***The World***

***Karin***

“No thanks, James,” I wave my hand diminutively, refusing the offered piece of ham from Ascathon’s newest minion. The dried up husk of a man, a zombie, shrugs and shambles off with the plentiful plate of breakfast dishes while dragging his feet. I follow his jerky retreat, horrified that a thing like him can even move.

Ascathon's newly employed 'butler' is nothing more than pale skin over a skeleton of bones. His pale lips and eyeballs retreated deep into his skull, turning him into a caricature of the human he once was. Had I encountered this creature before I was practically adopted by Ascathon and Willow, I would have thought of it as the personification of death itself. It doesn’t help that someone gave him a complete butler’s outfit.

Of course, I know better by now. Apart from me, James is probably the least dangerous being in this room.

“Would you hand me the salt, dear,” Ashley asks from the other side of the table, pointing a delicate finger at the bottle with salt. “And don't be so cold to the new employee. He isn't to blame for his current undead state. It's what's happens when Diana sucks you dry and a necromantic god decides to use the remains.”

I shove the bottle of salt closer to Ashley, allowing it to slide over the table. The succubus smiles with her sinuous red lips and spices her scrambled egg with a generous amount. A strand of hair falls into her face as she opens her delicate lips to test the taste and she brushes it back, tugging it behind her tiara-like horns. Even though it's early in the morning, the succubus matriarch looks like sex personified in her scandalous black dress.

Contrary to that, Willow is more like me, her bed-hair an unruly mane. She also chose casual clothes, a blue t-shirt and white trousers, which she must have picked for comfort rather than looks. I purse my lips when I read the provocative 'Squeeze for milk.' on the shirt and look down at myself, once more feeling diminished.

Quickly, I slap my own cheek. Think cheerful thoughts! I am young! Still growing!

Ashley, Ascathon, Willow and I met up in the kitchen area earlier this morning to enjoy breakfast together and to talk about the current state of affairs in order to coordinate our plans. Well, mostly to coordinate our plans with Ascathon. So far, the god took some steps to shape the world according to his wishes, but I'll be damned if there was any organized intention behind his actions up until now.

Willow tried to explain the affairs of the gods to me, but I still fail to grasp the greater picture. Even knowing the age of these people, I fail to understand how someone can become so indifferent to life. Or is it more that time and age made them apathetic towards the struggles of others?

Will I become like them in a few hundred years? Will the lives of mortals be nothing more to me than what I feel towards insects right now?

Still, I can't stop myself from following the walking corpse with my eyes as he switches between tasks in the kitchen. Why does the living area have to be combined with a kitchen? It's bad design, not to mention that the poor guests have to smell the cook's work. “It's just that... isn't it unhygienic to have a dead person touch your food? It’s icky.”

“It's perfectly fine,” Ascathon replies while chewing on a piece of ham which was delivered by James. For once, the god isn't in dark leather armour, but in baggy, grey trousers and a shirt which look very comfortable while allowing him complete freedom of movement.

He continues, “And James isn't so much a zombie, but more like a ghoul. To fulfill his wish, I dumped the remains that Diana left behind into formaldehyde for disinfection. Then I brought the body back to unlife, but I made him a little more than a basic zombie so that I wouldn't be bothered with maintenance work. Then I hooked him up to the synaptic learning machine and uploaded everything a good servant needs. He is perfect! Soulless, completely dedicated to his purpose, and absolutely hygienic because he doesn't have a metabolism. No sneezing, no unwashed hands after the toilet. In many ways, he is superior to a living cook.”

“I am still not convinced that you acted according to the intent of the man's wish.” Willow pokes at her food, and I feel a little better that at least one other person doesn't want her food to be touched by something that looks like a corpse. Raising an eyebrow, Willow digs into her scrambled egg and retrieves something that looks like aluminum foil. “Are you sure that you managed to preserve James’s eyesight? It seems like he threw some of the packagings in with the food.”

Ascathon clears his throat. “Well, he is a ghoul. They don’t have the best of eyesight when it’s bright. Maybe I’ll scoop out his eyes and replace them with electronics when there is time. I think I still have some prosthetics lying around which I originally intended for you, Willow.”

The elemental doesn’t look up from picking her food apart. “Would you please stop using the left-overs from other projects when you experiment on people? At some point, you will do something that can’t be taken back.”

Ascathon shrugs. “Believe me or not, but I always consider my experiments very carefully and everything I use is high quality. And regarding James’s wish: He said that he wanted to be immortal. It's not my fault that he didn't understand the nature of his wish.” He spears another piece of ham with his fork and adds a piece of boiled egg. “What should I have done? His soul was already immortal when he made the request. Nothing will ever change that. The only thing that was perishable was his mortal body, so I turned his body immortal. Who cares that Diana sucked out his soul? He never specified that his body and his soul have to stay in one piece and I would rather not have a despicable person like him around.”

I slowly chop my own boiled egg into smaller pieces, considering Ascathon's words. “What happens if a succubus takes a person's soul? Isn't that a bad thing?”

“Oh, not at all, Dear,” Ashley replies. “It's a traditional technique for succubi so that they can always have their partners with them, or at least their memories. We can utilize sex-magic to weaken the bonds of the metaphysical anchor between the soul and the body. Then we absorb this anchor into ourselves, which allows us access to all the soul's memories. Afterward, we know everything our partner knew.”

“It's basically a technique to steal memories,” Ascathon clarifies.

“Yes, though please don’t say it like that. It’s a holy act and ‘stealing’ sounds so mundane and wrong.” Ashley chimes and nods. “Once all the memories the succubus wants are absorbed, the anchor is ejected, allowing the soul to rejoin the reincarnation process and begin a new life, clean and completely purified.”

“Just to bring this into perspective, that’s the worst thing that could happen to an immortal, or anyone for that matter,” Ascathon adds. “It means that you are reduced to level zero and have to start climbing the ladder of ascendency anew. Should something like that happen to a god, he would be effectively reduced to a mortal. It's also why I gave James a new name.” He furrows his forehead. “Not that I ever got to asking for his real name before I fed him to Diana...”

“You could ask her,” Ashley suggests. “If you are lucky, she still remembers it. She is a good girl.”

For a moment, Ascathon seems tempted, but then he shakes his head. “Nah, he was just a random cultist. Not worth remembering.”

“That's horrible!” I gulp. “To steal memories like that!”

Ashley raises a finger, wagging it at me. “Ah, ah. We don't speak of it like that. It's a sacred ritual of purification to all of succubus-kind. Only highly regarded mates get to experience it.”

Willow clears her throat. “Maybe that's why all the male demons are so violent and seek death in battle rather than at home.”

The succubus matriarch pauses and considers that, but shakes her head after a moment of indecision. “That's surely not the reason. Why would they willingly give up the chance to be forever in their lover's heart? You must be mistaken.” Then she continues eating, the matter clearly already forgotten.

Ascathon takes in a long breath and lets out a lungful of air from between his lips. Finished with his food, he places his knife and fork on the empty plate and shoves it a little further away from him so that he has space for his arms on the table. “Which brings us to the original reason for this meeting. I think that all of you already know that Luxley and this Order of Chaos are setting up a political and religious faction in my name. So far, I haven't done much to assist them.”

“Myrm is doing the same in the northern part of the continent,” Willow adds. “My sources are telling me that she has a well-established foothold in the Tilien Kingdom, a place with a long history of religious worship. The whole area is former Sociocrathy territory, and the people there never really stopped practising their religion.”

“Urgh.” Ascathon tightens his grip on his fork. “The Sociocrathy and their religion... how I despised those guys. Back then I shouldn't have killed just their priests and the leadership. I should have manufactured some plan to wipe out the entire population and finish the job. That's what I get for kindness.” He turns to look at me. “Always remember, don't fight the people, fight the idea. Religion is like a tumour in people's minds.”

I nod, even though I have no clue what he means.

Returning his attention to Willow, he points his fork at her, furrowing his forehead. “How is it that you are so well informed?”

The elemental sighs, still busy with her food. “I may be a reclusive shut-in who is hiding in this base, but I am still interested in what's going in the world. There are several people who give me regular reports on the overall political situation.”

He nods. “I personally would like to do nothing and leave the mortals to their own fate. But as we all know, the World Enchantment and the Council leave me little choice in this matter. My short-term goal is to make my religion known so that I won't get summoned to every random shithole the World Enchantment can drag me into. Goal number two is to eventually find a glitch in the system. Whoever created this World Enchantment has already proven his or her incompetence. I am sure that with time it's possible to find a pattern I can abuse.”

He reaches for his neck, rubbing the amulet there between two fingers. “I have started research on the matter. Unfortunately, it seems to be not that easy to destroy a World Enchantment. They are like a self-replicating Ward spell which spreads across the world. I am still surprised how anyone could be insane enough to let magic of that kind loose, so this will be a long-term project. It would have been easy if there was something that I can break to end the nightmare, but that’s not the case. It’s also the reason why Tjenemit and his ilk have a hard time making changes to the World Enchantment. They have to design other World Enchantments which spread in the same manner and change the purpose of the existing one. Rather than to simply dispel the World Enchantment, I would have to create a World Enchantment with the purpose of deleting the original, somehow making sure that I get every little piece of it, or it would simply reassemble itself.”

I raise both eyebrows. There is magic which Ascathon is reluctant to use? But he is right. If a World Enchantment is that hard to get rid of, then making one without strenuous testing sounds like a very stupid idea. Then again, didn’t Willow say that Tjenemit and this Council are using this world and others as a pilot project? Just who are these Council guys, to use an entire world for an untested experiment?

Sadly, I have a feeling that Ascathon wouldn’t be any different if he had sufficient reason for a dangerous experiment. After getting to know him in person, I agree that he deserves his reputation. At the very least, I can imagine him blowing up a town for no other reason than that it would have been too much of a hassle to conduct a dangerous experiment in a deserted countryside.

“Coming back to the matter with the mortals.” He waves his fork through the air. “I think all of the older people in this room have enough experience to imagine how a freely run religion and general fanaticism can turn into a living hell for its own followers. I don't want that to happen with something that has my name on it.” Turning his head, he looks at Ashley. “Ashley, it would be nice if you and your daughters could infiltrate the mortals and influence them as we originally planned.”

She nods. “We will be glad to do so. But I am sure that my daughters will want to have some fun once in a while. You can't expect a succubus to work all day long without having some fun.”

He waves his hand dismissively. “This world doesn't lack people who deserve getting eaten. There are surely more mortals than you and your daughters would ever want. I have prepared some papers with general guidelines of what I imagine for my religion. It would be nice if you could start influencing the mortals accordingly. I have complete faith in your methods.”

Furrowing my forehead, I look questioningly at Willow.

The elemental smiles and answers my unspoken question. “Succubi are the spies of the demon world. Their special skills make them not only perfect partners, but it also gives them the ideal disposition to influence people.”

“I suppose...” I reply carefully. The fact that each of them has several thousand years of experience may also be a helping factor.

Ascathon clears his throat and I return my attention to him.

For once, he looks unsure. “The only question that I am not entirely sure about is whether or not I should allow other faiths beside my own.”

“You mentioned that there are over a dozen deities who are also caught in the World Enchantment with you,” Willow confirms in a questioning tone. “If that’s the case, then wouldn’t it be bad to forbid their worship? Even if the gods themselves don’t care about being worshipped, wouldn’t it automatically drive their worshippers into the arms of your opposition? Therefore, turning these deities into your enemies, whether they want to or not? After all, they will have to react to their worshipper’s prayers in some manner.”

“That’s a reasonable argument,” Ascathon admits. “So far, only Myrm seems to be in direct opposition to me. That’s because he represents my direct opposite, but I have a feeling that we would have come to blows in any case. Turning away the followers of other gods would turn them into my enemies, and therefore the gods they worship. A very good point. Just as I have no other choice, those deities would have to take actions against me.”

Ashley runs a finger down her chin, tapping it in thought. “Hmm… Willow is right, but maybe you are also putting too much weight on the opposition of other deities. Didn’t you say that Tjenemit gave the gods only a year during which they are allowed direct intervention? If that’s the case, then other gods will cease to matter that much in the great picture. Rather than direct opposition, other religions will become competition for your own.”

“It would still turn them against me and I am still not entirely sure what Tjenemit meant with direct intervention. Does this mean that I am no longer allowed to raise my hand against mortals? That all I can do is to hand out power on a silver platter? Or am I just not allowed to raise my hand against the followers of another god. That's why I am trying to gather mortal avatars who are able to act in my stead.”

A chill runs down my spine as I realize for the first time what it means to be a god's avatar. Will Myrm be allowed to strike me down as he wishes? Suddenly it seems like a very good idea to have assistance on my side, so I raise my hand as if I am in a classroom. “Unless you actively include other deities in your religion,” I suggest, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “I- I- mean… the northmen do it. They have a deity for almost everything in their pantheon. Who says that your religion has to be only about you?”

“Hmm.” Ascathon scratches his chin in thought. “I am not the most popular of people, but there may be one or two deities who I can blackmail...”

“Di- didn't you mention that there are over a dozen deities in the current pantheon?” And he says that of all of them only one or two would join him... because of blackmail!

“Yes, but please understand that such things take time, Karin.” He looks at me. “Alliances are always something that has to be considered very carefully.”

Then he claps his hands together. “In any case, I was thinking about sending you on a trip, Karin. There is this particular dimension which seems perfect to give you battle experience and I suppose that the inhabitants are neither too strong nor too weak for you. After a few more weeks of tutoring when I can be sure that you have the basics down, I will send you there for a year or two.”

“A year!?” I burst out.

“Oh, my poor child.” Willow wipes at her eyes. “They grow up so fast. What will I do if you have grown up by the time you return?”

“That's why you are joining her.” Ascathon throws in. “The child needs a chaperone.”

“Me!?” Willow shrieks, dropping her fork. “What did I do for being sent to exile!? This is my home, I don't want to go on a trip!”

Ascathon sighs. “Don't make this harder than it is. I'll check in on you as often as I can. But the following months will be very busy and... stuff happened... in the Crystal City, involving the Council. To say the least, I am concerned and I want you two out of the way for a while. Ashley can take care of herself and open a portal to another dimension if things get out of hand, but neither of you two can walk the planes between the worlds. Willow is a good teleporter, but that's it. I want you two in a safe place until I am sure that things aren't in immediate danger of blowing up on this world.”

That takes Willow aback. She clearly never before saw Ascathon concerned for her well being. “What happened?”

He purses his lips, considering what to tell us. But then he shakes his head. “It's nothing tangible. Just strange stuff. Creatures which are able to hurt gods who have their aura released, strange things going on between the Council members. It's not like I suddenly have definite proof that something will happen. To be honest, I am clearly overreacting, but I thought about sending Karin on an educational trip before that, and expediting things now might get both of you out of the way of future trouble.”

The elemental nods slowly and turns to me. “Karin, we are packing. Ready yourself for a long vacation.”