The new wooden house looked like a pristine brand-new log cabin from the outside. He walked down and entered the house, shortly followed by Indra, Crystal, Tim and Nelly. Aside from a stove, dining table, four chairs, a few cabinets and a large double bed the cabin was completely empty. There wasn’t even a single window in the small house and Milo was prepared to declare it ‘basic as hell’ when Indra gasped.
“This is great!”
He turned to look at her.
“It is?”
Crystal and Nelly both nodded their heads in vigorous agreement, Indra walked over to inspect the stove before replying.
“I’ve only ever seen such well-built houses in the largest cities, for a border region this house is a luxury.”
“So, this will do for you and Tim?”
Indra’s eyes widened.
“You’d give me and my son this entire house alone? What about the rest of you?”
Milo waved his hand dismissively.
“I can make more, it’s no big deal, for now I was thinking of starting with four, I’ll take one, Tim and you will share, as will Crystal and Nelly, the same goes for Ivy and Lizbeth.”
Indra was tearing up and she sniffed before replying.
“Thank you archmage, had I known you were a mage of such power I never would’ve hesitated to join your service.”
Milo briefly considered telling her about the interface but ultimately decided to stay quiet. His leadership over these people was new and untested, them thinking that he was some sort of super mage might prove useful.
He went back outside and whispered the interface command. Then he summoned another three houses, two on either side of the small river. He let Crystal and Nelly choose which house to claim and they were quick to choose the one next to Indra and Tim. Crystal reappeared a few minutes later with a smile on her face, she held a cooking pot in her hand. She spotted him by the river and walked over. Her voice shook slightly as she addressed him and he wondered if she was simply shy or just completely devoid of confidence.
“My lord, I know it’s late, but I was thinking that everyone might be hungry, would you allow me to cook you a meal?”
“Of course, are you a good cook?”
Crystal’s face twisted slightly before passing back into a shy smile.
“Many have said so, my husband used to say that I might not be good at much, but I sure could make him scrape a bowl clean.”
The way she said it conjured an uneasy feeling in Milo’s stomach. Indra had said that Crystal was a passenger in their caravan, and that said caravan was travelling away from her hometown. There was obviously more to the story, but he didn’t want to interrogate a woman who had just offered to cook for him.
“Do you need any help?”
Crystal looked back up to the altar of Lilith where Ivy and Lizbeth had just finished disposing of the prisoners.
“I saw that you have flour, salt and razor deer, I could make a stew if you would allow me access to it?”
Milo nodded and then followed Crystal up to the altar where all the supplies had been gathered. He helped her carry the deer carcass down to her new house. He was about to go back for the rest when Ivy simplified the process. The shadow-stalker simply picked up a bag of salt and grain in either hand or shadow-blinked down to the house. Before long Crystal was happily humming away as she laid into the deer meat with one of his daggers. She cubed the meat and then coated it in flour. Next, she took the animal fat she had cut away from the meat and popped it in the pot. She rendered the fat down until the pot was covered in oil and then fries the meat cubes in it. Once the meat had been browned, she added water, salt and flour.
Back on Earth Milo had most of his meals prepared for a professional chef. He was used to good eating, and so he was surprised when the bowl of Crystal presented him with a bowl of stew an hour later tasted far better than he had expected. He dug into the dish with gusto and saw that Ivy and Nelly were doing the same. He waved his spoon in the direction of the pot.
“This is excellent Crystal.”
She seemed pleased by the compliment.
“It would be even better if I had some vegetables to add.”
Milo believed her. He hoped Lizbeth’s mushroom and fruit experiment with the worker’s earlier that day would bear fruit. If it did, he was now confident that Crystal would be able to use it to great effect. He thanked her for the meal and then retired to the house he had claimed for himself.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Once inside he took of his armour and immediately collapsed into the large bed. He was about to fall asleep when he heard the door opening. He sat up and looked over at the door to find Ivy looking at him.
“Need something?”
She closed the door and placed her bow in a corner. Then she walked over to the dining table and took a seat on one of the chairs.
“You did well today, far better than I expected.”
Milo nodded.
“Thanks, you did pretty well yourself.”
“I’m surprised you let us take such an active role in things.”
He shrugged.
“Lilith made it very clear that she would send me the most qualified people she had first. You have training in politics and information gathering. Lizbeth might be a cold fish, but she is extremely intelligent and competent. Only a fool would stop the two of you to play to your strengths when the opportunity arises.”
Ivy looked pleased by his words.
“In the spirit of your words I would like to forward a plan for consideration.”
“Go on.”
“I’ve spoken more with both Indra and Crystal and I believe that Willowford is ripe for conquest.”
“With what army?”
“We might not need a true army to take the town if what Crystal has told me is correct. You see it seems that the is discontent brewing in that town, there has even been some talk of open revolt.”
“That sounds too good to be true.”
“And it might be, but I have a plan to stack the odds in our Favor.”
“Let’s hear it then.”
“The villagers have been plagued by satyr raids for months now. What do you think is going to happen when we march into town with a modest force carrying satyr heads on pikes. We’ll even bring along Crystal, once they see that we rescued one of their own…”
Milo thought back to his conversation with Crystal.
“I think Crystal is a runaway, bringing her back to Willowford might be a mistake.”
Ivy shook her head.
“You’re too soft, you are Lilith’s champion now, you can’t afford such weakness, it will quite literally be the death of you and all those bound to your cause. Besides Crystal is lucky to still be alive, if her hero tells her to come along to Willowford I think she will obey. She is a crucial piece of my plan, the satyr heads alone might not be enough.”
“You really think a bunch of scary looking demi humans can just roll into town and announce that its under new management?”
“The alternative is to take the town by force, we’ll probably end up killing half the town that way and those who survive will resent us for the rest of their lives. Is that really what you want?”
Milo sighed.
“Fine, I’ll talk to Crystal, when were you thinking of launching this plan of yours?”
“Tomorrow, we will spend what spirit essence we have left and then set out for Willowford.”
“That would leave the altar completely exposed.”
“We’ll like Lizbeth here with the workers as sentries, she is powerful enough to defend the altar by herself if it comes to it.”
She had clearly considered every aspect of this plan well in advance and he could only incline his head in agreement.
“Good, now move over, there’s no way I’m sharing a bed with that old harpy.”
Milo was about to protest when Ivy started stripping down. Some part of him was wondering if this was simply another attempt at seduction but he thought he could discern genuine lust on her face. He wouldn’t share his bed with someone playing an angle, but he truly did enjoy Ivy’s company.
That was how his first day on Archeus ended, a battle had been fought, new followers gained, and he now he was falling asleep with a gorgeous woman on his arm.
“I could get used to this…” he murmured as he fell asleep.
Two weeks ago.
Ivy strode up the black metal stairs leading to Lilith's throne room two at a time. Only minutes had passed since she had been summoned but this moment was hundreds of years in the making.
All the trials she had gone through, all the hard work she had put in, it would all come to fruition this day. She wore a confident smirk on her face as she passed through the wide doors of Lilith's throne room.
Lilith was already waiting for her in the middle of the room.
As usual the goddess eyed her up and down with the critical eye of a merchant assessing the value of a prized horse. The goddess nodded to herself as if she was satisfied by what she was seeing.
“Your connection to the shadow element has deepened since we last spoke daughter.”
Ivy was barely able to keep her face from twisting into a girlish smile of pride. Compliments from her mother were a rarity. And although she spent a considerable time hating her mother during the ruthless training she was forced to endure every day, she also secretly craved her approval.
“I spoke to Lily, she tells me you are close to learning the shadow cloak spell.”
Ivy nodded.
“I should have it down within a month.”
The shadow cloak spell would allow her to cloak her body in shadows making her invisible in a dark room. Only a few elementalists and Lily herself knew the spell, learning it at her age would be an impressive feat worthy of Lilith’s champion. Or so she thought…
“Not good enough, the grand contest beings in exactly two weeks, you must have it ready by then.”
Ivy felt her heart beating faster. The contest was finally upon them. The very reason for which she had been born and trained.
“The spell will be ready, and so will I, I will be your champion.”
“No.”
The word was so simple and yet Ivy rocked backwards from the sheer weight of its implication. Her voice grew taught with anger.
“No?! What do you mean no?”
Lilith looked utterly unfazed by her daughter's angry outburst.
“You're not strong enough to be my true champion.”
The was no malice or mockery in the words, simply truth as the goddess saw it.
Ivy's eyes blazed
“Who then? Only the order masters and their second in command can compare to me in combat, and none of them know a damn about politics and leadership. They are all flawed options, you said as much to me years ago.”
Lilith waved her hands dismissively
“The order masters are indeed unsuited to the role, the only one I’d even consider is Seti but no, not even he has what it takes. And you are right daughter, there is nobody better suited to becoming my champion is this realm. But you forget, this is not the only realm I rule.”
Ivy's eyes went wide with shock which quickly turned to anger.
“A human!? You've chosen an ordinary human as your champion?!”
Lilith's mouth drew into a smirk.
“Oh believe me daughter, this human is anything but ordinary.”
“What's so special about him then?”
Ivy all but spat the words out.
“He is many things, a warrior without equal, a king without a crown but what truly sets him apart from all others I considered is his indomitable will and ruthless dedication to victory at any cost.”
Ivy glared up at her mother. Four hundred years of training, all for nothing. Her hand drifted to a dagger on her belt and for one absurd moment she actually considered drawing it and lunging at the smirking goddess.
Lilith must've guessed what was going through her head because when she spoke her voice was conciliatory.
“Do not glare at me so daughter, I did not call you here to lecture you about your inadequacies.”
Ivy narrowed her eyes at her mother.
“What do you want?”
“To give you a mission and to make you a promise.”
“I'm listening.”
Lilith held forth her hand and a flaming circle appeared above her palm. The circle looked like the coins humans often used to trade.
“My chosen has proven himself worthy of my trust in many ways. But there is one area in which he is as yet largely untested.”
The coin split in two, half replaced by swirling shadows.
“He has been raised by humans and has therefore been assaulted by their version of morals since birth. It is my fear that he might hesitate or refuse to carry out certain necessary tasks. And that is why I have called you here daughter.”
Comprehension dawned on Ivy.
“You want me to rule this champion from the shadows.”
For once Lilith's smile seemed genuine as the goddess inclined her head in confirmation.
“I can only choose one official champion, but there is nothing stopping me from giving you a mission. You will enforce my will from the shadows. Do this for me and you will be greatly rewarded upon our victory, daughter.”
Ivy stared at the shadowy side of the coin. It wasn't the role she had wanted but it was certainly better than nothing. She only had one last question to ask.
“And what will my reward for this mission be, mother?”
Lilith waved her arms expansively in an arc behind her as she spun in a circle.
“This, everything you see around you will be yours, once I ascend to primacy over the pantheon I will become more than just another god, you will inherit my realm and power.”
