The Mother of Monsters

The quest had appeared so suddenly that the two of them hadn’t even noticed it in the first few moments. They’d just been sitting together in the park, watching the locals go about their daily lives. It was one of the few moments of peace the two had managed to grab hold of and they had been desperate to cling to it. Even so, they both couldn’t help but talk quietly about things they’d otherwise never risk a single breath over. 

Things weren’t as perfect in the guild as the guildmaster and the ruling class of Katal framed it to be. The leadership of the Guild that had been established by the first few adventurers to arrive in Katal was beyond corrupt. The Guildmaster was a count, surrounding himself in wealth. Even worse, the dungeons that were the primary method of leveling up, acquiring items, and new power were strictly controlled. Only those in the upper echelons or were in the Guildmaster’s favor were given access to the best areas to grow stronger.

It wasn’t fair. The two of them had just been unlucky, they’d appeared in a larger group of adventurers transferred from Earth. Their first aspects were good, but their refusal to hand over treasure to the self-proclaimed leader of the group, Luiz, had settled their fates before they even realized what they’d done wrong. He quickly ingratiated himself with the Guildmaster and the two of them became pariahs. Joining a larger party was impossible and they were always given last priority in requesting dungeons.

Delilah had been the first to wish there was another option. Mack had wondered why they were even fighting in the first place. Besides the dungeons and a few small skirmishes against her soldiers, no one had even seen the Great Demon Lord Teyva’s face. Neither of them understood why they were even there, they missed Earth, but both knew there was no going home. So they talked and vented, it was all they could do.

No one was watching, no one gave them the time of day, it was safe to talk. 

Or so they thought.

The system that ran the world was truly omnipotent.

Neither of them really knew why. It seemed like a really bad idea in retrospect. It was another option, though. Both of them accepted the quest.

It had taken weeks to gather what little gear they had, slip out of the city unnoticed thanks to Mack’s Aspect of Presence, and make their way into the Green Sea. Crossing hadn’t been much easier, monsters created by the very person they were sent to join attacked and they were forced to hide or flee. Delilah’s Aspect of Potency only gave her the ability to amplify magical attacks, of which she had none. The two of them were left with only their weapons and stealth to protect them.

The Wildlands had been even worse. Infant Rilks were sometimes a higher level than they were! Then there were the patrolling Azar, the one time they nearly woke a Rilk Queen. Then finally the uncertainty as they crested the last hill and found Osan. It was so remote, there were no farms, but it was larger than they expected. They’d slipped inside the city late in the afternoon with a crowd of Wildlands humans who were immigrating. When they were finally inside it wasn’t at all what they’d expected.

People were happy.

It was a melting pot, citizens of races they hadn’t even seen before milled about without a care in the world, confident in the protection afforded to them. Craftsmen, soldiers, and ordinary citizens smiled and some even sang as the day went by. It was nothing like what the Guild and the Katali rulers had described, a horrible pit of evil ruled by the greatest evil the world had ever known. They’d been so taken by culture shock that they didn’t leave the room they’d purchased at one of the inns for an entire day.

Then the ground shook.

Then the walls came.

When they’d gone downstairs to ask the innkeeper what had happened he’d just shrugged and said; “The Queen’s busy today. Glad to finally have some walls, yeah?”

Mack and Delilah had run out of the inn and bore witness to the walls taking shape. They’d stared in awe until they saw a crowd of people hurrying over to greet someone. Curious, they’d followed before laying eyes on the most incredible and monstrous being they’d ever seen. Taller than any person there, glowing and glittering like a ghost and so pale that she could disappear into snow just by standing there. Mack hadn’t been able to resist. He attempted to identify her. To his shock, he got her full readout.

She was lower in level than they’d expected, but something about her presence told them that it wasn’t that simple. Either way, it was her in the flesh. They had a quest. The worst that could happen was they died, they both had been saving respawns after all.

Now they were walking through gates of the city-tower itself, escorted by a contingent of strange humanoids with glowing eyes that when identified came up as [Akurai]. They were named after her. The two of them exchanged a look as they kept risking glances at the woman as she strode ahead of them, her arms crossed behind her back. She had talons. What was a Labyrinthian? If she was the Queen of the Azar shouldn’t she be an Azar? It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to either of them. Despite that, she was clearly the one in charge.

The interior of Osan was awe-inspiring. It was a vast city inside of a tower, buildings built into walls and rising all the way up to the ceiling. They were lead through a series of lifts, actual magic elevators, that brought them higher and higher until they ascended to the palace at the peak of the tower. There, at the doors, they were greeted by two beings.

The first was an Azar with gray-green skin, she had a lithe build and had an oppressive but also indistinct presence, like she was difficult to pin down. She regarded Mack and Delilah with cold eyes that glinted like emeralds.

The head of the army.

The pair’s blood ran cold.

The other was even more frightening, a freaking lich! A floating skeleton in robes with blazing eyes and a wicked death-smile. It stared down at them with pitiless eyes that shrank to a point as it considered them.

He was almost level thirty! A monster!

“We’re so dead…” Mack murmured.

A small chuckle caused them both to jerk to attention. The Great Demon Lord peered over her shoulder, the eye set beneath and to the side of her primary eye fixing them with a stare. “Don’t be so hasty, Heroes. I haven’t made that decision yet.”

The pair swallowed and glanced at the Archlich who actually snickered a little, “Do you think they’re scared enough yet?” It asked, it had a masculine voice with a bit of a pitch to it. “This was fun and all but I really should get back to my research. Quests to complete, experience to gain,” It said dismissively.

The Great Demon Lord laughed, “Sure, sure, go on Perry, see you later.”

Perry?! The two of them thought as one.

The Lich vanished with a cackle and flash of magic while the General just shrugged and pushed the doors open, revealing the throne room. An enormous circular chamber made beautiful with frescoes of previous Azar rulers. In particular there was a rather new-looking one of a dignified man reaching out imploringly towards a wicked-faced man holding the flag of Katal. 

“...is that the archduke?” Delilah whispered.

“...I think it is…” Mack murmured back.

“The other man is my adoptive father,” The Great Demon Lord said as she strode away, the guards moving into positions around the room. Teyva Akura made her way up a stairway that wrapped around the exterior of the space and towards a throne raised up to look down upon those who had come to court. The General stood immediately beneath it and fixed the two of them with a stare, she pointed at an emblem in the center of the room and gave them an expectant look. They didn’t need to be told twice, they hurried over and stood.

This was it, this was when she passed judgement, there was no way she was going to trust that they got a quest to come here and meet with her. She’d kill them or lock them away or some other horrible thing. The pleasant atmosphere outside was clearly a ruse. She had a Lich in her employ! What had they been thinking? This was insane.

“So!” The Great Demon Lord said, sitting down and resting her chin on her knuckles. The strange feline on her shoulder had already dozed off. “How are you liking Orum, Heroes? Big jump from Earth, right?”

“...huh?”