Archdemoness

"As an archdemoness, I possess a realm of my own. Most archdemonesses and archdemons live in Hell, a dimension of powerful evil and potent barbarism. I was never quite like my peers, so I elected to live in a chaotic dimension of abnormal space known to educated mortals as the ''." The archdemoness begins, smiling faintly as she thinks of her peers.

"When I was captured and sealed away by Sophia my connection to my realm was pulled taut and weakened. I didn't realize this when you first freed me, because even my senses were suppressed so I couldn't even perceive the passage of time. This must have allowed for either my neighbors or my foes to discover and invade my home." The powerful higher being says, mournfully. I can hear the sorrow in her voice and I can feel it in my bones.

"I was distraught to discover this when I returned after your heroic rescue. Aside from my servants, the very ones Sophia captured and corrupted for me, my realm has been abandoned. The people I spent so long convincing to come live with me have either been taken or fled from this place." Rebeza reveals, inky black tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"I can't even really blame them for fleeing! I know for a fact that at least some of them were attacked right here in their home. If I can't protect them I don't want them to be so steadfastly devoted to a place that they would stay here, fight, and potentially die, rather than going somewhere where they can be safe." She utters quietly. Her words don't sound very… demonic.

I glance at her and I decide to do something curious after studying her mournful face. I reactivate the odd function of my gamer system that slows down time when I'm about to speak and move to open my mouth. Internally I smile when I feel time slow to a crawl as different text boxes appear, indicating some auto-generated options for me to use to advance this conversation.

Rebeza is clearly and genuinely distraught right now. I don't doubt she's hamming it up to some degree, but I can see her aura and as I gaze at it I sense legitimate sadness. The options that are auto-generated for me focus on that sadness and I spend a beat studying them before deciding which one to pick.

"Lady Rebeza, have you asked me here for the comfort of a familiar face or because you wish to ask someone for help? Either option is valid, but I wish to know the contents of your heart." I state, also opting to ham it up. Rebeza smiles slightly, so quickly that I almost miss it, before allowing sorrow to repaint her face.

"There is a directness to you, Mateo, that is comforting. And a certain… trickiness with your words is thrilling. But I do have a reason for calling you here." She teases, her face relaxing into a more natural-seeming neutral expression.

"I'm a higher being of corruption. Corruption, for me, is not what corruption is when conceptualized by mortals and other lesser beings. Corruption is a stain on one's soul, metaphorical uncleanliness that is difficult to cleanse oneself of. And as an archdemoness of it, I produce and touch everything with my brand of corruption. I remain aware of all such corruption and I am aware of the state of all of my corrupted servitors." Rebeza reveals, and I suddenly understand what she wants.

"Sophia, that little traitor, sold the details of several key lieutenants of mine to high bidders located throughout the worlds she has visited. I have an unusual request for you, but one that I'm willing to pay you handsomely for. I would like for you to go and free my servants." She states, before moving her hand and conjuring statues depicting numerous women with either angelic or demonic features.

"I have, or rather, had a stable of followers. They served me primarily as powerful spreaders of corruption throughout the worlds they lived in. They deserve better than their current fates and I am willing to reward you should you commit to their rescue." Rebeza explains, and I nod as I study the sculptures.

The statues are stunningly detailed and they all depict marvelously beautiful women. I wonder about Rebeza's orientation as I study the diverse menagerie she managed to acquire, assuming her remarks about her connection to the figures the statues depict are truthful. She studies me as I visually explore the statues. I eventually turn to her and consider what to say as time slows again and more text boxes appear.

"I will help you. There are a range of reasons I could give, but one of the simplest and best is that it is wrong to let your servants languish under the 'affections' of whoever did business with Sophia. Plus cutting down her allies and those who support her in her bizarre goals is good for everyone." I remark, causing Rebeza to genuinely smile and hug me.

She deftly moves and slides a ring on one of my fingers, a move which causes me to dart back and look at her in confusion and suspicion. She giggles at this reaction and gestures for me to relax.

"It's okay, what I gave you won't harm you. That ring is a vital artifact for you to use in the name of freeing my servants without permanently bonding us. It allows you to utilize things like my own version of the telepathic network you've undoubtedly already established with others. Truthfully I was a bit surprised that my gift latched onto you and manifested in that particular way…" She confesses, which confuses me.

"Wait, are you the reason why I can telepathically connect to other people?" I ask, ignoring text boxes that appear right before I speak and this makes her expression visibly brighten.

"Yes! When I kissed you before vanishing I gave you a mote of my power. It was and is purely a way for me to repay your unwitting act of kindness aboard the pirate ship. How such motes express themselves is, effectively, up to the soul's compatibility with the mote. It seems that deep inside of you there is an innate desire for connections and more than a small amount of greed." Rebeza tells me with a sly grin.

"Your desire for connections manifested as an ability to create telepathic hives and networks. Your greed caused you to not be a part of any of the telepathic hives I have created and run, granting you powerful independence. That's good since I didn't want you to be joined to any of my networks, but it's still a testament to your powerful will given the ability you manifested. It's an interesting combination… And a frightening one. One powerful facet of my corruption is my ability to create telepathic hives, and I don't know if I've ever met anyone else who can intentionally do that." She confesses, flashing me a look of mild interest.

"I suppose I should release you soon. The sun is starting to rise in your world." Rebeza claims, a split second later. Her face relaxes slightly as she thinks of something else to tell me.

"One of my servants, Titania the 'Mother of Monsters' is trapped by a foe you recognize but don't yet know. One you've seen in visions, but not yet met. You can use the ring, even without experience, to determine Titania's location. When you free her I will ask if you wish to free more of my servants. In the meantime, as a bit of an advance, I will give you this." Rebeza confidently tells me before sauntering over to me. I smile and decide to flip things on her by kissing her before she can kiss me. She giggles into my lips as we kiss, and in moments I feel dizzy as I begin to transition from the world of dreams to the waking world once more.

When I fully transition out of the world of dreams my lips feel warm and I smile softly. I look down at my hands and am unsurprised to see that the ring Rebeza put on me is a real, physical object. I do get surprised when the thing vanishes almost immediately, but I can still feel it indicating its status as a real, physical object, just one that is magically attuned to… someone. I'm not sure if it's magically attuned to Rebeza or myself.

I glance at a nearby window and see the earliest of the sun's rays creep into my room of the day. I sigh pleasantly, as I get up and get ready to tackle the day.

In the first few minutes I am awake I mull over Rebeza's revelations. One of the key things she revealed is that Titania is a prisoner of an enemy of mine that I recognize but don't know. Assuming it's not a secret foe of some sort that I've already met, that has got to refer to the necromancer whose forces assaulted the observatory, possibly but not very likely to Amy, or to the humans and dwarves I've seen in visions. I'm more inclined to go with the idea that Titania is a prisoner of the necromancer or of the humans and dwarves, since I do know, in a manner speaking at least, Amy.

I glance at my ring finger and wonder where the ring will lead me when it is time for me to go and save Titania. I spend several seconds studying the invisible object before I exit the room and begin the day.

The first thing I do, as I make breakfast, is commit to the idea of visiting Lady Neptunia's home as soon as possible. The choice is not difficult, even though in truth I am making the one I wouldn't make if I were to do as I please as opposed to making the more strategic choice. As the dolls start to enter the kitchen I explain my reasoning to them.

My motives are simple. I'm greedy. I know that I can accrue more power more easily by prioritizing my chance to visit and befriend Lady Neptunia than by going to the amazons right away, and so I am opting to prioritize that. My dolls easily accept my reasoning, aware of what drives me as readily as I am.

I energetically hurl myself into my tasks for the day. I spend the morning working on creating items, specifically crafting a range of different types of armor for Lady Neptunia and any chosen servants of hers she wishes to give unique rewards to. Crafting the armor is not difficult, and my perks allow me to do so over the course of the morning. I actually craft the gear from some of the supplies I got from the observatory.

When lunchtime rolls around I make it without difficulty and I make sure to ask Beth and Raquel to go and give Anna and Mammon meals as well. I want to ensure that as many people as possible in my faction eat, even and especially individuals who do not need food, since my food is capable of causing anything to improve. I spend the afternoon in a new location, the dock situated on the coast near where I first met the nereids.

During this time I train with my animal companions, taking time to teach them and even awaken my pet tiger, while I do something I can intuitively tell will be vitally important: begin to construct a shrine. I have come down to the dock for the sake of creating a place to worship, pray to, and leave offerings for Lady Neptunia. This is not the product of sincere devotion but it is a pragmatic move on my part to further ensure that the oceanic spirit remains fond of me.

I spend the afternoon here working on this ornate shrine and training my animal companions. I only occasionally take breaks, mostly working all afternoon in this space. When the sun starts to set I leave an offering to Lady Neptunia, and then I return home.

I make dinner, ensure that everyone is fed, and go to bed. This time I am accompanied by my dolls and we delight in exploring the various ways the network tethering us to each other can allow for each of us to experience all sorts of new delights. When I fall asleep I dream of Neptunia's aquatic city. I awaken highly satisfied by last night's activities and when I explore the memories of my dolls I learn that I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

I spend the next few days falling into something of a routine. I awaken each morning and make use of my culinary warrior items to have raw ingredients to turn into powerful meals, and then spend most of the late morning working on the items I plan to give to Lady Neptunia and her people. Each afternoon I work with my pets and I also do something else, whether it's crafting more golems to go and aid Anna and Mammon, creating skill books for Raquel and Beth, brewing an array of potions, or even just doing more work to create more of the gifts I plan to give Lady Neptunia.

Sometimes I make unique equipment for my golems and dolls, and on one occasion for myself. I also busy myself by making items for my companions to sell and store them in a small building I have Anna make in the days after she finishes the barn. The building is a small store that I go to the trouble of labeling as my "Store", complete with a list of rules for customers and visitors, for moments when I and my dolls are on adventures away from home since there will come a day when I have visitors who have come to seek me out. I even construct shopkeeping golems to man this place and to keep it clean.

Each day I awaken another of my pets. I finish the day off by making dinner, ensuring everyone is fed, and retiring to my room, sometimes accompanied by my dolls and sometimes alone. On the fifth day of my time preparing to visit Lady Neptunia I choose to meaningfully use the most recent perk I have acquired that gives me the ability to instantly gain a decade of experience with a career. I elect to gain a decade of experience as a hunter, for the sake of more easily trekking through the wilderness in the days to come.

This is also the night that I inform Lady Neptunia that I plan to visit her in six days, something which delights her. She excitedly informs me that she will send a handful of armed guards to escort me, and only me, to her city on the day I've told her that I will be visiting. I don't bother attempting to bargain with her on this, knowing that my primary goal is to earn her favor and gain influence over her which will become harder if I attempt to bargain with her. She's not the sort to admire those who try to undermine her commands.

Every three or so days during the ten day period immediately after I return from the observatory I utilize my "Magnum Opus" ability to craft unique parts of Lady Neptunia's gift. I fashion a tiara, a ring, and a bracelet, all of which are stunningly beautiful and incorporate gemstones I make using "Universal Bartering". I dislike the costs of doing this, but it is only when I make the last of the three items, the bracelet, that I finally burn through a sizable portion of the loot I earned from defending Oceanos. In the end Lady Neptunia's favor is worth this, since by influencing her I can surely influence other things as well, but it still hurts to burn through the loot I gained by fighting Sophia and her pirate crew.

On the morning of the eleventh day after returning home from the observatory I find myself inside of the Traveler's Dream staring at a waterproof and ornate-looking chest. My pets are with me, hanging around inside the tavern, and I am dressed in clothes that I made just yesterday. My dolls are steering the tavern.

The clothes I wear are elegant and stylish and revolve around the cool blue color of the ocean off the coast of my home. They are similar in color to the sort of blue I've seen Lady Neptunia wear in images in the aquatic city I'm about to visit.

I have a handcrafted lute on my person, which is a special tool I created specifically for this visit. The thing is an enchanted, living object and I hope I get the chance to play it since I created it specifically to perform for Lady Neptunia. After a few minutes wherein all I do is mentally prepare for whatever is going to happen next, I feel the tavern begin to slow. It comes to a stop and I get up, store the treasure chest in my vault, and exit the tavern. I step out of the tavern and nod at my dolls.

I glance at the water lapping at the edge of the visible shoreline and spot two figures in the water. Two handsome men look at me, and I notice that only their faces and the tips of spears are visible. Every other part of them lurks beneath the water, and they eye me curiously. I bid the dolls and the animals farewell, before I turn and march into the tide.

The water does not soak my clothes, or inhibit me in any way. Even when I walk far enough that my head is fully submerged I do not get wet and I get to see the muscular torsos and aquatic tails of the mermen. They are clad in armor that is difficult to see underneath the waves but is clear and is sculpted to accentuate their powerful forms. They sink beneath the waves and swim towards me when I am fully submerged. As I approach them I am surprised, and delighted, to hear their internal monologues.

"So that's the princess's chosen surface dweller? I suppose he is handsome, at least…" One of them muses to himself. I sense a dull warmth emanate throughout him as he thinks that last part, and I note that he smiles for a split second as this warmth pulses through him.

"He is the one who fed the nereids? The last one to do that was the eccentric enchanter…" The other figure notes.

This is the first time I've used telepathy to read minds that are not in my network. As I note this I sense the ring on my finger hum quietly and vibrate, and I realize that this must be some manifestation of Rebeza's mote! My psychic abilities are slowly growing…

"Hail Mateo, Sea Soother." One of them utters. I hide my surprise at this title, but I accept it and nod at the figure. He returns the nod and smiles faintly.

"We are two members of Lady Neptunia's honor guard. We have been tasked with escorting you to her palace in the Abyssal City." The second guard explains. I thank the guard for his work and I ask that he do as he has been commanded to do. He nods at me, and then the two turn and begin to move. They speedily take off in the direction of the open sea, and I will myself forward, propelling myself with my unusual hydrokinetic powers, the same powers I used during the battle against Sophia and her corrupted crew.

This form of travel is vaguely akin to what I expect powered flight would be like. I move at the speed I want to move, and movement is not physically taxing like jogging would be. Thankfully this is also not magical, it's actually a psychic ability, so it doesn't consume arcane energy. If it did it'd be difficult for me to keep using it.

We dart through the water for several minutes. During this time I am a bit surprised to find that the geology of this place matches Earth's general marine geology, with a continental shelf and all. We float through the water about ten feet above the continental shelf for several minutes before I get to see a subtle slope that I eventually recognize as a continental slope.

This slope slowly trails downward for several miles. Eventually we reach the very edge of the slope and when I look down I see a gigantic abyss that stretches as far as I can see ahead of me. My companions are unfazed by this, which is unsurprising since they are from here, and we continue to dart forward until we are floating above the abyssal plain.

I am surprised when the mermaids abruptly hurl themselves downward and I take a second to reorient myself and chase after them. I faintly sense the strange sensation of pressure increasing but the effect does nothing to me thanks to my aquatic powers. I follow the mermen curiously, occasionally hearing their thoughts as we silently move through the water. Both of them are curious about how deftly I propel myself through the water but neither articulate the questions in their minds.

Eventually, we have dived so deep that light no longer reaches us. I swim through the darkness, propelled by my powers and following the curious guards tasked with escorting me by relying on my other senses. We continue our deep dive for several more minutes before I see a subtle glow in the distance. In the dark, the light is a powerful lure and I sense that I am closing in on my destination. I swim towards the light until the mermen guiding me to Lady Neptunia's city reappear, bathed by the light and swimming towards it with smiles on their faces.

The rest of the journey, which from start to finish takes over an hour, lasts less than five minutes. We swim and swim until the shape of the city is revealed to me: it is a gigantic circular place where aquatic and non-aquatic lifeforms alike dwell and frolic. Everything is illuminated by massive shells drifting lazily over the city each of which passively radiate brilliant light.

I see humans, elves, and all sorts of fantastical humanoids roaming distant streets, alongside massive krakens which other, smaller creatures cling to and seem to use as a sort of public transit service. I also spot mermen and mermaids darting through the areas above the surface, and occasionally I see a handful of humanoids moving like I do, propelled by water which they control with their minds.

We move through the water above the glittering city until we are directly over a massive palace constructed from colorful coral. When my companions dart towards the courtyard of the palace, I sense their exhilaration and I smile as readily as they do. We race, moving faster than we've ever moved, and we only stop when we reach the courtyard and slow just in time to land right in the middle of the strange place.

When I begin to study the scene before me, a joyful smile on my face, I suddenly come face to face with the strange blue-haired beauty from my dreams. Lady Neptunia is standing in the middle of the courtyard and is grinning like a child at Christmas at the guards and myself. She is accompanied both by other guards, all of whom are merpeople of various sorts, and by a retinue of stranger beings, one of which is a gigantic jellyfish that swims in a circular pattern around her and another of which is a normal-sized manta ray hovering beside her. I can't stop smiling but I do immediately kneel in front of her, a move which elicits a heart-stirringly beautiful peal of laughter from the young woman.

The woman is an unadorned beauty. She is wearing an outfit that is reminiscent of the Little Mermaid, a bra made of seashells and a strange body scarf that hides her lower body. Her blue hair is a fascinating color, and her skin is stunningly dark and intensely beautiful. It is totally flawless and even just looking at it is distracting, a weapon I wonder if she wields in social combat. I know that my gifts will greatly enhance her beauty, adding maturity to her appearance.

"Mateo, you needn't be so formal." She tells me, when she finishes laughing. I smile and remain kneeling for a second longer before rising.

"Lady Neptunia, I am so honored and delighted to be welcomed to your city." I remark, surprisingly sincerely. She grins at this and turns, clearly ready to give me a tour.

"Oh Mateo if you think this is cool wait until you see the inside of my palace." She tells me, with a glint of mischief in her eyes. She begins to swim, followed by her retinue, and I silently follow after them. I am curious to see what Neptunia wants to show me.