Aetius Proteus Maxim looked at himself in the reflection, taking in his borderline-divine appearance. Truly, he was sculpted in the image of his Lord and Master with dashing good looks, blond hair like the finest corn-silk, and blue eyes the color of a clear sky. His long High Elven ears were perfectly straight and tapered evenly.
Carefully, slowly, he checked over every inch of himself, from his richly appointed and finely decorated silk robe with gold and purple accents that was covered in dozens of medals gained through valorous service, to his carefully parted and artfully oiled locks, to his completely clean-shaven face. Only once assured that every inch of his handsome and dashing figure was as refined and presentable as ever, was he finally satisfied.
A single fingertip ran along the thick scar that started over his left eye and followed almost precisely with his hairline until it came even with his ear. A mark he had received upon entering his current position in his Lord’s bureaucracy. A mark to be proud of that conveyed a deep honor, despite its ugly appearance. It was the only such mark on his otherwise perfected form.
“Manager, Lord Jupiter will see you now.” A guard spoke up from across the seating area where Aetius had been patiently waiting.
In passing, Aetius considered the guard. He was only at the Seventh Step, unlike Aetius, who had the honor of reaching the Eighth. The guard and all those like him had walked their Paths until the very last step before being held back from pursuing the perfection of the Eighth.
It was a logical decision, one which most gods chose to take up for those that guarded their Avatars in Hell’s Great Game. After all, the Eighth Step was the only one that could truly threaten a god’s Avatar. Having one’s guards in a position to kill you was a decision with a poor history. Especially among Jupiter’s people.
That being said, the dozens of guards that would be between Aetius’s lord and any possible attacker were all only a single Step from the Eighth, meaning that any Eighth Step attacker would be slain by the sheer number of combatants before they could threaten the god’s Avatar.
Not foolproof, by any means. There were many cases in the history of the Great Game where a single Eighth Step or a coalition of several together had crushed defenses of this nature. But doing so was always costly, and a god could simply make another Avatar. Though the damage to their reputation for dying at the hands of mere Defiant Immortals and the actual costs in Divinity paid to the System were usually worth it for the attacking force as well.
“Very well, we shan't keep Milord waiting in his own house, now should we?” Aetius turned smartly, nodding to his companion on a perch Lord Jupiter had deigned to have installed specifically for him in consideration for Aetius. Fortis was a powerful Demon that Aetius had raised from hatching to become a Brightbolt Aeroraptor, one of the strongest aerial predators in Hell with combat strength equivalent to an Eighth Step Pathwalker, a Defiant Immortal. He was not allowed in Lord Jupiter’s presence as a safety measure.
Leaving Fortis behind, Aetius stepped through the massive golden door infused with Divine energies and Roman magics that the guard opened for him with a bow. He entered into his Lord’s private receiving chamber. This, too, was a privilege of his position. Aetius was allowed to meet with his god outside of his throne room. It was also a practical necessity, considering the nature of his duties.
“A blessed morning to you, my Lord and Master,” Aetius spoke as he dropped gracefully to his knees before prostrating himself. Each action was like poetry in motion as he breezed through the formality. Such traditions and gestures mattered, but his Master had little patience for them when it came to the practicalities of daily meetings.
“Aetius, no more of this. We have much to do today and no time for nonsense. Rise and inform me of what has passed while I was absent.” His god spoke, waving a hand from his throne on its bejeweled solid gold dias. The throne itself was plain stone, but Aetius knew why his Lord deigned to sit on such unworthy material. It was his first throne, the one he took when he first became a god. The world it existed on had long ago fallen to dust and the universe it occupied was gone, but the throne remained. A reminder of just how much Lord Jupiter had ascended since then. Or rather, it was a perfect replica of the first throne, the original remained in Jupiter’s Heavenly Domain, where the god’s true incarnation resided.
Jupiter himself was much the same in appearance to Aetius, though his form was human instead of High Elven. But he had the same golden hair and blue eyes, just with a slightly less slender build. His musculature was refined and appeared carefully maintained, even if the god had never exercised a day in his extremely long life.
“Of course, Master.” Just as gracefully as he had dropped, Aetius rose. “Allow me to begin. Immediately after you left for your negotiations with Anarchy and its constituent gods, we attacked three moderately affiliated bases, as you commanded. The results on our end were optimal, with no survivors found. All Sin Totems were destroyed. Several Revival-negation and Heavenly Spirit-killing weapons broke, but no more than expected.”
“Yes, they were quite surprised to hear of it second-hand during the meeting. Well done.” Jupiter chuckled. “I’m sure I’ll receive a more detailed report from Mars and his generals. As for the weapons, we’ll have to look into securing more skilled craftsmen. It’s a shame that such a valuable resource is so fragile. But that is a problem for another day. Continue.”
And so it went. For several hours, Aetius explained to his god all the matters that had occurred while he had left his Avatar behind to attend to godly matters. More specifically, he’d been negotiating a deal with Anarchy, a collective of gods and their believers belonging to the Chaos faction. Jupiter was a leading figure of the Order faction, so it often fell to him to curtail the foolish ruffians and rebels in that cess-pit of refuse. In this, Aetius did not envy his god at all. Though Aetius imagined that toying with them, such as his god had this time, must be rather amusing.
Aetius was the Manager of Jupiter’s Will. His job was to act as a filter and interface between his god and other, lesser mortals. He was to keep his lord informed of the events within and without his domain so that he might make the best decisions possible to benefit his faction and pantheon.
It was also his job to manage anything that Jupiter took a more personal interest in. Things that didn’t involve larger faction politics. In those cases, Aetius would become personally responsible for ensuring that said situations resulted in whatever outcome Jupiter wanted.
Aetius was not an advisor, such positions meant to sway the actions of his Lord were held by others. But he was the main connection his god had to the mortals of Hell’s Great Game. He took immense pride in such a position, as it spoke to his thorough and precise nature. As well as his discretion.
“...And the farmer reached his Final Death. His daughter has been sold into bondage with a rival faction and his surviving son is currently in hiding. Once he is found, he will also be put to as many deaths as necessary to reach Final Death. That should constitute ending his line.” Aetius finished one of the last items on his list. “I could not find any history of any ancestors remaining in your domain. I do know of several that emigrated to other pantheons and factions, both rivals and allies alike. Would you like me to pursue this to the seventh generation of his ancestors? It may provide some friction with our allied factions.”
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“No, that won’t be necessary. His words aren’t enough to warrant any kind of political mess. I’ll content myself to act within my domain.” Jupiter made a sharp, slicing gesture. “Let it end with his line. And I commend you for your thoroughness once more, Aetius. Most would have missed the mistress and her bastard daughter.” He chuckled. “A mere farmer, with a mistress? Hell really is different from the old days. Back when we first started the Game, a mere farmer would never afford such a luxury.”
“I actually have an answer to that matter, if you care to hear it Milord.” Aetius offered.
“Oh? You looked into it?” Jupiter asked, leaning his head onto a closed fist.
“I felt that the concept might pique your interest, so I of course learned all I could, Milord.”
“Well, I shan’t allow such diligence to go to waste. Tell me, how did he manage a mistress?” Jupiter smiled sardonically.
“It seems that he was more than a simple farmer, but in fact managed several farms collectively. He was quite a bit wealthier than the title of farmer might imply. Landowner might be a more apt description, though he didn’t own enough to truly qualify for such a title.” Aetius explained. “He was rather successful for what he had, with nearly a dozen under his employ.”
“What of those he employed?” Jupiter asked.
“Destroyed to five deaths or Final Death if they did not have five Revives as per your laws and strictures, Milord.”
“Good. That should teach them to choose their employer more carefully. A pious man alone should hold such wealth.” Jupiter nodded.
Noting the shift in tone, Aetius took his signal to keep going. “There is but one matter remaining on the agenda, Milord. It pertains to one…” Aetius checked his notes. “Frederick Doublest Ricardo Amolvo Gardonis Omelette Natiri Chambers the sixteenth.”
At that, Jupiter sat up straighter on his stone throne. “A Chambers. Yes, I remember.”
Aetius, having served his Lord for millenia at this point, was also well aware of the Chambers family. “Indeed, Milord. You ordered that his starting position be modified to incur an instant Final Death. It seems that someone else interfered. Even though the correct price was paid to the Hell System, he was placed in a position that allowed him to allocate his starting Sparks before death. He died, but only at the cost of a Revive. What would you like to do, Milord?”
Jupiter snorted. “The Chambers family has been a pain in my side for too long. That ancestor of theirs, prancing around and helping that upstart I Am overthrow my rule in several universes. I have no doubt that he’s the one who interfered, covering for his lackeys.”
“Shall I have him killed to Final Death?” Aetius asked. “Moving assets on the First Floor is a difficult prospect. We’re not active up there like the Good faction is, and even they have only the bare minimum of personnel to secure their position. Sending someone up would be…costly.”
“Especially in the current situation.” Jupiter sighed, running a hand across his handsome features. “There’s a change coming, I can feel it after so many revolutions. The Game will shift alignments soon. Factions are already drifting, otherwise Anarchy wouldn’t have given up so readily.”
“A Structure and Morals conflict, Milord?” Aetius asked with no small amount of surprise. It had been a long time since that alignment had emerged in the Great Game, allying Order with Chaos and Good with Evil. Their current alignment, Light and Dark, was more common. Currently, Order was allied with Good against the Evil and Chaos factions.
“That would be my guess.” Jupiter tapped a finger on the arm of his throne hard enough that it started to crack ever so slightly. “A price must be paid…I cannot send our own assets up to the First Floor. The cost to go all the way up is simply extortionate, especially in the current climate. The Traveler’s guild is swamped with business and they’d charge me far too much for such a long trip that would no doubt need one of their best to complete.”
“The current alignment allows us some leeway with the Good faction.” Jupiter mused. “How far is this Chambers child from the Good faction? If it’s too far I don’t want to pay their asking price. Those simpering oafs may be fools, but even they must see the alignment shift coming. They might not be too willing to help.”
Having anticipated such a question, Aetius removed a Map from his robes, projecting a topographical map of the First Floor. A series of mountains spanned across the entire floor, a neverending range. Two points were highlighted, with a dotted path stretching between them.
“As you can see, it’s several thousand miles away. Such a distance would be difficult to cover in a short time frame for any assets the Good faction might have on the First Floor. I couldn’t find anything on their personnel. Mostly due to the lack of significance of the location. It is the First Floor after all.” Aetius sighed. He’d made an effort to see what they might be working with through his Good faction contacts, but no one knew anything about their operations on the First Floor.
“That’s not unexpected. I suppose even that might be…too…costly…” Jupiter trailed off.
“Milord?” Aetius saw his Lord peering at the map with great intensity.
“Do you have an actual overview of the Chamber’s location?”
Recognizing his Lord’s mood, Aetius wordlessly pulled up a more detailed aerial view. It was ancient data, but the First Floor’s topography never truly changed in any meaningful way, so that was irrelevant. The image showed a mountain of startlingly white porcelain.
“Talk to the Good faction, pay their asking price, get it done. I want that Chambers to have his Final Death before he makes it off the First Floor.” Jupiter spoke with conviction, his tone brooking no argument.
“At once, Milord.” Aetius bowed. “I shall attend to this immediately. Unless there is anything else…?”
Jupiter waved him off, still staring at the map. Even after Aetius dismissed the projection and put the Stone in his robe, Aetius’s Master stared at the empty air. Struck by a sudden compulsion, Aetius did something he normally never would.
“Milord, if I might ask?”
His god’s gaze focused on him, Aetius felt a sweat spring up on his back. Those eyes held nothing even resembling mercy.
“It seems that this Chambers had piqued your interest, more so than normal. Is there anything I should be aware of?”
Jupiter stared, a burning light growing in his gaze. Aetius wondered if he had asked the wrong question and was about to require a Revive. Instead, the light died and his god let out a sigh. “The Chambers family is chaos incarnate, and that one just ended up in a location that would let him cause even more than usual. Chaos is the last thing I want, even with the alignment shifting.”
“I understand, Milord.” Aetius prostrated himself once more before rising to leave. Just as his hand landed on the door, Jupiter spoke once more.
“Aetius…Pay attention to that one. Even more so than you normally do. A Chambers off a leash is a dangerous thing. I can’t imagine what horrors that mortal is unleashing on Hell’s Great Game even as we speak. Do not let him reach the Second Floor.”
“Yes, Milord.”