A Solitary God In A Dark Multiverse 71 Gaining Servants

I immediately turned my attention to my mini-map and inspected it to see where Raiz, Troik, and the elves were. I was delighted when I saw that they weren't over at the still activate zone of "Unfettered divinity". Seeing that brought a smile to my face and allowed me to turn my full attention to my two dark elven companions.

I looked at them and spent a second targetting them. And then I cast "Teleportation", whisking them out of here and into the same spots where Calorron and Farrane had just stood. A second later I followed them there, vanis.h.i.+ng in a flash and reappearing in the forest I had spent the early morning in.

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The span of time it took for the three of us to leave the chamber we had met in was a mere few seconds. And when I met the dark elves once again both of them were reeling from the sudden exposure to the sun. I chuckled and refocused to target them, before bestowing them with a single blessing: that of the domain of light.

Doing so merely took me looking at them and willing them to experience the sun's kiss on their skin. As soon as I wanted them to be blessed by the domain of light, I felt a rush of power flow out of me and into them. I watched as both of them fell to their knees, and as they read whatever notification they had just received.

"So it's true..." Lilith muttered, truly stunned by what she was reading. Her eyes were filled with an emotion that hadn't crossed her face until just now: awe.

"He really is... a G.o.d." Uttered her fellow historian. His voice was reverential, as he was truly in awe of the power I displayed.

Both of them finished reading whatever notification they had received at the same time and their gazes snapped upwards. They had calm expressions on their faces and their eyes were surprisingly tranquil. It was when they spoke though that I was the most surprised.

"Althos... What are your intentions? Your true intentions?" Asked the male dark elf. I chuckled. It seemed that he didn't believe that I was being honest earlier about my desires. I turned my gaze so that I could stare at him.

"I am building an empire. An empire that serves me. That wors.h.i.+ps me. I seek to add Aronms to it. I wasn't lying." I told him, speaking honestly. "I intend to become the overlord that rules over Aronms. A living G.o.d and the figure from which all other power is granted." I explained to the dark elf.

Lilith listened to my answer, her eyes widening when she also realized that I wasn't joking or lying. She spoke now, her voice filled with curiosity.

"What will you do to those who intend to oppose you?" She asked, looking at me in a whole new light now. I sighed.

"I will convince them to accept the truth. In life... or in death." I told her, speaking somewhat honestly. I had the power to convince people to wors.h.i.+p me, and I intended to use it.

"I possess powers over the earth, light, darkness, and so much more. I will sneak into the places where I am not wors.h.i.+pped and make myself wors.h.i.+pped. I am a G.o.d. I will earn the wors.h.i.+p of the living, or I will accept the wors.h.i.+p of the dead." I told her, speaking arrogantly for a moment.

"I want this to be clear. I am the most powerful being either of you have ever or will ever meet. And I grow stronger every second. If you revere power, then there will never be a being you revere more than me." I declared, speaking sincerely.

"I can grant you power. Power to shape your city as you see fit. But for you to acquire said power, you must wors.h.i.+p. You must submit. Your pride is nothing to me. Discard it and become mine." I declared to the elves, before finally focusing on the male dark elf for the first time.

[Name: Drow Dragonspear (Level twelve monk)

Species: Dark elf

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Personal virtue: Chasity

Personal vice: Pride

Magic sensing: Drow isn't a particularly potent spellcaster. He is, on the other hand, an incredible warrior.

Faith sense: Drow lacks a cause to fight for or a master to believe in. What's worse is that because of his high-ranking position within Aronms hierarchy he isn't really below any specific individual. This leaves him directionless and adrift in a surprisingly hierarchical society.

Authority detection: Drow is a well-known individual and military-commander within the city of Aronms. He is one of the higher-ups within the military, and his suggestions are taken seriously.

Soul sense: Drow has the soul of a templar. Many templars are lawful warriors or monks who obey their divine masters with fervor and who love and adore the divine beings they follow. They are also skilled warriors who obey the edicts of their G.o.ds zealously.]

Learning more about the male dark elf made me smile. The dark elf, noticing my attention, bowed low and pa.s.sionately. I considered how to approach the directionless denizen of the darkness. And then I began to speak to him.

"Drow... I see your secrets. I feel how adrift you are without a master to serve. If you would serve me, you'd finally have a master that truly deserves to be served." I told the dark-elf.

"You've spent so long feigning service to mortals undeserving of your service. Mortals who never appreciated you and who never recognized your talents. Let today be the day that that past dies. That your old life comes to an end." I told him, before beginning to truly appeal to his pride.

"I recognize your power. Your pride. I delight in them." I told the dark elf, speaking truthfully.

"I could help you further advance your powers. By serving me you cease to be who you once were: someone people saw as a figure to be feared and you become who someone with your power was always meant to be: a recognized and valued servant." I told the dark elf.

I sensed the conflicted feelings my words stirred within him. He tensed up at what I was saying as if it conflicted with some value held by dark elves. But he also exhaled, releasing a breath I doubt he knew he was holding in at all.

"You are directionless, unsure of where to go or what to do. You are above the petty politics of Lilith. I need skilled warriors and respected commanders who are immune to the temptation of personal advancement and recognition. Come to where you are needed. Serve me." I told the dark elf, speaking sincerely. In response, he grinned at me.

"If I serve... What will I gain out of it?" He asked, beginning to seriously consider the words I was saying.

"If you serve you will gain the power to extend your people's power and authority. If you serve, I will be able to quicker in my conquest of Aronms, and thus add your people's might to my empire. This will open up new trade routes, and allow for more power and fear to be afforded to dark elves throughout the world." I told the dark elf, before adding on a few additional benefits.

"I can bless people who follow me. One of the benefits of that, as you've seen here," I said, gesturing to the sun-bathed forest around me. "Is that I can help people in various ways. I can also increase someone's stats using my blessings, making anyone I want into a champion." I told the thoughtful male.

"I can render people immune to the sun's burns and help them see in sunlight. Imagine the surface dwellers facing off against an army of dark elves?" I told the dark elf, chuckling as I envisioned an army of creatures even a quarter as powerful as Lilith or Drow being forced to defend themselves from the subterranean warriors.

Both of the dark elves also began to chuckle at that remark, themselves amused by it. After they finished chuckling, I rose a single finger in the direction of Drow.

"I can also grant cla.s.ses. A number of them. If you wish for power, all you need to do is tell me. I'll add to your power, blessing you and bestowing upon you a new cla.s.s. All it takes is accepting your rightful place as my servant." I told the dark elf.

"It is your destiny to become a valued and respected member of my forces. It is both of your destinies in fact. Serve me, in exchange for power. And gain so much more." I told them.

"Serve me, and use the power I grant you to pursue your own objectives. It is a mutually beneficial relations.h.i.+p. All it takes is, in Drow's case an embrace of pride, and in your case," I said, turning to Lilith more once. "An abandonment of arrogance. And in return, you gain power." I whispered, tempting both of the dark elves.

I sensed both of them consider my offer. I looked into their eyes and saw them weighing the benefits vs the drawbacks. A part of me was tempted to remind them of the vast power difference between us but I opted not to do so just yet. I didn't like resorting to violence or even the threat of it if I could help it, and I didn't feel the need to do so just yet.

I waited patiently while they mulled over my offer. A few moments pa.s.sed before Drow turned his gaze back to me. When he did so he refocused and waited for me to let my eyes fall on him. As soon as they did he began to speak.

"Master... I shall serve. What are your orders?" He asked, his gaze dropping as soon as he finished speaking. I chuckled, and rewarded him by granting him a cla.s.s: the templar cla.s.s. I then turned to Lilith.

"Althos... If we aid you in conquering our own home, what do we get out of it?" She asked. I chuckled and thought about how to reply to her. It didn't take me long to come up with a lie suitable for the occasion.

"By serving me you save your own life, that of your family, and those of your allies. I shall conquer Aronms. If I do it with your help it will take longer, but more dark elves will live. And every dark elf that dies shall arise and shall serve. I am a G.o.d of necromancy. You and your kin will serve in life, or in undeath. Only the truly blessed shall serve in both." I told her, my words falling over her easily.

"It is the destiny of Aronms to become mine. I can make it mine kindly, and keep the n.o.bility of the city intact, or I can go a different route. I'd prefer to conquer Aronms kindly and over the course of a few months, enacting changes slowly and organically, as opposed to using violence to storm the city. But if I choose violence I will devastate the city. I will leave it in ruins to show my power. After all, I could rebuild it. Don't make me do any of that Lilith." I warned the high-ranking city official.

I sensed my words fall over her. I watched her absorb them. And after a minute of quiet contemplation, she submitted. I grinned as I felt her become mine, surrendering her pride and choosing to embrace the power she knew I embodied.

"That's it." I told her, grinning as I spoke.

"Surrender is the right choice. Submission, to me anyway, is the only viable path forward." I explained, soothingly. That was when I received one mildly lengthy notification. I knew what it was, as I had just gained two evil-aligned servants.

I quickly opted to make that one notification even longer. I almost immediately came up with an easy to execute scheme.

At that moment I casually used telekinesis on Drow, gingerly lifting the dark elf into the air. He expressed shock at this, and after a few moments of shocked paralysis tried to move forward. I allowed him to do so, and he began to smile in delight. He believed he was flying! I knew so because my notification quickly grew even longer.

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[Details about the domain of evil:

The domain of evil is an alignment domain. The second alignment domain you've gained influence over. It is the domain that governs hate, maliciousness, violence, corruption, and sins.

To be a G.o.d of evil is to lord over murderers, tyrants, sinners, and misanthropes. It is to rule over the darkness that lurks in the heart of every creature. To expand and exploit such darkness to destructive and vile ends.

By becoming a G.o.d of evil you are becoming more than an evil G.o.d. You are becoming a G.o.d who possesses insidious powers and uses them to advance evil itself.

This domain is a cruel one, one that you can only gain influence over by behaving evilly and by creating cults that also behave evilly. Its powers are all related to the spread of evil and wickedness.

Evil domain pa.s.sive powers:

Evil kins.h.i.+p: Evil creatures are more amenable to you. They detect supreme evil within you and respect and enjoy it. This is especially true for evil outsiders.

Unholy energy manipulation: Unholy energy now infuses you and can be manipulated by you. This means that your attacks can deal extra damage to good-aligned beings, if you will it, or can corrupt them or the ground or air you stand on or in.

Corrupt areas leak unholy energy into those who inhabit or even cross over or through them. This energy gradually lowers the resistance someone feels towards the urges to act evilly.

Evil detection: You can now not only detect evil creatures more easily, but you can also filter your mini-map to detect areas of evil and where evil energy lingers.

Hate detection: You can detect what a creature hates. This power can be used to construct elaborate plots that lead to violence and wickedness.

Parasitic and verminous awakening: You can awaken parasites and vermin. This is due to the hatred humanoids feel for such things.

Parasites and vermin awoken by you, especially ones you create using verminous powers, become fully alive and wors.h.i.+p you. They are also bestowed an evil alignment. This is a synergistic power granted to you by the domain of evil and the vermin subdomain.

Demon master: This power is a necessary one to eventually become a demon lord. It grants you greater power over demons and causes them to recognize your power. It won't stop them from attacking you, but it gives you greater chances to recruit them and makes them manipulable by you. This power is synergistic, given to you by the domains of chaos and evil.

Evil epidemic: This is a triple synergistic power awarded to you by your influence over the domains of evil and diseases as well as the subdomain of corruption. With it, you can allow creatures to feel some reprieve from symptoms if they behave evilly. This rewards and obviously encourages evil behavior. It is a corruptive power.

Demonic infusion: As a G.o.d of chaos and evil you can infuse creatures with demonic qualities. Doing so opens them up to possession but also grants them a number of powers you can pick from and enhances their stats. This can be a curse on good creatures or a way to reward chaotic evil servants.

Evil domain active powers:

Empowerment: You can empower evil creatures for up to two hours a day. This power increases all of their stats for its duration. It's useable twice per twelve-hour-period.

Evil lure: You can select an area and infuse with the energy that makes it appealing for evil creatures to come to. You can use this to acquire evil servants.

Temptation: This twice per twelve-hour-period power allows you to select five individuals who'll spend the next two hours plagued by whispers that tempt them to behave evilly. This power can be used to relentlessly hound good people and eventually corrupt them.

Evil domain blessing and curse details:

The domain of evil awards evil creatures blessed by it with enhanced power, longevity, and charisma. The domain of evil curses good creatures cursed by it with increased vulnerability to temptation, violence, and hatred.

Air subdomain details:

The subdomain of air is a potent elemental subdomain that grants those who master it mastery over the air, flight, gases, and more.

By becoming a G.o.d of the air you are beginning to more fully lean into your nature as an elemental lord. You gain, among other abilities, the ability to manipulate the air, create air spirits, fly, grant others flight, and detect things in the air.

In order to become a greater elemental lord and G.o.d of the air, you must acquire servants who wors.h.i.+p you as a wind master and as an aerial authoritarian. You must also create air-spirit servants who wors.h.i.+p and serve you.

Air subdomain pa.s.sive powers:

Aerial radar: This is a simple upgrade to tremorsense that allows you to detect flying creatures. It doesn't expand the range of your mini-map, but it does make it so that flying creatures no longer escape detection.

Aerial manipulation: You can manipulate the air and oxygen. You can use this to strike enemies with airwaves, create air currents, aid in travel and more. You can also generate weapons and arrows made of air currents and wind-armor or remove the oxygen out of an area.

Flight mastery: You can fly perfectly in the air and you can allow others to fly or take away their ability to do so. This power even works on creatures that normally always fly. This power allows for interstellar travel.

Infinite dexterity: As a G.o.d of the air your dexterity becomes unlimited. This means that your speed and your skill with your hands becomes maxed out, expanding even beyond the speed of light.

Oxygen adaption: You never needed oxygen to survive, but now your body instantly adapts to oxygenless s.p.a.ces. This power, combined with flight mastery, allows almost comfortable travel through s.p.a.ce. You still don't possess a temperature adaption power which is needed for truly comfortable interstellar travel.

Create air spirit: You can create spirits made of air and other gases. These spirits are loyal to you and can be used in a variety of situations. They also lack souls at birth at the moment.

Air subdomain active power:

Suffocation: You can actively draw out the oxygen that fills a creature's lungs. If they need oxygen to survive this can cause them to begin to die. You can use this fifteen times per twelve-hour-period.

Air subdomain blessing and curse details:

By blessing someone with the air subdomain you increase their speed, overall mobility, and adaptability to s.p.a.ces with low oxygen. By cursing someone with this subdomain you decrease their speed, lower their general mobility, and make them further dependent on oxygen.]

I smiled as I felt the upgrade to my "Tremorsense" power take hold. I relished the feeling of gaining even greater awareness of the world around me.