***The World***

***Ascathon***

Opening my eyes, I reach for my neck and carefully try to massage the strained muscles which feel like I slept in a wrong position for a whole night. When there is no instant reaction of gruesome pain, I sit up, circling my head to relax the musculature. It’s unpleasant, but it has to be done. “Man, having your neck broken really twinges. Haven’t felt something that uncomfortable for a long time,” I complain to myself.

Lowering my guard to the point that someone like Myrm could just strike me dead was really lazy of me. At least it was a wake-up call without long-term consequences.

“Having your neck broken just twinges?” Karin asks with a forlorn expression on her face, clearly not happy that I changed back to my male persona. She turns, looking back in the direction where my Nova-body is sleeping inside the Cryo-tube.

“Hah!” I swing my legs off the operating table and get to my feet. “Girl, you have no idea what manner of deaths I experienced over my various lifetimes. Especially when I was just a fledgling immortal and couldn’t back up my ego with the skills I have nowadays.” I sigh, remembering the old times without any desire to return. Back then, every day was a struggle, and most of the time there were others who told me what to do with my life.

“People must have killed you left and right,” Willow joins in, nodding to show her approval of the assessment.

I glare at her.

She circles her hand, elaborating, “I mean, you are really not a people-person. I am only going by what I know about your life on this world, but from the point you got freed from being a slave it took you less than a year until half the governments in the world wanted to kill you.”

“You also were a slave once upon a time?” Karin asks, then she furrows her forehead. “How does a powerful immortal get turned into a slave?”

I clear my throat. “Let’s just say that I was unlucky enough to be born into the occupation. And back then, there was something that’s called a slave-collar. It forces the one who wears it to obey every whim and command of their owner. They pretty much wipe out your free will.”

“That’s just disgusting!” Karin cries out. “I am glad that the slavers in my old village didn’t have those. Life would have been so much worse.”

I raise an eyebrow at that and Karin shrugs. “I mean, if you have your free will, you can at least take some little revenge, like spitting into your owner’s food, or stealing some more to eat.”

“The collars were actually pretty common back then,” Willow informs Karin. “In the Empire, their use was so widely spread that you could distinguish between two classes, free people and slaves.”

“What happened?”

Willow points at me. “He happened… or rather, back then he was Nova. The Necromantic Bane ended the Eternal War and wiped out most of the larger governments. Then Nova proceeded to persecute anyone and everyone who was in possession of slave-collars, or the knowledge of how to make one. It was the single, largest manhunt in the history of our world. When Nova started it, I didn’t believe it possible, but eventually she really managed to wipe out any and all knowledge that might lead to the creation of such a collar.”

“Is that why everyone despises her as the Necromantic Bane?” Karin asks. “If they were so common, then Nova’s actions must have been felt throughout all levels of society.”

“I didn’t give a shit,” I clarify. “Back then, this world had the highest density of assholes I ever encountered. Half of the continent was openly practising slavery on a horrendous scale, while the other half used that fact to wage an unending war in which they burned their undesirables. And then they all objected to outlawing any knowledge on mind-control techniques. As if I was taking away their favourite toy. If you ask me, they got what they deserved.”

“I told you that he is not a people-person,” Willow interjects, twirling a strand of her silver hair between her fingers.

“I did them a favour!” I complain. “And now history paints me as the villain.”

“He is kind of sore on the subject,” Willow elaborates in a good-natured manner.

“My rule should be remembered as a golden age,” I rant, working myself into a rage. Didn’t I bring a millennium of peace and education to this world? And it took these savages less than a century to destroy everything I built!

“Well, you tended to kill off anyone who had a different opinion from you,” Willow points out. “Or you just turned them into undead and had them work for you against their will.”

“What I did was for the good of the world and the people. The ones who opposed me called themselves freedom-fighters! But they just used that as a facade to paint themselves as the good ones. In reality, they just wanted to return to their old ways. To a world where the strong prey on the weak.” I have to make this clear to Karin, or she might get the wrong picture of history.

“I am sure that ‘all’ the orks in the north-eastern regions deserved having nukes thrown on them until the soil glowed in the night,” Willow points out.

Karin gasps. “You are responsible for the Wastelands?”

“And for the Great Divide. That huge crater in the centre of the continent, the one that’s still glowing today,” Willow adds.

I round on my servant. “Quit telling her just snippets of the whole story! It makes me look bad!”

“But you are so good at being the bad guy. You are probably the single, largest mass-murderer in our world’s history. That’s something to be proud of. I, as a former assassin, must know,” the Elemental replies half-heartedly.

Before I can lunge forward to strangle her, Karin raises her hand. “Please don’t start fighting over things that happened a thousand years ago. I was just interested in learning what really happened, but it’s clearly not a story that can be told in a few words.”

“Yes,” I sigh. “A history of a millennium can’t be told in just a few words.”

I turn, gesturing Willow to take over Karin’s education. “Why don’t you tell the kid what happened – without leaving anything out. But don’t forget the rest of her education over it.”

“Typical man! The woman has to do the work while you run off and-”

Willow’s complaint is cut off as I use a pathway to escape what would’ve surely turned into a tirade. Even if she is my minion and has to do what I say, a good overlord has to know when to let his subordinates nag.

I appear high above the world and loosen the tight control over my aura, trying to relax as I drift in the upper stratosphere, almost at the border to space and protected by nothing but the pure power flowing through my being. From time to time I just have to let go and this is the only place I can do so.

Doing so, I look down on the single, large continent which makes up eighty percent of the world’s landmass.

The rest are some small islands, the largest of them the pirate islands in the north-east, and the former trading centre of the Consortium in the north-west. Both political powers are long lost in the history of time.

I suddenly realize that I know next to nothing about the current political state of the world.

All I do know, I gained by taking short glimpses into the minds of random worshippers who made the mistake of summoning me. The most reliable information I got was from Luxley. But even if his kingdom is a stabilizing factor on a big part of the main-continent’s southern coast, it is still just a small piece of the puzzle.

Since my time as the Necromantic Bane, the world’s governments became much more localized. The fear of another dictator was ingrained so deeply into most leadership groups that they didn’t dare to rebuild governments on the same scale. Or rather, they couldn’t.

As soon as some local warlord transpires to take control of neighbouring regions, others rise in fear of history repeating itself. It’s the reason why the world has trouble shaking off the memory of my rule.

I grumble, looking down on the world.

If the Necromantic Bane is still something that’s feared to such a degree, then it’s to be expected that any public actions of my followers will cause an immediate reaction. Whether they want to or not, those who remember the truth will flock to my banner. On the same account, there will be those who arrange themselves against me.

Myrm will surely be one of them.

The crackling of someone using a pathway draws my attention, and Seria appears next to me.

“Could you tone it down a bit?” She gestures with her hand, indicating that I should switch something off. She herself has her aura partly released and is resisting the pressure of my power with ease.

“Tone down what?” I ask, feigning ignorance.

“Your aura.” She gestures at the planet beneath us. “The mortals are going stir-crazy: ‘Oh, we are all doomed! The red star is shining again, promising the return of chaos and war and death!’ ” She throws her hands dramatically up in the air. “They are turning me crazy.”

“They are saying that?” I ask, cheering up. “That’s actually pretty nice. I didn’t know that my relaxation sessions have such an effect on the planet.”

“They aren’t exactly a star-faring culture, and ominous red lights appearing above their heads force the religious zealots out of their hidey-holes.” She gestures in a shooing motion at me. “So, could you turn it down?”

Rolling my eyes, I gather my energies and pack them away, shutting them tightly within me until there is just enough left to keep me alive in this hostile environment. “Happy?”

She nods. “Better.”

Seria is already in the process of turning away, apparently with the intention of immediate departure, when she turns back to face me. “Come to think of it. Do you have any idea where Marigold is?”

“Marigold?” I ask. “No. Why should I know? Shouldn’t you be able to find him easily with your infamous tracking skills?”

She purses her lips. “Only if a member of the Council gives me his soul’s signature. And I don’t want to ask them for it, possibly drawing their attention.”

“I see.”

When I don’t show any sign of giving up more information, she continues. “It’s just that Nazareth and Marigold normally stick together like identical twins. But recently Marigold was absent for long periods of time, and nobody has seen him for days.”

I blink. “Just a few days? What are you so worried about? I frequently see no other god for months.”

“Not everyone is as antisocial as you, so are you absolutely sure that you don’t know where he could be?” She crosses her arms in front of her chest, looking at me accusingly. “It’s just strange that you were the last person who he was seen talking to.”

“Hmm.” I scratch the stubbles on my chin. “I certainly did nothing to him. We just made a little small-talk about the current situation.” Then I remember. “Ah! That’s right! I gave him a little tip.”

“A tip?”

“Yes, well. It’s a vacation resort of sorts, nothing to worry about.” I wave my hand dismissively. “If he went there, then he is fine. Just give him a little time. He will show up eventually.”

“Eventually?” Her eyes narrow. “Now I do worry. Where exactly is this vacation resort? We will get Nazareth and search for him.”

“No, really. Just give him some time. I am sure he is fine. Trust me.”

“That’s it! We are going there, and you will show us the way.” She gestures for me to stay put as if I am some kind of dog. “Wait right there. I’ll go and get Nazareth.” She vanishes, taking one of the pathways.

Either my reaction was simply too slow, or I was too dumbfounded to get the fuck away from there. In any case, before I managed to come up with the proper reaction of simply teleporting away, Seria reappeared with a disoriented Nazareth in tow.

“We are ready.” She shoos me on with a gesture. “Just lead the way and we follow.”

“Seria, I know that we aren’t on the best of terms, but Marigold really isn’t at risk if he followed my advice. He will have a good time, and then he will show up again,” I try to explain without giving away too much. For some reason, I really don’t want to lead Seria to a place like the Plains of Pleasure.

Unfortunately, Nazarath chooses to intervene at that moment. “If Marigold is fine, then it should be no problem if you lead us there for us to check. Once we know for sure that he isn’t there, we at least won’t waste our time by searching other places.”

Somehow I can’t dispute that logic… and if Marigold turns out to be the latest victim of gods disappearing, then I don’t want to find myself connected to the following investigation. That would be a hassle.

“Fine!”

I turn, searching the sky for the necessary pathway, allowing my instincts as an ascended being to pick out the one right choice among uncountable billions of possibilities. Then I reach out with my mind, following the pathway through space, time, and dimensions.

We appear on a flat, grassy landscape with lush vegetation sprinkled across gently rising and falling hills. It would be a perfectly fine scenery, if it weren’t for the fact that the vegetation presented itself in tones of blue and pink, with a red sky with no sun overhead.

Seria’s and Nazareth’s eyes immediately fixate on the castle in front of us, its gates looming open, presenting themselves like a maw to swallow any visitor whole.

Above the gate, the letters - P.o.P. - are inscribed in pink letters on the castle's obsidian stone.

“Ahh,” I sigh, remembering some fond memories. “This place didn’t change at all.”

I gesture for my companions to follow. “Come. And remember, these are the infernal planes of lust and pleasure. Most of the beings here are demons and rank on the lower scale of minor deities.”

“Which means?” Nazareth asks, looking offended.

“That you would probably have problems fighting them off, but Seria and I are above their weight level. Although, if a few dozen of them gang up on us we should probably run,” I explain, guiding them towards the gate.

“I thought this place isn’t dangerous?” Seria asks, but before I can reply she gasps upon passing a large plant right next to the path. “What the fuck!?”

I stop, inspecting the plant. It’s a large pot-like thing with a leaf as a lid, and as I watch, the outlines of a screaming face become visible as the occupant of the carnivorous plant presses his head against the wall. “What!?” Ignoring the scene, I quickly search our surroundings for the real threat.

Nazareth points at the plant. “There is someone inside it!”

Returning my attention shortly to the plant, I give Nazareth ‘the look’. “Well, duh… we are on the plains of pleasure, guys. Did you miss the ‘infernal’ in the description? You find everything in this place. From benign lovemaking to S&M and Vore, your fantasies will be fulfilled. The guy in there is probably having the time of his life.”

They look at me.

“Oh, please don’t tell me that you two are complete virgins. Just think of this place as the kinky kind. Now let’s go. This dimension is running on a one to twenty timescale compared to the one we just left. It means that every day in this place costs me twenty days to further my ‘evil’ plans in the world.”

I take the lead, aiming without error for the open gate. “Now, where is the gatekeeper?” Stepping past the threshold, I search for a succubus. Normally, there is always one of the girls guarding the place, demanding and entrance-fee for partaking in the pleasures the castle offers.

When I find the gate strangely unguarded, I take a look into the guardroom, from where I hear pained moans, although it could also be from pleasure. The entrance is embedded to the left in the castle’s stupidly thick walls, right behind the gate. The room itself is rather spartan with just a table and a few chairs.

On top of the table is a man, although there isn’t much more than skin and bones left. He almost looks like a really dried up zombie, one that was summoned incorrectly. Kneeling above him is a red-skinned girl with flaming red hair. Her nicely shaped butt is high in the air while she is fingering herself, her demon tail curling in pleasure while she deep-throats her lucky victim’s member with skilled expertise. Purring happily, she bobs her head with vigour while the man moans in pleasure and pain at the same time.

“I would recognize that heart-shaped butt anywhere in the multiverse,” I announce myself. “If it isn’t the lovely Felicia! How are your mother and your sisters?”

With a wet slurp, the succubus lets go of the man’s organ and turns around. Her dilated pupils focus on me as she licks her luscious lips. Then she recognizes me and squeals, jumping off the table, she charges me and gives me a hug, ignoring the fact that she is completely naked.

“Ascathon! It has been so long since you showed your face. Mom will surely be happy to hear from you!”

To my dismay, she kisses me on both cheeks, thankfully avoiding the lips… I have to wash later.

Looking behind me, she notices Seria and Nazareth and purrs with a wicked grin. “More guests?”

“Yeah, not really. We can’t stay for long since we are just checking on a friend. A half-orc, huge guy, and a god. Have you seen him?” I pat Felicia's head and smile jovially, avoiding the cute little horns on her forehead which are sharper than they look.

She wriggles. “Maybe? I think Mom invited him into her tower?”

“Ah, that’s fine.” I smile. “Like I said, we are just checking since his friends are worried.”

“…elp… heelp…” the living corpse on the table moans, interrupting our reunion. “The Imaam promised me that I would have seventy-two virgins in Jannah if I just killed the infidels! As al-Ghazali …” the man keeps on babbling something incomprehensible, clearly lost within his delusions.

Yeah, well. Doing it with a succubus isn't that healthy for those with feeble minds. I doubt that he will get past Felicia if he already looks like this from a mere blowjob. In any case, there are still forty sisters to go through.

“A friend?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“A snack.” Felicia glides back to the table, and I notice that the man’s pole didn’t flag while we were talking. “Sis brought him over for me as dinner. Playing gate-guardian is just too boring.” She climbs back onto the table, throwing a leg over the man, mounting him reverse cowgirl style. “I think she snatched him from some version of earth.”

Without caring about the audience, Felicia impales herself on ‘the snack’ and starts gyrating her hips. “Just…” She moans lustfully as a pentagram starts glowing right above her groin. “…go on. You know the way.”

Still smiling, I turn around and usher Seria and Nazareth out of the guardroom. “We will be going then.”

Ignoring both of my companions' glares, I lead the way deeper into the castle.