I found myself quietly and slowly descending to the surface of Aronms. I maintained my connection to the earth by placing a single hand on the mountainous wall next to me as I carefully controlled my descent to the ground. Thanks to that decision I was able to continue to use "Tremorsense" to study the demographics of Aronms.

As I lowered myself to the ground, I did my best to discover what I could about what lived in this city. It took me just about a minute to reach the surface, and during that time I was able to discover a fair deal about the non-humanoid inhabitants of Aronms.

One of the first things I noticed was that the sorts of animals the people of the city kept as pets or had evidently domesticated were different from the sorts of animals humans kept as pets or domesticated. I wasn't surprised by this, but the sorts of animals that were domesticated underground were incredibly different from the ones that were domesticated on the surface.

"Tremorsense" allowed me to detect a number of animals throughout Aronms, but another useful tool in my arsenal was my eyes. I could detect animals with multiple usages, like worms, and see a handful of animals with one main usage, like bats.

"Tremorsense" informed me of what appeared to be farms of worms, where the little things were raised in staggering numbers. But small, mass-raised worms weren't the only worms in the city.

I could also detect a few hundred worms that were considerably larger, larger than the dark elves who comprised the primary inhabitants of the city. Many of these larger worms tunneled underneath the city, perhaps expanding the city or preparing to move it somehow. Some of them though were ridden by dark-elven riders and patrolled the city which implied that the dark-elves had a way to tame and control these creatures.

Other creatures seemed to serve singular purposes. As I looked out and visually explored the city I could see and even hear tremendous bats. The bats I could see were being ridden by various dark-elves, and often went into or came from other tunnels that led in and out of the city. There were hundreds of them, and they all seemed to serve a single duty: high-speed, high-mobility transportation.

I studied them and studied the worm-farms that were the stomping grounds of low-skilled dark-elven laborers, aided by creatures of various species clad in chains and other shackles. Those creatures had dour, helpless looks on their faces. When I first noticed them a single word flashed into my mind, in big bold letters. "Slaves".

It was a word I didn't like. A word that made me feel a flash of anger, more powerful than any I had felt before. At that moment a familiar voice crept into my mind.

[The reason you don't like the word 'slave' is that that word symbolizes the ultimate loss of freedom. Slavery is the practice of owning another person. It is a system that is one of the cruelest aspects of dark, law-abiding societies. You are a chaotic god, you embody the power of freedom and of choice, which is anathema to slavery.] The domain explained, informing me about slavery and providing a target for me to aim my anger at.

I took a deep breath and narrowed my anger. I managed to get it under control, after a few seconds of feeling it well up within me. It was difficult though, and I felt a strong part of me want to rail against slavery and those who owned slaves. I only managed to restrain myself because I gave it serious thought.

I took a few seconds to consider assaulting a city that I didn't know, had no allies in, and at the moment didn't have the resources or the personal power to control. It didn't take me long to realize that that was a dumb plan. That didn't mean I couldn't do anything though, indeed as a god, there was much I still had the power to do.

I again closed my eyes. When my familiar map showed itself to me, I quickly went to work on the filters, searching for a way to target all of the enslaved people in the city. It took me a few moments, but I was pleased to find a way to select creatures based on what the system called their "occupation". I wasn't pleased to find that the system apparently considered being a slave an occupation, but for the time being, I focused on the positive.

I instantly targeted each of the creatures that the system hadn't filtered out, and was somewhat distressed and also unsurprised to see that the practice of slavery wasn't limited to Aronms. This only served to anger me more, but I effortlessly targeted the several thousand enslaved people I was able to identify, here and in other settlements throughout the land beneath Puerto Rico.

I did two things at once. I activated my "Healing burst" power, and I also began to transmit a mental message to the enslaved inhabitants of the city and of the settlements throughout the subterranean land I found myself in.

Throughout the region underneath the surface of the island of Puerto Rico, there were several settlements. These settlements were populated by a number of creatures, many of which were incredibly hostile to life from the surface. Dark-elves and reptilefolk were among the most aggressively hostile towards surface life, and had captured or otherwise acquired the most slaves.

Both of these civilizations had large settlements that were built primarily on slave-labor. In both cases, the settlements they maintained ran largely on such actively immoral labor-conditions. This was something Althos was ignorant of.

That said, the young god wasn't ignorant of the powerful feelings that surged into him when he activated his potent restorative power and pumped thousands of enslaved individuals with magnificently powerful healing energy.

Althos shivered as the sensations of those he healed, especially those who had lost limbs or were suffering from previously incurable diseases reached him and seeped into him. This happened while the curious deity was just landing on the surface of the city of Aronms.

One of the results of this was that he instantly gained mastery over numerous virulent diseases and some that were troubling but not-so-virulent. He felt power over these illnesses infuse him, and make him grateful for the fact that he now possessed powers over diseases. This marked the first moment that the young god actually felt grateful for his ability to infect people with diseases.

His mind was elsewhere, even as he received notification after notification about his powers over disease. He was still crafting a message by which he could introduce himself to the people he had just healed.

It didn't take him long to craft something he wound up liking, and it was even something that incorporated his new powers over disease. The message he ended up transmitting was a simple one.

"Hello. My name is Althos, and I am a god. I have come to liberate you and to change the subterranean land in which you dwell. Even now I am working to secure your liberation. Until I complete the work set before me, please stay safe, and stay healthy." He told them, his mental voice filled with power. His message wasn't over yet.

"I shall do what I can to make the remainder of your enslavement less painful. The moment of restoration I gave you all was just the beginning of that. I can heal, and I can sicken just as well. Your masters shall suffer for what they have done to you, and you shall see their suffering with your own eyes." The deity told them, and in doing so gained the admiration of many hundreds of the people he had just potently healed.

As Althos felt their feelings surge into himself, he smiled. He sensed the hope that his undeniable power had rekindled in some and lit for the first time in others. And this served to again enrage the god. It served to give him additional reasons to lash out against the enslavers who profited off of this cruel system of dehumanization and abuse.

For one of the first times in his life, the young god felt a cold hatred that was both righteous and hate-filled. He felt it well up deep within himself and threaten to spill over and cause him to act recklessly. The god sighed, willed away his physical form, and began to explore the city on foot while doing his best to soothe the hate he felt in his heart, simmering hate that tempted him to behave viciously and cruelly.

"Master, couldn't you destroy this city?" Asked Sombra, the praereptor demon who inhabited my shadow and was now traveling beside me incorporeally. I chuckled at the demon.

"Honestly? Probably. Actually..." I replied to Sombra less than certainly at first. But I changed my tune when I considered the powers I already had. I could easily use my dominion over stone, soil, and dirt crush this city if I wanted too. So I revised my response to Sombra.

"I could destroy this city. I could bring the cavern's ceiling down on the cavern itself and crush every living thing here." I said, almost tempted by the idea before I cooly reminded myself that that meant crushing both non-slave-owning individuals and those who were themselves, enslaved. Sombra laughed delightedly at what I said.

"Master, you should do it!" The demon said, egging me on. I could hear the little monster's delight at the idea of watching every corporeal creature in this part of the land underneath Puerto Rico perishing in an instant.

For a second I considered the demon's words. The more I thought about crushing this place, the more I thought about how it'd feel being crushed underneath tons of rocks and dirt. It struck me as a particularly brutal way to die. It took a second of concentrating, but eventually, I shook off the thoughts that tried to fill up my mind about how that sort of death would operate.

"No. I won't. It won't help me achieve my goals." I told the demon, annoyed at it. I found myself ethereally exploring the streets of this city, and mostly ignoring the largely pedestrian happenings of the city's dark-elven inhabitants.

The area I found myself in was a single long road that stretched on for several hundred meters. It was populated by dark elves who hadn't been paying attention to the wall I had stealthily slid down on my way to the city's surface.

They were going about their own business, chatting with each other about an assortment of topics. As I invisibly traveled closer and closer to the Morthonian mansion, I heard gossip about a number of different things. Things like the goings-on at the arena, the existence of something called an "Asylum" and other bits of gossip I stored away in my mind.

After a few moments of listening to them, I opted to come up with a real plan. I did so by starting off with a strategy that had worked so far: asking my friends for help. "So what happens if I decide to abolish slavery in this city?" I asked them, knowing that their considerable intellect would give me an answer. And it did.

"With no plan in place to ensure that there is a labor force in this city? Panic. And at best a splintering of the city. At worst... civil war between factions who listen to you and factions who don't. And that's assuming you do this correctly and establish alliances with major dark elven factions throughout the city." Explained the system, quickly replying to me. It wasn't the only one to reply either.

"Althos, it's good that you recognize the injustice of this but you can't try to change it on a purely emotional level without inviting chaos. You need to come up with a plan to ensure that not only are slaves freed but also that the city can survive once slavery is abolished. And you have the power to do that. There's an obvious solution to a labor shortage. Just think about it." The domain of knowledge told me, lecturing me briefly and encouraging me to think about my powers.

It didn't take much more than a second to realize what the domain was suggesting. Necromancy. And that realization brought a smile to my face.

I realized with a start, and with a macabre grin, what the domain of knowledge was alluding to. The first domain or subdomain I had gained power over through my own effort was that of the subdomain of necromancy. And that was what the domain of knowledge was suggesting was the key to the abolition of slavery. I spent a moment considering the implications of that.

"The key to meaningfully and successfully defeating slavery is to replace enslaved people with... corpses that do the work instead?" I asked myself, fascinated by the moral implications of what I had just learned.

"Slavery is objectively and undeniably evil but if it is to be successfully abolished then plans are necessary. It is not enough to have a purely emotional or 'moral' response to slavery unless one wants to cause the collapse of society. Necromancers can create a new source of labor." The domain explained. It was at that moment that I heard a sinister chuckle from the subdomain of necromancy.

"Yes, they can. Do you see that Althos? I am necessary." The subdomain whispered sinisterly. I chuckled at the subdomain's words. I could see the somewhat ruthless point being made by the domain and subdomain.

"That said... there is technically another way for you to create an alternative to slavery that undercuts the need for a massive number of unpaid and dehumanized labor." The domain of knowledge suggested, not actually mentioning what it was just yet. I heard an annoyed sigh come from the subdomain of necromancy.

"At the moment your skills are not quite diverse or strong enough for you to fully replace the labor done by slaves, but eventually you could use your powers over things like civilization, agriculture, the earth, and more to do the work currently being done by slaves." The domain suggested, even informing me as to which domains and subdomains would one day allow me to do so.

"Well, even now you could replace the most valuable work done by slaves. You possess power over agriculture, and the growth of food is perhaps the most valuable work done by slaves throughout this entire region. Your ability to speed crop growth and manipulate the numbers of crops grown is invaluable and also legitimately society-changing." The system told me, causing me to grin.

"If you wanted to you could really hold the hands of an entire civilization. And that might be necessary, because have you even begun to consider what happens when you end slavery? Even if you're fully successful at abolishing it peacefully, what happens to the freed slaves?" The system asked, curiously.

I fell silent for a moment and considered the question. It was an important part of determining how to proceed, and a small part of me had considered it already but I hadn't come up with anything definitive. It took me some time to begin to come up with a real response. Time during which I was still moving, taking my time as I drew ever closer to the Morthonian mansion.

"If I successfully abolish slavery I will ask those people who are currently enslaved what they'd like to do. I will assume that they will want to leave, as this is a place of darkness and cruelty. They could come to my lair. I mean... I may have to expand it, but if they wanted to be in my presence they'd be welcome there." I told the system, explaining one part of what could come next.

"If they wanted to go back to the lands they came from, I'd be more than happy to send them back. But it's possible and probably even probable that many of them were born into slavery and might do better in a society that strives to help them." I explained, thinking out loud as I did so.

"If they chose to stay with me, then I suppose I'll begin to create a new civilization. Because honestly, that's... what that'd entail isn't it? If even a tenth of the victims of this institution I seek to free in this city alone chose to stay with me that's several hundred enslaved people choosing to stay with me." I told both myself and the system, as more and more realizations came to me one after the other.

I spent a moment in silence. I could sense a feeling of quiet respect emanating from the disembodied entities I was speaking too. I could sense that they were happy I was thinking this through and actually considering what came next.

"If I freed them, and gave them the choice to live with each other and live in a safe community, many of them would stay wouldn't they? I mean... In this scenario, I freed them from slavery and successfully helped them leave the place of their enslavement. If I gave them the choice to stay either in or around my lair it'd be perfectly rational for them to chose to stay with me." I muttered, thankful to the system for pushing me to consider this fully.

I wasn't unhappy about it. I actually didn't mind the thought of it, perhaps because in a sense this constituted me behaving as a god should. I was creating things and destroying other things, which was what the system once told me gods were, creators and destroyers, embodiments of power. And for this to succeed I'd need to behave more powerfully than I ever had before.

I took a deep breath and I pushed myself to enter the mindset of a powerful, arrogant, and unstoppable deity. I felt that entering such a state of mind was necessary for me to successfully create the conditions under which I could begin the work needed to liberate the slaves of this city. As I did so, I spoke to my demonic minion.

"Are you ready to help me cause some chaos?" I asked the creature, a grin on my disembodied face. I was preparing myself for what came next, now that I was beginning to have the outlines of a plan formulate itself in my mind and as I turned to face the Morthonian manor, where I hoped to gain my first allies, I felt that my demonic ally would probably be a useful partner. The demon chuckled.

"Oh, absolutely master. What do you want me to do?" The creature asked, and I could hear a grin on its incorporeal lips.

"When the time comes for you to act, I'll lash out at a vessel I'd like you to possess. When I do, take over it." I told the creature, confusing it.

"But master... I can't just possess any creature. It needs to be sick." The demon told me, confusion distinctly audible in its voice. Now it was my turn to chuckle.

"Sombra, I can cause people to be sick. Including the sort of sick someone needs to be for you to be able to possess them." I revealed, saying so for the first time. I decided to expand on my statement to clarify and allow the demon to fully understand how I could do that.

"I am a god Sombra. I gain new powers very easily. I can control non-magical diseases and infect someone with 'Demonic infection', opening them up to your abilities." I explained, proudly discussing one of my newer powers.

"In fact, with non-magical diseases, my powers are even more potent than merely infecting someone. But for now, I merely want to use you to demonstrate my powers." I told the demon. There was a part of me that wanted to command an army of praereptor demons. With my powers, they'd be especially able to wreak havoc on those foolish enough to make themselves my enemies.

[Alert: You have received a number of different prayers. One of them is from the human village of Comillas, several are from the goblin tribe, a handful are from members of the swarm, a few are from forest inhabitants, one is from one of the dark elves you healed, and many are from slaves you've healed. Would you like to hear them?]

The notification I just received was intriguing to me. I informed the system that I would be happy to hear the prayers since I was intrigued by them. I opted to begin with the prayer from Comillas.

[Alert: Beginning with the prayer from Comillas. This prayer comes from the Comillian named Alma. After this, we'll prioritize prayers from creatures you know.

'Hello, Cosecha. I hope you are having a good morning. I am convinced that you are... something. I don't know if you're what you say you are, but I received the apple you created for me, and I also felt the soothing effect of your magic. Which is precisely why I am praying to you. I have a request for you.

My granddaughter is currently sick. Her condition is somewhat serious and she's presently wasting away. Her mother hasn't even told her husband, who happens to be my son. Could you cure her somehow? If you can't, could you at least increase the quantity of the food her father produces? His name is Gustavo. He's been stressed about this year's harvest and could really use the support.

If you helped him produce more food, I'd be deeply grateful to you. If you cured my granddaughter I'd even tell him about you, if you wanted me too. I recall you mentioning that you seek to gain more followers. I love my family, and my son and granddaughter are my whole world. I haven't seen either of them in days. Please help.'

The second prayer is from the goblin named Mawby.

'Hello, Cosecha! I hope you're having a wonderful morning. Thank you for coming yesterday. I wanted to start today off by apologizing to you. I wanted to tell you about the myths my people tell each other, but when you got here everything became a bit chaotic.

I thought about simply praying and informing you as to the contents of the myths, but Xiax is insisting I invite you to come back here and listen to the stories themselves. I think he might be jealous of the fact that I pray to you and can get a response? He hasn't prayed to you himself, but he's shy about it for some reason. Anyways, last night was great and we hope that you come back sometime soon.

Oh goodness, how do I end this? Umm... bye-bye? Have a good day? Sure. That sounds right. Have a good day!'

The next is from one of the coyotes who you saved from Sombra's ability to charm creatures.

'Hello, Althos! You were a god this whole time? Wow, wow, wow! No wonder it felt like you saving us was super easy, barely an inconvenience. This is good news because it turns out that the forest will probably need some saving soon.

Anyways, we wanted you to know that we detected some hyenoid footprints, which probably isn't a great sign. They tend to only come here when they are really hungry. And usually, they send a few preliminary scouts to investigate the state of the forest before coming in a large number.

Since this forest is now your territory it might be worth acting quickly to establish contact with them and see how you can prevent a feeding frenzy from occurring. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we think that's a good idea!'

Here's another prayer, this one from the myrmekes queen who guided you into the world beneath the world.

'Good morning creator. We have begun a careful exploration of the region you created while steering clear of the tower in the distance. With your permission, we'd like to begin building in the region.

Also, as you no doubt know, many of us are evolving. There are now over 10,000 myrmekes ants in my colony alone. If you've taken command over other ant colonies... well the number of myrmekes ants under your control would be staggering. What are your commands? If we are to serve you successfully we require your guidance.'

The next prayer is from a dark elven evocation-mage named Qu'Ren. She was one of the dark elves who you cured of blindness.

'Hello? Hello. Sorry, prayer is weird for dark elves. You'll find that we're a very... prideful species. Prayer is something we're uncomfortable doing.

My name is Qu'Ren. I am a member of a noble dark-elven family, and I lost my sight when I failed to properly cast a powerful evocation spell. You restoring my sight was both an act of great power, and also one that was very kind. I recognize that.

But I know better than to think that acts of great kindness are acts that are done freely. I also know that you are a god. If you're unsure of why, like the system said you'd be, then you should know that it's because of the system. I asked it how I was healed, and it told me about you.

I want to reward you and to meet the one responsible for the restoration of my sight. Please come visit me at some point in the near future. If you introduce yourself as Althos to any of my house's guards, they'll know to send you to me.'

Here's the prayer that actually caused you to receive the notification, it's the most recent prayer you have received.

'Hello, Althos. You probably don't know me on a personal level, but my name is Seamus and I am one of the slaves who healed by you just a few minutes ago. I wanted to find a way to thank you, and the system informed me about 'prayer'.

It's funny, back in my homeland of Arthurstown we actually had folktales about prayer but I never believed they were more true than false... To think that a god can actually hear prayer? That's incredible. Anyways, if you need help freeing us, please let me know. I'm sure if I can communicate with you, you can communicate with me somehow. You may find the help of a druid useful.'

Here's another prayer sent to you by someone who is currently enslaved.

'Hello, Althos... Oh goodness, how do I do this? Gah, I guess I'll just do my best with it. Anyways, my name is Aoife and I am praying to you because the system asked me too. I am a warrior, and the system informed me that it might not be a bad idea for me to pray to you before you did anything else.

If you're really trying to free slaves, it told me that it was a good idea for me to serve as your advisor. I think it might have been trying to do you a favor? This whole thing is weird, so please if you're interested in gaining an advisor, it'd be a good idea for us to come into contact but I did my part so I guess I have to wait to see if you send me a message somehow.']

Reading through the prayers I received reminded me of the first time Mawby prayed. And it made me realize that I really needed to establish a way to pray that helped increase overall knowledge of prayer and established a tone to take when praying. It was weird to hear so many different tones taken by those who prayed.

By the time I was done sorting through the prayers I had received, I found myself ethereally standing in front of the Morthonian mansion. I grinned and walked right through the front door leading in and out of the place, a gigantic thing made from massive slabs of some sort of red stone.