ONE MONTH LATER

*******

Ruth knelt in the middle of the underground area that Tamara had carved out beneath the Archives. Small arachnid shapes moved slowly and dutifully toward him from all corners of the room while Arathan and Tamara watched on from where they were observing near one of the smooth stone walls. The arachnids changed their method of travel as they neared him, some of them bursting into a run, some hopping up and down nearly a meter as they traveled forward in a lunge, and still others ducking behind their fellows in an attempt to use them as shields as they advanced.

The room filled with pops as the nearest arachnids along the floor and those that had been using them as cover to bulldoze forward were struck by arcs of electricity that snaked in quick strikes from Ruth’s body. Similar fates awaited the arachnids that had been leaping through the air. The aura projected forms of spiders burst apart and made small brilliant flashes before the energy dissipated. As impressively distracting as the light show was, Ruth didn’t open his eyes.

Thin lengths of gleaming golden spider silk suddenly came into view, the transparent and tiny strands hidden until the extra light flashed. It didn’t seem to make a difference. The arachnids deploying from the ceiling were similarly revealed as they came close enough to the top of Ruth’s head. Lightning snaked from his body, once more incinerating the translucent insects even after they gave up their slow and stealthy approach.

Once the light faded from the last flash Ruth opened his eyes and cast a quick look around. He lifted his arms up and looked under them, almost as if he were expecting the arachnids to be crawling over him.

“I don’t need to keep my eyes open,” he grudgingly admitted.

“Told you,” Tamara replied. “Lightning Ward is something that reacts to the presence of anything that approaches you, regardless of speed or visibility. Even if someone chunked a piece of rock at you it would still lash out and smack it as it approached.”

“I’m always grateful for new ways to kill rocks,” Ruth snorted.

“Coming from someone who routinely uses rocks to fight, I would suggest losing some of your disdain for them?” Tamara raised an eyebrow even as the crow on her shoulder was nodding along with a ‘that’s true’ sort of movement. Arathan was perched on her shoulder, having made herself smaller so she could sit comfortably.

Ruth scowled at the bird. It wasn’t just because he was a little bit jealous! Rush was still working out the ability to get smaller. Decreasing size or becoming smaller was apparently something that all soul shapes could do, with varying degrees of ease and success. It wasn’t that long ago that Rush had tentatively tried to sit on Ruth’s head after having decreased his size. A moment of inattention had left Ruth sprawled on the floor with a disgruntled and exasperated Rush laying on his chest with his small feet and tail akimbo. Rush was getting bigger every day.

Bigger on the outside every time that he got bigger on the inside.

“Show me,” Ruth called out boredly.

Tamara’s eyes always twitched with thinly diguised aggravation when he ‘summoned’ the immortal and deadly text. She had tried to explain to him that she was the one controlling it and he didn’t have to call out to the open air like that. He had tried to nod his head and convince her he was listening to her so she wouldn’t hurt him too bad.

It didn’t matter if she was the one controlling it or not. It was a small thing that really annoyed her and didn’t get him zapped.

The immortal and deadly text appeared and started to display the mana he had available to him but he shook his head, causing the golden box to freeze in the air and hover blankly.

“The full list.”

TCH

Ruth resisted the urge to smile.

Planar Tiefling: Ruth (Level 19) (Thick Skinned Tiefling/Lord Rush) (Lightning Specialized)

5 of 5 spell slots

Languages: Draconic, Under Common(Evil Races - Mastered)

★★★★ Limited Electrical Immunity

Mana / Regeneration Rate: (17/20) (3HR)

★Lightning Ward: 100%

★Lightning Chain: 100%

Conversion >

★★Lightning Ward (Mana Consumption 3, Upkeep 3)

★★Lightning Chain: (Mana Consumption 3)

★★★Lightning Wings: (Mana Consumption 4, Upkeep 4)

★★ Shock: (Mana Consumption 2)

★★Thunder Struck: (Mana Consumption 10)

★★Magnetic Field: (Mana Consumption 1, Upkeep 1)

★★★★★Devouring Plasma Wave: (Mana Consumption MAX) Effects: ???

Lord Rush: ★★★★★ Innate: SHAKE SHAKE

Ruth nodded, placing his hands above his head and stretching upwardly as he considered the pains and labors of the last month. Combat with the Castle Guard was slowly becoming a nice reprieve. Of particular pride to Ruth was the fact that Jeanne was no longer capable of being his sole competition in the afternoons. Sure Jeanne could beat the crap out of him and Ruth never won, but it tired Jeanne to the point where they’d started throwing in another soldier, Lina.

The joy of having proven to them that he couldn’t be contained by one person was somewhat diminished when the reality of his new opponent became apparent. Lina was diminutive in stature, barely coming up to his chest, wore thick leather that looked like it had moss growing on it, and stared vacantly through two soft blue eyes that hung under dirty blonde hair. Her ears were strangely pointed too, making Ruth wonder if she was related to some sort of creature. It was hard to tell if someone was a demi-human for him. They all mostly looked the same to him.

What she lacked in size she made up for with knives. Lots of knives. When he fought Jeanne he had assumed that there was some sort of rule in place that prohibited weapons. It seemed fair to him, at least, since he couldn’t use magic on them.

Merriweather had just smiled as the healer that had apparently staked her claim on him pulled out the three knives that were stuck in his calf, waist, and chest. She acted like it was beneath her by not bothering to reply to his complaints.

Ruth shivered at the memory. The itching and the burning pain had been awful, causing him to grimace and water to form at the edges of his eyes. Poppy, the healer, was never very gentle when she was removing knives. Add to that the weird look of euphoria she got in her face while healing him…

Most disturbing.

“We have a bit of time to kill, do you have any questions for me before we leave?” Tamara broke into his thoughts.

“Leave?” This was different. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “It’s almost sleep time.”

“Is that what you want to waste your questions on?” Tamara asked innocently. He scowled in response. It was rare for her to offer him answers to questions of his own. When he tried to get her to answer things without being invited he usually ended up smoking and twitching in the floor.

“Why do you call Arathan to make your little test...things?” Ruth decided not to squander the opportunity, instead focusing his mind toward a recent thing he’d been wondering about. Arathan was always called when creatures were created from aura to test spells or abilities. It confused Ruth somewhat, making him wonder if there were things that the goddess in front of him couldn’t do for herself. It would be useful knowledge. “Oh, also, when will I get my freedom?”

Tamara swept her hand. Ruth barely had time to blink before he found himself in the study on the couch instead of the cold stone room beneath the surface. He looked around with a bit of discomfort, paying special attention to the things nearest him. The last time she had impromptu moved him like this she had also placed hot tea in his hand. It had startled him so badly that he’d thrown the tea straight up, ruining the tea cup, the tea, and the small plate it had been resting on.

Sikes had said he wasn’t mad. Sikes had also managed to poison him seventeen times the following morning.

Ruth was relieved to find that she hadn’t put anything in his hands this go round. His eyes found her sitting in a chair nearby. Another small relief that he wasn’t lying in her lap. Tamara was a fucking weirdo.

“It is common for soul shapes to be able to form things out of aura. Is this so strange? Their bodies are primarily comprised of elements of aura, mana, and your soul space.” Tamara had given herself tea. Given? No, she must have used her speed while she was teleporting him to go to the kitchen and get herself some.

Ruth wrinkled his eyes in confusion. How did she have time to brew the tea?

Seeing the trick several times in a row made him think that Tamara perceived things much more rapidly than he did. Her sensory information was faster, somehow. It wasn’t just her reaction speed, which was fucking monstrous. Her perception was just… broader?

“So you can’t make shapes like that?” Ruth tilted his head, allowing the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

“I can,” Tamara smiled back at him, watching his face fall into disappointment. “If I had a proper spell or art to do it. Learning one would be easy. I probably even have the notes for different ones around somewhere. Why should I though? You’ll find that, except for rare bloodlines and enemies, most will choose their soul shapes to defend them from aura projections, or to assault their enemies with them. They are naturally gifted in that field, after all.”

“What if I wanted one?” Ruth perked up slightly at the idea of learning a new spell. Maybe Tamara was a massively powerful monster of brute force, but he could probably use such a spell at his level, couldn’t he?

“One of the reasons we stopped early tonight is that you are very near a tipping point in your...power.” The way she said power at the end made it apparent she was just being polite. She had made no effort to disguise her utter disdain for his abilities. Could he beat up everyone in this place if she let him use spells? Probably.

This place was, in her own words, was ‘a shithole playground for a debutante spider cunt with serious insecurities toward others’. Ruth didn’t really know what that meant, but he thought it had something to do with the fact that there were very few truly powerful people in this area. It was like everyone who lived here had been groomed to be purposefully weak somehow.

“Is that why I don’t have any more spells to test or learn with spell slots?” Ruth tilted his head.

“It’s bad for your foundations to learn too many right away.” Tamara nodded, confirming his suspicion. She was somehow responsible for choosing when he received new template spells.

“But Merriweather said,” he plunged onward even though he saw her eyes narrowing slightly, “...that my spells and abilities were all over the place. That I should either focus on being an all-rounder or specialize in something.” Ruth waited a moment, noting that Tamara was closing her eyes and breathing deeply. It was usually a bad sign. “You said I could ask questions,” he reminded her.

Tamara opened her eyes slowly, giving him a tight-lipped smile. “I did! Didn’t I?” She slowly pulled her lips back a bit, baring her teeth at him.

A smile. Merriweather had also explained to him that a smile was usually a friendly expression. Sometimes, when Tamara smiled, Ruth wondered if Merriweather was full of shit or just misinformed.

“She is right, after a fashion. Specializing in offense or defense or taking a more balanced view is the general advice for most beginners on any path. Choosing to focus on deadly spells at the expense of defensive ones, for example, is a very attractive path to many. The idea that you could kill your opponent before they get a chance to harm you entice many. In many ways this would seem to be your focus, wouldn’t it?” Tamara relaxed her grip on the tea cup. Ruth tried not to notice that she had pulverized the small handle and dust was falling from her hands on the plate.

Ruth nodded his head. Even his defensive abilities seemed to be predisposed toward violence. Lightning Ward hurt attackers that were close to him. It was useful as a space generator but didn’t actually protect him physically. Lightning Chain was similar in that regard. Ruth had no real way to protect his body, be it through enhancement or any sort of movement spell. Merriweather had assured him that both things existed. Ruth liked the idea of having his body protected by some spell so he could just take blows. He also liked the idea of moving really fast so he could avoid attacks. He didn’t know why Tamara didn’t give him one if she was the gatekeeper for his abilities.

“Correct after a fashion,” Tamara thrummed her fingers along the arm of the chair, eyes drifting off to the side in thought. “I could give you arts or templates that were used by others, but such initial guidance is thoughtless. The gifts I have given you were actually selected from your very own inherited memories. Abilities that you would have come to on your own, probably. Gifts that were just at the edge of activating for you anyway. I just gave you the extra mana and a gentle push in the right direction. I fear you’ve been making quite the mistake when you thought I was the one plucking spells and foisting them off on you,” she grinned idly.

An assumption that you made no effort to correct!

Ruth gritted his teeth. “Can you gently push me toward a movement ability or some other … thing?”

“Yes?” Tamara grinned. “...but no, I won’t. You’re very close to the cusp of a breakthrough in power. Your soul space is almost large enough to start accepting skills. When that happens certain changes in your soul space will occur. It’s best not to be too bloated down at that point. Afterward,” Tamara closed her eyes and nodded, almost as if to herself. “Yes, afterward, we will discuss more spells and a path for you.”

“Skills?” Ruth blinked. Merriweather had alluded to skills many times, repeatedly asking him if he had any. He was as confused now as he had been then.

“That’s a different question. Let me answer your other one. When you will gain your freedom? Are you not free now? What is the purpose of such freedom? Have you really considered what freedom is?” Tamara stood up and stretched lightly. Arathan was absent.

Ruth blinked rapidly, feeling slow for having not realized the bird was gone.

“You didn’t… answer my question?” Ruth finally managed.

“Didn’t I? You could walk out that door right now. You could head out into Under Arch and buck me at every turn. You already know that I have some sort of strange interest in you and am unwilling to damage you permanently, don’t you?” Tamara shrugged after he didn’t answer. “So, what is stopping you?”

It was true. All the circumstances of his confinement right now were somewhat voluntary. Ruth did not have to spend the mornings with Sikes and be poisoned. He did not have to go and train in combat with the soldiers. He did not have to be subjected to the weird room. He could walk out right now and just head back up into the garden.

I do not want to be in the garden.

I do not want to be a member of the guards, either.

Ruth frowned and started to slump in his seat.

“You are starting to see it aren’t you? Freedom is not enough. Out there, with no opportunities or friends… it is even worse.” Tamara shrugged. “What if someone like me just happened to take an interest in you and weren’t as kind as I?”

Ruth finally looked up and rolled his eyes at her. “Yes, your tenderness is legendary.”

She chuckled in a rare display of appreciation for his backtalk. “Perhaps it’s fortuitous that we’re having this conversation. There is a rare event occurring soon. I am able to bring you to observe.”

“If I refuse?” He snorted, not fooled for a moment by the roundabout way she spoke.

“I would bring you anyway,” she admitted quietly. “...because you are weak.”

Ruth narrowed his eyes at her. “It won’t always be so.”

Tamara tilted her head slightly as she studied him. It surprised him that she didn’t immediately disagree with him. She seemed to be searching for something in his expression. There was an intensity there that was flaring up. A hunger in the eyes that she displayed from time to time. Ruth didn’t understand it, but it still made him uncomfortable.

“Maybe,” she nodded slightly.

Tamara lifted her arm and Ruth winced, getting ready for the weird feeling of being torn bodily through space… He looked up when nothing happened. Tamara still had her arm up, considering him thoughtfully. “...normally, I would like nothing more than for you to cause trouble wherever we go. In the future, it is fine. This time, I require silence of you. Do not speak unless addressed directly. Understood?”

Ruth sat straight up, eyeing her with renewed interest. He did his best to feign disinterest.

A chance to fuck things up for you?

“I understand,” Ruth smiled.

***************

When the disorientation ended Ruth went to his knees and started retching. The loss of the half-digested bread rocks coming from his body distressed him more than the sensation of throwing up did.

Moment of silence for the bread ro- blllleeeecchh

****************

When he managed to finally stand up he found that Tamara was covering her face with an open hand, her body language managing to convey embarrassment and disgust at the same time. Several other figures were also watching him with varying degrees of emotion. A tanned and smiling man in a straw hat was standing next to Tamara giving him a slightly amused look. A woman with a number of fox tails was watching him with apparent pity and sympathy, ears twitching nervously as his gaze met hers. She immediately looked away, sort of hiding behind the big tree that was next to her, causing him to frown.

What the hell?

That wasn’t a tree. That was a huge fucking lady!

Ruth looked up, eyes widening in surprise as his eyes went over the huge bald lady with the big poleaxe.

“Ruth, that is Harper. That is Amarinthe. This is Heath. They are all stronger than you so stop eyeballing them.” Tamara motioned to a spot next to her. “Come.”

Instead of doing that, Ruth wiped the vomit from his lips onto his sleeve. The clothing quickly rippled. The vomit stain was gone immediately. He continued staring at this… Harper. Harper must be three meters tall. “You are large.”

“Thank you, I’ve been growing,” Harper’s lips bared as she laughed down at him. It didn’t feel threatening at all, causing Ruth’s stance to relax.

“I like your shiny head,” Ruth thought it might be a good idea to befriend the giant, so he complimented her head. It looked almost polished.

Harper blinked rapidly and then slowly lowered her head to look at the girl with fox tails that was using her as cover. “Him? I like.”

“Get over here,” Tamara hissed. She pointed to the spot directly next to her.

Ruth was about to mouth off to her when he realized that there were a number of very still forms around them. People who were slowly beginning to look over. The deadness of their eyes and the lack of movement reminded him of a certain slaughter goddess.

Gods. Fucking gods everywhere.

Ruth walked over obediently and tried to get a feel for the area. Despite being in a large crowd there was quite a bit of space around them. Everyone was giving everyone else plenty of room. The lack of interest in one another was a little startling to realize. Ruth had just sort of assumed that this many gods together would be a bit rowdier?

Given how arrogant and domineering Tamara was… wouldn’t a large congregation like this be … immediately violent? Apparently not.

He moved forward, realizing for the first time that they were standing at the edge of a railing. A look over the railing revealed that they were looking down into a large circular pit. The circular pit was tremendously spacious, perhaps four times the size of the entirety of the castle guard training area. The comparison was relevant, because that’s what this place reminded him of. The scent of blood and struggle in an open area. The audience was different, but he supposed it wasn’t all that weird. Maybe this was a training area? He glanced over to Tamara to ask but quickly closed his mouth. The blonde goddess stared downward at the open patch of dirt with a sort of defeated expression that he had never seen on her face before.

When he looked back there were five figures in the field. Four of which surrounded the fifth. It was far enough away that Ruth was having a hard time picking out the specific features of the figures, but their body language seemed to suggest tension. The body language of the figure in the middle seemed especially unfriendly.

“...this is the future. A truth we are not allowed to speak.” Tamara whispered softly.

“You are my direct Chosen. Harper, Amaranthe, watch closely. This is the fate of all who ascend. You may never speak of this to another.”

“I swear,” the fox girl whispered. “I think I already knew.”

“I swear,” Harper looked back and forth between them after saying it, looking far less concerned. If she knew like the fox girl, then she obviously didn’t care.

Ruth looked at Tamara and squinted. He noted she didn’t mention anything about him swearing. The one known as Heath seemed to notice, too. He glanced at Ruth and then looked at Tamara, frowning at her back. Tamara straightened as if she noticed it even without being able to see him.

“You’ll keep quiet as well, Ruth.” Tamara finally said.

Ruth didn’t answer. It appeared that not disagreeing with her openly was enough for now.

Movement from above distracted him. Cloud cover began to form rapidly in the blue sky. The sudden atmospheric pressure made his ears pop. Dark clouds began to form from nothing and push downward.

Voices from below cut through the sudden noise, somehow raising in volume above the wind.

“Are you resisting, Princess Meizhen?”

The figure in the middle slowly turned around in a circle. As she turned her attention toward the section where he was standing with Tamara and the others, Ruth felt his skin crawl. A pale skinned face, smooth and young, looked coldly outward with glowing red eyes. The bitterness on her face was clear even though she was far away. The moment passed as she continued searching the audience with her gaze. It almost looked like she was hoping someone would step out, or say something.

“I do not resist,” she called out. The clouds were gathering and began to rumble. “...I simply despair. I’m sorry. I’m being foolish…”

“We understand.”

Maybe they really did. The pressure from the clouds continued to increase. The small figure in the middle of the spectacle seemed to be struggling with something. Her shoulders shook as she slowly fell to her knees.

“She can’t hold it off any longer.” Heath said, turning slightly so he could address Amaranthe and Harper. "She has been struggling to fight off the change, but it is happening regardless. In the beginning it is a struggle to capture power. To retain it. At some point, resisting the power is the greater struggle.”

“She didn’t want to ascend,” Tamara muttered. “She must have known.”

“Known what?” Ruth asked.

Tamara shook her head. “You’ll see.”

Ruth looked back just in time to see that a shape was beginning to form around Meizhen. The four figures surrounding her hopped back lightly but didn’t go far. The image of a huge serpent rose, resplendent golden scales tinged with green. The tongue flicked outward and seemed to scent the air. It’s eyes narrowed. The sound of a low hiss pressing outwardly.

Meizhen crossed her arms and rocked back and forth on her knees, suddenly appearing desperate and fragile. The image of the snake spread again, powerful green energy pressing outwardly in wild waves. The four figures spread out their own colored aura and immediately suppressed the energy that was ripping through the air.

The ease with which they did it made Ruth’s eyes narrow. Strong.

That was the thought he had even as he felt something spreading. From Meizhen an invisible wave suddenly erupted. He had felt her pressure and presence before, but now it washed over him, almost bowling him over. Almost painful. Almost too much. Overwhelming.

Ruth spared a glance toward Tamara to see that she had her face turned as if she were accepting the wave. Her eyes were closed.

The urge to attack her rose but he suppressed it. He didn’t know how to get home.

The wave rose in power and started to tax him. He could feel the mana spreading out. It was almost like this Meizhen was doing something similar to when Tamara had forcefully injected mana into his body. He got the sense this was involuntary.

It was so powerful even though it was uncontrolled. The waves and pressure lessened in strength. The snake figure behind Meizhen solidifying into existence even more. Staring proudly even as it hissed warning.

“Thus, a goddess is born…” Amaranthe sighed.

“Now please.” A calm and clinical voice from one of the figures watching this Princess Meizhen. There was no excitement or emotion. This was just an every day thing for this person.

...and Ruth felt himself growing irritated. A small itch in his mind. His eyes narrowed as he saw the shuddering figure huddled in the middle of the arena slowly get to her feet. Despite how she looked exhausted and frail, the four figures pressed closer as if she were prey.

Giving one last look around, Meizhen lowered her head and then sighed.

“I, Meizhen, swear upon my soul that I will not disobey the Table of Order. This means that I will not rebel against them. I will not kill other gods without permission or unless my life is endangered. I will instantly shatter my soul if a member of authority from the Table of Order requests it of me. I obey.” Meizhen may have been whispering but the words came crisp and clear through the air.

The effect was instantaneous. Giant chains dropped through the clouds, evaporating them as if they were minor inconveniences, and descended on the shape of the snake.

The creature struggled hard, but to no effect.

Ruth watched with wide eyes and stared at the arena for a long time even after the snake had finally been subdued under the weight of the giant golden chains.

Like lightning, a thought flashed through his mind.

Ruth whirled around to stare at Tamara, anger rising in him. He found that she was already watching him with that sad look in her eyes. Like she already knew what he would say.

Ruth took in a deep breath to start screaming swear words at her in front of everyone.

She swept an arm and transported him before he could begin and the breath he had been holding forcefully ejected itself as he found himself in his room.

It was a good thing he had already puked.