Trillia couldn't deny that she was a bit disappointed. She was excited to fly and see the world from a bird's eye view. Sadly, that wasn't the case. They flew very low to the ground and were moving fast enough that Trillia didn't really get to see much except blurs.

Stas would fly for eighteen hours every day. They'd rest for six. Entirely for the sake of Trillia, as Stas was evidently long beyond needing to eat or sleep. The goblin sat next to a small fire with his wings wrapped around his spider-like limbs and body. Making a cocoon of obsidian wings.

Trillia chewed on some dry rations as she stared into the flames. "Will he be able to speak to me? I may not know the language he speaks."

Stas opened one eye and looked at her. "He's a deity of knowledge. He's going to know every language on Alirast. The problem is going to be if he is a deity of law or of chaos. Deities who pull mana from Celestia tend to be sticklers for the rules. If he doesn't see the [Primordials] as an immediate threat. He may turn you away."

Trillia glanced over at Stas as she swallowed a piece of jerky. "I don't really understand how deities work."

Stas sighed and opened both eyes.

"The basics are this. Everything has a core, even you. The core in most creatures is shattered when they die. A core's purpose is to trap a soul, either to a body or to a location." Stas stared at her to make sure she was following.

"The Universe itself has a core. From what Lord Darktone has told me, as have other deities. There is a being that created the universe and those in it. Including all of the deities. The Universe Core pulls some sort of power from that being and turns it into divinity. Immortals and Deities pull in that divinity and output world and dungeon mana. This is mana like yours and mine, but raw and unrefined. Wielding it for mortals is incredibly dangerous and often chips away at your soul, slowly killing you."

"World cores and dungeon cores take this raw unrefined mana and slivers of divinity and refine it into the mana that we utilize. Our worship and use of mana in the name of divinity, in turn, creates more divinity and raw mana to be pulled up and reused. Think of it like a large circle. I'm not sure of any exact numbers, but to become a deity, you must first be an immortal. Whether that is a born immortal - such as Arlyss - or an ascended immortal - such as Lord Darktone - once you're an immortal, it is simply a matter of power and worshippers relevant to the position you wish to hold."

Trillia blinked a few times at that. "Lord Darktone wasn't born an immortal? Everyone speaks of him like he's an incredibly powerful deity."

Stas offered her a nod. "He is a powerful deity. Most immortals are old, we call them immortals, but that's not entirely accurate. Mortals just lack a word for them. Timeless? Eternals? Ancients? The basics of it are that they cannot die of old age, nor can they be struck down by mortal means. To kill an immortal, another immortal must sacrifice an amount of mana equal to their target's maximum mana." Seeing the confused look on her face, Stas continued.

"I use the term mana to relate to the general resource they use like we use mana. As an example, if you and I were both immortals, and your maximum mana was a thousand. I'd have to sacrifice a thousand of my own maximum mana permanently to kill you. It means that while immortals will often fight and tear apart each other's physical beings or avatars. They seldom permanently kill one another. Because doing so makes you weak to attack from another immortal. It's a rather vicious cycle."

Trillia rubbed her temples, trying to take all of that information in. "So mortals can't do the same procedure?"

Stas shook his head. "No. Otherwise, someone like you could wipe out dozens of deities. Don't get me wrong, some deities, like Lord Darktone, have enough maximum mana that you'd be unable to permanently destroy him. He's an old and powerful enough entity that his resources aren't measured in numbers. But a young deity like Arlyss? He's probably only got a hundred thousand or so maximum mana. More than most mortals have. But still plenty low enough that if rules didn't exist, you'd be able to kill him."

Trillia frowned at that. "So why pact-bound people? If they are so powerful?"

Stas began to wear an annoyed look on his face. "Rules. Everyone has to follow rules. You've already been told something similar before. I don't ascend to become a true immortal because then I'd be forced to follow the rules of engagement that immortals have when in a mortal's realm. Arlyss has those same rules applied to him. He can't engage in direct confrontations. Well, I think he can, but there has to be some sort of counterbalance point for him to engage. A dragon might be strong enough to warrant him being allowed to fight. I doubt I'd be strong enough to warrant such a thing."

"In other words. We do the dirty work they are unable to do directly in exchange for power?"

Stas nodded at her words. "Yes. Everything is a push to get more power. To have more resources at your disposal. Arlyss probably has a city or two worth of worshippers. Lord Darktone is an axle. There are three axles in which the universe sets everything to spin around. As such, his domain is all creatures that fall within his axle. Even if a rival god, such as the dragon god that attacked Alirast, has worshippers. Lord Darktone will get a portion of their faith and power."

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Trillia nodded once more. That made a little more sense. As she opened her mouth to speak, Stas snapped at her. "Enough questions. Sleep so that we can stop wasting time."

Trillia finished her meal in silence before laying down to sleep.

-=- Two Weeks Later -=-

It was the most beautiful thing that Trillia had ever seen. They stood on a cliff with a heavy wind blowing towards them. The smell of salt water was heavy in the air. The sun had nearly set and cast a beautiful golden glow across the sea. Trillia had never seen it before, but the sight was enough to bring her to silence.

Even Stas seemed to appreciate the sea, as he had set them down on the cliff so that she could gawk for a few minutes. He stood on the edge of the cliff, eyes closed with his head tilted back. Trillia's smile grew wider as she saw creatures jumping out of the water ahead of her. Their shapes were too small to make out from this distance, but she wondered how much life was there, hidden beneath the waves.

"There are rules to traversing the sea. Do not use your mana for any reason. We do not have the luxury of a ship or other dampening device. You will have to sleep in transit. We cannot stop once we begin unless we luck out and find an island. Do not. Under any circumstance. Use your mana. Am I clear?"

Trillia looked from the endless waves over to him. She nodded. "May I ask why?"

"Leviathans. Basically, the dragons of the sea. Massive creatures that sense mana use. If they don't want you in their territory, they will crush and kill you. Most leviathans can't stand land creatures. If you use mana and one senses us, we'll be forced to fly higher into the sky. Then we risk running into a dragon. Both are very, very bad ideas. Am I understood?"

Trillia nodded. She'd never seen a dragon, but she wondered how powerful they could be if her mother and uncles had managed to kill one when they were all much weaker and younger. Still, she didn't argue. She got ready over the next couple of hours. When the night was finally upon them, Stas woke her up.

"Come. It's time."

Trillia stood and brushed herself off. Stas took all of their belongings and put them in the storage space he had. He even took her rapier so that it didn't fall. The artifacts were safe, but everything else went into hiding. Stas stood at the edge, two of his spider limbs grabbing Trillia. "This has the potential to be very, very terrifying. Flying over the ocean is the most dangerous thing a mortal can do. Dragons won't descend too far to the ground unless you really anger them. But if you're trapped between a leviathan and a dragon, you're just dead."

Trillia closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. Just like that, they were flying low across the ocean. Her eyes shot open as she looked at him. "Doesn't your flight use mana?!"

Stas shook his head. "No. I can fly without the use of mana; it's just much slower. No talking. I have to concentrate on keeping my auras suppressed so that I don't accidentally piss something off."

Trillia didn't even nod; she just went silent. Glancing behind her, she watched as the landscape turned into a speck and then vanished.

-=- Six Weeks Later -=-

Trillia collapsed on the ground. Everything hurt. Everything was sore. She had been trapped in almost the same position the entire time. They'd come across two tiny islands during the whole six-week travel time.

Stas started a small fire for her, pulling out her other belongings and putting a bedroll on the ground. "We'll camp here for a couple of days so that you can recover. Good job on making it across. It's not an easy trip."

Trillia barely heard those words as she dragged herself onto the bedroll and promptly passed out.

-=- Three Days Later -=-

For whatever reason, they were on foot. Trillia didn't quite understand it, but Stas' mood was rather sour, and she had no intentions of bothering him. The beach had large trees with what looked like giant fans of leaves on them. A hard circular brown fruit with liquid inside hung at the top of the branches. If you could break them open, they were quite tasty.

"May I use my [Mana Sight]?"

When Stas nodded, she activated it.

Palm Tree:

The name tree is a bit of a misnomer. Palm Trees do not produce soft or hardwood but are instead closer to grass or other firm plants. It grows a fruit called a coconut.

Alchemical Uses: The 'sap' from a palm tree can be utilized to boost health potions as well as being a core ingredient in stamina regeneration potions.

[Crab - Blue Crab - 7] Water Mana Manipulation

Crab:

Crabs are a crustacean. Like most crustaceans, they do not grow linearly. Instead, having to molt a hard exterior shell, leaving them vulnerable until their new shell hardens. Most crabs can regenerate lost limbs, albeit very slowly.

[Bird - Seagull - 13] Wind Mana Manipulation

It went on and on, Trillia taking in all of the new information. The beach gave way to a rocky hill. Stas grabbed her with his spider limbs and scaled the thing was the same unnatural speed at which he approached everything else. As they stood atop the hill, Trillia was once more left speechless. There before her was a place that rolled on seemingly forever.

Great hills of sand like the beach, no plants or creatures seemed to roam this land. Trillia turned her head to Stas.

"The Desert of the Forsaken Sage. That's what we monstrous races call it. From what I remember, an ogre got lost here. They were visited by a deity who made them an offer. The deity would save their life in exchange for eternal servitude. The ogre, being too desperate to ask for more information or details, readily accepted. The deity twisted and broke their soul, turning them into a lich. Not living, not dead. Trapping them on these sands for all eternity."

Trillia shivered a bit, looking out at the desert. "That seems cruel. Are all deities so cruel?"

Stas nodded without a moment of hesitation. "Yes. They will twist and turn their words for their own benefit. Deities view us mortals the same way we view ants or caterpillars. Necessary for the cycle of life to continue, but you aren't going to notice crushing them under your boot as you walk through life."

Doubt tried to creep into her mind. With the help of her traits, she quickly crushed it. She had made up her mind, and it was far too late to turn back now.

Stas pulled out a thin white cloth. "Wrap this around your head. It will obscure your vision slightly, but will prevent you from getting sand in your eyes and mouth. You have fire resistance, at least, so the heat won't bother you."

Trillia nodded and did as she was told. Once more, Stas used telekinesis to lift her, and they began the long trek across the desert. She briefly debated asking why they weren't flying, but she figured he knew best.