Mary spared a thought for her envoys and briefly joined Tyler, Ava and Madison in their dreams.

Things were going well, though Tyler was going to be impossible when he realised that Ava... Mary chuckled to herself and spread her awareness over her domain. Huh, that group of veteran adventurers was trying again. Well they were getting stronger.

‘Mmm, they deserve somethin’ special for their persistence. Heh, I know, I’m sure I can do it but I’ll need to know them better. Lessee, yeah they’ve all bled a lot and... yeah, it’ll be fun and underscore my new status.’

‘Then I have those beep dwarves, not nice folk, gotta do somethin’ to underscore my displeasure. Can’t have my folk wronged for doin’ a good deed. Lessee if I can use that method to see what’s happenin’ elsewhere that Ocidon been tryin’ to teach me.’

Mary concentrated and slowly a scene came into focus.

‘Brrr! Beep! But that looks freezin’. ’K, so we have dark elves, drow. Interestin’ but that still leaves the main culprit untouched an’ spreadin’ lies. My folk will get the best Mithril items now. Gotta rub their noses in it.’ Mary chuckled. ‘Maybe I can use the drow to screw him up more. Might have to rescue the brat so I can use him.’

Mary sent her awareness into the gods plane and started searching for the scent of the drow. She tracked the scent and she could see where the threads had been relocated. Concentrating hard she found a ghost of a trail and followed it to a gigantic decrepit web. The cocoon in the centre of the web pulsed slowly with life.

‘ Time to live up to my new title of Blackbeard’s Bane. Now if I can grab the threads... lessee, my threads to my Octopii, the deep sea squid folk an’ my sea humans. Mmmm, gotta do somthin’ to hide an’ strengthen those ties. Hmm? Tyler, Victoria an’ Tomcat an’ their folk too? Well my blessin’ to you all. Huh, gotta be careful with that in future. Was expensive but rewardin’.’

Mary moved carefully and examined the ties linking the drow to Vortexius Blackbeard, then cautiouslu she followed them until she could feel the weakened god. She exhaled softly through her blowhole and contacted her folk and collected their threads in her head.

« Watch! As We – I Strike at Blackbeard. »

And then Mary launched a powerful bolt of something at Vortexius Blackbeard that seemed to stagger him. The she grabbed the loose threads and yanked them out of the distracted god’s grasp. Mary fled to the web and thrust them into the cocoon.

She turned and called her domain, and swam slowly in the gods ocean to face a furious Blackbeard. The godsrealm frothed and boiled as differing paradigms fought for dominance. Slowly the waters retreated. But then a hissing cold voice came from behind Mary, “Why how nice! The thief is all alone before me and it seems I have an ally. Only a demi-goddess but that still leaves you vulnerable thief!”

Blackbeard blanched and started to withdraw but he was too late as a huge woman headed spider trailing silver bubbles pounced on him and the fight was on.

Mary grinned, then shot forward and rammed Blackbeard, even as the ocean aspect of the godsrealm regained ascendancy.

* * *

Two wounded and tired female divine beings floated in the a wide ocean of the godsrealm as they slowly absorbed the blood that had spilled and gathered and filtered the scraps Vortexius Blackbeard had abandoned when he fled.

« So tell me little one, why is a fish challenging the new gods and why are you helping me? »

« Not a fish, dolphin are not fish, we’re mammals. Ocidon an’ me we’re gonna screw the new gods over. Wanna join? An’ why is one of those threads I yanked from Blackbeard attached to me? »

« Little fish you are amusing. The drow are my children but they need a link to another to truly prosper. And that is you for now little fish. And now I ask again. Why did you decide to help me and mine? »

« Some of my folk had a run in with some dwarves that tried to beep them over. » Mary radiated amusement. « Then some drow showed up and more than evened the score. I want to rub the dwarves noses in it, so I went lookin’ for the drow’s divine protector an’ found Blackbeard had stolen them an’ wasn’t treatin’ ‘em right. An’ as Blackbeard’s Bane I couldn’t resist intervenin’. »

« Why so you are – and how do plan to rub the dwarves noses in it? »

« Figure to give that band a few presents, got a few mithril weapons including a nice mithril barbed and reinforced whip. »

= = O = =

Tyler rubbed himself against Ava and glowed with contentment as he sensed his child life force curled peacefully as it grew in his love’s womb. Madison lay relaxed on the small iceberg close to her friends. Her eyes were closed as she relived that terrifying fight in the godsrealm against Vortexius Blackbeard. She stroked the small seed, the manna seed that was her reward for throwing all she was into helping Mother. She could see the same seed in Tyler and Ava. Tyler was going to be a pain – more of a pain – now he knew he was going to be a daddy.

Tyler grumbled to himself and eyed Madison. What magnificent tusks she had and such delicate whiskers. His Ava was more delicate and she was his. But he wanted Madison too.

‘That fight was spectacular and terrifying. Why was Mother so reckless?’ Tyler snorted with reluctant humour. ‘Mother seems to value recklessness and risk taking. Why else are we on our way to find out the weaknesses of another god before the first enemy has been eliminated. I wonder how long it will take for the world to learn that Mother is linked to the drow? Their reputation is not good.’

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

Early in the evening Darkfire led his band and their offering into the temple. As always the temple seemed cold and uninviting. The priest, a human, and his two drow acolytes were already present in front of the altar. Vulcar-tor the chief priest smiled at the sight of the rock grub.

“Well done—”

“Darkfire,” hissed one of the acolytes.

“—Darkfire, the young dwarf will make an excellent slave.”

There was a sharp crack, and the torches burning in front of the altar were abruptly extinguished casting the temple into gloom. Darkfire blinked as the feeling of indifference that had infused the temple for as long as he could remember vanished.

“Look, the statue!” exclaimed Nightshade.

Nightwind watched as the statue of Vortexius Blackbeard rocked and cracked, chips flying from it to lie scattered on the floor of the temple. The priest and his acolytes turned and cried in dismay. Then the statue and altar shattered forming a – window – that showed Vortexius Blackbeard fighting against the Spider Queen and one of those air breathing fish.

The fight was vicious and all participants were wounded but Vortexius Blackbeard was the one who fled.

Then a new Altar formed itself as did a vast black basalt web with a statue of the Spider Queen at it’s heart. Slightly to one side and behind the statue of Spider queen one of a leaping dolphin appeared.

« I am back my children. Kill the followers of the thief. »

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

Dr Michaela DeBlasio contemplated the occurrences of the past few days and came to a decision. She rubbed her chin, her bristly chin and sighed in frustration before heading for her bathroom room to shave yet again. She had been so impressed when the blue screens had started appearing at the con, they had just seemed like some really spectacular special effects. She would never have chosen to be a dwarf if she had realised the consequences. Even so she was much better of than that bloke that had chosen to become a dryad.

The last two days had been hectic with those three stupid teenagers being admitted suffering from acute anaemia and sunburn. Honestly opting to become a close approximation of vampires early on of a sunny day whilst still at school. Then the school vice principal had dragged the other two in, the tiger boy and the sea human.

She shook her head ruefully, the tiger boy had been contrite, even if according to him he had been threatened to find out how to create a viable vampire for the others. The solution using a series of vampire romances featuring nanite affected humans was ingenious but... And then there was the girl, someone who had studied and was studying the System. The closest thing to an expert she had come across yet.

Michaela shuddered. The girl’s total lack of empathy for the sufferers was chilling. And then there was that throwaway remark about her beard.

Then there has been the other two girls, the elder the third girl in the vampire cabal who had opted for elf and her sister who Lani had used to test her changes and had ended up in the body of a six year old sea elf. At least having enquired into sea humans she had been able to caution the family about the potentially lethal dangers posed by chlorinated swimming pools.

She had researched the girl Mary Silvestre, both through official channels and through the old gamer and the new System related blogs. Every mention of her on those blogs was second or third hand where someone was citing her as a source.

She checked her chin and returned to her living room. Then after checking the time she dug out her phone.

* * *

Michaela didn’t know whether to be horrified or hopeful. Her friend Cas had hinted that the girl might – just might – be able to do what she promised. Mind you Cas has invited herself along which saved her from issuing the invite.

So now here they were in this quiet residential street in front of a house with a vintage jeep on the driveway complete with a curled up ginger cat napping on its hood.

“Come on Cas, she said she’d be in the back garden.”

They discovered Mary sitting cross legged beside a mid sized pond in the corner of the garden. It was surrounded on three sides by thick flower covered bushes. She seemed to be talking to a tiny girl in the pond. Mary looked up and waved them over.

“Afternoon Cas, Michaela. Allow me to introduce my best friend Jerica. She’s a Sea Sprite.”

Jerica smiled and waved. “Hi.”

Michaela gasped, “Someone chose to become a Sea Sprite?”

Jerica shook her head, “I’ve always been a Sea Sprite, just like my mother and father.”

“But... I thought that magic only recently... So how?” asked Cas.

A small pixie poked her head out from behind the bush where she had been hiding. “You big folk have only recently been awakened but lots of us have been hiding in odd corners. It’s better now.”

Mary grinned at the looks of astonishment on her visitor’s faces. “And this is Silversword, she’s a pixie, and yes she’s a friend too.”

Silversword smiled and seemed to relax.

Michaela dropped to the ground and sat on the grass as she looked back and forth between the two small beings. Cas’ attention meanwhile was captured by a fish swimming in the pond.

“That’s a saltwater fish!”

“Well naturally, what did you expect? How could Terry visit me if it was fresh?”

“Terry?” queried Cas.

“Herro Cas, Mary has mentioned you.”

Cas collapsed to the ground.

“Have we broken her Mother? I meant no harm.” Terry said and sank back to the bottom of the pond.

« Doubt it Terry, and if we have then she’s useless to us. Thank you for coming. »

“Michaela have you decided? Do you want me to remove your beard?”

“God damn it Mary, how dared you play god and create that poor octopus. Don’t you realize how lonely he’s going to be?”

“But he’s not alone. And Pete and Shirley are doting parents.”

Jerica and Silversword looked at each other, Jerica muttered, “play god!” and then they broke out in mutual laughter.

Michaela just stared at Cas. “Um, Cas what’s gotten into you?”

Cas glared, “That – That—” then she seemed to slump, “Mary has some dangerous theories about DNA and how to manipulate it. She used octopi in her paper – but – but it was – it seemed impossible. But we met Terry! We met Terry.”

“You mean Terry isn’t something the System created.” Michaela asked.

Cas glanced hopefully at Mary. But she only smiled and shook her head. “Terry and his people are mine. And they’re not alone.”

* * *

Cas was feeling scared. She had met an intelligent articulate octopus. She had talked with Terry while Mary had been working on Michaela. Admittedly Terry couldn’t handle the letter L, but that was minor. Mary had actually created a new race. And according to Terry, Pete and Shirley had had children – and they had survived! They had bred true.

That sideways knowing – mocking – look that Mary liked to use was infuriating. Cas wasn’t sure if she was glad or furious that Mary had no intention of making her octopi public. But the enchanted items she used to view manipulate and change the DNA of a living being, and the one she had used to diffuse the changes through the body. That she was willing to sell those items was terrifying. And what was truly frightening is that she – Cas – wanted them too.