Several weeks went by until Tower City heard from Hana, she was doing well and had made it to the Death's River Reaper's Hive. Their population and reproductive ability was downright explosive. Upon her arrival, she was met by almost fifty thousand Death's River Reapers. Her body was soaked in blood, she savagely destroyed a third of them before the swarm stopped attacking and then, according to Hana, it only took a single week more to 'charm' the remaining Reapers into her subordinates. It would have all happened quicker, but she had to gather blood the old fashioned way and fifty thousand, even 34 thousand, was quite a lot.
Once she had finished subjugating the Reapers, they set on on a campaign to clear a large portion of Hell, sending vengeful spirits back into the stream of souls. These efforts didn't take much time but yielded a foothold in Hell for the Sect, which was something none of its members ever considered possible. Hana had done something even her father had failed to do outside of the Tower City for 15 years.
With the Reapers under her command, she started to clear larger portions of Hell.
That bit of news was not nearly as shocking as The Emperor's latest decision.
Wu Hai wanted to retire as Emperor and leave for the 'Realm of the Gods,' needless to say, it caught both Kuzunoha and Vira by surprise. They stood there motionless for a few moments, both of them had things they wanted to say. When he said it would take a few years to prepare, they both relaxed. Wu Hai had a tendency to do things at such a rapid pace, both of them needed some downtime and the baby would arrive within a few months.
Wu Hai held both of their hands and brought them to his chest. He was kneeling and crawling backward on the bed, pulling them both closer. "I have my own ideas about where this life of mine is headed, its going to be hard. I don't want to do it without you, or you. Vira, you might be unfamiliar with human emotions but I doubt you deny a connection that has manifested between us. Kuzunoha, you're the Mother of my first child, we've traveled across worlds together. I really wanted to cry when my mother said those words to my father, to be together for eternity, it burned at my soul." Wu Hai pulled Vira beside his body at the headboard of the massive bed.
"I know you hunger for more, you've always been like that. Ever since we've met you've had this undying will, this desire to explore." Kuzunoha took off her gown and laid behind the Emperor, gently stroking his shoulders. "Our lives are intertwined, I go where you go." She kissed Wu Hai's neck.
Wu Hai turned to kiss her and Vira sat on the edge of the bed.
"I.." She paused. Vira wrapped herself up in the robe and looked out at the hellscape from their bedroom window. "This is not where I saw myself six months ago."
"How so?" Wu Hai knew the answers but Vira rarely opened up, he let her continue.
"A Child." 'Hmmph' She turned away from the window. "No demon, Ever, would expect to find themselves pregnant, I suppose I am the first."
"No, in the Ying Clan many demon blooded children exist. You are not the first." Kuzunoha peered from behind Wu Hai and sat up, her upper half exposed, she called Vira over to the bed. "At first, I was deeply offended that Wu Hai had made such.. a deal. Vira hasn't shown me any unkindness, you and I never even met on the battlefield. As such, I don't feel badly toward you, and since you now carry a child of our family, I can safely call you Sister."
Vira sat down. She looked at Wu Hai, he had a smile on his face. "Why?"
"Why not!" Wu Hai put his hand on hers and then his other hand on her stomach. "Does it even matter about the how or why anymore?"
Vira's attitude toward Wu Hai had been getting better. Whether it was the baby or her proximity to the Emperor and his frequent acts of kindness, it had changed. "So, What plans and preparations do you mean?" Vira asked.
"About that, I'm not entirely sure. Planning for the worst case scenario seems to be the right way to go, for all I know the trip could be one way. The Ultinians who came through the portal could have had a special method we know nothing about, the truth is, its unknown to us. We can head to Greensong and meet up with Mike after.." Wu Hai laid it out straight and then turned to Vira, pulling her down.
He grunted a bit, which made Kuzunoha jiggle and make girlie noises.. She slipped under the sheet and ran her tongue along Wu Hai's back while he stood on his knees.
"Now?" Vira wasn't unwilling. She took a glance down and saw Kuzunoha licking at her thigh.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Early the next morning, Wu Hai woke up to the sound of tapping at his door.
"Yes, Who is it?" Wu Hai asked and put the sheet around his waist.
"Qu?" Wu Hai stood there and dropped the sheet, he hung in full glory before Qu's eyes.
Qu started to speak, he didn't feel anything. "As you know, I hear all, see all, anything that happens within the Tower City. Is it not safe to say that I have no choice in the matter either?"
Wu Hai saw him struggling and grabbed some clothes. "Okay, what is this about?" Try hard as he could, Wu Hai couldn't think of anything drastically important that would put Qu into a state of worry. He finished putting a shirt on and threw the sheet atop Kuzunoha and Vira.
"I heard your conversation last night. Is it true that Master will be heading to the Land of the Gods?" Qu kept his face pointed down, feelings of despair were dancing across his eyes and he couldn't bare to show them to his master.
"Relax. You're going." The words that escaped Wu Hai's mouth gave Qu some courage.
"In that case." Qu passed a small orb. "These are my speculations based on the information you've given me and the data we have in our library. Please review it and then .. and then." Qu didn't know what to say.. he waved his hand and vanished from the Bedroom.
Wu Hai stood there ready check to its contents, he somewhat anticipated that there were things Qu didn't want to bring up before, especially with Ibuwere present in the City. Quietly, he sat down on the end of the bed and channeled some energy into the orb, activating it.
Images and information flew past his eyes and into his mind. The orb shattered in his hands, not from being expelled of energy, the orb could be used several times. No, it shattered because the Emperor crushed it in his hand.
He stood up, his reaction to the information was nothing less than intense irritation and a deep feeling of being lied to. Wu Hai sat in the chair by the bedside to write a note for the girls and raising his fingers slightly, thirty or so items from his bedside flew into his hands. He slowly equipped his rings and boots, covered himself with cloak and grass hat then put his wings away and channeled wildly in his hand.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Fantastic lights entered the Emperor's vision when he arrived.
A carnival, there were lots of people running around and people were cheerful. The rides were powered by spellwork, Mr. Munju had done them personally to give his best approximation of Earth style rides. In truth, they were slightly stronger and required no actual energy to run, the noise level in the area was purely cheering and the dull roar of the crowd.
The Emperor kept his face hidden and passed through the crowd quickly. When he found a clear spot, he looked at he compass in his hand.
It led him to a small workshop, there was a pounding noise that kept repeating.
'TINK' 'Tink' 'Tink' 'Tii-tink' 'Tink' The rhythm was undeniably and unmistakably his old Teachers.
Wu Hai kicked the door down, it sailed into the forge wall and landed on the floor, flat.
"Gefést!" It was the first time that Wu Hai had ever yelled his master's name so viciously, he was seething and angry, unwilling to wait for a response. Wu Hai kicked the anvil.
Bad Idea. His foot hurt.
"What's the big idea?" Gefést was more than disappointed in his old student, he put the tongs down and kept the hammer in his hand. "Explain yourself, Or.. even if you're the Emperor, I'll wipe that stupid look off your face."
"You're an Ultinian." Wu Hai struggled to make it the the point and not go off on a rant, a similarly large hammer appeared in his hands, it gave off a radiant light that nearly blinded the old Forge master.
Gefést picked the tongs up and went back to hammering. He shook his head. "You're fixing that door while I talk. Deal?"
'TINK' 'Tink' 'Tink' 'Tii-tink' 'Tink'
'The Hammer Falls'
Wu Hai felt like an apprentice again, he put the hammer away, realizing that if Gefést thought nothing of it, his reaction was probably disproportionate. Feeling the need to apologize rising rapidly, his sense of humility rose.
"Ultinia, that's a place I don't want to go back to. A lot of us don't ever want to even remember it." Gefést's expression didn't change but his hammering took a sharp turn and he was forced to start over.
'TINK' 'Tink' 'Tink' 'Tii-tink' 'Tink' 'TINK' 'Tink' 'Tink' 'Tii-tink' 'Tink'
Gefést wiped the sides of his face and placed the armor into a slurry of mixed dragon bloods, it bubbled and effervesced. He was restless after that.
"The Land of the Gods." 'Pak' Gefést spit into the furnace. "What a crock of shit."
"I don't understand?" Wu Hai squinted in confusion.
"That place is a millstone of souls, they claim benevolence but that's only for those that obey like devout slaves. Robots, I hate robots." He spat again and continued. "Munju hates that place too, there's no room for him in that place."
"..." The confused look persisted across Wu Hai's face, unable to give a different reaction he stood there quietly and waited for the Old Forge Master to speak his mind.
"Munju is an Ultinian? But he left Earth, I remember receiving him myself." Wu Hai's certainty that he was not hallucinating was absolute, he even received a copy of all the data he had ever compiled, which at the time and even now seemed impossible.
"You've forgotten that I came from the Land of the Gods, we all have our mysterious ways." Gefest kept pacing.
Wu Hai scoffed, 'Mysterious' "Since you've said as much, don't let me stop you, tell me everything." He pulled out a much smaller hammer and began repairing the door.
"Time passes different in that place, what seems like a day, is more like a month in this world. To you, my lifespan extends beyond the written histories of Earth, Munju is somewhat the same but each of us has our own origin and road that we've followed. All of them led to the Realm of the Gods.." Gefést felt sick to his stomach thinking back. "My past, it should remain that way, in the past. Its a pity I was so naive for so long, Gods.. those people are immensely arrogant existences."
Gefést's opinions were extremely important to the Emperor in the past, he listened intently but after the last comment he fell into a stupor. "Tell me what you know.."
"There are several rankings, levels and sub levels of each rank. To me, it all seems like shit." He spit and cleared his throat to spit again. Spitting once more before he continued, Gefést kicked the side of the furnace and its roar died down. "If we're going to discuss all of this, I don't feel like yelling over the forge. Lets go sit down."
Gefést and Wu Hai went outside to the back of the building, there was a small patio with seven chairs, each of them was cobbled together from broken weapons. Wu Hai sat on a pile of hammers and Gefést sat atop a large pile of used women's breast plating. He wiggled his butt slightly to enjoy the feeling and brought out some wine.
Gefést offered some to the Emperor, "Wu Hai. The Realm of the Gods is broken up into hundreds of thousands of portals and lands. It should be easy to notice that power comes with enlightenment, perseverance or trial. You should know that Power can also come from..." he looked around and whispered, "Faith!"
"Faith? Like??? Prayer?" Wu Hai kept a puzzled expression.
"Exactly. Faith, Belief that something will guide you through it, the thing that forces you to struggle. Whether the faith is in themselves or the faith from those around them, desire is a strong thing. Coupled with determination, it can be a driving force for miracles. Miracles are necessary for the promotion of power, without a miracle, belief is impossible. Faith is belief without knowing the facts, so you can't bring about change and have it boost your power if the manner in which you do it is known. Mysterious is not only a way to describe the actions of Gods but their very existences. They have to be mysterious, otherwise its explainable. Things that can be easily explained are not the acts of Gods." Gefést felt like he was ranting and started to drink his wine. He slammed the cup on the table and started to laugh. 'Hah.. hahahahahaha!'
"Its okay though, you've astonished even me and Munju idolizes you which is, beyond strange." Gefést finished the wine in his cup, so much of it had spilled onto the table just a moment before.
"Is it strange? How many more Ultinians are in the Sect or Greensong?" Wu Hai knew he would have to pay Munju a visit after.
"Truly. The Children of Gods, we should be the peak of corporeal life. To idolize, no.. for an Ultinian to worship a Human, Otherworlder or not, is very strange."
'Worship?' Wu Hai felt like he had been treated like a clown dancing for someone's amusement. 'So its like this?' The Emperor hated being toyed with, his eyes cut toward his old Master. "Why would you hide who you are?"
"I'm not hiding who I am, just hiding from who I was. I am still me. I am still Gefést but now, I am no longer a Slave or under anyone's thumb and authority. And.. If I had thought it mattered what race I was, I would have told you. However, it never came up." Wu Hai felt like his teacher had just called him a racist.. He let it pass, there was obviously some misunderstanding.
"I don't care what Race you are. However, when you heard.." 'che'. Wu Hai clicked his tongue mid sentence. The News about his Daughter's condition had been kept as quiet as possible. Wu Hai had only, just then, remembered this fact. He knelt down in humility. "It seems I have wronged you. I will go."
Wu Hai turned to leave.
"I thought you wanted me to tell you everything?" Gefést teased the Emperor and he stopped in his tracks, turned around and returned to his seat.
"Ulama, Swords, Sacred Scrolls, Gods, Goddesses, Nature Spirits, Divine Beasts, anything that assembles intelligence and seeks power must go through many trials and challenge. Souls must grow. As we all know, so bitterly, some grow much faster than others but their flames of life are not nearly as strong. Human, Poocha, Qilin, Dragon, Elemental.. These things are just races, their true power is what is given by their god. Usually their gods just happen to be their creator, as it happens, most gods seed life as a matter of course. Creating, destroying, developing.. it is … what it is. Life." Gefést felt nervous talking about it but he tried repeatedly to stress that things were not ideal or easy. He played with the Cup in his hands, even empty he kept trying to drink from it.
"The path to power has been well traveled, so the presumed path is already known. But that's impossible because if they did indeed know the path to power, then they would already have it. This simple fact keeps so people in the Realm of the Gods, it keeps them there so long that the people who once remembered them die." He spread his hands apart. "How can you gain the faith or worship of others and ascend into godhood without even being remembered? The answer is easier than you think."
"Killing?" Wu Hai shrugged and threw an answer out.
Gefést nodded, "Indeed. Killing is the foundation of most of the people from Ultinia, they invade other worlds and realms, wage wars and use 'Mysterious ways' as a means to resolve the issue. But that's not the worst of it. Faith... by absorbing the spiritual energies of another on the path, you can gain their offerings as well. The Faith based benefits will transfer, from one target to another, by cannibalism."
Wu Hai seemed shocked about the information and took a sip of wine.
"The only way the faith of followers will disappear, is for the followers to find out their god is dead but who would believe such a thing even if they were told? No, instead they will continue to pray, to make offerings, sacrifices and ritual to their gods, faithfully." Gefést looked sad and then stood up.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa.." Wu Hai stood up with him. "So that's why they kill..?" The reply was somewhat rhetorical but he wasn't wrong.