"What will you do with the wisp?" Galbarar asked, staring at the invisible spirit still imbued with divinity.
"Let it drift? Dunno. Is it dangerous?" I let a shudder as I asked once more to be sure, "Can he co back?"
He shook his head as he floated next to the wisp to examine it. "No. You erased all that he once was. Before he ca here, before he beca a God, he was an army veteran from Texas. Fought in the Gulf during the Bush administration. The power changed him."
"As it does us all," I mumbled and sighed. Don't humanize my demons, please. "Are you all from Earth as well?"
"Yes, we are. From the sa epoch as you too, although you are from a couple years in our future. But understand this. We spent millions of years traveling across dinsions, growing and nurturing our power until we ca to this world. Even though we still rember Earth, we cannot really count as people from there anymore."
That's why the Elder Fairies think they are invaders. it was their world before they ca and took over. Maybe the demons are trying to do exactly the sa. Maybe they were once the Demon Lords even though their appearance doesn't strike as hideous.
I sighed once more, also staring at the wisp. "Is it dangerous to leave it be?"
"It's a divine spark," He started to explain as if giving a lecture.
I wondered if he was a teacher back ho. Our forr ho. We were part of this world now. There was no coming back.
"It is one of the three key parts to becoming divine. The Spark, the Core, and the Domain. Without a Domain, one cannot gather divinity. Without a core, one cannot store divinity. And without a spark, one cannot use divinity. One or two of the triad alone is useless."
I wondered where Pandora fit in this equation. She was a spark and now she'd absorbed a core. I wouldn't ask him, though. Regarding Pandora, innocence and just accepting she 'was' was enough for . Knowing her potential would taint with greed and tarnish her developnt.
She was a spark of infinite possibilities. Were I to impose my flawed and finite perception and wishes upon her, it would be akin to destroying a universe.
I tossed a piece of gravel down into the roaring ocean below. "Should you be telling this?"
"You have enough knowledge to figure it out on your own. There are talks of making you join our ranks."
"Hard pass. I'd rather suffer as a mortal down here than getting tangled in your gas," Staring ahead, I said seriously.
"So shall it be. I must go now. I'll take this unbound spark with . I will give it a proper destination. Rest assured, your woes with Bundeus are over. He 'is' no more."
"Wait. Before you go, I want to do sothing," I pulled the Perk shop and asked the System. "Give sothing to upgrade {Administrator Hotline} so I can contact the Gods."
DENIED.You are forbidden from acquiring Divine Perks.
"Well, so much for not using Wyxnos as an errand boy," I huffed.
Galbarar chuckled. "Isn't it too arrogant to wish to talk to Gods at your own discretion?" he asked more in jest than anything.
I craned my head and raised an eyebrow at him, "Who was talking about making one of your own?"
"Fair enough. I mustn't linger for too long. Until we et again," he said and vanished.
"Without people trying to murder each other!" I shouted at the wind.
I let myself linger there, breathing the salty ocean breeze. My mind wandered back to the fight and then I rose with a start. "Nenandil!"
I triggered my Perk and the fairy rematerialized in front of . "Took you long enough, eh?" She roared with feigned anger.
Still fragile, I sniffled, "I'm sorry. You died."
"You died too, silly!" She giggled-sobbed and hugged .
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Then we both broke out in tears.
"You should bring Marlowe back too. He fought as hard as he could," Nenandil said after we finished our cathartic outburst.
"Sumsar betrayed us, though," I lanted shaking my head. Then I tried to cheer up the mood. "Let's make him a stronger golem body. The tiny doll was just a trial, right?"
"Right. As if you hadn't made it up just now," she deadpanned.
"No plan survives the enemy, so why bother?" I winked. She snorted. "Let's go, I need my workshop."
I shifted and flew along the fairy to find the nearest tree. From there I went to my refuge and assud Silverstreak's form.
"Vesper!" I shouted. "We're ho!"
The door opened on its own, revealing the silkie polishing the floor. "Don't be so loud. Miss Briar enjoys her quiet," The tiny fairy said in hushed tones then bowed her head. "Do co inside, mistress. Welco ho."
The wooden house was spotless. Never did it look as good and nobody would tell it was over three centuries old.
"Vesper, I have to use my workshop. I'm going to make a silk golem, do you want to help ?"
She lowered her head, "It would be an honor to work alongside you, mistress. I hope I don't ss up too badly."
I took her by the arm and led her in the direction of my workshop, "Oh, don't worry. ssing up is fun too."
The house was small for humans, just the right size for a lonely Eleon enchanter, but for us fairies, it might as well be a palace. The workshop was in the back room of the ground floor with the now-empty storefront, well, at the front. There I had my tools and supplies all neatly organized. The silkie could read the mood of the house inhabitants and knew where to put everything instinctively.
I shapeshifted into Rosewise as everything was adjusted to her size. Then I put myself to weaving. Marlowe's new body would be eight feet tall and well-chiseled. Gemstones for the eyes, golden thread where the creases of the muscles should be. Fingernails were sculpted from polished sheets of silver so his fingers could better grasp objects. A mouth with teeth made of monster ivory.
Vesper helped where she could. As it would be good practice for her, I put the young silkie to carefully weave the delicate internal organs while I focused on the layers of woven silk that would be the skin and muscles.
I decided not to keep Marlowe as a contracted spirit. He earned his right to live again. He would beco a new subspecies of silk-people. One made with care and precious materials, with a body that was previously enchanted and also leveled up with my {Living Silk} Perk. It worked very well for the forr Queen of Virturia. I really wanted to reward him. The reincarnated person inherited the Perks of the living silk as innate ones.
A few days later, we were done. There was a little disagreent when it ca to weaving the more... delicate parts of the body's male anatomy, as the prudish hundred-year-old silkie didn't want to do it. I had to do the job myself. We put trousers and a shirt over to cover the modesty of the inanimate cloth doll. Right.
Once we were done, I gave the blushing fairy a long stare. "You've never seen one, right?"
"N-No, mistress," she stuttered. "I had no idea they were this... big."
"That's because he's human-sized," I tried to reassure her but I knew I was failing miserably.
"Can we not talk about it anymore?" She asked with upturned eyes.
"Sure can. What were we talking about anyway?" I rubbed the back of my head very ani-style.
"Leveling up the living silk," Nenandil added from the other side of the room where she was playing with ice sculptures. "What?" She asked as our gaze bore a hole on her back, "I am getting my levels all over again. I picked Sculpting as a profession this ti."
"We are going to go level up Marlowe's new body and Vesper as well. Wanna co with us?"
She swept the sculptures into my storage. "Sure thing. As if I would let you go anywhere without !" She said as she perked up.
"? I don't need to level! This place is very safe!" Vesper tried to slip away.
"C'mon. it will be fun. Let's borrow the Black Dragon King Dungeon from the dwarves for a day or two!" I said.
She went from skittish to full panic, "Tha-that Undead Dungeon? No. They're too scary!"
I threw an arm over her shoulder, "Oh, co on. You'll be perfectly safe! We'll get you to level hundred-sothing then call it a day!"
"Yes, Vesper," Nenandil said. "I'll be with you! My sole focus will be to keep you safe!"
She ca with us. Using Duchess Nagini's guise, we approached the Dwarven Dungeon. I had a fairy on each shoulder and the silk body folded in my big travel backpack.
The gate to the Dungeon was guarded by four dwarves and four Lamias. My heart swelled with pride as I saw two of them had kaleidoscopic scales with all the colors of the elental spectrum, from black to white.
"Halt!" The dwarf [Sergeant] said. "State your business." He was level 114. Already struggling to climb the ramp of the rank-up.
"Hello there," I waved and smiled. "Is Alfondric around?"
The dwarf grew suspicious. "What business does the [Lady] has with the [Thane]?" He asked, clearly implying the [Thane]'s station was far greater than mine.
One of the rainbow lamias approached and whispered sothing on the dwarf [Sergeant]'s ears. I smirked. The dwarf raised his chin. Duchess Nagini's tail patterns didn't exist in lamias at all. Not in the hundreds I've seen ever since we've worked to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.
"Do it now," Nenandil whispered in my ear. I gave her a sideways glance. The fairy was out for mischief.
I flared my Perks, activating them. {Progenitor Matriarch} and {Mana Wellspring} at full power. The other Rainbow Lamia froze and gawked at .
"Let ask again. Is Alfondric around?"
The two lamias were bowing deeply now. My matriarch aura's radius now was a bit less than seven kiloters, a third of Lakerta's. I didn't think it would reach Windere proper, but I could be mistaken.
"The [Thane] is inspecting the mines," the dwarf now humbly offered. "I can send a runner if the Duchess can wait."
"Do that. Is there anyone training in the Dungeon right now?"
"No, Ma'am."
I pressed down with my {Royal Aura}. "Then the Dungeon is on lockdown for two days. My team and I are going to inspect and repair the wall enchantnts if there's a need to. Step aside and let us do our job. Not even [King] Eric is to bother us."
The dwarf [Sergeant] didn't know what to say, but the four lamias replied as one. "It will be as you command, matriarch!"
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