What Ayla said next impressed me. It reminded me of what it was that first made me decide to build my reputation within the city. It wasn't an immediate agreement, but rather a smart question.

"Before I say yes, can you explicitly state what I'm agreeing too?" She asked me, interest and excitement visible in her gaze, radiating out of her eyes. I chuckled and was silent for a moment while I mentally activated one of my devilish powers: the potent ability known as the "Devilish Deal". A few seconds after activating it, I received a notification and knew instantly that Ayla had received a similar one.

[Power Activation Alert:

The cosmically binding power known as the "Devilish Deal" has been invoked. Until it is deactivated, the devil and god known as Althos cannot lie to the desert giant Ayla and vice-versa, though Althos can deactivate it at will if he chooses to do so. Once a deal has been struck between the two it is binding, unless a new deal is struck between the two that explicitly overrides the previous deal. Ayla has received a similar notification.]

She smiled, and I could see the green text that her eyes focused on in her mind via the connection I had built earlier that allowed me to speak to her while she was in the Onyx Obelisk. Her notification was similar to mine, except that it informed her that I was the activator of the power at the beginning of the notification.

"The terms of our deal are simple." I said to her seconds after activating my power. She was still, quiet, and in her eyes I could see impatience, curiosity, and excitement.

"I will aid you in becoming the sultana of Namira. The first step in doing that is me providing you with an army of sandmen that you can use as you please, but will first be deployed to cement the 'threat' we're plotting to make the people of Namira believe is a real danger to them." I said to her, beginning to explain the plot I had built up over the course of the last few months of daily adventuring, as well as building up a cult throughout the city.

She looked at me with interest, and I could tell I still had her. I grinned. "Over the course of the last few months I've built up a reputation as a dependable adventurer all over Namira. I've also, more subtly, built up a cult with some decent influence in the city. You will emerge as a hero, and I'll publicly back efforts to name you the city's leader, having been 'persuaded' that you are a leader who can keep the city safe." I told her, confidently. She looked me intently and I could tell she had something on her mind. I shut my mouth and waited for her to speak.

"Why are you doing this? You already possess the power to do so much, AND you have a cult in the city already. Surely there are easier ways to seize control of Namira than to back me, a feared general." She said, providing a rational assessment of both her reputation and the situation. I chuckled.

"I could deactivate the deal and tell you a lie, but I won't. I'm on a quest." I told her, opting to go the truthful route.

"I am a god and a devil. You know that already. I can read your mind. What you don't know is that I can become an arch-devil. My ability to promote devils is one sign that I am a... proto-arch-devil." I told her, before quickly demonstrating my powers. I smoothly created a soul-orb, promoted it into an imp, and then forcibly evolving the thing into a hell-hound. And then I whisked the thing away to Drow and Milene.

[Use this hell-hound as a guardian. Hell-hounds are as smart as people, and demand to be respected, so don't treat it as you'd treat a hound, but instead treat it as a cherished friend.] I commanded Drow, trusting that he'd find a use for it. I sensed his excitement through our connection, and mentally chuckled before refocusing.

"In order for me to advance in power, I need to make deals with ambitious creatures and usurp cities and settlements. You are one such ambitious creature. That, and I sincerely think it'd be good to take over Namira, through a proxy." I said, trusting that the impression my powers left on her coupled with my honesty would convince her to side with me.

She looked at me, and considered my words. I waited a second before opting to get the conversation back on track. "I doubt this is going to be an immediate thing. So before you are named Sultana of Namira I'm gonna grant you an additional boon to sweeten the deal. And just to show you how much I genuinely want your soul and your servitude, this is in addition to what we've already discussed." I revealed.

"I plan to grant you an empire that extends beyond Namira. If you surrender yourself, your soul, to me, I can and will unite all desert giants in this layer to you. Not right away, but in time. You will unite your peoples. The dreams of the Untamed Wastes will be achieved through your leadership. All it takes is submission to me." I said enticingly, my voice low and melodic as I revealed my plans for her empire to her. But I still had one card to play, one condition to discuss.

"Even now I am using my godly powers to create a copy of Namira, a dreamscape copy of the city that you'll rule over starting tonight. You will become a double sultana, one that rules in the waking world and in the world of dreams." I told her. Internally I was relieved I had been able to say this because it meant that this was in fact within my power. And right at that moment, I received a message in an annoyed tone from an internal voice.

[Of course, it's something you can do! You're already edging close to attaining the first tier of influence over the domain of dreams you dummy.] One of the "me's" explained, the one who alternated between our realm and the mortal world, in an annoyed tone.

It was true, the domain of dreams was the only new domain or sub-domain to initiate contact with me during my two months of adventuring but it annoyed me that he was so rude about it. It did make sense though, since the dream I created earlier in my life transformed so many thousands of people into my worshippers.

[You've been using and abusing our realm, and you didn't even have the decency to do it yourself! I'll be as rude as I want if you keep insisting that I do your chores every time you need a new thing to experiment with.] The same voice exclaimed, evidently exasperated.

[Fine, you're right! I won't make you do as much of my homework as I've been asking you to do. I promise.] I responded, now annoyed myself. I did have to stifle a mental chuckle when I heard the other me sigh in annoyance. This whole exchange only took a few moments.

And finally, I was in the part of the deal I was excited to be in. The part where I discussed what I gained. I allowed the silence to build, and I put a pensive look on my face, before speaking.

"What I am gaining in exchange for this incredible exchange of services is, in my opinion, not all that much." I said, quite honestly. I had given her a lot already.

"I am gaining your soul. Oh and true control of the city. You will be a proxy. You'll be the leader of the city in name, and you'll gain all of the fun perks that come with that, but I'll be the true ruler of the city. Only your most close allies, and a few of my handpicked picks for your government, will know who I am. When I give you commands you'll follow them to the letter, or you will be punished." I told her. I had no means or desire to hide this from her. It was part of enabling her to make a reasonable decision.

She looked at me seriously and considered what I had just told her. It was clear that this wasn't obviously a deal-breaker, because I could read her mind and though she was considering the consequences of saying yes she wasn't determined to deny me outright.

I let the silence build in size and impressiveness while she debated what to say.

When Ayla finally opted to speak nearly a minute had passed. A minute in silence, wherein the desert giant seriously considered what to do and what to say.

"Can you... give me an example of what sort of things you may ask me to do? Honestly, when I was younger and less patient I'd have never considered becoming a proxy ruler but centuries in a featureless cell have an impact on your pride." She confessed, possibly subconsciously moved by my constant decisions to be as honest as I could be. There was an anger in her voice, but also a quiet and humorless laugh.

I closed my eyes and thought about it for a second. What would I have her do if she said yes? Obviously establish a temple to me, somewhere in the city but... what else? Should I say something drastic? Just to... test her limits? I thought, curious for a moment about what sort of off-the-wall thing I could tell her.

I opened my eyes and looked at her. I studied her. I could tell that she had no illusions about me. She knew that I possessed incredible power and that I had opted to empower her for reasons she still didn't fully understand. I could sense her confusion and a bit of skepticism that was still embedded in her heart. I should test this. I realized, amusedly. But... how? I wondered, briefly. And then a cruel grin etched itself on my face.

"Well, first we'll have a conversation about your dynasty. In order for you to prove your loyalty to me, I may pick your mate, the person who fathers the next in line to be Sultan of Namira." I told her. I looked at her and studied her facial reaction to what I had just told her. She was indifferent to it, not pleased but surprisingly nonplussed about the revelation I had just dropped on her. She was silent before she shrugged her shoulders.

"That's acceptable I suppose. You freed me, and you're giving me what I've sought for my entire life. I can stomach a single unpleasant fuck and a few months of pregnancy if that's part of the price I have to pay for my freedom and for an empire. Can you give me another few examples of what you may ask for?" She said, after a few moments of considerable contemplation.

Surprisingly pragmatic. Not bad. I thought, pleased by her reaction. It rose my already high estimation of her a few notches higher.

"I'll ask you to establish a temple to me, but not right away. A few weeks after you rise to power I'll send the city a dream, one you all see simultaneously and introduce myself to you all. After that, I'll 'bless' the city, and you and my allies will be publicly overwhelmed with emotion and build a temple to me." I informed her, unveiling my scheme for her to see. She nodded, accepting that as well.

I suppose this is where I should push her to the limit huh? But it might be more fun to save that for later... I wondered, after seeing her accept a more risky condition and a fairly relaxed one.

"I want to reestablish regular sacrifice to the gods. To the one god left. And the first sacrifice will be of someone of considerable value." I told her, giving her a second to consider who it might be, while I already had an idea of who to pick. "Ural Overforge, the overseer of the Onyx Obelisk." I told her, a wide grin on my face and my eyes alight with excitement.

She froze for a second, shock covering her face. "Overforge... the warden of my prison." She said, a wild joy visible in her eyes as her rational mind was overtaken by that most dreadful foe of reason: hate. Her mind was suddenly filled with a violent bloodlust. And at that moment I knew I had her. She didn't hesitate to say what she said next.

"I know I'm making a deal where I'm at a disadvantage. But... this is the way, the one path, I have to gain what I've always wanted. For me to finally gain the power and respect I've always deserved." She muttered, her mind made up. She looked me in the eyes and spoke to me not as equals, but as someone whose ambition and pride had driven her to desperation, and who was accepting a deal that she knew would save her from the brink of despair.

"Althos, I accept your deal. In exchange for my soul and my servitude, make me an empress whose empire extends beyond the land of the living and into the realm of dreams." She said, her voice solemn and powerful. I grinned at her, and I allowed my eyes to transform into the heterochromatic mess they were in my devilish form.

"General Ayla Syah... in exchange for your soul and your servitude, I will make you into an empress unlike any seen by your ancestors. Into a one-of-a-kind leader. One who unites the giants of this desert into a single empire and whose empire stretches into the land of dreams." I told her, a huge grin on her face. We both received a surprising but pleasant notification at that moment.

[New Devil's Deal Alert:

General Ayla Syah has sworn her soul and her servitude to Althos. In exchange for her soul and her servitude, Althos has promised to make her an empress of a desert giant empire that unites every desert giant on the second layer of Infernius, as well as an empire that is in both Infernius and the land of dreams. Both participants in the deal were fully conscious of what they were doing, and both participants agreed to this deal without any coercion.]

I read through and then willed away the notification with a smile. And then immediately received another notification I found quite pleasant.

[Quest Progress Alert:

1/3 ambitious souls acquired.]

Yes! Finally! I thought, pumped that after two months of adventuring I finally had one of the souls in my possession.

And now, to prepare for what's to come. I thought, already having a number of ways in mind to proceed from here.

I smiled at Ayla, a smirk so powerful and pervasive that it was visible in my eyes, visible on my face. "And now... we begin to prepare." I told her, my eyes alight with delight at the day's events.

"But first... excuse me for a second. I'll be here, but not really here." I said ominously, all while grinning at her. She rolled her eyes but didn't interrupt me as I willed my mind out of my body and towards the first of the cultists I had gathered in my name.

One of my desert giant cultists sat in his rather humble home. He was busy scrolling through pages in a heavily marked ledger when I had entered his mind. I hadn't possessed him, I was just in his mind more actively than I always was.

I looked over the book myself. I only looked for a moment, but thanks to Berk's speed it was was long enough to notice something fairly pleasant. The ledger originally started off noting a consistent pattern of losses, losses which only intensified with time.

Each page in the ledger contained the numbers related to trade on a weekly basis, and about nine weeks ago a change happened that was noticeable in the book. The numbers started to increase, rising higher and higher. It was small, but it was enough. I grinned at it, excited to notice that I had helped Berk, hence why he was so loyal to me and had been eager to form a cult dedicated to me, alongside his mother Zeynep.

Oh good, that'll help make this a lot easier. I thought, knowing that now there was a smaller chance with which they might seek to question me. Something I knew would be useful in persuading them to support a woman who had once led a nearly successful rebellion that almost took over the city.

And then I whisked myself over to the next cultist in the city, hoping to learn about the likelihood that any of my cultists might try to deny my commands and thus potentially complicate the next few parts of the scheme.