Abyssal Road Trip

Amdirlain's PoV - Qil Tris - Osaphis

Amdirlain had taken her time setting up the decorations when the first assault team appeared in the stands. The staff were still on site; she teleported them home and turned on their receivers to watch the pre-concert show. A three-metre Catfolk appeared behind her, his claws crackling with arcane energy. She let the strike land, damaging only her shirt, before she absently back kicked him the length of the stadium. He stopped hovering a moment before impact and struggled as if something had him held up by the scruff of the neck. The ragged tears he'd put into her shirt showed unmarked fur and then sealed up. Another attacker lunged towards her face. With a yawn, she grabbed a thumb tip and twisted to spin her around, and then telekinetically flung her away.

"Naughty, I'm happily married, and you both went grabbing for me. I hope you didn't want your plinths anymore."

Following her statement, she made the plinths in all their hometowns vanish and ejected their city's teams from all trials.

A deluge of incoming spells and projector bolts hissed through the air towards her, only to vanish. The stadium lights flickered on, their brightness overwhelming the daylight as Primordial Will transformed the spells back into raw Mana and fed them into the power grid.

"You kittens are so cute. I'd show you what I normally fight, but I don't want to give anyone a heart attack. This is going out to all the receivers, so wave to the loved ones whose plinths you've taken away."

The projector rifles turned into plastic toys even as she grabbed more spells from the air. Showing off, she compressed the latest round of fireballs and had them chased around her palm by the lightning bolts they had thrown before she absorbed the energy and fed it into the grid. Above the atmosphere, tugs began moving a partly constructed mining ship from a high-orbit construction yard, its single generator firing up, as engineers frantically worked to bring the drilling laser online.

Annoyed at the damage it would cause the planet, she mentally clamped down on everyone in the stadium, holding them in place. With them frozen, she relayed the images of the vessel and the crew through the stadium's systems.

The enchantments flared to life under the engineers' touch as her voice resonated in the compartments. "Do you really want to try that? You know that drill produces enough heat to ruin the atmosphere, even if you hit me. Bad news is I'd have to hold still for it to connect, and it still wouldn't singe me. So, are you sure you want to try?"

The engineering crew froze, only to move again when the construction chief barked orders.

"So be it. For recklessly endangering others, that's a timeout for all of you."

Amdirlain completed the ship's drives and crew areas before it reappeared with its crew on the very edge of the solar system. She filled up its holds with enough provisions to reach the furthest colony world if they managed their supplies carefully. Stencilled along its side, it had a new name, 'Amdirlain's Naughty Corner'. The imagery she projected to the audience of the vessel showed she'd removed the drilling components from it.

With that threat to the Catfolk dealt with, she released the frozen attackers and teleported their commander to her. With one hand enclosing the back of his neck, she struck with Greater Mana Drain, emptying his reserves completely and also tore the energy from all his enchanted gear. As the last Mana came free, their enchantments fizzled and failed, protective equipment and weaponry cracked. With more blasts snuffed out all around them, she casually flicked his forehead and teleported him home. Rockets leapt from shoulder units towards her, and she fractured the munitions enchantments before letting them strike home. As fires that had surrounded her faded, onlookers saw she was completely undamaged, but the stage had shattered, and smoke rose from it. A few unheard notes saw the smoke reverse, and the cracks sealed over.

More delving teams appeared along the tiers in their city's military garb. Positioned in an arc, they all lashed out with spells and projector bolts, filling the air with a varied onslaught of arcane flames, acidic bolts, and a cascade of lightning striking from above.

I had thought they were different words for the same thing, but adventurers are civilians who go into the trials, while delvers are military groups.

Amdirlain raised a hand, and a barrier appeared to protect the field, reflecting stray blasts upwards. "Don't damage the grass. Do you believe you'll succeed in anything besides getting your city in trouble? Your doubling down won't improve your chances."

Despite her pronouncement, they continued their assault.

I feel like such a bully right now, but they'll target my followers next unless I make the power difference clear. Their tales tell of their best defeating gods, but their fights would have been against unpowered avatars like in Vehtë's war. Most probably, they were weaker than any Demon Lord.

She teleported another Wizard to her and repeated the treatment she'd given the commander. Their name and home address appeared on the receivers' screens in their hometown, along with the details of those involved in ordering the attack.

"I'd suggest you sit down and wait for the local officers to arrest you for disturbing the peace, and whatever other charges they care to bring."

Amdirlain expanded Soul Haven throughout the stadium, and her aura's strength elicited screams from some but awed or even wistful looks from scattered groups. As the first of those who screamed tried to run, she set them floating in the air by the first attacker and waved a stern finger.

"I didn't say you could leave. You attacked me here, outside your city's authority, so you're going to be handed over to local authorities."

She yanked two more fleeing wizards to her, drained their Mana and set them floating with the others, fast asleep. As more spells sped her way, Amdirlain absorbed Mana from them in between each word.

"The stadium will be in the clear power-wise for a year with all the Mana you're contributing. However, you're boring me with these attempts."

She knelt in mid-air and closed her eyes, still absorbing spells and putting more wizards to sleep with each moment. A blast filled the sky above the stadium, and she caught the force of the Spell in a temporal bubble. It crept forward a millimetre at a time with Amdirlain siphoning off more Mana in the millionth of a second it had to progress.

The plinths vanished from the city that owned the originating satellite. The team in the monitoring station who had fired it appeared on the ground, hogtied.

"I can hear the electrons in dust molecules outside your solar system. An order to fire is easy to track. Does anyone else around the world want their city to lose plinth access? Who are the murderous, self-absorbed fiends among you?"

Wha'sin appeared beside her on stage. "Could you shut this assault force down, Amdirlain?"

Amdirlain caught Wha'sin's gaze flicker to the spots previously occupied by the attackers who had been sent home. Tension in her frame raised hackles, and listening to her thoughts, Amdirlain caught a surge of conflicting scenarios in her mind. Although the attack was ineffective, its very occurrence posed a threat to the city's territorial rights, as the others had deemed themselves strong enough to conduct it in Osaphis without permission. Wha'sin calculated various scenarios in a three-way balancing act. Seizing those who'd ordered the attacks, versus weighing potential results against the risk to her people, but also the inherent danger of allowing the territorial violation to go unanswered.

Catfolk instincts and territorial views aren't those of humans.

"Yeah, I've played with them enough." All the attackers collapsed into slumber, and incoming spells and munitions vanished. "Would you like the rest for a hearing?"

"If you'd be so kind."

Amdirlain brought back the wizards she'd knocked unconscious, and the members of the legislative bodies that had given the orders appeared on the grass already handcuffed.

"I'll leave the drilling vessel to make its journey. It's a long trip with their engines, so they'll need to implement half rations for the month."

"From the receivers, it looked like they had continued preparations after you warned. I'm assuming that is the case, since you sent them so far away."

Amdirlain nodded. "Indeed."

"Then we'll see about arranging their arrest wherever they eventually dock."

"Are you sure you don't want to be one of my followers?"

Dry laughter came from Wha'sin. "I'm sure."

"Well, that's your choice."

Her ears twitched with curiosity, but Wha'sin said nothing about her calm acceptance. "How many cities were behind these attackers?"

"Two cities were behind those physically present. Another fired a satellite system, and a fourth city ordered their driller into position. I've removed the plinths from all four cities, but the drilling attack could have ignited the atmosphere. Aside from the crew, these gave the order." Amdirlain waved towards a group among the prisoners, and they bobbed above the crowd.

"Any reason to leave the crew in distant space?"

"People seem to want to believe my abilities are just illusions. Now they can track the vessel while they try to explain how I completed its construction and teleported its mass. Do you think maybe this will help switch on some people's brains?"

Massive gates opened behind Amdirlain; beyond their thresholds was the black void of space.

The absolute blackness of the initial thresholds caused Wha'sin to stiffen with primal fear. "What are those?"

Let's not let the other cities know I gave Mor'lmes advance notice about this show.

"Each opens to a site for creating a new solar system. I had planned to show this process to head off violence, but some people jumped the gun. I would like to invite anyone from a university or other institution who wishes to send space sensors through these gates. Whether you're looking to disprove my abilities or learn something new, that's up to you. The places I'm creating are for refugees, so please don't use the data to land on the habitable planets afterwards, as they might treat you as invaders. I'll start on one star now and show more when sensors are in place."

Amdirlain focused the stadium's casters on the central Gate and ignited the hydrogen and helium. Through the threshold, protected Qil Tris from the flood of radiation, and the star's ignition illuminated the clouds of material in distant orbits around it. From among the clouds, streamers of material peeled off in different directions, and gravitational points began to form the mass into planetary cores.

"I'll take these prisoners to holding," Wha'sin said.

A Mass Teleport shifted Wha'sin away with everyone Amdirlain had secured.

Eyeing the nearest caster, Amdirlain smiled. "Those cities that lost their plinths could regain some of them. You've two days to remove those laws justifying the attacks on priests and the faithful. If you do, I'll restore a quarter of them a week after the laws' removal. However, if you don't, or put the laws back in place again, the plinths will never return. Also, the centralised return point is gone for good. Those who willingly attacked me today, and those who ordered the attacks, have lost their classes and cannot gain another."

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

A platform with sensors appeared nearby, and Amdirlain caught Mor'lmes's energy lingering on it. She floated one through the central Gate.

He adopted the anonymous acting approach. I'll play along.

"There will be lots of gates, Mor'lmes, and you can send your staff to do their work," Amdirlain projected, allowing Mor'lmes to feel her lingering mental touch. "Whoever sent these also needs to send someone to distribute them through the gates, as I'm not your gofer. I'll keep everyone involved safe, whether you come for academic curiosity or trying to disprove my strength."

Amdirlain deactivated Soul Haven, and the stadium's natural lighting returned.

Two wizards appeared by the platform and, after a brief discussion, they floated a tubular sensor package through each of the open gates. Amdirlain released control of the receivers back to the viewers, but only a minority switched away.

The first five enormous gates vanished, and the wall of blackness transformed into thousands of gates. Each was big enough for the tubular sensor packages, and mainly revealed inky blackness, but a few framed a distant star from her earlier creations. The wizards distributed sensors between the gates, making note of the runes on each package's shell. Without letting them know, Amdirlain adjusted the sensors' trajectories to put them in orbits far from the planned centres of each solar system.

I say I'm not their gofer, yet I also want them to have valuable data, not destroyed gear to show for their effort.

Gilorn appeared on the stage in her floor harp form, shooting stars whirling through her frame. Amdirlain created a stool and settled into place. The notes from Gilorn's string distorted the surrounding air with power, transforming the realm's energy into material reactions.

She shifted the gates about and played as she brought a few to the forefront and expanded them. She created stars through each and spun the material into planets. On the first planet that she'd made, a mix of concealed choirs appeared and set to work on establishing its biosphere.

They want me to get all the credit? Cheeky!

More platforms with sensor equipment arrived from other cities, escorted by locals to send them through the gates. She tweaked each package's path to avoid it being destroyed during the construction of the solar systems. With the stockpile of hydrogen and the head start her conversion into helium had, Amdirlain proceeded at a quick pace. Throughout the morning, the receivers showed continual flares of stars bursting into life, and matter forming into planets. Within Amdirlain's perceptions, she tracked the dance and shift of atoms, as planets saw their first dawn.

When the materials the others had accumulated over centuries ran dry, Amdirlain and Gilorn created planets directly in their orbits; that mass appeared spinning into existence around the desired centre of gravity. Though each system she formed was slightly different, they all had a planet suitable for the evacuation of those orcs under Moloch's and Tingeth's heels.

As the concert's time approached, Amdirlain stopped and addressed the casters again, the blackness of a single Gate behind her.

"What you believe in is up to you. I believe Qil Tris has many people with kind and worthy souls. I'd recommend you stop reacting out of fear of what I'll do, and choose your own lives."

In the dark void that framed her, a last star burst into life.

[Refined Shards:

Transformation: +5

Creation: +3

Primordial Will [J] (2->3)]

That was worth the effort of putting on the show.

With that, Amdirlain vanished to the Demi-Plane, where millions of followers were already waiting.

She appeared in a distant corner with nothing but greenery in sight on a gently rolling hill. The city-sized facilities and the vast stadium at the centre were thousands of kilometres away. Among the foliage, local animals were exploring their surroundings, foraging for the choicest of grasses and leaves.

Did I overdo it when I created this place? Although I already have many worshippers, a few more surges would mean they won't all fit in these venues. I'll probably have to expand them at some point, and I had it in my mind that it could serve as a peaceful refuge from any persecution for them.

Amdirlain breathed in deeply. The floral scents of wild flowers and moist earth tickled her nostrils.

"Sarah. I'm no longer on Qil Tris." Amdirlain released the Message with the details of her location and the new Demi-Plane.

Sarah appeared beside her dressed in red leather pants and a skin-tight top that both laced up along their sides. "Hey stranger, I thought you'd be gone longer. You've been putting on a show, but I was only on my tenth bag of popcorn for the day."

"A touch of drama, and I still haven't gotten to ride in a spaceship." Amdirlain pouted. "Will you make me one, my love?"

With a warm laugh, Sarah stepped close and embraced Amdirlain. "They're pretty neat. I could if you're not going back for a jaunt."

"Maybe in the future I'll use it as a reason to re-attempt slipping onto the planet cleanly." Amdirlain shrugged helplessly and leant into the hug. "Though I'm not sure it would be worth the bother."

"You got busted the first time, and now Silvery Scales is in on your case. He gave me a lecture about the situation, and I told him you were as subtle as you're able to be. Going back for a jaunt will not change his scolding."

Amdirlain laughed and kissed Sarah's cheek. "I guess that's fair. He's already given me a lecture about pronouncements in places that are in harmony with other primordials."

"Not just primordials. The Dwarf Pantheon is on Qil Tris, and certain individuals among them didn't know your identity, but they do now."

"I hadn't considered a certain dwarven god of greed. I must have been too optimistic about them not having gotten a foothold. Though I didn't tell Mr Scales about Atonement and I've now got it filtering the damned off Qil Tris, so none of them will reach the lower planes."

"Good move. That's not a secret that Lysandra or I have shared with anyone. Though her mother took in some souls who briefly stayed there."

Amdirlain's good mood wilted slightly. "Who knows if it made the rounds? Yeah, I didn't exactly keep the Plane the tightest of secrets. I should have asked Lysandra if anyone had made it in."

"In that regard, you're in the clear. Eleftherios, Lysandra, and Cerberus have kept it secure." Sarah leaned in and dipped her face to nuzzle Amdirlain's neck. "Do we have some time before your show?"

"Not enough for a mating flight," Amdirlain protested, her hand lifting to cup the side of Sarah's face. "Be good."

"I missed you. Lots of cuddling would be lovely."

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long."

Sarah smiled gently. "You're not talking about the trip to Qil Tris, and I made you wait billions of years. With that in mind, shouldn't I be the one to apologise for the wait?"

Amdirlain drew back slightly to touch her forehead to Sarah's. "No. What did you get up to while I was away on this trip?"

"Well, I had to deal with this surge of faith. Someone talking about me stirred things up, and then I had a ringside seat through my house's receiver."

"Gosh, who could that have been?" Amdirlain drawled.

"Did you intend to boost the number of worshipers looking towards us?"

Amdirlain rolled her eyes. "I hadn't even intended to boost mine on that trip."

"I'm pretty sure whatever you have planned tonight is just going to instil more faith in your followers, and they won't just keep that on the down low."

"Yeah, the surge in followers from today hasn't even died down yet, so hopefully the messages in my songs today get out."

Sarah's shoulders shook with silent laughter. "Though technically they're not showing a lot of faith if they needed to see things with their own eyes or over a receiver."

The rich amusement in Sarah's mental voice had Amdirlain rolling her eyes. "All your serene discipline has come to naught."

"It just takes a special person to help me lower my guard."

A gentle warmth rose in Amdirlain. "I love you."

"Love you two, sweetie."

They held each other in a comfortable silence, their surroundings receding in importance. After a time in her soothing embrace, Amdirlain's hand dipped, and she tugged at the bow securing the side of Sarah's shirt. An approving rumble thrummed in Sarah's throat, and her house appeared on the side of the hill.

Much later, entwined together on the deep couch in the living room, Amdirlain stretched lazily and nudged her discarded pants to the floor. The Demi-Plane's dimming daylight made her aware of the lateness of the day.

Relax, you just took over the receivers of over a trillion people and broadcast to an entire world. What's a show for those who currently entrust you with their souls? No pressure, right?

Amdirlain suppressed a tight snort, only to relax as Sarah's fingertips caressed the side of her neck.

"Are you just going to wing your performance?"

"I don't exactly have a choreography act to put on." Amdirlain offered lightly. "It's a bigger stadium than my old audiences. Jan'era would scold me for taking it so casually."

Sarah tilted towards Amdirlain and hooked a leg behind her thigh. Their skin brushing against each other sent a fresh wash of desire through Amdirlain. The shift in Amdirlain's scent caused Sarah's nostrils to flare. "You seem fairly relaxed about the situation, but something still has you on edge."

"I want to be worthy of their belief," Amdirlain's hand intertwined with Sarah's in a comfortable grip.

"Yet you're worried you're not?"

Amdirlain nodded jerkily.

"Never change from that mindset, sweetie. It's when arrogance sets in that you'll be on a slippery slope. Be true to yourself and you'll do fine." Sarah leaned in and playfully rubbed the tip of her nose against Amdirlain's before kissing along her neck.

The warmth of Sarah's lips against her skin brought forth another moan of desire.

"I've got a concert soon," Amdirlain panted.

"I'm distracting your mind."

"You do far more than distract, but I'll be late, and they deserve better."

"Did you set a firm time?" Sarah asked, pressing closer.

Amdirlain squirmed free. "There is a display in the foyers with a countdown. Many people have already taken their seats."

"In that case, let's get you ready." Sarah slid from the couch and lifted Amdirlain to her feet.

"I can get up on my own," Amdirlain protested lightly.

"Darn, I didn't treat you well enough if your knees aren't shaky," Sarah responded with a glint of mischief in her gaze.

Amdirlain rolled her eyes. "You know the impossibility of that."

"Well, we both love a challenge." Sarah waved towards the stadium. "What face are you going to show them?"

"A comfortable one." Amdirlain took on her azure-furred Catfolk form. Though instead of showy clothing, she donned the green silken outfit she'd worn most frequently, with its Persian styling modelled after Farhad's old attire. Her fingers fidgeted with a black sash belt, to remind her of how far she'd come and those she'd left behind.

He is another person whom I need to catch up with at some point. I'm glad he and Lerina are doing well. He taught Livia, but I always felt more comfortable in Master Cyrus's company. The difference in their attitudes, perhaps? Cyrus's Dao is about guiding you to enlightenment on whatever path you walk, whereas Farhad's is focused on law, which was never my strongest point. Now isn't the time to consider who I need to catch up with.

She started on the first song, getting herself into her old performance mindset. She continued to work through the set while Sarah listened on until the last minutes ticked down.

Teleport stations had allowed the vast stadium to fill rapidly, and the thrill-seekers among the Catfolk were playing games with the top levels. There, the balconies leaned inwards towards the stage, and Amdirlain had put in place a safety feature not needed in Limbo—the tilted balconies served as an attraction point to anyone on or close to them. This led to some having fun leaping into the open air towards the stage, only for the enchantment to return them to the balcony's lip.

The smart-alec wizards tested it, and now everyone around is having some fun with a leap of faith.

Amdirlain adjusted spatial layers throughout the stadium so even those in the furthest seats could see the stage as if they had front row seats in a small venue. The mood immediately lifted with the change.

With the capacity I had to cater to, the stadium alone is bigger than many cities. Some were wondering why I didn't just broadcast it, but why not do impossible things when you can?

"It's been a while since I sang at Mortal ranges," Amdirlain murmured to Sarah.

"You sounded good to me. Did you practice them much?"

"Only a few mental run-throughs, but I made thousands of notes on options for intonation."

"Is there when I tell you to break a leg?" Sarah asked, shooing Amdirlain on her way.

Amdirlain gave her a bright smile and teleported to the stage.

The welcoming roar from the audience drowned out the last of Amdirlain's words and pulsed across her skin.

"I'm not much for preaching or telling people what to do. So I thought I'd share some songs. They all have meanings for things I represent, but you'll have to find an understanding for yourself."

Most organised religions wouldn't like that line.

The True Song notes mingled within the opening chords, teasing the audience with curious scents. As the first audible notes of the music washed over the crowd, they roared an even louder welcome. Amdirlain sang the intro again to give them time to calm down. As they ebbed into silence, she began a song that to her was about life's road and the traveller changing along the way.