The summoning contract that followed was the longest contract that Thoz had received up to that point. His new orc-thing summoner seemed skilled in the application of devil summoning, or at least smart enough to take advantage of the imp’s limited skills while avoiding his very specific weaknesses.

Thozronnath was being used in the most effective way possible, his limited invisibility and stealth skills combined with his shapeshifting actually made the imp a rather effective scout for the forces of mankind. For several months Thoz was ordered to back and forth from settlements and barracks to active battlefields, gathering as much information as he could from a distance on the “E’s” that were slowly corrupting their way through the world.

Throughout this time spent skulking, the tiny devil had actually gained a few things. His level had continued to go up, quite drastically actually. The weaker soldiers amongst the extras were actually comparable to imps in most ways. They were tiny, lacked significant weapons, or tentacles even. The tiny little tadpoles of evil merely wiggled around biting things with razor sharp teeth hoping to find something bursting with lifeforce to fuel their own evolution into greater horrors.

Sting did great work on such tadpoles.

Thozronnath was actually become quite used to the edges of battlefields. Of course, being an imp, if he waded deep into the action at all the thunderous chorus of death and destruction he was nearly guaranteed to die. Even the powerful mages and warriors of the mortal races were crushed underfoot of the extras and the gods alike.

Each of the battlefields where divinity and incomprehensibility clashed with one another left nothing but ruin in its wake. Torn limbs and lakes of blood, scatterings of bones reduced to dust, and a thick slime of bent reality coating everything. It reminded Thoz of home, things were quite hellish.

Thankfully, Thoz had a rather cunning master, and both of them managed to avoid the brunt of battle. The imp was being sent as a scout, and his summoner took full advantage of the range of magic to bombard his enemies from a distance while protecting himself. Neither of them was ever in much danger.

They even began to turn the tide of the battles they took part in. Not personally, mind you, but at least partially. The information gathered and the ranged walking artillery was a useful asset, often driving the Extras to a point of desperation.

Thoz spent nearly three years fighting in the divine war, not realizing that the war was coming to an end. Thousands of years had been spent by the gods fighting back these invaders from different realms, and they had finally begun to find the solution.

The pantheon was planning to put up a gate and seal off the mortal world from outside influence, but in doing so they would also seal themselves away, leaving their children to fend for themselves.

Divine based magic users like paladins or clerics would potentially have to reestablish their connections, but that was a small price to pay for the safety of all mortals.

It was after his fourth year on the mortal plane that thoz learned this gate was going up. His largest source of xp, the extras, was going to disappear. The blow wasn’t as potentially soul crushing though, as by this point he had reached the level twenty maximum of impitude. Supposedly when he returned to hell he would be able to rank up into a new form, something he was looking forward to desperately.

The years of war had been profitable for the imp though, his soul balance had gone up by 7, having killed fourteen humanoids in the chaos of battle. A fact that had given him quite a bit of confidence in his abilities.

He also learned quite a bit about the pantheon of the world. His god, the lord of hell, was one of fourteen high gods that made up “The Pantheon”. A staggering number for an imp that had previously only known one absolute power. There were also dozens of lesser gods, and potentially just as many demi-gods. The number of divine beings here at the beginning of the world outnumbered some of the smaller human settlements. It was quite ridiculous actually.

In the middle of his final battle, while all fourteen of the high gods were constructing the gate, their minions and lesser gods defending them from the onslaught of evil, thoz received a message.

Congratulations! Level maximum has been reached!

When you return to hell you will be able to rank up.

Congratulations! Proficiency gained!

Progenitor of Sin is now level 2.

There was then a rush of magical power and a crushing headache to the tiny imp.

Please choose a minion from the primordial sins:

Pride

Sloth

Wrath

Greed

Lust

Gluttony

Envy

This round of options wasn’t super clear to him, some of the words were foreign, but one he understood innately. Thoz had eaten lots of things on the material plane, he didn’t need to, but ripping flesh apart with his teeth and swallowing the lifeblood of a real creature was a wonderful sensation. Thus, his choice was clear.

“Gluttonyies?” he murmured out loud.

Choice registered! Minion summon under way.

There was then a very wet and viscous plopping sound, as a pile of grey slop formed on the ground in front of Thoz. It quivered in place slightly, and seemed to steam with heat as it ate the air around it.

An ooze. Thoz had never seen an ooze before.

Congratulations! You have successfully summoned Zildoxoxi!

Your new minion can be inspected to view its status.

“Inspectings?” the imp whispered

And then he very quickly received a flood of information about his new minion, an ooze by any other name.

Having stopped in the middle of combat, Thoz then was suddenly crushed by a massive tentacle and returned to his home in hell, along with the ooze that was splattered underneath him.

When he finally returned to consciousness, a system message was waiting for him.

Attention!

System administration has applied an operation barrier.

All further system interactions will be maintained by proxy.

System outsiders have been expelled.

Judging by the confused looks of all the devils around him, everyone had received this message at the same time. Though, as the only one recently participating in the divine war, Thoz had more of an idea as to what had happened than anyone else.

The gate had been put up. The war was over.

If everything went as planned, the incursion from beyond this reality was over and mankind could return to developing as they had originally been intended to. It was likely that violent summoning contracts would also decrease in frequency moving forward, though the chance of leveling up would decrease as well. Bitter sweet ending for Thoz.

What followed was another round of reporting his business to his boss Varekoth, the chain breaker seemed subtly impressed by the determination of this imp.

After he had finished his report, he received another message.

Level maximum reached! Would you like to initiate rank up?

“Yeses?” Thoz questioned out loud, not sure what a rank up would entail.

Without so much as a chance to take a breath, indescribable pain tore through the imp’s body.

Congratulations! Title: The Pitiful, has been removed.

His reddish imp skin was torn from the underlying muscle and fell to the ground in piles of ash. The now exposed muscles screamed in agony as they expanded into their new form. Every bone that made up the creature was broken and rebuilt, joints dislocated and put back together over and over. Thoz could swear that he even felt his internals shifting and burning, akin to having swallowed acid.

Proficiency gained! Telepathy is now level 1!

The previous set of wings that barely covered his back and allowed for minor flight, stretched and expanded, the leather tearing and reattaching in the process. Thoz’s wingspan was now longer than the rest of his body.

Proficiency gained! Magic resistance is now level 1!

The tiny nearly pointless arms of his imp body thickened and elongated, his legs growing thick talons and extra toes. The scorpion-like carapace along the tail fell off in a similar manner to his skin, revealing a thick set of spines.

Proficiency gained! Sting is now level 2!

Finally, as the pain began to subside, the former imp’s face elongated and he felt a thick hardening across his body. A purple skin slightly more resilient than his lost imp-flesh had grown up to cover his body.

Proficiency gained! Poison Immunity is now level 1!

All in all, Thozronnath was about thirty centimeters taller and seven kilograms heavier. Despite the significant growth, at only ninety centimeters total and just under eleven kilograms, he was still smaller than most other devils and almost all mortal humanoids.

No longer the bottom rung of his hometown hierarchy though, and relieved to be free of the most intense pain he could recall in his recent life, he collapsed into a heap on the ground of hell. His report on his new form could wait until later, he couldn't even spare a moment for his new minion, or the recently formed "Devilhood".

General Stats Classes Level Name: Thozronnath Strength: 1 Wing Devil 1 Species: Wing Devil (Lesser Devil) Dexterity: 4 Imp 20 (Max) Sex: M Resilience: 4 Age: 3669 Intelligence: 3 Affiliation(s): Hell Wisdom: 2 HP: 30/30 (+0.4/sec) Charisma: 3 MP: 25/25 (+0.3/sec)

Skill

Level

Progenitor of Sin

2

Invisibility

2

Stealth

2

Subterfuge

2

Silver Vulnerability

1 (Max)

Fire Immunity

1 (Max)

Shapeshifter

2

Eyes of Hell

1 (Max)

Sting

2

Poison Immunity

1 (Max)

Magic Resistance

1

Telepathy

1 General Stats Classes Level Name: Zildoxoxi the sin of gluttony Strength: 1 Ooze 5 Species: Ooze (Lesser Ooze) Dexterity: -2 Sex: N/A Resilience: 3 Age: 0 Intelligence: -5 Affiliation(s): Thozronnath Wisdom: -2 HP: 25/25 (+0.3/sec) Charisma: -4 MP: 10/10 (+0.01/sec)

Skill

Level

Acid Resistance

1 (Max)

Cold Resistance

1 (Max)

Fire Resistance

1 (Max)

Ooze Sight

1 (Max)

Liquid Form

1 (Max)

Corrosive

1

Natural Disguise

1

Stealth

1

Natural Weapons

1

Blind Immunity

1 (Max)

Deafen Immunity

1 (Max)

Charm Immunity

1 (Max)

Fear Immunity

1 (Max)

Fatigue Immunity

1 (Max)

Prone Immunity

1 (Max)