'Are Gods and Devils real? Well, that depends on who you ask.
Some would tell you that such entities left the mortal plane eons ago. Others will say that they're living among us today. Still, more will say that they live among the stars.
What I believe isn't the question. It's what I know to be true.
I, and nearly everyone else here, have had the pleasure of meeting one such being, at least once in our lives.
To most, he's a man. To others, he's a Devil. To more, he's a God.
To me, he was all three in a single being. A mixture that brought the laziest being in existence into creation.
Yes. He's the laziest man I know. But with that laziness, comes a potential for opportunity.
Not for himself. But for his followers.
Delegation.
Perhaps that is his true power. As a man, at least. To find individuals who are aptly suited to do the things he doesn't want to do, and lead them to success.
As a god, his power comes from a vast pool of knowledge that seems to have no end. It's the very cause of his laziness, I think. But, as I said, it was such a degree of laziness paired with his knowledge that allows the vast metropolis you see around you to exist.
That isn't to say he is a man of inaction though. Besides those in the legion, only a few of us here have been privy to him putting all of his focus into a single task. In peacetime, such sights served to invigorate the populous and imbue them with an unbendable work ethic.
But, those who have witnessed his strength in time of war have all returned to describe him as the same thing.
So, to answer your question. Yes. Gods and Devils are real. In fact, I'm employed by one.
Would you like to meet him?
'The Bithisarean Gazette. Vol. 7. The Royal Inquiry.'
***
It was far too easy to take flying for granted in this world. In a way, it was like exploring Saturn's airless moons with unlimited fuel reserves. Anywhere on the Mortal Plane was within my reach at any time. Making the act of walking all but obsolete.
However, that wasn't to say it was useless. Inefficient, yes. But not useless.
In the hour and a half that it took us to walk the three kilometers to the village's outskirts, I was able to get an accurate mapping of the terrain and log the data in my Eternal Eye for later use, as well as finalize the plan that I had in mind for the place.
It all depended on the collective's decision. But if they agreed, I planned for us to spend the next week or so sprucing up the place to our standards. As I was confident that such a relatively small investment would pay off dividends in the future. The first step towards achieving that was gaining their trust.
Luckily, however, my senses were hinting towards the fact that this town was in a state of desperation. And despair brought as much caution as it did hope. As such, this had to be approached carefully. So I halted the party a few ways away from the town for a last word.
"I'm aware that our clothes and accents may give us away, but don't tell anyone we're from overseas, don't tell anyone Roheisa and I are royalty. And please." I paused to face the Princess. "Don't tell stories about the past."
"You don't have to tell me that, Amun." Roheisa sneered. "That's obvious."
"Alright." I pointed to the town with a sigh. "Now then, it sounds like there's a construction project going on. I estimate at least two dozen people to be working on it, not including the guards. So, try not to look intimidating. And let me do the talking."
"You can hear them from here?!" The Princess incredulously asked.
"One of the benefits to being half-elf." I humbly shrugged. "My senses are better than most animals'."
"Must be nice," Roheisa muttered under her breath.
"Very." I chuckled. Then turned resumed a casual pace in silence for the last several hundred meters.
As I saw from above, the village sat atop a ridiculously wide plateau that, in turn, sat at the base of a spur that faced the southwest. Even with the mountain behind it, the platform seemed out of place. The sheer walls were unnaturally straight and stretched upwards of forty meters off of the ground. The town itself was made accessible via a slim staircase placed at the plateau's center, behind two armed guards who were watching us with careful eyes; meanwhile, on the rim above, dozens of what appeared to be civilians labored intensely to construct lattices and frames from wood and stone while dozens more moved behind them to encase the skeleton in condensed earth.
Once we were around 100 meters away, the guards crossed their spears to block off the entrance and shout. "Halt and state your business!"
"I seek to purchase land!" I called back while continuing to approach and eventually came to a stop just out of spear-reach.
"What kind of land?" One of them squinted.
"Commercial." I nodded, then gestured to Letta and Giorno. "Enough room for a tailor and a watchmaker's shops and homes."
After a long pause, the guard craned his neck to signal the rugged men and women dressed in matching brown, green, and limestone-white light leather armor and helmets watching us from above. All but a few of them were armed with spears and short swords. Save a few archers and a particularly tall and seasoned man descending the stairs with a great axe strapped to his back.
"You, come with me." He pointed toward me, then grunted to the others. "The rest of you will stay here."
With nary a look behind me, I stepped after him past the gate and ascended the stairs to see what was by all rights a normal village in its first stages of life.
The platform itself was a relatively elliptical space with four-by-five kilometer dimensions that'd been sparsely and randomly dotted with charred houses, shops, inns, and taverns and filled in with winding dirt roads and young trees. From what I could gather, no planning went into creating a proper design for any particular piece of infrastructure. The only order to be found came from the large stone hut sitting to the right of the gate, the neat row of shops or houses lining the mountain, and the cathedral-like building that towered above the geographical center.
More so, many of the structures had charred spots along their walls and roofs while others had dark splotches on the walls that reeked of iron. On top of that, the people were weary and the entire place reeked with death. So much so that the vengeful whispers of the newly departed still lingered in the air.
"You'll talk with the Mayor." The guard spat over his shoulder with a manic grin. "Any funny business, and we'll kill your friends."
I said nothing and only nodded at him to open the door. Prompting a huffed breath of annoyance to be pushed through his nose before he caught up to lead me up a staircase hugging the walls of the foyer to a set of double redwood doors, where he briskly knocked twice before entering.
The interior was an elliptical office filled with nothing but an arrangement of dying potted plants, a few chairs, and a large redwood desk that sat before a floor-to-ceiling window. Sitting behind the desk, was a beak-nosed, fair-skinned man with slicked-back black hair and a lean build similar to that of my father's. Adding to his uncanniness was the perpetually stern gaze that flicked between myself and the guard before he monotonously said. "Good morning, Rodin." Then gestured to me to ask. "Who's this?"
"A strange elf with strange attire." The guard, Rodin, respectfully bowed. "Claims he wants to buy some land."
"My name is Amun." I cut in with a bow of my own. "And, I'm only half-elf."
"Well, Amun." The Mayor sat up in his seat and gestured to an empty seat with an open palm. "Take a seat."
I did as obliged and the guard, Rodin, went over to stand in front of the door with his arms clasped before his waist.
"Did you speak the truth to my guard captain, Amun?" The mayor blankly asked.
"I did." I nodded. "I seek to purchase land for my watchmaker and tailor."
"For your watchmaker?" He repeated with raised brows. "And your tailor?"
"Yes." I amiably nodded to gesture out the window. "I estimate that they can bring significant income to this place. Speaking of which." I turned back to him with a cordial smile. "What can you tell me about the place, Mayor?"
"He will be asking the questions!" The guard spat behind me.
"This 'place,' is called Hill Base." The Mayor calmly, yet contemptuously replied with no acknowledgment to his Captain's outburst. "This is a land of refugees, of sorts. Full of we." He gestured to himself. "Individuals who've grown tired of the monarchy and their hypocrisy. Who have resolved to forge a life of our own, out here in these unclaimed lands. We've been here for over three years now and have established ourselves as an industrial town."
'Perfect.' I internally grinned before adding. "Though, it seems things have been rough of late."
"And what brings you to that conclusion?" The Mayor blankly blinked.
"Excessive security at the gate. Nearly all the citizenry drafted to construct a wall. Signs of fires. Pools of dried blood." I shrugged after completing my list. "You were attacked by something or someone, and I'm willing to take care of that problem for you."
"You can take care of it." The mayor finally scoffed. "First you can buy land, now you can fix our problems."
"Yes." I nodded again. "And I can fix all the other problems you may have as well. Your food problems, your construction problems, and your security problems. All I ask in exchange is land for my workers."
"How do I know your… 'workers,' aren't spies?"
"Because Hill Base isn't a place that warrants the need for espionage, because we are a respectable party, and because your enemies aren't the type to use spies," I curtly explained. "Scouts, maybe. But not spies."
"A good answer." He nodded. "But then, how do I know you don't wish to usurp us?"
"Because my watchmaker and tailor would have no place to settle in if that were the case." I curtly said. "And, I have far greater plans than ruling a small hamlet in the woods."
His lip curled into a sneer but fell back to its placid demeanor in the same instant. "Let's say I agree, how long will these tenants be staying in Hill Base?"
"For at least four years." I quickly said. "The decision for them to stay after that is entirely yours. And theirs." I belatedly added.
"Hmm." He sighed after a few long moments. "This seems too good to be true. It appears that I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. What's curiouser, is that that seems to remain true for both of us.
"That said." He continued after another pause. "My gut is telling me to accept your proposition. So, Amun, here are the terms. You are to be accompanied by Rodin to fight the bandits while your party remains outside. He shall verify the completion of your quest. Upon your return to Hill Base, we will tour the city and have your… workers, decide on a plot of land, and they will reside year for the next four years, minimum." He rose to extend his hand. "You have until the end of the week."
"I'll be back before sundown." I stood to meet his hand, grinning wide.
As our hands met, the platinum snake given to me by the guild association jumped to life, slithering down my arm to emerge from my sleeve and wrap around our hands in a tight embrace.
Prompting Rodin to leap into action.
"Rodin, NO!
I heard a dull thud land behind my head, but my attention remained focused on the platinum snake. Specifically, on its head. Where a large growth swelled to twice the size of its head, split down the middle, and flattened into two metallic sheets that soon after detached from the serpent.
[Quest: Extermination. For quite some time, Hill Base has been living at the mercy of a merciless group of bandits. In exchange for two parcels of land, Mayor Silas has agreed to conscript Amun into service to eliminate this threat with the Captain of his guard, Dukeen Rodin as a companion. Deadline: 9 Hours, 43 Minutes.]
After the serpent slithered up my arm to wrap around my bicep, I looked up to see the mayor gazing towards the ceiling with an open mouth, then turned to see Rodin shamefully pulling his sword out of the ceiling.
"That's coming out of your pay." Mayor Silas coldly growled to Rodin and apologetically bowed to me in the same breath. "Apologies on his behalf."
"No foul." I quickly waved it off.
Eliciting a strange gaze from the Mayor before he broke out with some cordial small talk. "So, you're an initiate?"
"I am." I nodded.
"And this is… platinum." He held up his tablet. "I heard of the Association got a new commander. But, this is the first of me seeing their work. I assume this means you're of platinum quality?" He turned to me.
"I am." I nodded again. "As are the rest of us. Including the two seeking residence here. If that gives you any solace."
"More than you know." Mayor Silas smiled. "But, we shall speak later. You have a quest to complete. But, first." He paused to shift his gaze past my shoulder. "Rodin, a word."