Chapter 128: The Supreme True God's Challenge
Raven's voice reached their minds, sharing knowledge of their enemies like a battlefield commander.
"Cambions are fiend-spawn," he explained. "Born of demons and mortals, they have horns, wings, and tails. Some grow up with mortal families, but their nature can't be changed. Evil runs in their blood."
He paused. "They live to dominate. Once they grow up, they gather criminals and killers, spreading chaos to feed the Hells and grow stronger."
The Cambions had noticed their stolen Nautiloid. Swarms of lesser imps rose from the red battlefield below, shrieking as they attacked the ship's hull.
The Emperor gazed out at the hellish landscape, an endless sea of red plains under a scorching sky, filled with countless enemies. His face stayed calm, but His mind worked quickly.
"We take this ship and leave," He said. "This war serves no purpose for our mission."
"The control chamber is forward," Raven said, connecting with the ship's bio-mechanical memory. "I can guide us there."
The Nautiloid's passages twisted like arteries through flesh. Raven's knowledge cleared their path. The Emperor's force moved efficiently, cutting down Mind Flayer thralls and Intellect Devourers that ran through the corridors like living brains. Lesser devils that had boarded during the attack fell just as easily.
They found two survivors along the way. A woman named Shadowheart claimed to be a cleric, while a man named Gale identified himself as a wizard. Both had the signs of Mind Flayer infection, parasitic tadpoles moving under their skin.
"The tadpoles are infant Illithids," Raven explained.
"Born in spawning pools, they look for humanoid hosts. Once inside, they eat the host's mind and soul over seven days. The change creates a new Mind Flayer. Reversal is very hard but possible in the early stages, before the parasites fully bond with the brain."
He pointed at their rescued companions. "The Githyanki attack stopped the process. They keep their minds for now, but not for long."
The Emperor studied the infected pair. "I can remove the parasites once we reach safety. In exchange, you will serve my cause."
Shadowheart and Gale looked at each other. The alternative was becoming soulless monsters.
"We accept," Shadowheart said quietly.
Raven led them deeper into the ship until they reached the command centre. Inside, Mind Flayers directed their thralls against invading Cambions. Flesh and blood covered the bio-mechanical walls.
"Quickly! Activate the translocation array!" one Illithid screamed, its tentacles writhing with panic. "We must escape this realm!"
It hadn't noticed the Emperor's group in the confusion. Fatal mistake.
Lorgar moved like a shadow, his blade finding the creature's skull. "No abomination commands the presence of my father."
The remaining Mind Flayers turned, recognising the threat too late. The Emperor's sons fell upon them with brutal efficiency. Soon, only corpses remained, of both Illithid and demon.
Perturabo claimed his prize from the Cambion commander's remains: an Everburning Greatsword that flickered with eternal flame.
The Emperor approached the control console, a twisted fusion of flesh and machinery. Translocation tendrils moved across its surface, their fanged mouths pulsing with psychic energy. Through the viewports, He watched Githyanki riders on red dragons pursuing them through dimensional gates.
The largest dragon landed against the ship's barrier. Its rider wore runic armour that marked him as a war-leader. The beast opened its mouth to breathe destruction.
Valdor moved first. He leapt through the breach, spear ready. The Githyanki commander barely had time to draw his weapon before Valdor's superior skill overwhelmed him. Two quick exchanges, and the alien warrior's blade flew from his fingers.
Valdor's spear punched through the armour, lifting the commander high. He threw both rider and mount toward the hellish plains below.
Using knowledge torn from the Mind Flayer captain's dying thoughts, the Emperor connected with the control system. The ship's translocation array activated with wet, pulsing sounds.
Reality twisted. The Nautiloid emerged high above a green forest, sunlight streaming through its damaged hull. Without the Mind Flayers' psychic control, the bio-ship's systems failed. It fell earthward and shattered among the trees.
The Emperor gathered the survivors. Many had the Mind Flayer taint, accepting His offer of removal in exchange for service. Others joined simply because His presence commanded it, an aura of absolute authority that few could resist.
When Malcador woke up, he found himself in a hastily built camp. The Emperor had already begun absorbing local human settlements, building the foundation of a new army. His intent was clear: reshape this realm's destiny through overwhelming force.
But expansion brings conflict.
Deep in the forest, goblin tribes watched the growing human presence with alarm. They struck first, howling war cries as they charged from the undergrowth.
"For the Supreme True God!" their shamans screamed. "Death to the invaders!"
They came in large numbers, warriors, spell-casters, and chieftains among them. Against ordinary humans, they might have succeeded.
They faced the Master of Mankind instead.
The Emperor's army crushed the goblin assault with minimal losses. As the surviving chieftain lay dying, he gasped his final words.
"The Supreme True God... will not... forgive this..."
The Emperor pressed His hand to the creature's skull, pulling out memories with psychic force. Images flooded His mind: three figures wrapped in blazing light, entities that claimed to rule over fate itself.
The figures appeared as see-through shapes, their voices echoing with divine authority.
"Mortal," they spoke together, "you dare interfere with our grand design. Submit to the Supreme True God, accept Our mercy, or face annihilation."
Their forms flickered and vanished.
"Interesting," Raven said, his eyes glowing with runic script. Using the pulled memories, he looked through the layers of destiny that covered this realm.
Threads of fate led to a distant structure the locals called Moonrise Tower.
"They're hiding there," he reported. "And they're weaving something big."
The Emperor decided immediately. These self-proclaimed gods would not dictate fate while He lived. Their tower would fall, and with it, their manipulations.
As if called by His resolve, an elderly figure approached the camp. He wore the robes and pointed hat of a scholarly wizard, his staff crowned with arcane symbols.
"He looks remarkably like Gandalf," Raven observed privately.
The old man bowed respectfully as guards brought him forward. "Honoured visitors, I am Elminster, servant of Mystra, Goddess of Magic. My lady has sent me with words for your leader."
Elminster had received divine revelation about these otherworldly arrivals. Whatever realm had spawned them commanded enough power to warrant Mystra's personal attention.
"Speak," the Emperor commanded.
"The Goddess wishes you to destroy the Supreme True God completely," Elminster said without delay.
"If allowed to grow stronger, it will threaten all existence in this realm. Mystra offers aid in this task, and rich rewards when it's done."
The Emperor considered the proposal. "I accept this alliance, but I require payment. Grant me knowledge of the Weave itself."
Elminster's face went pale. "The Goddess guards such secrets carefully. But perhaps... a fragment. A basic understanding of how magic flows through this realm. Such knowledge might work for your Mortal purposes without threatening Mystra's domain."
Meanwhile, Raven's mental commentary continued:
'You dare call the Big Guy mortal? The Big Guy finds this amusing. But refusing knowledge of the Weave? The Big Guy is displeased.'
'To defy the Human Lord's will, the goddess Mystra has chosen her doom.'
'The Emperor of Humanity declares: "I shall free mortals from the divine manipulation. The gods will fade to nothing."'
The Emperor kept His composure despite Raven's increasingly dramatic internal monologue.
He wondered where the mysterious, dignified presence from their first meeting had gone. This constant chatter was... embarrassing.
He focused on the negotiation. "Your goddess shows wisdom in offering compromise. Very well, basic knowledge of magical flow will suffice as initial payment."
[End of Chapter]
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