《Aethernum—Cradle of Yore》


 1. Rescue

    1. Rescue


    The penetrating sound of distant animal screeches was all he focused on, his thoughts revoking control over magic as he looked down on the burning pit.


    The crumbling of a house in the sea of fire tore him from his reverie, underlining once more how utter destruction had come to the Pirrah.


    Catfolk known for their easy-going nature and teasing antics. Well, no more. He thought, tracing along the sharp edges of his bent horns. Here goes my rest, my happy fucking. And their lives. I wonder which ranks first on the list...


    He sighed. A dark shine enveloped his waistbelt and just barely tore his attention from the ruined village to the small booklet affixed on it with a thin chain.


    Gisg-Na-Med-Gisg-Na it read in the eyes of mortals. Small, ominous letters only the few could read and even fewer interpreted unhinged each word. As for gleaning its contextual meaning? Only those he allowed to could do that.


    Because it was his name and the book was his as were the concepts. Thoth perceived what it wanted to convey and obeyed. Relaxing his leathery wings, he lost altitude. Landing on the ground, he approached the crematorium.


    Little past a scorched signboard barely reading Hamstay, he set foot on the streets he''d remembered crawling with visitors, crowded with merchants while being kept clean by the energetic catfolk.


    "There was Florian, a stray vagabond." He muttered while walking past medium done corpses. He did not fall alone. "The fool stayed to the bitter end."


    Behind the bloodsoaked tent the old lycanthrope had called home, he came across the remains of brave militants. Cut and pierced lay the bodies, the ground brown with dry blood and brittle from the unforgiving heat of dying embers.


    If not for remembering how delicate the Races were, Thoth would have thought of the fire as part of the village. An attraction or something similar, to increase the customer base this far out in the middle of nowhere.


    "What...is this?" He stopped momentarily, tilting his head this way and that as fire licked his bare feet. "There it is again." Thoth crossed some alleys, down the hill, past the evaporated little stream, away from the dried-up riverbed and up again. "Whaaa~"


    He approached the ruins of his original target. Past old Ferris, or what ashen remains had yet to dissipate of the drunkard dwarf. The inn was hardly recognisable, a far cry from the homey hamlet in his memory.


    But amidst the burst pediment barely kept standing by the last two smouldering pillars which had not yet fully yielded, he espied some sort of webbing. Surrounded by fire, seriously?


    "Whaaa~ Uwhaaaa~" Approaching the place, Thoth wasn''t surprised to find a bundle of ragged cloth in which a big head had been lovingly tucked away.


    While the package had been wrapped in apparent hurry, Thoth was damn sure the whole house would crumble down first before the baby came to any harm.


    "The young. Nasty place to be." Thoth grimaced, transforming his expression into a wide grin consumed by mockery. Under fire it would have suffered less. And now it''s at risk of starvation.


    He locked eyes with the baby and waited. It will soon kick up a storm. The screams were to see no end. It will spit and brabble as it hollers at the top of its lungs.


    And then, it might choke on the drivel. And die, if it''s lucky. Won''t starve this way. Won''t burn to death. Amidst the ridicule he felt, there was a deep sea of melancholy hidden away in his ash-coloured eyes.


    The baby widened its eyes to the extreme, seemingly surprised that the screaming fit had provoked a reaction. Finally someone graced it with undivided attention. Though that someone certainly looked very strange...?


    It felt the absence of a certain, much-hated emotion. Then it looked some more at the scary visage, opened its mouth and...giggled happily. Mirthful laughter rang through the burning village. The unfamiliar creature held no malice.


    Happy chimes all reserved for Thoth and Thoth alone melted millennia-old ice. A lifetime''s worth of fuzzy memories of him from another itineration flashed past his eyes, leaving an indelible mark.


    Some different choices, changes in fate and duty. Fewer opportunities but greater luck would have made him the protagonist of these memories. Flashbacks that came and went once in a while. It was a very effective attack straight to the heart he recognised.


    Thoth was spellbound and lost in his astonishment. The mind washing began or so he''d explain much later his state of mind at that strange time.


    Only when the baby''s stomach rumbled and jovial giggles turned into screams of pain and some furious calling over the coals did he jolt awake.


    Smelling the stench and seeing its beet-red face, Thoth became all antsy. Extending his claws, he tentatively let them hover over the bundle, unsure if the delicate creature would come to harm from his rough, awkward handling.


    Still, his hand eventually grabbed the small thing. Astonishment came over him, for the baby was sick, burning hot even to his weathered scaly touch.


    In the furthest recesses of his head, Thoth remembered the importance of family members for incomprehensible stuff like that and dangerous situations alike.


    Suddenly, Thoth marvelled at how difficult it was to care for someone in comparison to setting up a guy or engaging in happy warfare. This unbefitting realisation kind of rubbed him the wrong way. Someone must miss the young something fierce.


    "[Detect Karma I]!" He scouted almost hysterically. With so much death surrounding him, just from where came his bloody wish to actively contribute? It was bad manners...


    Nothing but some bugs and bacteria appeared on his radar. "That''s not gonna work. [Greater Detect Karma III], c''mon!" Now all three surrounding hills came to life in his perception, much more detailed than before.


    Yet no single thread entangled with the baby other than the insufferable aristocrats responsible for the mindless culling. Including their ridiculous reasons, now all known to him. "What the...?


    Even some random bugs have greater karmic profiles than this young?" Focusing some more as Thoth clung to his stubbornness, the baby was left staring at a gaping mouth and two rows of terribly sharp, very pointed teeth.


    Faint but real, there was a link! Albeit with...him. This kind of feedback was worse than getting no answer. "How is this possible? This makes absolutely zero sense. Must be wrong."


    Thoth fidgeted around a bit as he clumsily tried to calm down the shrieking baby, now letting loose all the water contained within that small body.


    And hell, that was a lot. Can''t be healthy for the young. Must change...diapers. They are called such, no? "Diapers!" Thoth looked around quickly but nothing useful came to his eyes. "[Greater Inanimate Radar III]" Mana crashed into the booklet once more.


    A hopefully satisfying answer later, he fell into a jog. Down some alleys and up a hill until he came to a stop in front of a magnificent house in ruins. "[Lesser Earthquake I], [Heaven''s Pull I]!" The ground shook and dirt splattered left and right like the spray at the sea.


    Much intense labour later, a crate came shooting from the ridiculously big hole he''d just created. Thoth crushed the adorned ornament worth a pretty penny, grabbed the soft silk inside and flew back at full speed.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Four seconds later and he arrived, soothing the bitterly crying baby. Cleaning its petite body proved to be beyond him, dashing his efforts.


    While he didn''t feel like giving up, a load of diaper rash messed Thoth up while trying. And with the skin reddened and most likely itchy too, the happily laughing bundle of positive energy had its very terrible mood swings to burden the inexperienced creature with.


    Thoth even considered casting a classified spell just to finally get rid of all the persistent waste clinging to furry ears and an agitated tail. "You''re really a handful, young." Perhaps that statement was meant for him more so than it was meant for the baby.


    Only the unwelcome scene doing so would have created convinced him of the necessity of employing lesser solutions. "[Greater Purification III], [Greater Detox III], [Greater Heal III]."


    The spells he cast were potent enough to eradicate the prenatal weakness the baby suffered from at its root. Even the clogged eyes were liberated from grime and dirt, revealing a turquoise and a gold pupil.


    Resentment, curses and the wicked souls still lingering over these doom afflicted lands all found absolution as the fire turned a holy gold, healing instead of burning.


    Thoth didn''t think his selective choice was overkill. Instead, his mind was occupied with the correct angle he should go at the baby for the linen to cause the least cold or uneasiness.


    Being exposed to a spring of never-ending mana, the baby soon showed signs of unhealable mutation. By the time Thoth discovered the scary change, he almost cut off his arm as he tried to get some of his blood onto the baby.


    It sizzled only for a short moment before all kinds of resistance buffed it up for good measure. His blood had this ability. Why do I even care? Karma sometimes also lies.


    Thoth never stopped gently wrapping the comfortable linen around the small body, fearing injury at every jolt. It too cannot be mine. But logic alone had never truly dictated anything to members of his kind.


    Magic flowed into the bundle, transforming its characteristics on a fundamental level. It became more durable than the best armour of mortal making and softer than the most expensive of silk.


    This could be a ruse. Thoth didn''t trust the thought. For that, the baby was just too cute as it halted in its heartbreaking screams and revealed a happy chuckle at least until famine caught up with it. Cuteness is justice, after all.


    With what he had in mind, something crazy could be cooked up which he liked very much. Craziness was somewhat baked in his blood, but first things first.


    Thoth needed the baby alive for the plans he had. But that''s just me trying to reason with the situation. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the booklet affixed to his waistbelt glowed clinically white. Somebody had intruded in his sphere.


    More specifically, creatures of light Thoth never welcomed had. Creatures that the baby couldn''t handle. What the...I''m already thinking for the young?


    Considering the circumstances, Thoth''s thoughts were in favour of evading a confrontation. Too much blood spilt on this day already. Thoth grabbed the bundle, secured it on his bosom and took flight.


    The incoming paladin was barely looking at the husks of destroyed houses built with wood and stone before fixating Thoth with his beady eyes so rich in fury.


    "[Righteous Slaaaaaaaaash I!!] Rrrraaaahhhh!!!" A mighty beat of his wings propelled him out of range, the sword cutting nothing but empty air. "Oh, you so fucking do not escape, frigging murderer! [Lesser Consecutive Follow-Up II]"


    Much to Thoth''s chagrin, the baby wriggled its head out of the tight silk wrapping, happily giggling away as the sky and earth met. Thoth tumbled through the air, taking all pressure upon his powerful body.


    The little thing would not survive half the spinning force, and even if it did, Thoth wasn''t one for unnecessary risks. "Stop...," he evaded another twenty or so slashes that left a noticeable mark in the sky, "...this instant."


    The paladin had a mighty snort on the ready as an answer. Discovering his martial commitment only served to act as a nice breeze conjured upon his deep frown an even darker shade.


    It was quite evident he wouldn''t catch up to Thoth''s speed, at least not in the air and out of his usual element. "Cleanse yourself of your sins, daemon!" Barked the paladin, his overflowing mana suggesting a big move. With more blood? Silly. I refuse.


    The pair of white wings on his back vibrated dangerously. Just moments prior, he distanced himself far enough to charge up unhindered. "Archangel Chamuel, bless your fervent servant.


    To vanquish the indomitable evil, bask this undeserving mortal in your holy presence. [Conjecture: Equipment Release]!!" Thoth could have easily done him in by taking advantage of the opportunity if he didn''t want to see more blood spilt on this unlucky day.


    Yet while his mind was still unsure of what to do and how to dispose of the hot thoughts of happy fucking lacking an outlet, the next flurry of attacks rocked radiant sword slashes filled with holy energy his way.


    The glaring light was nothing to his eyes, but for the baby, it was another story entirely. Of clashes, inertia and vibrations, Thoth could protect it.


    But of light? Even he was a bit too slow to counter the speed of light. The baby shrieked as it brawled its eyes out, the small furry ears inclined, running parallel to its head.


    Thoth immediately turned his back towards the paladin, letting the radiant slashes crash into his wings where they were soon eroded by the darkness.


    "Master Roches, status report!" Reinforcements. And of the dumb-looking kind at that. Zealots, I bet. "Cadet Damsel, Evelinn, stay clear. This daemon is not a creature you can fight."


    Master Roches never averted his eyes from Thoth''s rhythmically beating wings, knowing very well how cunning daemons could be. "What is a daemon doing here?" He soon started his onslaught yet again.


    Urgh, this cruelty...only absolute evil can do such horrendous things. But is this really the work of a daemon?" Evelinn was the other member of this meagre squad of three, a petite woman pondering over the most minute details.


    As an inspector, her piercing gaze immediately found something to fuss over. Not that it was hard. "Master Roches, your armour won''t hold long. Huggenritt will give you an earful, be warned." Even in the heat of the fight, the paladin winced.


    "Listen you imbeciles, I¡ª" It simply wasn''t meant to be Thoth''s day as he wasn''t allowed to finish his sentence. "Daemonic Whoreson!" Oouf... Rather nasty even in my impressive collection of flattering titles.


    "What are you doing with a baby? I fucking dare you use it as a shield." Cadet Damsel sounded as pissed as she was convinced of the truth she''d concocted.


    Just that the brawny woman failed to actively translate that ire into brawl power. Not for a lack of trying, as Thoth amusedly noted. But there was a limit to what she could do by hurling scorched remains his way with the meagre power of a mortal.


    "To seek murderers go west. Under the insignia of hooves and four dahlias you will¡ª" "Keep your lies, daemon. We won''t fall for your instigation." Listens less than my old rocker. Well, what did I expect?


    "Remember this, I might be weaker today, but in the future, I shall slay the sinful likes of you." Cadet Damsel''s furious hollers made it abundantly clear that Thoth could keep his mouth shut as well.


    "Then the baby¡ª" "Rotten Sucker, what do you plan to do with the poor thing?!" "[Righteous Slash I]!" "Not you too while I''m talking. Urgh." Thoth evaded both literal and metaphorical threats with strained movements.


    Ridiculous. Their death''s an easy feat, but the young has precedence. What if it gets mentally scarred or develops badly? Thoth, they are not worth risking a calamity.


    A groan escaped his fangs-filled mouth. With the baby''s emotions negatively impacted, it failed to keep its waste. Thoth smelled it. The stench was awfully similar to deadly trouble.


    "Enough, you unreasonable bunch. Mindless faith has indoctrinated you stupidly." Thoth punched the paladin he dubbed a nasty fly. The unexpected movement found surprisingly little purchase but some cracking armour.


    Blessed, that one. Chamuel...was it? Now more than ever, what the paladin had equipped looked worse for wear. Roches shot down to the ground like a missile, coughing up blood and bile. Thoth definitively wasn''t kind to his stomach.


    While still up in the air, the man tried to mitigate the force tearing at his abdomen. He''d shouted a muffled "[Lesser Aura of Vitality I] to make sure he''d survive the fall.


    And that he did, but not without paying a certain price. Even so, the outcome was just like what Thoth aspired to see. And in this situation, Thoth also had the right counter ready to end this farce. Joung''s seriously screaming. Can''t be good...


    "[Lesser Earthquake I]" The ground shook under a sudden nasty tremor and dust and ash rose into the air. "[Poison Cloud II]" It was still too little commotion for his taste.


    "[Lesser Whirlwind II]" Now the sight in front was what he deemed a healthy mix of chaos, a great smokescreen he could make use of.


    After filtering through a couple hundred coordinates in his head and excluding those who obviously weren''t a great place to be for a baby, Thoth was left with a handful of choices.


    None were really attractive, and only two gave the possibility to acquire the bare minimum necessary in terms of clothing and other necessities indispensable for a baby:


    A comprehensive record that''d teach him the ins and outs of how to take care of one. Only one place ticked the most boxes on his imaginary wish list. "[Greater Teleportation III]."


    Visibility via simple mana discharges was about to return and Thoth still planned to make use of the favour of the hour. The booklet affixed to Thoth''s waistbelt shone in eerie grey, the letters constituting his name turned dark gold.


    It opened with a thundering bang. Dozens of different letters shot out of its vortex-like, freely scrolling pages, rearranging themselves into a specific order before the immediate space he resided in got separated from the rest of the world and the two disappeared.


    Only a greater spell had the punch to tear away a suitable piece of space for teleportation purposes. Only a greater spell guaranteed the baby would feel absolutely nothing at all.


    Yet it was also only a greater spell that would alarm all the surrounding kingdoms in this rundown corner of nowhere. Thoth wasn''t keen on repeating past mistakes.


    He had no interest at all in acting as a trouble magnet. It''s bad for the young. Yes, it''s all because of the young. The young saved your lives, children of the fake light.

 2. Counsel

    2. Counsel


    Kicking the rubble off him, Roches gritted his teeth and got his fractured arm into a more comfortable position. Having done that, he used the next three minutes to inhale air as if there was no tomorrow as nerves tingled and his perception screamed.


    The paladin would have liked to indulge himself for a while longer, but Evelinn''s dust-covered head had nothing better to do than to peek out from behind a destroyed wall, her always distant eyes now the embodiment of a heavy scowl. Ugly, tiny witch.


    "Got done in," she said. Fuck. More work to do. "Damsel''s just over there, the debris too much for me alone. Care to butt in with a healing skill or two? [Lesser Aura of Vitality I] should not be the beginning and the end of your repertoire, paladin."


    How dare she?! My efforts are the only reason the wrench''s alive! Roches groaned. "None of your damn business, inspector." His bones slowly creaked into the right position, a wave of soothing mana hastening the healing process.


    A full recovery would take proper time no doubt, but Roches estimated the evil daemon to not come back now that this hiding place had been discovered and the paladins alerted. Though not all followed the same behaviour pattern, so he couldn''t relax just yet.


    Even if he could, with an inspector on the team, there was no way his nerves would be able to in any case. Fucking twat. Ruined my day. Roches wasn''t sure who he meant.


    Yet his eyes couldn''t help but gloss over Evelinn''s back ever so venomously. Useless, just like the rest of hers. Grow a pair, pimp! Talk about nosey, he thought and let the words wash past.


    "We came here to scout and apprehend the unpardonable evil. We owe this much to the observatory department. And you''ve heard me correctly. We came to get close and personal, not wasting time with fucking questions."


    The bad blood between inspectors, civilians who rose in ranks, and paladins, fighters who rose through bloody battle merit, was well known in the order.


    Paladins complained they always had to take on the role of a nanny when teaming up, inspectors did because words seldom meant anything to the brutes and were hardly ever received well.


    It was an old hat, a custom by now Roches did neither question nor feel the desire to stand up to it. "Why you''re even dispatched here is just as much of a riddle as the daemon not fighting properly is.


    But you can be damn sure my complaints reach the grandmaster." "As do mine the grand inspector." Sure, tell your daddy of pimps. While talking, they both briskly waded through the ash-covered rubble. No shit, they''ll have some pull. Damnit all.


    Seeing the bloody aftermath of the atypical daemon''s rampage, Roches once again swore not to rest before the shame had been washed away with blood and he could proudly show his face again in public. Purple blood, to be precise.


    If only the inspector wasn''t here, bloody hell. His thoughts did everything but calm him down. "Something wasn''t right, paladin. The daemon had enough firepower to kill us immediately, but it didn''t. Of that, the spells it used are enough evidence.


    Evelinn spoke up again, the paladin looking at her as if it tortured him to stay in her company for even a second longer. Stupidity and cowardice ain''t contagious. Hopefully.


    Roches cracked his knuckles, feeling a headache approaching if it hadn''t already come knocking. "What do you know, detestable scholar.


    It''s always the same with you inspectors. Just like the damn magicians, you''d talk to the Devil himself if you could. For what? To trust in lies and lose your sanity?


    It''s always us who are called to clean up your messes." The petite woman was like deep water, still and unimpressed by all. "Paladin! I''m not joking." Her voice was the same old flat. "To me, it seemed to act upon its wish to protect."


    Might burn her at stake here and now. Bloody felony! Roches almost laughed out loud in absolute anger, his eyes rolling in their sockets as he answered, his voice crackling. "Protect? No daemon ever protects. They always plot, always wish to do harm.


    A menace, that is what they are. Unreasonable to boot. Today it annihilates a village of lessers, tomorrow a grand city. The evil must be stopped! As do your pagan traits." The grandmaster might have an idea. The man''s scarily...efficient. "Paladin¡ª"


    "Bloody right, Master Roches." The weak answer to his angry words from nearby made him look closer at the specific pile of rubble and torn-up earth, ignoring the inspector who seethed with impotence.


    "Hush now, cadet. This might take a bit." That the inspector couldn''t help the cadet in any way was evident. Useless. Not only was the debris of a common house burying her under, but a good part of the hill had also turned into detritus, stacked up on top of it.


    Undeserved luck; this damn noisy inspector. No non-warrior would''ve survived that. Roches expelled the ill-fitting thoughts from his mind and concentrated; got a job to do.


    "In silence the angels preach, in reticence the pious listens, in benevolence the righteous beseech the Father. [Lesser Heal I]" A beggarly beam of white light left his outstretched palms, Roches'' face reddening in shame at the inspector''s contemptuous frown.


    Don''t you dare¡ª "So much for your qualifications, paladin. Should''ve embraced the path of a berserker. To think someone part of the Lilies employs lesser spells of the lowest trier and needs to chant too. My compliments for your thick skin."


    That''s it. You just wait, know-it-all. Nobody in the Lilies will save you ass in the future, of that I''ll make sure. Punching away at the debris, Roches soon removed enough material to allow Damsel to crawl out on her own.


    The low-levelled healing skill that''d been cast on her only increased her self-recovery slightly, doing nothing about pain and the many wounds littering her well-toned body.


    Yet she''d have gladly chosen death rather than to provide nourishment for the inspector''s mocking scowl. Got spunk that one. I like it. "Cadet, we shall return to the church at once.


    There, the fathers will gladly patch you up, so persist." "Indeed, what doesn''t kill you only makes you stronger...many a wet grave''s inmate lived by this creed." I sweat to the Father if she doesn''t shut it I¡ª


    "Inspector. Evelinn." A wave of resentment made her swallow the next couple of words she had on her tongue. If she died here and they made the daemon responsible for it, nobody would care two hoots.


    Too occupied with pursuing the common enemy of humanity for sure, her sacrifice would then be seen as noble at best or plainly forgotten. Evelinn wisely opted to keep the remarks to herself for the remaining trip back to the nearest church.


    Not that far away, they met much unusual hustle and bustle. Can''t be good. Frigging bearer of calamity, nothing good ever comes from them. Paladin Roches got a bad feeling about all this, raced over to a distraught monk and soon got answers to his inquiries.


    Without wasting a second, he grabbed the shoulders of both ladies and headed deeper into the dome. Past guards, hidden deadly enchantments, mandatory identity checkpoints, Roches only stopped in front of a heavily guarded door.


    Stepping inside, he did not spare the magnificent room a glance. "Brad, get the transmission ready. We''re moving to Narves." The old priest surrounded by a crowd of impeccably clothed acolytes nodded slowly towards Roches.


    He was blind, so he only got the approximate direction right. The priest didn''t ask any questions nor did he dawdle. Soon, soft mutters exited his wrinkled lips. A few minutes later, others too joined him in his slow-paced, adjuratory chant.


    After a dozen minutes, and after all the voices in the room had turned into an indistinguishable chorus, Priest Brad nodded again, this time very tired before dozing off on the spot.


    Paladin Roches didn''t waste his efforts either and hurried towards the dissipating swirl that''d appeared in the middle of the room, the two women in tow.


    All he could think of was praying to God he wasn''t late. His worst fears until now had come too dangerously close to the truth. The unimaginably powerful daemon who toyed with them earlier had appeared elsewhere.


    In a very important trade city of this kingdom, to be exact. Once in Naves, he swore to rally his comrades and settle the bill once and for all. You just wait. I''ll come for you.


    "Never held hopes to understand you, Thoth. This was and is beyond my wildest dreams, honestly. But...this? Makes fucking no sense. Care to explain?" "I care not, Spice."


    "Particular reason why the thing''s female? Or...is it that? Want to raise your wife to your taste?" Spice''s warm smile trained to perfection distorted for a whole second.


    "Fine, fine. I get it. No need to stare at me with those eyes. Don''t want to die this soon, over nothing more than a shitty joke no less."


    Thoth considered the softly grumbling bartender''s sincerity, found the display up to par albeit barely and retracted his phenomenal claws elongating his fingers threefold.


    His scaly hands looked unassuming thereafter, their lethality discernable by Spice alone. "I seek advice and a drink." Spice stopped polishing the spotless drinking glass in his hands to cast a deep and meaningful look at his friend occupying a stool near the counter.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    One of many more that were free even at this late hour. He was happy it didn''t come to blows. Spice felt generous enough to offer Thoth free counsel for whatever plagued that walking and talking enigma''s mind.


    "What other reason could you''ve had?" Spice wasn''t yet finished with the spotless drinking glass in his hand. He grabbed another velvety cloth and continued his work.


    "Advice coupled with a drink is the damn reason we see each other a couple of times in a fucking century more than usual." "Commonwealth." Thoth didn''t speak much, his emotions perfectly hidden behind an expressionless face.


    What does it take to loosen up his tongue? A waler? Focus, Spice, focus. The drink doesn''t mix on its own. What the reticent piece of tumbling disaster speaks has never been much anyway, the bartender thought to the uncaring void watching him always.


    One of Thoth''s reasons was that whatever Spice knew would effectively circulate in the world of immortals no hour past. The other was linked to the baby. She slept, for now.


    Teleportation knocks its lights off. That''s good to know. Thoth was still happy about the small breakthrough in parenting he''d stumbled upon by welcome accident.


    "Shitty day, huh? Otherwise, you''d have been happy with a Veneziano. What''s that one for, sacrifice? Staple food?" "Karmic ties." "...you jest." Thoth laughed dangerously, his eyes ablaze, birthing chaotic letters.


    "Fine, fine. My bad." Spice didn''t comment further on Thoth''s peculiar life choices. In all the realms, he knew best to better not piss that one off, immortal or not.


    "Commonwealth. Long. Shot." Spice let go of the drinking glass in his hands, putting it on display behind the counter where others of its kind stood proud.


    With impossible speed, the bartender grabbed all bottles necessary for his customer''s requested drink, glass included and began mixing in no time.


    "So how''s life," Spice murmured under breath to not wake up the baby and possibly worse too. "Beyond shitty, I mean." "Beyond that? Even shittier if that''s enough for an answer." "It is not and you know it. Spill the beans, old champ."


    Thoth went silent until he eventually relented. "Got called a daemon. Never had the chance to speak up, let alone set the record straight." Spice whistled meaningfully. "What a bunch of brainless fools. Dead, I wager?"


    "No." The bartender stopped grabbing a bunch of flagons at random, then shook his head and returned to the task at hand, leaving Thoth in the dark about the many offensive thoughts flashing past his mind. The world truly isn''t fair.


    "No? Are you really the Thoth I know? The murderous bundle of realm-ending sarcasm ever so ready to evaporate a world or two?" The minutes ticked by. "...I''m tired, Spice.


    Tired of the farce that living has become to me. Tired to end up always in the same goddamn corner. For millennia, I haven''t seen anything new. Thoughts of the end come to me ever so frequently. And easier each time."


    The shaking continued for a while longer than necessary. Much longer. Probably Spice''s way of handling the bombshell. "And your love for magic and theorisation?" "Fuck that." Thoth sighed, unhappy with the results of his effort on that front.


    "There comes a time you''ve discovered everything there is to discover. Then you go mad. Destroy things. Entice the weak-minded to do the same. Massacre people. You know the gig."


    Gesturing at Spice to better add more murderous alcohol to the damn drink if his continued existence was what he sought, Thoth only picked up the thread after another couple of eventless minutes had passed.


    "Ah...you know perfectly how things go, Spice. Prowl your rounds, hit up some strange folk, check what''s going on, get rid of some unlikable cults, evaluate the progress, think about the bigger picture and done. Add some more, don''t be shy."


    Thoth sighed. Shooing away the prostitute who had seen a potential customer in him, he gestured to the busy bartender to provide a drink for the woman and put it on his tab.


    To approach a stunner like him with such thoughts in mind, a lot of things must have gone wrong in life. Of course, the crucial point was that she was a far cry from what he fancied but that also wasn''t her fault.


    Ignoring the madly twitching eyebrows of his good friend, Thoth also looked the other way as the man swapped the small schnapps glass with one intended for insane amounts of beer and looked his way with eyes blazing with provocation.


    "Full house as always," Thoth remarked sarcastically. "What else do I expect? Got a prime location here in the frigging melting pot of the Races and you''re swamped with work as always."


    Looking around the dimly lit room featuring a couple of badly preserved war trophies, cheap tableware and even worse entertainment, Thoth scoffed at the handful of strange people who all hadn''t it in them to look him straight in the eye.


    Nobody glanced past his scales and some simply didn''t care as they should. Unimportant bottom feeders, all of them. The usual clientele his good friend enjoyed. All mortals, by the way. Spice hated to show off after all. Just as Thoth remembered.


    "Customer, here''s your order." Thoth was presented with a mug of Commonwealth he soon gulped down at once with relish. "Ahhh...that hits the spot. Got any courtesans worth their price?


    Haven''t had action on that front for too long and hormones ain''t exactly understanding." Spice shook his head in exasperation as he gestured to his clientele. "Do you think they need that kind of service? We ain''t this high-end, dear noble."


    Spice''s mocking choice of words and infuriating intonation weren''t lost on Thoth yet he didn''t play along. "Then do something about it, the bar''s yours." "Saloon... ah, forget it. Can''t distinguish a stall from a restaurant, truly.


    Would''ve liked to do so, really. But...the people here are fucking racist. Look the part of a common man, alright. Got the appendices right, proportions and musculature too. And yet what? Just because I''m a bit darker in tone, the eyes roll and tongues swagger.


    Funny how they look down on me while death stares back at them, pissed." Thoth softly shook the baby who was on the verge of waking up according to its increasing heartbeat.


    To his knowledge, he''d gain some more precious minutes that way before all hell broke loose and even the dead would wake due to all the piercing yelling. She still had not yet eaten anything which made him worry something fierce.


    As for the bartender...Thoth knew it was not all empty talking. Not at all. The realm Spice had grown up in was riddled with slavery and class thinking, thriving off it even. It might be important to add a piece of information; that realm was no more.


    Thoth made the second mug float to his lips and took a hearty sip. "Ahh, shit. That time''s long behind me. Now the realms don''t interest me anymore, not after a decade a century a millennium, not ever."


    "So...what''s up with you, really? I doubt you came here for a drink and a shrew. Else you''d have gone straight to the slave market. You said something about advice." "...you know I cannot handle dead fish eyes. But you''re right, enough of that.


    Got anyone here with experience?" "Experience?" Spice grabbed the next drinking glass and started cleaning it. Not that it was necessary as each beloved item was bereft of any speck of dust to begin with.


    "As in fucking or what?" "Hell no. Parenting. That''s all the rage nowadays." Your rage mate... Spice only dared think of these words while he kept a straight face.


    Thoth could be unreasonable when provoked and he wasn''t interested in closing shop and moving to another realm because of a tantrum. Not when his instincts screamed at him to take this seriously.


    "The one by the corner. Grandmother of thirty-seven rascals. Delivered seventeen kids of which eight died. If anyone knows the answers to what you are looking for, it is her."


    Thoth nodded in understanding. While her family was not particularly numerous, he at least understood it wasn''t that common in human society. And having thirty-seven grandkids should account for experience. Somewhat.


    Finishing his second mug of Commonwealth, Thoth moved towards her, noting the stench of stress and powerlessness. He also smelled love and care from her...and anger. Emotions strong enough to influence her immediate vicinity with their weight.


    That was an old woman with a desire. That was somebody he could work with, engage in fair trade. As he approached steadily, he felt her tense up for a moment before she relaxed.


    "Strange," Thoth commented, now close enough to drop down on the footstool next to her. "You were obviously scared earlier. What soothed your nerves?" Most others in the bar hastily looked the other way, feigning his inexistence.


    The woman looked past his claws and peculiar skin colour, past the scales and horns poking out from the baggy cape he wore, straight into his mighty ash-coloured, inverted pupils.


    "What has an old ma left to lose, daemon?" The years certainly weren''t kind to either her eyesight or any other part of her physical vessel. But she still possessed that precious spark present in every member of the Races.


    "Your thirty-seven plus eight members big family for instance?" Thoth chuckled nastily just loud enough to make himself understood. His mind wasn''t as calm as he made her believe to be.


    The baby was about to wake up at any moment now. And with her a world of awkwardness if he hadn''t found an answer by then. "How do you... Wait, don''t answer, Sir. What can this old woman do for Your Excellency."


    "A lot," Thoth slowly rocked the baby left and right as he stared into her turbid ice-blue eyes, happy she no longer called him daemon. Not that she understood the subtle difference, but she didn''t have to.


    "Teach me." "...what?" Thoth kept a straight face as he repeated his request. "Teach me how to take care of the young." And with that, he pushed the baby her way.


    The old woman looked at him, then at the baby and then again back to him. Suddenly, she broke out into mighty laughter soon followed by a serious coughing fit.


    "You''re ill," Thoth frowned. It isn''t contagious, is it now? "[Heal I]" Thoth muttered without batting an eyelid while pointing at the old woman with a finger.


    Mellow light enveloped her, soothing both pain and illnesses that came with old age. She even seemed to turn younger for a decade. Yet beyond the evident surprise, she didn''t seem any happier.


    "What is your game, daemon?" There it was again, the hateful word. "Don''t call me arbitrary things. I''m here to learn." "No deal involving souls? No eternal slavery? No blood curse for fun?"


    Thoth mildly shook his head. "Downpayment, if anything. Only the young and reckless care about that. It''s proof for lacking class." The woman stared even harder into his eyes, her distrust perceptible.


    Having looked enough, she slowly averted her gaze, probably feeling the dirty ground to be much more interesting. "I beg for forgiveness," the old woman started again, "we hear things about Your Excellency''s kind. Terrible things."


    "So you believed them all without having made a picture yourself." "I''m ashamed." Thoth grinned. "Don''t be. That''s just part of being mortal. Now teach me."


    And to Spice, he demanded he start preparing for his and the baby''s safe travel. The bartender grumbled something about being taken advantage of like so often already, but Thoth didn''t lend him an ear.


    Even if he did, he wouldn''t have reacted any different for the shipload of information the old woman dumped on him made him question his intelligence for the first time in millennia.


    It took as long as midday of the following day to have heard everything once and until evening to clear his doubts. Mastering parenting seemed to exceed the difficulty of mastering any world-class magic by heaps. And she took care of the baby too.


    In the end, Thoth walked away satisfied. The old, exhausted woman soon fell into peaceful slumber. But not before he''d given her a flute, telling her this would equalise their exchange while sleep was already encroaching on her.


    For fear of misunderstanding, Thoth had even added that the flute would act on its own in times of dire need. "Is everything ready?" "Duh, since hours ago."


    "Perfect. Then I''m on my way. This jewel should be payment enough for your service, Spice. Was fun seeing you again?" "Was that a question?" "...might not have been. You''re as boring as always mate." "Right back at you!"


    "Heh, don''t make me laugh old champ. See you. Oh, and let the old woman sleep safely. I owe her that much." Yeah, it''s you who does, for fuck''s sake. Better the volatile element''s gone soon, got riches to earn.


    "Cya Thoth, was a delight seeing you. Let''s meet sometime, somewhere again, alright?" The whole establishment suddenly shone in brutal light, each nook and cranny packed with small, ominous letters yet nobody seemed to care.


    Then calm returned. Just not for Thoth. He and the baby had disappeared in the magical process, leaving nothing behind but the mere memory and a flute, now nestled in the wrinkled hands of a kind, troubled grandmother.

 3. Welcome

    3. Welcome


    Stepping out of the swirl of colours, Thoth needed a few moments to reorient himself and rekindle trust in his senses. Cannot understand the fuckers who zapp between dimensions, entire realms and crumbling planes for pleasure and giggles like mad hatters.


    He''d never been a fan of teleportation hogwash. Although he knew perfectly well the spells, formulas and theories defining that particular section of magical study, it just did not spark anything in him.


    And in the face of the little treasure in his arms, his unproductive rant was over in a heartbeat. "Joung, check. Spare diapers, check.


    Food...well could''ve been somewhat fresher but has to do, check. Maybe she won''t like it...we shall see. Ghabira...?" Thoth ascended to some tall treetop in his vicinity, looking around while trying to match his fading memory with reality.


    Things happen here more so than anywhere else it seems. Changes and the indigenous people...strange. "Yes, Ghabira, check. We''re in the realm of the proud and noble high elves." Now what needs to be done is find my hideout.


    The baby was in a deep slumber for now and Thoth had all intentions of finding his way back home before she woke up. Out in this sea of trees, she was only protected by about 99.99999 per cent.


    And that 0.00001 per cent gave him a headache. Babies were very fragile after all. His mortal teacher for a day made sure he internalised that concept, albeit for a different reason Thoth failed to recognise.


    After a reasonable amount of hours of searching, Thoth somewhat found a connection between his barely trustable memories and the forest surrounding him.


    Past some striking landmarks and countless misleading fork paths, he was at long last standing in front of the entrance to his hideout. At least that one had not changed beyond what mere passage of time could do to rock.


    Breaking the curse imbued on the mightily overgrown stone door with less effort than he remembered, Thoth murmured something about him getting stronger still.


    Considering the millennia that''d passed since his last visit, he could live with that discovery. It was a small chance, one in a thousand or even less according to my ass, where I pulled those numbers from.


    Come again...why do I even listen to reason when everything that is me defies that very concept? For better or for worse, I have to lay low again for some time.


    Tearing away at the vegetation so that he could enter the door, Thoth came into a cave-like room where it was completely dark except for the beam of strong light that fell through the crack behind him. The baby moved.


    Due to uneasiness or by reflex, Thoth wasn''t sure. In any case, he believed it wise to get things rolling soon and force order upon a messy world so that the baby would wake up to comfort and his undivided attention.


    Thoth did not lollygag and grabbed the booklet affixed to his waistbelt. The ancient-looking collection of yellow pages shone, revealing rows after rows of small scribbles occupying the entire cave.


    This was his key. Nobody else could ever hope to break into his safe haven without the booklet. No god, trueblood demon, daemon, ancient, titan or whatever. All had to knock on doors at the right locations.


    Supposed they knew the locations. The radiant letters on the walls dissipated one after the other, returning to their dormant state as a winged double-door made of pure gold and other precious minerals appeared in front as big as the cave was tall.


    It seemed like it literally had to squeeze in here just to fit. Thoth waited until the door finished following overcomplicated security mechanisms and opened on its own before stepping through.


    Right behind lay a stony bridge looking like two sides of a mountain split in half at whose end stood a magnificent floating castle lording over an extensive garden, afloat the latter too. Aethernum. His centre of power.


    The castle was the biggest in all the realms and planes out there, of which Thoth was damn sure. With a grand total of 777 floors, 77 mighty towers and 7 distinct gardens, nothing could compare to that majestic timeless piece of ancient history.


    Yet for now, Thoth felt no interest in admiring his home after coming back from a long journey. He speedily shuffled to the closest door, instructing it to bring him to his personal quarters and stepped through. An impossibly long trip was cut short just like that.


    He appeared in the same old room of his memories. Filled to the brim with various valuables, obscenely expensive fabrics, dated relics, bookshelves humming with powerful magic extracted from the forbidden books they held imprisoned, a personal bathroom as big as the bedroom itself, and a comprehensive study room inviting him to continue his research among other things.


    Maybe after another couple of centuries. Got things to do. Thoth ignored the lukewarm attraction and walked straight to his royal-sized bed twenty times his usual size.


    No matter how moody he was, there he could sleep in whichever appearance he fancied. If he didn''t lose control. But now with the baby in his arms the tiled suit seemed less impressive. A very serious problem had wormed its way to his attention. ...fucking small.


    He''d for sure need more space. Maybe another bed on a bigger scale to start with? As he''d learned, babies needed their very personal space. Their space and nobody else''s.


    "Attendant." Grunted Thoth towards an empty corner that was soon no longer bereft of creatures capable of movement. No second past, a puppet appeared out of thin air, expertly bowing towards him with practised movements.


    "Welcome back, Milord." It said with annoying reverence. "No formalities, remember? Uhh...can''t change your ways, can you now?" Thoth shot a provocative glance at the servant who showed no response, stubbornly keeping to its bow still.


    What frigging ideas went through my head at the time? Maybe I was drunk...can''t remember. Only Spice would know for sure. "The bed''s too small, change it."


    "Milord, the space available is unsuitable for¡ª" "Change. It." The puppet froze mid-sentence, which Thoth answered with a stinky eye. "There surely are enough rooms we can bleed for space."


    Without batting an eyelid, Thoth gave the order that''d make his bedroom a hellish place ripe with dimensional tears and trashed furniture for some hours. Maybe a breech too, but Aethernum wouldn''t lay low if that happened.


    Overall, nothing a quick time spell at the right time couldn''t mend. "And start tracking the Tiamat Ancestor." Now to the next point on the agenda. Thoth dismissed the puppet in whose mechanical body the soul of a top-notch butler was held imprisoned.


    He preferred solitude right now. What he''d learned from the mortal not only included the ins and outs of proper parenting, but also situations he''d have to accept and behaviour patterns that could be useful for just that.


    Having a child die before the parent, for example. Events attributable to freak accidents and some such, he was told. That time Thoth heard the grandmother talk about her experiences, his overflowing feelings almost destroyed the entire plane he was in.


    Not that anyone took notice of the averted calamity. Spice might have. But he''d laugh anyway at my lapse of control. Or hold a grudge for eternity. He always does one of the two.


    Even now did his pulse quicken and mana fluctuate widely. Thoth was scared and confused. But most of all, he was angry. How could whatever rules dare take the baby before him? From him? Him?! Better behave, shitheads.


    Always bullying the weak. Which he wasn''t. But! That sentiment counted. Thoth was immortal, and that was the problem. He never thought he''d be unhappy with that privilege, as others, less experienced, called it. Yet he also wasn''t ready to revel in such useless thoughts.


    Remodelling will take at least an afternoon. And the young needs to be fed, cleaned and cuddled. There was a lot to do in the remaining time she slept, so Thoth decided to waste as little of it as possible.


    Once he came to this conclusion, he vacated Aethernum in big strides and returned to the sea of trees. Before doing anything else, he went through the long log of information this hideout secretly recorded anonymously in his absence.


    As expected, much had happened in the realm of high elves compared to his last visit many millennia ago. Using the position of this cave as a starting point and the sun above as an indicator, he soon found out where he had to head next.


    Some distance in, Thoth came across many ingeniously laid pitfalls, dead trees, burnt patches, natural curses, places of resentment, hexes and other nasties.


    Most of them were the high elves'' doing no doubt. Thoth wasn''t exactly happy they''d laid out a plethora of deadly mines this near to his exit point. He''d need to talk to the indigenous people. In the worst case, he''d have to look for another cave, period.


    Such an environment was just too dangerous for a baby even with him around. Thoth looked down at his arms, absentmindedly cradling the small thing who squealed happily in her sleep. A smile came over his scaly lips, his pearl-white teeth reflecting the light of the day.


    The very next moment, Thoth was surprised a lot by his overflowing emotions, a part of him wondering once more if he had been spellbound by some nasty creature. Sadly, like any other good thing, the fuzzy feelings he so enjoyed were of short-lived nature.


    "Halt there intruder!" The smile waned gradually. Thoth felt many arrows pointing in their direction. Some even dare focus on the baby.


    "This is elven land, not your backyard." A gracious high elf stepped out of the undergrowth, his gear perfectly matching his line of work.


    While most of his ears were covered by a streamlined helmet, the long and narrow shape ending only at twice the size of his head gave away his proud ancestry.


    Yet Thoth wasn''t impressed at all by the bunch of gracious figures partially leaving behind the protection of the trees. Some hid their breath completely, readying themselves for when brutality called. Not all perceive with eyes only.


    Camouflage at this level isn''t hard to circumvent. Heat, stench, mental state...bunch''s not as experienced as they make themselves out to be. Where''s the knowledge of their ancestors gone to?


    Thoth prepared a greeting, yet before the words rolled off his scarlet tongue, the lightly armoured high elf''s body language suggested encountering an absolutely hated foe. "Not again," Thoth murmured instead, feeling a d¨¦j¨¤ vu highly likely.


    "Foul creature, prepare to die!" And he thought right. Even shorter fused than the paladin. Is this a trend nowadays? ...will the young turn out the same? What terrible notion! "Elf, cease your shouting. The young''s sleeping." Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The baby had a frown on its delicate features, its furry ears twitching at times. To prevent any bad outcome, Thoth began to hum and buzz a calm melody. Not that he was much of a bard. Quite the contrary.


    He sounded more like sandpaper grating on glass. "A daemon? What are you wasting time for, Alf? Less talking, more shooting." The first arrow let loose his way but the aim was off by miles.


    As it impacted the third tree from his left, Thoth even began wondering if these were truly high elves. But that was not all he thought about. The baby had woken up, its big eyes teary.


    Finding that his voice wasn''t quite as magical as he hoped it to be, Thoth was about to get a headache. There was more to it than just that sad realisation.


    "I''m the leader here, Niall. Don''t act on your own lest I report you." "Then do that...," the awfully shrill voice of an elf that might lack his manhood made Thoth''s ears ring.


    Probably really lacking, that is. Or it''s an enigma. The baby''s teary eyes gathered even more water than before. "...and my father will ruin your career, Alf.


    By all means, do it and I will become leader!" "There''s a young here." "Niall." "Oi, do you listen? I said there''s a young here." "Alf!" "WAaaaAAAaaaAHHhhHHhhhHHH~"


    Thoth angrily massaged his temples with the only free hand. Now they had done it. Clean-up called. If he buried the baby in his clothes, some little bit of blood-letting wouldn''t hurt...right?


    Ah, chill. What would I say to her in the end? They got on my nerves so I punished them...extensively? "Shut the fucking trap up you ugly thing." Thoth came to a sudden halt, his caressing hand frozen which only upset the baby even more.


    "What. Was. That?" He believed his brain somehow short-circuited. "Ugly thing, must I wring your neck clockwise? The adults are talking!!" And that was that.


    "RAAHH!" Thoth shouted in anger, his mana flaring up as deadly pressure followed the unavoidable punch that was his powerful voice to them. Some shrieked as they couldn''t hold themselves on the tree anymore and fell down.


    Many others simply couldn''t fight against the pressure, much less open their mouths to do their thoughts justice. "You," Thoth pointed angrily at the youngest of the bunch who shuddered the most.


    "Get back to your clan and ask for Elfriede. Won''t move a muscle until she''s here as will they, understood?!" The young high elf nodded her head fervently, visibly happy to escape the supposed daemon''s clutches soon.


    Then she was gone first chance she got, losing her orientation every now and then as she stumbled through the forest. All the way out of his range of perception, the high elf glanced past her shoulder, likely unsure which beast might follow in her tracks.


    Thoth, for sure, wasn''t interested one bit in pursuit. On a more practical note, he also wasn''t at all concerned she''d spill lies and distort the truth.


    If the elves had become this blind, he wouldn''t mind cleaning up the place for good. But before that... "All of you quit wriggling around. It''s unsightly, you ugly maggots! Unsightly, you hear!!"


    As a reaction to his emotions, the superior breath of life he exuded made the mannerless group stop in their tracks completely. Amidst a bunch of grotesque statues each featuring a different contorted pose, Thoth began calming down the agitated baby.


    Powerful, world-ending claws were retracted as he traced gently over the thin fluff that had begun to grow on her head starting from the ears. Warm air slowly blew at her face, the scaly lips ready to kiss away emerging tears as he delicately teetered on the spot.


    There was only him and the baby here. Nothing else existed. Soon after, soft squeals and happy giggles filled that corner of the forest while Thoth''s voice was heard here and there, brabbling, fooling around.


    Reminder to me: Acting funny is utterly rewarding. Hehehe~ "Buggybuggybuggyyooooo~." "Wahehehihihjj~." Again! "Buggybuggybuggyyooooo~." Now it only needs to be fed.


    Spice embraced his work like on any other early afternoon. He routinely scrubbed the tiles, washed and polished the counter, checked inventory, set the furnishings right and the big candles, though not yet necessary, aflame, walked to the door and switched the sign outside from closed to open.


    Then he returned to his place behind the counter and massaged the slightly protruding potbelly for a while as he routinely expressed his intention to pull through the most hellish diet he knew off. One the world had yet to see.


    Like any other day, there came the moment he tired of such thoughts and turned to his beloved drinking glasses. Coming up with ever more brutal ideas for a proper diet had become a habit by now.


    Just slightly less important than polishing his crystal dearies. In the dead early hours of his opening, a few curious customers no more than he could count on one hand came in, ordered something, drank or ate up an appetiser and left.


    Some coin changed owner, in between a nice word was spoken or a depreciative grunt heard. Spice loved this kind of simple life. Free, calm and with no stress. Without intrigue.


    Of the contrary, he''d had enough. Like cruising through the realms, worlds and dimensions, behaving like a howler monkey on steroids to fruitlessly address the many common wrongs.


    Been there, done that. Why hurry through life when you''re already immortal? Nothing escapes you anyway. You''d need to be either called Thoth or brain-damaged.


    Spice knew those like him were far and few in between, but as a true deviant among his kind he cared not about others'' opinions. After all, what they sought he long since learned to detest.


    Suddenly, the door to his treasured saloon was kicked open, the hinges ruined by the unhealthy dosage of exercised force on display. Spice scratched his chin, hating the thought of getting the sorry door repaired.


    Artisans all over the city charged an exorbitant price for the tiniest screw. On the other hand, such uninviting entrance would keep his customer base at bay too. Further than they already are... My, my...sounding like Thoth ain''t we?


    While he was lost in thought, a squad of angry men and women clad in white and light gold armour waltzed in, looking at him like one would at a boiling fowl. Might have spoken too soon. Or thought too soon...? Whatever.


    "What can I do for you? Drinks or appetisers...we''ve got wheat, ale, or something darker." Much darker, aye. The leading paladin didn''t look like he cared for Spice''s establishment if his hard-working pair of menacing eyes glancing everywhere were a valid indicator.


    "We know of your sins," barked emotionlessly the man Thoth knew under the name of Master Roches. "Good citizens report evil." And what does that mean? Evil in my saloon? That''s...a ridiculous notion. Evil that overcomes my perception...laughable.


    "Officer, sure you have the right man?" Spice''s question wasn''t met with goodwill. Another paladin simply snorted "[Lance of Light I]," impaling him on the wall behind as noble drops and polished drinking glasses fell to the ground, shattering on impact.


    Roches shook his head in exasperation at the man pulling the early trigger. "What? Breeds are not worth your consideration." "Jules, there are rules in place..."


    Master Roches stepped through the ruined door into the open, closing an eye at his companions angrily trashing the inn''s interior. He''d come here as fast as he could, rallied his mates but was late nonetheless, the highly dangerous daemon gone.


    While glancing at his men''s cold expressions, he noted a deep frown on a particular woman. "Cadet Damsel, the Breed is never to be questioned. Their lies run deep, the truth impossible to ascertain.


    I''ve gleaned greater insights from the spiralling of intestines than I have from all the questioning I''ve ever done. You do well remembering my advice."


    "Paladin, your methods are as brutal as ever." "Hey, say what you want, inspector. For the records, you''re here as part of my team to hunt the rogue daemon. You shall do as I say, the Grandmaster has spoken!"


    Evelinn wanted to retort on the spot, to remind the man that there was much more to protocol than simply sniffing out, torturing and killing, but felt many pairs of menacing eyes finding the time to stare holes into her unprotected back and held her words in.


    Evelinn cursed silently at her colleagues'' lot. The inspector''s faction was steadily losing more support as they couldn''t help with open fights as much as the others.


    Yet it remained a mystery to her as to why people didn''t understand that doing things their way would eliminate a good part of said unnecessary fights.


    I''ll never understand. This...this is just so uncivilised. So wrong. She shook her head at what she saw. Having destroyed the entire interior, the rest of the squad had let off enough steam to return to the streets of the civilised, picking up the hats of the good ones yet again.


    And nothing would suggest they''ve ever been different. Yet Evelinn followed them nonetheless, for she had no choice. "Now this I call an explosive explanation, fucking bitches."


    They came to a sudden stop at the familiar voice, turning their incredulous heads back at the source just in time to see Spice grabbing the magically conjured spears and ripping them out of his body. Not a drop of blood dripped from the wound.


    Back on the ground, he didn''t deign them worthy of a glance and immediately gathered the shards of his beloved drinking glasses from the mess all over the place.


    "Malicious fuckers." He swore crudely. "Braindead dunces." Spice got angrier the more shards he held in his hands, trying to reattach them in vain.


    Spice failed time and time again and in anger, he wailed loudly, disintegrating them in a flash as he madly cursed at Thoth. "Trouble always follows your every step. Damn you, Thoth! Mightiest bitch of all!!


    One most precious possession escapes me always. Peace, that is!!!" Meanwhile, a chorus of prayers echoed from everywhere and nowhere, the individual recitations increasing by billions within mere seconds. "Peace I demand!"


    The paladins at the door felt an ominous shudder crawl down their tingling spines because of the eerie display so much outside their meagre understanding. "Peace..." repeated Spice yet again before continuing his rant.


    "And most of all, fuck you to death, shitty, ignorant, arrogant, mindless, mannerless, ridiculous, megalomaniac newborn god of light!"


    As much as the paladins wanted to, they could not utter any word or retort, circumstances that made their veins wriggle madly all in vain. Left on their own in the worst conditions zealots could find themselves in, the squad watched on in silence.


    Regardless of how they tackled the problem, they failed to muster up, for Spice simply clapped his hands, swearing to bring trouble to those foolish enough to lay waste to his precious saloon in a selected few of all the hundreds of dead languages he knew.


    "Now things are no longer calm, just like in the deplorable past. The frigging unliving have no limit nor a lifespan and now they know. My ears are soon to be filled with calluses again."


    Spice grabbed his ears and tore at them as if he had to give credence to his random words. "Unintelligible brabbling...that''s no prayer. Urgh." The chorus of voices became an indistinguishable sludge cobbling the ears.


    Following his unstable emotions, swathes of murky grey filled the inn, spreading to the entire city in a matter of moments. Then, the call of the terrified came to the paladins'' ears from all around them, the contents making their blood freeze.


    The dead were rising in batches, the sacred enchantments proved useless. "Jules was it...think yourself a role model, eh? You might believe being dead for millennia has made me more lenient.


    I think you''ll find the opposite to be so very true. So, so, so, so, sosososososo verrrrrry trueeeee." Spice chuckled and punched, a certain paladin''s head exploding in a shower of gore.


    It all happened much too fast for any companion to take note of the sudden change. Yet worse still, before the dead body fell completely, murky mist entered it and the headless corpse buffered its fall with all fours.


    Some paladins emptied their stomachs on the spot, their faith cracking. Spice ignored them and stared instead at a certain spot in the air, past the holes that had once been cheap windows, laughing suddenly.


    "Found you. Even as a god one cannot forget manners. You''re fucking frigging never alone!" Like grabbing a nasty fly, he pinched the fingers of his open hand and a swirl of murky mist tore a glowing, hardly discernable body from thin air.


    The gaggle of paladins and the sole inspector at Spice''s doorstep instinctively knew who it was but could do nothing as the innkeeper crushed the entity''s neck.


    Their faith had lost any form of feedback, their minds not quite up to digesting the cruel reality and what impossibility they''d just witnessed. Who would''ve ever known that a god could be killed as simple as that...?


    With their shattered belief, the paladins could be sure that their whole religion had been killed just like that. Not that many had come to that conclusion just yet. The leading paladin was one of the few.


    Amidst the untold agony in his heart, Roches suddenly remembered the inspector and her intention to ask the daemon some very basic questions back then when they still had a choice.


    Oh, how he regretted having foolishly prevented that and also having looked down on the petite woman and her smarts. Now he didn''t know how things would continue. Could continue, foremost.


    All Paladin Roches did know was that there was no medicine for regret nor anybody he knew of who could turn back time. This event today was his fault and his alone, so was the outcome nobody could''ve ever foreseen.


    The tormented man didn''t register the livid God of Unlife had torn a hole in the sky, leaving the realm while bitterly swearing and promising sweet sweet revenge still. Thoth had it coming.

 4. Game

    The central high elf gathering was in a bit of an uproar. A sweat-soaked scout had returned, spewing unintelligible gibberish at the checkpoints along the way.


    As seldom anything interesting ever happened this close to the capital, it didn''t take long for the common populace to learn of the danger. Word of mouth travelled especially fast with the aid of magic and chatty elves.


    So did of course the council members, interrupted in their weekly meeting. Summoning the scout after hurriedly dismissing formalities for the day which alone took them a few hours still, they listened to her report.


    It also didn''t take long for the two leading elders of the war faction to call her names and warn of ridiculous consequences. Hurt in their pride, they didn''t believe for a moment that a single unknown daemon had this much power.


    Rather, thoughts of the scout''s cowardice or a deal in exchange for survival were ripe in everybody''s mind, not just theirs. After the scout was put in detention until further notice, the five elves talked up a storm.


    The representatives of the war faction wanted to see blood, those of the development faction the closing off of their borders while only the last remaining elder suggested asking Elfriede to clean up this mess. Yet that option was shot down the fastest.


    After another three hours of emergency tho and fro, the war faction emerged victoriously, much to the chagrin of the lone neutral elder. Elfriede was in secluded cultivation and the majority of the elders wanted to keep it that way.


    This close to the centennial World Tree Prayer, summoning the Great Prophet would only dilute their power and ruin a promising scheme whose preparation had already consumed decades and countless resources.


    But the bigger reason of all was the widespread belief that a single daemon shouldn''t warrant so much of their precious time. If word gets known that only one stinky failed experiment of the Abyss is needed to put them on tenterhook, where would the council members put their face next?


    Into the gutter, they believed. Even the lone supporter of the Great Prophet didn''t see the need to handle this situation this carefully. Three hours of oral confrontation was mostly politically oriented anyway.


    It was just like already knowing the ultimate direction this was heading towards, yet not how to satisfy the need for formality and various expressions of self-respect. At one point, they came to an acceptable conclusion anyway.


    "As per majority vote, the daemon is to be disposed of swiftly without disrupting preparation for the prayer." "I''m content you''ve seen reason once again in my and Duwende''s opinion. You shall not end up disappointed."


    Elder Eldacar felt this day was not that bad, considering he''d earned the eye-rolls of two beauties and a deadly stare of a third one from this single intervention alone.


    "Once the Great Prophet learns of your sins, she''ll end your career! Mark my words, the truth they hold." No one seemed to take Elfrieda''s last staunch supporter seriously.


    This was especially evident as Duwende cast a spell to convey their decision to the strike force while she was still threatening them, her speech in full swing.


    The ignored elder, Ozma was her name, felt her head flush red with shame and stared in embarrassment at the floor. These wooden tiles, she''d come to remember the tiniest details.


    "Now that this little daemon problem is solved and the prayer around the corner, we might perhaps discuss what to do with that disgusting group of intruders.


    Can''t ultimately have them trash our holy ceremony." "Before that, shouldn''t we better eliminate the closest threat? Once the Great Tree''s roots have been damaged further, your hated intruders are of no concern any longer."


    "There is abundant truth in Avelyn''s words. I don''t hold any hopes for Duwende to understand, but aren''t you different, Eldacar?" "Lefaye! What is that supposed to mean? Do you doubt my intelligence?!"


    "Not at all, fellow elder. It just means what I said. Your goals are what I question." "Are you sure you should walk this path? Our qualifications rest on¡ª" "Peace, Duwende. You too, sister.


    We have better use of time than engaging in childish squabbles." "...you''re right, Avelyn, so let me take the word. I ask you, brothers and sisters, what direction should we pool our forces in?"


    The door was opened in a hurry, interrupting Eldacar who was about to subtly help convince Duwende of the other camp''s great idea and hope to impress his first flame in the process.


    Seeing his intentions trashed, he gave the stink eye to the poor messenger gasping for breath. Any sarcastic remark on his tongue was forgotten soon after.


    "Emergency, council members! The breach widened all of a sudden, the worms came through in batches." A vein almost popped on Eldacar''s distinguished face. "Explain," he barked, trying to unsee Lefaye''s meaningful glance.


    "The seals held up until moments ago. But suddenly, the intensity increased dramatically. Looks like nothing we''ve ever seen. We need reinforcements as soon as possible, cannot keep them out on our own."


    "A sudden increase? Don''t tell me a Bug Mother has noticed the breach?" "No time to dawdle then, Avelyn. Not only must reinforcements come, but we should also all be going too."


    This time, the other elders had nothing against Lefaye''s demands, knowing that impeding disaster was guaranteed should the bugs overwhelm them at any one moment.


    "Fucking Daemons. Wherever they go, misfortune follows. Cursed cretin, why isn''t it dead already? And most important of all, who let the creature in here in the first place?!" All the way down, Duwende''s curses rang unabated.


    The Great Tree was shaking in forebodance. It''s ancient wood sending signals of distress and warning plain to hear for all who had the right attunement. Which were remarkably few.


    "Waaaahhuaahiehiehie~." The baby crawled merrily on the soft bed of moss with impressive speed for its small body, its chime-like laughter a divine gift to lose one in.


    Thoth moved the ball he''d compressed from the clothes taken off the statues, rolling it towards the baby, slowly. The little thing saw his actions and tried to imitate them, but instead fell to the side as their proportions weren''t comparable in the slightest.


    It didn''t please her one bit and she tried again. And again. Tirelessly, she rolled on the soft ground. After a dozen fruitless trials, she eventually came up with the idea to use her furry tail as a crutch, keeping her from tumbling over while she finally rolled the ball back under pleased squeals.


    Her erect ears were twitching madly, as the eyes shone with delight and pride. C-cute...my dearie, just cute. Thoth chuckled happily, ready to answer with a new challenge. He took the ball, walked some steps back and dropped it to the ground.


    The baby didn''t quite get it and looked at him with questioning eyes. Thoth took the ball again, imitated her crawl, waddled some steps and dropped it.


    This time, the baby seemed to infer some meaning from his actions, but it was quite evident she considered this kind of play uninteresting. Seems to be a bust. Aww... There was no reward for Thoth. No peal of laughter, no ever so down-tuned giggle either.


    Just the same scrunched-up face he''d seen when trying to feed her the wrong nutrition package the other hour. As expected, human feed is not welcome here.


    I just have the right idea of what might be better by miles. Brimming with energy as she was, the baby failed to keep calm and crawled towards the ball, kicking it with enough force to make her and the ball roll over the moss.


    There it was again, the sparkle in her eyes. Same for the small tail, it too swung like a pendulum. Dropping the ball and running after the same are games the young''s not impressed with, obviously. Duly noted.


    Thoth didn''t mind being delegated to run after the ball. Not when a simple barely modified gravity spell made it float back on its own. The baby didn''t like it. Looking towards her teary crestfallen face, Thoth''s heart wasn''t ready to forgive him.


    He felt pangs of guilt. Thoth let the ball roll towards her and waited until she half-heartedly kicked it again, a begrudging look in her bright eyes. This time, he used no spell and ran after it instead. Excruciatingly slow.


    Turning around, he rolled the ball back to her with a flick of his wrist, which earned him big eyes bereft of any tears, followed by happy squeals and madly twitching tail and ears.


    Thoth felt great. I''ve saved the day single-handedly. Critical achievement, old hand. Splendid! In an overwhelming moment of happiness, Thoth exerted less control over his claws than optimal and the ball burst, shredded to pieces.


    The baby had a reproachful shine to her eyes that almost made Thoth rip off this sinful hand and imprison the good piece for eternity.


    Yet it was also the same heavenly creature that readily pardoned his crimes. He was relieved when he actually heard her stomach growl, an indication that playtime would''ve come to an end all the same.


    Connecting to Devizon, Thoth soon posted his order and gave away his coordinates. He picked the baby up in his arms, keeping her from unreasonably escaping at a bad time while they waited.


    She reacted quite annoyed at her lost freedom. A few odd minutes later, the air over a tree stump oscillated and a delivery imp appeared, holing a bag much too big and heavy to easily carry around.


    The devilish critter moved slowly towards the duo, its grotesque face distorted in pain. Thoth growled in annoyance and the imp was seen giving more than just its best to deliver the goods speedily.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Once there, Thoth made the bag float, grabbed the imp with one free hand, headbutted the air with his horned head and threw the devilish dweller through the opened crack. One can never be too careful with devils and their servants.


    In the bag was a month''s worth of cow god''s milk. If it wasn''t so rare, he''d have purchased centuries'' worth of the nutritious liquid in one go. Sadly, Devilzon was out of stock.


    In any case, it absolutely wouldn''t take more than a week until the hawkers he''d...hired...were successful in convincing that stingy god. They wouldn''t pull punches, so much was certain. Not with the whole platform''s continued existence at stake.


    The baby didn''t really like drinking milk very much, Thoth found. But with some slight cuddles here and nuzzles there she begrudgingly drank her fill. Thoth was damn sure she''d need all the nutrition she could get to grow up splendidly.


    Any less he couldn''t stomach. This was also the first time ever the baby consumed something that wasn''t the mana he passively exuded, which made Thoth very happy. If the young can even do that, that is.


    Having had her fill, the baby showed signs of dozing off. Thoth was happy to comply and tucked her away in the soft moss, enveloping her with as much enhanced linen as he could get away with.


    This way, she''d be a tad bit safer and he wouldn''t need to fear her rolling off somewhere she''d get hurt. Suddenly, the booklet shone in a flashy red, his earlier gentleness nowhere to be found.


    Enemies had intruded into his sphere. Thoth was made known that they, first, were high elves and, second, had nothing good in mind. On the one hand, he could scantly believe Elfriede was so stupid as to make an enemy out of him without rhyme or reason.


    On the other hand, he felt his temper flare up as the baby was by extension in danger too. The only silver lining to the deplorable turn of events was that the baby had soundly fallen asleep, so he could teach them a lesson, bloody if needed be.


    Verily so. But first things first. Thoth looked one last time at the baby, his inverted pupils radiating off more warmth than they ever had in the last dozen millennia. Waking up to reality took a couple of minutes. "[Greater Summon Elemental III]," this was for protection.


    "[Greater Abyssal Retribution III] and [Greater Information Transfer III]." Missing something? Protection''s there. An abyssal lord comes after a braindead offender if that one somehow overcomes the summoned elemental and I''ll get informed straight away if things look dire.


    Thoth found no loopholes. The nearing of the enemy made him do away with the most rudimentary protection enchantments haunting his consciousness. But in doubt, he took off one of his many bracelets that left no scale uncovered until his elbow.


    Laying that particular item of choice on the sleeping innocent beauty, he was sure nothing could go wrong. Even if the entire realm got fucked up badly, the baby would be safe. Thoth approached the incoming menace, his thoughts startlingly calm.


    He crossed a long distance in a flash as he had no desire to wake up the sleeping beauty. Babies have their own biorhythm. Gotta respect that.


    It wasn''t long before he found signs of the incoming elves. The moment he laid eyes on them was when he understood that talk had not the greatest chance of success.


    He remembered the insignia they were sporting. Not the people or this specific line-up to be sure, but who this squad was. What they represented. The Maple Leaf. Professional cutthroats, in other words.


    Seriously now, what are you up to, Elfriede? One last chance is all you get. Thoth crept upon them, close enough to allow for a fast and decisive reaction but far enough to not make them lose their nerves.


    "Are you looking for me?" Aaaaaaand yes. They are here for me. There was no denying it any further as the group as a whole beat down their surprise with professional ease and enclosed him while readying their weapons, sharp shives shimmering in green light.


    The bows were enchanted too, as were the staffs the mages held in their hands. Nonetheless, their shine wasn''t even comparable to what the unassuming shives sported.


    There was no hesitation to their moves, nor did their blank faces betray any iota of emotion. Never thought the elves'' sharpest blade in the capital would be one day after my head. Elfriede must''ve gone bonkers.


    Out of cordiality that would soon cease to be, he waited for them to make the first move. Part of him still believed this to be a misunderstanding, be he could soon bury the thought.


    "That''s one hell of a mistake." Spells and arrows came raining on his face in response. Argh. Nothing goes my way these days. Better let off some steam.


    Embracing his anger, Thoth empowered his favourite spell and cut loose. While darkness swarmed all over him, increasing his mass as it did every other physical aspect of his body, Thoth noticed the surprise on the face of the elf he believed was the leader.


    Infused spell. Though to master, I know. Let''s just say you lucked out pretty bad. All over his body, strange tattoos lit up, painting him in a menacing picture. Much eviller than he normally looked.


    Yet the elves were not granted precious time to admire the brutal beauty inherent to the crisscrossing lines featuring some sort of nightmarish beast. The ground shrank and distance became meaningless as Thoth appeared in front of his first victim.


    Before the latter processed the sudden change, his arm went through the woman''s chest, crushing both lungs and the heart in one fell swoop.


    The other rangers quickly got ahold of themselves, trying their best to keep him there and occupied while the mages prepared some nasty surprises.


    Arrows made the rounds, some skillfully twisted to hit extra hard, others making random turns before they hit their target. An unknown kind of rather poisoned projectiles releasing loads of toxic mist upon impact found use also.


    The air grew rather inhospitable and various streaks of conjured elements flashed all over the battlefield. Yet Thoth''s physical resilience had grown so much since the spell''s activation that he could ignore even the mana-infused arrows aimed at his vitals.


    They, however, couldn''t say the same about his occasional sweeps, kicks and punches. Surviving members of the Mapple Leaf found their options constrained by Thoth''s exceptional durability.


    Nothing got past the eerily glimmering scales. No amount of effort held him there, Thoth waltzing straight through their barrage, reaching the next enemy in little less than two seconds.


    That one had the flash of genius to jump down the tree, trusting the pull of gravity with his life. Thoth however was by far faster and heavier, so the elf found himself impaled on his extended claws during mid-fall.


    Only a dead body hit the ground as Thoth kicked the nearest knob of wood, propelling him towards his way to his next target. This time he wasn''t as lucky, for the pressured mages weren''t entirely useless.


    Their casting had come to an end, the powerful invocation demanding change from the very tree they stood on, now melting and the mass gathering at a point.


    An unstable ball of neon-coloured liquid appeared on their outstretched palms, soon seen hurling his way. They had masterly calculated his trajectory and the spell''s speed, Thoth concluded.


    But a lack of knowledge ruined many precious seconds bought with the life of their companions in one fell swoop. The very nature of infused spells had escaped them, contributing greatly to the blunder.


    In that realm of mastery, casting time and upkeep limitations had lost their meaning altogether. Diligent practise made muscle memory remember the spell, burning the invocation on the skin in the form of a tattoo.


    The mana necessary for upkeep would come from the body directly while the mind was freed of the burden of cumbrous control. To Thoth, this spell had become second nature a long time ago, greatly increasing his pool of choices.


    His mastery went so far that everything enveloped by his infective darkness was a loyal subordinate of his whims and desires. The very same stuck to the clueless mages in the early beginning of combat.


    The darkness ate up the charge of acid mid-way through and the spell crumbled. Thoth had to make sure the elves perceived a chance where truly none existed.


    Else, even he with dozens of clairvoyance spells at his disposal wouldn''t have the slightest inkling which sort of crooked tomfoolery they might come up with in the face of despair incarnate.


    As far as he was concerned, this fight was mostly a play. One he''d have to keep somewhat under control for fear of waking up or, worst still, adversely impacting the baby in any way.


    Thoth didn''t care further about the offenders as he stood before his next target, an elf whose eyes widened in horror and fear. After crushing another head, he was still on time to deal with the two mages, delirious from the backlash of a failed spell and bleeding from all orifices.


    On the way, having done in whatever ranger they''d thrown at him, he cleaned up each melee fighter he could get his claws on. Doing so turned out to be easier than expected.


    For some reason or another, their movements had frozen, destroying their seamless coordination and playing him right in his hands. A dozen more bodies dropped to the ground.


    Haven''t seen many fights, this squad. Or at least not against intelligent foes boosting of a bit of punch. He couldn''t help but think of a snarky comment while readjusting his stance.


    Next, Thoth targeted the last member alive beside the leader, but an all-out attack from the two remaining elves at a perfect time pushed even him to the ground.


    Mostly due to his self-imposed restrictions, but it was an achievement nonetheless. Nearly losing control of his mana while tanking the blow, Thoth focused against the aftereffect, his legs impacting the ground as he trusted his magic to take him to the destination.


    An unexpected, successful short distance teleportation ruined the duo''s trained collaboration. Appearing behind the unsuspecting female elf, her head was ripped off before the leader in plain sight could utter a warning.


    Now that the task was almost completed, Thoth allowed himself to calm down for a bit. Not so much that he would fail to react in time to whatever surprises spring at his back, but enough to engage in meaningful conversation.


    "All in all, your display wasn''t half bad. But you''re still green behind the ears if you ask me. Never partook in challenging fights against resourceful foes, that much is clear."


    Thoth wiped the blood from his claws with a flick of his wrist. There was no other blood on the rest of his body, testament to his superior skill, experience and micro-control.


    "You think you''ve won, dirty daemon?" The elf wasn''t about to beg just because he''d follow the rest of his squad soon. "Aww...her your lover or something? Because you sound like it. Condolences...rather no.


    I never provoked you nor did I do anything warranting bloody retribution. Now even the hostages will die because of your stupidity. That Great Prophet of yours I asked to meet in peace can do nothing about it.


    More than anything, I will have a word with Elfriede and you can be damn sure it won''t be a peaceful one." The elf laughed in mockery. Thoth got some bad vibes.


    "Bring it on, beast. The Great Prophet shall be the last of your worries." "...[Greater Implusion III]." Ignoring the wide-eyed elf who seemed so terribly surprised he was able to actively cast spells too, Thoth ended him painlessly.


    His instincts were tingling and he had no intention of ignoring the warnings of his subconsciousness. Many a time in the distant past, that unassuming tingle saved his hide.


    No chance he wouldn''t remember the sensation! Thoth raced back to where the baby was at the fastest speed he could muster. It didn''t even take a hundred of a second.


    Behind him, a straight smokey hole extended all the way to the battlefield, piercing through wood, stone, hill and some unlucky beasts alike. It smelled burnt. Within him just as much as out there.


    At first glance, the baby was safe and everything as it used to be. At second, his rage knew no bounds. "Elfriede!!!!" Thoth snarled, his holler travelling a long way, scaring the animals.


    Not that far off the most beautiful furred treasure, the melted remains of an assassin floated in a pool of liquid. Thoth was sure this was what the devious elf had meant back there.


    The only thing the good leader lacked was proper information. If he''d known of the traps, he wouldn''t have been nearly as sure of victory as he''d made Thoth believe to be.


    The only reason [Greater Information Transfer III] hadn''t been triggered outright was because the baby remained ultimately untouched and the damage to his cast enchantments turned out to be rather minimal.


    Releasing the spell, Thoth got all the information he desired and then some. Race, gender, size, weight, fitness, intelligence, strength, dexterity, vitality, health, character traits, habits, names of close family, friends, state of mind, intentions...he lacked very little.


    To think this all happened before I even engaged the bunch. My awareness needs sharpening, as does my presence. Taking the baby and stomping the elves'' way, Thoth laughed eerily, his ash-coloured inverted pupils constricted even more like a reptilian''s, unfeeling.


    I swear. You''ll get to know me better this time, Elfriede. And if time made you senile, I''m happy to do my part as the eternal dustman. Of that, you can be damn sure.

 5. Anger

    5. Anger


    In the bubble deep down where the Great Tree''s roots were at stake, the elders watched their people easily decimating the worms. As it turned out, the breach this time happened because of an oversight.


    Embarrassing and not least an argument best held against their decision velocity and resourcefulness, all five were happy only some of their people were in the know about the details of the operation in question.


    All others might find things strange, but their prestige in the end would save them from rigorous questioning. None of the elders was bad at mixing things up, both truthful and less so.


    They certainly wouldn''t lose to any random verbal exchange. Yet knowing such didn''t render that oversight less painful. "Of all things...we failed to take necessary breaks into consideration. Guards simply tired and fresh elves never showed up."


    One of them was especially bitter, taking the problem and incessantly rubbing it in until the other''s ears couldn''t take it anymore. Not without reason of course.


    "Cut us some slack, Ozma. Duwende already stares searing daggers at you. Want to make things worse?" "That is no excuse, Lefaye. And in the likely event it was sarcasm which I''m prone to believe, think of other ways to light the fuse."


    "You''re no fun." "While you aren''t adolescent anymore. Time passes and people learn." Ozma herself sure wasn''t a stranger to sarcasm either, consciously destabilising the elder''s state of mind. "Guys, calm down." Until somebody saved the day.


    "...typical Avelyn. The angel of peace. Should get a peace medal for the efforts." Despite the ongoing slaughter all around them, the elders were no longer as tense as in the beginning while rushing all the way down here.


    The Bug Mother''s discovery and subsequent alertness spooking their minds never happened, for which they were grateful. Their people were strong and all, but a whole army of mindless bugs commanded by their rational mother would demand many more sacrifices than they were ready to concede.


    Even if one guard was a match for a dozen, each death hurt them disproportionally. The Bug Mother would only need another month to fill up the lines while they required centuries of guided education and careful training.


    A confrontation wasn''t worth having. While wearing off tension with biting remarks or sarcastic taunts, the bubble around them suddenly shook and another elf jumped at them, breathing intermittent and face white as paper.


    A minacious feeling washed over them, making some elders partially wish the elf would start laughing and excuse himself for the bad joke. "Quenn, what wind swept you here. Aren''t you supposed to keep to the library?"


    "Elder Eldacar, my most humble apologies. You are not wrong...," The elf gave away his physical ineptness as he had trouble controlling his wheezing breathing.


    As much as he was a librarian, he was no fighter material. Buried under books it was not surprising to hear nothing of him for years, so much so that most young elves did not know he even existed.


    "...it''s from the special documentation section I come from. But most harrowing matters up there convinced me of the necessity of this trip."


    The elf took a deep breath before shouting in their faces. "The Maple Leaf squad is gone, their names erased from the Service Tree." His raspy voice reached many, in part destabilising the combatant''s formation and creating chaos.


    The elders fell into silence, each occupied by their own thoughts, all of them increasing the foreboding of terrible events. Dark clouds were on the horizon, as they were in their heads.


    "I hope I misheard...," Avelyn addressed the librarian, her eyes sharp and icy. As she was the first to regain her bearings, it was also her task digging for information. Between one heavy breath and another, Quenn shook his head repeatedly.


    "...but take it as a no, then. Sent to end a single daemon. Heard nothing from the squad thereafter. No call for reinforcements, no warning, no aftershocks of deadly confrontation, no nothing. Eaten alive or what?" Nobody answered her accusations.


    Something definitively was not right. Avelyn had a hunch about who the culprit might be. "Duwende, any explanation for the wipeout of the prided squad? Last time I checked, more than half the soldiers were enlisted as part of your family."


    "Bloody incompetents. The family grooms their soldiers. Besides, it was a joint effort between me and Eldacar. Better ask the traitorous scout before jumping to any fantastic conclusions.


    Eradication of elites at the hands of a mere daemon is a tale I refuse to believe in!" Avelyn nodded, trusting the arrogant elf for once. Duwende was a proud noble, a war maniac, a dedicated hater even, but he held his family dear.


    On that front, she remembered having read the name of his grandson on a relevant document, an elf known for his talent in leadership. Now that he was apparently gone forever, she didn''t want to know half of the pain Elder Duwende was going through.


    "Mobilise the standing army, I want the bastard''s life! Don''t forget to bring me that scout!" But given his state of mind, Avelyn felt it was best she stopped him. The others too were of the same opinion, as she came to know a bit later.


    It took them many words and some compromises to calm down the agitated elder, at least for the time being. In the face of such inexplicable events, they returned to the conference room, ready to iron out an acceptable response to the menace at large.


    A compromise of sorts that everybody might agree upon and hopefully stomach also. But there was already someone waiting for them in the room, a dignified elf with refreshing beauty and crystal clear eyes.


    The olive-green jewels had a sort of motherly authority, goodwill and concern in them which almost made every elder stare at the ground, ashamed. Past the door, they behaved like little kids before an evoked spanking.


    But not Duwende. His mind clouded in anger could not stomach the sight of that elf. The commotion and subsequent death of a squad of elites had called for her presence, which he knew but did little to calm the raging tides within him.


    Elfriede had ended her seclusion with great success, apparently stronger than ever before. Another turn of events working against his future schemes.


    Yet coupled with the sudden loss of his grandson, Duwende felt surprised he cared so little about the political implications of her resurgence. Until the moment anger clouded his mind again.


    Before the others even planted their backsides on the fluffy seats, he already started explaining the current situations. There was little truth yet much denigration to his words. The other elders however failed to show any care for the matter.


    The elf had to let off some steam somehow, was the shared consensus. Plus, in their eyes, the daemon was already a walking corpse. Nobody would be interested in the words of the dead, least of all the Great Prophet.


    Everyone knew that the loss of life she must''ve felt much stronger in this close proximity made her cranky. Only in times like these would she lose some of her lethargy, showing zest for action.


    If only to punish the wrongdoer. But an agitated Elfriede also implied the council''s widespread failure and painful loss of authority and goodwill of fellow elves. Positions had to be rethought, plans amended, which the politicians didn''t fail to sniff out.


    Duwende entertaining Elfriede bought them precious time and cut away from his, improving their chances. They would be stupid to work against rare freebies. The world of politics was a cold one after all.


    "You have proof that this is the doing of a single daemon? Might be the work of other races." "The scout reported as much and we have no reason to question her loyalty."


    Duwende lied through gritted teeth, knowing fully well that more than any enemy, Elfriede loathed infighting. As much as he wanted to question the lone scout, now was not the right time.


    If anything unforeseen happened and Elfriede decided to talk to the beast rather than fight it, he''d have shot himself in the foot. His show so far had been quite convincing, so he upped the ante with his play and squeezed out an empathic, dry tear.


    "This...this is a first." Just as expected, Elfriede got really angry at the insolent daemon claiming the life of her people for sports and the vegetation around her and all over the room and beyond reacted to her surging emotions.


    She was just about to let the other in on her decision when some remote noises made her stop and listen. Sometime later, the others too noted the strangeness. To her enhanced senses, the ground shook rhythmically, accompanied by the sound of distant stomps.


    Something was closing in on them. With bad intentions too, of that Elfriede was sure. She closed her eyes, the angry scowl on her beautiful face frozen solid. Better this way. Need not look myself and the problem''s easily solved too.


    Stolen story; please report.


    Thoth closed in on the settlement, his fusion magic yet to dissipate completely. Elfriede knew what he was made of and though mighty, he was never one to consider himself undefeatable.


    Now with a baby in his arms he didn''t know where to leave, things just got trickier. Thoth rummaged through distant memories. The Great Prophet held command over most vegetation itself, except cursed or similar. He recalled so much.


    Leaving the baby anywhere in this forest wouldn''t be wise at all and taking it back to Aethernum might have been an option, if the sudden surge of mana the key was bound to set free couldn''t be discovered so easily by her.


    The Elfriede in his memory wasn''t much of a fighter. But she was the damn best scout and ranger one could ask for in a natural environment. Or has to worry about. Just became enemies after all.


    Thanks to her impressive sensitivity, she was also a good friend of many ancient elementals attuned to the element of life. So keeping him from entering Aethernum wasn''t that hard if she really meant it.


    There''s also no chance I''ll leave the young to the puppets. Their sort of education sucks and I don''t even know if I''ll see her again. The Races have such a short lifespan it is pitiful.


    A fight at their level wouldn''t be over easily if he refrained from totally cutting loose. Which was connected to various other problems Thoth definitively didn''t want to juggle with right now.


    Years might pass. The thought alone felt so cruel and bleak he didn''t want to ponder over it for longer. It''d break his heart, of which Thoth was sure.


    With each step he came closer to the settlement in front, each inch forward gave Thoth an easier time making things out. The whole place was a disaster zone from an intruder''s perspective.


    But if one had the power to break each and every enchantment before they could take effect, the whole charade was but a lavish misinvestment.


    Then again, creatures with my sort of power aren''t exactly common. Though if Elfriede pisses off both the abyss and hell, no protection in the world will save her people. ...I''ll have to think about that.


    Thoth was close enough to move to the central plaza, past any obstruction of magical, physical or fleshy nature there might''ve waited for him in ambush.


    Past the treehouses well hidden behind the dense foliage of oaks they were nestled in between, past curious onlookers and diehard patriots. Where there were shadows, there was a door he could use. Thoth would be stupid to not take advantage of that.


    As far as he was concerned, everywhere he fought was the same. Plaza, streets, surroundings, underground or up in the air, it didn''t really matter. What did was collateral damage, but Thoth sported no moral shackles that made him care about that.


    It wasn''t his problem, period. Upon his appearance, five important-looking elves came swaggering his way, their protection detail a sight to behold.


    "Murderous daemon, your misdeeds end today!" One of them addressed Thoth, his voice laced with burning hatred. A stray glance revealed common features with an elf he''d fought earlier this day.


    Can also be only imagination. They all look the bloody same anyway. But biological similarities... Thoth didn''t react to the elf, his mana-charged gaze focused on the beautiful elf trailing behind.


    What''s she up to? Presenting me cannon fodder or has she given up already? Then I''d have misjudged her. She was just like he remembered her to be, but Thoth couldn''t look into somebody else''s mind as he pleased.


    At least not stealthily and without introducing an opening Elfriede shouldn''t miss exploiting. Therefore, he couldn''t be so sure. From the beginning, her clear eyes had focused on him.


    Ablaze with anger at first, then insecurity and lastly with the shine of one going through memories older than a lifetime. Urgh...the script''s wrong.


    Will I finally be able to walk away without a bloody fight, then? It took quite some time before clarity returned to Elfriede''s olive-green eyes and with it a shipload worth of fear, then anger.


    But this time, it wasn''t him who she projected her malice at. Instead, it was the jumping jack that didn''t seem to mind him not listening to all the threats, ill-wishes and insults he continued to spew.


    Could be related to the abyss. By blood too. Guys there swear the same at all times. Something tells me he won''t like the idea. But why do I care again...? Genealogy isn''t kind to all. Some immortals chose death after realisation.


    Thoth was somewhat relieved that Elfriede didn''t seem to have gone bonkers as he''d feared. His friends were few and far in between and those still alive a rarity throughout the realms.


    She even retained her sensitivity to such a degree to understand the truth of the matter by merely looking into his eyes. No further words were necessary.


    "Do you now feel the extent of your foolishness?" Duwende laughed sinisterly. "It is all too late, I tell you. Good elves, hear me: We have the Great Prophet backing us up.


    There is no room for disgusting eels like daemons to disrupt our peaceful lives...," A gaggle of high elves surrounded Thoth from a safe distance away.


    While he knew their judgement on the topic of safe distance was definitively unsound, Thoth didn''t care to educate them on that for he was considerate.


    Still, if they could only stop pointing their fingers at him and the baby in his arms with an expression he''d have killed them for anywhere else, he''d have been totally fine with the situation.


    "...no quarter given to any offenders. Your very crooked existence brings ruin to our lands! You better give up daemon. It saves you the suffering."


    "His fancy mouth talks one line, his mind thinks another. And here I believed high elves would almost remain the same, given your insane lifespan.


    Well, I thought wrong. Time has not only reduced the proud high elves to howling hounds, but has also highly influenced braincells. Vitamins and abundant water might help, or so I''ve heard."


    "You. Dare. INSULT?" "Now, let''s do away with this circus and leave the jumping jack. I wager we''ve got a lot of talking to do. Long overdue talks of great importance. To you, that is. And possibly me too..." Thoth trailed off at the end, which she took no notice of.


    Elfriede nodded meekly, her shoulders inclined forward and expression embarrassed. The chatter in the distance ceased. There was no elf present who remembered having seen her behave this way even once.


    The untouchable Great Prophet suddenly didn''t seem so distant anymore. After the initial shock came around, there was a desire for answers.


    Elfriede reacting subservient and meek in front of a daemon exceeded their common understanding, stirring thoughts that were ridiculous at best.


    "Great Prophet...," The council members didn''t know how to react either. They''d imagined the scene playing out much differently. Towards the exact opposite, actually.


    The finding that their decision might''ve caused this embarrassing result for all plain to see on top of losing an entire squad of elites each more powerful than the next left them with a bitter aftertaste in their mouths.


    "...this doesn''t seem proper? Who might this...gentleman be?" "So it does not, Avelyn? Why keep secrets? Whose fault do you think it is that my face is down in the gutter?" Elfriede''s voice was flat, her lips slightly smiling. Her eyes were anything but.


    The elders felt cold, their Great Prophet''s fury evident. All except Duwende, who was literally powered off by the extent of his own choice of words, now each a slap his thin face couldn''t handle.


    Even the others left him alone to cope with that, for he''d singlehandedly dug a trench so deep they feared the fall too. "If I may. Your race might want to gather sufficient intel before deliberating on decisions. And have the right people at the top."


    Looking Elfriede straight in the eye, Thoth added seriously, "mistakes at their level demand bloody tributes you''re not ready to pay." Not everyone is named Thoth! If she could, Elfriede''s face would''ve reddened even more.


    Tension returned to the elves until he addressed them again. "Whatever is on your mind right now, get this: Her and I go back to the stone age. You can''t compare." Some understood the implications of his words and their faces lost colour.


    Others continued to look at him foolishly. A selected few even seemed like they were on the verge of exploding, including two elders. Politics got their brains for good. Next point on the agenda...


    "Now, who''re the Blands?" "No, Thoth. Please no." Elfriede grabbed him by the arm and took him with her, down the stairs into the Sanctuary and out of sight. For a change, he allowed her to lead.


    "And why do you think I''d let it slide?" They continued walking in silence, Elfriede in front and Thoth right behind her. Passing many chambers and even more guards and attendants, they eventually arrived at a beautiful saloon.


    One of many. Elfriede motioned for him to sit wherever he pleased. "Because it is me who asks?" She eventually pleaded. "I consider this no acceptable answer." Her shoulders dropped.


    She was ready to bring hard benefits to the table when Thoth continued. "But she shouldn''t see blood again this soon. I managed to prevent that last time, I''ll do so now too. Count yourself lucky."


    Elfriede peeked curiously at the baby in his arms, a thousand questions on her mind she didn''t dare ask. "It''s not mine, if that''s what you fear." She nodded, albeit not in understanding. Thoth wasn''t content.


    "Look, we share a link. Fate made us relatives and I have all intentions of protecting her. You understand?" "Family...?" Thoth remained silent for a moment, playing with that particular word on his tongue. He was struggling.


    "Family." He eventually consented. Elfriede smiled in relief, calling an attendant over. "Good. Before we continue, you should leave the baby in capable hands. She''s about to wake up." Thoth wasn''t happy about the proposal and she felt it.


    "Well, you have nothing to fear. I give you my word that only lots of good stuff shall happen to your precious family." "...fine." Thoth relented, not least because of her oath.


    He then instructed the stiffly smiling attendant who would''ve liked to be anywhere except here at the moment on the baby''s needs. A good half an hour went past before he barely finished the introduction, allowing the tired elf to take the baby and be on her way.


    Watching her back as she awkwardly exited the saloon with a bottle in one hand, a ball made of various cloth he''d found in the saloon in the other and the baby nestled between her two arms.


    Thoth had come up with this pose and the baby never made him consider it to be strange. She laughed and giggled when she saw his face and this way she could do so whenever she liked to. The scales on his inner forearm came the closest to tender skin.


    The only drawback was that the baby lacked protection in that position. Thoth really believed in Elfriede''s sincerity, so he was sure nothing would happen.


    But still...if not for her rousing from sleep, he''d have continued feeding the attendant with nuggets of wisdom about parenting for much, much longer.


    Elfriede chuckled. "What?" He wasn''t quite done with her yet, so why did she laugh already? With the absence of the baby, Thoth felt quite irritated. Something was missing dearly.


    "Nothing." "Didn''t get that impression." "Well...if you want the answer this much, here you go. It looks good on you. The change, I mean."


    "Pleased to hear. It just doesn''t alter my impression of you harlots however. Plus, I came here to make demands to begin with. Dismiss them and I''m sure you''ll have bigger problems on your hand than merely a few dead guys and the cracks."


    "So you know." "Of course." "But Thoth?" "Yes?" "It''s not very polite to start negotiations with a threat." The saloon fell into silence for a while, both people staring into each other''s eyes. "It''s really hard to, considering what happened earlier."


    If nothing too excessive, I''ll accept his demands. Can''t have him all angry with me. Won''t survive that anyway. Nothing really does. Elfriede''s mind wasn''t as relaxed as she made Thoth believe to be.


    This will be a long discussion... The politician within her shuddered for once. If given the choice, she''d have liked changing places with the attendant. No. This...is my burden to bear.

 6. Talk

    6. Talk


    Elder Duwende had followed them unconsciously, his thoughts somewhere between distorted reality and depressing imagination. One point on his extensive wish list was reserved for the exquisite hope of understanding just why everything he did recently backfired.


    It was the most prevalent thought on his mind. Every other he made efforts to keep under wraps. In that direction lay pain, lay the memories of times past, lay...no, no, you don''t. Arrgh...I curse you!!!


    The rational part of him hoped to uncover the truth behind the mysterious existence they had believed to be a daemon until the very last. Yet even convenience had its limits, especially when surging emotions were at play. C-c-curse you!!!!


    The irrational part and arguably also the most prominent one demanded of him to shadow them, listening in on their conversation so he could spot Elfriede''s traitorous thoughts and use them against her in a scenario where she could do nothing about him.


    He never doubted their existence. Not for a second, not ever. Though there was no explainable reason behind his distrust, he just felt like it was true to the point nothing could convince him of the contrary anymore.


    Duwende knew this was wishful thinking on his part. Even in the case there really was a conspiracy and the daemon tasked with helping the Great Prophet in getting rid of the uncontrollable elements in the council, so what?


    His credibility had taken a harsh beating and he wasn''t exactly loved by the common elves. Duwende was aware that his family had grown a bit too arrogant in recent years, but who with power isn''t?


    So his realistic hopes could only work with the daemon. That thing''s sole presence in elven lands provoked disgust in his people and mistrust he had great use for.


    At the same time, the hypocrisy of his actions was totally lost on him. Duwende also failed to note that his whole reasoning had encountered a problem, an inexplicable turn for the worst in many ways. There was only one dominant thought left. That frigging Daemon!!!


    "Any concrete ideas on how to handle the situation?" Eldacar had caught up with him, but not because of friendship or worry for his state of being. Fucking bitches. Fear I''ll do something stupid?


    Want me to leave things be? For Renon to have died for nothing? Got the best shot at immortality out of us all, the endless blessings, the possibilities, now what? What indeed...! Fat. Chance! The stupid offender must pay. All offenders must!!


    "It is in the best interests of the council to glean an understanding of their discussions." He heard himself answer. "Someone has to be present there." Duwende didn''t allow any emotion to show on his face.


    Decades of involvement in political games came in handy this time around as not even Eldacar discovered anything amiss. His face had become a mask to edit according to necessity, fooling everyone and himself included if need be.


    "Sure distance wasn''t what you seek? Ozama''s gloating, Lefaye''s silent provocations and Avelyn''s cold shoulder are tough to stomach. Been there, done that. But what counts is keeping a cool head. Always."


    Maybe their long years of friendship made Eldacar susceptible to what Duwende hoped to hide? That meant the other elder knew much more about him than Duwende ever suspected, a thought he abhorred.


    Because in politics that was the definition of danger. Good friend my ass. Taking advantage of me until the end and still looking with these concerned eyes? Wait...concerned they may be, but for the continuation of our cooperation for sure. Not me.


    He wasn''t in the right state of mind, now even Duwende could tell. But the loss of his beloved grandson made him much more irritable than he usually was. Coupled with the loss of future perspective, rage clouded his perception.


    "Dying for nothing..." "What was that?" Cursed daemon. "An unimportant grumble." Fuck off. "Well...we''re in hot waters now, don''t you say?" Keep your wits to yourself. They passed guards and attendants alike as the duo walked deeper into the Sanctuary, past many corridors and hidden outposts.


    For discretional reasons, Eldacar stopped talking whenever they came close to other elves while Duwende adjusted his pace to not tip off Elfriede of his slowly discernable intentions. The fog was lifting on his mind. That...is the way. A path forward. Owning up.


    She for sure knew he was here, but that was no crime in itself. Wouldn''t suspect a thing. Never did, the dumb piece of backwater shit. Council members often came on a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary for various reasons. "I mean, Ozama''s a lost cause as always.


    Now that the puppy has seen Elfriede, her demands are law and her own thinking has become obsolete. Plus, nobody will ever believe the Great Prophet will go back to seclusion this soon. Not with the prayer on the horizon."


    Got the chance to fucking make up to your flame. Doesn''t seem this bad, fucking fence-sitter. Duwende nearly stumbled as he repressed the urge to vomit. Eldacar didn''t notice. He was occupied with smiling at a blushing attendant on cleaning duty.


    "And the goddamn pimp faction? Don''t get me started." Might sound him out. Can''t get worse, can it? "Internal development...with Elfriede active enough to initiate talks with that thing, there''s hope for them she''s open to their proposals too." Enemy or scapegoat? I wonder what you are.


    "Indeed, now they''ve pretty much distanced themselves from us. They only partially supported our decisions because the Great Prophet''s lethargy made them angry and worried about us elves. Others develop while we stagnate, same old, same old.


    Can''t say I''m blind to their cause seeing our dwindling influence throughout the realms, but war is still the best answer. Keeps people sharp. There''s pressure to be had." Pressure?! All for...!


    Honourless bastard. Make or break. A mighty military is the best answer to our plight! Excellence through self-discipline and timely reactions not easily dismissed. No ridiculous pressure. Renon wouldn''t have died...


    Duwende noticed that Elfriede wasn''t far away now. Her violet smell was thicker, meaning they''d stopped in one of the corridors for a moment. Now or never, he thought, half dreadful and half hopeful of the outcome.


    "The art of trap laying is subtle," Duwende whispered, his eyes colder than the snowpeople. "What?!" C''mon, must I spell it out? And here I believed opportunists had brains. The smell of hypocrisy mixing with conspiracy only grew thicker.


    "Ask our backers, gather warriors. The daemon''s mighty but even he cannot be alert at all times. He is not welcome here. Other elves can''t stomach his presence either. We''re also part of different camps."


    "Are...are you insane?! And what do we do about Elfriede? Suppose you manage to do him in, our end will follow!" Duwende smirked coldly at the excuse. "Coward...," he said, "...cowards, all of you."


    "You''re mad, Duwende." Eldacar showed signs of initiating combat, but then he relaxed, his face sporting the most disappointed expression the elder had ever seen on him.


    Not even the discovery of his wife cheating on him back in the days had brought that sort of ugly to his features. That''s it. I''VE BEEN PLAYED ALL ALONG!!! Not that he cared anymore.


    "I know of your pain." No, you do not. "But even then, your mindless proposals make me think twice about continuing our cooperation." Hehe...that''s rich. Urgh.


    Look, disappear and we''re all happy. Fucking vulture. Kiss ass of your favourite bitch Avelyn and leave me alone. Duwende''s wish was fulfilled soon after. Eldacar excused himself with the words that he''d have to urgently talk to their backers.


    Soon, the elder was alone in the light-flooded corridor with only flower pots and trinkets for company. Taking his sweet time to reorganise his thoughts, Duwende suddenly laughed madly at one point.You''re predictable too, Eldacar.


    Our backers won''t risk their hides for a folly. My pain and the death of my lovely grandson, the culling of the hero to be, is nothing to them. He continued walking, past ancient furniture recounting the glory of old.


    Of course you know that. On any other day, Duwende would''ve paused there, basking in the presence of these relics, finding confidence in his plans. But today he had no eyes for them. Today, the past no longer mattered.


    Finding allies and compromises alike was your true reason for abandoning me. For dismissing...ME! As long as HE stands behind me, I''m untouchable anyway. What face will they make when discovering that, I wonder...?


    Past the corner, he came to an artificially grown flowerbed area. There were many buildings around the Great Tree. Most for protection. Some for enjoyment. Others are intended as living quarters for the attendants.


    And high elves simply couldn''t live separate from nature. Where none existed, they grew their own. The flowers bloom, the buds germinate. And yet with our longevity, we die first.


    Just where did we turn wrong? ...the forces of darkness, of evil. The daemon! Welcomed like a friend, the butcher. I. REFUSE! Then he stopped, his maniac expression furrowed in contemplation.


    Duwende started grinning soon. As if possessed by evil spirits, he stepped all over the flower bed, crushing the tender buds. He''d heard chime-like laughter and content squeals; his mind raced.


    "Any explanation as to why the forest is riddled with traps?" Elfriede blinked, trying to find out if this was a dry joke or really a question Thoth intended to seek an answer to. Aww, just look at this dopey face, it''s such a cute thing. Magic sure made it easier to spy.


    "And here I thought you''ve serious topics to address. For example, your demand." The young does want to play afterwards, does it not? Question is: Where? "We''re getting to that in time. Small talk is important when communicating with the Races."


    "So...if I''m interpreting this correctly, traps and curses in the woods is small talk? No wonder you never got laid." Thoth scratched his scaly chin, seriously contemplating if he really started with a flop or if she was just exaggerating.


    Tickling behind the ears summons such an innocent pout. I''ve to remmeber that. He soon got rid of his pondering. Elven aesthetics and proper protocol for formal undertakings were known throughout the realms to be a pain in the ass.


    Luckily she knows I''m no fan of wasting time. The young does require my attention. So at least we won''t be sitting here for years, of which I''m damn sure. "We get constantly assaulted by random races.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Some seek knowledge, others staple food. People look for natural resources, hope for legends proved true, hunt for the sole purpose of hunting, destroy for sports...," As is always the case. Oh, the young definitely woke up. Poor elf. Feeding ain''t easy, hehe~.


    Elfriede shook her head in displeasure while pressing out between clenched lips the arguably most important reason for the change. And here comes the drama: I present you an annoyed twitch!


    W-wait. The tail too? So. Cute. Guess the young misses me. Awww~ "...and to catch slaves. You won''t believe how trendy that has become." Before he really melted away, Thoth forced himself to take a bit more part in the conversation without interrupting the spell.


    "And traps help? Sure, you''ll be tearing apart a tree or two, but slavers usually only dispatch disposable tools for the hunt. Cretins who have so much debt to their name they got no choice." I get my choice, as does the young. Stupid thought.


    We''re beyond the mundane. "Thoth, I do understand the futility of this action. Some innocent people also die, but it''s the sentiment that counts. We''re not easily bullied without consequences, and that must be known to all."


    Reasoning before the onslaught of war. The elves have changed indeed. A strand of platinum blonde hair loosened during her angry conversation so close to a hiss and obscured one eye, which Elfriede tucked back hastily.


    Thoth didn''t notice. His attention was almost entirely reserved in realising which degree of intensity of luffing shown by the attendant brought the greatest satisfaction. Only a few brain cells were focused on the conversation, obviously complaining too.


    "Your ancestors won''t be happy with this change. Will have to ask Spice to be sure, but I suppose some are making their voices known already. Some might be beyond even that if you catch my meaning." Elfriede grimaced.


    "I...know. But the decision back then to start a major war of conquest happened by majority vote. So they are not so innocent either." Today, I shall learn new tricks. Happy~.


    "Without destabilising the council and ruining their efforts to take over some of my tasks, I had to keep my objection to myself. Proper development never comes cheap."


    Thoth grunted, saying, "your leadership capabilities suck at best...," while noting that gently rubbing the baby''s ears made them bob up and down, left and right, twitching as if to evade the enamoured attendant''s follow-up touch.


    If it wasn''t such a no-go, he''d have liked to race there and take on the duties of that stupid attendant who didn''t know of the enormous privilege that fell in her lap.


    It was then that Thoth realised he might only annoy the baby if he really followed his whims, which filled him with remorse and resentment. As a consequence, it wasn''t easy not to spoil the conversation he had with Elfriede.


    He was a sentimental creature governed by instincts wherever reasoning didn''t reach, after all. "...things hardly change for long-lived races, and yours is one of the most extreme cases." She wasn''t happy with his critique.


    "Mistakes happen all the time, Thoth. I cannot act in the best interest of my race forever. You, contrary to most people, should know what I''m talking about. If you don''t, then think about Spice. Plus, you seem so oddly absent-minded. Sure you''re fine?"


    "Very. Spice''s lot is hardly comparable to mine. Except for our age¡ª" "that''s what I mean." And here I wanted to tell her that even his age is only remotely comparable.


    Very remotely to the point there wouldn''t be any comparison possible if he just wasn''t so damn ancient. "In existing forever, we''re losing ourselves. The baby has woken you up, roused you from that lethargy we''re all suffering from. You''ve come truly alive like never in my memories."


    Elfriede crossed her arms in front of her chest, underlining her mesmerising figure. Yes, the young. She''d sure like to play atop that tapestry. Elfriede wouldn''t have anything against taking it down. Definitely. So why take the young...?


    "I''m without such a baby, Thoth." Then find one. Ain''t this complicated... "I''m digressing." "The discussion is digressing and you''re just tired." Should I cuddle her just the same? "...isn''t this synonymous?" She knocked her slender finger on her head.


    Nah, she won''t like that. She''s grown up and a personage of importance. ...but the young is of even greater importance. So...the argument is moot. "Maybe."


    Silence returned to the saloon, only disrupted by some attendants bringing in refreshments and more. Suddenly, Thoth leaned forward and patted her on the head, smiling warmly. It was obvious he was waiting for her reaction.


    "What...is this?" Elfriede had to first overcome her surprise before asking. "An...invitation? Thoth, I''m not in the mood." "No, it''s not. It''s...complicated." This...didn''t play out as imagined. Why? ...oh! See, the young''s superior after all.


    The look he got sobered Thoth up quite a bit. Yet he couldn''t say he didn''t like that. S-stop. The young''s near, the young. The baby wouldn''t notice anything that happened three saloons away, but in Thoth''s eyes, he felt that was no distance at all.


    Repressing his urges with all his might, he hoped to divert his attention with the help of the conversation. "Cough. I have to warn you, Elfriede. Less control fosters individual thoughts. No control fosters anarchy. You want that?"


    "...the war didn''t end as we envisioned. One race called upon the reinforcements of another. That friend had other good friends and so it went on and on. One realm, two realms, a world, seven worlds...almost an entire plane."


    Elfriede closed her eyes in pain, struggling with her next words while Thoth kept stroking the baby that was no longer in his arms before he realised the futility and returned to fighting his innermost wish. "We lost...our history, people, knowledge.


    The victory was hollow, the means for taking advantage of the conquered lands unattainable any longer and our realm riddled with cracks." Keeping his attention on the baby failed to help Thoth one bit.


    Grudgingly, he terminated the spell and focused entirely on the flow before he lost it completely and made a fool out of himself in front of Elfriede...or worse. Much worse. It was certainly hard, but he had to do it.


    "Just as the saying goes. One man''s plight is another''s merit. With the predators gone, parasites swarm the place unchecked. Nothing new." "Oh, new it was. For the council.


    Scant was what remained thereafter as it used to be. Therefore, the forest''s riddled with traps to punish the wrongdoers and alert us at the same time. The whole undertaking wasn''t easy. Ohman¡ª"


    "Back on track." In lieu of how mercilessly longwinded elven discussions tended to be, Thoth cut her thousand considerations and explanations short when he still could without hurting her ego.


    "...I''m sorry." "No need to be. It''s in your nature, that''s all. I think we''ve talked long enough, no offence." Elfriede shook her head. "None taken," she replied. "I''m here for the Goddess Tear.


    Only three suffice, so I won''t empty your storage. Once I get them, I shall be on my way. No need to impose on your hospitality when you can use that precious time otherwise.


    I do request though that you refrain from handing out subpar drops. Only the best¡ª" Seeing her expression wasn''t right, Thoth stopped and asked straight away. "What''s the matter?"


    "The war, Thoth." Elfriede massaged her tired eyelids, using that time of respite to regain her bearings before continuing. "War brings destruction to both sides." ...this is a joke, I hope.


    "War emptied your storage? That''s a pity." "You don''t understand. War...took our heritage. The tree was hurt, the high elves regressed." And there go my drops. Unacceptable.


    "Nowadays, the talent of the newborn is subpar at best and the lifespan of my race reduced by a lot. Fertility has gone up, but that''s as much a problem as it is a dangerous sign."


    "...high elves are devolving. Got a strange feeling on the plaza and now I know why. Your common populace is no longer part of the high elf family tree, am I right?


    They''ve become something else. Not quite a high elf, not quite a common elf. Something in between." A hestitiant nod validated his conjecture. Feeling relaxation wash over his nether region, Thoth doubled up on his reasoning efforts.


    "No World Tree means a severe drop in related magic on top of putting you in a difficult spot. No wonder there was nobody special among all the elves here except you."


    "Thoth, I hope you keep this to yourself. The high elves have made many enemies throughout the years. Our...behaviour is not perceived as likeable by most." ...a fucking understatement if I ever heard one.


    Thoth looked at her amused. "Can you blame them? An insult as a greeting, an arrow answering a simple question and much brabbling about glory long past. Now it''s even longer past.


    This is the non-high-elf generation I''m talking about and they have certainly lost edge compared to their predecessors." And that''s why hell and the abyss merely fight their war under controlled circumstances.


    Eradicating entire lineages because of a crooked gaze or simply because it''s possible to do so never ends well. Not for long-lived races with their terrible fertility rates. Though they ain''t comparable for real.


    "You have to start with startling changes, Elfriede. Beginning with the perception of your people all the way to your military education. The old spells are no longer up to par, your magical knowledge rendered mostly obsolete by the tree''s regression.


    Is there hope for regaining past glory, by the way? Seeing the only World Tree outlasting the Dark Ages dying off because of a stupid decision makes me sad. Like a part of my memory is dying with it."


    Thoth closed his eyes in reminiscence and by the time he opened them again, Elfriede was staring at him, mouth agape. The lips attract me as always. No...no! Wrong move. The weather, the weather. ...I don''t see the sky.


    "How...how old are you really, Thoth?" She asked in the meantime, her voice slightly quivering. "Maybe another time, Elfriede. When we''re closer, perhaps." She knew what he meant with these words.


    Getting attacked by her people sure put a serious dent in their relationship no matter how lax Thoth usually was. "Now I''m concerned with procuring the tears. Recognise I take no negation as an answer." She nibbled on her lips.


    Knowing Thoth meant she couldn''t hope to talk herself out of it. "Then there is only one answer." Elfriede''s clear green eyes stared stubbornly into Thoth''s. "...are you sure? This will weaken you considerably for quite the years.


    A strategic injury¡ª" "Say no more. I know of the dangers. But the only other alternative is asking you to give up. Will you humour me?" "...no." "There you have it."


    Elfriede relaxed her posture, smiled at Thoth and motioned him to start. She was ready. Thoth stood up from the adorned wooden armchair, approached, extended his claws and rammed them deep into her chest.


    Elfriede didn''t move a muscle nor did she express her pain. Apart from her rapidly blanching facial colour, everything seemed alright. "And done. Blood the equivalent of three Goddess Tears."


    Retracting his claws, there was no gap left on her bosom. If not for the holes in her attire, one might think these events were but an illusion. He walked back to his seat.


    "Thoth?" "Yes? Want to know what use I have for this blood?" "No. I have trust in you. There is a reason for everything, I''m simply too insignificant to learn of it."


    "...you didn''t get old in vain, Elfriede. Old-timers certainly don''t like others snooping around, ever so curious. So...what''s the matter?" "Even if we had some tears, I couldn''t have given them away.


    The tree needs them more than anyone else as it has grown immune to my blood. In addition, matters regarding topics of such importance fall under the discretion of the council." Nooo...I really do miss the young. Focus, Thoth. Focus. You can do this!


    Even I am no exception." Thoth shook his head in disapproval, grumbling some words in a language she couldn''t understand before giving her a definite reply. "You''re playing a dangerous game.


    If your death passes the majority vote, are you going to comply?" Elfriede''s eyes widened in surprise, giving him the impression her thoughts had never explored that direction. "...I don''t know."


    "Wake up, elf." Thoth''s voice became dangerously low, his warnings underlined by mighty pulses of raw mana. Simply because he was agitated, the world around him reacted. Everything did. The idea of one less friend in the realms didn''t excite him one bit.


    "It''s highly unlikely to pass, I''d say. The war faction is composed of children unhappy with the loss of glory; their tantrums merely expressions of impotency to change the past." Elfriede stubbornly defended her position.


    "They''ve got some supporters and I doubt not that some would welcome my demise regardless of the consequences. But...as long as they are contained within the council, not every decision is fair game.


    The rough direction we move towards does help the welfare of every elf. The elders need backing and the trust of the common populace. If one of the two parties is unhappy, changes are inevitable.


    They are certainly old. But age is merely a quantification of experience, not the reason they warm that seat. Plus, connections are necessary to keep balance.


    If one link dares to threaten another, outside forces will come to its aid, if only for fear of being the next target." Thoth grabbed some refreshments on the table and gobbled them up in one, tableware included.


    For his body, eating tableware or not made little difference. "That''s one faction. Let me guess, the other is more concerned with internal development." The young, the young. Fucking withdrawal symptoms. Need sugar!! "Goal being, the glory of old."


    "Exactly. Two different roads lead towards the same goal. Artisans and merchants are their main supporters. Ordinary citizens happy with their lot, the most important variable for keeping their seats.


    It''s a delicate balance the two factions keep. One prone to mellow out any dangerous edges but still keeping the flow alive. No stagnation, remember?" Elfriede now had that shine in her eyes that attracted Thoth even more. Another...time...


    "With time, internal development and external shows of might and grandeur shall be seen as a single concept, not two." Think, Thoth, think. "You came up with the limiters so that something like the last war doesn''t happen again, right?


    Anyway, from my point of view, the probability of such realisation in the current situation is more wishful thinking than suddenly pulling an unknown planetary spell out of the hat."


    "...that might be so. But without hope, what''s there to live for?" "You aren''t half as lethargic as others make you out to be. Even among immortals, few know your true colours, watcher." Elfriede lifted an eyebrow at the unusual title she got from him.


    She, too, found it appropriate. "You aren''t certainly wrong. Once they do, it means my road''s faulty and the game''s lost." Thoth nodded, grabbing a glass and downing the content.


    "If you''re no longer here...speak, betrayed...your race will suffer the consequences. Clever. There''s just one big problem left unresolved. Your concept of politics isn''t clearly the fastest, but elven nature doesn''t care about speedy reactions.


    Yet what I have beef with is the influence of an individual. Say, if a council member went mad with all the power at his or her disposal, the damage that one can do is severe, possibly also catastrophic."


    All Thoth got as an answer was Elfriede''s amused chuckle. "That one won''t dare," she replied once she''d calmed down, "it means social, political and possibly also physical death." "Suit yourself."


    The booklet on his belt suddenly exploded in a glaring shower of bright light. While the surroundings smelled burnt, they both froze in mid-motion. The conversation and Thoth''s political advice came to an abrupt end.


    The very next instant, as one, Thoth and Elfriede teleported through the various rooms and saloons built around the Great Tree, their destination ultimately being the breach.

 7. Fury

    7. Fury


    Thoth watched the swirl. He saw the dust it had attracted continuing to dance around the breach. He perceived the flow of mana, now reduced to a pulsating tickle barely noticeable in his perception.


    Where the nose tracked with certainty a lovely smell and his eyes looked at where the tracks were lost abruptly, his brain was kind of left in a mushy swamp across the infinity between.


    Thoth closed his eyes, sealed his nostrils, ignored the soundwaves and slowly counted to ten. The picture did not change one bit. There were still some traumatised elves getting lashed at by an incredibly angry Elfriede.


    Still batch after batch of newcomers stomping in, their long ears fanning like a duck taking flight. Elves look disgusted and mad. What''s gotten into these xenophobic zealots? An elder detained by the ever-increasing number of elves that flooded in gave Thoth some ideas.


    But he failed to pinpoint exactly what for they were nothing concrete. Duwende''s colleagues who''d come on the scene somewhen, doubtful at first at the reasons for Elfriede''s fury, didn''t think so any longer after the nearest elf ran his mouth, validating her words as did the others until the truth settled in.


    The explanation was standardised already, polished by repetition and stripped of anything but the necessity. A string of words that would paint a clear picture if put together, of which he was sure.


    Yet Thoth forgot about the content each time. He stood in the middle of the bubble like a rock in the mighty sea, grasping at empty straws and coming up with nothing but foam. And just like a rock, the water rushed by without leaving an impression, leaving but fleeting foam.


    Same with that stupid ball game. ...why do I think about that now? "[Greater Clarity III], [Greater Heal III], [Greater Mental Focus III]..." Thoth muttered spell after spell. The foam just wouldn''t let him be. Stronger than many a foe, it stuck persistently.


    In between his mutters, some elves came to him, shook his shoulder for a time, talked to him, asked questions or simply engaged in provocations. Probably to elicit an answer from him for some incomprehensible reasons.


    Thoth didn''t humour them. He was entirely alone and lost in his own world, all others erased from his perception. Somewhen down the line, he believed each elf in the bubble had at least touched him once, but in all honesty he couldn''t care less.


    "[Greater Hard Reset III]." Believing his sanity was threatened, he was quick to act. Thoth''s perception was suddenly cut off entirely before sensations simply returned to the subjugating numbness, ultimately changing nothing.


    Nothing came close to having any impact on him. Nothing exceeded the emptiness in his chest, the pain tagging along with the inexplicable loss he felt, the agony each second hammered down on his head.


    Lost, Thoth kept an inner perceptive eye on his soul, questioning if something had impacted the swirling cloud of fragments glued together by his iron will and held in place with the help of immemorial seals.


    That inner piece of junk didn''t seem to look any different that day. An answer might not present itself, in which case I chose to make my own reason, a bewitching voice in his head told him, making some of the foam dissolve.


    Thoth was truly spent on that stupid state of mind. Unfortunately, he didn''t seem to sport a bright enough mind to find a quick way out. As a last resort to end this senseless struggle, Thoth let both thoughts and impressions wash past.


    Indulging in the safety that lethargy provided did change things for the better. For once. Memories flooded him in the shape of a subjective telling of the past.


    After many minutes, relatively old events finally broke through to his mind. When they came down here and his chest inexplicably tightened, Elfriede started shrieking for some reason.


    Guards had looked at her with question marks contained in their gazes, intimidated by the raw fury engulfing her, the Great Prophet nobody remembered so emotional, so charged.


    Much talking and pointing fingers happened thereafter. Thoth somehow had no idea why the whole circus came to be. His pain didn''t allow him to focus even now. It felt familiar too but he couldn''t place it. As if a part of him had locked away the memory.


    However, within him, the more time passed, the greater the hatred for the state he was in grew, so he fought against the feeling, forcing his mind to wake from the stupor and focus on the crowd of clowns surrounding him.


    "...traitor...Great Prophet...enemy...danger...retribution...," Thoth failed to understand the flow of the conversations. He had no way distinguishing who said what and why.


    Yet no matter how much he focused on his ears, the feeling of being trapped in disgusting foam didn''t relent any more. Even his countless spells seemed to have failed, suggesting the problem lay with nobody else but him.


    Information he could do nothing with. The breach''s receding, the bubble stable. The Great Tree won''t come to harm anytime soon and no elf is hurt or dying. Why the gaggle? Why the shouting? Should I ask or is this personal?


    Thoth barely remembered what he''d come here to do. Something about the young? Grabbing a spare baby bottle, he looked at his empty arms in surprise. Now where does the naughty parcel of happy giggles hide?


    His gaze explored the bubble, his eyes easily spotting each and every elf part of the circus. She isn''t here. Ah, yes. Now it''s clear. Elfriede''s attendant. Where''s she again?


    Thoth zoomed in on the weeping elf that matched the biological parameters in his head to a tee. He sometimes had trouble distinguishing the various members of the Races, which remembering data helped to remedy.


    And what his brain learnt once, it''d never forget, only store away. There she is. But tears? What happened to make that face so bitterly distorted? Might be relationship trouble, heard that''s quite the bummer.


    Now to my parcel of happy giggles. Huh...she doesn''t have the young? The pain in his chest intensified, the pressure rose. This rascal, always out of sight. Thoth smiled miserably, muttering, "[Greater Detect Karma III]."


    So...the breach. The gravitational mess pointing everywhere and nowhere? Hehehe~. Since when do spells joke? Following a sudden impulse, Thoth inclined his scaly head so that his horns pointed towards Duwende.


    The elf must have felt his gaze because he looked up just this moment, meeting his eyes. Past two black eyes, bruises and cuts, Thoth was sure he smiled. So he smiled back.


    "Daemon." Which I''m not. But it''s an old hat by now. Really, really old. "Your sacrificial offering must be the favourite of the breach. Accepted it happily and now it''s closing. Rest in peace, Renon. Oh, my dear Renon. Renon!" What''s he maundering about?


    Thoth didn''t even notice that the elf was in such bad condition he possibly couldn''t utter any word. What he intercepted were his thoughts. The foam surrounding him suddenly grew denser and denser as it closed in mercilessly.


    Thoth''s headache and heartache also intensified as did the pressure. Whispers came to his ears, talking in the Language of Old. Then, the foam was no more, the pieces assembled and the clues crystal clear. No hiding possible either. No more. Thoth woke up, his mouth spewing blood and bile.


    Duwende''s ruined face looked even more gloating. But this devilish emotion was destined to be of very short nature. Elfriede just noticed the short exchange and pulled a fast one on him from across the room.


    While jogging towards Thoth and ignoring the fainted elder, the Great Prophet donned a world-ending expression drenched in feelings of fear and guilt. Elfriede hoped to make it on time. Yet she wasn''t lucky all the same. Thoth lost it completely then and there. His very essence going ballistic.


    These events happened before Thoth arrived at the bubble. She ran, hopping over loose timber and the occasional stones floating above the swamp. Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit couldn''t believe her brothers.


    Qipsa''tee Scarl Ri''kit and her usually saw eye to eye, Xhul''imar Zlat''huasq Ri''kit not so much. But the latter was also from another mother, so by lizardmen standards it was already alright that he deigned to look at them.


    Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit didn''t remember her mother much. She was the last of seven eggs, the last to grow up, the last to speak, the last to learn the art of war, of glory and life.


    Or rather of glory and death. She''d always been the last. Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit had no problem with that. Not after the deaths of five direct siblings and over fifteen others.


    At the latest, when her father died did she come to terms with her slow learning speed. That was exactly what had kept her alive. The battlefield was filled with opportunity.


    There was glory to be had, others to impress with legendary feats, enemies to slaughter in droves...and an early grave to laugh one in the face. That, too, was found on blood-soaked plains.


    The slaughter in droves part was for the newly hatched to believe in. Usually, the events play out exactly the opposite. Yet with merely three years under her belt, she was already considered old in her community, considered a failure. Damaged, ill.


    Her legendary father had conquered four females and sired five eggs at half her age. How he did that when lizardmen''s physiology didn''t allow for twins was a question she never asked up to now.


    Might''ve been a legendary feat. Coming from a legendary father... Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit thought a bit too much, her distractedness adversely influencing her escape.


    As a consequence, she didn''t jump far enough and had to crawl the last distance through the shallow parts of the swamp. Idiot. Your brothers won''t make the same mistake.


    Just as she expected, the two didn''t lose much speed on the same trail that''d cost her triple the time. Xhul''imar Zlat''huasq Ri''kit even sped up. That''s why I''m content being denied the privilege to fight on the fronts. This illness...If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Give up, slowpoke. You were always a disgrace to our legendary father. So let me correct the mistake." "Xhul''imar Zlat''huasq Ri''kit, you gave me your word to not lay hand on my sister."


    "Sister? That waste of meat is no proud daughter of the dragon believers. This is not your sister, this is your disgrace. It lies in your lesser lineage." "Xhul''imar Zlat''huasq Ri''kit!!!!" There he''s again, badmouthing our mother.


    Dying during egg-laying...he''s sadly right. And I''m no better. There isn''t even the egg-laying part. Not addressing each other by their full name was considered very offensive in their society, and by failing to retort she''d lost all honour.


    But talking and dying is worse. Death is always worse. She knew nobody in her tribe would''ve considered her right in her mind by thinking such terribly distorted thoughts. But she couldn''t help it. She never could.


    Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit had always used her head first. This was the reason why her reaction time had never been at standard, why she was condemned to do manual labour instead of proudly fighting for the tribe.


    Working in closed-off huts is not exactly conducive to stamina. It was a miserable excuse and she knew it. She was getting slower, her feet growing uncontrolled as her tired tail failed to counterbalance her abrupt movements.


    Spraining her ankle, she was forced to limp towards a bigger rock and remain there, mind racing. "See, she''s just like your mother, little Qipsa''tee. Can''t take a beating."


    The other lizardmen came to a halt not far from the stone Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit was stranded on. Anger filled his belly as his vertical eyes glowed with mana.


    But a glance at Xhul''imar Zlat''huasq Ri''kit and his much darker scales promising superior defence among other things made him stop the folly. Attacking clansmen outside of the ring was punishable.


    Targeting a legend? Punishable by death. He had eggs and wives at home, so Qipsa''tee Scarl Ri''kit couldn''t flare up as he''d have liked. Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''ki knew that too. "You''re so stupid."


    Instead, her brother swallowed down his anger and tried to reason with the only remaining sister he had. "Father died because of an ambush." It was some guards, no more than three. "Hundreds of beastmen targeted him in enemy territory."


    He was killing civilians. Butchering their families while the men were fighting at the front. Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit knew a bit more about their father because she asked around, conversed even with the occasional prisoners before they became food.


    And that was defective behaviour. No lizardmen ever did question anything. Everybody knew their history, their enemy. They fought what had to be fought. With all their might. Two days of teaching the newly hatched made sure of that.


    Two days at a time where most had yet to develop their ears completely. Father''s legendary, yes. Father couldn''t count to four as he was missing many digits.


    That''s probably why we only have four mothers... Catching herself engaging in such pagan thoughts, Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit''s eyes widened in horror. There they''re again. My defects. Flaring up. This illness.


    "Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit!!! Why are you protecting our father''s killers?" "Little Qipsa''tee, that defective product is different from the rest of our tribe. And differences must be eliminated before they do harm."


    The legendary warrior stared hard at his tribesmen, ridicule abundant in his big, yellow eyes. "Kill it. Kill our enemy, sister. The tribe will thank you. There might even be a spot reserved for you on the frontlines. Or go back to work with the hatchlings."


    Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit knew her brother was lying. He probably did too. If she gave up, two would die. But if she struggled until the end, the outcome was the same. SO why did he try so hard? The answer was simple.


    Honour was the only difference her choice made. Honour only her brother would find useful. "It is only a hatchling, brother." Xhul''imar Zlat''huasq Ri''kit snorted before he could answer, interrupting her efforts at convincing her kin.


    "You''re not only slow but also stupid...," The legendary warrior continued to talk down on her like one would to a disabled. Which he probably thinks I am. "...that''s one more reason to get rid of it.


    Once the beast grows, there will be one more enemy to kill. Another menace ready to slaughter my brave warriors." "It''s innocent. Barely hatched. Hasn''t grown yet."


    She couldn''t help but retort, the flaws in his words so glaringly evident she''d trouble understanding why others didn''t catch on to them. Xhul''imar Zlat''huasq Ri''kit grew visibly annoyed at her erroneous persistence. He had other things to do, skulls to crack and fights to win. Ambushes to plot.


    Killing the cast out would bring him so little honour, it was first and foremost a chore. If their father hadn''t been one and the same, he wouldn''t have even come here.


    "He''s a beastman," the lizardman hissed, "and no beastman is free of sins¡ª" "She. She''s female." "None of my business." Could''ve said she gives birth to more enemies. Doubt he thinks this far.


    Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit grimaced as her illness was flaring up again. "...she''s cute and cannot fight at all." She muttered in defeat. Convincing them was impossible after all.


    Xhul''imar Zlat''huasq Ri''kit looked at her incredulously, the comment that would make a certain someone smile radiantly for days was lost on them. Or not quite. After all, her brother grabbed the spear in his hand with more force, veins protruding everywhere. "You''re no lizardmen, mutant. You...are a mistake."


    And with that, the legendary warrior jumped closer, his beautiful spear stabbing at her. But it literally fell from the sky. Our beastmen enemies don''t have that ability, else we''d be dead already.


    As if in trance, Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit evaded the jab miraculously, making her half-brother''s dark scales take on an even darker hue. That''s it. He''s angry now. No fooling around any longer. No escape either.


    She glanced down at the hatchling in her arms, now shrieking miserably as stress and fear got ahold of her. The unpleasant smell mixed with the poisonous swaths of the swamp made her brothers even more aggressive, the dirty water and grime splashing left and right.


    Qipsa''tee Scarl Ri''kit joined the legendary fighter from a respectable distance away. Now that a flurry of stabs and sweeps were coming her way, she had no luck anymore.


    Injuries piled up after injuries and Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit eventually got the nagging suspicion her brothers were prolonging this unnecessarily. A mutant''s end...how fitting.


    With no power left to struggle, she threw her heavy body over the hatchling. I am so sorry. Her thoughts waned just as her blood did, painting the stone greenish-red as flesh was thorn and bones protested.


    Without her noticing, there was a layer of pure distortion covering the hatchling as the bracelet she held in her small hands thrummed to life. Yet that wasn''t so for long. Suddenly, it all stopped. Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit waited for a moment, unsure if this was rather terminal lucidity than a change of events.


    In the end, she still opened her eyes and looked around, snout agape. The swamp was gone. Her brothers too. The hatchling? The weight in her arms suggested that she was still there.


    Sa''nout Rak''taza Ri''kit forced the focus to return to her eyes, before instinctively bringing the baby closer to her bosom, loudly swearing to not let it die before her. For all it was worth.


    All the while, a gargantuan monster beyond the greatest nightmare of all time was staring at her, its many cruel ashen eyes, each distorted in its own right, dissecting her from top to bottom. Then she fainted, the loss of blood too serious.


    When Thoth finally realised the sad truth and snapped, a wave of monstrous mana crashed into the booklet chained to his waistbelt. It groaned like wood ready to burst at any moment, trembled and howled like a waking beast on a leash.


    The ancient piece floated up as high as the thin chains allowed it to, its pages fluttering without abandon. Once the end was reached and no pages were left to turn, they all broke free.


    Homeless and without a target demanding their attention, the pages shook, split down into tiny letters and gathered around Thoth, fusing with him as indescribable changes overcame his body.


    That moment every elf inside the bubble knew they fucked up. And every single elf native to this realm felt their hearts tighten and fear balloon to incredible heights.


    Flesh ripped apart and inverted leathery wings grew in the dozens out of the squishy lumps, each uniquely misshapen. The horns on his head multiplied, crowning him as they grew thicker and stronger, covering his spine and tail before pieces of pure darkness wrapped around them like armour.


    Thoth''s inverted pupils awoke to a distorted life of their own, growing ever so narrow as more popped out all over his face, chest, arms and legs. The maw elongated and pointy teeth became serrated, extending row after row all the way down to his ancient gully.


    What once remotely resembled human extremities had now lost all semblance to any one member of the Races. Limb after limb now popped into existence as letters straight from the forbidden booklet nestled in between his flesh.


    Lines of power crisscrossed Thoth''s body, vaguely resembling the tattoos he''d conjured not that long ago by using fusion magic, but at the same time seeming much more than just that.


    Yet the arguably greatest change happened to his size. Thoth, or rather that unspeakable creature showing no iota of intelligence besides crude instincts, grew and grew...and grew.


    The bubble burst, the walls cracked, the dirt above couldn''t stop the expansion, entire buildings were torn apart and unlucky folk were crushed by either him or the debris.


    Stopping just below the ominous cloud bank of thunderous nature bottling out the sun, an incomprehensible voice full of ancient might and inviolable authority soon rang in every cognizant being''s head.


    A long string of ridiculous words of raw essence and power followed, forcing the weak-minded to faint by instinct. Hearing too much of that language would''ve had far worse consequences.


    The creature remained silent for a few seconds thereafter before mana condensed all around it from all over the realm, pulling and tugging at the reserves as space cracks tore open and some unlucky predators hiding between the cracks of illusion and reality were torn asunder.


    It rained blood and despair in spades. Under the suction, the whole realm of the high elves almost popped. While chaos reigned supreme, nobody but a panicky Elfriede understood the creature''s next and final words. "[Planar Desaster: Karmic Reconnection]."


    That moment, throughout the planes, realms, worlds and dimensions, everyone at a certain power level felt the changes happening on a fundamental level. Felt all in creation quiver and groan as nothing was spared to fulfil a certain wish.


    Those connected by karma had it even worse, as the entirety of colossal consciousness checked up on their very existence, relenting only when the feedback didn''t match the given template.


    With horror in her eyes did Elfriede notice that the shaking of the realm had intensified once more. Until a hole was torn open in mid-air and a neither small nor big figure fell through.


    The unspeakable creature grew entirely stiff for a moment before impossibly strong emotions of happiness and relief ran through everyone''s mind who happened to be on the high elf''s realm at that time.


    Elfriede too felt relief. Her home realm still stood, albeit battered. Yet before she could heave a breather, elation turned to icy fury and the creature began to chant again in that incomprehensible, strained and slow.


    Gold-purple blood ran down the creature''s mighty body, but it didn''t seem to care. At the end of the long chant, all blood evaporated and a single intelligible demand was spoken yet again. "[Divine Command: Bloodcurse, Regression]."


    Afterwards, the creature shrank instantly, letters and tattoos tearing from its body as the bloody holes they left behind started healing in turn. The smaller its size became, the easier it was to recognise in the mess of pulsating flesh and blood Thoth''s appearance.


    At the end of the ordeal, Thoth''s scaly face full of sweat appeared for her to see. Just the colour of his scales didn''t match. An ominous tone neither black nor any other clearly discernable colour had covered most.


    They also seemed to have grown some more, reducing the space bereft of them. Few elves cared about his changed appearance. The jumbled letters took their attention. Few lucky survivors watched them compress themselves into pages, merging safely with the cover and the chain.


    Others stared at nothing in particular, their souls shaken. None thought of revenge as of yet. The booklet might look rather rugged and worn, but it existed again, dangling from Thoth''s waistbelt like before.


    Even his clothes had returned after the transformation was undone in its entirety, suggesting another disaster incoming if their people indulged in rashness as opposed to simple acceptance of the sudden change. For the time being, the elves only knew that this day wasn''t over yet.


    So they watched. Watched the member of the lizardfolk floating behind Thoth, thoroughly drenched in mud, blood and covered in wounds both big and small.


    Watched the baby she hugged clutch a certain bracelet fiercely. Watched as Thoth grabbed her with delicate movements, fondling her fragile body as she smiled in her sweet, tranquil sleep as dirt fell off the lizardwoman and her, the stench dissipating as bone was mended and wounds closed.


    They. Watched.

 8. Repercussions

    The rift broke open and sent the three strange thieves who used it as a gateway on a quick tour through the air. One met a rock headlong, the other literally ate dirt and the last one escaped a similar fate only due to frantically flapping dark wings.


    "Stranded in the gutter? Sanded into rubbish? Landed w¡ª" "Shut it!" The crocodile spoke before biting its rider in the backside, plucking the misadventurer from the soggy ground of an extensive meadow now featuring a strange hole.


    That scantly clad, wiggling ass did kind of rub it the wrong way. Opening his mouth, the pale old man spat mud, flowers and pebbles. As soon as the worst had passed, his mount was caught in the crossfire of his justifiedly rising anger levels.


    Reminding the latter that its very species had no muscles supporting peaceful extraction of razor-sharp teeth once it went for a bite, the skinny man only calmed down as his ride ripped off a big chunk of his lanky ass nonchalantly.


    Smugness was palpable in its ferocious eyes as the injury readily healed under the sway of the immediate gathering of black mist. Until a rusty pitchfork dug deep into its muzzle, followed by screams of pain and hellish clamouring.


    The show was just getting started. "You dumb old fart, for what was this?" "This old fart has a name, Trambalureidicroc." "Pshaw. If I could only puke I would. Agares it is then and explain yourself!"


    Agares approached and jumped high, intent on laying down on Trambalureidicroc''s broad back. It nestled so well between the cursed spikes. There was just enough space for someone as skinny as him.


    But the crocodile skittered away, taking advantage of the muddy ground while talking up a storm. "Explain yourself!" Agares stubbornly shook his head, grabbing his pitchfork tighter as he intended to use it like a pole.


    He never explained anything. Out of water, crocodiles had no good range of movement. Forwards was fine, backwards barely too, but left and right? That''d take time the reptiles often had not.


    Yet Trambalureidicroc was sadly not an average crocodile. "Let me mount you." "No you won''t!" Agares had no luck even after many tries, which made him curse in anger and the lush meadow lose the vibrant green.


    Bleakness crept steadily over the land, with him at the centre. "You''re merely my mount! Obey or I''ll find another," he blared. "And you''re merely a penniless devil. Can''t afford the pay!" Trambalureidicroc countered right away.


    Agares eyes lit up in even more anger, his whole body contorting as did the surrounding space. His skinny form disappeared under the encroaching darkness while his menace grew manifolds until another companion intervened, boxing him in the back and the mount on the snout all while annoyedly inspecting his wings.


    Trambalureidicroc caterwauled in fury but a radiant pillar of black light hit it on the head and some of its recent memories got erased for good.


    "Damn you, Crocell." Said it after an imposed reset had amply suppressed hard emotions. "Don''t interfere in our affairs!" Agares complemented his mount''s thoughts just as the former couldn''t do so because another beam of black light came shooting its way.


    "Head turned clockwise helps to calm down the nerves. Adherer to the radiant above, found headless in gutterish rubbish among the pervs." Agares displayed a mocking grin at Crocell''s pompous declaration.


    Not mentioning the fallen angel wasn''t below inventing words just to keep to his dark riddle talk was his most impressive contribution to not endangering this most important mission.


    "Save your spite for Brachiel. Heard you got officially challenged, so the longer this takes the more likely they see you as a pimp." The fallen angel''s dark wings radiated power but nothing beyond what an innocent fit of anger would conjure.


    This was a sore spot and Agares knew it. Yet he wouldn''t be a devil if he didn''t take this chance and tease the comrade, much less the mighty Duke of Hell he really was.


    Immersed in the standoff between three pairs of eyes, they then heard the crumbling of nearby stone. Out of the levelled elevation crawled the last member of their hurriedly assembled expedition band.


    Nodding towards Great President of Hell Camio, Agares laughed one last time at Trambalureidicroc''s and Crocell''s expenses before returning to his immoral self.


    Not caring in the slightest what others would think of him, he took off his rags, smeared the dirt from one part to the other, spit fumes and dark green flames at the pieces and happily waggled his stark naked ass in their directions.


    Why he cared about the dirt the flames burned to nothingness in the first place was a mystery only he could explain. But any form of boring routine was never entertaining enough, so Agares refused to give any quarter even when proper questions were asked.


    The others knew of his quirk, so they ignored him. Camio didn''t show much emotion while being exposed to Agare''s antics just like Crocell. He had yet to completely revert back from his thrush form with which he''d believed to buffer the sudden fall somewhat.


    Of course, like so many other things, his beliefs had been defied by reality. If anything, the transformation only messed up his feathers and broke many delicate bones.


    That one day he''d almost end up completely crushed by a mere fall was not something Camio would''ve dreamt about even in his worst nightmares. Which he had control over...so it might not even count.


    Camio refrained from pointing fingers at the dastardly culprit boosting shitty spatial control. As a President of Hell, he was inferior to them in both power and standing. Betraying his raging emotions simply wouldn''t be wise.


    Not to forget that if things went south in this expedition, they might all find death at the end of useless struggle. "Cows are to the north," he said after Agares had finally stopped screwing around and clothed himself.


    "So what are we waiting for? Hop on!" A precise kick to Trambalureidicroc''s hard leather made the mount add another entry to the endless list of grievances yet welcome the other devils on its back without flying into a rage.


    The group was soon moving northwards at such speed Camio had trouble intruding into the animals'' minds they were passing by. Yet considering this was the sole reason he was part of the team, the circumstance made him struggle even harder.


    "A word on this expedition." Agares stashed the pitchfork away in his stomach. From there, he''d take it again when needed, wherever needed. "There''s only success allowed.


    Baal''s getting his ass handled by our Kings and Queens. Or he handles their asses. Last time I checked it wasn''t clear, really. Anyway. Point is, if we fail he handles ours. And others will keep watching."


    At these words Camio liked this expedition even less but he was already on board. Not that he was given any chance in the first place.


    The devil still remembered them tearing him away from his four-hundredth concubine without as much as uttering an explanation. Next time he knew it, they were already rushing somewhere.


    It was then that he got some much-needed information, albeit lacking to this day. "In other words, if not for the Kings and Queens, in our stead there would''ve come Baal."


    "Cooked brain cells'' importance¡ª" "Now, now. I know you''re angry, Crocell. I''m no fan of this witch hunt either. But call Baal names and he calls you. Wouldn''t want that for the love of it."


    The wind was tearing at them but the three didn''t care. To harm them in any way would require much more than simple speed. "Of light and pussies behated comportance."


    "...are you seriously continuing to talk in riddles? At least at the beginning where you only repeated one darn letter in all its variations a thousand times it was sufferable. But this is just awful."


    Crocell folded his wings and started grooming them. As an ex-angel of the middle rung, he still retained some aspects even hell couldn''t corrode with exposure and time.


    He couldn''t stand dirt on his wings, as much as losing matches by default or otherwise. Yet time wasn''t his friend. "I know you''d rather fight the panjandrums and the abyssal noise they make."


    "Left the fronts for a menial task. Returns and a conspiracy unmask." "The abyss won''t dare. If things go south because of their intervention or we can''t handle this expedition well, they''ll suffer too."


    Agares found the two''s heightened attention on him but didn''t dare tell any more. This was knowledge reserved for the Kings and Queens. And of the bits and pieces he''d stumbled upon over the centuries, he could only applaud the censure.


    While the abominations might turn to the battlefield between the forces of light and theirs of hell, no powerhouse of the abyss would applaud that decision much less come there to eventually die.


    The battlefield might become chaotic for the time being but Agares knew that devils thrived best in chaos and conspiracies. In terms of handling chaos, they wouldn''t be up to par with the abyss and its crooked creatures, but their enemies were others this time around.


    "How much longer, Camio?" "Approaching." Came the short reply from a sweat-covered President of Hell, constrained by his limits. Getting swiftly bored by the silence, Agrares struck up a conversation.


    "Crocell. Fighting your old role model and teacher isn''t the end of your road, I hope?" The fallen angel didn''t respond imediately. "While defeating an old hand of the Virtues certainly underlines your progress, there is not all to it.


    In fact, it isn''t unheard of the Powers to prevail over the Virtues in the right circumstances." "Closure it brings." The fallen angel eventually replied, his wings now groomed until they shone in resplendent dark light once again.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "Power to my wings." "So you''re about to advance? Then I certainly understand your zest for action. But remember that Brachiel might kill you, Baal will do so without a doubt if this goes highwire." Crocell adjusted his light armour and nodded in understanding.


    "Dukes, the scared animals all over the pasture don''t run anymore." "Then we''re pretty much close. Don''t kill randomly, Crocell. Remember, we''re identifying the target, activating the enchantment. Then, force-feed, scare and collect."


    "Then comes Astaroth''s contraption into play." "Right you are, Camio. Ready yourself for that while we keep things under wraps." Trambalureidicroc stopped suddenly, the three ancient creatures of hell jumping off its equally ancient back.


    Surrounding them was a collection of mostly cows and bulls but also other animals such as horses, sheep, goats and more hoofed quadrupeds albeit less numerous.


    The next quarter of an hour, Astartes and Crocell showed the silly bunch just which qualities made them stand at nearly the top of hell''s hierarchy.


    Then when there was only one cow of excessive size left conscious, Crocell accelerated to the greatest speed he could manage and secured its mouth, prying it open with gargantuan strength.


    Naturally, there was much resistance. But for the time being, he had the upper hand. Astartes came next, stopping it from moving with the help of Trambalureidicroc while Camio force-fed it all the grass he could find growing around.


    As if the divine creature was a goose, he stuffed it into its mouth and down the throat, stopping only when the immediate meadow surrounding them had been bereft of all and any stalks.


    Feeling the expulsion from this realm increase exponentially on them, the three exerted themselves to the utmost to end what they had set out to do.


    Camio summoned a giant empty jar and frantically tore away at the divine cow''s udder, thinking nothing about its discomfort and fury that soon turned into panicky fear while the pull intensified by the second.


    Extracted as much milk as there was, the jar failed to impress any of them so they installed Azaroth''s prized contraption much rougher than planned, ultimately grounding the poor creature.


    The contraption looked very complicated but was actually simple in both use and purpose. Poles and pipes connected to various weights would make sure that all the milk was taken and the creature force-fed when nothing was flowing into the jar.


    There was a runic heart installed just above the holy cow''s, exerting a mighty pull force that''d rip away the vibrant stalks from all over the realm and towards the contraption. It also came with a certain security feature.


    If idle time exceeded a preset limit, various poles with spikes on them would stimulate the holy cow to rethink its options. Such a fate awaited all denizens of hell who didn''t work like demanded.


    At times like these, it showed just how similar devils could behave, no matter their ranking. As a last effort, they pooled their strength and engaged in one last collaboration.


    Summoning imps and the likes to stock up on the feed and guard the place, they were soon forcefully exiled from the plane. Each one of them returned to their usual tasks, glad knowing Baal would calm down soon and their hides were safe too.


    Crocell set course towards the Immemorial Battlefield, cursed grounds that never saw a second of peace. He was slightly late, but not by much. His very essence foretold a truth. A different thunderstorm was approaching. Crocell liked it!


    Feared as the most nightmarish of immoral monsters out there, Thoth found himself stared at in a corner, the ever-increasing pairs of eyes accusatory and condemning.


    Cracked ground and mistreated space the elves found themselves surrounded by became safe, albeit uncomfortable lodgings by his mere presence alone.


    Thoth didn''t want a sudden hole in the ground gobbling up his treasure in a freak accident, his consciousness stressed out by the revelation postdating the baby''s brief disappearance.


    Never ever, Thoth thought, distressed still. Never ever shall I be forced to relive that moment. It was fear coming from deep within him, fear so elusive yet unforgiving he failed to shake it off.


    Fear so great even the serious injuries he was suffering from now more than ever before paled in comparison. Thoth knew very well of the terrible repercussions following any one of the immortal''s volatile state of mind, if that came to be.


    Their power too vast to contain when it truly mattered, no such instance would find a happy end. Not for the powerful being in question, not for all that lived and thrived in the region.


    Mortals would die at most, but the culprit had to live with this baggage for the rest of his time. He knew that, but at the same time, he also couldn''t condemn his actions. He wasn''t the perpetrator, after all.


    Not all are bad at that, some even care so little about others even immortals shun them, found Thoth after a silent second of prayer reserved for the perished.


    Baggage that keeps accumulating, stress that eats at the mind, warps the soul, binds cognition. An enemy Thoth knew had the best chances at ending the immortal.


    In his circles, it was known that most true deaths occurred due to themselves, no outside forces involved. Perhaps as a trigger. Thoth shook his head, forsook the dangerous thoughts and immersed himself in reality. The baby was safe.


    Both on a microscopic level and to his magical scans, which in the meantime had accumulated uncountably. The elves'' wrath welcome too.


    Provides an anchor, keeps the mind occupied. No matter if god or otherwise, no immortal can do without good anchors. Maybe he wasn''t as detached as he believed to be...


    At the very least, Thoth wasn''t nearly as quixotic as would be required of him to be to misinterpret their feelings, the ire tightening the chests, that fire smouldering fervently in the eyes.


    Yet with the baby here within reach, their fury wasn''t his to be concerned about. "Thoth," Elfriede whispered, no iota of energy contained in her hollow body any longer, her eyes dull.


    Thoth turned his head, tilting it so his vertical ash-coloured pupils merely brushed past the gathering of people without triggering anyone. At least the tree is safe was a stray thought of many crossing his mind.


    The energy he exuded was erratic at best, his previous outburst seemingly so far away as if it''d come from another lifetime altogether. Yet no elf entertained any deadly delusions, for which Thoth was also content.


    The bunch''s class. A shadow of the former bite but...smidgens remain however minute. "I am not your enemy. Rage quelled for sure...so is any goodwill left." Elfriede''s head sacked back as she tried to nod yet failed miserably.


    "I...thank...you." "No need." Thoth wasn''t ready to murder innocents in cold blood, but that didn''t mean he suddenly cared or felt responsible for the miserable elves standing before the levelled remains of their property or their dead.


    Some freaked out citizens still called the names of the missing ones, elves desperate for a reunion of any kind. Thoth ceased to care about Elfriede or the fervent hustle and bustle, preferring the silence over useless word-wagging.


    The sleeping baby was just too cute to not look at. Will become a mighty mage one day. Problem was, it didn''t sleep in his arms. Damn lucky lizardwoman. Taking advantage and playing dead already? Demands I keep my guard up.


    You shan''t entertain hopes for thievery. He heard her accelerated heart rate, felt the air rushing through her lungs and unassuming eyelashes quiver. Hers blinked vertically, so Thoth noticed. Yet she didn''t move, the baby still happily nestled away in her bosom.


    While he was torturing his brains with ideas about how best to extricate his precious treasure from unwanted trash, the gaggle of elves surrounding their weakened prophet parted and the remaining elders approached.


    They took their sweet time, unsure of what to expect from the volatile almighty they''d crossed twice already. Outside their awareness, there might even be more grievances between them.


    "And?" Thoth for sure wasn''t happy with them interrupting him as he watched the most infinitesimal of changes the baby underwent in her sleep. Whatever they had in store for him, their words would be empty air itself to his ears.


    "...top?" "Yes?" The elf whose name he failed to remember, took a deep breath, shook her head at the others warning her with panicky eyes and repeated her question, this time without swallowing more than half of it.


    "Wasn''t this over the top?" Thoth ignored them, keeping his warm eyes trained on the baby. Her body shuddered, her eyelids trembled. Must be a nightmare. Heard that bunch loves sending bad dreams to mortals.


    Might need to...warn them. Thoth didn''t like that one bit, but at the moment he refrained from casting another planar class spell. After all, time had mellowed him out quite a bit. Plus, the consequences...


    However, if this had happened some odd millennia ago, the actual star map might need revision. "You expect me to reason with lowlife? To engage in mouth waggling for the one responsible? Brokenhearted?!"


    Thoth didn''t sound accusatory in the slightest, his voice was controlled but flat. "Duwende...provoked you and the price is harsh but fair." She surely had something else bugging her tongue.


    But the elf knew best that arguing on that front wasn''t doing them any good. "Your point? I suggest...," Thoth was tired of handling elves, his social energy truly spent.


    Nothing good would happen if he forced things. Not in this state of mind. "...you keep this very short." The elders stiffened up but didn''t run off either.


    At least they''ve gall. Sass probably too. Fucking with immortals...I''ve got to give them that. "...as you wish." The elf took another deep breath, focusing her iridescent blue eyes on Thoth until he met her neutral gaze before continuing.


    At the furthest end of his mind, he suddenly recalled her name. Avelyn. "Why involve the Great Prophet? Why punish a dear friend so excessively?" Thoth grinned, his ancient gully having trouble keeping a load of creepy laughter down.


    The elf stiffened at his reaction, her gaze darkening by the second. "You misunderstood. As you''re always prone to do as far as I know. Talked to Elfriede about this. Yet she didn''t share my opinion."


    Thoth fought the disgust welling up in him, ignored the heightened frequency of quivers enveloping the lizardwoman''s body and took her in his strong embrace. Next, he''d really require some peace and quiet. Aethernum called.


    "Misunderstanding? Please enlighten us. ...and heal her." Avelyn standing between him and his centre of power played a very dangerous game. But seeing her bow and the remaining elders surrounding her following her example soon after, Thoth relented.


    Slapping our relationship in my face? Fine, I''ll humour you. "A broken oath concerning immortals brings serious injury or even death upon the fool in accordance to the extent of violation.


    Elfriede took the young. Gave me her word. Rebound is impossible to cure. That''s all." The elf''s confusion was palpable but Thoth didn''t care anymore.


    Avelyn most likely expected a different kind of answer, but that was that. Aethernum wouldn''t come to him without creating a totally unwelcome fuss, so he had to go there on his own.


    Only when he was gone from their sight and the elves almost out of his immediate sphere of perception did he discover understanding dawning on their now paperwhite features.


    The realm stands, some things live, the stars move and no lasting repercussions as far as I can tell. Breaking some of the seals though... I''m still standing because they were rather unimportant.


    Anyway...what to do with the young next? Feed? Cuddle? Make the young stronger? More resilient? Cram magic? Walk the realm? Set off for others?


    No, walking realms doesn''t seem appropriate with all the traps surrounding us and a bunch of elves of medium intelligence near the trigger. As for setting forth towards other destinations...that''ll come soon anyway.


    Laying low? Creating unparalleled items with long-forgotten enchantments to secure the young''s survival and hinder a possible repetition of today''s events to come to fruition?


    I...wouldn''t be near the young then. Plus it takes time. This requires serious consideration.

 9. Return

    No swamp. As far as she could tell, there was no swamp, no damp place, no dangerous spots on the trail, no obstructions, no planks as sole guides, no rules to follow.


    The surroundings rushed past Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit. Faster than they ever had; safer than they ever had. The lizardwoman got hurt from neither speed nor her clumsiness.


    She was unbothered by all in the arms of the nightmare. Yet she wasn''t tranquil. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit felt the warmth and power flowing through the dark scales she was nestled in.


    Waves that kicked against her very being, dug so deep she wouldn''t be surprised to learn that her entirety had been infiltarted, maimed, changed and spat out of the whirling madness.


    There was a mighty heartbeat that steadily pushed raw power through incomparable vessels. A smell she identified as dangerous. Or rather, the words she knew didn''t suffice to describe her feelings properly.


    The situation she was in was deplorable. Was of the kind that gave her no chance, Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit felt it clearly. Nothing was in her control any longer.


    Apart from the tinier than average scales and other features they shared, their identities couldn''t be further divergent. This was a king while she was a bug. Less than a bug, she came to correct herself in time. Plus...there is hate.


    For her tribe, nightmare was an umbrella term reserved for all unknown creatures they lacked knowledge of. There were weak nightmares, strong nightmares and true nightmares all over the swamp the tribe called their ancestral home.


    And that nightmare was beyond them all. So much beyond anything she knew, the lizardwoman was left in the fearful dark on her own. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit was convinced of that notion just as much as she was suffering from a lack of proper explanations.


    If it went according to her inclinations, she''d ask the nightmare things. All kinds of things. Yet the realisation made her fear for her illness. The latter had grown far worse over the span of half a day.


    We kill the weak, fear the strong. Yet this nightmare was beyond such simple categorisation, beyond what she was meant to understand. Good nightmare? Is that a thing?


    Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit stiffened up. She''d felt the nightmare''s attention rest on her and panicky closed her eyes. Just like the many times before, fear grasped her heart without reason yet nothing happened in the end.


    Attention waned but fear remained. Of the unknown, of what the nightmare truly was, of her future, of the menacing surroundings, of what''d become of her. Of everything. The world around her was spinning!


    No! Suppress your illness! Don''t anger the nightmare! The screams in her head repeated themselves over and over again, split and merged back randomly, yet Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit failed to pierce the veil hiding her options.


    The lizardwoman remained unmoving, mostly ignorant to the happening of the outside world. Only the hatchling in her arms disturbed the stillness from time to time.


    Suddenly there was no wind whizzing past her any longer. Like a dream, the howls went deadly still as did the voices in her head. They''d come to a stop, yet for her, struggle just began.


    "You spoke the truth? Back then. That you''d die before the young?" The nightmare''s voice sounded strangely confused. There was another emotion quite bleak in essence that she couldn''t pinpoint yet knew was nothing good.


    "Did you imply protection or merely expressed an inclination to watch after the young? Think before you answer. The former is beyond your destiny, like reaching the stars in one fell swoop.


    The latter is manageable. Yet that in itself doesn''t mean you''re qualified. Merely part of the pool." Then he leaned in, the nightmare''s unfeeling eyes piercing through her very essence.


    "Or...your demand for survival got the better of you. Which is it," the nightmare asked slowly, each word wrapped in a strange power that dug deep. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit felt the shudder rocking her spine increase in intensity and frequency.


    She was sure that no answer was the worst answer. She had to make a decision, soon too. Powerful arms dropped her to the ground while an impatient finger dug into her shoulderblade.


    Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit tentatively focused her eyes for the first time in what felt like ages, finding herself in a small cave she shared with the nightmare. Except for the hatchling in her arms, she was left alone with the mighty creature.


    Looking at the nightmare in terror, her gaze was attracted to the beautiful scales neatly covering each part of the imposing body. They were so tiny and delicate she''d to look closely to notice them.


    A tight-fitting coat of unknown material featuring wild motives in yellow and black covered the upper body down to the knees. Except for the coat, there was no other piece of cloth obscuring her gaze.


    But that didn''t mean Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit''s eyes perceived what stood in front of her. Patches of darkness travelled all over the body, sometimes of greater, sometimes of lesser intensity.


    For some strange reason, they looked painful. Can''t be. Impossible even. For such a strong creature...essentially what each and every lizardman wants to become. The tail...is sexy. No! ...nonononono!! Out. Thoughts, out!!


    She blanked out for a second. After finding focus once more, Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit swore to behave in the future, yet at the same time, her curiosity proved to be too strong to undermine. She kept looking. And flinched. Argh!!!!


    Within these patches, she found scary eyes staring coldly at her like she was some rancid slab of meat. Yet each time Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit''s attention closed in on those eyes, there was nothing unusual she remembered from that darkness.


    Her perception was real, her brain took notice of the unspeakable strangeness. But at the same time, she didn''t have the tools necessary to burn those memories into her frail brain.


    Then the darkness gave birth to darkness, extending infinitely. A prison for her soul it had become in an iffy, for she couldn''t withdraw from the deadly attraction calling out to her and dragging the lizardwoman''s mind deeper in.


    "Was this all talk and no bite?" The nightmare''s sudden question dispelled the misconceptions, leaving Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit panting and gasping for air as sweat freely drenched her body. Her heart threatened to burst into a million pieces.


    "No." She uttered eventually, finding that the choice of tone and arrangement of words spoke for themselves already. There was only one answer she could give!


    "No, I mean it just as I said. I. Will. Die. Before!" Under the urge of a sudden impulse, she looked up, properly homing in on the nightmare''s face.


    Surprisingly human features greeted her. Only a pair of horns, a mouth with two rows of terribly sharp teeth and gently pointed ears made sure she understood the nightmare wasn''t part of the fabled group of bipeds told of only in tribal tales.


    While Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit might''ve had the chance to calm down due to finding no truly incomprehensible owner for that pair of powerful arms, the nightmare''s ash-coloured eyes didn''t allow for that.


    They gave her the feeling of an endless well. So deep, it was better she only perceived her own reflection on the surface. The nightmare...must hide who he is for my sake. It truly was a strange feeling.


    "The young conquered yet another stranger, I knew it. But as mentioned, you look weak and inexperienced to such a degree I don''t know what to do with you, lizardwoman.


    Are you worthy of my employment?" While his words were harsh and laced with annoyance, Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit was sure the nightmare hid an amused shine in his eyes.


    At first she''d thought a creature of such power would shower others in perpetual scorn. Yet the moment the nightmare''s eyes were drawn to the hatchling, Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit distinctly relaxed.


    She recognised that gaze. It was just the same kind she regularly noticed on the reflection in the water while handling the hatchlings.


    Yet compared to her, the nightmare seemed awkward and exceptionally stiff. Your actions sure could need some training. The nightmare''s face jolted back to hers, his vertical ash-coloured eyes unreadable.


    Just as she believed her end nearing in big strides, he turned his head. "Don''t freak out." She didn''t quite understand it, but she would soon. The nightmare stomped down once and a myriad of letters burst out from the booklet he wore on his waistbelt.


    Much clearer than the shaman''s, Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit noted. Of greater arcane might too. Her tribe''s shamans would require the help of a ritual and extensive prayer to conjure but one such letter, albeit very crooked and illusory.


    The shamans also didn''t understand any of my proposals, spitting and laughing at me all the time while labelling me a bloody inept. In a certain sense, it explains so much.


    On the contrary, the nightmare in front of her didn''t do as much as stomp on the ground to warrant such a spectacle. Comparisons are odious. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit caught herself red-handed succumbing to that bothersome illness and grew stoic as a result.


    "Most take this little show really bad. Though they seem to suffer from some ridiculous misconceptions, this alphabet isn''t a stranger to your people. Part of your heritage, actually. Older than the dragons too."


    The nightmare showed her a slight smile that made her gulp nervously. "Come...," his hand muscles tightened in an inviting gesture. The cave shuddered and a big double-winged door appeared at the furthermost end.


    "...and follow me. Don''t be shy." Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit gulped once again, bit on the lower lip and splashed out. The door seemed to eat her whole but then she was already at the other end, left to gawk at the impossibility her eyes showed her.


    Dreamy, was Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit''s first impression. That''s not real. Can''t be. "Welcome to Aethernum, little one. Follow me, I''ll bring you to your quarters. That''s...this way."


    The lizardwoman failed to notice his strange lack of confidence while the nightmare saw her through the walk. The castle easily bigger than any mountain she''d ever glimpsed upon came closer surprisingly fast.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    While steeping through the magnificent entrance that followed what she believed was a short excursion on invisible clouds, Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit noticed two distinct gardens to her left and right. Runed. Everything here is runed!


    One side rekindled her meagre knowledge of herbs and the like and almost made her drop to the ground and worship the place. Staring at the other, however, resulted in every fibre of her being demanding of her to take to her heels.


    If Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit got already stunned by the entrance, what followed brought only numbness to her brain. Artefacts of considerable power lined the walls.


    Paintings so enormous she failed to see the entirety even when inclining her head lorded over the lizardwoman, as did some menacing statues she believed were enchanted guards.


    The stuff of nightmares ready to butcher whoever intruded into these holy halls. A ruler''s castle, her thoughts were in absolute awe as she barely dislodged herself from a gargantuan fresco depicturing some kind of hellish landscape.


    She understood some more things, but at the same time, she also didn''t. It surely was not of continuity. A ruler that obviously fears no thief if that''s still a thing here.


    The piece of art held a similar attraction to the nightmare''s darkness, which she''d come to respect greatly. Forbidden ground, she almost shouted out loud when encountering her first puppet.


    Its movements were so life-like her heart didn''t stop beating furiously for the rest of the trip. This, she was sure, is a place of learning, of pilgrimage, faith and procession. And eternal prison.


    Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit could feel her knowledge increase only by merely shallowly gazing at the statues, frescoes, paintings and occasional books she encountered.


    Many a time, she froze in her tracks, spellbound. Then it was the nightmare who tore her away from the dangerous knowledge, his lips possibly featuring a permanent scowl. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit wasn''t completely sure of that.


    Then she stopped yet again, this time on a rare blank patch of an ever-extending wall. That nightmare is evil. Really, really evil! Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit couldn''t stop shivering. Makes my illness worse! Much worse!


    Thoth was now even less sure what to do with the lizardwoman. At first, she didn''t deign to humour him with her attention. Which might not have been that bad since he had no inkling which topics to talk about.


    Then she wasn''t very impressed by the opening of his door even though her knowledge amounted to scantly little. Not many were capable of such calm, that Thoth had to admit. Third, the garden she saw in passing almost made her break down.


    This gave him ample food for thought. A garden of all things? What about the door then?! Am I so out of touch with mortals? Last but not least, once surrounded by homey walls, she couldn''t tear her attention away from his collection.


    Thoth knew that any mortal out there could learn a lot from these mostly miscellaneous items, but there was no lack of danger involved. Only the worthy would get the privilege, the others lost their souls. Interested but not ready.


    Such was his conclusion. If not for his timely intervention, she''d have died countless times already. But that wasn''t the strangest aspect of the nanny on trial. It was her inexplicable thoughts about an illness where he could testify that she had none.


    And beyond that, he was...angry. Very angry. A mud-dweller perceiving my efforts as lacking...how dare she! Yet Thoth knew the lizardwoman whose name he still had to ask for was right, which only made his temper worse.


    Some part of him wanted to eliminate the puny creature desecrating his holy home by her mere presence. Yet reason told of the importance of a second opinion.


    If I make fewer mistakes, the young grows up better. Has a brighter future. Yet...must I really seek stinking reinforcements? Thoth mulled over his options with plain disregard for pride as he shooed his mortal guest down some dark hallways.


    The lizardwoman could go back to the crystallised forms of knowledge when she was free. As for now, she definitively was not. Nor was he.


    Some now and then Thoth took the wrong turn, opened unknown doors he failed to remember, dragged her up or down some floors he was sure he would have liked to keep a secret.


    Last time he refused to let the castle lead him was countless years ago. And Aethernum never stalled. It grew like any other living organism. It got emotions too. Of which he was too ashamed to think of.


    Following Thoth''s terribly outdated mental map made sure they ended up everywhere except where he wanted them to. Aethernum might''ve helped. Yet Thoth knew his pride wouldn''t have allowed for that. Not then, not now.


    Probably laughing its chambers off. But a whole floor adorned by all kinds of statues on the loo sporting the most imaginative poses he would''ve never thought of didn''t exactly do his pride any good.


    He was showing this...to a guest...after all. It was even worse as the lizardwoman in question approached every single piece of questionable art with interest and sparkling eyes. Might think I like these expositions.


    Or worse, she does. Thoth choked on the thought and made sure they found other hallways to explore. She visibly deflated when seeing rather normal items, finding them uninteresting.


    Thoth refused to think much about her preferences. They were hers alone. Though the young...a potential witch doctor for a nanny. Seems like her talents are going in this direction.


    The baby was awake now, curiously staring at the landscape paintings filling both sides of the hallway and the impressive fresco at the top.


    Many more doors Thoth passed while fondling the cutie pie ever so happy to reward him with giggles and smiles. Then he found himself at the end of his tether and simply instructed the next double door to take them to their destination.


    The baby had to be cared for and fed soon, so his misplaced pride was a worthless price to pay. "There we are." Thoth gestured to a door close to an intersection. "Your room.


    Let me tell you some rules, miss...?" "...Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit. This isn''t the place we were passing by earlier." "Nosey Swamp Eater? Talk about strange names..."


    Thoth shook his head at her evident confusion. The lizardwoman knew nothing about her ancestors'' language, a hole in knowledge about history he''d see filled soon.


    "No, the door brought us here for the walk would''ve been much...longer." Thoth refused to look at her as he told a white lie. Instead, his warm gaze landed on the baby who still held a close grasp on his armband.


    Thoth had often acted upon his intention to take that back, but the baby wasn''t one to buckle easily. If you''re this happy, take the darn armband. Can''t lose it and it keeps you safe. But the sheer power...


    He would never admit that the idea of her eventually making a scene held so much sway over his decisions. "Now come. To your room." The two soon entered by the unassuming door.


    Behind lay some extensive plains, a mountain range and a lake close by. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit showed the desire to return to that lonely door so misplaced in all this green vastness.


    Under Thoth''s urging, she finally followed him further in. Close to an ancient willow, the lizardwoman saw a simple hut. Inspecting it told her that all essential items for a prolonged stay were there and then some more.


    It came with a powerful protection circle no sane creature would ever dare breach, a bed, some other indispensable furniture, enchantments that provided fresh water in the desired temperature and a smaller room she could use as a kitchen.


    The loo was outside. "You''re not abandoned here. If you wish to bask in the miraculous young''s glory, you have to deliver results. Weakness is a sin. Underdeveloped perceptions, excess curiosity and no warning instincts dangerous.


    To the young...," Thoth stared deeply into her eyes, his mouth curling up into a dangerous grin. "...and by extension to you." Without her learning some more, he wouldn''t let her come often into contact with the young.


    Thoth wanted his treasure to grow up fine, not become a corpse on a roadside the second he looked away. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit barely listened to him. He felt like she was here, yet at the same time was far, far away.


    The lizardwoman stood there like a stupid duck, doing nothing except following him when demanded. Thoth shook his head, murmuring something about the shallow Races and the ease with which they could get hoodwinked.


    Yet he didn''t want to make the baby wait longer unnecessarily. Thoth gave her the key that''d allow her to move freely in designated places and shoved her past the wooden plank serving as a primitive door.


    The Races always needed time for everything. While Thoth respected that need, he didn''t intend to get lost in unproductivity. The baby should go to sleep soon, but was way too chipper to do so.


    The lack of romping about was one reason, a growling stomach the other. He had his most welcome work cut out for him! While heading to the next door, Thoth complained that even devils had lost the concept of punctuality.


    That or nobody remembered him any longer, which was another possibility. Once the baby food had run out, Thoth swore he''d milk them dry if they had no replacement on the ready. Bot literally and figuratively.


    Past the door, the two arrived at his personal quarters, now remodelled exactly as he hoped they would. The available space had quadrupled, making room for some new additions.


    There was only one empty corner modelled after his study. This was bound to become the baby''s workplace once it had grown up. Whatever it did there, Thoth wouldn''t care as a couple thousand enchantments kept her safe at any time of the day.


    The bath hadn''t been spared too as there was a small part exquisitely shaped for somebody the baby''s size. Thoth also nodded contently once he inspected the materials compromising the addition.


    Said material was very magical in nature. With the influx of mana, it would grow proportionally, which was perfect for accommodating a still growing organism.


    Yet the biggest change of all happened to his bedroom. There stood another kingly addition to his own there, a bed easily triple in size and coloured in a slight shade of pink. Girlish colours, or so he''d once heard.


    In his eyes, talking about colour was stupidly subjective. "Now to the enjoyment," Thoth said to nobody in particular. A leap and soft landing later, he was on the bed, the baby beside him and free of his control.


    Now I''m really happy about what is to follow. Hehehe~ "Buggybuggybuggyyooooo~." "Wahehehihihjj~!" Again, again and again! It never gets old. "Buggybuggybuggyyooooo~." "Wahehehihihjj~!! Wahehehihihjj~!!!"


    It didn''t take long for innocent, vibrant cuddles to rock the bed, accompanied by merry laughter, refreshing giggles and ever-changing instances of fooling around.


    The baby was so cute, Thoth melted time and time again. When she finally tired out after a while of happy playing, Thoth looked at the bundle, his shiny, ash-coloured eyes drenched in love and care.


    Unbeknownst to him, he sported a broad grin on his face, mellowing out his strict-looking, scaly features. Gotta check on Nosey Swamp Eater and her martial abilities...seriously what a name to have.


    An hour passed. Or maybe later? Another three hours went by. Still not in the mood. Watching her sleep was just too rewarding. Another hour slipped by. But now I must, lest the young wakes up.


    Never before had it been so hard to exit his personal quarters. Never before had he cast an additional spell on the doors leading there. And never before had Aethernum sent an impulse rolling his way, worriedly asking him if he was sick.

 10. Timely Report

    The tail slammed down into the ground as nails dug deep, leaving crevices behind in the soft soil. A weary pair of eyes looked forward, focusing on the relaxed adversary lost in thought.


    Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit didn''t entertain any delusion of an opportunity to strike back. Instead, she watched Thoth intently, each movement of his, turn of muscle, pose and routine ingrained into her head.


    Each detail considered on its own spoke of an experienced warrior, yet put together they painted a harrowing picture of a most dangerous creature.


    Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit was experiencing that first hand. It also didn''t take long for her to no longer care about anything else except for the next limb hurling her way.


    The lizardwoman forsook her intention to seek openings after the first short bout lasting mere seconds. With time, the only wish remaining was to keep herself safe and the incoming punishment tolerable.


    With shame, she was reminded of the state of her buttocks and tights with each slight movement she took, now reddened and glaringly striking on her otherwise greenish skin partially covered in scales.


    Having learned that each exploitable situation was but a trap, an invitation to more abuse, Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit refused to jump back into the fight.


    She was content with observing and prowling her circles around Thoth at a safe distance. The lizardwoman forsook taking the initiative in favour of remaining safe.


    Yet between one blink and the next, the nightmare stood in front of her, delivering another punch that sent her tearing through more mud.


    Another addition to the rough ground, ploughed by her lonesome without her consent. "To escape when presented with unreasonable odds is laudable...,"


    For the first time since the beginning of this test run, Thoth addressed her directly with words instead of more punishment. "...yet there are times when you have no choice. Times where fear must fuel the flames, not extinguish them."


    He waited until she stood on her legs again, shaky and sore like an old warrioress disturbed in her retirement. "Fear, just like rage, are weapons. The former teaches you wit and the art of observation, the latter explosiveness.


    Together, they kindle perseverance within you. Yet crippling fear and maddening fury are the most dangerous enemies of the Races. Inaudible, untouchable, invisible yet always here." Thoth pointed with his thumb to his heart.


    "In the heat of battle, the mind is seldom free. Response to adverse situations should have a functioning template already." The same thumb wandered to his head, tapping gently on the temple. "Adapt and adjust. That''s the answer.


    Yet do not be crippled by useless, distracting thoughts. The importance does not lie in quantity but quality. A philosopher may be a bright mind, but never a good warrior."


    The lizardwoman wasn''t there yet. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit understood only parts of his nuggets of wisdom, hopefully remembering the rest for a later time. That was Thoth''s goal anyway.


    Taking her by the hand and leading the lizardwoman step by step ran counter to his very personality. The baby did already suffice in that competency. He was certain of one thing:


    All she needed to get better was time. Time fuels understanding and control for most of the Races. Understanding goes hand in hand with power yet not with control. But time''s also a luxury easily cut short without power.


    This makes the process of learning a quest for delicately balancing contradictions. Hence the need for shepherds guiding the flock, protecting it. "Again," Thoth demanded, judging her recovery break sufficient.


    "Come at me." While he wasn''t her shepherd, he could be a lantern illuminating the way as well as signalling pitfalls. The rest would be up to her. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit moved slowly, each step deliberate and controlled to the tiniest fluctuation of her muscles.


    Her considerations spanned across each tiny detail, her thoughts focused and sharp. It was exactly what Thoth didn''t wish to see, of what he warned about with his talking.


    "COME!" She stumbled and fell, face planted on the muddy meadow. Thoth shook his head, closed his eyes and massaged his temples. No bodyguard material, so much is sure.


    Wouldn''t have given her that task anyway. His thoughts calmed him down, reassuring his troubled hearth. Thoth murmured some words in a long-forgotten language, willed for his mana to manifest by levitating Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit and bringing her closer.


    "I''m useless." The dirt stuck to her face fell off barely, so he helped. "You are not." "No, I''m really sorry that I am." "Don''t talk yourself into something. And don''t be sorry, be better. Don''t talk back either.


    Excuses are what keep progress at bay. Realisation precedes hard work." "I...don''t understand." Thoth spent a barely perceptible moment thinking before he extended one finger and slowly drew some runes on her forehead.


    Perceive. That was the meaning of the letters. For one more prone to think than act, this means the world. If she really does embark on the road of a witch doctor as I''ve foreseen, it will help her understand and therefore survive.


    There were far more runes in a single system than most languages would ever need letters. So his considerations were truly many and complicated.


    It was below Thoth to teach her something other than the very profession time had mostly eradicated from the annals of history, but she could learn herself. Explore and understand.


    Regardless of the risks involved, both present and future. Thoth would shield her if that was ever necessary. Karma had swept her to his doors, so he refused to shrink responsibilities. Then again, knowledge in itself is never evil.


    Eliminating a profession, eradicating its long history and annihilating its many achievements by hook and by crook... will always guarantee another resurgence.


    If she showed true talent then she was barely qualified to keep the baby company. Possibly also as a nanny, but Thoth had to think some more about that awful notion.


    "Now then...," Thoth walked past her and further into the open field. It took Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit a few minutes before she came to her senses, or rather, found herself back from the whirlpool of sensations bombarding her mind.


    There were countless questions swirling in her reptilian eyes, but what mere passage of time could teach, Thoth wasn''t ready to accelerate. Some struggle was necessary else the Races easily went off the right path.


    "[Lesser Curse of Absorption I]...," Thoth was sure she now felt the slight drain his underpowered magic put on the meadow. That and then some more, as her widening eyes suggested.


    "...is capable of depriving targets of both health and stamina. In the lower bracket of spells, it is hard to learn comparatively speaking yet easy to master."


    Thoth grabbed a yellowing stamp out of thin air, giving it to the lizardwoman who took it with curiosity that soon turned into reverence.


    Indeed, giving her that blessing was the right choice. But blessing... hmm. Time will tell if this doesn''t mutate into a curse. "[Lesser Curse of Petrification I]...,"


    The grass around him froze stiff, a layer of stone slowly creeping up the long stalks. With Thoth at the centre, the spell slowly worked its way through an ever-increasing radius until he stopped the mana supply and it ran out of juice.


    "...is capable of petrifying the enemy and dealing with statues come to life. Or at crucial moments, the spell increases your defences drastically but makes you unable to move.


    Remember, petrifying yourself is by far faster and easier than invading other organisms with your changed mana, forcing them to bow to your demands. Should be the easiest spell to learn for you."


    Thoth sent a stone-covered clock Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit''s way, sure she would know what to do with it. "Last for today, I will show you a spell of my own school. This shall be your ace in the hole.


    Yet never use it without purpose. I won''t sit by idly, seeing you tarnish my very reputation and culmination of sacred research. [Lesser Curse of Infection I]...,"


    The surrounding lush meadow lost some colourful shades. That was all that happened. Nothing more seemed to have changed, though the lizardwoman was sure of her faulty perception.


    There was something here that spat out warnings as a spring would water, but she couldn''t quite put a finger on it. Even the blessing didn''t help.


    Given the sudden enhancement Thoth had pulled off on her earlier, Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit was once more in awe. Part of her felt even more fearful, but the prevailing notion was one of drive and curiosity.


    She''d like to make these spells her own, if only for the joy of grasping magic. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit would like to understand, to glimpse upon guarded secrets barred until now.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "...is useful in laying traps." She waited some more, but Thoth didn''t seem ready to tell her more. The lizardwoman couldn''t help but feel somewhat dejected at this weak spell.


    A trap that didn''t do anything except set off warning bells wasn''t that useless in her understanding. Most creatures had by far sharper instincts to be fooled this easily.


    Thoth seemed to read her ridiculous thoughts and sighed. The simplest is mostly the scariest. Oh dear, she''s a long road ahead. "Catch," a comic book sailed through the air, one she grabbed out of reflex.


    Yet the moment her hand touched its rough surface featuring a sketch of an ill-looking feline, fear exploded from deep within her. Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit had to fight herself then and there, her mind and soul hardly under her control.


    "This spell is the most difficult of all three. I don''t expect you to learn it soon. In the worst case, you won''t ever be able to as the secrets it contains shall test you.


    No power must come at a mere snap of your fingers. Yet the moment you learn, come to me. Come and I shall teach you more and broaden your horizon with my research. Because it truly means we''re fated."


    She didn''t hear him clearly, only the soothing tone of his otherwise bland voice told her what he talked about. How Thoth did that Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit would never understand.


    Perhaps his voice was magic itself, rendering any form of miscommunication impossible? "Back to this spell. On higher levels, it lets the caster choose from a variety of ailments.


    On the lower levels, it requires auxiliary items. A tube of whatever poison you think appropriate for the situation must be prepared in advance before you cast this spell.


    I used an unprocessed drop of my blood, but you shouldn''t do the same obviously." Thoth grabbed the empty air in front of him, penetrated space and once he yanked his hand out, there was a squirrel-like creature between his fingers.


    Though it was severely outclassed, the critter furiously nibbled at the fingers in his reach, its screams bringing a headache upon the lizardwoman. The creature wasn''t as innocent as it looked.


    Thoth didn''t entertain it for long before he threw it at the patch of meadow in front. The creature readied its tiny body to land on all fours, but the instant its six claws reached the ground, mist enveloped it and it rotted to bones in mere seconds.


    Before Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit realised in its entirety what''d happened, the bones were liquified too, annihilating whatever clue there remained from the existence of the spell and its victim.


    "With smart preparation, even the lower brackets allow you to take out the population of an entire realm. Nothing too strong, mind you.


    Hardly of danger to trained creatures. Those with lots of energy contained within their bodies will most likely scoff at you. But by eradicating the offsprings, strong ones'' future... Hehehe~."


    Thoth''s grotesque laughter sent shivers down her spine as Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit clung to the comic book as if she feared it''d open and poison everything in her surroundings.


    "Of course, I expect these items back when you reach mastery." Thoth''s reminder was totally useless, as she had already planned to do the same.


    With items of such importance in her possession, Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit was sure she would hardly sleep at night for fear of theft or even stupider things.


    This was because she knew very well she wasn''t able to protect her things against whoever fancied them. The thought alone flooded her with pressure.


    "The comic includes some...out of the box recipes you might find useful. For now, I suggest you train. Once you''ve proved yourself and gained recognition for your understanding, there will be more."


    She will also have to...defeat this...what''s it called again? Illness? Of hers. Her fears, worries and past. Baggage that mustn''t weigh down anyone on the lookout for power lest it twists the mind into unrecognisable shapes and forms.


    "This fight is yours alone. See it as a necessary challenge to overcome because you shall grow through it. Not because it''s punishment you''ve got to survive somehow.


    There is no need for fear or abhorrence in the face of a direct confrontation with what ails you. Again, your greatest enemy is yourself, not others. The former is impossible to escape from, the latter not so much."


    With these words, Thoth was gone, leaving Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit to her own devices. What he could do as a lantern, he''d done. Now, the rest laid upon her shoulders.


    Walking down some random hallways, Thoth focused on the thoughts leading to this decision. If anything, he could''ve disposed of the lizardwoman a freak accident washed on his shore.


    She had nothing he fancied and was trouble. Plus, it wouldn''t be that hard to find others to coach him and provide a second opinion on how he handled the baby.


    Inconvenient perhaps. But not impossible nor unlikely. Yet he had none of it. Thoth gave her a chance. Good and evil is beneath me, so what led me to this decision? Karma alone was not the answer.


    Thoth found himself standing in front of a hellscape depicting the first disastrous war between the abyss and hell. At that time, they swore only one would survive, so the whole event ended especially bloody.


    "What are you telling me? That taking in others would lead to a bloodbath of epic proportions or that the lizardwoman is even worse news than I thought?"


    Thoth continued walking. Her room encompasses an entire primitive world. Rules are especially stable there, so outside forces wouldn''t gain anything from an invasion even if they knew the coordinates.


    Last time I checked, there wasn''t any sentient life on that overgrown rock. Yet Thoth knew that his check-ups happened so far apart that whatever he knew of a place would''ve become mostly unusable by the time he visited again.


    The hallway he was following abruptly ended at a dead end. Except it wasn''t so dead there, for statues of mighty warriors in scaly armour stood there in a semicircle, behind them a vibrant canvas featuring the depiction of a mind-blogging empire.


    "Scrarr, the First Scaled. Emperor of the lizardmen who brought his people to great heights as well as back into the gutter. You telling me she''s the same? Has the destiny of an emperor? Highly unlikely."


    Thoth turned back, taking a different hallway at the first intersection he stumbled upon. He found himself amidst historic paintings of the catfolk, busts of important sages in their midst, bright minds and the lion royalty surviving the ups and downs of the passage of time.


    Thoth knew of their history of course. He even remembered some events he''d assisted in person. So it was especially strange that in between the glorious chronological collection he discovered another giant canvas totally out of place.


    Only two people were depicted. A lizardwoman and a female member of the catfolk embracing one another. No interest in the opposite sex? Thoth dismissed the first thought he got when seeing the canvas before it could open up a can of worms.


    That was a question for much, much, MUCH later. If ever. She''d do well to challenge indigenous beasts. Thoth might have tried a bit too hard to change the direction of his thoughts, but it was at least somewhat effective.


    He no longer had only these kinds of ideas swirling around. "The closer to my home, the less powerful creatures are. No reason for danger to get too comfortable right past my doorstep. I... might need to check up on that, though."


    The canvas shook. "...are you pouting?" It shook again, this time fiercer. "Okay, okay. I understand the message. But...urgh. Fate''s just a bitch."


    Thoth paced up and down before the canvas, his head shaking from time to time as he twiddled his thumbs. "I mean," he came to a sudden standstill, "there are so many possibilities and then that? How?! ...why?"


    He rubbed his horns some more than turned to the canvas and spoke with conviction. "The future is never set in stone. What I''m unhappy with can be mended now and shall thus never come to pass."


    The canvas shook again and Thoth could swear he heard a quizzical giggle which was totally impossible. "You don''t think I''d mess with fate just because? Oh, then you think wrong.


    There is soooo~ little I wouldn''t mess with if need be." Two fingers theatrically closed in on each other, stopping just a few millimetres before they would''ve met.


    Aethernum didn''t grace him with an answer and Thoth was somewhat relieved at that. Too much realism and his already cracking hopes would crumble away entirely.


    He started walking again, away from this part of the castle and towards another less annoying corner he''d find time enough to cry himself to sleep until the baby rose.


    A door suddenly opened on his way, revealing a puppet clad in impeccable service attire. "Milord," the pupped did a perfect 90¡ã bow, "we''ve found your target."


    "The Tiamat Ancestor? So soon?" "Yes, the esteemed immortal is no more, his remains entombed in the Graveyard of Stars." Thoth stopped, his face expressionless as he closed his eyes for some time.


    "I see." He said. "I...see." Knowing of the death of yet another one of his close acquaintances didn''t exactly brighten his day. "He was...tired. Young but...tired."


    "The esteemed immortal fulfilled his role." "He did...? I have all the time to mourn later, but where do I find his blood?" "His descendants." The answer was very court, making Thoth look at the puppet closer.


    Yet the inanimate features made his analysis questionable at best and the desire to pry meaningless. The puppet didn''t move during all that time he looked at it.


    If it ever showed any emotion or self-awareness, Thoth no longer had any way to know. He could actually take it apart, but then the little special something would be gone entirely, escaping even his grasp.


    Yet was that something bad? Ancient he might be, but even Thoth didn''t know the answer to everything. "...we''re speaking in plural. His kind always had trouble procreating. He himself was...as barren as the Great Waste."


    "A life for two, a most favourable trade." So that''s how it is... "Anyway...where do I find them? Coordinates?" "Dragin is the realm''s name and coordinates have been provided. An elder was informed of Milord''s approximate arrival."


    Indeed, self-awareness and freedom of thought are not malicious in their most basic form. Yet what is done on and to that basis begs to differ. I''ve to keep an eye on that one...and on the others too?


    "Good work, you''re dismissed." The puppet bowed once again and stepped back into the grey whirl that was found behind the open door.


    Very timely. And very...problematic. Another round or possibly rounds of teleportation. My guts protest already. At least I''m not asked to break into this realm. Dragin...must be quite new?


    Created less than fifteen millennia ago at least. Possibly his last work also. Thoth would go there and see if his suspicions were right on the money.


    But later. Once the baby was fed, cuddled for a few rounds and then chipper again. It''d take some time, but that''d be his cue. As for the Tiamat Ancestor now gone, Thoth would have all the time to mourn once there.


    He set course for his personal quarters. On the way there, he remembered a certain very inexperienced lizardwoman. Training would do her good, but an opportunity to experience the vast world out there was better.


    Young folk in power were seldom smart, but he hoped that at least those lazy bones'' lethargic genes would calm them down long enough for his eventual explanation to end. Dragons... Yet with the high elves as an example, the opposite didn''t sound quite right either.


    Between one door and the next, Thoth offhand decided to take Sa''nout Scarl Ri''kit with him. As a very remote descendant of the dragons, an adventure in that realm might help her out. And that overly restrictive, useless bloodline of hers.


    As in...it''s called Dragin. If there are no fucking dragons flying around, I shall rename the realm Traveller Piss Off or something. Realm Heap of Lies doesn''t sound bad either. Or Realm Screw The Ancestor? That''s...nasty.