Empire of Souls 74 What it means to be a 'Master' 1

After the battle, the tribal warriors made sure to clear the battlefield of anything of value. However, the corpses of the expeditionary soldiers were left exactly as they were. Only their own dead were taken and buried as was their tradition. Grobak was happily inspecting his new axe which was an enchanted weapon of a superior grade. It hadn't reached the level of a legendary item but it was an elite weapon fit for a Master class being. The enchantments on it were also relatively powerful giving the weapon increased damage and a cutting edge which granted it a slight armor penetration. Although Grobak was not certain of the material it was crafted from, he could see it was clearly superior to his original axe. He couldn't help fondling the axe and smiling wickedly while imagining the carnage he would cause with this weapon.

Aleks watched Grobak play around with his axe and was slightly disturbed by the Orc's strange behavior, but he let it be. He didn't care one way or the other what Grobak's personality was like or what sick and demented thoughts he had. Grobak would always be loyal to him and serve him faithfully, that was more than enough for Aleks. What he needed were powerful tools to carry out his will.

After watching Grobak for a bit, Aleks called him over, "Grobak come here."

Aleks had to call him three times before Grobak finally responded, "Yes master?"

"I said get over here, stop playing with your axe and focus on the task at hand."

Grobak flinched and hurriedly ran over to Aleks who had dismounted from his horse. Nelay was eyeing Grobak frostily, mentally blaming him for Aleks leaving her mounted on the horse alone. If Grobak wasn't a servant of the master like she was, he would already be dead, or at least she was fantasizing about it.

"Kneel." Aleks commanded impatiently.

Grobak immediately fell to his knees, even dropping the axe he had just come to love. Most of the tribal warriors were still picking through the corpses, only a few elite warriors who had become Grobak's confidantes remained nearby. They watched as Grobak kneeled without any hesitation, but they felt no disdain towards his actions nor did they think that he was wrong to do so. They had all already seen Aleks's great power which was unfathomable to them. He was a being which awed and shocked them into submission already and seeing the results of the earlier battle was just icing on the cake. These tribal warriors had already all submitted to him in the depths of their souls even if they were different from Grobak's and Nelay's circumstances. They were not creations of Aleks's, but they now worshipped him as something like a god. He hadn't yet ascended to godhood and so their worship didn't net him any benefits other than their loyalty, but for now it was enough.

Aleks placed his hand on Grobak's head, "It's time for your reward. I already told you that I would grant you the power to do my will. You asked for strength and so I shall give it to you."

Grobak quivered in anticipation as Aleks grasped his forehead in his hand and he could feel the warmth he felt when Aleks originally respecced him once again. This was the power of creation that Aleks possessed and it was the power which tied their fate's together. Although Aleks hadn't fully created him as he did with Lenia, Grobak was nonetheless a being whose soul was under Aleks's control and it was almost the same circumstance.

The golden mask on Aleks's face began to shimmer and various symbols and numbers streamed across it. Aleks began to analyze Grobak's information as well as the options for his advancement. Now that Grobak was stepping into the higher realms of power among mortals, there were less options to choose from given the choices already made previously. What classes and skills were available depended on a variety of variables such as race, bloodline, previous class choices, etc. Even whether the person was male or female could alter the choices available. For example, only a female could be a Valkyrie which was a Mythical Saint class and an extremely powerful one at that. That was the class he eventually had planned for Lenia to reach when the time was right.

Beyond Legendary, for those who were not worshippers of any given god or deity of some kind, was the Demigod realm and of course beyond that was the opportunity to advance to godhood. However, this route was not open to everyone and it was a route which was plagued with great risk and danger. Ascending to godhood was extremely difficult under normal circumstances and would also put you at risk of being eliminated by an existing deity belonging to the domain or laws you are attempting to ascend to godhood in. This is because a potential rival could endanger their own authority and influence. This isn't always the case, but normally an existing deity or group of deities who share domains or laws would not allow a new god to ascend within their domains. Once a being ascended to godhood, there were rules which all gods had to follow which restricted their actions in certain ways and so the best way to get rid of potential rivals was when they were attempting to light the flames of godhood.
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However, this was not the only path to advancement and power as well as immortality. For those who served the gods or other deities, there was another path although this was a path of servitude. Being designated as a Saint was one such path, as Saints or Saintesses were beings especially entrusted with authority and power by their gods and also acted as avatars of their will on the mortal planes. Another path, which was also a path of servitude to a god or deity, was to advance beyond Legendary to the Mythical realm. This was not possible without a patron god or deity who would imbue you with the 'Soul Potential' required to advance beyond the mortal realm. These beings were not as restricted as Saints or Saintesses, but were expected to serve their deity for all eternity. They could only continue to advance their power through a patron deity and without one, would lose their power over time. However, it isn't absolutely necessary to remain in service to one patron for all eternity. There had been cases of Mythical beings betraying or turning their back on their patron deity, and even cases where deities died and these beings lost their patrons and were forced to find others. Although generally not common, it does happen, but most situations are greatly frowned upon and also a Mythical being would incur the wrath of the patron they once served if that patron was still alive. This could potentially cause great conflict in the Heavenly plane.

Both paths had their positive and negative aspects. While Saints and Saintesses were greatly restricted and would lose all of their strength and perhaps even their life without the deity they worshipped, they were generally much stronger than other beings and could act as vessels for their gods and would receive many benefits without any additional requirements. On the other hand, Mythical beings were not as restricted and could potentially change the master they serve, but required a deity to increase their power and strength and were required to perform innumerable tasks in order to receive their patron gods favor. These beings could also grow immeasurably strong, but that was entirely up to the god or deity they served. In order to advance their strength, their patron would not only have to provide them with 'SP' to advance, but their patron would also need to possess enough power as a deity. Their power could even rival gods if their patron was powerful enough.

Grobak, Lenia, and Nelay were Aleks's creations even if they weren't all created in the same way. They were different from the normal mortals which lived in the God Nexus and were not tied to the normal cycle of reincarnation and therefore did not follow the normal rules of that world. They could never ascend to godhood themselves, but that was not an issue for Aleks. Each of his subordinates had the potential to become powerful Mythical beings if Aleks so wished. Of course, Aleks was not a god just yet and so this was a matter for the future and he didn't yet fully understand the intricacies of the Heavenly plane. Although Aleks possessed greater knowledge of the gods than the mortals that lived in the God Nexus, his knowledge was still limited due to his lack of experience. He was a being which was somewhere in between the mortal world and the world of gods, but he had yet to fully step into the Heavenly plane.

"There is still so much to do and too many considerations." Aleks sighed while thinking of these stressful matters.

"Is something wrong master?" Grobak asked nervously.

"Nevermind, I have decided your future path."

Chapter end