***The World***

***Ascathon***

I hum as I examine the amulet, slowly turning the clamp which is holding it beneath the detection device. Its inner workings are displayed on the machine’s screen and I nod in appreciation when I discover a little detail which I previously wasn’t aware of. It’s quite enlightening to get a good look from different angles at its innards.

As soon as I returned to my laboratory, I used every non-destructive method I could think of to get to the bottom of the artefact's mystery. As long as the used method left the amulet without visible signs of manipulation, I was fine with applying it.

It's not like I want to warn the Council of my ongoing investigation by carrying around the pieces of a minced amulet. I am sure that would come back to bite me at some point. At the latest when Tjenemit decides that it’s time for another round of testing.

Before I knew that it is indeed possible to take the amulet off, I was reluctant to attempt some of the obvious methods of studying its innards. Having my head right next to a radioactive source or inside a strong electromagnetic field could have seriously ruined my day. There are better ways to proceed to the next reincarnation.

Currently, I am using some acoustic sensors which were originally intended to detect weak points in metals. But with a little ingenuity and a very strong frequency generator, the sensors are perfect to map the internal structure of the amulet. The downside is the noise, so it’s necessary to encase the entire equipment inside a soundproof case.

The creator of the amulet layered several different metals and used a form of transfiguration magic to weld them seamlessly inside a protective coating, making it seem like the amulet is one solid piece. Which it isn’t. Its innards are actually a quite complicated mesh of circuitry, the magical kind.

It's a common method used by enchanters. Instead of creating one big and complicated enchantment, they can enchant several different objects and fuse the spells afterwards.

Acoustic mapping is a perfect method to analyse such pieces. The shock of the soundwaves travels at different speeds through different materials and those inconsistencies can be measured with the right equipment. A computer program interprets the received signal and the end result is a pretty detailed representation of the internal layout.

Now that I got a good look at the thing, I am relatively sure that it was supposed to take control of its wearer. But not in the usual, obvious manner. It was supposed to instil respect and feelings of worship for those who are in command. It wouldn’t have turned me into an actual slave, but long exposure is likely to change the wearer into a mindless worker bee who is content with his fate.

I suppose the creator of this thing knew that hardcore control magic wouldn’t work on many gods. People of that power level tend to have a minimum amount of knowledge and skill, which makes it only natural to assume that at least some of the test subjects would have realized that something is up. The artefact may have been able to take control of the wearer’s mind, but as soon as the victim became aware of the influence, they would fight back. And there isn’t much in the multiverse that can stop a god, except for another god.

That’s why the creator of this thing opted for more subtle mind magic. Something that worms itself into the victim’s thoughts little by little without them ever realizing that their behaviour is being altered. Instead of forcing them into a certain course of action, it makes them believe that what they are doing happens of their own accord, something indefinitely more difficult to achieve than a simple slave collar.

It could have even worked, if it weren’t for the complicated interplay between the amulet and the World Enchantment. Subtle mind magic needs time to work on the subject, or it is simply shrugged off. Ideally, there should be absolutely no interference with the enchantment. A simple spike of energy is enough to interrupt the building web of energies which are aimed at the victim’s feelings, slowly guiding their desires towards a certain goal.

That’s why I prefer to place traps which rely on subtle magic in bedrooms and offices. Only there, such spells have even a chance of properly influencing the target. Which doesn't ensure their success. Not by a long run. Even in a perfect environment, it takes days for any permanent effect to take hold, depending on the strength of the target’s mind and how often he leaves the sphere of influence of the artefact.

Another weak point of that method is that the victim has to be awake and aware of his own magic. It wouldn’t work on a sleeping subject.

The upside, or downside, depending on which end of the equation you are, is that once subtle mind magic has taken hold, the changes are often permanent. People are creatures of habit and our habits are shaped by our daily lives. Once a person has spent enough time in a certain rhythm of behaviour, it's hard to change back. The spell isn't aimed at reprogramming what you do at the moment, but at what you wish to do.

That's why this form of magic is so dangerous and banned.

Why am I not surprised that the Council doesn't care about their own laws?

I am just lucky that the creator of the amulet was a talented genius, but suffered the flaw of being a lab-rat. He perfected the details of the theory but failed when it was time to take the big picture into account.

When you add the conditions of the World Enchantment to the amulet’s subtle attempt at influencing the wearer, you plunge the user into an environment that’s diametrically opposed to subtle magic. The subject gets teleported around on a daily basis, the energies of the teleportation through the pathways breaking the building spell of the amulet each time. On top, the person in question ends up frequently in situations in which it’s reasonable to discharge strong magical effects.

This was especially true during the early days of Tjenemit’s experiment. If it hadn’t been for the malfunctioning World Enchantment, the amulet might have worked.

I shudder at the thought. There is nothing that I hate more than being on the receiving end of mind-altering effects.

Given how complicated the spell-matrix for any subtle mind magic is, it was no wonder that the enchantment on the amulet deteriorated rapidly under the stress of frequent teleportations and magically charged environments.

Had the creator of this amulet not made such an obvious mistake, I would have had to bow in front of him, quite literally. Luckily, this person seems to be a genius at theoretical spellcraft but lacks the skill and experience for the actual execution. There is a wide gap between having a working prototype inside a laboratory and a field-tested version that's able to withstand the stress of real-world application.

The enchantment on the amulet was worn down and malfunctioned before it ever managed to influence me or the others.

This begs the question whether the creator of the amulet and the World Enchantment are the same person. From what I can see here, the amulet should have nothing to do with the World Enchantment, though I can't be a hundred percent certain of that.

Tjenemit must have given our mana signatures to the creator of the World Enchantment. He edited them into his spell and activated the whole thing during our meeting with Tjenemit. Maybe the reason for their failure is that the creator of the amulet didn’t know what Tjenemit intends to do with them?

My thoughts start drifting off, and for a moment, I wonder how Willow and Karin are doing, but then I shake my head and return my attention to examining the amulet. An entire day of research is beginning to affect my concentration.

There must be some way to get back at the creator of this thing, preferably causing him excruciating pain in the process. Maybe a curse? It should be possible to use the amulet as a magical beacon. At some point during its creation, the bastard must have held it in his hands, so maybe I can find a lingering mana signature on it.

It should be a really nasty curse. Something that discourages the Council from proceeding with this line of research, but it should look like an unfortunate accident at the same time. Something that flays the skin off his flesh until agony is all he knows, then strips him open like a chest, revealing his or her soul for all to see. And then crushing it in front of everyone, leaving the onlookers without a doubt that they just witnessed the final death of a sentient being.

Reaching out, I switch off the device and open the protective cover. Then I retrieve the amulet and try to think of a way to search for the creator’s mana signature. After the thing was in my possession for so long, it is very unlikely that any energy of the original holder remains. Mundane fingerprints? No, they are surely washed off. But maybe I can filter out the traces of the lingering enchantment.

“Uuh… I know that look. You are planning a murder. That’s so turning me on! How can I help?”

I almost drop the amulet, too surprised by the sudden appearance of the succubus. The green-haired girl is crouching next to my work-desk and peeking over the edge of the table.

I reach for my own heart, making sure that it’s still beating. “Isabel! You just took a decade of my life. Don’t sneak up on me when I plan revenge.” When did she get into my lab? Didn't I lock the door? Hell, sometimes I have the feeling that these women have a way to go through walls. Teleportation should be impossible inside my workspace.

“So you were planning murder and mayhem! How can I help?” She gets up and starts hopping up and down, showing me how bored she must be. “And don’t be a scrooge with your life-force. As a god, it’s not like you are limited to a certain lifespan.”

“Uh, sorry, but the target of my revenge is probably some god or lesser deity. You wouldn’t stand a chance,” I deny her, but can’t help myself from following her bouncing chest with my eyes. The little minx is probably doing that on purpose. Seriously, which woman with an F-size would jump up and down like that?

“Oh.” Her expression turns dejected and I remember that she was always a person who carried her feelings on her face.

“Sorry, but you wouldn’t stand a chance against a god.” I scratch my chin, feeling awkward at having to reject her help. Ashley and her succubi are a strange case. Centuries of practising their arts turned them into beings who can rival a lesser deity in power, but for some reason, they avoided the step that turned them into actual gods.

The normal process would be for a mortal soul to achieve the immortal status, mostly through luck, because mortals normally aren’t aware of their previous lives. They don’t know that they have to live as long as possible and gather a lot of memories many lifetimes in a row for their soul to gain strength.

Once they can actually remember their previous lives, it’s not that hard to live longer during each reincarnation as they grow in power and knowledge. And at some point they achieve godhood, allowing their soul a direct connection to the aether and the pathways, essentially giving them access to as much mana as they can wield.

This ability to wield mana is what discerns someone who is categorized as a lesser deity from a god. A lesser deity is somewhere on the power level where they can obliterate a small island, up to a continent. The important part is that it would be challenging for them to do even that much damage.

Most of the gods I know of are actually lesser deities, with some of them being definitely above that power level. The terminology is actually a little vague among the society of gods. The only thing that’s generally agreed upon is that everyone who can wipe out a planet without much effort is considered to be a god.

There are rumours that even among gods, there are some who play in a different league. Like El Shaddai, who is rumoured to have wiped out a solar system when he had a hissy fit.

But who cares about such a difference? Everything above world-ending scale would be just an academic question to everyone involved. If two actual gods fought each other on a colonized planet, they would have to wield forces which would tear the planet asunder, just to hurt the other party. What they were fighting about would become a moot point the moment they raised their hands with the intention to do permanent damage.

Isabel’s complaints force my attention back to her.

“But I am bored! The others left me behind to watch your base while they have fun with the mortals and are building your empire. I also want to gather some worshippers for you.” Her expression turns sketchy and she sucks in her lower lip, quivering with excitement. “Hnhnhn... I would convert entire towns, just by undressing on the plaza.”

“I think that's the reason why the others left you to watch the base,” I comment. “I don't think that it would leave my religion in a positive light if my priestesses start undressing in the middle of town.” She is a succubus after all. The most likely outcome would be that all the men try to fuck her on the spot. Then their women get involved in an attempt to avenge their husbands' unfaithfulness. “I'm just not entirely certain if the ultimate outcome would be an orgy or a bloodbath.”

“Now that you mention orgies...” She reaches over the table and draws a circle on my chest. “Didn't you promise to pay me a visit? Back at the castle? You never showed yourself and I felt kind of stood up.”

“Oh...” I wet my lips. “Things happened.” If I learned one thing during my time on the plane of lust, then it's never to go back on a promise with a succubus. “How can I make it up to you?”

She looks me up and down and smiles.

“Why do I dislike that look of yours?”

“Because I know exactly how to punish you for ignoring me.”

***Elsewhere***

***Willow***

“Will she really be fine?” Belarius asks and strokes his white beard, slight lines of worry marring his elderly face.

“No. Nope.” Karin shakes her head. “Just look at that thing! I will totally not be fine!” She points down into the town. “That’s a freaking scorpion! I hate spiders and this one has pincers and a tail! A house-sized scorpion with pincers as large as a carriage. There is no way I can fight that! Just crush it with a spell. You guys can easily deal with that thing.”

A few minutes ago, all the village’s alarms went off, announcing that we are being attacked. The monster broke through the city wall and went on a rampage in the living quarters of the civilians. As dutiful citizens, we joined Belarius in his rush to his bunker’s balcony. I call it a bunker, but it’s actually the head-mages abode.

I thought we may be able to help. After all, he took us in when we had nothing more to give but our word. So I turn my attention to the battle.

The village’s guards are doing their best to distract the mutated creature, but without mentionable magical abilities of their own, they are nothing more than distractions. When one of them gets a hit in, with a spear or a halberd, it only cuts a small piece out of the creature’s armour. Arrows are completely useless against the red, blue and green shimmering plates of chitinous armour which cover the whole monster.

I watch as the scorpion reaches down with a pincer and catches one of the armoured guards. Lifting him up, it swipes with the other arm at a group of defenders who scatter like mice in front of a cat.

Clamping down on the caught guard’s chest plate, it separates the man in two with a casual ‘snip’.

“D- did you see that?” Karin gasps. “There is no way I am going down there!”

“Oh, don’t be a little pussy,” I admonish her. “We are now living in this place, whether we want to or not. What we certainly won’t do is to neglect your training and we owe these nice people who took us in! This is the perfect chance to pay them back and to prove that we aren’t monsters.”

“No- nononononono-”

Taking her arm, I jump onto the balcony’s balustrade and spin around, accelerating the payload in order to place her strategically in the combat zone, directly in front of the monster.

“Noooooooo… why… dooo… youuu… throwww… meee… everyyy… timeee!”

Launching Karin on a ballistic trajectory, I watch her spin helplessly through the air, only to land pathetically in front of the surprised creature. She somersaults three times before finally coming to a halt entirely too close to the monster, her beautiful white robes now defiled with dust and dirt.

“I still don’t think that someone of her level should fight a mutated creature of that size,” Belarius murmurs. “It must have been right in the centre of a mana storm to grow that large.”

“Don’t worry. Karin is a good student, but nobody grows without learning to deal with life-threatening situations. She will survive.” I watch as the girl jump-rolls to the side, barely avoiding a pincer chopping down on her. Had she stayed in place, she would have been squashed to a pulp.

“So she won’t be fine!” Belarius complains.

I glance at him, quite curious why the old man took such a liking to Karin. I really hope that he doesn’t have ulterior motives. But then I discard the thought. Ashley surely taught Karin how to take care of pushy men. “Most likely not, but it’s better to get a little roughed up than to die, right? She has to gather experience.”

Returning my attention to the fight, I witness Karin playing cat and mouse with the monstrosity. Screaming, she is running in a circle while the scorpion-thing chases the cute, little morsel I threw in front of it.

“Tch! She is supposed to fight and kill that thing, not run in circles while the rest of the village gets trampled.” Raising my hands, I channel magic and cast Elemental Transformation, raising three durable walls to contain the two combatants.

Realizing what’s happening, Karin changes direction to escape through the only possible opening.

I grin evilly and pour more power into the spell, raising the fourth wall, boxing the two of them in.