Aperio tilted her head. How strong is the strongest monster here? Then she dismissed the notification that lingered in front of her. That the System was following rules she had set possibly aeons ago did bother her, but not as much as she had thought it would. In the end, it was just a reminder that she did not understand her creation. With a silent sigh, she directed her attention at the two mortals who had accepted her offer.
Both of them had fallen to the floor, twisting and turning as more and more mana entered their bodies. Aperio could see the tiny, System-created tears in the fabric of reality that had been made to facilitate the rapid advancement of the two mortals before her, could feel the mana drain from her well.
What surprised her most — even though it should not have — was that despite the amounts that flowed from her well to both herself and now the two mortals, the amount residing within barely changed.
The Dragon-maid let out a scream that Aperio could not solidly identify as pain or pleasure as the mana guided by the System’s hand started to tear into every fibre of their being. It was a process Aperio was intimately familiar with. Not only had she felt it for what had seemed to be eons after her sacrifice, but just moments before she had gone through the same sensations as she destroyed the crystal core.
A cracking sound caused Aperio to shift her attention to the horned butler. He had struck at the floor, hitting and breaking one of the few patches uncovered by the grass she had inadvertently created. Much like his Dragon-Elf companion, the mana ravaged through his body; tearing him apart to rebuild him anew.
The seams that had come undone to allow the mana from her well into this realm closed silently, and the mortals slowly rolled onto their backs; ending the ordeal as suddenly as it had begun. Neither of them spoke a word, instead taking deep breaths to calm themselves.
A'ryein | [Dungeon Master] | Level: 2389
Den'kelter | [Dungeon Master] | Level: 2389
I guess that is strong? It was the highest level she had seen on a mortal, but the monsters she had killed on her way down to the fiftieth floor had reached levels higher than that when they fought her. How does that even work?
She shook her head, dismissing the thought as well as the tiny voice at the back of her mind that wanted her to challenge the newly elevated [Dungeon Masters]. Both of them were on their knees, panting in exhaustion; neither seemed ready to fight. Is levelling up that exhausting? Or is it because they jumped so many at once?
The first to get her bearings again was the Dragon-Elf. She righted herself, grabbing her spear for support only for the metal haft of the weapon to break under her grip. Aperio couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the rather astounded expression of the woman. For a brief moment she considered finding a way to make a suitable weapon to give as a gift, but decided against it. The dungeon should be able to make what they needed, after all. If the System did not lie… Can it even lie? Aperio did not think it could, but then, she also did not know how to check.
Despite not wanting to spoil what had to have been a rather important moment of their lives, Aperio felt that she had to issue them a warning. "Should I find that you are abusing what you have been given, there will be punishment." Replacing the core with two people that would just enslave people again was not what she wanted to do.
Both of them turned to look at her and then each other, the glances seemingly a form of communication that only the two of them understood. Aperio had half expected them to attack her, drunk on the power she inadvertently had given them, but they did not. Instead, both clasped their hands together in front of their chest and bowed deeply.
They did not speak a word. Do I have to tell them that they don't have to bow? As the seconds ticked by, they simply remained in their bowed position, and Aperio decided that it was, once again, up to her to act. "Rise. You do not need to bow."
While they did cease to bow, neither of them looked particularly happy at the idea of not paying their respects. Is that a cultural thing? It was a definite possibility, as neither she nor Ferio knew what species either of the two belonged to. Aperio also doubted that Caethya would know; according to the woman herself, she had spent most of her life searching for Aperio.
"Do you feel obligated to bow?" Aperio asked. "If you have to pay respects to me, do so by not bowing."
"I think you will have to get used to people paying their respects in some form, mother," Ferio said. "Once they truly know who you are, they will inevitably react with reverence."
Everyone but Aperio herself seemed to agree with the statement as they nodded their assent. The winged Goddess' gaze slid from her daughter to the tiny wisps of mana that still danced around her own body. Those probably don't help… Why is everything I enjoy bound to make my life harder? Her wings, her voice, even just her presence alone seemed to somehow inform people that she was more than one would assume. Towering over most people and having mana dancing around her physical form was certainly only going to compound the effects.
And yet, Aperio did not want to hide what she was or what she could do. Complaining about this is also a bit weird, isn't it? Most people would probably give everything they had to be in her position. She would too, and in a way, she already had. I did die for this. Twice, apparently.
How exactly she ended up as a slave was still a mystery to her; the only God she had fought so far had been laughably weak. Her daughter had, in her own words, mentioned that she had been able to fight Vigil and Inanis herself. She had also said that Aperio was now beyond her in terms of raw power. So how did they do it? ...Or did I do it myself? She had looked forward to her death, but so far Aperio had always seen it as a way to escape a life of slavery. Why would I choose to die before, then?
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
As it stood, she could not find a reason. She had no desire to leave Ferio alone with deities that despised her simply because they did not like her mother. Nor did she want to give up what she had finally gotten back, even if it filled her life with minor annoyances. With a sigh, she relegated the thoughts to the back of her mind.
"Perhaps you are right. I will still endeavour to make them not do it as, in the end, I am just another person." Aperio paused and gestured around the grass-filled room. "I may have made all of this, but that does not mean I want people to stop living their lives to thank me for doing so. As long as I can have my peace, I am happy." Now I just have to figure out what I need to do to be at peace. Removing Vigil, Inanis, and the rest of the uppity deities was certainly a step in the right direction, but Aperio felt like there was most certainly more to it. Like finding something worth fighting.
"Is it so wrong that we want to show our gratitude, Lady Aperio?" Caethya inquired, her voice a lot less steady than her appearance suggested.
Aperio tilted her head at the question. "No, I simply wish to get rid of the notion that it is required." Is it that important to her?
"We do not bow simply because you are stronger than we are, my Goddess," the horned butler — Den'kelter — said. "We bow because we want to show our sincere gratitude. It is the way our ancestors have done it for generations."
"Where did you two come from, anyway?" Aperio asked, pressing the feeling of disgust deep down where it belonged. She had a suspicion, but did not want to say it aloud before they had made their own claim.
"The Valley of Everlasting Fire," A'ryein replied. "We served under Fel'Erreyth. He is the strongest Dragon on Verenier. Or, was." Her last words were spoken with a sly smile on her face that caused Aperio to raise an eyebrow.
"My deepest apologies, my Goddess. We have failed to make proper introductions." Den'kelter spoke a bit louder than necessary, an obvious attempt to detract attention from the Dragon-maid, who was quickly looking like she might devolve into giggles at any moment. "I am Den'kelter, formerly the head butler of his majesty Fel'Erreyth, [Regent of Procul]. Now I serve The First." His words were accompanied by a deep bow, a motion A'ryein quickly followed before speaking herself.
"My name is A'ryein. I, too, have served his majesty Fel'Erreyth, first as a Lady in Waiting for one of his wives and later as his personal maid under Den'kelter. But now, under the Laws of The First, I serve you; my Lady."
Laws of The First? Did someone make a set of laws around me? She narrowed her eyes at the thought. So people do remember me, or am I misunderstanding this? It also led to another question, one that she could potentially even get an answer to. "Why are you so ready to discard your old liege? And what does this 'Regent of Procul' have to do with dungeons?" Since when does an entire continent have a Regent, anyway?
The set of questions seemed to confuse everyone but Ferio. Instead of being surprised that her mother did not know everything, she too seemed eager for an answer. Well, she did not know what they were either. Are they Dragons that changed their form? Can they even do that? ...If not, what exactly would a Dragon need a butler or maid for? Scale polishing?
"The Laws of The First, simply put, state that we are to follow The First. The Strongest. The one who, through the very might of their being, brought forth life from nothing. You have declared yourself the Origin of all Creation, and your very words resonated within my soul. I know, without a doubt, that they are true. Even if they were not, you bestowed upon us strength — strength that rivals even that of our old liege — in a gesture that seemed effortless. Like it was nothing. That, alone, makes you more deserving of our devotion." Den'kelter's voice was bordering on reverent, and it was only now that he truly looked at Aperio. "I may not be a Dragon myself, and A'ryein may only carry a portion of her mother's heritage, but we have, since time immemorial, followed the same laws as our ancestors."
The notion that she might not have spoken the truth about her nature caused a bit of anger to boil up in the winged Goddess. She pushed it down of course, but it was still there at the back of her mind, demanding she punish the mortal in front of her. Annoying. "Following someone just because they are strong is not always a good idea. I am also not looking to found a new religion."
"I am sorry, my Lady, but I don't think even you could prevent that by simply asking," A'ryein said. "If you do not directly prohibit what people do, they will start to worship you. It is simply a matter of time."
"She is right, mother," Ferio agreed. "And you have made it quite clear that you dislike anything that takes away the freedom of others."
"Perhaps you are correct. However, that does not mean I have to like it." Aperio sighed, ignoring how the breeze flowing through the room had gotten colder at her exasperated gesture. “That also does not answer why you have been summoned here, though.”
“Fel’Erreyth rules from the Heart of Fire, a dungeon of his own,” A’ryein said. “Why or how it has chosen him, I do not know. Much like the The Laws of the First, it is a tradition that has been at the core of the culture of Procul. Though it was not always a dungeon that chose the next Regent, it was always something that has been touched by the mana of Origin. Touched by you, my Lady.”
“So, the dungeon called for help? Why?” How? She had not noticed anything akin to a call for help. Especially one to another continent. Perhaps I just don’t know where to look?
“No, Fel’Erreyth orded us to verify a claim made by the Heart of Fire. We were simply the closest reliable members of his court he could send. That we would meet The First was not something we anticipated.”
“It seems I will have to pay this Fel’Erreyth a visit sometime soon,” Aperio said with a shake of her head. “When I do so, I would be delighted to have you as my guides. For now, however, I have done what I came here to do. You may do with this dungeon what you wish as long as you abstain from slavery and other vile acts. I will not tolerate such abuse of my gifts." Even if I did not mean to give some of them.
She had tried to give her voice a bit of finality, make it clear she would not accept her gifts being abused. Judging by how the two newly appointed [Dungeon Masters] bowed, she seemed to have made her point clear. Towering over them and being wreathed in my own mana probably helps, too.
While Aperio had no mirror handy with which to take a look at herself, she had taken a moment to inspect the physical changes drawing on her well brought through her aura. Besides being taller and having wisps of her mana float around her, Aperio could not really see a difference. Perhaps a mortal sees it differently?
With a shake of her head, she turned her attention towards Caethya and her daughter. For a moment she considered reaching out with her mind to convey her idea, but decided against it. Ferio might be able to take her continued barrage of thoughts, but she was not so sure about Caethya. She had been stronger than most anyone Aperio had seen thus far, but the reaction she had had to her few attempts at mental communication had not been promising.
As a private talk via thoughts was out of the question for the moment, Aperio simply opened a portal to her Void with a wave of her hand. Den'kelter and A'ryein might have said they were devoted to her, but that did not mean she trusted them. Trust requires action, not words.
Neither of her companions needed further encouragement to step into her Void, Caethya even looking eager to go back to her Goddess’ Dominion. Aperio gave her two newest followers a last look before stepping through the portal as well.