Chapter One Fifty-Seven World Event

Milith watched as the first shot struck Aurous directly in the chest. The superheated bolt of glowing blue-green plasma exploded on contact, sending flames everywhere. She was splashed with the fire but her skin and scales protected her flesh. Her clothes caught fire. Milith cared not, and fired again and again. The next shot hit him in the face, a third in his shoulder. Her aim was a little unsteady. The cannon felt heavy to raise, but Milith kept firing. Each blast exploded on contact, his two minions were screaming as the fire consumed them too.

Finally Aurous slumped to the ground and several shots flew off into the sky, where they exploded in the air like great fireworks. It was still dark, despite the time so they were quite visible exploding up there. Milith panted, desperately breathing in fresh air now she had a chance. Her body felt heavy, she could feel the damage. Her left wing was shattered, there was a chunk of her right wing missing. Glancing down she noted the cuts across her torso, some of them rather deep, her blood was everywhere. Her one leg was broken and missing chunks of muscle and skin.

Aurous’s cursed polearm lay nearby, with a thought she called the thing to her. Now in her hand, she channeled her magic through it, burning out every enchantment. She then melted it, and reformed it into a walking stick. A fitting fate for a weapon that served such a despicable man, and with great effort she then pulled herself up. Each movement was an effort, as she moved towards Aurous.

The man moved, clearly not dead yet. “Where are you going little mouse? I’m not done with you yet.”

She pointed her cannon at him again, “Yes you are,” she fired.

The moment her bolt hit him, a giant blue notification filled her view. In the same moment, she felt his soul as it was pulled elsewhere, to wherever gods go to be judged. While his mana erupted forth like a great fountain, and she drank deeply. She’d used too much of her own, so what little she could take from his dying body was welcome. Yet she could already feel her body shutting down, preparing to hibernate. She was barely healing, her mana paths overloaded and shot, it would be a long time before she could fight like this again. A long time indeed. She needed somewhere rich in mana, but with the way her body was wrecked, she wouldn’t be able to get there in time. With great effort, she started moving, searching for a place to rest. A ruined structure yawned in her vision, it was close and it just might do. With one last thought, she sent out a psychic pulse. One to let her followers know that she needed them. Hopefully they found her first, she’d not be able to protect herself otherwise, but she had no choice. Reaching the structure, she closed the entrance with a thought and settled on the ground. Then her thoughts were no more, the world fading to darkness as she began to sleep, to regenerate... to hibernate.”

___________________________

Misaki smiled as she watched the celestials bringing carts into town. Each one loaded with children in need of a home, a home she could provide. She’d already built out the nurseries and summoned the caretakers she’d need for them. Now all that was left was to officially take custodianship of the children.

A fairy woman waltzed up to her, “That should be the last of them,” she handed her something, “Please sign this, they insisted.”

Misaki took it and read through it, it was a contract of sort. It gave her custodianship of the children, so long as she allowed a celestial observer to make sure she wasn’t doing anything strange with the children. She grinned, that sounded like a bonus as far as she was concerned. Especially if the observer was female, which seemed likely, as she didn’t see any celestial men working. Grabbing a pen, she was about to sign it, when everyone stopped. A blue screen filled her vision. She blinked, then blinked again as the town was suddenly abuzz with a new topic. 

World Event!!!The City of Salmus lies in ruins, the God Aurous of the Human Light Pantheon met the Solean Lord Milith of Clan Countryman, Princess of the Empire in fierce battle over the city. After fierce combat, Princess Milith slew the infamous god, ending his tyrannical reign over the Gods of Light.With his passing, the Theocracy of Salmus no longer has a patron god. 

The Pantheon of the Dark has laid claim to the territory. 

The Pantheon of the Light has laid claim to the territory. 

The Pantheon of Shadow has laid claim to the territory. 

Mortals beware, they have one year to choose a new patron, or war for the territory shall begin.The Church of Aurous has placed a bounty on Princess Milith.The Church of Cynari requests Princess Milith be delivered to them, Alive.The Church of Dewari has issued a proclamation that any who hunt the Godslayer will be shown no mercy.

......

It went on with countless claims from one church to another in regards to the Godslayer Princess Milith. Some of them clearly in favor, others it seemed were out for her blood. Yet before she could fully process that, a new notification appeared.

Congratulations!You have been offered a Divine Quest!

Misaki I know this is perhaps a bit sudden, but I need you to protect young Milith from her enemies. Killing a god is an act that has drawn far too much attention for young Milith. I was watching her battle, as were many other gods and she didn’t escape that fight unscathed. Already the young lady has chosen to hibernate, so that she can heal from her wounds, but Salmus isn’t the mana rich environment she needs. As a dungeon, you naturally produce the environment she needs. I have sent a couple of my agents to collect the young Princess and guide her to you. All you have to do is protect her until such time she can protect herself. 

Do you accept???

Reward:???

Failure:???

Msaki blinked, then asked the fairy woman beside her, “UM, Miss Tetra?”

“Drop the Miss, and before you ask no, world events don’t happen that often.”

“No not that, um, I just got offered a divine quest but the rewards and failure are all...”

“Take it! Never turn one of those down.”

“But the reward field is blank.”

“Trust me whatever the reward is, it will be worth the effort. Take it.”

Misaki nodded and silently accepted the quest. Her gaze then fell on the other item and she quickly signed before handing it back to Tetra. She still had to get a few thousand kids settled, and she couldn’t wait to properly welcome them.

________________

The figure tucked her wings close, as several of her fellows landed behind her. Following the battle at Abyssgate they’d been tracking Abyssal strongholds through the country and taking them down one by one. This place was the latest. Interrogating victims and would-be masters alike led them to an old coastal town on the shores of the Great Lake of Zemra. Few people actually used its name, since it was the only great water in these parts and served as the main border between the heartlands of the Bluewood and the Theocracy. They did share a long border west of the lake, but aside from scattered small towns and villages on either side. There wasn’t anything of much strategic import in the area. East of the lake the two great nations were separated by the small Kingdom of Lem. It was a kingdom of such little import to global politics that most people didn’t even know it existed. Unless you were talking about the conflicts between the Bluewood and the Theocracy.

Still they’d made a note to head that way. While they hadn’t heard anything, it wasn’t impossible for the Abyssals to have a presence in the Kingdom of Lem. She honestly didn’t know much about the nation in question and figured she’d learn more when she made her way to it.

She pushed those thoughts aside as one of the scouts came up to her. “What did you find?”

“Definitely an Abyssal presence here, and they’ve been here a long time.”

“What kind and how bad?”

“Tymesian Maneaters, and it’s bad. Very bad. I’d say they’ve been here for years.”

She sighed, that was never a good sign. The young sky knight steeled her nerves, even as she gave the next order. It was time to march on the town, they’d burn all who resisted, and after they’d sort out who could be saved, but the corruption might run too deep. “Now what exactly did you find?”

The scout sighed, “There aren’t any adults on the streets at all. Local residents are a mix of humans, elves and beastkin. Of the children we saw, we noted a population completely devoid of males with most of the children out on the streets being between the ages of five and twelve. The man-eaters have been around long enough that they’ve replaced the inner city with their own strange architecture. Gravity can get weird in certain parts of the city, which is where we found some of the younger children along with young Tymesians.”

“I see, and what do you mean ‘some of the younger’?”

She sighed, “We had a harder time locating the newborns, at least until we looked underground. That’s also how we ended up finding the remaining adults. Breeding age females are being kept in underground pens, where they are regularly bred and kept pregnant. They aren’t even allowed to interact with their babies, who are being raised in what amounts to a factory.”

She grimaced, having seen more than a couple such... baby factories. She knew what kind of horrors they would face. It was going to be another one of those missions that left a foul taste in her mouth, but the Goddess had decreed that the Abyssal taint shall be purged from the land and she would gladly march into these towns again and again to purge the taint. “Right give me the rest.”

Armed with the scouting report, she joined a formation and marched into the town. Almost immediately, the nature of her foe was apparent. She quickly noted several young girls playing games. All of them were naked, marred with injuries. Off to the left, a girl with a limp arm was giggling as she left a trail of blood, while a ball of fur, tentacles and teeth chased after her, chewing on a bone. It didn’t take a genius to guess where that bone was from.

Raising her arm, she channeled mana through her Valakir. A red sphere launched from her palms, and since her aim was true it struck the foul creature center mass. The creature let out a foul cry as blood and guts sprayed from the fresh wound and it crumpled to the ground.

The girl jumped then glanced back, came to a stop and stared for a moment, “Why? She was just trying to eat me, you didn’t have to kill her!”

The knight didn’t bother to reply, she’d leave the girl for the mind mages to sort out, and she knew the girl would sorely need their help. Poor thing didn’t realize what was wrong with being eaten.

One maneater down, she marched further into the town as the hive stirred. In moments, more of the creatures streamed onto the streets as they made a terrible noise. Shifting into new forms, forms more capable of fighting. The knight grinned, “Glory to the Gods! We fly for war!”

“Glory to the Gods! May the tainted burn!” came the reply. They charged into battle, claws and teeth met blade and spell.

A creature half tentacled beast, half woman came out of the shadows. Sending barbed spines her way, as the children rushed into cover best they could. Some of them were crippled from previous injuries but it seemed their fellows were helping them. She blocked the spines with a few well placed parries, and unleashed a pulse from her Valakir. Red light slammed into the creature which screamed as one of its tentacles went flying. Dark blood spurting from the wound. It lashed out and she dodged a claw tipped tentacle. The rock beside her was gouged out with force, and she countered with a strike of her own. This time her strike was fatal and the creature crumpled to the ground, just as two more rushed at her. She didn’t give them the chance and blasted both of them, sending blood and guts spraying everywhere as their forms crumpled. She let loose a war cry and charged further into town, just as a notification hit her vision.

World Event!!!The City of Salmus lies in ruins, the God Aurous of the Human Light Pantheon met the Solean Lord Milith of Clan Countryman, Princess of the Empire in fierce battle over the city. After fierce combat, Princess Milith slew the infamous god, ending his tyrannical reign over the Gods of Light.With his passing, the Theocracy of Salmus no longer has a patron god. 

The Pantheon of the Dark has laid claim to the territory. 

The Pantheon of the Light has laid claim to the territory. 

The Pantheon of Shadow has laid claim to the territory. 

Mortals beware, they have one year to choose a new patron, or war for the territory shall begin.The Church of Aurous has placed a bounty on Princess Milith.The Church of Cynari requests Princess Milith be delivered to them, Alive.The Church of Dewari has issued a proclamation that any who hunt the Godslayer will be shown no mercy.

......

It came with something else, a pulse that told her everything she needed to know. Her Mistress, her Queen, needed her, but they were in the middle of clearing a nest. Could she abandon her holy crusade? Did she drop everything to rush to the aid of her mistress? Yet she knew there were children being harmed this very moment within the walls of this city. Could she knowingly let them come to more harm? Such questions filled her mind, as she dodged the tentacles of another maneater, before blasting it with several pulses from her Valakir. It let out a terrible cry and she knew her answer.