In the Outer Realms of Telvaria
Exal’drin feasted for the first time in eons, gorging himself on the essence of his enemies. His true power still lingered within his body, and all he needed to do was to remind himself of that. In the Outer Realms of Telvaria, all manner of strange monsters dwelled, but they all had one thing in common. They were repositories of essence like no other. In a section of the universe starved of the essence of life itself, creatures had to stockpile it within their own bodies whenever they had the chance.
Exal’drin regained his lost Tiers rapidly, ascending multiple times every day. Soon he was powerful enough to break out through the membrane that separated Telvaria from the rest of the Multiverse, the Multiverse that he had come from. It was time to muster the rest of his allies. It might take millenia, but eventually, Telvaria and its gods would learn the mistake that they had made in imprisoning a being such as Exal’drin. Gods did not forgive. As he left, he idly wondered how Jonathan was faring on his own quest.
Over the course of his life, Exal’drin had only granted his Blessing to three people. Of them, two had died gruesome deaths. He wondered if Jonathan would go the same way.
On the planet of Telvaria
Outsiders came and died in Telvaria in droves. Dozens arrived every few years, but most did not have the seed of power and potential necessary to live in a world so different from their own. Many of the universes that they called home were either primitive, unsophisticated societies where magic and supernatural might were viewed as the province of the gods. Others came from egalitarian collectives made possible by high technology, where violence was a thing of the distant past. In many cases, those people did not survive, their implants and augmentations failing upon being exposed to the mana of Telvaria.
Mana was in every universe, but it manifested itself in different forms depending on the conceptual nature of that universe. In many of them, it took the form of technology, allowing for wonders to be created through science. Those in the upper echelons of power knew that magic and science were the same thing, just with different advantages. Magic was a way of personal empowerment, while science was a way of collective enhancement.
As a result, it took a very special type of Outsider to survive long in Telvaria. Either they came from a planet on the crux of forming high technology, or one that was already suffused with mana. In addition to this, Outsiders came based on universal proximity. It was because of this that the most prolific species of Outsider came from Jonathan’s universe. Humans were the most common, despite not being the only sapient race there. For some reason, their naturally warlike nature mixed with their lack of high technology to make them uniquely suited to thrive in Telvaria.
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However, there was one thing that set them apart from the rest. Stories. Earth was different from most other societies, in that fiction was prolific there. Most species had little time to indulge in escapism, whether because of their lives being too dangerous, or already more exciting than any fictional world could be. However, as a result, Earthlings were prepared for life in Telvaria like almost no other race.
It was because of this that when the next Earthling Outsider after Jonathan arrived, the gods took interest. A plain, unassuming woman, she had nonetheless shown a streak of violence and pragmatism that had allowed her to butcher her way through an entire tribe of monsters, reaching the cusp of Tier 2 within a few short months. Upon seeing this, the divine family of Telvaria decided to place a finger on the scale.
Eliza Abrams had come from a life of hard work and strife, hailing from rural America. She was used to labor, as everyone in her family had contributed to their farm. More importantly, she was used to killing. So when her butchery was interrupted by the appearance of a glowing humanoid figure, she did not turn until she was finished with her latest mark.
“Who are you?” She asked casually, not bothered by the blood smearing her cheap leather armor.
“I am Malaraxia, one of the gods of this realm.” As the figure spoke, the light diminished, revealing a stately, and ethereally beautiful woman clad in an airy robe. “I have an offer for you.”
“Unless it makes me stronger, I don’t care,” Eliza said, already turning.
“Do not disrespect me,” Malaraxia barked, her voice suddenly resonant. The next moment, Eliza fell to her knees, the weight of a world dropping on her shoulders.
She let out a gasp, watching as Malaraxia seemed to expand in size until she was like a mountain.
“I will forgive you this once, but the next time will not be so painless for you. I have a task for you.”
“So there really are gods here,” Eliza said, gasping. “I’ve only ever come across Tier 1s and the rare Tier 2. I wasn’t sure how exactly this world worked. The idea of beings as strong as you, at least going by the scripture, seemed to be more of a myth than anything else.”
“Your planet was one of ignorance and the worship of progress. Here, the gods are very real.”
Eliza noticed that Malaraxia seemed quite pleased at the flattery. She was used to buttering up those who held power over her, ranging from inspectors at the farm to those who underestimated her intelligence, thinking her nothing more than an uneducated farmer’s daughter. It seemed that even gods enjoyed having their egos stroked.