up some illegal settlers outside the Dominion¡¯s space? It wouldn''t be unheard of that a disgruntled group of outcasts would pack their things to board a civilian ship and to vanish in some far corner of the galaxy.

    The woman-girl came to a stop right in front of us and patted down her bottom before taking my hand with a brilliant smile.

    ¡°Greetings! We come in peace!¡±

    ¡°Graaah.¡± Still unable to compute the situation, I let loose a less than intelligible tone like some uneducated caveman, certainly giving a worse performance than a diplomatic acolyte in his first year. Stars, I hadn''t made such a fool of myself since the Admiralty had sent me to a Fezzen colony for training purposes.

    For the first time, the girl¡¯s expression turns worried as she looks down at herself while squeezing her boobs in a definitely unladylike manner. ¡°Is something wrong? Did we get the proportions wrong? I admit that I scaled these a little, though the system assured me that this is within acceptable limits. Don¡¯t tell me one of my siblings played a prank on me and gave me some horribly disfigured member of your species to copy. I was promised that this shape is the best blend of what is considered as appealing in your holo-casts!¡±

 A Vacation? (A lost chapter)

    ***?runmila***

    ***Councellor***

    A long time ago, I had found out that I wasn¡¯t much of a deity. Most things I touched ended up in shambles. Then, when I once helped out a troubled friend, I realized that I had another calling in my existence. I accepted my new vocation with all my heart and became a psychologist for immortal beings.

    All kinds of creatures visited me now on a daily basis, making sure that my name was known throughout the multiverse. Immortals, mythics, demons, even gods darkened my doorstep.

    So I wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest when an angel entered my office.

    ¡°Please, try to make yourself comfortable. We have all the time in the multiverse,¡± I advised my newest patient and jotted down some notes. ¡°I¡¯ve found that these consultations go down far easier when the patient isn¡¯t stressed.¡±

    The woman, a platinum-haired angelic being from the looks of it, surveyed my plain office with an expression of doubt, but she sat down and leaned back in the extra fluffy couch that I had tailor-made for my customers. ¡°?runmila, you have been recommended to me¡­¡± she replied with a voice as clear as glass.

    She stopped, thinking, then continued, ¡°To solve some¡­ issues of the mind. Though, I don¡¯t see how someone like you could help me with my troubles when a mind mage could solve the problem easily enough.¡±

    ¡°Maybe, and maybe not,¡± I replied, and noted down ¡®trust issues¡¯ on my pad. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be here if a mind mage could help you, or if you hadn¡¯t at least qualms about employing one. The help which I offer is more of a process than an immediate solution. May I know your name and who referred you to me?¡±

    ¡°Carne. He told me that you helped a lot in getting his ¡®harem-issues¡¯ under control. As for myself, I have had too many names throughout way too many reincarnations,¡± the being in front of me replied. ¡°And I¡¯ve stopped caring about them, to be honest. You might simply choose one?¡±

    Carne? I mused about the name, remembering him to be one of the leaders of the more powerful pantheons that ruled the multiverse. If that was the case, then this woman in front of me was likely not the average angel.

    I smiled and underscored my note from earlier. ¡°Just as all of us have many names, the beings that enter my office are myriad and manifold in shape and form. Please believe me that when I say that your purpose doesn¡¯t matter to me. Such is simply the nature of the multiverse and those with the ability to transcend between dimensions.¡±

    The woman frowned at me. ¡°So who I am doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°The truer you are to yourself, the easier it is for me to help you,¡± I replied.

    She hesitated but seemed to come to a decision. A moment later, her body was engulfed in arcane flames, revealing what she likely thought of as her true form.

    One half of her body was still her previous angelic self. A beauty without equal that possessed a white feathered wing protruding from her right hip. But whereas her right would have drawn the eyes of any being of light, her left half was nothing less than demonic. Not ugly, but it had the sensuous features of a deadly predator.

    Manicured fingernails to the right, polished claws on the left hand.

    What looked like a golden-white tiara on one side, was a flaming crown of horns on the other.

    A beautiful and gentle blue eye on the right ¨C the slit, glowing pupil of a monster to the left.

    She was a being of opposites, but beautiful and alluring in her own, unique way. I wouldn¡¯t have said that her contrasts clashed, but that they merged to form an intimidating wholesome creature that demanded respect through appearance alone.

    The woman on my couch nodded towards me.

    She hesitated.

    ¡°How about going with the name your parents gave you?¡± I offered. ¡°If you had something like parents?¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes grew distant as she was taken over by a memory and I allowed her the time to think, but she caught herself after a few moments. ¡°Seria. That¡¯s my name.¡±

    ¡°Any titles?¡± I asked, noting down the name of my newest customer.

    The woman smiled. ¡°Some call me the Goddess of Life and Death, but you can call me Seria.¡±

    ¡°Then the reason for your visit,¡± I clarified. ¡°Those who come to me rarely have physical problems which they cannot deal with unless the problem lies within their own nature.¡±

    I nod. ¡°Can you point out why? Excuse the need to clarify, but claiming power over the domains of Life and Death seems pretty important to me. A god who presents two such powerful concepts can hardly be unimportant.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    She tilted her head. ¡°I guess that would probably be the case, from a mortal¡¯s perspective. Maybe my problem is that I am hardly associating with any mortals nowadays. My husband is a god. My parents are also gods. The people in my vicinity are hardly bothered by things such as life and death.¡±

    ¡°That means you are part of a larger pantheon,¡± I concluded.

    ¡°I guess you could say that,¡± she hedged around the subject. ¡°We aren¡¯t that insular. When our help is needed, we step in. It happened a few times in recent memory. Though, most of those in power prefer it if we stay out of the picture. Just as we hate it when our involvement becomes necessary.¡±

    ¡°

    I bit my lip. ¡°May I ask who your parents and your people are?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± I looked at the woman in front of me, really looked at her for the first time. ¡°You are that Seria. From the Chimerans. Your parents are¡­ kind of infamous among the transcended communities.¡±

    Seria rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes. They have a tendency to take over wherever they go. It wasn¡¯t easy to be one of their children. And now that we are talking about it, therein probably lies my issue.¡±

    I tilted my head. ¡°With a father like that-¡±

    The goddess vehemently shook her head. ¡°Oh, no! Dad isn¡¯t the problem at all. He is all about freedom and doing whatever he pleases. It¡¯s Mom who is the problem. Things always have to be in the right place with her. There is no middle ground. I swear, if she didn¡¯t have Dad to nag on, the multiverse would be a neatly ordered pile of stale boringness.¡±

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°I see.¡± I nodded to myself and looked down at my notes. I had been writing while Seria was talking. ¡°One parent who is very lenient, if unpredictably volatile, and another who is very strict. Aside from his tendencies towards others, is there anything bad you could say about your father?¡±

    Seria¡¯s face scrunched up in distaste, her voice filled with trepidation. ¡°It¡¯s that damned thing that he created to watch out for me!¡±

    ¡°Thing?¡± I frowned, noting that the woman had gotten truly emotional for the first time.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°The cat! It¡¯s his creation, and the worst of it is that nobody ever notices it! That¡¯s why it is so ingenious. He somehow slipped it past mother¡¯s attention when they created this multiverse!¡± Seria wrung her hands as if she was strangling something.

    This multiverse? As in, there had been others? I wondered, and then I shook my head, deciding that delving too deeply into the secrets of a primordial deity wasn¡¯t healthy for me. Especially when it was about the secrets of those two.

    ¡°Riiight,¡± I drooled the word to gain some time, asking myself whether I should activate some of my security measures. Violent patients didn¡¯t happen to me often. I didn¡¯t cater to that kind of clientele, but it did happen.

    She stopped me. ¡°You are going to say that there is no such thing as omniscience in the multiverse, and that is certainly true. But if there is something that comes close, then it¡¯s the cat! It¡¯s Chaos¡¯s cursed creation!¡±

    I swallowed. ¡°You seem pretty upset about that.¡±

    ¡°Of course I am!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Dad may not be like Mom. He would never tell you not to do something, but he is always watching. And when you do something he dislikes¡­¡±

    The woman shuddered and flicked her finger. ¡°Poof?¡±

    ¡°Poof?¡± I swallowed. For some reason, my throat had become dry.

    ¡°Poof!¡± she affirmed.

    ¡°I think that I have enough on that front,¡± I interjected quickly before she could work herself up even more. ¡°And I may have a small idea of what the problem might be.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± Seria seemed taken aback.

    ¡°When was the last time that you went down your own path?¡± I questioned. ¡°I mean, doing something that doesn¡¯t get your family involved.¡±

    The angel-demon frowned and tilted her head from one side to the other. Then her eyes wandered upwards as she searched her memories. ¡°I actually can¡¯t remember. Before I reincarnated the last time, a few thousand millennia ago?¡± Her face scrunched up. ¡°I actually have trouble remembering what I did before then.¡±

    ¡°I tell you what,¡± I smiled. ¡°What you need is a vacation. But for it to work, it has to be without anyone you know. Tell your parents to stay at home and strike out for some plane of existence where you can play on your own. It¡¯s important that you get to do your own thing for once in a while.¡±

    Seria still looked dubious of my suggestion. ¡°Like where? Someone is bound to recognize me sooner or later if I get involved with a world¡¯s deities. I guess I could go to the Infernal Planes, but they hate my family there. I think they even threw out my father, saying that he should never come back. Not that it bothers him or that he gives two shits about what those Planar Lords tell him. They are delusional if they think they could stop him.¡±

    ¡°No, not the Infernum! Please?¡± I winced. The Infernum wasn¡¯t a place where one could relax. What did it say about Seria that she actually considered going there just to get away? In fact, I knew of not a single god or deity who would voluntarily visit those dimensions.

    I set down my pen. ¡°You know what, I will suggest a place for you. Some backwater plane at the edges of the multiverse that nobody ever heard of. There may be some mythics living there, but that¡¯s nothing someone of your calibre can¡¯t deal with!¡±

 Ch1 EVO?

    ***Secure Gateway Facility ¨C Cell 0-03-230, Tibet, Earth***

    ***Magnus***

    The man sat down at his side of the table and shuffled through his stash of papers, pointedly not looking at me. He wore an expensive suit and had the looks of someone who had done this job for years and was getting tired of it, arriving long ago at the point at which his human charges were nothing more than yet another case study to him.

    I pulled at the restraints that held me in my chair, but they didn''t budge.

    He shot me nonetheless a magnificent glare, telling me that I shouldn''t make the situation any worse than it already was.

    ¡°Magnuson Elrod, born 07.10.3893 in Europe, Iceland. Got a degree in physics and programming. Worked at the Iceland Space Research Institute. Then transmigrated to Australia when you were twenty-eight. Two years later, back to the EU, Germany. One year later, you relocated once again, this time South Amerika. And then nobody knew where to find you for the next two years. Which makes you thirty-three right now.¡±

    I only blinked in reply and enjoyed that the man looked somewhat irked at my apparent refusal to speak. He had already made a show of how much he knew about me, laying out what little he actually knew about me, so I stayed silent.

    When he realized that I didn''t care much for his spiel, he dropped his act of being tough. ¡°Magnus, you are being charged with over a hundred homicides on various political figures all over the world. They are trying to stick you with connections to several anti-governmental groups, which is a reason for exile in of itself if they can prove just one of these affiliations. The accusations that the world government is throwing at you aren''t even funny anymore. If I can help you, I will ¨C but I need information.¡±

    I said nothing. It wasn''t as if the charges were completely wrong. Though I guessed that the powers in charge were just throwing all the shit they had in their buckets, hoping that enough would stick to convict me.

    He leaned forward. ¡°Talk to me, man. I am only doing my job here and you aren''t helping. Even I know that ninety-nine percent of their claims must be bullshit! But they are going to exile you if you don''t help me here. Together, we may keep you on Earth. You will have to face a few years in a re-educational facility. It will be no joke, but at least you won''t be dead. Or worse. You know the stories about Tirnanog.¡±

    Ah, the rumoured world of terror that was now Earth''s special penal colony for undesirables and inhumane experiments.

    I shrugged but acknowledged that he was showing some genuine emotion towards my plight. Thinking that this man was maybe one of the few good people caught in the world government''s shitty system, I decided to throw him a bone.

    Though, would it help him to sleep better if I talked, or would it make everything worse?

    Figuring that it wouldn¡¯t change anything, I cleared my throat. ¡°Three weeks ago, I sat in front of the African parliament in Egypt. I waited for Senator Idama to leave the building. From what I have learned during my travels, he was one of the driving forces behind Project Exile. He and many others are responsible for the organized deportation of many innocent people. Some who simply overhead things that they shouldn''t. Others who had ideas that they shouldn''t. And yet others who I don''t know why they were exiled in the first place.¡±

    I leaned forward, but the chair''s restraints automatically tightened and pulled me back.

    ¡°If you tell anyone that I told you this, you will probably be exiled next.¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°I stood up when Idama walked past me. Then I shot him thrice in the chest, and once in the knee when he didn''t go down as he was supposed to. I took out the other knee and his shoulders. I emptied the entire magazine into him. And then, because that wasn''t enough for the genetically manipulated bastard, I took the spike and the hammer that I had prepared and nailed the thing through his eye socket. Just at the angle that my informant had told me was necessary to get through the weak point in his fibre-glass enhanced skull. Grizzly work, I tell you.¡±

    The man drew his lips taught, then looked towards the camera that observed the room. The thoughts that were rampaging through his brain were written plainly on his face.

    ¡°They don''t have a microphone in here, so don''t worry. But that''s not everything I did,¡± I continued. ¡°I am one of the leaders of the secret organization that hacked and redirected the Phenes weather satellite from its course and had it blow the American legal firm Kelen Rights to orbit. An agency whose main employers are the very people who supported our beloved senator and his cohort. They were instrumental in clearing the waters of bureaucracy for their employers.¡±

    The lawyer''s face paled. ¡°You couldn''t possibly know that. You were incarcerated and without access to the outside.¡±

    I waved my hands around as much as the restrictions allowed me to. ¡°Only proof for you that I am at least a part of the perpetrators. How else would I know about it if I hadn''t been aware of the operation beforehand? Don''t you think?¡±

    ¡°Over four thousand people died in that terrorist attack! The Kelen Rights firm was located in a densely populated district in Manhatten! They still haven¡¯t found all the bodies!¡± He quickly covered his mouth, knowing that he wasn¡¯t supposed to tell me anything about the outside world.

    ¡°Ah, so the operation was a success. Then I am nothing more than a man who deserves his exile.¡± I nodded gravely. ¡°Though, I believe that I and my people didn''t achieve much with our actions. The world is just like that. Corrupt and unforgiving. We cut off the snake¡¯s head, but the body keeps on moving. Even now Idama''s subordinates are surely fighting to take over his position in an attempt to get a piece of the power. To keep the machine going and to uphold the status quo.¡±

    The lawyer straightened. ¡°Then why? So many innocents!¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°Why do anything? Why let them get away with what they do? Because fighting them would mean the death of good men and women and children? Their mistake wasn''t to piss off a good man. I am a simple man Mr. Lawyer. If you give me a reason to hurt you, then I will hurt you. There isn''t much more to it as far as I am concerned.¡±

    ¡°They will kill you,¡± he replied. ¡°Look at you. There is no way that you will survive being exiled to Tirnanog.¡±

    I looked down at my middle-aged self. Slightly overweight and certainly having failed my daily exercises, I didn''t look like much. The ministry of healthcare scoffed at citizens like me. Even with the enhancements which I was to receive upon exile, survival in Tirnanog was highly unlikely.

    ¡°I still have to go,¡± I reaffirmed the decision that I had made years ago. ¡°I have to go. There is nothing that keeps me here.¡±

    The good man stood up and took his stash of files. Then he practically flew out of my cell as if he had just visited the devil himself.

    It was strange. I didn¡¯t feel like the monster that he probably saw me as. Many humans could see the world only in black and white, not realizing that their perpetual white probably created more harm and suffering than a few short years of black. I saw myself more as a grey person.

    I smiled, wondering whether I would meet the judge again in exile, or whether he would be smart enough to keep his mouth shut. The very fact that he was still working in this facility as a cog in the machine made me suspect that the latter was the case.

    My cell stayed lonely for the next two hours or so. Or was it three? It was hard to tell the time without my captors providing any clock. They were surely doing their damnedest to jump through the bureaucratic loops that would get me exiled as quickly as possible.

    The next visitors were two clerks in white. One placed a tray with several needles and intravenous packages in front of me, while the other read from his notepad. ¡°Wow, we have a multiple murderer here! He is to receive the standard experimental nanites and virus zero.¡±

    ¡°Standard combination for anyone who isn''t supposed to survive,¡± the clerk with the needles stated without much emotion and looked at me. ¡°Some of the higher-ups must really hate you to administer the outdated stuff.¡±

    ¡°Don''t place any of this week''s bets on him!¡± Notepad-man commented with a chuckle. ¡°They don''t last long without the advanced enhancements that come directly from R&D.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    While facing away from his comrade, Needles-guy switched out the ampoules that his compatriot had administered with something that he had hidden inside his chest pocket. Using practised motions, he loaded an injector with them.

    Without much fanfare, he pressed the injector against my neck and the two of us made eye contact. He nodded, hinting that all was well, and proceeded to install one of the IV drops that the pair had brought with them on my chair.

    ¡°Let''s go.¡± The other man signed something on his tablet and was already on his way out of my cell. ¡°129 more to go today! We can hook him up to the IV on our return trip.¡±

    They kept chattering while the door fell closed, but I didn''t catch onto what they were saying. The world was already spinning into darkness, my mind fading away.

    Time and unification hadn''t done much for humanity ¨C aside from changing the players and the battlefields. The world governments had united, but that didn''t mean that some regions wouldn''t still be exploited for the good of humanity.

    People were starving for resources, and so they looked towards space ¨C which turned out to be another dead end when the limitations of physics assured that homo sapiens would stay within the confines of its prison.

    Hope arrived with the development of wormhole technology.

    Scientists managed to punch a tunnel through space and time, finally reaching out to other worlds... or one world, as they later realized. For some yet unexplained reason, their hyped new tech was a two-station ticket.

    One was Earth.

    The other was Tirnanog.

    Some joker had decided to name the new land after the Celtic Otherworld and the label had stuck. A paradise of everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance, and joy.

    He couldn''t have been further from the truth.

    The world government sank uncountable amounts of resources into Tirnanog''s colonization and exploitation. But Tirnanog refused to be tamed by the humans and their technology. Its harsh conditions, its fauna and flora, it all proved too much for the feeble human body.

    Colonies quickly perished to the environment or the biological pests that infested Tirnanog. Humans were an invasive species in this place. But for once, it turned out that most things on Tirnanog found the strange bipedals to be a tasty thing.

    After decades of failed attempts, the world government abandoned its pet project and demoted the place to a penal colony long before my birth. A place to get rid of anyone who might step on their toes without resorting to imprisonment or death penalties. It was also a good testing ground for the newest weapons and genetic mods that they would grant to their elites.

    The words imprisonment or death penalty were no longer feared among Earth''s countless multitudes. Instead, the worst possible punishment would be exile to Tirnanog.

    I came back to myself when something rattled the chair I was in. Blinking at the moving lights, I realized that I was being moved down a corridor at a slight decline. Cell doors were passing to both sides, but there weren''t any guards as far as I could tell.

    My throat felt dry and I was covered in sweat. Otherwise, I noticed that felt great. Better than in all the years since I had embarked on my quest to get back my last living family members.

    Someone had transferred me into a wheelchair with much sturdier restraints than the ones that had held me earlier. Heavy steel cables forced my limbs and torso tightly into place, ensuring that I wouldn¡¯t make a run for it.

    Upon looking around, I realized that I was being transferred out of my cell alongside other inmates. Each of us was bound to their own wheelchair which was guided by what looked like a magnetic railway.

    The silent procession felt eerie until some of the others woke up and voiced their objections. Prisoners cried out their displeasure at the treatment and were quickly quieted by electric shocks. The entire process of deportation was apparently automated from here on out.

    Though, I found it surprising that nobody had found it necessary to inform me about my sentence after the lawyer had left me.

    I closed my eyes and kept quiet, having no desire to suffer an electric shock of my own. A thing which I had become very good at in the past years.

    The others took a little longer to learn, but the induced electricity quickly silenced even the most stubborn of the men.

    When my chair stopped, we had arrived in a large, round hall. Fifty prisoners in total had been arranged around a dark pit. I couldn''t see its bottom, which made the situation all the more ominous, but I guessed that this was a part of the large Synchrotron Collider that would open the wormhole to Tirnanog.

    The only hint that something was happening was a faint humming sound and a bright light that seemed to rise from the dark.

    A pillar that lowered from the ceiling caught my attention. Several screens on it faced in all directions, ensuring that every prisoner would be equally informed on what was about to happen next.

    A man in a snobby doctor¡¯s outfit appeared on the screen that was facing me. He looked somewhat dishevelled and corrected his glasses as he looked into the camera. My best assumption was that all the prisoners around the pit would have their own view of the same picture.

    The man cleared his throat and started speaking while ignoring the called-out questions from the men around me. So I assumed that he either didn¡¯t give a shit about us or that it was a recording.

    ¡°Ahem, my name is Professor Everhart, and I am the leading scientist of this project. Dear test subjects, listen well, so that you may provide the best results for further study and the improvement of humankind. After all, performing well in your coming trial means your survival in Tirnanog.¡±

    The screen changed and showed two images of what looked like bacteria and some highly complicated molecule.

    ¡°You were injected with nanites, microscopic robots that are able to change and alter your bodies. While you were unconscious, they built their own neural network inside of you and strengthened your bodies to be able to survive the transition. A second injection held the latest version of a DNA-recoder, a phage that is capable of rewriting your DNA into new configurations. It will be up to the nanites to guide this process and to ensure that there aren¡¯t any unwanted consequences.¡±

    The man chuckled self-deprecatingly as if he knew all too well that this didn¡¯t work even nearly as well as he wished it to.

    ¡°You likely all heard of this in school, but we are reaching for the limits of what¡¯s possible with our technology alone when it comes to Tirnanog. This project is an attempt to accelerate human evolution to the point that survival on Tirnanog is not only possible but for humanity to thrive under its harsh conditions. The average man among you will probably be unable to understand the details. Rest assured that your sacrifices are for the good of humanity and will eventually allow us to colonize the other worlds within our solar system. Even if Tirnanog remains out of reach.

    ¡°What¡¯s important for you to know is that your altered and improved bodies will be able to go through a rapid mutation. In the beginning, any genetic material you come into contact with in your new world will cause rapid changes to your bodies as the nanites adapt and incorporate hopefully beneficial traits of native gene sequences into your DNA.

    ¡°Since this process will be the most effective in the beginning, we have an affiliate waiting for you on the other side who will provide you with genetic samples that should start you on your evolutionary path. And who knows, maybe it will be one of you who becomes the progenitor of a new race of humans who call Tirnanog their home?

    ¡°But I digress. I should stick to the stuff that actually helps you to survive. Well, as I said, anything you eat will be incorporated into your evolution. First, small amounts of genetic material will suffice, but as your genetic code gains in complexity, alterations will be harder to make and the process will slow down. You will have to hunt the animals whose traits you wish for in increasing amounts. Or die trying. The intention is for each of you to forge your own path through chance and opportunity to eventually achieve an acceptable outcome.¡±

    The doctor winced as some thought struck him.

    ¡°Just try not to eat any plants or bugs before you are provided with some proper genetic samples by our affiliate. Those work out only in the rarest of cases, as their genetic traits are often too different from the human genome. It would be a shame to lose a test subject to such an easily avoidable mistake.

    ¡°Be also aware that you can exchange genetic traits with other humans who share your nanites through regular intercourse. Be aware that this can only happen between members of opposite genders. After all, the point of this project is to create a stable population of evolved humans on Tirnanog. Even if the government has given up on the possibility and is more interested in the more practical applications of our research¡­ but that doesn''t concern you...¡±

    The man on the screen kept talking, but my attention was drawn to the pit. The light grew brighter and brighter as the humming increased.

    ¡°¡­ Lastly, let me remind you that while you might feel very good at the moment, that won¡¯t be the case on Tirnanog. The planet has roughly seven times the gravity of Earth. The changes to your bodies should have already accomplished the bare minimum to have you survive under those conditions. Additionally, Tirnanog is revolving around a white dwarf in very close proximity. Meaning that it will be unpleasantly bright until you have adapted to the environment.¡±

    The man on the screen nodded gravely.

    ¡°Let me wish you the best of luck. However inhuman your punishment may seem, random evolution and mutation is the only path that¡¯s left to move forward for humanity. All other attempts have failed, so our hopes rest on you.¡±

    I desired nothing more than to curse this man and his speech, but at that moment my wheelchair tipped forward over the pit''s edge. I was left hanging at a ninety-degree angle above the flickering energy effect that now filled the entire pit.

    The whirring noise became all-encompassing as it droned out the so-called scientist¡¯s voice. From my point of view, his methods sounded like nothing more than the random experiments an alchemist of old may have used.

    Already guessing at what would happen, I tried to fumble for purchase with my hands, but it was futile. Whoever had designed these chairs had made sure that the prisoners hadn¡¯t any easy handholds.

    Wavering, and whirling, the light rose from the bottom of the pit. It wasn¡¯t what I had expected the wormhole to look like. But hadn¡¯t the scientist said that the other side was illuminated by a white dwarf?

    Before I could finish the thought, my restraints and those of forty-nine other exiles released, dropping us into the pit and onto another world.

 Ch2 EVO?

    ***The other side of the Gate, Tirnanog***

    ***Magnus***

    I literally fell through the fucking rabbit-hole.

    On my way down into the pit, I screamed, utterly blinded by the light that was bright enough to make me see the red of my eyelids even after covering my eyes with both hands.

    Together with the other exiles who had lost it too, we created a somewhat embarrassing chorus of screaming men that reminded me of a, particularly nasty roller-coaster.

    Then I hit the ground face-first... or rather... the water. My hands and arms that had protected me from the light additionally softened the blow. Still, it didn¡¯t feel like landing in water helped much.

    The height of the fall made it feel as if I had kissed the concrete of a street, but my new physique apparently allowed me to shrug off the impact.

    Struggling and kicking my feet like a newborn, I tried swimming upwards while swallowing handfuls of water. Finally, I managed to resurface and take a look at the new world while gasping for air.

    The sun high above was too bright and large to even look at.

    It was indeed like Tirnanog''s landscape was exposed to an oversized flashlight, making it hard to see much. But I could make out the shore of what seemed to belong to the small lake that I had landed in.

    Not wanting to waste any time, I started to swim, pushing aside fellow exiles who weren''t as quick on the uptake. My organization couldn''t find out much on Project Exile, but we managed to get some information. Like that getting out of any water quickly was important for survival.

    Some of the other exiles were calling out to the heavens to take them back to earth. Others were simply venting their frustration by beating the water.

    Only a rare few of us were actually trying to reach the shore as quickly as possible.

    At least that was the case until the screams of outrage turned into cries of terror. From their complaints, I collected that there was something with us in the water. Something that had dragged someone beneath the surface.

    Neither did I care, nor did I look back as I made my way towards shore as quickly as possible one stroke at a time. The shore was so close and yet so far. When something wanted to take a bite out of you, twenty meters felt like a kilometre.

    I had heard the stories about this world and I had no illusions about surviving some aquatic predator by dodging it in its own element. My best hope was that the others would provide a sufficient distraction for whatever had an empty belly.

    Someone or something grabbed my foot in an attempt to pull me down ¨C or itself forward.

    Screaming, I simply kicked out, hitting something that quickly let go.

    Then I was swimming again and reached shallower waters only to crawl onto land like some newborn. By the time I had reached the rocky shore, I was struggling to breathe. Rising to my feet to walk the last few steps out of the water required a feat of strength that I wasn''t used to.

    But I managed through an effort of pure adrenaline. Whatever had been in the water had put the fear of mother nature into my bones.

    Turning, I surveyed the blue lake that had welcomed us so softly to this world.

    Some of the other people were still in the churning waters, but most were reaching solid ground by now.

    Further out, the lake''s water had taken on the pinkish colour of dissolved blood.

    I couldn''t help but shake at the thought of returning to the lake when I realized that there was no guarantee that whatever had eaten some of my fellow exiles would actually have the decency to stay in the water.

    Looking around, I bent down and picked up one of the sharper rocks that had a good edge to it. Pummelling some monster with it would likely turn out to be futile, but I felt better holding it.

    Watching the others dragging themselves out of the water took a moment of my attention before I searched the unfamiliar forest beyond the shore for this so-called affiliate that the researcher had mentioned. Sadly, I couldn''t find anyone human enough to fit the expectation.

    There was some furry critter in a tree further away who was watching us with interest. Three-legged and with a long bushy tail, it had similarities with an ape, but yet clearly wasn''t anything from Earth. Thankfully, it didn''t look like it intended to go on a murder spree any time soon.

    Something leathery that was probably the equivalent of a bird flew from tree to tree, not paying us any attention.

    By the time I got bored of my inspection, the last survivor had made it to shore and was emptying his belly on all fours.

    My legs already started to shake just from standing upright and the rock in my hand felt unusually heavy. The gravity on this world was a nightmare.

    Once more I checked the water for any sign of the predator, but it had apparently eaten its fill.

    More screams and curses turned my attention away from the dangerous waters and towards the other exiles.

    Some men had tried to make their way away from the rocky shore and onto what looked like a field of grass that formed a little clearing next to the lake. Only, what went for grass in this world was apparently slightly different from what we were used to. So were the trees and other vegetation.

    Everything seemed familiar but was slightly... off.

    The grass for example. It was green and about the size of what would be expected of grass. But instead of the familiar blades, they were tiny stems that ended in pointy needles.

    I stepped closer and gingerly tested the grass with my stone.

    The green lawn was a field of pointy spikes rigid enough to stab right through the rubber sole of a shoe. Which was exactly the fate that the first unfortunate fool who tried to leave the shore had suffered.

    Clad in a baggy, grey one-piece prisoner''s garb, combined with the cheapest shoes the prison could purchase, there wasn''t much of a question that traversing the vegetation beyond the shore would be a short-lived and painful experience.

    Backing off, I surveyed the clearing in front of me and the thick forest vegetation behind it.

    When I couldn''t make out any obvious way forward, I sat down to think. It looked like even this world''s plants were out to get us.

    Some of the other exiles were trying to organize themselves. At least those who hadn''t given up or lost it. The ones whose minds hadn¡¯t coped were sitting on the ground and bemoaning their fate.

    I ignored them. There was nothing that could be done for them.

    Given how straining just standing upright was, I decided to conserve my energy until I could decide how to proceed.

    It was fortunate that I looked just like one of the many other exiles who had lost it. Aside from those who were trying to organize themselves, many had apparently given up on life and were just sitting on the shore. A scarce few were even fighting with each other.

    I was just glad that nobody seemed to pay attention to me for the moment.

    Our plight of being caught between the deadly lake and untraversable greenery ended when something approached us through the underbrush, cursing up a storm while doing so.

    I watched with rapt attention, as a monster of a man made his way onto the clearing. He was at least two meters tall and carried a worn-looking crate.

    His skin had a greyish hue and white tufts came out of his slightly pointed ears. He wore a mane of long white hair. Together with his ragged clothes that were made out of animal hides, he was quite the sight.

    I would have probably laughed at the ridiculous getup if it hadn¡¯t been for the muscular body and the large spikes that protruded from his elbows. His forearms alone looked like he could pick up any of the exiles and break his victim like a twig.

    Ah, and he walked barefoot on the spiky grass, protected by hoof-like growths that came from the soles of his feet.

    He was cursing because he was being followed by a flock of little saurians who had the size of large rats. They squawked like chickens and were flitting around the man, nipping at his heels and jumping up to his waist to nip at a piece of small game that he had hanging from his belt.

    Somehow they managed to navigate the spike-grass, never setting foot on any of the needles.

    Whenever the newcomer struck out at one, they moved so fast, it was almost like they teleported to another spot, leaving behind a small trail of sparks.

    His attempt at stepping on one of them apparently agitated the creature and it jumped at his thigh, causing an electrical discharge that made the man flinch.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    He finally had enough and made his displeasure known by stomping his foot and roaring like a madman. The flock of little saurians was startled by his scream and dispersed in all directions. Some simply ran off while others spread the plumage on their backs two-ways and flew off into the trees.

    Okay, so maybe not rats, but more like pigeons?

    ¡°Little pests!¡± He huffed and dusted off the heavy leather kilt that protected his upper legs.

    He finally took notice of our sorry group and waved a hand that could have probably crushed the head of any of us normal humans.

    Or were we still normal humans? A human from Earth would probably be in the right to question such a claim.

    ¡°Hello, I am Roderick.¡± He looked around, searching for something. ¡°Has any of you seen a crate?¡± Roderick placed his huge hand on the banged-up metal container that he was carrying like a rucksack. ¡°Looks like this, just less damaged?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    I watched as the other exiles exchanged dumbfounded glances, but there was no crate to be found.

    Roderick sighed and dropped his crate onto the clearing. ¡°Fuckers must have dropped it into the water again. Why do they always drop it into the water? It¡¯s like they are intentionally avoiding opening their stupid portal above a nice clearing.¡±

    While Roderick complained and walked past us into the lake, I and many others only glanced at the spike-grass as we imagined what it would have been like to land there instead of in the water.

    Roderick went under like some rock, not even trying to swim.

    Personally, I was more concerned with the image of landing in the spike-grass.

    I mean, the water had monsters, but having whatever side I landed on pin-cushioned with five centimetre long needles didn¡¯t sound appealing either. Nothing had given me the idea that training as a fakir was a necessary skill before coming here. That, and I had to remind myself that I had managed a very ungraceful faceplant in the lake.

    Yeah, the monsters inside the lake were probably the better option when it came to a group¡¯s survival rate.

    Roderick resurfaced, carrying a brand-new crate. He had apparently simply walked across the lake¡¯s ground to get his prize ¨C untroubled by whatever had eaten quite a few exiles.

    I made a quick count, but couldn¡¯t make out much more than thirty people. Which meant that we had lost more than ten exiles to the lake monster. Or was it simply a case of them being unable to swim?

    Roderick sighed and dropped the new crate onto the clearing. He knelt and opened it, then took out a large Havanna cigar. He bit off one end and ignited it with a lighter from inside the crate.

    Then he closed it and sat down on top of it, looking at us with a pleased expression. ¡°Let me greet you to the land where blood and guts flow freely and splattered brains bloom from every unaware neck.¡±

    He took a long pull. ¡°I could give you guys the long version, but let me make it short: You are fucked!¡±

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± One of the exiles screamed. ¡°Tell us how we can get out of here!¡±

    Roderick didn''t reply. Instead, he bent down and ripped out a fistful of spike-grass. Then his hand blurred as he threw it at the complainer without any sign of hesitation.

    The result was a face and upper torso full of needles that the now screaming man could have probably avoided if he had just kept his mouth shut up.

    Our new compatriot rolled his eyes. ¡°Could someone shut him up? There are murderers among you, right?¡±

    The men looked at each other.

    Roderick whistled. ¡°Imagine what would happen if his screams attracted one of the larger predators. I would have to leave you all here while I escaped to safety.¡±

    I winced when one of the men picked up a large stone and brained the guy who had caught a case of needle-face.

    Roderick sighed in relief. ¡°That''s one less to worry about. Now, let me count. There are... thirty-one of you! That''s a lot, given that you landed in the lake.¡±

    A lot? They had thrown fifty of us through the wormhole and less than half an hour later we were already down to almost half our number.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I have only twenty pieces of meat with me this time. And you will have to eat almost all of it to activate your nanotech for the first time.¡± Roderick turned around and pulled the banged-up crate closer. ¡°Which means that eleven of you have to go. Sorry, guys. How do you want to do this?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Another exile dared to speak up. ¡°Haven''t they told you how many they send?¡±

    Roderick scratched his head. ¡°Yeah, sorry. Normally, there are less than ten of you left when I arrive. I should have probably walked slower.¡±

    ¡°Dude! Not cool, man!¡± another exile called out. ¡°Why would they do this!¡±

    ¡°Too many men,¡± Roderick replied, sounding a little sarcastic. ¡°Haven''t you thought about any of this? Earth exiles a lot more men than women. You are a group of fifty. They sent probably less than ten women at once and they dumb them all directly into the Old Camp. This science project is fucked up. They don''t need so many males, so they cull our numbers by running you through a survival of the fittest trial.¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡±

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Roderick searched the crowd with his eyes, but the culprit didn''t dare to speak up a second time.

    The large man harrumphed when he couldn''t make out his next victim. ¡°Anyway. I am just the paid help. Don''t blame me if you are too weak for this world.¡±

    My eyes wandered towards the crate he was sitting on.

    More like a ''bribed'' help. And a highly unreliable one at that.

    ¡°Well, be that as it may.¡± Roderick pointed somewhere behind him. ¡°In that direction lies the Old Camp. It''s at a cliff-side, protected by a river on the left and marshlands on the right. Your task is simple. Eat the meat that I will provide you and reach the camp. Join one of the groups there and survive. With that, my task is done.¡±

    Roderick stood up and threw the crate he had brought with him into the group of survivors.

    Humans being humans, and the exiles being some of the worst of them, the result was to be expected.

    Most of the exiles went for each other''s throats as they tried to get to the crate.

    I got back to my feet, glad that I had held myself apart from them and at the edge of the group.

    Ready to fight, but holding back, I waited, hoping that enough of the others would knock themselves out for me to get a piece of mystery meat without risk to myself.

    The insanity of people smashing and beating each other to a pulp wasn''t lost on me.

    And my plan would have worked flawlessly if it hadn''t been for one simple fact.

    Human greed.

    The man who eventually managed to claim the title of ¡®king of the hill¡¯ was a more human version of Roderick. Dark-skinned and with the body of a weightlifter, he managed to defend the crate for long enough for the others to realize that there were only eighteen of us left. So fighting no longer made sense.

    It was the same guy who had brained the man earlier.

    The rest of the exiles littered the ground. They were either crying about their injuries or not moving at all. Those who were still standing made quick work of anyone who was unable to defend themselves. It showed that there wasn¡¯t much love lost among us.

    I started to develop a serious dislike for Roderick. He had definitely lost some marbles during his time in exile. I mean, I probably wasn¡¯t anyone who had the right to judge, but at least I didn¡¯t delight in causing senseless suffering when there was probably a solution to something as simple as a handful of meat.

    ¡°Haah...¡± The dark-skinned man breathed heavily, but evenly. ¡°And now, I am going to decide who is going to get a piece of the cake.¡± He straightened and smirked at the rest of us. ¡°If you want to join my group, you will have to prove your worth to me.¡±

    I looked towards Roderick, but he showed no motivation to interfere. He was much more interested in sucking on his cigar while using us as some sort of entertainment.

    ¡°How are we supposed to prove-¡±

    One of the other exiles spoke up, drawing Mr. Muscle''s attention when I threw my trusty rock. If the fuckers thought to create some deranged tribe hierarchy with Mr. Muscles as the chieftain, then without me. I had better things to do than to play survival in the forest.

    My rock hit its target dead-centre on the back of his head.

    While Mr. Muscles went down, I was already moving towards the crate, glaring at any exile who might object. They didn¡¯t, so I knelt and unclasped the locks to open it.

    Twenty unmarked compartments with one piece of meat each greeted me.

    I simply grasped one and took a bite before something knocked me over from the side.

    Mr. Muscles was back up and pissed. Which was a development that I definitely hadn¡¯t expected after braining him with a heavy fist-sized rock.

    He knocked the meat out of my hand and delivered a punch into my jaw that would have knocked out or killed any normal person, but we exiles weren¡¯t quite normal anymore. The hit rattled my brain quite well, but I wasn¡¯t out of the fight yet. It was something that I could have thought about before trying to back-stab the largest ape in this group.

    I managed to grasp a fistful of gravel from between the larger rocks and threw them at Muscles¡¯s face. Then I rolled away and backed off, searching the ground for a larger stone that would actually bash in the head of Mr. Muscles.

    While doing so, I quickly chewed what little meat I had gotten and swallowed.

    But before we could go at it again, the roar of something huge shook the clearing.

    ¡°Oh, I told you guys not to be so loud. Gotta go!¡± Roderick didn¡¯t hesitate. He picked up his brand-new crate and ran. The huge man that could have probably manhandled any of the exiles ran away like the devil itself was about to enter the clearing.

    Then a huge head broke through the underbrush.

    I had often watched documentaries of dinosaurs as a kid, and the creature reminded me of triceratops, but this one had just a single eye and its physique looked a lot more nimble. Its maw was more like a mix between a canine and a shark, hinting that this one wasn¡¯t a vegetarian.

    It opened its maw and its throat bulged like toad¡¯s before a stream of liquid fire shot at the group of exiles, catching two of us.

    Cursing, I dove to the side and threw myself into the shallower water instead of fleeing along the lake¡¯s shore like the others. I could only hope that the lake monster was already satiated or unwilling to leave the deeper waters.

    Hugging one of the larger rocks on the lakebed, I drew myself beneath the surface while another gout of fire showered the shore, followed by an explosion.

    Now I knew why humanity had problems with conquering this world. Judging by Roderick¡¯s earlier interactions with the little saurians, the pigeons were frigging tasers and the local cows were the size of a pickup truck and had inbuilt flame throwers! Oh, and they seemed to prefer meat.

    Not to forget that stupid grass!

    I stayed underwater for as long as I could. Even when I no longer heard anything, I still stayed beneath the water until my lungs burned like fire.

    When I couldn''t hold out any longer, I slowly peeked my head above the surface.

    The coast was a mess. A part of the clearing had been ignited. Luckily, the flora wasn¡¯t dry enough to start a forest fire and was simply smouldering while the fire extinguished itself.

    The triceratops monster was chilling out no less than ten meters away from me. It was busy, happily slurping up the bodies of the ten or so losers that Roderick¡¯s stupid game had produced. Which included the two bodies that its flamethrower attack had caused.

    Its belly was already bulged out beyond what looked to be healthy, but it kept going anyway.

    And then there were three more dead bodies further down the shore. Some explosion had taken them out. Also a skill of the monster? I didn¡¯t know and I had no interest in testing the creature. Could the triceratops monster shoot rockets?

    I didn¡¯t want it to use whatever long-ranged attack had taken out the others to drive me out of the water. So I drew in another slow breath and returned to hugging my stone.

    The next half an hour was agony as I regularly resurfaced for a short breath of air while I waited for the monster to finish its meal.

    And the damned thing was a meat destroyer. It ate all the bodies on the shore, emptied the crate that was intended for us, and then waddled down the shoreline to get the other bodies.

    There was no sign of my fellow exiles, but I guessed that they had risked the forest instead of staying within easy reach of the monster.

    It took at least an hour until I felt safe enough to crawl back on land.

    Once back on the rocky shore, I had no idea how to proceed. Roderick was gone, the crate had been emptied, and I had gotten only one bite of whatever mystery meat was inside.

    The only ones who still shared the shore with me were some of the damned pigeon-saurians that had pestered Roderick earlier. They were picking through whatever blood and gore the large monster had left behind.

    I had the insane thought of catching one of them but sobered when I remembered that Roderick hadn¡¯t come close to touching a single one.

    That was right up until I saw the injured one.

    Its tail was wounded and it was dragging it after itself, attached by not much more than a strap of skin. Maybe it had been caught up in the explosion?

    I looked in the direction, noting that it had been strong enough to take out a few branches of what was the equivalent of a tree.

    I slowly knelt down and picked up a stone. Then I approached the little fucker that was cleaning out the crate. Somehow, it immediately noticed that I was sneaking up on it. It stopped licking the blood from the crate and squawked, looking at me.

    Seeing no other chance, I threw my stone ¨C and missed.

    The little saurian blurred and was right next to me, nipping at my heel.

    My leg shook and seized up as the little monster electrocuted me!

    ¡°Arrgh!¡± Flailing, I went down.

    I could have sworn that the saurian mocked me with a grin as it jumped right in front of my face and dashed off.

    Cursing, I sat up, only to realize that all the little saurians had left the shore for good now.

    I allowed myself a moment of self-pity at my ill-thought-out plan of coming here. How had I expected to survive this place alone and without resources? I had been a fool. All I had accomplished was to die a fool''s death in this horrendous world.

    That was until I noticed the little tail lying next to me.

    However fucked up it may seem, the little lost appendage was a ray of hope in this blighted situation.

 Ch3 EVO?

    ***Tirnanog***

    ***Astra Frost***

    The firehorn wasn¡¯t the fastest nor the most dangerous creature on this world, but the exiles hadn¡¯t gone through a single evolution yet. Hence, they had no chance against such a predator. Not even I was comfortable with coming too close to something that could spit napalm and regurgitate exploding fireballs.

    I fumed as I watched them through my filaments.

    The exiles paved their way through the underbrush as fast as they could. It was agonizing just to follow their pitiful struggle. Luckily for them, the firehorn had eaten its fill for the moment.

    Unaware of Roderick¡¯s presence, the creature waddled along not far away, unhurriedly following the exiles¡¯ trail through the forest. Its belly was bloated like a balloon and hard at work to digest the bodies. Bones, hair, and clothes included.

    For the time being, the exiles were faster than their hunter, but one remarking feature of firehorns was their relentlessness. Mama firehorn would stay on the exiles¡¯ trail until it caught up to them.

    I guessed that it would take a few hours for the firehorn to digest and crap out its meal, and then it would go after the survivors at full speed. It would inevitably catch up to them and eat another dozen or so.

    If nothing was done, the game would repeat itself once more until all the exiles had gone down the firehorn¡¯s gullet.

    The big question was, why was an alpha-predator from the marshlands in this relatively safe part of the forest? An area that firehorns normally avoided because the vegetation was too thick for them to move easily. Additionally, this forest didn''t belong to their preferred hunting grounds for the lack of easy prey.

    Most of the forest animals were adapted to moving through the underbrush quickly, and firehorns were definitely not. They weren''t small enough to weave past the larger trees. Nor large or strong enough to simply break through the underbrush. The main danger that came from them was their flammable salvia.

    Thankfully, I already knew the answer for its presence.

    ¡°You are a cunt, Roderick!¡± I commented from above while I watched the newest batch of exiles run for their lives. From my hidden spot high up in the tree, I had a perfect view.

    Roderick startled slightly when I revealed my presence.

    He looked around, then up to the canopy of leaves. ¡°Hah, Astra! Don¡¯t surprise me like that.¡± He reached for his chest, trying his best to look like the surprised party, instead of the guilty one that he was.

    His eyes searched the canopy, but I could tell that he failed to discern me between the leaves. His evolution had taken him down a road of physical power, but his senses were woefully inadequate for survival.

    Roderick smiled up at where he thought I was hidden. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come down so that we have a proper chat?¡±

    I moved the decoy that I had created with my filaments, making it seem like I dissolved and re-emerged in a different spot.

    That quickly wiped the stupid grin from his face, as it showed him his own foolishness in wrongly assuming my position.

    Normally, I didn¡¯t bother messing with people like that, but Roderick had pissed me off with his stupid games. We had made a deal and he had broken it.

    If I hadn¡¯t thought of making sure that he held his side of the bargain, I would be wondering a few days from now why none of the newcomers had made it to the Old Camp.

    ¡°So that you could attack me?¡± I asked while sending out my filaments further, having them creep slowly down the trunk and partly emerge from the canopy. A few seconds later Roderick found himself surrounded by an eerie spectacle of shimmering bands that seemed to float freely through the air.

    Some of the other survivors at the Old Camp called them tentacles, but I preferred to use filaments as a description. Thinking of them as filaments allowed me to cling to more of my humanity. ''Tentacles'' felt too dehumanising.

    He chuckled. ¡°Why would I attack you? The Aeries wouldn¡¯t take that lightly. I am not stupid enough to ruin my chances of joining one of the larger clans.¡±

    ¡°Because I caught you flat-footed violating our deal,¡± I explained calmly. My filaments were now creeping further down from the treetop. The little black bands glowed slightly as they writhed and moved, giving me a better impression of my surroundings.

    Roderick found himself surrounded by a floating light show that was just as pretty as much as it spelt death for anyone who knew the creatures I had gotten my evolution from.

    ¡°I am not aware of going back on any deal.¡± Roderick still didn¡¯t feel the need to run, but he swatted away one of the filaments that came too close.

    At least I had made him uncomfortable.

    He deserved no less for betraying me. Thankfully, I had learned long ago that there were only cut-throats and dishonourable scoundrels in this world. Even among the clans, I wouldn¡¯t dare to present my back to anyone other than my parents.

    I sighed and swung one foot over the other. ¡°I paid you with a really good catch so that you would do a proper job with the exiles. To make sure that they got a good start with their nanites. Plus, you took the Earth bastard¡¯s bribe too. I really wouldn¡¯t have cared about you breaking your deal with those who landed us on this world. But, as I see it, you took two payments for the same job and didn¡¯t put half the effort you should have into your task.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± He circled, trying to keep track of my filaments as his eyes alternated between them and the tree¡¯s canopy where I was hidden. ¡°I did everything you ordered me to. Got them good DNA to start their evolutionary path with. A mix of everything that might be a good start. Better than I got at least. Not my fucking problem if they are screaming through half the jungle and go for each other¡¯s throats instead of eating the meat. Why do you blame me for some predator snagging them?¡±

    ¡°Roderick, you really must think me a fool. You raided a firehorn¡¯s lair, slaughtered its brood and led the mother directly to the exiles,¡± I explained calmly and stabbed at him with one of my filaments. ¡°I can still smell the sulfuric stink of the firehorn¡¯s eggs on you.¡±

    Roderick jumped and cursed at the small injury that my filament had caused on his thigh. It wasn¡¯t something grave, but even the smallest wound would draw predators through the smell of blood. ¡°Bitch!¡±

    ¡°I think that I have explained that the point of your task is to have at least a few of them become powerful enough to make it to the Old Camp,¡± I explained. ¡°I want more options to make it into the trials. At least some better ones than the disgusting idiots who are joining right now.¡±

    ¡°You could have told me that you are randy. When you gave me the mission, you avoided the core of the topic. If you had just told me plainly what you want, there would have been no problem. How was I supposed to know that you want more tryouts in the trials.¡± He licked his lips. ¡°Though, I am happy to provide.¡±

    ¡°You are perfectly capable of reading between the lines.¡± I stabbed him again and he jumped when I got his behind. ¡°I don¡¯t believe for a second that your subterfuge with the firehorn was not intentional. You are a stupid brute, but you aren¡¯t that stupid.¡±

    I was almost a hundred per cent certain that he intentionally tried to wipe out the newest batch of exiles so that he himself would have higher chances of being chosen by one of the clans at the next trials.

    ¡°Ah! Stop it!¡± He turned and drew a knife, ready to defend himself if one of my filaments came close again.

    It had taken him some time, but he had finally caught on that I didn¡¯t intend to let him get away with his games. Especially not after he had taken payment from me.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    That was why I hated staying at the Old Camp. It was a place for the newcomers and those who didn¡¯t fit in with any of the clans. The backstabbers and other filth that could be trusted even less than a sworn enemy.

    With his attitude, it was no wonder that Roderick was still stuck at the Old Camp after several years of being on this planet.

    Knowing his methods, any clan would think twice about sheltering him, even if he had some rare evolution. Which he did not.

    The clans depended on each other for survival. Picking new members from the newly arrived exiles could backfire just as much as it could benefit a clan. Because of that, joining a clan wasn''t easy for a new exile. They had to bring some benefit to the table and prove that they could be trusted.

    Some groups had tried the tactic of adding as many people as possible to their numbers. The fact that those clans were no longer around was proof enough that such a strategy was doomed to fail in this environment.

    Maybe if the people who were sent through the portals were average humans. But with the filth of society at our hands, it was hard to build any working social structure.

    I even dared to say that it was almost impossible.

    ¡°I have no interest in a mere strength evolution like yours,¡± I clarified that I had no interest in him. Roderick was apparently the type of person who needed to be told things plainly.

    The mere thought of laying with a brute like Roderick felt like an insult. It would also likely mess up my evolution even more than it already was. The filaments were a wonderful survival tool in this world, but they also dehumanised me in the eyes of many exiles. No matter that some of them looked grotesque in their own way, humans still found ways and reasons to single out others.

    Most of the people at the Old Camp didn¡¯t dare to approach me because of my appearance.

    Roderick grumbled while he rubbed his butt. ¡°At least I am still mostly human and not some mutated monster chick¡­¡±

    ¡°You said something?¡± I questioned, irked that he had stabbed right at a topic that bothered me.

    ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡± He turned and tried to weave through between my filaments. ¡°I think that I will go now.¡±

    I crossed my filaments in front of him. ¡°No. You will stay here until you have corrected your mistake. I insist.¡±

    ¡°Corrected?¡± He huffed and searched the canopy once more for my main body. ¡°How am I supposed to do that?! I can¡¯t fight an adult firehorn! The thing will roast me before I get close.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I licked my lips and tasted the air with a flick of my tongue. ¡°You just have to stay here for a little longer. If you behave, I won¡¯t even hamstring you any more than necessary to keep the firehorn¡¯s attention.¡±

    Roderick¡¯s eyes widened and he looked at the two small wounds that I had caused during our conversation. Then his eyes turned in the direction of the firehorn, which had changed its course. The creature had recognized the scent of the thief who had slain its brood. And it was coming to even the record.

    Which reminded me of the second trait that firehorns were feared for. They were vengeful suckers. Hurt one of their family group, and they would be after you as if you had a blood feud with them.

    ¡°Bitch!¡± Roderick screamed and tried to run, but I moved my filaments to catch his leg, quickly pulling him up into the tree where his larger strength wouldn¡¯t matter so much. All I had to do was to jostle him around without allowing him to get a hold of any of my filaments.

    Naturally, Roderick struggled and managed to catch one of my filaments, ripping it. His knife posed another problem, so I avoided his upper body while holding onto his ankles.

    I winced, feeling each time I failed and lost a filament, but over a dozen were on him as I tried to delay him for as long as possible. The filaments were very much a part of me, but losing one was more like getting your fingernails clipped. It wasn¡¯t anything like losing a limb.

    Still, I couldn''t risk losing more than half of them.

    ¡°Insane whore!¡± he screamed as he fought, incurring more small injuries as he struggled.

    His strength was enough to rip my filaments, but the thin bands had sharp edges that cut into his reinforced skin.

    The problem was that I couldn¡¯t just kill him. I needed him alive so that the firehorn would hunt him instead of the newcomers. It was the least he could do.

    I lost four more filaments before I had to let him go.

    Roderick fell unceremoniously to the ground. His great agility allowed him to turn mid-air and land on his feet and he immediately made his escape, but not without grabbing onto his crate.

    Moments later, he was running through the underbrush, but thanks to the delay that I had caused, the firehorn was now close enough to be firmly on his trail.

    I had to make my own getaway and clean my filaments from Roderick¡¯s smell. It would be a nuisance if I had to run from the firehorn in his stead. Luckily, Roderick made so much noise that the creature would ignore its sense of smell for now and go after him directly.

    While the monster crashed through the vegetation beneath, I made my way higher up the tree where I waited until the jungle returned to its normal noises.

    Once I was sure that the firehorn was chasing Roderick, I made my way across the interconnected treetops back to the lake where the exiles had been dropped off. I didn¡¯t bother with stealth and instead relied on speed, knowing that the smell of blood on my filaments would make it impossible to move unnoticed.

    Once I reached the lake, I launched myself directly into the water.

    The eel-like creatures that inhabited the small body of water may be a threat to unevolved humans if they attacked en masse, but to most more advanced exiles they were nothing more than a nuisance.

    Using the water as cover, I swam to the spot where the firehorn had attacked the new arrivals.

    My hope was that some of Roderick¡¯s samples had been left behind.

    I could have spared myself the time because aside from the empty crate and one body, the shore had been picked clean.

    A flock of zippers watched me from the trees. I didn¡¯t even bother with them, knowing that the small creatures were far too fast to catch. Early arrivals on Tirnanog had surely wasted more than one precious magazine of bullets in a vain attempt to shoot down the agile creatures.

    They were scavengers by nature, but their agility and swarm mentality allowed them to hunt even creatures far larger than themselves, given that they were hungry enough to do so.

    Thankfully, creatures the size of humans and bigger targets weren¡¯t on their radar. Though, I was sure that if an entire flock attacked, they would easily be able to paralyse a grown man with electric shocks and pick him apart.

    I blinked and sighed.

    This world was getting to me if I already started to make up ways to die that didn''t exist. As if there weren''t plenty of them just around the next tree.

    My attention was drawn to the body on the ground when it twitched.

    I walked up to the middle-aged man who was apparently still alive.

    The next moment, I realized that I had been stupid. The firehorn would have hardly left a body behind.

    His eyes twitched beneath his closed eyelids and an occasional shudder ran through his sweat-drenched body as it changed.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite the spot to go into evolutionary hibernation.¡± I clicked my tongue and cursed Roderick for failing to explain the process. Normally, he should have kept them save at the shore, watching over them while they hibernated, and then left them to make their way to the Old Camp by themselves.

    This wasn¡¯t how I had imagined things to go.

    It was a bad omen to wish ill on other humans, but hopefully, the firehorn would catch Roderick.

    I scratched the side of my head and wrapped my filaments around the hibernating man. Then I dragged him beneath some vegetation where he was out of sight and further away from the bloody battleground where his comrades had died. It wasn''t the best solution, but at least he wouldn''t be chewed on by some opportunistic critter.

    Less likely at least, I corrected myself. Going into hibernation without protection was still stupid.

    The fact that the zippers were still around hinted that nothing too dangerous was roaming the forest nearby. It would be up to the exile¡¯s luck to survive from here on out.

    I jumped and returned to the treetops, then followed the other exiles. If I wanted more of them to survive, then I would have to take a more active role once the next few batches arrived. According to my sources, Earth would send four more waves of fifty in the coming days.

    The survival rate among them would be next to zero if they continued to trample through the woods as they did up until now. Not that the current batch could be blamed for that.

    It took me half an hour to catch up to the other exiles and to set the remaining survivors on a path for survival.

    When I found them, they were already being stalked by a large omnieye. A large insect-like predator that looked like a tyrannosaurus and a praying mantis had an unholy child. It owed its name to the twelve eyes that covered every direction and granted the creature omnidirectional view. Hence, omnieye.

    The monster was intimidating, but all its brethren had a fatal weakness in the protective plate on the back of their heads.

    The eye that was located there sat directly in front of what substituted for its brain.

    A single precise stab with one of my filaments was enough to bring down the apex predator. From there on, I didn¡¯t waste any more time with the current batch of exiles.

    Killing one of the larger predators that was stalking them might have looked like I had done them favour, but it wasn''t. Even if they ate the omnieye¡¯s flesh, the evolution they would get wasn¡¯t a desirable one.

    In fact, most of the evolutions that the larger creatures of this world provided weren¡¯t desirable.

    Us older exiles had learned that it wasn¡¯t the large things you had to fear on Tirnanog. Not knowing an omnieye¡¯s weakness made them into intimidating hunters, but they were still large and loud. Such creatures were easily avoided if you knew to hone your senses.

    The things you had to fear were the ones faster than yourself and the monsters you couldn¡¯t see that went bump in the night.

    But those of the newcomers who survived the next few hours would learn that soon enough - once the sun fell beneath the horizon.

 Ch4 EVO?

    ***Tirnanog***

    ***Astra Frost***

    I had no desire to spend the night outside if there was no pressing need, so I burst from the treetops and spread my filaments wide to create as much surface area as possible. The wind caught on and I was dragged at a moderate speed over the dense forest canopy. Kind of like a tumbleweed.

    The thought made me smile.

    When I didn''t go in the direction I wanted, I bundled and angled my filaments slightly to imitate wings. Then I started to move them so that they created the necessary propulsion.

    It looked a little like a starfish wiggling its way through the air. A dedicated flyer with real wings would have been faster, but it worked well enough for me. Countless hours of trial and error had gone into figuring out this much. Concentration and coordination were the limiting factors for me.

    The treemonae from which I had gotten my main evolution achieved flight in a very similar way. Only very few people managed to watch them and live to tell the tale.

    This form of travel wasn''t the safest, since I had to be on constant alert so that nothing could snatch me from above or below. It was necessary to be high enough above the treetops to be able to avoid a predator that decided to jump off a branch, and low enough to dive back into the canopy should something airborne come after me.

    But every decision on Tirnanog was one between possibilities of death. Spending the night outside was still considerably more dangerous than exposing myself during daytime. At least I would see an enemy coming from further away. That was more than I would get during the night when only my filaments provided me with a sense of my surroundings.

    Through them, I was able to feel the tiniest air movements. Which was, in a way, a kind of seeing for me. Sadly, this sense was very limited in range and it wouldn''t warn me of a creature that was holding still.

    Thankfully, returning to the Old Camp went without further troubles and the sight of a cobbled-together village surrounded by a large wall greeted me about five hours later.

    The Old Camp was located on a plateau that was elevated above the jungle. The site had been chosen by one of the last colonization expeditions that had inevitably failed.

    Protecting the settlement''s north was a large cliff that went over into a long mountain range. If I followed it, it would lead me back to my clan''s lands.

    Cutting out a large valley, a river created another of the plateau''s boundaries to the west.

    To the south, the plateau slowly lost its elevation until it turned into untraversable marshlands.

    I pulled in a few of my filaments and drifted lower once I passed over the outer wall. The Old Camp''s first defensive line was made out of interconnected treetrunks. It was crude, but it held out the larger predators. The smaller ones had to be taken care of by the guards.

    The guardsmen took notice of my return but didn''t challenge me. Once someone was recognized as a member of the clans, they were generally left alone.

    Women, in particular, had a special standing in the Old Camp, whose main population consisted of rejects. Seeing a woman here meant that she was either from a clan and likely had a powerful evolution, or that she had been thrown out of a clan and therefore had to be avoided for the same reason.

    I completely retracted my filaments and wound them tightly around me once I touched the ground of what could be called the Old Camp''s central street. Doing so provided me with a form of reactive armour, but it wasn''t as good as having a real carapace ¨C which wasn''t uncommon among some exiles.

    The Jeng clan loved to hunt the iobeetles in their territory, which resulted in most of their members developing a fitting evolution. Their reinforced skin was tough enough to withstand all but armour-breaking bullets and most of their tribesmen were capable of bending steel with their bare hands.

    My way back to the central building where I was staying led past numerous stalls that provided all kinds of goods.

    Those who traded food could be found right next to a weapon''s shop, followed by a vendor for miscellaneous items. People tried to make a living with things that many others regarded as trash.

    When the man in the weapon''s shop saw that I wasn''t carrying anything, he increased his pitch, loudly praising his wares which ranged from medieval swords and maces to modern firearms.

    I ignored him, seeing him for what he was. A charlatan who lived off the ignorance of newcomers.

    Admittedly, having a rifle from Earth was nice, but it would do nothing against a creature like an omnieye unless you were an expert marksman and capable of hitting its weak spot. Even if a bullet penetrated its carapace, it would most likely only make the omnieye mad.

    On the same account, bashing an omnieye with a sword or a mace was utterly ineffective if you didn''t possess a strength-type evolution. And given that you had such an evolution, you would be capable of wielding a much heavier, more powerful weapon.

    Certainly nothing like the toothpicks that the merchant sold. Those had been designed for baseline humans. Probably left behind by some failed colonists who had tried to turn to other methods once their technology was worn down. Having a few tank cannons was fine and good against Tirnanog''s wildlife. Right up until your supplies dwindled without constant supply from Earth.

    Whether intended or not, Earth''s scientists had already turned our bodies into weapons.

    So, an evolved exile''s weapon had to be customized to a person''s evolution. Someone like Roderick would probably work best with an oversized warhammer if he wasn''t such a coward.

    I chuckled at the thought of him still being chased through the jungle. At night. By a firehorn no less.

    As I made my way further down the road, I observed the merchants packing up their stores to retreat for the night. Everyone would bunker down in safe shelters once night fell. Not even the guards would stay on their posts on the outer wall. They would retreat to the Old Camp''s inner fortress, a large, star-shaped bunker at the centre of the settlement.

    The next morning, they would head out and clean the streets of any creatures that had wandered into the settlement during the night. Afterwards, the general population would re-emerge.

    The old bunker was pretty much the only building that remained from the time of the original settlers. The Old Camp''s most powerful and its leaders had chosen it as their hideout.

    I arrived at the central square, a large, open area in front of the bunker which merged with the arena to my left and the pond to my right.

    The arena was essentially a fighting pit surrounded by a grove of trees that carried observation lounges. It was a place where newcomers could prove their worth to the clans.

    The pond was a worn-down leftover of the original colony. Originally, it had likely been a part of a large fountain or cistern that the first settlers had created. Now, it was just a large body of deep water that softened the fall of the female newcomers.

    Several clanswomen were arguing over there.

    I recognized members of the Aerie, the Jeng, Thich, Vier, and Hochberg. Pretty much all of the high and mighty that were currently residing in the settlement.

    There were more clans who had their territories close enough to the Old Camp for travel, but not all of them bothered to visit every year. Only the large groups maintained a permanent presence.

    One of the arguing group was an Aerie clanswoman who I recognized as a friend of mine, Thalia. She noticed me and waved me over, probably to assist her in creating some political pressure with numbers instead of arguments.

    I wondered whether I could pretend not to have seen her, but that likely wouldn''t go over well with my reputation at home once I returned to clan lands.

    Damn! She was a friend, so...

    Drawing in a deep breath, I wandered over to the group and prepared myself for some social shenanigans. When the large and powerful people flexed their muscles to impress each other, stupidity was assured. At least that much we had managed to bring with us from Earth.

    Sadly, it didn''t matter whether the people in charge were men or women.

    ¡°Thalia,¡± I nodded at the older woman who had a pair of leathery wings draped around her shoulders like a cape. Then I extended the same courtesy to the other clan representatives. ¡°What''s the problem?¡±

    ¡°As usual, the Thich are being snobby bitches!¡± Thalia exclaimed unashamedly. ¡°And the situation is fucked up. No matter what we do.¡±

    ¡°It''s about the new arrivals,¡± the Jeng clanswoman who was present pointed one of the feelers on her head at a wet group of new female exiles who sat next to the pond. ¡°They have sent us children this time. Children!¡±

    I frowned and studied the six newcomers. Someone had given them blankets, but I knew well enough what it felt like to be talked about like you were some piece of meat.

    At least they had it better than the men.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Three were your average exiles with ages from anything between twenty to fifty. It remained to be seen what reason they had been exiled for. In some cases, even women couldn''t be trusted and had to be left to their fate at the Old Camp. But we would have time enough to judge them through conversation. The clans had gotten pretty good at filtering out undesirables over the years.

    Another exile was a bedraggled-looking teenager who was eyeing us as if we were monsters.

    She would have her own appearance issues soon enough if she wanted to survive.

    The really fucked-up thing was the two crying kids who were no more than seven or eight years old. Curiously, both were redheads. From the way they were clinging to each other I also guessed that they were sisters.

    ¡°So?¡± I chewed on my inner cheek. ¡°We know that those who are responsible for the deportations are fucked up in their heads, but there is nothing we can do about it. They sent me when I was thirteen.¡±

    ¡°Clan Thich wants them both! Plus, the blonde!¡± The woman from Hochberg accused the violet-skinned Thich. The Hochberg was standing at least two heads above me and I guessed her to be a strength type.

    I couldn''t make out what kind of evolution the Thich was. Her skin was violet, but otherwise the lucky bitch looked entirely human. Which made me envious.

    Their names were Sarah for the Hochberg and Ivonne was the Thich if I remembered correctly. We had been introduced briefly at the beginning of the season.

    ¡°They already took more than they are due during the previous trials!¡± Thalia complained. ¡°And now they want even more.¡±

    Give them a finger and they will bite off your hand.

    It was a well-known saying among the outcasts to describe the Thich.

    Given how few women the people from Earth sent us each year, female exiles were pretty much the main reason why the clans would gather at the Old Camp aside from picking out the best men from all the rest.

    Each year, there would be at least five batches of fifty men and two batches of ten women if we were lucky. That they had sent us only six with the first group probably meant that there wouldn''t be any more this year. Which meant that any clan getting a few more or less was even more noticeable this year.

    It was common practice for the clans to send female recruiters to fetch some new blood. Pretty much every woman who would increase the possibilities of partnering up with a clansman was welcome.

    Even if there fewer men than women, the clans were constantly existing at the edge and striving for more. A clan couldn''t have too many women. If someone had to risk his life, then the guys had to risk theirs first.

    As fucked up as it was, each woman meant a new chance at viable offspring.

    After all, a clan with a functioning breeding pair who had powerful evolutions had a future. No children meant no future.

    Some of the exiles'' evolutions may have resulted in the ability to survive on this world, but only a few were capable of actually breeding more humans. It didn''t feel so great when your own offspring was more monster than sentient being.

    My own clan had some failures in that regard lately. Which was one of the reasons why my parents had adopted me.

    ¡°I also remember the Thich taking more than they were due in the previous year,¡± I voiced my thoughts carefully.

    Then added as an afterthought. ¡°And in the year before that.¡±

    Sarah looked triumphantly at Ivonne. ¡°So, I am not the only one who remembers that.¡±

    The four-handed clanswoman from the Vier also raised a hand. ¡°I haven''t been here as a recruiter before, but we are keeping track of such things. The Thich have indeed taken in more female exiles than any of the other large clans. General tradition is that any clan who visits the trials is to choose some new blood, so why don''t they stand down for once if they are already ahead of their quota?¡±

    Once it looked like the Aerie, Vier, and Hochberg would unite against the Thich, Ivonne deflated slightly and lowered her demands. ¡°We may make do with just one of the little girls.¡±

    ¡°That''s unacceptable!¡± the Jeng intervened. ¡°They are obviously sisters! We can''t separate them. That would make us no better than the monsters who stole them from their parents and sent them here.¡±

    Ivonne raised an eyebrow and studied the Jeng. ¡°So you take them?¡±

    The woman with the bug-evolution shook her head. ¡°We can only take someone who can contribute to the clan.¡± She left it unsaid that they wouldn''t feed two useless mouths for years to come without actually knowing whether they would turn out to be a boon or a bane in the end.

    I guessed from her behaviour that the Jeng had experienced harsher times than usual.

    Before Ivonne could further change the narrative of this dispute, I intervened. ¡°What about the Thich taking...¡± I looked over the new arrivals, then pointed randomly at one of the adult women who looked like a mean bitch. ¡°That one.¡±

    It wasn''t the fairest method, but the only one I had available without interviewing them. I also didn''t want to give Ivonne the teenager, since she had voiced her desire for that one earlier.

    Everybody knew about our animosity towards each other, so I didn''t bother to hide my intentions of foiling Ivonne''s plans.

    ¡°And whoever can prove that they have the most resources to spare takes the twins,¡± I added as an afterthought. ¡°It''s the fairest solution that I can think of.¡±

    A lot more haggling ensued, mainly concerning the point of how to prove that we had the resources we claimed to possess. I knew that the Thich were likely capable of contending with any of the clans, but I gambled on their well-known secrecy towards us. They wouldn''t share information about their resources just to recruit two or three people who were nothing more than blank slates.

    In the end, we managed a solution that nobody was happy with, not even Thalia. Which was a win-win situation in my book. In the future, she would think twice about calling for backup from me.

    Ivonne and her Thich were left with the grumpy bitch that I had pointed out.

    The teenager would go with Sarah to Hochberg.

    And the other clans each took one of the remaining adult women.

    Which left the Aerie with the crying and traumatized twins.

    ¡°That wasn''t what I called you for,¡± Thalia whined while guiding the sniffling and inconsolable girls at her hands. We were walking towards our clan''s private quarter inside the bunker. ¡°I wanted the teenager. Her physique looked like she would turn out to be a good flyer.¡±

    What was it with the Aerie''s fixation on flying evolutions? I never understood that.

    ¡°Look, you called me over and I did the best I could,¡± I pointed out. ¡°I am sure some childless pair will be happy with the two.¡±

    ¡°But I am the one who will have to look after them until we return.¡± Thalia didn''t let go of the matter.

    ¡°Which is your job as a recruiter.¡± I refused to allow her to drag me into another argument after those exhausting negotiations. ¡°Aren''t you happy that the Thich didn''t get what they wanted? And we managed it without a pit-fight and somebody being torn to pieces! All is good!¡±

    ¡°I suppose...¡± Thalia grumbled. ¡°Has your excursion beyond the walls found you anything? Are there any sexy ones among the newcomers?¡±

    ¡°Ah... I didn''t look out for that.¡± I groaned. ¡°Roderick fucked up. I followed him, but I fear that the first batch will be useless. I have to look after the others myself.¡±

    ¡°I told you that paying him was a waste of effort,¡± Thalia exclaimed. ¡°I hope you punished that waste of space.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± I replied. ¡°The firehorn that he tried to set on the newcomers is now hunting him through the forest. If he is smart, he will be running to the Old Camp as fast as he can and hope that the wall guards take it out.¡±

    Thalia''s mouth formed a silent ''o''. ¡°You mean that he will be running through the night? With a firehorn on his ass? That''s just mean. I would have killed him and be done with it. Also, for sure a kinder end.¡±

    ¡°I needed the firehorn to hunt something else than the remaining exiles.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I did my best to save what could be saved, but I haven''t high hopes. Maybe the next batch will have better chances.¡±

    ¡°I hope you do.¡± Thalia smirked. ¡°If there is a nice one that fits, I may take one home with me too.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Just so that you know, I have the first pick. I am the one who came here three years in a row to find someone that matches with my evolution.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah...¡± Thalia waved me off. ¡°You should have just chosen someone at the clan and be done with it.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°I have no desire to fail my evolution by meshing it with something that backs me into a corner. No matter how much the clan elders may pressure us to try it. Just look at Jenny and Heinrich and their brood. The clan had to burn out their cave! It was like one of those horror movies that I remember from Earth.¡±

    ¡°You know that they tried it with each other because of love and not because the elders told them,¡± Thalia whispered somewhat downcast by the reminder.

    I crossed my arms defensively in front of my chest. ¡°That came out wrong. I am sorry. But they both had evolutions from highly aggressive species. Both can hardly control their abilities. Pair bad control with more bad control and what you get...¡± I waved a hand. ¡°The statistics we keep in our library speak for themselves. Such a thing doesn''t mesh well.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Thalia replied pensively. ¡°Can we switch the topic? I had nightmares for weeks after that incident. What are you searching for among the newcomers?¡±

    I thought about it and shrugged. ¡°I honestly don''t know. I already have control and power. The only issue is that I look far from human. I guess that what I am searching for is something, anything, that combines well with my filaments without messing with my control.¡±

    ¡°Don''t say that. You are pretty! Like one of those body painters ¨C with added light-show if you get emotional.¡± Thalia sounded genuinely offended on my behalf. ¡°Don''t allow those fools to get into your head. And besides...¡± She leaned over so that the kids couldn''t hear. ¡°Men fuck anything if it has boobs and legs to spread.¡±

    I shoved Thalia slightly. ¡°Thalia!¡±

    ¡°But it''s true.¡±

    We giggled and finally arrived at our quarters.

    Using my filaments, I opened the heavy blast door that separated the area that belonged to clan Aerie from the rest of the facility. Aside from us, there was a contingent of twenty people permanently stationed here.

    Most would switch rotations or return to the clan grounds once the trials ended. But about ten of us would stay during the winter. I always returned to the clan to meet up with my adoptive parents.

    We brought the traumatized children to the medical facility which was currently staffed by an older gent who went by the name of Liam. He was apparently knowledgeable about such cases and waved us off.

    I was thankful that I wasn''t the one who had to deal with the kids.

    The memories of my own arrival at a far too young age were still vivid in my mind.

    For all I knew, I had lived a normal life with normal parents. Certainly nothing that could draw the government''s attention. Honestly, what could a thirteen-year-old girl possibly have done to be exiled to Tirnanog?

    I narrowed my eyes while I walked back to my room, trying to remember the faces of the men in expensive suits who had appeared in dark cars when I had left school. They had taken me to a facility where I had been injected with drugs.

    Sadly, I was no longer certain that I would recognize any of them if I met them now. If I did recognize one, it would certainly not be a happy reunion.

    A few hours later, I had been dropped through the portal right into the very same pond that the twins had climbed out of today.

    My only luck was that my new parents from clan Aerie had been waiting there as recruiters. They had failed to have children of their own not too long ago and for some reason, they simply decided to adopt me on the spot.

    Thankfully, they were good people.

    I was lucky that things didn''t turn out to be worse.

    Finally, I arrived at the room that I had been using during the last three trials and stepped inside. Now enclosed in darkness, only my filaments provided an eerie, blue light.

    ¡°Home, sweet home,¡± I mumbled and immediately regretted the words. Thalia was right about me taking too long when I began to call a little, damp room in a contested outpost my home.

    I really had to find someone suitable at this year''s trials.

 Ch5 EVO?

    ***Tirnanog***

    ***Magnus***

    The comfortable darkness of semi-unconsciousness permeated my entire being. I was at peace and most importantly, safe.

    Then the thought of some monster slurping up human bodies like wet noodles surfaced into my awareness.

    ¡°Graah!¡± I shot upright, returning to the world''s harsh reality from one moment to the next while I frantically looked around, remembering that I was on Tirnanog. My animal brain expected to find some predator standing right above me, but there was nothing.

    Why had I been asleep? It was mere luck that nothing had eaten me while I was out cold.

    The last thing I remembered was that I was forcing myself to chew that stringy saurian tail raw and then¡­ darkness.

    How long had I been out? Were the little monsters poisonous? How stupid was I? The possibility that the creatures weren''t edible hadn¡¯t even crossed my mind! Not to mention the grossness of eating something raw.

    I squinted my eyes, but it looked like it was still the same day.

    One moment! Why was the world no longer bright? And why was everything so blurry?

    I rubbed my eyes, but my issues didn¡¯t vanish.

    Previously, I had been barely able to look at things as a result of the sun¡¯s brightness, but now it felt the light of a normal day. Although, everything being some shade of blue with blurred outlines was annoying. Aside from the stones on the shore. They still looked normal and sharp.

    And why was I tugged away beneath the forest¡¯s shrubbery? Had I deliriously crawled into the underbrush and thrown branches and leaves over myself?

    I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath.

    Stop it!

    Freaking out wouldn''t help me.

    I had to do my best to concentrate on one thing at a time. Hadn¡¯t the world been painted in normal colours when I arrived?

    Once more, I opened my eyes and the world looked suddenly normal and sharp. Spike-grass was green. Treetrunks were brown. Just as I was used to.

    What was wrong with my fucking eyes?

    I concentrated and the blue tinge was suddenly back!

    Normal.

    Blue.

    Normal.

    Blue.

    Several times, I flexed the newly-found switch in my brain, changing back and forth until I managed to control this strange new ability as I desired it. For some reason, it was just like opening and closing my eyes. In fact, it wasn''t unlike having an additional set of eyes that I could open and close as I wished to...

    Fuck! Just don''t freak out again, Magnus. This was only me gaining some new, previously unknown sense.

    Ultimately, I decided on going with my normal sight until I found the time to figure out what the blue meant.

    I swallowed, noticing only now that my throat felt as dry as a sheet of paper. Slowly, I turned and crawled out of the shrubbery.

    That was when my eyes fell onto my bare lower arm.

    ¡°Aieeh!¡±

    It was the horrified shriek of someone who had found something moving beneath his skin that shouldn¡¯t be there. Like some woman''s reaction to finding a rat on the ground between her feet. It was the primordial angst of parasites that every human shared with our distant ancestors.

    I flopped around on the ground like a fish on land, hitting my arm in an illy thought-out, knee-jerk reaction until my brain finally switched back on. Only then did I realize that I had embarrassed myself.

    Luckily, the other exiles had already been eaten.

    To my great relief, the strange movements weren¡¯t caused by something burrowing through my flesh.

    Upon closer inspection, it was revealed as a fucking muscle. One that I could flex!

    I laughed a little insanely about my own stupidity when I realized the surreality of the truth. The reason why this had freaked me out was that this muscle shouldn¡¯t be there.

    And I had them apparently everywhere.

    I wasn¡¯t some expert on human biology, but I knew where I was supposed to see the muscles through my skin. They weren¡¯t supposed to be visibly flexing through the back of my hand when I strained it. Nor on my elbow ¨C at least not with the level of training that I had.

    When I opened my shirt, I revealed the toned musculature of a gymnast. Though, a real gymnast would have probably freaked out because normal humans were supposed to have a six-pack. And I had... well...

    I decided not to dwell on a little number difference as long as I didn''t look too freakish.

    Even normal humans could change their appearance from healthy towards unattractive by overdoing it. Like the Mr Muscles who had tried to become the new exiles¡¯ tribe chieftain. That guy had definitely overdone it with the steroids.

    But hey, my beer-belly was gone. Well, not gone-gone. But what had been a definite lifebelt could now be easily pinched between two fingers. And it was almost invisible when I drew in my belly. Most importantly, I looked healthy. Like one of those models that were pumped up with beauty treatments and nanite enhancers, combined with a dietary plan that they had to follow religiously.

    That counted as ''gone'' as far as I was concerned!

    I apparently underwent this evolution thing that everyone had mentioned. And two obvious changes were the blue sight and muscles. Many little, tiny muscles all over my body. It still looked like I was a mostly normal human being, but when I poked at my upper thigh, expecting the layer of fat that I was used to, there were steely muscles instead.

    Okay. So how about flexing just my biceps?

    Suddenly, my left arm experienced a very uncomfortable spasm. As if I had suffered a seizure.

    ¡°No. No.¡± I winced and pressed the entire arm to my chest. ¡°I get it! No more biceps as such! Bad idea!¡±

    There was apparently some disconnection between what my brain was used to and my new physique. Old instincts that didn''t play well together with the new.

    I slowly tried again, doing my best to not consciously think about the movements, and this time it worked.

    Consciously flexing just a single muscle was no longer as easily done as when I had been a baseline human.

    Confirming the details would be difficult without cutting myself open, but it felt like my whole musculature and most of my fat tissue had been replaced with a network of countless tiny fibres.

    After spending half an hour doing slow stretches and rolling around on the ground, I felt comfortable enough to get back to my feet.

    The lakewater was already like a magical attraction by that point.

    I stumbled forward until I was a little more than ankle-deep and fell to my knees. Pursing my lips, I lowered my head and drank my fill.

    Nothing had ever tasted better in my life.

    I should have probably worried about dirt and bacteria, but the mad scientist¡¯s nanites had just rewritten my genome and altered my entire body in less than a day.

    Given the survival situation that they had forced upon me, I felt like it would be a grave oversight to allow something as negligible as cholera to kill me.

    At least I hoped so.

    My worries turned towards an entirely different topic when I noticed the movements beneath the water in front of me.

    Still pursing my lips, I raised my head.

    The lamprey-eel-anaconda thing rose from the water and looked at me from less than half a metre away.

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    I had barely said the word when the mother-fucker tried to kiss me.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Not knowing what else to do, I just so managed to shove my elbow into its maw instead.

    The horror wasn¡¯t particularly concerned by my obvious rejection of its romantic advances and began to chew.

    ¡°Aieeeh!¡± For the second time that day, I screamed in a high pitch that wasn¡¯t very manly.

    My scream only increased its overture when something else bit into the back of my thigh and I realized that there were more than just one of the freaky things!

    I grabbed the one that was chewing on my arm with my free hand and squeezed with all my might until my fingers dug through the skin and into the creature¡¯s flesh. But the monster eel wasn''t weak either and my efforts ended there.

    Then the creatures attempted to wrap me up in their coils and drag me deeper into the water! I could feel myself being rolled around while they tried to squeeze the life out of me.

    Existential angst overcame me and at that moment a ripple went through my entire body! It felt like one of those times when an unpleasant tingle overcame your nervous system upon being touched unexpectedly, only magnified a thousand-fold.

    It started in my spine, and then the sensation rippled forth from my chest, into my arms and legs, and then struck the world around me like a thunderblow.

    The lamprey-eel lit up as an electric shock grilled its head in my arms. There was an audible snap as my fingers broke through its now weakened tissue and rearranged something hard that probably wasn¡¯t supposed to give way.

    I was suddenly free as the creatures went limp around me or let go altogether.

    Moving faster than ever in my life, I was out of the water and back on the shore. Breathing heavily, I looked back at the churning lake as the other lamprey-eels fled back into deeper waters.

    The sensation of something chewing on my elbow brought it back to my attention that the fucker who had tried to kiss me was still attached to my arm. And somehow still alive!

    ¡°Arrgh!¡± I screamed furiously and punched the thing four times until it came loose. Then I stomped on the motherfucker. And when that didn¡¯t make the thing stop twitching, I grabbed the largest stone I could lift in my adrenaline-fuelled rage and brought it down on the creature¡¯s head-maw.

    Three times, just to make sure.

    When the stone broke in twain on the third impact, I collapsed, leaning onto one half that was the size of my torso.

    ¡°I hate this world!¡±

    I looked at my arm and realized that it wasn¡¯t as bad as I had feared.

    I mean, I was still injured and that was no joke. But I had expected a grave, potentially lethal injury. Instead, the lamprey¡¯s teeth had cut through my skin but had been stopped by the new layers of muscles upon muscles that permeated my entire body.

    It looked like that one time when I had been mauled by my enraged cat and had been too stupid to just let it run off to fight the competitor cat who had dared to enter his territory. I only ever made that mistake once. When cats wanted to fight, they fought, and that was it.

    ¡°Fuck.¡± I picked a broken-off tooth out of the wound. ¡°I don¡¯t know when, but I will find some kind of fish poison on this godforsaken world. And when I do, I will drop a ton of it into that fucking lake. So I swear! I will get each and every one of you.¡±

    Fuck environmentalism. Those things needed to die!

    I drew in a deep breath to gather my courage and then slowly approached the water once more to clean the wound. This time, I stayed with my feet on dry land and paid very close attention to every ripple that might move in my direction.

    Having done the best I could, I decided that without medical supplies there was no other choice but to let it dry. The same counted for the bite in my lower thigh. I would have to count on the power of the nanites to ward off infection.

    Then I noticed that I had unconsciously gone back into blue-vision mode during the fight. It allowed me to see a spot of brighter colour approaching me through the lakewater. The winding, blurred outline reminded me of a snake.

    Growling, I bent down to pick up a rock and threw it at the spot.

    When one of the eel-creatures broke through the surface and quickly changed its course towards the spot where the stone had landed, my suspicion was confirmed.

    I wasn¡¯t completely sure how that was possible, but I had something like energy vision.

    That was why the stones on the shore still looked normal. I could see the electric fields that were produced by living beings. Given its strangeness and how it blurred the outlines of only living things, I didn¡¯t believe that it was the average heat-vision that so many movies liked to portray.

    Maybe it was like the ability that birds used to sense the planet¡¯s magnetic field? Just a million times more sophisticated. Or something similar at least. I had to find a way to prove my theory before I jumped to conclusions.

    Something squawked from behind me and I turned, finding that one of the little saurians was back and picking at the horror-eel''s corpse.

    ¡°That''s mine!¡± I complained and stomped my foot, causing the little creature to flash brightly and dash away. Then it was back ¨C with friends!

    ¡°Oh, no you don''t!¡±

    I couldn''t save the whole corpse.

    Just about a tenth of it.

    It wasn''t that I could have eaten any more eel-sushi on my own, but after having won a life or death battle against the horror eels, losing to a saurian swarm was a blow to my pride.

    The remaining nine-tenths of the eel went to the little monsters. They were worse than piranhas once more than thirty of them got going.

    After I had realized how many of them there were, I was kind of glad that they didn''t decide to nibble me to death. They could have totally done it if they wanted to, but I apparently didn''t fit their prey spectrum.

    From the looks of it, the little saurians preferred to be scavengers. Not that I would ever complain about such a development. It made them more likeable than anything else I had met on this planet.

    At least it wasn''t as if they didn''t repay me for getting them a free meal. As the apparent main originators of my new abilities, just watching them do their thing was a learning experience in itself.

    The easiest part was to figure out how to do the electric shocks.

    My whole body had apparently turned into an oversized super-capacitor. My muscles were the electrodes and by moving them I could statically charge myself. Very much like rubbing a plastic balloon against hair or fur.

    Once I had realized that much from watching the little monsters with my new blue-vision, it was easy enough to copy.

    The other trick they had to show me was the high-speed movement ability that allowed them to blitz from one position to another.

    The first thing I noticed was that whenever they performed their ability, they also always fixated on the spot they wanted to go to. With their destination confirmed, they somehow rippled their whole musculature, forming some kind of wavy pattern of tenseness and relaxation covering their entire bodies.

    I didn''t know how else to describe it.

    Sadly, that little detail was hard to observe because I had to get very close for that and they disliked me getting close.

    Once they had pre-charged themselves, their blue auras turned bright and expanded outwards from their bodies right before they dashed off.

    I watched them do it for hours, paying close attention to every step they took.

    Sadly, I didn''t quite get how they managed to control their sprint ability. I had the feeling that it was a matter of training and control. Something that I wouldn''t be able to learn in a single afternoon.

    At least I managed a bastardised version of it. I thought of it that way because my version was a comparatively slow, brute-force method compared to theirs.

    First, I had to charge my muscles as if I wanted to electrocute something. The second stage was to concentrate really, really badly on having my muscles create that unique wavy pattern of tense and relaxed areas. Then I had to let go with the movement that I desired to perform held firmly in my mind.

    It was very much like tensing myself for a jump. Though, it required a lot more preparation and forethought.

    All I could manage for now was to accelerate a single arm or leg to superhuman speeds.

    That didn''t help much when it came to my original intention of being able to run away really fast. Another downside was that the skill strained my muscles pretty badly.

    But I could throw a stone hard enough to punch a hole through one of the smaller trees. Not the big and old ones that were prevalent in this forest, but as a general rule, if I could hug the trunk with my arms, hiding behind it would be a very bad idea for any enemy of mine.

    The thought came to mind that I might be able to do some real damage with a spear.

    So, the rest of my time was dedicated to searching the lake¡¯s shore for some good throwing rocks and straight sticks that could be sharpened into primitive spears. All too soon, the daylight started to dwindle without me having moved away from the lake more than a few steps.

    The self-loathing that I had felt yesterday was mostly forgotten by that point. Yes, I had mindlessly run off once I found out where my little sisters had been sent to. Also, there wasn''t nearly as much planning involved as it should have done.

    But I was here. I was alive. And I had managed the first step.

    It also had to be said that I had little to no motivation to leave the relatively safe lake at this point.

    Aside from the saurians and my mortal enemies, the eels, I got visitors only once. A herd of tripod-like animals visited the lake on the opposite side from where I had been at. They drank some water with their tentacles and then quickly retreated into the forest.

    I returned to my own business once I had verified that they weren''t after my life.

    The lake provided water and food ¨C although eel sushi wasn¡¯t to my liking. And while I wasn¡¯t excited about the idea, I supposed it would be possible to retreat into the water if something more dangerous than the snake-eels showed up.

    And, embarrassingly enough, I was still a child of civilisation. In the absence of toilet paper, water was the next best solution.

    Without having access to poison, I satisfied myself by training my skills with living targets as I slowly travelled around the lake. Every snake-eel that came within reach was torpedoed with spears and stones and electrocuted before I dragged it on land for the flock of little saurians to feed on.

    The swarm of little monsters quickly caught on to what I was doing and followed me on my tour around the lake. They profited from my kills while I got to watch and study them. To my misfortune, word got around quickly within the eel''s community and they learned frighteningly fast to keep their distance from me. Certainly faster than I would have expected from an animal from Earth.

    By that point, I regained a little of my confidence to venture deeper into the lake''s water. I wasn''t ashamed to admit that I had started a quest of extermination against all eel-kind.

    Watching my little comrades, I also wondered whether taming them was a possibility. I definitely would try it once I was no longer concerned about my immediate survival.

    On my way, I gathered a sorted collection of sticks and plants that seemed useful, and by the end of the day, I had made myself something like a backpack. It was a carrying contraption made out of sticks and seaweed. It looked like a square framework of sticks that I could carry on two braided seaweed ropes. The things that I found to be useful could be fastened to it with seaweed cordage.

    First and foremost among those things was my collection of projectiles, one particularly sharp rock that had proven useful in gutting the eels, Roderick''s banged up crate, and some skeletal eel remains that my saurian friends had left behind.

    I wasn''t sure what the bones could be used for yet, but something may come up. Maybe I would use the pointy ribs to make spearheads once I found a way to attach them reliably.

    While getting a grip on my new surroundings, I had almost made a complete round-trip around the lake and was expecting to return to my starting point by tomorrow morning.

    Like that, my first day in this world ended.

    Once night came, I learned that my blue-vision, or second-sight as I decided to call it from now on, provided perfect night vision.

    Through, seeing perfectly in the dark wasn¡¯t a great help against the eerie sounds that came with the night. My little saurian friends had left me once the sun fell beneath the horizon and being alone didn¡¯t feel great at all.

    The solution to my sleeping arrangements came with climbing one of the larger trees as high as I could and using seaweed cordage to secure myself to a fitting forking-out branch. I simply needed rest at that point and figured that if I stayed awake to defend myself from whatever wanted to eat me, I would be too tired to put up a proper fight anyway.

 Charity?

    ***The Eternal Planes***

    ***Jayden***

    Death didn''t turn out to be as bad as I had expected it.

    Surrounded by my friends and family, dying at the old age of ninety-two, that was the best I could have asked for. Yes, suffering from slowly failing lungs had meant a slow death, but at least I had kept most of my marbles till the end. That was something I really liked to joke about when the youngsters gave in to their feelings and got all gloomy after the doctors confirmed that my fate was just a question of time.

    To be honest, I would have been fine with just falling asleep and never waking up.

    It was all the more perplexing to close my eyes for the final time and then to open them, finding myself inside a youthful version of my old body!

    Death had turned out to be slightly interesting, especially after the actual dying part was over. None of the stories about the afterlife I had heard about mentioned drifting through a white space that had nothing in it.

    Well, aside from air, obviously, since I was still breathing. I wiggled my arms and feet, imagining that this was how astronauts must feel.

    In the back of my mind, I had harboured the fear of meeting my dear wife again, the old hag. It was a blessing when she hat left me a few years before my own time came.

    I shook myself and forced my attention towards more immediate matters.

    Some stout believer may have thought that this eternal white meant something positive and pure. But I had a bad feeling that this place wasn''t exactly heaven.

    Maybe this was something different altogether! Maybe aliens had snatched from death¡¯s bed and put me into this new body!

    I looked around as the reality of my new situation slowly settled in.

    Without finding anything aside from myself in hospital pyjamas, I quickly became bored of simply drifting along. If this was indeed the afterlife, or worse, then it definitely lacked entertainment!

    Okay, maybe this situation wasn''t as glorious as I first thought. With more time to think about it, new horror scenarios came to mind.

    For example, floating around forever with nothing to do would get quite boring really quickly and consequently drive me insane. How long could I exist in this state without turning into a complete nutcase?

    ¡°Hello,¡± I called out uncertainly. ¡°Is anyone around? God, maybe?¡±

    Silence answered me.

    There wasn''t even an echo.

    Not that I had expected the Great One himself to answer me. Officially, I had been Christian, but that was in name only. The reality of things was that I never believed in the doctrine. Just like more or less most of the population, I was a member of the church in name only.

    Like many others, I was simply too lazy to renounce my membership to have my name stricken from the roster. As long as the church didn''t bother me, there was simply no reason to do so.

    Likely, the church must have known that as well. Which was the reason why they avoided drawing the attention of the mindless sheep that were upping their numbers on paper.

    I was about to call out again when something strange happened.

    An eye opened right in front of me, followed by a second, and then a third! They simply appeared from the endless white that surrounded me. More and more. Most in pairs, others alone.

    I gasped in shock when I found myself suddenly surrounded by slitted eyes that pierced the annoying white space. All were watching me ¨C unblinking ¨C judging.

    All of a sudden, I wished the boring white to return.

    ¡°Ah...¡± I gulped. ¡°My name is Jayden. N- n- nice to meet you.¡±

    The pair of green eyes that was directly in front of me blinked, and suddenly, all the eyes merged into a single being. A black cat with green eyes.

    I kept floating, since there wasn''t really anything else this weird reality allowed me to do. ¡°Nice, little kitty. Why don''t you tell me how to get out of here?¡±

    The cat tilted its head as I reached out and tried to pet it.

    Looking at the situation in hindsight, that probably wasn''t the smartest move. But I had just found myself in a white space after dying in a hospital bed. Then some strange eye-monster with shape-shifting abilities had appeared out of nowhere and transformed into a normal house cat.

    And no, the ominous detail of it being completely black wasn¡¯t lost on me.

    There was really only one possible explanation for all of this in my mind at that moment.

    Either the afterlife was more fucked-up than any of the religions predicted.

    Or I wasn''t quite dead yet, and the doctors had given me something that had sent me onto an epic acid trip that was better than the Crystal Meth that I had tried once in university. A foolish move that I had avoided repeating ever since.

    The cat sniffed on my hand and then licked it before the creature allowed me to pet its head.

    I let out the breath that I hadn''t realized I had been holding. ¡°Oh, so you are a nice guy after all. When you pulled that eye-trick on me, I feared you to be the mental child of H.P. Lovecraft.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    My new friend opened its maw wide as it suddenly started growing.

    Then its maw opened wider.

    And even wider until all I could see was a red throat.

    I may have been screaming...

    And, unfortunately, I was quite sure that I had pissed myself by the point at which the beast bit into my chest and started running. The cat was now the size of an elephant and carrying me like some chew-toy.

    Howling, I beat at the beast, feeling its teeth grinding at my spine and breaking my ribs.

    It didn''t care about my feeble protests and ran even faster.

    The wind of incredible acceleration blew at the parts of my body that weren''t in the cat''s mouth. It was like being one of those people who had entered a wind tunnel. The difference lay in that instead of my cheeks flapping, my hands and legs did so.

    I couldn''t even hear myself scream properly. As soon as the sound left my throat, it was ripped away by the rushing air.

    Before my panic could give way to rational thought, we stopped and the cat spit me out!

    Covered in cat spit, I tried getting to my feet, only for the cat''s paw to hit me. It sent me back onto my belly and sliding across the floor.

    I came to a stop in front of a pair of boots. Huge boots, large enough to belong to a titan!

    Looking up, I found a genuine Demon looking down at me with an expectant expression. His golden eyes had a weight to them that made me hesitate, and the pupils within seemed to hold all of reality.

    At least he looked like a Demon, but he felt nothing like it. Admittedly, I hadn''t seen many Demons while I was still on Earth, so I didn¡¯t have any reference to go by. The only thing I was certain of was that they shouldn¡¯t feel like beings that were to be venerated.

    I cursed and questioned my life''s choices. ¡°So, this is hell after all?¡±

    ¡°Look at what the cat dragged in.¡± The Demon had a book in his hand and looked from me to his tome. Strange effects and things were apparently crawling in and out from between the pages, never repeating themselves.

    A drop of green liquid fell onto the ground next to me and sizzled.

    A snake that wound itself out of the cover and disappeared between the pages.

    Some discharge of green energy that caused grass to sprout and whither on the white ground where it hit.

    Why was there suddenly a floor in this place anyway?

    Just to make sure, I hit the ground with a fist. It was firm but had some give to it. Like some form of rubber.

    I shook my head and looked up at the looming figure. ¡°Hello?¡± I slowly got back to my feet, fearing the worst. But I found myself completely uninjured.

    Hadn''t the cat bitten into my chest?

    I looked back up to the Demon. ¡°My name is-¡±

    ¡°Jayden Hayworth,¡± the Demon interrupted. ¡°You were taken out of the normal reincarnation process to join Project Ascension! You may thank me later ¨C once you regained your memories.¡±

    ¡°Ah-¡± I gawked at the Demon.

    He apparently didn''t care about my mental stability and continued, ¡°You see, after the latest war between the gods, we found ourselves a little short on hands and my wife suggested this little charity project! I don''t see the point. I would have just trained one of the countless lesser deities for the job, but she thinks that verified talent is better than appropriate training.¡±

    The Demon raised his voice in pitch as if he was aping a woman. ¡°Just help some of those mortals to are capable of attaining true godhood if you find yourself short on hands. There must be some way to find trustworthy people to monitor all those worlds. I can think of nothing that would make them more loyal than raising them from the muck of mortality.¡±

    Suddenly, the white ground beneath me rumbled and shook.

    ¡°Wow! Stop!¡± The demon, much larger than myself, fought for balance. ¡°Stop that! The equipment!¡±

    Then he turned, looking somewhere only he could see.

    ¡°Don''t hit the soulspace stabilisation, Celes! Thank you very much! What are you going to do if it pops and the mortal''s soul in here gets blown to pieces!? A trans-dimensional pocket-verse like this one isn''t the easiest thing to maintain just to communicate with a soul without a real body! You know very well how long it takes to put them back together when they break! And mortal souls break all too easily.¡±

    I had the distinct feeling of watching someone talking to someone else off-screen. And that there was something more important than just my life at stake.

    This wasn''t going down anything like I would have expected.

    The demon grumbled and returned his attention to me as if to check whether I was still whole. ¡°Thank the multiverse! Soul obliteration avoided! Where was I?¡±

    ¡°You were introducing yourself?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I am Chaos, but you can call me Angrod, the King of Gods, Creator of the Multiverse-¡±

    The floor shook again, and the supposed god quickly corrected himself. ¡°Co-Creator of the multiverse ¨C Order helped a little. But I am most powerful of them all!¡±

    Chaos stopped to think about something. ¡°And patron-deity of all cat-kind!¡± He raised a fist and shook it as if he had achieved something grandiose.

    It felt like I had just entered one of those episodes from Dr Who. The ones where nothing really made sense to me. I wondered why the cat-thing was important, but I decided to just roll with it.

    ¡°Then why am I here?¡± I looked at the black cat who was now back to normal size, but thankfully the monster didn''t take offence to my disillusioned treatment of its master.

    ¡°To ascend and to become one of my henchmen!¡± the god replied without hesitation. ¡°There have been circumstances ¨C and my wife decided on a charity project for lesser beings like yourself. Call it a... proof of concept. I have judged your soul and found just a little bit of potential in it. With the help of a god, you might be able to strengthen yourself and become slightly more powerful than the average deity.¡±

    I blinked. ¡°And what if-¡±

    The titan turned quickly and kneeled, his golden eyes hovering over me, burning with a light that seemed capable of extinguishing existence itself. ¡°There isn''t really an option when I ask people for something. When Angrod tells you to jump, you jump.¡± The god smiled, showing me a set of pointy teeth that looked highly disturbing. ¡°Greater beings than a mere mortal do not dare to deny one of my orders.¡±

    I gulped.

    That guy knew how to play the intimidation game, but didn''t want to back down when I still knew nothing of my situation. ¡°Then why? Why me? What did I do to deserve...¡± I gestured around. ¡°This!¡±

    Angrod looked at his book. ¡°Infidelity! I have seen to it that I only take souls for this project who carry the greatest of sins. After all, it involves the forced ascension of a mortal soul. We wouldn''t want to use innocents for such a dangerous endeavour.¡±

    ¡°Inf...¡± For a moment, my mind refused to work.

    Then I exploded. ¡°There must be something wrong. I have never cheated on my wife! Never! Not in all of my-¡±

    ¡°Jayden, Jayden...¡± Angrod shook his head and closed the book. ¡°It''s not about what you did in this life. I know very well that you aren¡¯t even aware of your transgressions. But trust me if I tell you that there are some sins that transcend even universes. And yours only ever grew since you forgot about your one true commitment!¡±

    ¡°Wha-¡±

    I couldn''t get out anything else, because Angrod flicked his fingers and everything went dark.