Outstretched before the secondary will stood the interior of the gigantic building known only as the Oynx Obelisk. He took a second to visually explore this place, his keen, divine, vision preventing any of its secrets from hiding from him.

He was inside of a grand foyer of some sort, the sort of room he was only somewhat familiar with thanks to his exploration of other creatures' memories. This part of the dungeon was not as rigidly populated as the exterior of the building was, only a handful of darkly dressed guards milled about and stood next to thick, precisely cut rectangular doors all of which undoubtedly led deeper into the dungeon.

Althos could see three doors, one of which was directly in front of him, though spaced several dozen meters from where he stood. Two others were situated on the far left and the far right parts of the foyer.

The grand foyer's roof was located only three dozen meters above the deity, surprisingly low for a building of this magnitude. The roof was a jet black thing, made of the same dark material as the rest of the building, and therefore from inside of the building probably almost imperceptible to people with lesser vision than Althos.

Althos' visual exploration of the entrance to the dungeon eventually turned to the walls that defined the width of this place, jet-black walls that seemed to hungrily devour any color or light that came close to them. The only source of light came from right behind him.

The entrance to the dungeon, where he was, was a thin entranceway inside of which was a subtle barrier. The barrier dimmed what little light dared to invade this seemingly sacred place, and cast a thin sliver of light into the dungeon's mouth.

His vision rested on the walls that encircled the foyer, while he used his appraisal ability to learn more the dark material that the walls were made of.

[New Knowledge Alert: Obisidian

Obsidian is a volcanic glass that is formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is often used to create exceptional weapons, but when used by magical architects, or by civilizations with immense metalsmithing knowledge, it can be used to form light-absorbing walls, or even to create beautiful buildings.

Obsidian's usages in practice are highly dependent on the sort of creatures using it. Civilizations in deserts tend to use obsidian and onyx in conjunction to create beautiful artwork, or to create powerful, life-draining weapons for use in ritual sacrifice, combat, or trade.]

When he was done reading the notification he willed it away with a thought and considered which of the few doors this place contained to walk through. As he was doing this, his other senses began their own unconscious reconnaissances of the foyer, while he consciously focused on his radar.

His sense of smell exposed him to the scent of unwashed bodies, a scent that lingered heavily in the foyer. His hearing allowed him to hear the occasional and slight shuffling of the guards who stoically stood watch within the foyer.

His sense of touch allowed him to feel the precise construction of the obelisk, as the floor underneath him was painstakingly even, lacking even a single imperfection that otherwise may have led to someone tripping onto the dark floor.

Only his sense of taste was unused in the dungeon's foyer. I could transform my fingers into hyphae... but then I'd just taste the taste of unwashed, unclean desert giant guards. No I think it's better if I don't. He decided, not taking long to opt against loosely tasting unclean giants.

His conscious mind, or at least the largest portion of it that was currently active, was exploring his radar. The radar, coupled with his mini-map revealed to him the locations of all nearby creatures, and now their names as well, thanks to his increased knowledge.

So there's a handful of guards here, and some in that room. He thought quietly as he assessed his mini-map, "that room" referring to the door directly across from where he was silently and invisibly standing at that moment. It was guarded by two desert giants, both clad in the same dark armor that their peers wore.

Althos began to walk towards it, his footfalls causing no noise, and his presence undetected by those tasked with keeping this place undisturbed. Illusion magic, when used by a god, truly was something powerful.

In a matter of moments, the young god stood just in front of the wall that separated him from the next room. The room was the first room that would be untouched by the light of the eerie moon that was perpetually visible throughout the surface of the layer.

The entrance to it, one of the precisely cut rectangular doors, was guarded by two desert giants, both of whom held obsidian blades in their hands. Althos looked up at them, as they were taller than he was, and his mind lit up as he carefully considered ways through the door that wouldn't alert them to his intrusion.

How do I want to do this? He wondered, his mind racing as he considered how to approach this possibly sneaky and stealthy invasion of an enemy's prison. Obviously doing this sneakily is the best possible approach to this, since this is, in essence, a prison break, but I have a variety of tools at my disposal that'd allow me to handle this... creatively. He thought, chuckling internally.

I could create an area-wide illusion that causes everyone here to not perceive any changes while I open and shut the door. He thought, imagining that such a magical effect would either be possible to cause through a spell, or a magical effect he could invoke as a god.

I could simply phase through the door, incorporeally. He realized, recalling how the primary will had repeatedly done such a thing when it was pursuing Hagitha and her mate after the pair had beaten Drow.

I could cause these giants to open the door for me, but that'd be weird for those on the other side of the door... It seems just phasing through the door is the right play for now. He realized, learning in his own way that simple actions tend to be better than complex ones for subtle things like this.

Once he arrived at his chosen conclusion he took the few steps he needed to take to reach the door and willed his body to lose its physicality moments before it would have collided with the obsidian wall that obstructed his view. In an instant his form truly became incorporeal and he passed through the door, unobstructed by its solidity in the slightest.

The room beyond the obsidian door was a narrow, for desert giants anyway, hallway. The thing stretched twice the length of the grand foyer, though it wasn't long enough that its exit was hidden from Althos' view.

Its most distinct feature was something that immediately stuck out to Althos: countless mirrors made of polished glass, regular glass, not obsidian, made up its walls and the ceiling up above the giants who kept watch here. The guards that walked the length of the hallway kept their eyes trained in whatever direction they walked and silently patrolled the eerie place.

The only noise that Althos heard was the constant footfalls of the guards throughout the hallway, everything else was silent. This room was warm due to its tighter confines than the grand foyer Althos had just left, and it also smelled worse here than it had there.

Althos began to take his first steps into the hallway, his form still incorporeal. As he did so he took a look at the mirrors, aware of their reflective properties, and exhaled a sigh of relief when he found that he was as invisible to the mirrors as he had been to the giants who guarded the grand foyer.

The odd cell that held Angelica was no longer a prison to the skilled diplomat. Now, as she quietly explored it, it was little more than an obstruction that she hoped she'd be free of soon.

The young angel was sure to temper her optimism, carefully reining in any overly hopeful thoughts that snuck their way into her mind, but it was difficult for her to truly clamp down on the hopes that infused her.

I was raised on tales of gods doing the impossible, and rewriting reality. If one truly is on his way... She thought, her mind picturing all sorts of scenarios involving a god known to her as "The Honorable Liberator".

She spent some minutes picturing Althos' invasion of the prison as a violent affair, the deity carving a bloody swath through the dungeon while displaying arcane and eldritch mastery over assorted powers. And she spent some minutes imagining it as a sneaky infiltration of the prison, with the deity clinging to the shadows and clothing himself in darkness to sneak past guards.

Her creative mind, and the experiences she had gained throughout her life allowed the scenarios she envisioned to be particularly evocative, and she delighted in spending her downtime in them even outside of the prison she was now, temporarily, trapped within. In her moments of need, like now, it gave her a way to temporarily and mentally escape this place while her savior drew ever nearer.

These mirrors are... weird. Althos thought as he delved deeper and deeper into the dungeon's first hallway.

At this point the deity had taken his time walking stealthily through the depths of the dungeon, and he had had several minutes with which to studiously examine his surroundings. The mirrors could not reflect him, but Althos had easily snuck past a pair of the guards who patrolled this place.

Their reflections were distorted, grotesquely transforming into roiling monstrosities that resembled at most nightmarish fusions of devilish monsters and naked, muscular, desert giants. Althos had studied them, almost admiringly, but had continued his journey through the hallway.

It was when he was about halfway through the hallway that he began to hear the few giants bold enough to converse in this eerie place that he began to learn things about the odd prison he was now breaking into.

"Hey Adil, did you hear?" One of them asked, his voice not quiet and rather relaxed given the unsettling nature of his occupation. He was patrolling the hallway a fair distance from the giant he was speaking too, someone who was located behind Althos. The giant who had just spoken was located in front of Althos, in the direction he was heading towards.

"Hear what, Akhun?" The giant asked, his own loud voice booming from behind Althos.

This is a weird place for them to speak so casually. Althos thought, as he walked towards the giant named Akhun. He was striding confidently through the hallway.

"I went drinking with Alp the other day and he told me some interesting... dedikodu." The giant said, responding to his colleague. Althos' head tilted slightly as he heard this, knowing immediately that dedikodu was a word in another language, not the typical desert giant one, that meant something along the lines of gossip.

His speedy walk was undeterred by this gossip, but the curious god did hope, ever so slightly, that the two would speed up the pace at which they spoke.

"You see... it seems that some of these cells hold demons." The first speaker, Akhun, said. Now his voice lowered to a more conspiratorial tone, barely a whisper, only so that it could travel the distance necessary for it to be audible by his companion.

Demons? Huh... That might be worth following up on. The secondary will thought to itself, a grin spreading across Althos' face as he continued his trek through the halls of the dungeon, his incorporeal form effortlessly hidden from detection by mortal guards who were only half paying attention to their work.

"Demons? That's... that's a heck of a claim." Adil responded, skepticism clear not only in his words but also in his tone. The guard responded to his companion's gossip incredulously, and Althos could hear his breath hitch and catch in his lungs as if the giant was about to chuckle but reconsidered it at the last second.

"That's not what Alp said the other day." The giant said, actually chuckling as he responded to his skeptical compatriot. He sounded confident, and the confidence itself might not have swayed Adil, but it was intriguing to the sneaky god who was creeping in the hallway.

Althos listened intently as the two guards ignorantly conversed around him. He was silent, a grin etched onto his face, as he pictured a number of monstrous beings, beings like Raverangos, and like the abominations that colored the memories of one of his servants, the witch Qu'Ren.

He pictured creatures infinitely more monstrous than the odd devils he had met so far. Creatures of bone and fang, creatures of living, hateful flame, and unholy fusions of insectoid limbs and plantlike sinew. And other, indescribable things, things of living malice and the embodiments of wrath.

When Althos heard the word "demon" his mind was filled with images, images that excited the part of his heart that was already colored by cruelty and tyranny, even if it mildly frightened the other, more ordered part of him, and even the few parts of his being that were colored more by healing and kindness than by tyranny and order.

The idea of having more demons is an intriguing one. But... could I even control such creatures? I know that Raverangos was swayed to be mine by power and power alone, but controlling a single creature isn't the same as being able to control more than one. He thought, tempering his excitement at the prospect of more monsters like Raverangos with the vital realization that he had no way of knowing if he could control such things.

That filth demon attacked me straightaway. It's entirely possible that any other demons I approach might do the same thing. He recalled, remembering the thing that assaulted him and his companions the first time he walked into the part of the mortal world of his birth known as the "World beneath the World".

Still... it might be worth investigating these rumors. He wondered, his thoughts solitary and inward as he dove deeper and deeper into the eerie edifice that loomed over the city of Namira. And it's not like I'm alone. He realized, deciding to share his concerns with his advisors.

[Hey, are you two listening to what's being said around me?] He asked, his mental voice turning inward and asking his advisors for their own insights.

[Yep. I think it's worth at least investigating these rumors. Once you've secured Angelica, of course. Demons come in a variety of forms, countless actually, and they were frequent servants and allies of gods of chaotic evil in the mythic age.] The angel said, its mechanical voice calmly speaking to the deity.

[Whatever demons are contained in this place must not be particularly powerful ones if they can be kept in a prison not directly overseen by devils.] Samyaza said, informing the secondary will of the likelihood that whatever was kept in this place wasn't particularly mighty.

[I agree. They might not be creatures that we can take with us, but even the act of breaking them out of here might strike an unexpected blow to Paimon. If they are kept here... they are his enemies. It's not true that every "enemy of our enemy" is our friend, but that doesn't mean they don't have their uses, even if as mere distractions.] M.A. said, her voice soothing and calm as she delivered her assessment of the current situation.

Althos quickly considered their advice, reflecting on it for a few moments before he decided to comb their combined intelligence for advice on how to best engage such creatures.

[If I were to approach them, and if I wanted to engage them in conversation... should I do what I did when I gained the service of Raverangos? Either grievously injure them, or even nearly kill one of them, before trying to talk?] He asked, wary of the real possibility that they themselves might strike first if freed and able to do so.

At this point, Althos had reached the edge of the hallway, and just like before was about to fade through the obstacle in front of him. He heard Samyaza's voice right as he reached the unguarded door and dove, face-first, into it, its perfect darkness indifferently greeting him even as he immaterially passed through it.

[The best move would be to speak first. Demons are creatures of misery, evil, and chaos, but that doesn't mean they are all violent beings. It just so happens that the first two demons you've met were aggressive towards you, creatures who were ignorant of your power and who paid the price for their foolishness.] Samyaza told him, advising the god to err on the side of patience and diplomacy.

Althos nodded, even as the rest of his body followed his face through the door and into the stairwell that awaited just beyond it.

Althos' face was the first part of himself to phase through the door that separated the mirrored hallway from the darkened stairwell. As the rest of his body followed his face, he was able to look around and build an impression of what stood before him.

He found himself at the lowest part of a long, vertical chamber. This chamber was practically overflowing with staircases, each of which carried those who climbed them into deeper, even darker, darkness than the darkness that greeted him. Nonsensically, Althos found that the obsidian floor of the long, vertical chamber, was the brightest part of this weird place.

He sighed, somehow feeling tired looking at the darkness that waited for him, and when the rest of his body was through the door, he walked forward and willed himself upward. His form lifted off of the floor and ascended vertically, into that oh-so-welcoming darkness.