Etan Za'Darmondiel.

22nd of Trescia, 1492.

Principality of Nevstan, Kurnak Land. The Cuttleship, 10 km altitude above the City of Chor.

18:22.

***

I knew not if it was the charisma he came into this world with; the charisma granted from being a Drow mixed with a child of the Nox; or the result of some master plan using tactics brought here from his world of war, knowledge, and industrial deities. I knew not how he did it, even though the answers were plainly obvious. He appealed to the ambitions, hearts, and minds of the most broken and downtrodden mortals, no matter the species, creed, or gender.

That was it.

And yet, there was no skepticism to be seen among the many recruits or refugees or whatever they were meant to be called. Even Tacnan Gemeye, a deep gnome who knew well of Zimysta Falls before his capture, agreed to work for me, the 1st Son of House Za'Darmondiel, most infamous in all the realms. Although he did so with trepidation, he did so without skepticism. But even that did not last long.

It happened after the newcomers thanked their saviors by agreeing to follow them and pledging their lives to them. At the time, I was conflicted about the act. On one blade's edge, I was under the impression that the surface dwellers thought it a cruel gesture for saviors to take advantage of helpless refugees by conscripting them, and thus was surprised when they eagerly accepted. On the other edge, I understood there was nowhere else for them to go, and this was the best option for them. Even then, however, I could not understand one thing: Why?

I pondered it heavily while they were bathed, fitted with new clothes, fed, and connected to the various networks. Something that, as deserved, was of peculiar interest to everyone. As Tacnan pointed out, it was no different from viewing one's spiritual grimoire. Yet, the information it held was insurmountable. After being shown to their quarters, they stepped into an array of temporally distorted chambers to study and learn the desires of their hearts, rather than what Amun suggested. All without the need for questions or searching. The device did all that for us, I came to learn, by reading not our minds but our souls, it produced a list of what was most interesting, tailored the lessons to befit the individual's learning style, and began the lessons at the most basic level.

In the case of almost everyone, their studies began with literacy and counting. With Amun throwing his divine mana around the ship, however, the lessons were learned nearly instantaneously, making veritable scholars in mere hours.

As was the case with the others, Tacnan, my future high archivist, stepped inside a time distortion chamber to spend weeks, if not months, growing acquainted with the various devices; using the divine powers leaking in to aid in his efforts tremendously. He returned hours later, asking to see Amun with the crazed eye of an artificer with an exceedingly dangerous idea. Perhaps it was. Although I cannot deny that it intrigued me.

When Amun arrived, not seconds after his name was spoken, Tacnan implored Amun to create a dreamscape tome based on his combined lifetimes. While reluctant, Amun agreed. But only on the condition that Eomen and the Legions see it too.

I know not if it was some master plan Amun conceived, as I am still convinced he had done in Shujen. But what he created served as his greatest source of faith for eons.

What I saw brought me to tears. Not out of sadness, like Tacnan, who crawled to his chamber and wept for hours. I shed tears because it was the greatest lore I had ever heard—a tale of primitive, mud-dwelling humans tossing aside their ancient myths and legends in favor of logic and art. Tenacious creatures who lived in a world of death and no magic, devoted themselves to learning everything about their reality so they could thrive, even in places they could not survive. And they did it. But at great cost. Constant war. Wars that could eclipse many seen in the Mortal Plane in terms of both prowess and ferocity. Wars that matched the Rending in terms of ferocity, and eventually scale.

In those visions, we realized, war was what made those gods divine, not some tenacious curiosity. War birthed inventions that could not just fly through the sky faster than any wyrm but could drop spells capable of slaying hundreds of thousands on the other side of the globe in one blow; all without consuming a drop of mana. War saw a young Amun scarred and broken for decades. War saw his hand be forced into killing a child no older than Iris in an attempt to save his friend, all for naught. I would have thought it a foolish thing, had I not lived through his training, his bonding with those men and women; had I not felt the sickness in his stomach, the despair in his mind, the dark coldness pooling around his heart, and his long war overcoming it, I would have thought it a foolish thing.

War. It was also the simplest aspect, I realized. For it was the natural result of the true power held by those deities. Their power was to apply their knowledge of the natural world to create magic. Technology, they called it. With it, they devoted themselves to learning more and continuously improving that technology, generation after generation, until they came to rule the world; and when that was accomplished, they left their world to impose their will over new worlds. Inhospitable worlds. Even the void itself.

War that made those deities- Amun- everything that existed in this realm, merged into one being. They could be savage arbiters of war like the orcs were said to be. Or, loving and carefree like your stereotypical halfling. They were scavengers like goblins; but so too were they craftier than any gnome, capable of turning garbage into masterpieces. They were as industrious as any dwarf and had the artistic touch of an elf. They were loyal like the dragonborne, unyielding like the giants, and as studious as the eldest of dragons. And somewhere among them, Amun existed. Lived. Suffered. Thrived. Died. And when he arrived in this universe, he all but vowed two things--to bring the magic of his people into this universe while he learned all there was to know and to make it all but impossible for him to lose those close to him, as he experienced so long ago.

As stated, that revelation birthed a new fervency in everyone. Myself included. Almost every soul in the Cuttleship spent the remainder of that night in their time chambers waiting for Amun to stop by and 'read' what classes people could obtain through their studies; trailed, of course, by me.

Iris had perhaps the most populated region. Strangely enough. Or perhaps not. Her 14 subordinates were all her age or under and maimed in some way. Be it physically or mentally or be they from Chor or beyond the borders of the Mazi Council, it mattered not. Many were missing limbs. Others were sickly or had brain damage. The gladiators from Mazi often had an abundance of smaller health issues such as fractured bones or scarred organs, light infections, or improperly healed wounds. One, in particular, was missing his jaw, but two families were spared because their services in healing and food preservation made them invaluable to the barbaric tribes, but even they were scarred.

Regardless of their ailments, Amun helped Iris by using his divine powers to repair their bodies using metals and ceramics just as we saw in his memories. Never in my life would I have thought machine men were possible, but here they were, and with prestige classes down the line for the lot of them. Artificers, clerics, witches, and paladins. Even a monk, fighters, a bard, and a rogue. Prestige classes and something never seen before, he made sure to tease me; yet before he made sure to tell them not to spoil the surprise for anyone.

After composing tomes for each of their classes, we flew down the esophagus to Freki's domain, wherein we entered a verdant expanse of hidden complexes embedded into hillsides. Outside, however, his subordinates were hard at work, sitting atop hills in massive tents to oversee their countless machine farmers and skeletons tirelessly working the fields. There, I learned that Freki was a humble boaster. Either that, or he was proud of his accomplishments; as he deserved to be. He took 42 of his werewolf farmers and called them False Shepherds. In Chor, he hired four bards, stating they, the Fruitful Four, would complete his vassal workers.

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He then introduced us to the head farmers he called Harvest Wardens, each in charge of a different type of agriculture or industry. Food Crops, Livestock, Mariculture, Industrial Crops, Herbals, Lumber, Brewing Crops, Magical Crops, and Darkworld Crops. All were grown or managed in the time-accelerated domain across the way, where every aspect of their growth was monitored without end. They were coming upon their first harvest, which would see the Legions become self-sustaining in terms of most resources. And, Freki made sure to tell us, the denizens of the places he would travel as well, as he would ensure they saw an end to starvation. Their sights were already past that, however. Ed had inspired him, he explained. So he wished to create a transportation network also. Not to distribute people but food. Done by using specially packaged boxes, bottles, and cans that could keep fresh longer and be distributed more easily.

Me and Amun thought it an impressive or otherwise noble undertaking. Then proceeded to conduct our business, learning that all of Freki's subordinates were on the same barbaric and warlock paths as he. In addition to a plethora of additional classes. Including, for Freki, a paladin's oath.

From there, we continued to the ink sack, containing Geri's forest that looked much like the land below. If one ignored Kit, the Omni-wagon, the army of canines running throughout the space, and the mountainous walls boasting many caves. When we found Geri, she was huddled around six girls boasting fresh bite marks on their hands. Like Freki, they were all in the same ranger conclave as Geri. However, much to our surprise, they were all capable of becoming artificers as well. With a couple of bards on top of that.

She told us they were fascinated with the vehicles Amun's people built to race, go ever-faster, and reach places they could not have survived in. They have since been learning how to not just use the vehicles but to create and maintain them to build a racing league for themselves. I was impressed with their devotion and eager to see it come to fruition. Although not as much as I was to see Blude accomplish her goals.

In the liver, she created a great lake or a small sea. Whichever it was, it seemed larger than Shujen Bay, occupied only by Blude and her eight subordinates. All future rogues of the most organized variety, containing specialized roles or occupations that would allow them to blend seamlessly into any society. A mafia of professionals who would be capable of transforming into great beasts of the sea.

With her many fields of industry already underway and mine moving along as well, the ship grew quiet until now, when the time to train pulled everyone to Amun's domain. Normally, such a thing would occur in a chamber so we could use our powers freely. But this time, Amun brought us to his balcony and pointed, pulling our eyes up to look down at the Mortal Plane's surface.

"My other half is working right now. He's due to send us presents."

I looked down and saw nothing for several minutes. Then, a flash of movement came from the slums and Amun flicked his finger upwards in response, lifting a blanket of deep purple mana from the ground. Soon after, a rainfall of animals came flying towards us. I had never seen such a variety of surface beasts, and the NoxNet identified each one; both songbirds and raptors; felines and canines; reptiles and amphibians; magical and non-magical beasts; all displayed before us like some merchant's selection.

"Take your pick."

Iris went first, lunging towards several puppies with short and stubby legs like that of a dwarf. She took one with a red, black, and white coat, leaving the others to waddle towards Geri and Freki with the other canines, who offered no complaints. But Amun saw the dwarf dogs and his face lit up just as bright as Iris'

"Ooh, Corgis!" He swept one with red and white fur, then watched a school of aquatic creatures, reptiles, and amphibians creep towards Blude and her girls, who only seemed happy to receive them.

Curiously, much the same happened to me. All the felines swarmed me as if I was their God and not Amun. But it was one in particular that I saw just as dearly. It was a child of its kind. Or a cub, as it was called. Like Iris' corgi, its underbelly was covered with white fur and a beige-orange sheen covered its backside, remaining unbroken along its backside from maw to tail, save the many majestic black spots covering the breadth of its body. Designated, in the network as Panthera Onca.

As one creature in particular grew closer, however, Amun's scowl became more apparent. As did the object of his ire. A bear-owl.

"I fuckin' knew it!" He growled. "These things are unnatural. Someone decided to taint the sanctity of the owl by merging it with a bear. Now," he quickly raised his palms to me. "I love bears as I love every other animal. But browls are the exception. I've made it a personal mission to destroy each one I come across. This is only the fourth one."

I knew from our talks that owls were one of his divine manifestations- or a representation of his Twilight Domain. For them to be mixed with anything was sacrilege in his eyes. It was something that both disappointed and intrigued me, for I lamented that I wished the Demon Spider felt such a way before reminding myself that I needed to forget about her. Which was easy, considering he called it a… browl.

Amun stole my attention, however, with a single question. "How high is your pain tolerance?"

"Not as great as yours." I laughed dryly, fearing where this was going and awed by the ease with which his gravity mana constricted the powerful beast.

"Tap out whenever you reach your limit." He said, palming the beast before gesturing for me to do the same to him.

Tentatively, I palmed his chest. And with a final nod, he sent a wave of necrotic energy through the… browl and absorbed it back into himself before he funneled it into me.

Fire- hotter than anything I could ever imagine- shot up my arms in painful ripples. Through my elbows and up my shoulders it went, threatening to tear joints from sockets and tendons from muscles, heal them, and subject me to the torture all over again. My body protested in horrendous cracks and pained groans. In defiance, my muscles cramped shut. My neck craned into my sternum while my back arched hard enough to slip a disk. Yet, water- cooler than anything I had ever touched- flowed around me. Mana, it was. The signs of a natural mana reaction- a minor evolutionary change forced onto my spirit to accommodate my body's growing strength. When I could take it no longer, I released and collapsed, writing in pain while Amun stood as calmly as ever, despite his muscles rippling and bones cracking, shifting and elongating into a slightly taller and broader frame to fit the absurdly dense muscle growing within.

The result was obvious. For both of us. I was already at my peak physical condition. Only ki could make me stronger. That wasn't the case for Amun, however. He broke the realm of super strength at the start of his battle in Shujen. Now, he was stronger. But now, I was within the realm of super strength as well. I could feel it. The power. It was like I molted and emerged in a body of newfound and unyielding strength.

It was… addicting. Dangerously so. Even for Amun. Noted by the eagerness with which he approached the carcass to lift it overhead in the same way I'd done my jaguar cub moments ago.

"Here. This weighs about eight hundred kilos." He approached Iris, cracking the stone with each step as he held the massive creature out in his hands. "Test your strength by passing it around."

I thought him insane until she walked up to the thing and struggled to take it on her shoulder. Then I thought her terrifying. Even more so when she took a deep breath and screamed, heaving the beast overhead with great effort.

Blude and her girls went next, picking the thing up with much less effort than Iris. Surprising even themselves with how they could wrap their arms around it and carry it like a big basket. Although, Blude, with her Gerdian blood, was stronger than the lot of them by far, being able to lift it overhead with one hand. While undoubtedly impressive, Geri and Freki could toss the thing around as if it were a robe. More so Freki, being capable of doing so with one hand but with strained effort. And then there was me, who struggled to even lift it off the ground.

"As members of the Elven Devil's Troupe, you must be able to keep up with me. 'Cause I won't wait on you." He told us with a charming smirk. "That means you have to steal enough strength to be on par with mine. Or, in the case of Geri and Freki, you must get ability enhancements to increase your dexterity and agility. That's what I'm currently training. And that's why..." He paused, sending out a wave of spatial darkness to the far distance. From it, came a track of floating obstacles and traps suspended in the air by orbs of purple mana. "I suggest we have an obstacle race."

"...To where." I hesitantly asked, knowing the answer to be ridiculous.

Case in point. "Redagh."

"It is a daunting task. But." I snorted in mild disbelief. "Part of me is excited to learn how fast I can fly."

"That's the spirit!" Geri tapped her massive fist on my shoulder. But Iris took it to another level.

"Fuck yeah! I've been waiting to use my new arms!"