Amdirlain’s PoV - Outlands

  As the battle raged on, the miasma of violence, corruption, and assorted negative energies the dark gods projected rippled further through the Plane. Amdirlain caught the retreat of assorted nature spirits, who carried the news far and wide. After hours of fighting, the forces that the dark gods had holding the portal were being crushed towards the Portal, making it harder for new troops to arrive.

  There was no warning when the first intervention occurred. One moment, troops were shifting positions, and the next, a colossal Treant appeared behind the forces with Livia. His roots shot forward and ripped through the stone floor to crush demons, while his branches lashed out to snatch demons and spells from the air. As his canopy wrapped the place in deep shadows, a temporal effect reduced the demonic forces to a glacial slowness. His temporal melody meshed with Ori’s memories, and she recognised the Primordial from the realm’s early years. The servants of Amdirlain’s friends and new allies were unaffected, and their attacks tore into the legions.

  Lerimoira existed even before we invited the Fey courts to the realm. Though I must say, he has grown considerably since he arose from the energies used in making the first habitable worlds. I can’t gauge his strength, but he must be at least Tier 8 or Tier 9 now, given his ability to slow that deity. With a nature related to Time, I might have to discuss that with him.

  A trio of Dragon deities split between the three caverns, their breath weapons sending crackling lightning among the hordes. Each blast washed charcoal powder that had been demonic flesh and bone across the field.

  An Elf with pale skin and amethyst swirls that matched their gaze and hair appeared beside Amdirlain. The bleakness of his expression lent the black robes he wore extra weight, and each hinted at the void theme she could sense through him. As his senses brushed past her, most of his attention was on the distant conflict. Unlike the Dragon deities, he was Primordial, whose strength and immense age caused the surrounding air to vibrate. “You can return to your Domain. We’ll settle this fighting and find out why the demons and celestials have brought conflict to this Plane.”

  He’s not even attempting to hide his strength, unlike how well-behaved Bahamut is during his visits.

  “The dark gods came after me, so I’m serving as backup. One deity helping to secure a Portal has her Domain near here, and her family sought to defend her position.”

  With a slow blink, he turned to regard her. “I am Garsisdar. Who are you, young Primordial? And why would deities from the lower planes be massing against you?”

  “My name is Amdirlain. I imagine the rulers of Hell have promised many rewards,” Amdirlain smiled politely. “They’re associated with some entities in Hell who want me in their control.”

  “Those in Hell always seek to control others. You’ve got an interesting collection of foes. I’d request that you wait here. The leader of our alliance would certainly wish to speak to you,” Garsisdar said.

  “Would that be Lerimoira?” Amdirlain smiled when the use of his name caused Lerimoira to spare them a sliver of attention. “I’ll be happy to speak to him when the fighting is done.”

  An Avatar of Lerimoira appeared in the glade with them. The Treant's rough trunk and canopy were reduced in size so it would fit in the space, and glowing green eyes in sunken knots fixed on her. “We can speak now. I was concerned about another full breach, based on what the spirits told me. They didn’t recognise any from your group, but I’ve spoken with Livia a few times. Do you know my name from her?”

  Another breach?

  “No, I know your name from a different source. I’m Amdirlain.”

  “You’ve assembled an able group of defenders,” Lerimoira noted. “At least Livia says you organised this collection.”

  “You could have come to us about these portals,” Garsisdar said.

  “None of us expected those in the Outlands to stir themselves quickly beyond their accorded duties. Certainly, I’m aware of the lengthy negotiations that take place around protecting its entrances.”

  Lerimoira's branches creaked and groaned as he shifted positions. “We ward the gates to the lower planes, why would we not react to such an intrusion in force?”

  “There seems to be a lot of haggling involved in acquiring aid from local deities or primordials. Certainly, those from the lower planes counted on you being more interested in sustaining the status quo of the gates you defend. There have always been small portals that the powers of the Outlands have left unguarded.”

  “We can’t and shouldn’t block every path. By leaving small routes for their messengers and spies, we avoid a greater conflict. If we isolate them completely, they act out of desperation for the slightest kink in the Material Plane’s defences.”

  “I take it you’re referring to the portals between the Outlands and habitable worlds?”

  “Yes. Before the planar barriers develop, they’re how the various demons and devils seed cults on worlds. Then they wait for them to ripen with enough souls to make the harvest worthwhile.”

  “Then I can see why you consider them vulnerabilities. What will you do now?”

  “This is no longer a small path.” Lerimoira shrank inwards until the eyes in its trunk were closer to Amdirlain’s height. “Will your group continue to monitor these portals?”

  “What would we get from contributing to portal garrisons?” Amdirlain asked. “So many deities and primordials seem fixated on their priorities alone, and won’t aid me unless I give them something.”

  “The ability to call on others in the allegiances even for matters outside the portals,” Lerimoira said.

  “Do any actually respond?”

  “Frequently enough for it to be worthwhile. There are thousands of deities in the network managing the defences,” Garsisdar replied. “The word can spread rapidly, and even if only a few can help immediately, it's more than standing alone. That we all need to keep the balance in the Outlands makes us readier allies than heavenly forces who seek to impose their brand of goodness over others.”

  “Though I speak only for myself, I can help secure these portals. Once the battle wraps up, it’s for the others to decide what they’ll do from here on out,” Amdirlain said. “In fairness, I should admit that I have a few enemies with their sights on me. I hope the alliance wouldn’t hold that against me.”

  “Many of us have been in that position with enemies seeking to bring us down. I’ve lost those I’d have preferred to shelter because they wanted to stand by themselves.” A shiver caused Lerimoira’s leaves to rustle. “What other forces are you expecting to come against you, Amdirlain?”

  “Most of those associated with the Hierarchy of Sin, along with an assortment of other dark powers from Hell and the Abyss. The dominant entity targeting me is a daughter of the King of Hell.”

  “I can shield us from any of his daughters sensing their names being used,” Lerimoira advised. “I’d prefer to know clearly the forces arrayed against you.”

  I’ll have to ensure that if she hears us speak, it will confirm the lead I gave her.

  “His daughter Tingeth has received permission from her father to come after me. While he has also allowed others to try their hand, he has shown that he favours her. That has set some teeth on edge, so they’re now working against her. I’ve tried to get her to agree to a duel of avatars, but she hasn’t taken up the offer as yet.”

  “You don’t seem strong enough to gain that information on your own. Who advises you about what’s going on in Hell?”

  “I’m not so sure your strength will withstand her. She is a strong Primordial.”

  “Is she a trusted ally or not?” Garsisdar probed.

  “It might seem na?ve, but I’ve reasons to trust Lilith,” Amdirlain said.

  Despite Lerimoira’s attempt to protect the area, Amdirlain felt Lilith’s awareness, and Garsisdar grunted in surprise.

  Lerimoira could keep Tingeth at bay, but not Lilith.

  “I’ve heard nothing of her for aeons,” Lerimoira murmured. “What does she hope to gain by aiding you?”

  “I’ve not asked for her aid; she’s given it on her own volition with no cost to me.”

  Something few deities from the higher planes can seem to bother themselves to do.

  “You mean any cost besides participation in her game,” Garsisdar corrected.

  Amdirlain shrugged. “She has an axe to grind with those who seek to do me harm.”

  “Why would you trust her?” Garsisdar hissed.

  “While I’ve had cause to regret many things in my life, none of those relate to treating Lilith with respect,” Amdirlain replied. “She follows the laws as long as you don’t use them as a weapon against her or punish her for finding loopholes.”

  “How long ago did you break through to being a Primordial?” Lerimoira asked.

  “Only a few years ago now,” Amdirlain replied.

  A few years, if I don’t consider the thousands of years with Maker. However, I have access to True Song, which lets me do more than some greater powers, even before that trip.

  The glowing points of Lerimoira’s eyes brightened. “Yet your presence doesn’t have the typical youthfulness to it. Do you have old memories?”

  “I have what I need.”

  A possibility occurred to Amdirlain, but she resisted delving into it immediately.

  The two older primordials regarded each other silently until the sense of Lilith’s attention vanished.

  Lerimoira’s branches rustled towards the caverns. “What defences can you set in place on these portals in the short term?”

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Since they know we know their locations, they’re not useful to my original plan.” Amdirlain seized control of the conduits with a song and transformed their thresholds; all three began to shrink, emitting a painful whine as they did so. The closest demons tried to flee as they witnessed the portals’ edges severing limbs and cutting into torsos.

  “We will be available if you need help defending your Domain. Though it seems I overestimated how much help you needed,” Lerimoira said.

  “I wasn’t holding back because I needed defending,” Amdirlain said. “I kept my involvement to a minimum so others could grow stronger.”

  Lerimoira stayed until the cleanup ended. By that time, the thresholds had shrunk to where a Human-sized Demon would need to crawl to get through them.

  As the others rejoined her, their troops slipped away to their home planes.

  “Did you have fun beating up that god?” Livia asked.

  “I believe I left him the impression that he injured me far more than he did,” Amdirlain replied. “Hopefully, he’ll be overconfident and focused on fake vulnerabilities when we next run into each other. It will be even more useful if he shares the intelligence he gained with others.”

  Livia nodded. “Have foes attack where you’re strong.”

  “How do you want to protect the portals?” Sarah asked. “You’ve shrunk them, but lots of shapeshifter types can still make it through quickly.”

  Bornaith jumped in. “Can’t we just close them?”

  “Then they’ll open randomly somewhere else, but as their alignment follows certain patterns, they might end even closer to your sister’s, or someone else’s, Domain,” Amdirlain warned. “The principal routes into the Outlands have troops posted to secure them and allow mortals, or souls being delivered to Judgement, through.”

  Calithilwen touched her son’s forearm. “It’s good that you worry, but here we know where they are.”

  Mars nodded. “I’ll organise troops to hold the defences. Did you want to change the caverns now that we’re not facing a mass battle?”

  “I’ll have a regiment contribute,” Sarah said.

  “Same,” Livia added.

  “A full regiment each?” Calithilwen asked.

  Glawaron and Bornaith nodded.

  “Support types and healers from Mother and me,” Uilosdis offered.

  “Just because the thresholds are going to bottleneck their flow at present doesn't mean we should count on something not being able to force them wider,” Sarah commented.

  “Or as Sarah pointed out, a few thousand shapeshifters coming through in a rush,” Amdirlain added.

  It took a couple of hours to complete the arrangements before the others left. Amdirlain had rearranged the three caverns to mimic Xaos’s killing jar approach to defending the conduit to Limbo. Detachments from all seven deities, along with a small group of her daughters and thousands of crystal constructs, were on watch.

  Amdirlain stood quietly, mentally plotting a grind of hops to see if she could pick up more portals. The idea she’d pushed aside niggled at the back of her thoughts, so her Avatar on Yúla chatted to Rachel and Azadi to get location images.

  Gideon, are the rules set up around Realm Step subject to anyone’s influence?

  “If Asmodeus could override it, then you couldn’t have kept your promise to Lilith.” Gideon projected. “Out is accessible to anyone with the Power or Primordial Will. You are aware of the conditions that surround arriving in a particular location; no one can alter them. The realm’s rules handled the arriving entity’s translation, but arrival is also not subject to any localised authority.”

  I think I’ll have a chat with Lilith away from where any of my daughters might notice.

  Amdirlain shifted position to a rough ridgeline encrusted with gleaming raw topaz, well clear from any Domain.

  “Lilith,” Amdirlain chirped happily. “Do you remember the prime condition you had for accepting our offer of refuge?”

  “That I could always leave.” Lilith’s voice came from multiple sources around Amdirlain.

  “Because of that agreement, controlling anyone’s ability to step out of or into the realm is beyond the authority of local rulers. Would you like a spot you could step to beside the ruined ásgarer or your creator’s realm?”

  “You’ve another realm.” Though Lilith had continued to talk remotely, her voice had shifted to a single point before Amdirlain.

  “I’ve a few training sites whose framework I’m presently building,” Amdirlain corrected. “One I have plans for, but another I realised could be a safety net for you. Though stepping out of the realm can’t be blocked, you only have two locations to head to, and either might be a problem.”

  I’m glad not all of them have a weird temporal flow.

  “Are you planning to transform me as well?”

  “No, I’m offering safety and opportunity. Whatever choices you make aren’t mine to dictate.”

  A pair of red-slitted eyes appeared. “What about her chains? I had a petty tyrant visit me about an offer you made.”

  I’m surprised she actually approached Lilith.

  “I offered her a duel, then asked her a question, and proposed that the Kyton might be recruited if their mother wasn’t around. She knew nothing about the chains, and I never said I’d actually unlock them uninvited,” Amdirlain noted. “She seems to think I’m the good guy to fool. While I attempted to dissuade her, she didn’t buy ?it.”

  “A heavenly host answered your call to smack her pet’s forces.”

  “That wasn’t about me,” Amdirlain corrected. “It was about the celestials that a Demon Lord dragged into a Transformation Site. While I prefer to help people, I’m pragmatic. Currently, the Summer Court and an Orc Pantheon are waging war because I gave them a bunch of tools to destroy the Formithian hives. I could have destroyed and recreated every planet the Formithian were on, but that would have been too much work. Instead, I’ve got two other pantheons gaining influence over countless trillions of worlds because it was easier.”

  “I think you’re lying to yourself about why you sent the elves and orcs loose. Though I never liked those bugs, so I won’t complain,” Lilith fully appeared.

  She wore the same black dress, embroidered with dark flowers and thorns. The dark orb between her up-swept horns played with the Outlands’ light as she perched on a nearby boulder.

  “Their deity dismissed my friend’s fate after the Transformation Site, which drew my attention, so I looked into them. If they hadn’t done that, I might not have discovered them so quickly, but they needed to change. They’d been intolerant of other species and were slowly taking over worlds that weren’t theirs.”

  “That’s why I sensed a desire for restitution. Are you going to wipe the formithians out?”

  “I’m hoping they’ll turn away from that Pantheon first,” Amdirlain said.

  “You should know that Hell has, for the first time in aeons, received Formithian souls,” Lilith noted. “They used to go to their devourer’s Domain, but they’re pouring into the river for their sins to grind through them. What did you change? Are you punishing them for using a loophole?”

  “Actually, their hypocrisy punished themselves.”

  Amdirlain felt Lilith’s nature catch the knowledge from her desire to balance the Formithian situation.

  The older Primordial threw back her head and howled with laughter. “If only we could make him suffer the same fate for his hypocrisy.”

  There is only one he that she’d be interested in making suffer.

  “There is a way, but I will need to be a lot stronger than your creator to pull it off.”

  “What!” Lilith blurted. She jerked up from her perch, gaze fixed on Amdirlain’s face.

  “The topic came up for other reasons, but I’ve not started learning anything about implementing it.” Amdirlain explained, “All my training so far has been around empowering rule frameworks, not creating them.”

  The possibility of a realm encapsulation to repair the realm’s wound is the only reason Maker discussed it. An option safer than patching, but I’ll need to become stronger than I was at my strongest.

  Lilith smiled wickedly. “Are you trying to tempt me into helping you with something?”

  “All I have are intentions so far, and I can’t be sure I’ll ever be strong enough to pull it off,” Amdirlain cautioned.

  “When I met you and your father, all you had were intentions,” Lilith clasped Amdirlain’s shoulders. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I’m going to create some noise in Hell, it’s up to you if you join in,” Amdirlain quipped.

  “She said you needed her help to get in?”

  “No, I said, getting me into Hell to deliver the prize would be her problem. I never said I couldn’t get in. Stepping out of the realm isn’t the only thing that a local ruler can’t block.”

  “What are you up to?”

  “I don’t like the current lower-plane structure. It’s driven by old anger and my giving up on souls that had allowed themselves to reach particular states. I’ve already figured out how to give souls hard resets. The next step is to see if the Yomi King and I can find a shortcut to the millennia of torture Di Yu puts them through to learn from past mistakes. While I can’t do anything about the faithful drawn to different dark deities, the goal is to head off the decline of souls that have no religious affiliation.”

  “Hell and the Abyss use damned souls to create devils and demons.”

  “I know.”

  “How will they keep up their numbers to maintain pressure on the heavens so they don’t get complacent and devolve into hypocrites as well?”

  “Dark deities will still be able to turn their followers into either, and there are routes for mortals who deliberately want to take that route. However, I’m going to cut back on souls thrown onto the scrap heap through ignorance and pain. In return, like the demons in Di Yu, more devils and demons will be capable of reproduction. That won’t happen straight away, as I need to phase it in, but they’ll also be capable of gaining their own redemption.”

  “You’re a delightful child.” Lilith tapped her chin thoughtfully before she kissed Amdirlain’s cheek. “This will be an interesting experiment. May I speak with the Yomi King? Perhaps I can help you by providing him with the right knowledge to achieve your desire.”

  “If you wish to do so, I’m not in control of you. Would you like to see my training realm?”

  “Yes, let’s do that now.”

  Amdirlain shifted them. They appeared on an ocean shoreline, beneath a clear blue sky with a yellow dwarf star well above the horizon. Nearby, waves broke as they crossed a reef close to shore and turned into froth before reaching the glimmering white sands.

  “This is a realm?”

  “The only Human-type habitable planet in a small one. The realm encompasses just one planetary system, with a singular Heaven, Hell, and Astral Plane. It took me years to empower the rules to create it. I’m prohibited from adjusting the realm or creating any stars or planets myself. The exercise was to provide the juice and watch it manifest within the set rules. The night sky is completely fake except for the planets and other bodies that surround this star.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “To understand what results are achievable through minimal or concentrated effort. Maker’s view is that Father and I did too many disconnected tasks manually, which caused us strain in the early years. Here, the rules only need to be fed, and I’ve set up a process for incinerating the invading Eldritch to provide extra fuel to prevent heat death.”

  Lilith hitched up the ends of her dress and wandered down to the water’s edge to let the waves swirl around her feet. “Can I stay here for a bit? Parts of this world remind me of Eden before things got ugly over my use of the fruits.”

  “You can come and go as you want. The only sapient species are non-Human and don’t occupy this world.”

  “Why do you make things and then move on? Why do you leave them for others to use?” Lilith wiggled her toes in the sand.

  “What is the point of creation if the result isn’t of use to someone? None of my creations is valuable if no one has a use for them. By leaving them in the care of others, their enjoyment provides value.” Amdirlain picked up a shell from the beach and turned it over in her fingers, letting the sunlight catch on the vibrant colours. “A seashell is pretty, and some species treasure them, yet a mollusk created it to protect its soft body. Whatever purpose someone puts it to has no importance to the mollusk when it's done with it.”

  “How does that apply to you?”

  “I make things to learn. Typically, when I’m done with it, I’ve learnt how to make something better. Since I can make a better one, I have no particular use for the old one, so I might as well let others find value in it. Weapons, crystals, training towers, demi-planes, stars, and planets, I’ve slowly progressed. Maybe one day I’ll have learnt all the lessons I can from Labyrinthos. Then I’ll leave the realm in the care of others and make a new one; certainly Maker is hoping I’ll make a few more at least.”

  “An interesting, if somewhat na?ve, view,” Lilith said.

  “It’s not like knowledge, where sometimes there is value in being the only person in possession of it.” Amdirlain smiled. “Especially now, since I can’t even earn experience, the items I’ve created in the past are meaningless to my future growth. Yet realms get stronger not only from more souls living within them, but also from the strength souls accumulate during each life. Well, what does sharing them do?”

  It’s not why I do it, but she’ll get that reason.

  “Leaving things to others increases their strength and improves the realm. A realm that you and your father have a dominant claim over.” Lilith nodded. “Self-interest—that I can understand. Even if it’s unlikely to be your reason, you desire to stick your paw in and stir the pot to improve the situation. What next then?”

  I figured that wouldn’t slip past her.

  “I’ve friends who were once scouts in Hell’s service, and they provided me with lots of images of locations there that change infrequently. I’m going to see if I can fool Hell.”

  “I might try to find you.”

  With a wink, Amdirlain vanished.