Amun.
***
"Chako Blude is perhaps the most interesting of you lot." I flatly said; mostly, as a result of the awe inspired by the bronze fruits. "Her, Redd, and Sam would have been successful rogues without my help. All I gave them was knowledge, wisdom, capital, and power. That much is made apparent when you gaze upon their works. Among everyone in the empire, she is the only one to have built an empire from the ground up.
"I hardly knew as much when I first noticed her drowning someone who reported her schemes. Seeing that only made me curious, as I'd already noticed Iris close by, so I looked a little closer and saw those at the orphanage had all but given up on her.
I heard her pleas to the skies day after day, and so close they were to Iris that I thought it only right to adopt her as my little cousin. When I looked into her soul with these eyes of mine, I saw she desired a grand throne built by herself, for herself. She wanted to be given nothing. And that was something the creatures of this realm saw as well. Thus the divine orcas, Chako, Orpheus, and Jima, took a liking to them.
"And so, them agreeing to the adoption was them agreeing to a pact to connect them with the orcas. A blessing to obtain their divine powers as sorcery. I then educated them through the Net, allowing them to learn what they needed and wanted during our time in Shujen, with the condition they learn to fight and control their sorcery while there.
"Things changed during my walk. When Geri and Freki were cursed, Chako, Orpheus, Jima, and their children wanted the same thing as Skoll and Hati. To experience life in the realm of mortals in both the body of a human and theirs.
"And so, those of the Orcinus Mafia were cursed. Unlike Geri and Freki, however, Blude, Red, and Sam's souls were not tainted, thus there was nothing to curse. And unlike with Skoll and Hati, the souls possessing those three are divine, not celestial. Thus they've retained both their memories and the memories of their other halves. And, I would say a bit of the persona has been transferred to them as well.
"Regardless, the merging of their divine souls saw Blude in particular become a Goddess before everyone but Iris. As the Divine Matriarch, Blude has divine dominion over Mafias, Service, Oceans or Seas, and all the Mineral Wealth found therein. Or, to put it another way, she's a [Druidic Sorceress] with the [Domain of the World Seas]. Because of that, Blude is the only member of the Mafia to have a different rogue class. She's a [Rogue Warlock, Divine Matriarch of the Orcinus Mafia].
"Everyone else in the Mafia is a [Sorcerous Rogue of the Orcinus Mafia], holding various ranks and occupations within the organization and a professional mirror to the roguish ways via the Grand Hadal Enterprise. The highest ranks besides Blude's are the [Prime Matriarchs], Sam and Red, and then the other [Matriarchs] of the pods formed by their children- those they gathered across the Mortal Plane. As for their professions? Well, Blude's an [Artificing Witch, a Photic Cosmetic Surgeon] by day. By night, Chako is a veritable queen of organized crime.
"By day, Redd works in the GHE as an [Artificing Warlock, Hadal Engineer]. And so too is she a [Ranging Witch] who explores and is licensed to heal injuries developed in the deep blue sea. The [Hyperbaric Witch-Doctor]; for, by night, Orpheus is the Mafia's head of trafficking.
"By day, Sam is a chef on the path to gaining much renown. That much was apparent after her education. But awakening her Victuals Magic made her a chef like no other. One who has blended the Monastic Way of the Chef with the Bardic School of Cuisine to defend her kitchen from the worst, even while she cooks, and then host a feast fit for royalty. A [Bardic Monk of the Culinary Philosophy].
Moreover, she's an [Artificing Witch, a Gastro-Engineer] who can research and make ways to eat anything or heal those who've eaten what they shouldn't have. Such a profession will permit her entry behind many closed doors. Easing the means for her to smuggle things in and out of various places for the Mafia.
"So too, however, did Sam study Wizardry. Particularly the School of Warding, which she merged with her warlock abilities, tied to the abyssal zone of the oceans, to become the [Wizarding Warlock, Abyssal Ward].
"Likewise, their subordinates got much the same treatment. Gwehn was on the Barbaric Path of the Bruiser and melded it with her Artificing focus on Construction to design, build, and protect the various structures raised by the Establishment. Turning her into a [Barbaric Artificer, a Coastal Contractor]. Kali, being an elf, was able to become an Arcane Archwich on top of becoming a Medical Scientist. They merged into the [Artificing Witch, Nautical Medical Administrator]. Lizlee's diploma from the Bardic School of Media and her studies in Meteorology merged into the [Bardic Artificer, Lighthouse Station Announcer]. to provide all types of media services. All so she could gather and sell information.
"Jayde, on the other hand, is an [Artificing Bard, the Financial Adviser]. The difference is that her perks will be activated in ways similar to other bards. Only, they'll have perks that resemble those found in artificing. Emily, another Artificing Witch, became the [Toxicological Administrator.] Chloala, another [Artificing Bard], used her malls, supermarkets, and convenience stores to become a [Commercial Adviser]."
"Quite the extensive organization." Doyle nodded in astonishment. "It's amazing what can happen when your eyes are turned elsewhere."
"What have you been looking at?" Olga inquired. To which both Doyle and I answered. "Titus." Olga only rolled her eyes, shaking her head. So I left it at that and looked over to the last Undying Fiend of the Troupe.
"Like all of her kind, Reina grew up learning the druidic arts. Being unevolved meant she could only manipulate live plants. Not create plants from mana like evolved druids. She was corrupted by the Blighted Woods of Redagh, however. And, though it would have killed her, the true effect was the corruption of her grove as it spread. It infected their minds, filling them with fear, and causing them to exile her when they learned of her adventures.
"That was when she made the pact, so hurt was she, that she wanted to engulf the grove in flames just to feel its warmth once more. She made the pact. Yet she was soon hunted by the likes of her parents seeking to end her for one reason or another. They succeeded. She died and awoke as an Undying Fiend, reborn with an ArborTech body of petrified wood and stone.
"In turn, her druidic powers were reborn as well, corrupted to have the flora to affect flesh and blood and yet blessed with the power of Twilight housed in the depths of her being. Pestilence and Purity in the form of sorcery. "In this, her powers combined to create something truly fantastic. She became a [Sorcerous Warlock, the Flesh Mother]. A being capable of recycling life itself.
"She learned as much after recycling her old grove. Then she came here to learn what to do with it. She learned all there was to know about life. She merged her ability to craft flesh with the knowledge of transforming ecosystems to create a means to heal entire biomes. Or even create new ones as only an [Artificing Witch]- an [Eldritch Environmental Bio-Engineer] could.
"Taking some inspiration from Iris, Reina then learned about technology. ArborTech, NecroTech, and the new HemoTech to create and perfect FleshTech. She also learned of devotion, and in turn faith in the Divine Engineer bloomed within her as she created more and more. As a result, Reina became a Cleric of the Engineering Domain. A Tech Priestess. But one that was added to her druidic class to make something extraordinary.
"She is now a [Druidic Cleric: Divine Mother of the Genetica Dominium]. A Mother of Nature who birthed a new Tree of Life, forged from her own hands. But hers has yet to be." I said to the few slack jaws scattered around the table. "Unlike my daughter's.
"Iris is the first one I spotted after my ascension. She was pure of heart and mind, caught up by misfortune alone like the good so often find themselves. Paralyzed from the neck down since a child, she sat before the window each day, just wishing to feel again. She felt like a prisoner in her own body. So, I freed her. But rather than just heal her, I gave her the option to become something more.
"What I gave her was the option to become the first of her kind. A type of being that was only possible to make during the latter parts of my first life—an Augmented Human. A human upgraded with machine parts integrated into their flesh at the molecular level. But with Iris, it was taken a step further. Her body was not just integrated with machinery, it became an arcane biological machine. Inside to out. Top to bottom.
"That is her boon. But her blessing came in two forms. First was a blessing from my engineering domain. It granted her the means to make technology with magic- Technomancy; which was then merged with the necromancy she was given by virtue of my blood.
"It's a ritual we do to bring people into the family," I explained to Olga's questionable gaze. "With it, she gained ties to the plane of shadow and the underworld and probably lost a few morals along the way.
"The result was that the Augmented Technomancer I created had… other aspects of my being. Namely, my genes. My DNA was reworked into her body, changing not her body and mind but her spirit and soul, yet it made her no different from my biological child all the same. And more, she can cast with raw mana like other elves, for starters. Not to mention, she's inherently divine.
"She's a [Sorcerous Warlock, Augmented Technecromancer]. Beyond that, though, she became the Tech Goddess of Eotrom the moment she was reborn; and later, she became the Goddess of Recycling, Militaries, and Information. But being a Tech Goddess came with the inheritance of something special.
"The biomechanical fauna of Ilium looks to Iris as their Mother of Nature now. They moved to her ring the moment she created it. There, she spent years learning of her creatures as she learned the ways of engineering. She learned how to do what I had done to her peers and others, in turn becoming the sole decider of who would become an augmented being in the future. An [Artificing Witch, Biomechanical Surgeon].
"I oversaw everyone's journey to become grandmaster artificers, although many dove into other specialties. Iris was not the fastest to achieve that title for that reason. From what I've seen, though," I paused, looking at Etan. "She was the fastest in her other training."
"Yes." Etan chortled dryly. "Abbot Eiriol trained her and those in the Mafia in martial combat. In Iris' words, she gets little enjoyment out of fighting. So, she has some software to make combat more efficient. She calls it Combat Mode. I call it overkill."
He rolled his eyes at the sound of my snickering and shook his head, continuing. "I noticed her talent for the arcane beforehand. Once I realized how unnecessary it was to train her martially did I teach her what I knew of the arcane arts. Of which she learned enough. More, however, can be taught to her by my brother, Eban."
"Is that drow for Evan, or something?" Doyle asked.
"What is an Evan?" Etan poignantly asked.
"Human name," Olga told him. To which Etan tossed his head in contemplation before turning back to her sharply. "That sounds like gibberish spoken by an illiterate commoner."
"He's not wrong." I snorted. "And no, his name is not the Drow dialect for Ethan."
"The same commoner but with a lisp, trying to pronounce a basic vowel," Etan said sharply. "Anyway, Eban Za'Darmondiel is the Heart Keeper of the House- the Archwitch. In truth, he is an Arcane Archmage- a mage being one who blends Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is not recognized for his wizardry within the House, however. Something our mother did intentionally, just to make him bitter, for he cares not for witchcraft. He will teach magic any chance he gets.
"I would say Iris knows enough to be an Arcane Wizard, though." Etan turned over the rails. "Especially with the elven archery Reina taught her."
"Yes." I nodded. "She was able to become an Arcane Archer. A higher tier of the Magical Archer Wizard class, open only to those with elven blood. Or, in her case, blood from the God of Mana. The Master class of that, for her, was the Arcane Warp Archer. The Prestige of which is the Arcane Warp Sniper. When merged with her Tech Scout Ranger class, she's become a [Ranging Wizard, Arcane WarpTech Scout Sniper].
"Additionally, she studied and devoted herself to both her inheritances. From me, she inherited a senior role in the Legions. Our bonding time over our games of Space Shogi invariably taught her strategy and logistics, both of which she put to use in her Prestige Bardic School of Planar Leadership.
"On the other hand, she devoted herself to protecting the creatures she inherited in the same way a Paladin would. She made an Oath to guide her creatures, her peers, and the Legions through her Technology. In combining them, she became a [Bardic Paladin, the Praefectus Noctis], or the Senior General of the Legions.
"It goes without saying, but everything she creates counts as worship towards me, which is in turn given back to her in the form of divine mana and the things created in Ilium and by my hands. As such, she became a cleric- a Tech Priestess before she became a druid. Thus her power is the opposite of Reina's but otherwise the same.
"She is a [Clerical Druid, Divine Mother of the Technica Dominium]. A cleric before a druid. The opposite of Reina, who has to go out to inhospitable zones and forge life where there is none. Iris will have to go to toxic and trash-filled lands and summon her life to those places. More so, as Divine Mothers, both can create new life forms and grant primal or divine magic to any of their rangers, druids, clerics, paladins, and warlocks.
For Reina, this means giving her crafted beings the same powers of flesh crafting and twilight as she. For Iris, this means giving her fully augmented beings Technomancy and a place within her technological dominion.
"That said." I sighed, slumping back in my seat to conjure a map across the table. And other maps across the net. "It may be some time before we see such things come to be. They may get some time to toy with such things next year. But I don't see it happening until we attend to our business in Mar-
"Uh…" I stammered, staring at the inky darkness flowing into my hands. Darkening the skin of my fingers, elongating and sharpening my nails to long white claws before they suddenly shrank to their normal size. Yet the nightly shade remained ingrained in my skin like a solid shade tattoo, leaving me staring in confusion until the gilded words pulled me from my stupor. And I remembered.
[The Path of Zefroth: Step 5, The Horsemen. Complete.]
[Reward: Evolution - [Void Devil's Claws.] The indestructible claws of the Void Devil are now retractable, yet ever present in your base form, granting you the means to grab and injure souls as you would with the Void Devil's Jaw.]
[Reward: Evolution - [Void Devil's Horns.] Extended in the base form are the Horns of the Void Devil. Not are they for show, nor are they simple weapons, they are receivers of wickedness and transmitters of cursed energy, permitting you the means to curse and make deals from range. This range increases with the horn's length at a ratio of 10,000 meters to :1 centimeter.]
I hardly felt the tingling in my skull as I read along. Knowing of the discomfort that came from evolution, I sought to distract myself by concentrating on the words as they formed. But all for naught, it seemed, as I hardly felt the horns rising above my skull. Thus I made a quick mirror of moonlight to make note of their shape.
Like the horns of an Oribi, they were. Pointed straight up with a slight concave curve, they measured ten centimeters long and were smooth like obsidian, yet ten times darker with a matte finish and 'tiger stripe' of white. Satisfied, I dispersed the mirror just in time to feel a 'pop' release something inside me. I suddenly felt… malleable. But only on the inside.
[Reward: Skill - [Soul Polymorphism.] Your hold over souls has grown such that you can make malleable any soul you own. Through this, you can mold your soul or any soul you've claimed into any known form, making it so that your guise cannot be seen through even with True Sight. Simultaneously, you can separate and polymorph a portion of your soul or any soul you've claimed into an animal or imp and have it act independently of the original.]
Well, therein was the cause of the amorphous feeling. The pop, however, seemed to have come from my Ovatorium releasing its membrane, thus unlocking my new transformation.
The [Void Imp Consular.]
[The Path of Zefroth: Step 6, The Hand That Gives.]
[To move further down the Path of Zefroth, you must collect ten thousand souls before venturing to the City of Devils in the Underworld to learn Devil Kenpo from your Fiendish Familiars.]