Black Magus

Amun spoke as if he planned on conquering the city. Yet his actions belied such notions. His girls entered the cavern and began speaking to Zaraxus and the other draugr who soon awoke as if they were long-lost friends. The beasts took up various positions around the place to lounge or, in the case of the white wolf, to gnaw on frozen corpses. Amun, on the other hand, did his training, ate a meal cooked by one of the girls, and smoked on a pipe before lounging around for minutes upon hours. I did not even want to stop him or tell him he could not. Not because of the beasts or undead either, but simply because it was the first time I could observe him in his natural state.

He seemed... peaceful. So… happy, an emotion our language had no word to describe, not without it having darker implications. It was an emotion felt by no drow I'd known before. At least in the sense in which I witnessed from him. So of course, it made High Matron Etyl discontent, but for the first time in her life, there was nothing she could do about it. Not without displeasing the Queen Demon Spider.

<<"You planned this from the start.">> High Matron Etyl approached with an accusing finger pointed towards the alleged God of Gods. <<"You knew about these humans from the start. Their nature. How they would react. Even the name of their rulers. How?">>

<<"Er... I have a giant eye floating above the sky.>> Amun crudely snorted, much to the Matron's annoyance.

That, however, served as the final piece to the puzzle. The rock above. The Second Sun, as the surface dwellers called it. The one that appeared just after the great void tree brought the peninsula into a state of temporary panic. I wanted to ask, and with the High Matron's attention so focused on Amun, I figured now was my chance and thus heard my voice echo through my mind's eye. 'That is your power? A rock in the sky?'

'… one of them.'

Despite my experience from before, part of me did not expect any particular response. Thus when I heard the calm voice reverberating through my soul, I could not hide my surprise. Thankfully, though, High Matron Etyl's focus was turned away from my widened eyes as she pestered Amun further.

<<"What is your aim now that you have rejoined with your undead?">>

'Gloom panther caught your tongue?' Amun's laugh echoed in my head while his body shrugged carelessly. <<"I aim to move further down my paths.">>

The wince of her eye told me she caught the distinction of his words, yet she said nothing. So I prayed further. 'You are the Destroyer, I know. But… you are a God, are you not? The God of Gods. Of what domains?'

<<"And what does that entail?">> High Matron Etyl scowled.

<<"Well.">> Amun shrugged again. <<"You've inquired about my toys. Care for a little demo?">>

He did not wait for our answer. Not that I could have. My mind was spinning with the possibilities. Enchanting. Artificing. Crafting. Any and everything could be a part of a deity's portfolio. But only the strongest aspect became the domains that granted power to their faithful. For the Queen Demon Spider, those domains were Demon Spiders, Fate, Chaos, and Drow. Yet her portfolio included everything from Assassins and Deception to Darkness.

But what of Amun, I wondered. Darkness, undoubtedly, but also death had to be in his portfolio; two things Drow could employ with great efficiency; and so too could we employ whatever artistic art that may or may not have been a part of his domain. It went beyond that, though. If Amun, a male drow, was truly the God of Gods, he could release us from the horrific fate of living under Lilith's fangs.

Even then, I dared not ask him, though. Instead, I decided to wait and see if he showed me if such was the case. And so, I watched with unblinking eyes as he teased us with a fine three-sectioned staff, a curious hand crossbow, and a staff with a sling affixed to the end; all heavily enchanted.

<<"Would you like to try them out?">>

<<"Perhaps after you finish your Walk.">> I said before the High Matron could speak, risking a beating in the process. Yet she said nothing other than a soft prayer to utilize a detection spell. Then offered a nod of recognition before giving him the space to meditate. Thus marking hours of frustrating boredom for the High Matron.

On the contrary, I was quite intrigued, for there were subtle actions I noticed while observing. First, Amun did not begin meditating immediately. He gathered four undead and infused them with power. What kind, I could not tell, but I was at least able to detect that familiar blue flash before they disappeared into darkness; returning moments later with metal bones and enchanted equipment. He then spent up to two hours muttering strange things to the wolves. He gave them great feasts, offered apologetic words, and made odd promises. Then he played with them. They chased each other, playfully fought, nuzzled together, and remained still for long moments while the girls looked on mournfully.

I noticed the focus ring sitting before the throne once Amun joined his Death Jarl in meditation. The four hundred he tinkered with sat in a square around them, carving lines into the ice to form the most basic of Arcane Glyphs, the Glyph of Stability. Sixteen more zombies formed up next, with many of them forming a pair of rings that converged on their King and Sovereign at the center, the Glyph of Fusion. The rest of the 16 arranged themselves around them to form the Glyph of Life, then used the 20 skeletons to draw up the Glyph of Wisdom, with the Glyph of Power hidden within being represented by them standing with their hands clasped before their chests.

When the cavern took on a darker hue some four hours later, the girls adopted a sudden sense of purpose and darted into the cold night toting spears and tridents. An hour after that, the undead began chanting.

It started as a singular rasp from ruptured lungs. A deathly rattle that was soon joined by countless others. Their voices sang from the shadows, offering a wordless requiem for the dead that was soon to be. The barbarians, us, or Amun, I could not discern, and so I remained, petrified in a tormented state of suffering and awe.

High Matron Etyl of House Za'Darmondiel was not as fortunate. She plugged her ears as best she could until the haunting sound became too much for her to bear, wherein she shouted with all her might. <<"This is the darkest night! Why do you wait?">>

I wanted to stop her. Yet there was no way I could. She was a High Matron of the eldest and most honored Drow House in all the realms. Being my mother meant nothing in the face of that. A single uttered word and I would catch a first-hand glimpse of Amun's monastic way. And no such thing empowered the likes of me. Moreover, my stopping her would have interrupted Amun's meditation further. Not to mention the draugr meditating around him would have turned their scowls to me instead. So, I stayed silent and watched.

She did not.

<<"Daybreak draws closer with each passing moment!">> She hissed. <<"Each minute, you lose your advantage!">>

<<"Not so.">> Amun calmly replied, hardly breaking his concentration. Though the pale king sneered at her dangerously. <<"Dawn is when I am strongest.">>

'That's it!' I realized 'Twilight!'

<<"Wipe that idiotic look off of your face!">>

I know not if it was a blessing or a miracle, but the familiar signs of Amun's development saved me from her wrath at the last moment. As quickly as her hand snapped up, her neck twisted toward the viscous necrotic energy pouring from the eyes of the pale king like magma. His skin rotted away as the molten fires fell from his eyes first, then from the undead around him in a spreading wave. The energy pooled and poured from their laps like great falls that gathered in the cracks of the various glyphs, adding a cacophony of throbbing hums as they activated in sequence around the focus circle, emitting a majestic glow to reflect from the multifaceted ceiling as they became self-sustaining.

It glowed brighter and burned hotter as it cascaded towards the center, draining everything from the live husks until the fires in their eyes tapered off, and they began to crumple in pairs. Two. Then four. Then eight and then sixteen. The last drops of that blue-green liquid dripped from their sockets and flowed along the glyphs in the floor until they were but ash and bone, leaving a square of four undead with burning fires in their eyes to maintain the Glyph of Stability. The same undead he was tinkering with earlier. Metal-boned zombies of water, ice, steam, and lightning.

In anticlimactic fashion, however, there was no explosion of ethereal fire or haunting visions when the energy flowed into him and Zaraxus. Only a wreathe of blue-green fire faded as he stood, baring his devilish grin to the realms.

<<"The final Necrotic Ki Pond has opened?">> I eagerly approached, spurred on by the combined forces of genuine excitement and the intense desire to distance myself from the High Matron.

Luckily, Amun was excited too. "A perk with a domain effect, and a new passive nature to my Ki." He commented in the Common Tongue.

<<"What is it?">> I felt the hot breath of Matron Etyl behind me.

"Consume the Living." He cryptically replied, then made a strange clicking sound with his tongue.

The room exploded into movement at the call. The owls flew over to perch on Amun's shoulder just as the four zombies abandoned their glyph to make for the exit. Meanwhile, the fox and wolves reared up to claw inter-dimensional rifts into space and leap through while the Head repositioned itself to our side, seemingly to watch Amun smoke.

<<"Why do you stall?">> Matron Etyl shouted after a few long moments.

Amun sighed with unbridled patience. "Because now isn't the time to strike, Etyl. Calm down, alright. I know what I'm doing."

The High Matron began to shout out a reply, only to be cut off by Amun reaching into a pit of shadow. "Just put these on and try not to be noticed."

That got a proper scowl out of her. Yet the black and gold ring thrown to her shortly after kept any venom from spewing through her tongue, choosing instead to utter another detection spell before a curious glint flashed across her eye.

<<"Light! Heheha! >> Matron Etyl gasped hysterically, just as I slipped the ring over my finger and saw my vision turn black. <<"Light that causes no pain! Twilight!">>

My sight returned a moment later. However, stuck within my field of view was a sphere of absolute darkness rimmed by golden light. It morphed and stretched as I stared, forming a... window of sorts. Or a mirror that showed me and the High Matron from the perspective of those floating eyes- the Satellites, staring at us as they drifted around Amun.

"Now then." The Elven Devil rose to his feet with a wicked grin. "Let's give these intruders a proper welcome."

***

Blude.

***

"You think he'll kill them all?"

Without looking up or over, I shrugged without a care. "It's their fault for not leaving him alone."

That was the truth and I hated it. Things were so different in Bakewia. In Winwell, at least. No one there had the power to fight so it never even crossed their minds. Not that they wanted to in the first place, given everything Ed's done for them. But here, and in places where people fought all the time, they seemed excited to turn their blades on Amun the moment they saw him.

The realization that I wasn't so different was… painful.

It felt like a lifetime ago. I remember so much fear when I saw him for the first time. We made so many assumptions. We agreed to rash decisions that could have cost us our lives. Not to say he would have killed us. But I doubted we would have survived on our own if we turned tail like we planned. Perhaps the only difference between us and them was their foolishness and strength in comparison to ours. We were wise and weak while they were unwise and strong, thus they stood against him. But even then, just like them, we hardly gave him a chance.

I was ashamed to think it took this long to consider his feelings during that time. Only after I trained with that old drow and traveled across Shujen did I even consider how it felt to have others see someone in such a light. Yet, he smiled through it all, treating others the same regardless of their species or station. He helped us. He fed us. He housed us. He educated us. He gave us power. Yet…

"What have done to repay him?" It was a mumble, but it carried through the waters of Shujen Bay like a roar all the same. So the others turned on their coral outcrops to look at me with raised brows, and I pressed on. "He's done everything for us. In return, we've done nothing but ask for things. And here he is, making himself a monster to do the same for these two. I want to be an example to them. And I want to repay Amun for everything he's done for us a hundred times over. We owe him our lives."

With that, the small face hovering at the edge of my vision brightened just before Iris' voice rang in my head. {"e doesn't want you to.'}

"I don't care, Iris!" I shouted. "I'm going to find a way to, whether he likes it or not!"

"How?" Redd asked.

"I… I dunno."

"Well, we're still building the resort, right?" Redd asked. "We can open it up to his guild, or something. I dunno."

"No." I sat up straight. "No… that's it! We can provide entertainment for the Legions in their off time, hidden beneath the sea. And we can do what was done for us too. Teach those in poverty to fend for themselves; get them on their feet enough to survive on their own. On top of that, I'll make sure these two do the same." I looked at the windows hovering around me. One, sharing what Iris was seeing, was a picture of a huge man with boyish features. Or, at a closer glance, he just looked like a huge boy maybe a year or two older than me. The other coincided with the map of glowing lines around me. Showing a girl who was a bit bigger than me, shivering in the forest with a bunch of wolves.

{Order: Extraction.}

"This is our first job." I sighed, swimming to float above the sea floor. "Let's try not to fuck it up."