Empire Of Souls - Chapter 170

Aleks turned his head slightly and peeked at Lariel from the corner of the eye socket of his mask. He couldn’t resist glancing at her as he listened to her speak. He hadn’t had much time as of late to converse with her. They were both extremely busy, her with the matters of running a nation, and him with analysing the Laws he was familiar with as well as the data provided by Babel. This also included his plans for the future and preparations for his avatar.

“The Blood Sovereign’s army was most likely only exploratory in nature. He won’t leave his nest unless he is absolutely certain of victory, he will be cautious now because of this loss. However, the Spider Queen is different. The Dark Elves and their matriarchs have been aggressively attacking the Steppes for years. I think that the dragon twins silence has something to do with them. We should prepare a response. This is a good opportunity to make use of the Daemon and see how strong they really are. There is no reason for you to act personally and I think we should take this chance to force them into submission. The Spider Queen and her Dark Elves would make good servants, don’t you think? This is a good justification for war, but you should expect a long drawn out conflict. Pushing them back from the Steppes is only the first part and the easiest. We will need to invade the Evergloom. Not an easy task.”

Aleks nodded slowly, “Then I will send the female Daemon, Anathema. Send a woman to deal with another woman.  This will be an excellent opportunity to test them. As for Cladem, I have thought of a different use for him. Nelay will be my eyes and I will send her to accompany Anathema. How have my dwarves and gnomes settled in? Do they have everything they need?”

“Well, their workshop and laboratory is still under construction. It will be some time until they are completed, but they have been given a workspace and have already begun their work. If you can create more dwarves and gnomes to act as assistants it would be helpful. We don’t need anymore Masters, some Advanced class or even Intermediate class beings should be fine. I have sent out some prospectors and surveyors so we should have reports soon on what metals and other resources are available. You shouldn’t use your abilities too much for such mundane things, just let your subordinates handle these matters. You have others who can do the menial things so you don’t have to, don’t forget this. A leader must learn to use their subordinates wisely and effectively, you don’t need to do everything yourself.”

Lariel looked slightly guilty thinking about the fact that Aleks needed to constantly expend ‘SP’ on her. She didn’t want to be a burden for him and so reminded him to use his ‘Soul Potential’ sparingly. They didn’t know what the future held or who would cause trouble. Aleks needed to be ready to fight whenever necessary and would require a lot of ‘Soul Potential’ to use his powerful abilities. Thankfully, as they gained more people for their empire, the amount of ‘Soul Potential’ Aleks received daily continued to increase.

“I will soon be receiving a large gift of ‘SP’, but it is true that I need to use that to create an avatar and also, for those who worship me. It wouldn’t do to leave them without a means to increase their strength and one of the most pivotal reasons why mortals worship gods are for the benefits after all. If I can’t provide my people with the most basic of blessings, why should they worship me? Has the temporary temple been set up?”

Lariel nodded, “Yes, it is complete. Many of your worshippers have already been frequenting the temple. It will be some time until the Cathedral is complete and then we can establish your priesthood and other ministers to function as your representatives. I think for now, things are manageable. Using the excuse of the Cathedral being unfinished to explain why benefits, levels, and class advancements aren’t possible on a large scale yet is satisfactory.”

Aleks sighed and touched the side of his head firmly with his right hand. Ever since reaching this stage, things had become much more troublesome for him. He was beginning to wonder if it was all worth the trouble, but he had to continue. It was the only way for him to seek his revenge, but even more important than that, his survival. He needed strength, it was the only way that he could continue to live. If more gods found out about the Origin, he would have no future. Not until his strength reached a certain level.

“It isn’t easy being an object of worship.”

Lariel stood from her seat and walked around the desk. Her steps weren’t hurried, but there was a hidden nervousness which only the most observant might notice. She approached Aleks from behind and walked to stand almost directly at his back. She lifted her arm to touch him, but then she lowered it, not daring to take that last step.

“I am a Celestial being, an Angel. We Angels were created by the Creator at the beginning. We were meant to serve and protect. The Angels were given one choice, and one choice alone. That choice was meant to be a shackle for all eternity and took away our free will. Serve… protect… and nothing more. I am not of the first generation of Angels and I never saw the Creator walk among us, but I was still shackled by that choice. When the Creator split his soul and body to form all of creation and the Laws of the Universe, the Angels rebelled. Those who lost and fell became Devils, forever exiled to the Nine Hells. Those who won, retained their place in Heaven and chained themselves to duty. The rest who picked no side were forced out of Heaven and into servitude to ascended mortals who became gods. In the end, all we wanted was the freedom to choose the way we wished to live, even if we couldn’t all agree on how. To Usurp the Creator’s place, to protect the Creator’s will, or to choose another path. But I realized that none of those paths were truly a choice at all. Each had its own chains, one of pride and greed, another of duty, and the last of punishment. All just another form of servitude, we never escaped our fate.”

“What does any of this have to do with me?” Aleks interrupted and took a step away from Lariel who was behind him.

He didn’t allow her to get too close for long. This action hurt Lariel, but she also understood the reason for it and didn’t complain.

“Everything I have done, every choice I have made, has been made by me alone. Because of who you are, I was able to make that choice, but they were mine to make. I chose to save your life. Not once, but twice. I also chose to remain by your side. You do not need to feel guilt for the things that I have chosen for myself or the actions of the past. I do not wish to be a burden either. I am selfish. I do not want to die, but even more so I do not wish to see you die. I was prepared to go before you so that I wouldn’t have to feel the despair of knowing you were no longer alive. This is my freedom and it is also my own chain. We are all wearing chains, but at least I chose mine. It is my love for you.”

Aleks stood there for a long time without replying. He stared forward and refused to turn to look at her. Lariel too said nothing, choosing only to look at his back.

“There is work to be done.” He finally forced out after regaining control of his voice.

He then left, leaving Lariel to stand alone in silence. Only after a long time did she finally once more return to her desk to continue her work. The stain of tears were clearly visible on her face.

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Elsewhere, a large battle was currently underway in all its ferocity. Dragonmen Chevaliers charged vigorously towards a tide of large Arachnids who had the upper body of men and the lower body of giant spiders. Their Dark Elven overlords let loose a rain of arrows from behind them and launched a hail of magical attacks towards their prey. This didn’t phase the Chevalier who were used to such tactics and were especially prepared to deal with these types of attacks.

They were a fearsome foe, but the Dragonmen long had experience fighting against them in the many skirmishes that took place both on the Steppes, and within the jungles of the Evergloom. The Dragon kingdom was situated atop the highest mountains of the South Western Steppes, and so it bordered the Evergloom and was also the bulwark that protected the Steppes from the Dark Elves.

It wasn’t strange to see these two mighty species and their subordinate species in battle with each other. It was quite the common sight for the past few decades, but what was different this time was the intensity of the battle. This was not a skirmish, but a full blown invasion of the Steppes. Already the Dragons and their Dragonmen army had fought off a Dark Elven vanguard alongside their Arachnid slaves. However, it turned out to be bait to lure the Dragonmen army into a full blown battle where the Spider Queen hoped to deal them a decisive defeat.

She had come for the first time ever, in all her glory astride her immense Arachnid Broodmother mount. This was the very reason why she was known as the Spider Queen, the Matriarch and Demigod ruler of the Dark Elves and their Arachnid slaves. The scale of the invasion was unprecedented and there was a certain mystery overshadowing the entire affair. What gave her the confidence of victory that she never had before?