Amdirlain’s PoV - Outlands - Outpost of the Monastery of the Western Reaches
Gilorn appeared, radiating a cheerful shimmer of light from her frame before Amdirlain made it through casting even a third of the assigned spells. A signal from Morgana had her wait for Amdirlain to finish.
When the last explosion stilled behind the barrier, Gilorn spoke. “Are there any additional tasks you must complete tonight, Amdirlain?”
“Not that I am aware of,” replied Amdirlain, looking at Morgana for her input.
“I’ll get you to continue some specific exercises tomorrow after lunch,” said Morgana. “I hope there aren’t further disruptions to your coursework. I want you to evolve Mana Finesse.”
“I’ll try my best to control my schedule,” allowed Amdirlain, and she held her arms to Tulne. “I’m hoping nothing comes up to throw my plans out the window.”
The young Catfolk bounced up to claim a hug from Amdirlain. “We’re heading off shortly for delve preparations, so we won’t be here when you return.”
“Have you got the Gate Spell sorted out now?”
Tulne chirped happily. “I’ve learnt all the Gate Mastery Spell List. You won’t escape us now, Am.”
“I’m sure I can handle myself with the three of you,” replied Amdirlain cheerfully. “Just remember I won’t always be here, so don’t go trying to Gate to me or Sarah.”
Not that I’ve given you my name to anchor off, but just in case someone slips up.
With that, she shifted to an empty Demi-Plane with Gilorn.
“Hopefully you enjoyed your night off,” said Amdirlain.
“I spent the time creating a few suns,” said Gilorn. “After all, we’ll eventually need neighbours for your system or nebula.”
She just created a few suns! I don’t want to know what evolution her True Song Evolution has hit.
“How much singing did you and Orhêthurin do together?”
“Enough. She needed to work off her disappointment,” said Gilorn. “You seem to understand that better now. I’d like you to do the seven demi-planes again and see how well your strength has grown after your evolution.”
Amdirlain smiled cheekily. “But I didn’t get the chance to say anything.”
“Experimenting with protons and electrons on that scale was a good clue,” said Gilorn. “Or should I have waited for the announcement?”
“I had a banner planned,” sighed Amdirlain dramatically.
“In that case, you can make a banner for fifteen demi-planes,” said Gilorn. “Stretch that new capacity a bit more.”
“It wasn’t a straight progression. I lost a lot of ranks,” cautioned Amdirlain.
“Most of my evolutions of True Song put me back to level one of Grand Master rank,” offered Gilorn. “What did you regress to level-wise?”
“Level fifteen of grand master,” said Amdirlain. “Dropped from one hundred and fifty.”
“That you kept ten percent of your levels for the jump in strength is an excellent result, Amdirlain,” said Gilorn. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, especially since you hadn’t even gotten into the upper half of Grand Master before gaining the evolution insight.”
Gideon was yanking my chain yet again.
“Gideon said otherwise,” replied Amdirlain.
“A critic often makes a poor performer, but they can help performers stay grounded,” Gilorn said. “Use the emotions they stir up in you to fuel your drive to become stronger rather than using them to feed your self-doubt.”
“How about we push for twenty tonight?” asked Amdirlain. “Though I don’t want to be all night, I’ve got something I want to try.”
“What is that?”
“Secret wrath business,” quipped Amdirlain. “I’ve done a lot of training lately and want to see how it handles some foes. Plus, using abilities in actual combat can be more effective for their growth.”
Gilorn hummed curiously, a tinge of sunrise within her frame. “Just don’t get too reckless in your testing. Open the gates to twenty demi-planes and begin when you’re ready.”
Amdirlain expanded the Demi-Plane they were in before she set up the gates and, moving a distance from Gilorn, she activated Phoenix’s Rapture. With the Primordial flames wreathing her, Amdirlain began the expansion of the other demi-planes.
? ? ? ? ? ?
When her body recovered from her efforts, Amdirlain bade Gilorn a good evening and hopped across planes.
The last Planar Shift deposited Amdirlain on the rough foothills of a continent-sized volcano busily spewing ash into the thick air. Surrounding her location were ash-covered trees that sat atop small mounds, their root system exposed to the air; the ground beneath them eroded by a constant blood flow from the awful fruit that decorated their branches. Beings of countless races hung by their legs, their souls’ memories of blood pounding in their ears as insects crawled along their bodies. Long mandibles snipped at their flesh, inside and out, causing a curtain of blood to run from them, providing a channel for the Soul shards. The clogged air smoothed the heavy metallic aroma and thrum of flapping wings while dark clouds of insectoid demons swarmed overhead.
Nearby, an egg cracked open and a Demon pried itself free. With four clawed feet scrambling, it attempted to mimic others and perch atop its shattered shell. Wings flapped rapidly to dry their wet membranes in the humid air. As Amdirlain observed the freshly hatched Demon, twin proboscis unfolded from beneath its compound eyes, a faint hiss was audible as their bladed edges spun like drill bits.
[Species: Musca Macedda, Least
Class: Scout / Wizard
Level: 1 / 1 / 1
Defence: 21
Health: 34
Magic: 11
Mana: 12
Attack Power: 14
Combat Skills: Bite (1), Claw (1), Special Ability: Group Mind [B] (1), Innate Affinity: Death, Innate Spell List: Flesh Destruction
Details: Many species on the Material Plane regard these fast-flying demons as the heralds of death and destruction. Demonic armies that host their ravenous swarms have them ranging over thousands of kilometres ahead of their advance, with the senior most in the swarms reporting back to whatever demonic general is in charge.]
Amdirlain pulled in the shadow vines, and her skin became an utter void that drank the light when Destruction filled her Ki Body. The transformation into her True Form ripped down the closest trees. Her body’s mere touch shredded trees and souls alike, leaving an open, blood-covered slope beneath her. A leap sent her skyward and, as her wings flapped to cut through the swarms above, Ki Flight powered her ascent, allowing her to ignore the effects of the turbulent air currents as her every wing beat in the crowded airspace smashed demons apart.
Her spells empowered by Destruction wrapped hordes in blackness creating a peculiar eclipse effect as it obscured the fiery sky behind it. Hundreds of spells that sought to snap ligaments and tear muscles slid from spines and hide alike, unable to overcome her Magic rating. Amdirlain dropped the concealment from her auras and let her Charisma lash out, crushing sense from the newly spawned demons around her. Faced with that force, they tried to flee from the promised death and ended up entangled with each other. Terrified demons clawed furiously and lashed out with spells, that sent their fellows plummeting from the sky.
With panic swelling within the closest swarms, Amdirlain started casting. Fireballs roasted demonic flesh and lightning blasts arced between hundreds of foes. Firestorms filled with Primordial Mana exploded amid thousands of demons before they could do more than start to turn. The ash-covered trees gained a new layer, barely discernible from the ever-falling volcanic ash.
Protected by the realm’s rules, the souls suffered fleeting injuries inflicted by the flames, with barely any additional yells before songs ripped them from their shells and into Amdirlain’s body.
Ahead, she spotted a cluster within the swarm and picked out the considerable figure of a Demon the size of a 747.
[Name: Xul’garth
Species: Musca Macedda, Greater
Class: Death Mark / Life Drinker / Mort Plague
Level: 15 / 73 / 50 / 21
Defence: 856
Health: 41,090
Magic: 1,044
Mana: 960,450
Combat Skills: Body Weaponry [SM] (34), Mana Finesse-Lord [GM] (34), Swarm Master [GM] (34), various affinities and spell lists.
Details: A servant of Moloch, he gathers new swarms and directs them to the staging posts where Scout companies accumulate them for his demonic armies.]
[Mort Plague
Details: This Death-focused Prestige Class combines evolved base classes for Scout and Wizard at level seventy or higher.]
[Life Drinker
Details: This Prestige Class is unique to the Musca Macedda demons and combines evolved base classes for Fighter and Wizard.]
A furious hiss came from Xul’garth, but Amdirlain didn’t bother with further intimidation.
She appeared above him and sent a Ki Blast across the base of his wings. Chitin cracked and ichor sprayed across neighbouring demons as the flesh beneath it ruptured. A circle three metres across punched through its ribcage, yet the Demon didn’t die. Amdirlain caught its instinctive reaction to Teleport away, but its mind formed the image too slowly. She clenched down on her sigil’s formation and pumped energy through it. A flurry of beams lept from her mouth, tearing increasingly deeper channels until its skull opened. The last blast obliterated a tunnel through its brain and removed the top of its spine. As the Demon started to plunge, Amdirlain sent a translucent globe after it. The Spatial Mana rolled through the dying Demon and teleported pieces the power touched outwards for kilometres.
Amdirlain vanished from the swarms and transformed into her Wood Elf form—with concealments wrapped in place—before she moved again. The image Xul’garth had formed too late for his retreat served as Amdirlain’s next destination. It was an army training facility, a sprawling mess of half-completed huts and warehouse-like buildings around which battalions of demons were being drilled in military manoeuvers by balors and other stronger demons able to keep them in check.
A mental touch brushed against thousands of demons and, through it, Muse’s Inspiration took hold. When Amdirlain removed all restraints and pushed on their rage, they broke ranks. Bloodlust pumped through them, and they lashed out with senseless violence. Weapons cleaved in the skulls of those beside them, even as blows from others took them in the back. Their superiors tried to rein them in but found their orders ignored. The affected troops became the eye of the storm and, as the stronger demons slew them, others became infected with the same rage.
Spells unleashed by a Balor opened a gaping hole in the battlefront, the troops behind snarled and unleashed strikes from his rear. Though the weapons and spells slid off his defences, the Balor struck back recklessly. Demons that Amdirlain’s inspiration hadn’t infected joined the battle. Millions of songs sped away in an expanding circle, stealing away imprisoned mortals to individual stasis fields on her medical Demi-Plane; the last residents had long since returned home.
As she kept them fighting, Amdirlain carved out thin fractures in the ground in a circular pattern with a fifteen hundred kilometres radius. Before she could finish her next stage, a faint premonition of danger crept along Amdirlain’s back. Without hesitation, she vanished despite her concealments.
A thousand kilometres away, she saw in a Demon’s mind the sudden presence of a Demon Lady. Yet, there wasn’t a new song, only the sound of enchanted equipment suddenly arriving. Her garb looked like the chain Dominator outfit Amdirlain had seen various succubi wear, but each of the adamantine links bore a different infused enchantment. She pulled her long black locks back between the curved ruby-hued goat horns that jutted out from the side of her head. Down along her full-figured body, her skin tone lightened from ruby to crimson then back again before her black cloven hooves. The lack of music from her was eerie, and Amdirlain understood Isa’s reaction the first time they met through the Gate in the Outlands.
Stray notes caught Amdirlain’s attention, and she felt the Oath links through the demonic mind. She listened intently and sensed the faint whisper of a tired, lonely entity to which they linked. There was no echo of any demonic influence, but a hardened shell of corruption encapsulated and muffled the sound. The faintest of music was audible, but it was incomplete and metallic-toned, it obscured the Soul within except via the cracks the Oath links offered.
[Resonance-Prince [G] (40->41)
Note: It is highly secured, but you’re not the only one who has created holes in her defences.]
Is she also a Hidden? Who wouldn’t become self-interested? Am I hearing the part of the Titan’s seal on her Soul?
The first attempt at Analysis battered Mental Hardening, which caused Amdirlain’s gaze to widen. A second attempt to gain minimal information still pummelled her mind.
[Name: Tephros, The Soothing Queen, Lady of Security, Enchantment, and Power
Species: Demon Lady (unique)
Class: Mana Weaver / Mana Weaver / Mana Weaver / Soul Crusher.
Note: Technically, I’m not allowed to tell you she’s one of the Hidden, especially if you are right. If you’re polite, you might find out why. She certainly never got an FAQ or your advantages.
Note: Nexus influenced your Planar Shift.
Analysis [S] (40->41)]
That didn’t keep you from spilling the beans on Moloch.
Amdirlain felt the disappointed sigh from the Demon Lady wash across the demons, and the frenzied masses dropped to their knees. A detection Spell swept across the area and lingered at the spot Amdirlain had teleported from, so she hugged the landscape and flew away low. With her attention on taking in the impressions of the Demon Lady from the closest thoughts, she ignored the combat summary when it appeared.
[Mana Weaver
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Details: This Prestige Class combines two Wizard variant classes and is only accessible after thirty Prestige Classes containing a Wizard Variant and Mana Finesse-Deity has been achieved.]
[Soul Crusher
Details: An evolved Dominator Base Class that requires including the Class into a Prestige Class a minimum of twelve times.]
No wonder she easily shut down my influence over the demons; she likely has Dominion through the roof.
“Tell Moloch I’m still not interested in his offer,” said Tephros—a projection of the Demon Lady now stood where Amdirlain had been a moment earlier. “I’m sure you’re still there, listening to this projection. I could make you a better offer than he’ll provide. For one thing, I can break the collar he’s probably got around your neck. I can’t scry you as easily as I expected, though the energy of your relocation remains. Does that mean you’re a Hidden? He says he has all the answers but doesn’t, and there are better ways.”
A song shifted her location further away, and Amdirlain created a projection of her own, appearing similar to the Succubus form she’d possessed after her first ascension.
“What year was it when they cursed you?”
“I’m unsure what you mean by year in that context, there were many calendars,” said Tephros. “I was sixteen winters old when I came here. I was a returned soldier’s new wife, and we lived on a farm outside of Athens. The Persians had recently tried to invade but were driven back. Hopefully, that’s sufficient answer.”
“Yes, if you mean the Battle of Marathon, that lets me figure it out,” replied Amdirlain.
That was around 490 BC. How many years went by in the realm?
Tephros looked over Amdirlain’s image, yet only a faint sense of interest lurked behind her gaze.
“Nice illusion, yet not a Spell. I recognise you’re not using either Mana or Psi. You’ve got me curious about how you’re doing that, cutie. This excitement is already worth the demons you destroyed,” laughed Tephros. “How long have you been here?”
“Under a hundred years,” hedged Amdirlain. A flurry of thousands of detection spells raked across the area that Amdirlain had left, spiralling outwards and then a moment later stopped.
“Then you’re tricky for someone so young,” said Tephros. “Your turn.”
She’s still hunting me can I get her to stop?
Amdirlain sang her full force into a severing note aimed at Tephros’s hair, and the Power slid off her with less effect than the swarms’ spells had bounced from Amdirlain.
The demoness unleashed another flurry of spells, and some started digging at the ground around her. Amdirlain grabbed for the vulnerability she’d exploited with Moloch. Utilising the Oath links from the demonic troops, Amdirlain aimed the melody through the weaker demon’s willing link, and a strand of Tephros’s hair fluttered free.
The demoness paused with a maelstrom of raw Mana, ripping defensively at the surrounding air.
If only Balnérith’s Oath links were still in place, but they’ve gone with the destruction of the Leviathan’s blood. The sisters still have her sigil in place, but it doesn’t provide the vulnerability of an Oath Link.
“How did you do that?” asked Tephros, grasping at the cut lock before it hit the ground.
Yes, her detection spells let her see around her.
“I’m not telling you. You’re hunting for me. Stop, or I’ll have to stop you,” replied Amdirlain. “I believe we can agree not to attack each other and talk.”
The strand of hair swayed in Tephros’s fingers, and she lifted it to her nose. “No Mana, so psi energy, no quantum state shifts, and no temporal severing. Perhaps we can talk if you have something worth talking about.”
“I’m not one of his lackeys, and I’m looking to hurt him,” said Amdirlain.
Tephros straightened, and a glimmer of interest flared. “Alright, you have my attention.”
“How many times have you gone through a Transformation Site?” asked Amdirlain.
“Fancy name for wading in agony, isn’t it? I call them pools of torment,” said Tephros. Another surge of Mana from her came with thousands of increasingly complex spells spiralling across the soil near the projections, then suddenly jumped, and Amdirlain felt them weighing on her back. “Don’t run. That would be boring, and then we couldn’t talk.”
“I told you to stop,” hissed Amdirlain.
“I couldn’t let you retain the advantage,” rebuffed Tephros. “Better to end up Planar Locked than just surrender.”
Amdirlain readied millions of songs, aiming them through the Oath links, but Tephros’s posture relaxed suddenly, and she sat in mid-air with her legs demurely crossed at the ankles.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully and continued. “I’ve been through a Transformation Site seventeen times so far, and I’m getting to where I might go again. How did you become a Fallen, Amdirlain? I trust that is roughly how you pronounce your name since it has an Elven feel. Most Elven tongues have a musical sound, though it has been a few billion years since I’ve spoken to a living Elf. You’ve very nice concealments, and that sideways slip you used was a smooth dimensional shift. I’m impressed it took me fourteen thousand spells to find it.”
She knows my name, so does she have Analysis?
“My species change was through a Prestige Class,” replied Amdirlain.
“That’s an incomplete answer,” huffed Tephros with a bored playfulness. “How can we have a nice, polite conversation if you’re going to be vague.”
Amdirlain sighed. “It’s a little complicated, and I’m unsure how much I want to share.”
“You still haven’t revealed yourself, and here I was being nice. I’m hoping you won’t make me regret being polite. I don’t know what trick you pulled to cut my hair since your magic rating isn’t high enough.”
Yeah, she can get details.
“I’m not sure the information will help you,” admitted Amdirlain. “How many Prestige Classes have you taken?”
“Fifty-one,” replied Tephros. “By far the most I know of anyone possessing. I’ve heard Orcus has twenty-one, but he came along later and didn’t take the advice I provided him. Could you stay away from him? Somewhere along his travels, he went crazy and started wanting the entire realm to die.”
“You’re very reasonable,” noted Amdirlain. “You might not want to refer to M anymore by name, as he became a Demi-God.”
“Angels’ tears,” Tephros hissed hollowly, and her wings snapped closed. “I appreciate the information. It certainly explains some things I’ve heard. I find all those levels you’ve gained fascinating. I’m sure I’ve seen no one with a level over two hundred in one Class, yet you have multiple and such interesting classes that the results are very terse.”
“Why were you cursed?”
“On which occassion?” reposited Tephros. “Mortal enemies of my cult have been cursing me for aeons.”
“I’m trying to figure out the sort of person I’m dealing with,” admitted Amdirlain. “I suspect learning why you were cursed might help me decide if I want to help you.”
“You help me?” scoffed Tephros.
“You’ve been in here how long?” asked Amdirlain. “What have you got to lose by cooperating a little? It might even be interesting. When was the last time you weren’t bored?”
Tephros leant forward. “And what do you think you can help me with?”
“Wouldn’t you like to be free of the Abyss? I’ve helped two Hidden, two succubi and one Devil get released from the lower planes. Tell me, do you want to stay here forever?”
A protest died on Tephros’s lips, and she regarded Amdirlain thoughtfully. “A slight mistake. My husband liked to beat me, and then he cheated on me. When I found out, I killed the wrong person first. The second person I stabbed cursed me. You?”
“Someone obsessed with me cursed me for not noticing him,” replied Amdirlain.
“Are you going to come and chat politely?” asked Tephros, “It’s not like I can’t see you with my spells.”
Amdirlain appeared ten metres away, and Tephros nodded in satisfaction. “You’re the first female Hidden I’ve met besides myself. Were you female before you died?”
“Yes,” allowed Amdirlain. “Have you met a lot of Hidden?”
“Scores, I’m not sure why I’ve encountered even one unless we’re pieces on someone’s board. After all, so many planes are infinite. I’m sure whoever responds to Analysis likes to play games with us. Do you think they also get bored?”
Amdirlain snorted. “One manipulative arsehole. Do you ever get notes in the details?”
“When I was much younger, but they stopped after a few thousand years. We should supply them a list of spells to research and give them something productive to do with their time.”
Don’t think I’ll explain Gideon.
“I’m not sure. I certainly feel like I’ve been their catspaw multiple times,” replied Amdirlain.
“Catspaw,” snickered Tephros, and she clawed playfully at the air. “I like that image, though cats never do what you want them to do. Tell me about this Prestige Class that changed you into a Fallen.”
Amdirlain let out a sigh. “I got a Tier 7 achievement that allowed me to combine all four of my initial classes and evolve as part of the Prestige Class selection. I’m told the deed to get a Tier 6 or 7 achievement is proportional to your strength.”
“I heard rumours and theories but never unlocked such a Class,” Tephros’s gaze flickered momentarily. “Well, it looks like I won’t become a Fallen. It would be interesting to be something not demonic, but no matter.”
“I had two friends who were also cursed, but earning a Tier 7 allowed them to break their curse,” advised Amdirlain.
Tephros froze. “I don’t know where to start after such a statement. I thought the curses trapped us for eternity.”
“The wording of my curse is more problematic than theirs,” admitted Amdirlain.
“Ah,” breathed Tephros. “In that case, I’m likely not getting free either.”
Amdirlain smiled bitterly. “My Tier 7 turned me into a Fallen, and there is a way to get the Fallen state removed.”
“I heard him call upon the Titan to make me crawl like a worm in the dark filth of the underworld and never to be free of it. There was a stone place, and then next, I was underwater, my body flailing about as I tried not to drown, but my limbs were unresponsive. Then I realised I wasn’t drowning because I didn’t need to draw breath, and I was a bloated maggot-like thing. I was so hungry, but the other things around to eat were other maggots like me, so I ate them, and with each one, I felt a surge of strength.”
Amdirlain winced.
“Have you ever eaten your way through a foe?” asked Tephros, her gaze darkening.
“Yes,” admitted Amdirlain.”A Fire Giant. I chewed through his eye and then out through the ear.”
“I never expected to just talk to a Fallen, and even others like us are mostly problematic,” observed Tephros. “Conversation is such a curious thing. Normally, I’m issuing demands, which is far easier. You’ve still told me more than I’ve shared.”
“It’s alright. I offered the information and didn’t ask for something in exchange,” said Amdirlain. “How soon did you get rid of the Demon?”
“The first time I ascended as a Dretch,” replied Tephros. “Despite our demonic form in the flames, she was a copy of my old body. She tried to race away, but the umbilical cord between us didn’t stretch far enough to let her out. I hauled her in, and she tried to lash out. I kept us both in the fires of the Abyss and chewed through her throat. She begged for her existence, but I could see the malice in her gaze and had endured it for gods only know how long.”
“Mine dug into painful memories,” Amdirlain said. “Tried to convince me she was the result of the evil inside myself.”
“So had mine, whispering all sorts of things while I wiggled in the filth how I deserved worse. She spent years digging into my brain, mocking me, and I knew it was her or me. At that point, I’d taken the Dominator Class through two Prestige classes, so I crushed her like grain in a millstone.”
That’s unusual in the extreme for a Dretch.
“You didn’t have any issues killing her?”
“I’d had lots of practise eating demons that looked like myself at that point. These friends of yours. Did you all end up in the same place?”
“No,” said Amdirlain. “They were in Hell, and I believe someone was playing games for us to meet.”
“The games of gods are so cruel to mortals, but that raises more questions. I’m sure boredom comes into the picture. Not just with the three of you. Why else would so many Hidden meet if not out of boredom?” snorted Tephros, bitterness peeking out from behind her clouded gaze. “More than a few of the Hidden I would have preferred never to have met.”
“Maybe they’re doing it to give us a chance to get free. A few people whose situations you can relate to. The chance to prove worthy of the curse or freedom.”
Tephros wrinkled her nose. “I’ll never relate to child murderers and rapist even if they were once mortal. Let’s change the subject. Talk about something else for a bit.”
“Why do they call you the soothing queen?” asked Amdirlain. “It doesn’t exactly sound like an evil title.”
The ashen ground crunched underfoot when Tephros dropped from her mid-air perch and flung her arms wide. “Do you like this cheery place? Life is hard upon the worlds where my cults have a presence. My faithful bring the quiet of death, clearing away the ash of sorrow, soothing life’s troubles away. They also keep tombs from being looted and ensure all the enchanted traps remain in place. All to ensure a soothing afterlife for the entombed and the looter.”
“That doesn’t exactly sound chaotic or self-interested,” noted Amdirlain.
“It takes a certain personality type to believe you can take it with you and not care about the ‘loved’ ones you’re leaving behind. They’re the sorts that employ my cult,” replied Tephros. “My few worshipers take the work because they like seeing people die to their blades, spells, or traps. It proves their power is greater than the ones seeking the treasure.”
“That makes more sense,” noted Amdirlain drily. “If you directed your tenets towards protecting the body from desecration, you might get free from the Abyss.”
“Why would I bother? I stopped caring about people long ago, and I might as well research magic here as anywhere else,” replied Tephros. “I’ve got plenty of experimental subjects readily available here. Isn’t that why you came to my territory to kill demons?”
“Yes, I wanted to test myself, but I wasn’t expecting to run into another Hidden,” said Amdirlain. “Do you know where M has his Domain?”
“You’d be better off staying well away from him,” Tephros smiled. “I can get him to back off, but I doubt you can. Well, I could get him to back off. If he did become a deity, it won’t be easy for me either…”
Tephros’s gaze grew distant, and she released a string of expletives.
“Analysis provided you with the details?” questioned Amdirlain.
“Yes! Looks like it''s time to leave in any case,” growled Tephros. “I’m surprised he’s waited this long without sending demands to suck his cock. What do you plan to do to his Domain?”
“I just want to make a mess around it,” explained Amdirlain. “I’m fairly certain I can open a massive Gate to a Plane filled with waters infused with Celestial energy.”
Tephros’s smile turned predatory. “That should cause an explosion. Ensure you pour the water across the area with the most corruption. The clash of forces will turn the ground molten if it doesn’t tear it apart. Now, tell me about the Demon Lady in need of elimination. While you’re doing that, I’ll send a Message to a knowledge Demon and see what they can tell me about M’s Domain.”
She dispatched a Message and motioned for Amdirlain to start. As Amdirlain provided only Balnérith’s raw numbers, Tephros’s mood calmed, and eventually, she wrinkled her nose.
“You’re not interested in helping?”
“You really should destroy her yourself,” stated Tephros. “I am curious if I’d get a Tier 7 achievement, but she doesn’t sound tough enough. It''s amusing you didn’t offer a name, taking precautions that I couldn’t betray you to her?”
“Yes,” said Amdirlain.
Tephros smiled approvingly. “Smart. I like smart women, but being liked by me isn’t something most would find pleasing.”
“Were you the first Hidden?” asked Amdirlain.
“That’s a very bold question. According to Analysis, I was the first, and the Titan developed the rules for them because of me. It would seem I’m an evil bitch who earned what she got,” Tephros said. She waved dismissively at her own emotions and calmed. “Clearly, but it''s no matter. My screams over my fate are all aeons past.”
“Is that what the Message said? The one I got didn’t make it sound like you were evil at all,” replied Amdirlain.
“I’m only out for myself, child,” rebuffed Tephros. “You are annoying our mutual interest, M?”
“Yes,” replied Amdirlain. “Being out for yourself in the Abyss doesn’t make you evil. The beings you can safely trust would be in the minority.”
“I hope you enjoy messing with him, as that sounds dangerous and entertaining.”
A tidal wave of Mana roared from Tephros, and billions of demons inside Resonance’s range died. Cities and towns exploded as spatial rifts and raw Mana storms shredded their inhabitants into dust. “He won’t profit from taking over my territory now. Feel free to loot whatever is left if you’d like.”
“Why?” gasped Amdirlain. Songs snatched mortal captives away from collapsing buildings and sent them to rescue a Demi-Plane for medical care.
“Never let an enemy claim what you’ve worked to build. I’m going to soak in a Transformation Site again. What do you think? Should I focus on becoming a Marilith or something else? I’ve been a Balor before. They’ve got a boring form with a weird internal pouch that holds their dick unless you want to fuck something. Maybe a Lilitu, close to Succubi but focused on ruin rather than lust.”
I didn’t want to discuss Balor’s anatomy. Why is genitals or sex the first thing most succubi bring up?
“Why are you going back into a site?”
“Why shouldn’t I ingest my classes into my species again?” laughed Tephros. “Maybe I’ll find something realm-shaking to kill and get myself a Tier 7. That sounds decidedly challenging. It’s been a long time since anything besides spells interested me. I even extended a Wizard codex series to pass the years. There was lots of research time involved, which was very entertaining. The sort of research that is handy when making territories go boom!”
The temptation to pursue that topic niggled at Amdirlain, but she set it aside.
“I could try to change your species,” offered Amdirlain.
Tephros tilted her head. “How would you do that?”
“Have you heard of True Song?”
“You have True Song?” asked Tephros. “Like the Anar and Lóm? of old?”
“I reincarnated into the world you and I are from,” offered Amdirlain. “Then returned here through a curse.”
“Sometimes, the harder you try to run from something, the more painfully you get dragged back,” laughed Tephros dryly. “I’ll decline. You’ve given me useful information. I''d prefer to earn it since I know it’s possible now.”
Tephros stopped and snorted in amusement. “Odd, I never thought there was a way to break the curse. I never even tried. It was something determined by the gods that I’d have to endure, like other monsters created by the gods of my ancestors.”
I can see someone from that time feeling that way. Oblivion still needs to be found; Tiamat said they’re in the deep planes.
“Did you see the Titan’s servants during the War of the Four?”
“Oh yes. You could feel them approaching from beyond the horizon. Why do you ask?”
“Of them, three are free of the Abyss, but one remains. He is the Aspect of Oblivion,” noted Amdirlain. “His name is Ruithor, and he came into the Abyss with three more of the Titan’s Servants, but he didn’t leave. I’ve been told his resting place is in the deeper planes of the Abyss. That might be worth a Tier 7 achievement. I’d been saving it, but I’ve other options.”
“Oblivion? I remember an angelic figure with obsidian wings and skin that ate everything that touched him. He looked so beautiful, so peaceful. So many horrid things became dust around him. That would be a fine fate,” purred Tephros contently. “Whisper your name to me, Amdirlain, so I don’t have to seek you out when I’ve news.”
A globe of energy hovered near Tephros’s shoulder with the details of Moloch’s Domain. Tephros tossed the Spell globe to Amdirlain with a playful twitch of her finger.
There wasn’t a Spell involved; she just influenced the results of another’s casting.
“Say yours to me first,” said Amdirlain. She used the time her request gained to set a different inflection of her name onto a Soul waiting assignment to a tower.
It’s been my name for years, but I could still ditch it if needed. Better to have it in place through a relay.
Tephros grinned, and they exchanged names before she vanished.
With the details from the globe, Amdirlain set things in motion.