Ominek emerged from the dimensional portal out of the void and into the shadow of a lifeless moon orbiting a large molten world. Fear shivered through him as he peered down. The enormity of the magic condensed below him swelled. A presence stirred. Two white hot eyes peered out at him below orange red magma oceans.
“I failed, father. Hidros was taken from us by the Federation. Their mage and tech warriors stopped my troops before we could claim the wellspring, which was protected by a massive guardian.”
A deep purring laughter rumbled through his mind. The pressure was intense, and he clutched his temples. Droplets of blood shook loose from his nostrils, crystalizing in the vacuum of space.
“The Wellspring was never the intended objective. Rather, it was Anorax I sought. The wellspring would have simply been an additional boon. But I sense a god’s hand at work. The possibility of your loss was very strong, and grew more likely as events proceeded, further confirming my suspicion. The gods are finally moving against us. Which means we are nearing the final stages of the war.”
“Father I don’t understand. We lost much in that attack. Sure, we stood to gain a lot, but how can we recover from that?”
Leviathos laughed again. Ominek felt like his brain was being scrubbed by a steel bristle brush. “I have a new task for you. One I think you’ll find you will enjoy. I want you to travel to elves precious forest home. Murder thier pathetic ArchPriest. Let them know their world is not as safe as they think it is. Let them know they can still die.”
System Info: New Quest: A dish best served cold. Leviathos has given you a task you’ll find most delicious. Following the wake of your humiliating defeat, your new mission is to punish the pesky elves and their Mage Federation by murdering their ArchPriest. Don’t forget the party favors!
Ominek blinked for several moments, still processing Leviathos’ words. His casual dismissal at their loss on Hidros to the sudden shift in tactics for the war. He shook his head, trying to knock loose his confusion. The system pop up gave him pause. He blinked the box closed.
“I don’t under-”
“SILENCE. Your understanding is not required for you to execute my will. If you feel this task is too difficult, then I shall find another who can carry it out.”
“No,” Ominek replied quickly. “I can do it. I will do it.”
“Good.” Leviathos crooned in return.
Below Ominek, thick magma rolled back in congealed waves as a continent sized Dragon’s head rose out. White hot eyes burning fiercely as they pierced into Ominek. Leviathos was not his birth father. Rather his enslaver. Leviathos was essentially a demigod in power. If not, one of the most powerful elder dragons still alive. Yet he worked almost exclusively through agents. Agents like Ominek. The most powerful of which the dragon labeled as his children. Ominek began as Leviathos’ 9th son. Now he was the Only Son.
Through guile, deception, treachery and cunning, Ominek had ensured his survival above all else. Where his adopted siblings had been stronger, faster, or more powerful, Ominek exercised the most important muscle a sentient being possessed. His mind. He’d outwitted and outsmarted all of them, and maneuvered them to early deaths while positioning himself as the only one capable of succeeding.
“I have an asset on Eryn. You will seek them out. Find them and request the items I’ve entrusted to them. They should accomplish your task. Provided you execute your mission correctly.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Yes, father.”
Ominek bit back the small tinge of revulsion that shivered in his stomach. He may not always be happy to be stuck in his position in life. Not that choice had any part to play in it. Being soul shackled meant his will belonged to Leviathos, regardless of how he felt.
“Possible realities are converging once again. No doubt the handiwork of a divine being. This opportunity will not present itself again. Do not screw this up or I will devour you myself.”
Ominek bowed low, prostrating himself deeply. Magical pressure from Leviathos recessed back into the thick molten rock waves of the lava world he inhabited. Ominek glanced up and let out a short exhale of relief. The air crystalized into a frosty cloud that glittered away from him. Channeling his void aether, he floated backwards and spun to face away from Leviathos’ world. As Ominek gained altitude, he missed the small red mask that stood out against the black velvet void of space.
It was a simple thing, shaped to cover the eyes and nose of an average human’s face, but the proportions were too large. Like they crafted it to fit a giant, not a man. Its design was simple, with minimal embellishments save the runes etched into its edge to prevent unwanted mortals scrying what lay behind. It watched his ascent until he wove a portal spell that opened a doorway into the umbral void.
As the portal closed, it continued to track, as though it could see his progress even across dimensions. Void aether rippled like lavender and black fire and a hooded figure in the shape of a standard human melted out of the black of space. It was easily 3 meters tall. Garbed in a black robe with metal embellishments. It wore clawed gloves and rings, almost having a religious appearance. Its lower face was exposed, yet showed no sign of being affected by the cold vacuum of space. It turned casually to regard Leviathos’ home with apathetic indifference. The elder wyrm was beneath the figure’s gaze, rating just beneath a demigod.
Possibilities were colliding at an astronomic rate. Much more rapidly than previously noted. As potential realities converged, they created curiosity about just how things would take shape for this particular shard. The violet void energy recessed around the figure, his exposed lips hooked into a smile.
The possibility for a convergence of this shard was nearing. Whether it would be an Astral or Umbral convergence remained to be seen. Right now, the various threads are too random to predict. But time would correct that, and the figure had plenty of time. He regarded Leviathos’ world, and the dim star at the center of the system. Even for as aged as the star was, it was but mere stellar dust to him. A blink’s worth of time. For him, events would come and pass with little fanfare. None save convergences were worth his gaze. And yet, he grew tired of that.
He held his hand out, channeling the galaxy wide pools of aether he held dominion over, and cast a complex spell that sank into the otherwise lifeless and dead moon nearby. An insurance policy against undesirable karmic deviations in the timeline. He needed a nearly precise series of events to transpire exactly as he’d foreseen. Events he’d chosen. Manipulated. And placed back into the time stream for the simpleton elder wyrm to grasp at like a toddler learning to use its hand. Better that Leviathos thinks he’s moving of his own accord. And not to a design not of his own make.
“Soon, the serpent will wake. Darkness will spread. This sector will fall.”
Before anyone could notice the figure’s presence, roiling void flames swam around his figure, pulling him back into the Umbral void. As he slipped into the pitch black void plane, unseen denizens writhed and squirmed as some light spilled through his portal. The Umbral void was a realm of darkness and corruption. Devoid of astral aether. Devoid of light. Most magically inclined mortals in this sector used the realm as a sort of FTL method to get from planet to planet. A risky venture given the threat the local populace posed.
He traveled through the void in a precise direction for a precise amount of time and neared a specific spot. Threads of fate were conspiring. A god had seen to that. No threat to him ultimately, but even gods could be troublesome opponents if one wasn’t careful. Especially when orchestrating shard convergences usually meant the demise of all mortals and immortals within a shard. So gods opposed that kind of thing, even if they lacked the complete perspective to see the long term good it would bring.
But this confluence of fate? He had to admit that his curiosity was getting the best of him, however. Perhaps it was boredom. Eons and eons of existence all toiling away for a near single-minded purpose. “I think I can afford myself an idle distraction. After all, I have all the time I need.”
Thus, he waited in the black for fate to bless him with something of interest. Something he suspected should arrive soon.