Lilith sighed, stretching backwards in her alabaster chair, groaning slightly as she worked out the knots in her spine. Sighing in contentment as her back snaps and pops, she turned her star filled eyes towards the computer in front of her, lines of text and code flashing back and forth faster than the eye can see. Shaking out her hands, Lilith turned back to her work, the clicking of the keyboard the only sound in her blank world.

After some time, Lilith sighed again, the fluttering of her dress causing ripples of color to splash through the fabric. Waiving her hand, the computer and chair vanished into the fog, reforming into a plush couch and television screen. Flopping down onto the couch, the Goddess of Change cycled through the channels showing the on goings of her world. Scenes of death, life, peace and war flashed across the screen, before the television settled on the only human within her domain.

Lilith watched her Puppet’s actions for a moment, a small smile forming on her face. “He’s been on this world for less than a month, and he’s already making waves. I love humans.” She snuggled into the fluffy cushions, draping her legs over the arms of the couch. “I don’t know why the others were so against bringing someone over. This is working out perfectly.” Lilith giggled to herself, the specks within her eyes flashing like dying stars. A slight wind appeared within her domain, causing the shifting fog draping the ground to swirl and dance. Lilith glanced over the head of the couch, and raised her eyebrow at the figure forming out of the twisting fog. “Hey Tenbra, what can I do for you?”

The swirling fog dispersed, revealing a tall woman dressed in a flowing robe of golden light, cut in such a way that it would reveal tantalizing glimpses of her bronze flesh. A pair of thin arms was underneath her voluptuous chest, while the second pair was resting on her wide hips. Her emerald eyes flashed dangerously underneath her long golden hair, and she lightly glared at Lilith. “I’ve come to talk to you about your newest Champion.” The goddess’s voice was soft, a summer breeze passing through a field of flowers, but Lilith could detect the traces of malice hidden within her voice.

Lilith arched an eyebrow, and waved her hand. The television dispersed into fog, reforming into a comfortable chair with a straight back. Lilith waved towards the new decoration lazily, covering a yawn with her other hand. “Can we make this quick? You’re interrupting my break.” Lilith smirked behind her hand at the tightening of Tenbra’s lips at the statement. The golden goddess closed her eyes, and inhaled slowly through her nose. Releasing the breath with a sigh, she walked over to the chair, the pronounced swaying of her hips moving the cut fabric of her dress back and forth, showing off her toned thighs and legs.

Tenbra sat down and slowly crossed her legs, showing off even more skin. Lilith couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the goddess’s actions. The Goddess of Change crossed her arms and pillowed them underneath her black and white hair, and turned her full attention towards her sister in godhood. “So? What’s he done now?”

Tenbra, the Goddess of Life and Fertility, crossed her arms underneath her chest again, and shot a mild glare at the diminutive goddess. “I do not appreciate his actions. The fact that he has… perverted an object for his own personal use and this task that you have set him on is an affront to all of the beliefs that I hold dear.” A strand of golden hair fell in front of her emerald eyes, and Tenbra flicked the hair back with one of her four hands. “And this amalgamation that he has called forth using your system must not be allowed.”

Lilith slowly blinked her eyes. With a sigh, she swung her legs from the arms of the couch forwards into a normal sitting posture, and leaned backwards into the plush cushions. “Tenbra,” the Goddess of Change’s voice was hard. “We’ve had this discussion already. Yes, I did not think that he would be able to Ascend his Binding, but it happened. The system in place is there for a reason. If it wasn’t, this world would more than likely stagnate even more than it already has. It is my job to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Tenbra clenched her hands into fists. “But don’t you think that you have been favoring this one individual too much? We gods are supposed to be indifferent, yet you cater to this human’s every whim. The others have begun to notice as well. You cannot keep doing this, Lilith. It is throwing the world off balance.”

Anger flashed through Lilith’s eyes, before being replaced with cold indifference. “I brought this ‘human’ to this world to do just that, Tenbra. What is so difficult for you to understand, here? The races have been stagnant for the last hundred generations, and only now are they breaking out of their shells, due to his influence. Just imagine if he is actually able to complete my task. If he becomes this worlds boogey man, the one that mothers tell their children will snatch them up if they don’t behave, it will only be better for us. Why can’t you see that? We need this.”

Tenbra gently tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “Do we? Do we truly need something that will end up in the loss of so much life? Or do you need it to satisfy your boredom?”

The rumble of thunder rolled through the blank realm, and the white fog slowly darkened to an agitated grey. Lilith’s mane of white and black hair began to flutter in the wind, small sparks of lightning darting back and forth between the strands. “You should remember your place, youngling.” Tongues of flame darted from her mouth, and liquid shadows trailed down the All-Mother’s pale arms. “I was governing this world when you were nothing more than the errant thoughts of the cosmos. I formed this world, and you, from the dust of creation. And it would bother me none to return you to that state.” Lilith’s eyes seemed to expand, swallowing all of the light into the infinite wells of the void.

And as soon as it had appeared, the anger vanished. The thunder ceased and the fog returned to its natural alabaster hue. Lilith smiled at the visibly shaken goddess, her eyes returning to their natural cosmic appearance. “But that would take too much effort, and I really don’t like forcing my power on anyone else. Any other questions?”

Tenbra stood up shakily, and raised a hand to point at the Goddess of Change. “The others will hear of this. They will not stand for your meddling.”

Lilith’s smile grew wider. “I’m sure they will. Until we meet again, Lil’ Tenbra.” The Goddess of Change waved happily as Tenbra slowly dispersed into white fog. As the last wisps vanished, Lilith let her smile drop with a sigh.

“This bitch… made me waste my break time.”

__________________________________________________________________________

Jake flew through the trees as gracefully as he could, homing into the slight pressure that emanated from his bond with his pet. When he had seen the message that Mizutsune had evolved, he had broken the conversation off with the Elven woman of Magic, and had moved as fast as humanly possible to reunite with his improved companion.

Jake landed on the flat that housed the Beast-Kin representatives, and glanced around. Noticing a few Elven males huddled around one of the many bonfires dotting the circular wooden platform, and the pressure within his skull pointing him in the same direction, Jake moved towards the crowd.

When one of the Elves noticed his approach, it spoke to the others and they all turned towards the human. When it was apparent that Jake was moving towards the group, the group of Elves scattered with a cacophony of noise, which translated roughly into ‘God-ling comes’ and ‘flee’.

When the mass of bodies dispersed, Jake finally caught sight of his new and improved companion. A massive silver body was curled next to the roaring fire, wisps of fog rolling off of his silver frame. An elongated head reared upwards to stare at the approaching human with deep sapphire eyes glinting with unimaginable intelligence, and a smirk curved the creature’s animalistic face into a mask of cockiness. Mizutsune slowly unraveled his massive frame, coming to the same height as a cow from Jake’s home world. The additional body size was masked by the taut and lean muscles of his frame, and the four waving tails that erupted from his hind quarters.

The giant fox smirked at the human, revealing his gleaming white teeth. He moved to meet Jake, each step leaving a ring of frost into the wood of the flat. When the two companions reached each other, Mizutsune butted his massive head into Jake’s chest, knocking the human back a step.

“Jesus, Mizu. You’re almost big enough to ride.” Jake scratched the fox behind the ears, and began to walk around him, admiring his new and improved companion. He ran a hand through the silky silver fur, feeling the bite of frost emanating from the fox’s body.

A high pitched guttural sound emanated from Mizutsune’s throat, and for the first time in his life, he spoke. “I am not a steed, Master.” The voice retained its regal nature, but it sounded as if a woman had been gargling gravel for the past few days. Jake paused his petting of the fox, blinking.

“… You can speak now?”

Mizutsune shot Jake another grin, and the familiar cold presence of the fox’s mind broke over Jake’s consciousness. “Some, Master. It is difficult, but I believe I am improving." Mizutsune pulled away from Jake, and shook his coat, causing small slivers of frost to break off and fall to the ground with a tinkling sound. The fox moved back towards the bonfire that he had left, and lay down with a yawn. Resting his head on his paws, Mizutsune turned his sapphire gaze back on his companion. “So, Master, is there anything that I should be made aware of since my absence?”

Pulling a cigarette out of his Inventory, Jake sat down with a sigh next to the fox. The contrast between the roaring heat from the bonfire and the creeping cold from Mizutsune was comforting, and Jake relaxed back into the mass of his companion’s soft fur. Jake shrugged, moving the conversation to the relative seclusion of thought.

Not much. I’ve learned about runes, where it’s basically just a programming language for magic. I played around with a few things like it back on my world, so the concepts are simple enough to grasp. I’ll need to test if I can just make the runes from my thoughts, or if I need to see it first. While this [Agent of Change] skill allows me to read and understand every language, including whatever the runes are from, I don’t know if that translates into writing.

Jake lit up the cigarette, and took a slow drag. I also picked up a magic stick that, from what an Elvish woman told me, would work perfectly for setting up the [Heart of the Fel Lord] that we got.

Mizutsune turned his head to stare at Jake with a single eye, confusion rolling off of the fox. “Master, I thought that we had acquired a Nature elemental heart from that tree-beast. Where did you get a different one?”

Jake thought for a second, before shrugging. Sorry, thought you were with me then. I was able to learn how to convert a Heart into an element of my choosing. Not too sure how I got it to work the first time, but there you go. The description says that if added to an item, it will reduce the cost of Binding the elements of Fire and Dark by half.

Jake was bounced slightly as Mizutsune’s sides heaved up and down with laughter, and the fox shot the human a grin. “Why am I not surprised that you, of all people, learned how to corrupt an item of that magnitude within a scant few hours, whereas most talented individuals would take years, possibly decades, of study and practice to do something even half as impressive.”

Jake grinned back. What can I say? I’m awesome. Jake took a drag and laid his head on Mizutsune’s flank, watching the smoke from his cigarette dance through the darkness around them. The human and his companion relaxed to the sounds of the crackling bonfire, comforted with each other's presence.

After some time, Jake sighed. I’ve got a bad feeling that shit’s going to hit the fan here pretty soon.

One of Mizutsune’s tails swished back and forth slowly while the fox sighed. “Master, while I understand most of your idioms based off of our link, this one still eludes me. What do those lacy objects the more ‘noble’ women wave about their face have to do with feces?”

Jake chuckled dryly. He sent a mental image of a fan from back on Earth, and what would happen if someone decided to throw human waste at it. He felt Mizutsune’s flanks shudder slightly, and the fox yipped quietly in agreement.

“I believe I understand now, Master. I definitely thank you for that mental image. It will most certainly not stay at the forefront of my mind for my lifetime.”

Jake laughed loudly at that, but sobered up quickly. I’m being serious though. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

Mizutsune watched his master with a single gleaming sapphire eye, remaining quiet for some time. “Are you actually starting to care for them, Master?”

Jake shrugged, staring into the twisting darkness surrounding the trees. I don’t know. Serena’s clingy as all hell. The Elves, I’m not too sure about. Sighing again, Jake forced himself to stand up. Fuck it. If this is a mistake, I’ll deal with the consequences later. I’ve got a plan to kick this shit off, but I’m going to need something from you, Mizu.

Mizutsune rose to his feet gracefully, arching his back with a stretch. Shaking the sleep from his body, the fox turned to his Master with excitement radiating from his eyes. “What would you have me do, Master? I will accomplish it with as much enthusiasm as possible.”

A smirk formed on Jake’s face, and he scratched the fox behind the ears. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure that you’re going to enjoy at least one part of it. The first step is just a little amount of seduction, followed by a murder most foul. Jake paused, thinking over his statement. God, that was awful. Like a horribly written play. Shaking his head at his terrible word choice, Jake laid out his plans for the deed to his companion.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jake watched Mizutsune trot off, his mind wandering to thoughts about the coming conflicts. Shaking his head to dispel those thoughts, he walked towards the edge of the flat, and leaned forwards into a freefall. Black tendrils exploded from below his shoulder blades, and quickly formed into a pair of inky black wings, changing his freefall into a more controlled glide.

Jake weaved through the towering trunks of the Elderwoods, until he was a fair distance away from the Elven Enclave. Touching down onto the mulch of dead leaves and grasses, Jake formed a sphere of glowing purple fire above his head, and sat down against one of the many trees.

The human pulled out the final two pieces to his plan, and gently held them in his hands. The [Heart of the Fel Lord] pulsed gently, tongues of flame dancing across its top while streams of darkness pooled and poured out of the hand holding it. Jake watched, mesmerized, as the tiny rivulets of violet flame pulsed across the leather surface of the Heart, before tearing his gaze towards the sleek wooden staff that the Elven woman had given him.

He created a small tendril of darkness and wrapped it gently around the Heart in his hands, lifting the pumping organ into the air. Grabbing the staff with both of his hands, Jake began to slowly move over all of the unpowered runes littering the façade of the glorified walking stick. If he was understanding the runes correctly, the staff would absorb any energy that would be placed into the nest resting at the top of the staff, just like the Elven woman said.

Jake slowly drew in a breath of air, and let it out with a sigh. Finding the vortex inscribed into a circle, he placed the meaty part of his thumb on it, and began to charge the staff’s runes. Streamers of violet flames danced across the top of Jake’s sitting form, while veins of inky black darkness began to crawl up his skin towards the Intake rune.

Jake slowly inhaled, and exhaled through his mouth. The magic surged, swirling towards the staff, and began to pour into the rune. The rune slowly exploded into purple and black light, and strands of magical energy began to spiral outwards to the connecting runes.

Jake watched the magical energy spread like a virus, corrupting the brown of the staff with ebony and violet light. Jake continued to pour his two chosen forms of magic into the stick, and only stopped when all of the runes were lit. Jake let out a relieved sigh, and watched the pulsing staff with fascination. Rotating the piece of magically imbued driftwood until it was standing upright, Jake clambered to his feet.

Jake looked into the nest of the staff. In the exact center of the wooden cage, a single rune pulsed happily with violent energy. The rune was three vertical slashes inscribed within a triangle, as if a beast had taken a swipe towards the wood. Jake’s [Disciple of Change] translated the rune into ‘Source’, which again was what the Elven woman said it would be.

Jake gently moved one of his hands, and the tendril of darkness holding the Heart slowly moved downwards towards the nest. As the organ got closer, small strands of obsidian and violet magic coursed from both the Heart and the rune, and intertwined with each other. Suddenly, the strands became taught, and the Heart slammed into the nest of the staff with an explosion of light and darkness.

Jake blinked away the stars blocking his vision, and stopped as he saw what was resting in his hands. The wood of the staff had turned ebony black, with small streams of purple magma resting like veins atop the wood. The metal clap at the bottom of the staff had changed into a small hook, and liquid shadows dripped and swam across its surface. The branches of the head had turned into what appeared to be obsidian fingers, gripping onto the pulsing Heart. A single tongue of flame and blot of darkness moved above the top of the staff, appearing to dance with each other and leaving black and purple streamers of light in their path, etching intricate patterns into the air.

Jake’s mouth slowly curled up into a smile, and he chuckled. “I can deal with this.”

The Rift Stave of Jer’El Jer’El Bloodtongue was the last of the Legion on this world. Through his mastery of magic, he weaved death and destruction into a glorious tapestry of carnage. His soul has bonded with his weapon, granting it powers beyond the mortal ken.

Reduces the sacrificed mana cost of Binding beings from the Fire, Dark and Fel Elements by 50%

Increases reputation with all Fel aligned races

Reduces reputation with all Fae aligned races

Special Ability: Rift Caller: Create a rift from the ever present magical energies coursing through this weapon. The effects of these rifts are unknown, having been lost to the sands of time.