The Future

Senani did not recognize the name Drarm Shanty. He supposed this meant that Maximus had been busy enough to gain a second town on Yebin. This must mean he had managed to gain some of the forces of Grishnar.

Senani considered his current armies, and he decided he should move some of the Draco Vere into Deviant Home. Deviant home was now mostly empty with the vampires and undead moving into Grishnar City. With that thought in mind, he approached Percival and Zurin to discuss their options. As fate would have it, Percival and Zurin were likewise looking for Senani to discuss the governmental body of the Draco Vere.

Percival initiated the conversation. "Senani, Zurin and I have been discussing the various ways the Draco Vere could be governed. We cannot seem to come to an agreement. I think we should have a council that is elected by the populace. Zurin feels we should rule in your name as a monarchy. What do you think?"

Senani considered the potential issues both options could create, as well as the potential for future problems. Senani did not have the experience to make such decisions in an educated way. As such, he responded as best he could. "The two of you were the first of the Draco Vere and are handpicked by me to head the species. I will be awarding both of you with my Icon so that you can manage them more capably. I have a bigger request of the two of you at present. I control a secondary dimension and it is the seat of my power. I wish for you to relocate the Draco Vere to that dimension so that we can establish a method of governing not only the Draco Vere, but the entirety of the Deviant Faction. As we continue to grow, we will need a haven to be the center of our power. Can you do that for me?"

Zurin replied without hesitation. "I will go anywhere that you request and create whatever it is that you desire."

Percival had a slightly different opinion. "I became a Draco Vere to create a home on Greshem. I, and many of our brethren will not want to leave this place. Can I stay here with those that are unwilling to relocate, while Zurin moves to your new location? In this way we will be able to grow the species in two areas and can potentially create more at a more rapid pace. Especially if you no longer hand pick our members and allow us to turn others freely."

Senani considered both opinions briefly before he replied. "Percival, if a portion of the Draco Vere wish to stay here, they are welcome to. You can create the government you desire. But let it be known that Patricia will do the same in Deviant Home. All who transcend into Deviant Home with her will become Draco Verian nobility. Of those that stay, you alone will hold that title. After this move, if those that stay wish to move into Deviant Home and become members of the nobility, they will have to do so by proof of adequate power. I will, however, allow you the ability to turn any willing individuals into members of the Draco Vere. Grow as strong and as quickly as you can."

With that, he sent Zurin and Percival back to the Draco Vere. Zurin would gather those willing to relocate into Deviant Home. With Senani's ability to move their homes into Deviant Home, their move would be virtually painless.

Senani next went to Patricia to discuss what it meant to be a Vampire Noble Faction.

Patricia was elated. As a Vampiric Anomaly, she had also received the relevant notifications. "Our enemies of old are likely churning in their coffins. My name is unmistakable when tied to the Aurora Sanguinis species. Listed as an Anomaly and a General of the Deviant Faction no less. This is far better than anything the nameless one managed to accomplish. Two species of vampire. Who would have thought the Draco Vere could help us in such a way? If you keep it up, you will be a Vampire Royal and member of the ruling council. Though now that I said that you probably should hurry up. I made many enemies in the vampire factions when I joined the nameless one and began a new species with the ability to walk in the daylight and without the allergy to silver.

They will seek to eliminate us before we manage to become royalty…Though there are also those that oppose the old ways that may join us. Now that we are no longer in hiding, I will reach out to some of them. I will also try to get a stockpile of silver delivered here. One never knows when we may need it. Hmmmm, Illadri is a silver dragon. Perhaps she will bless some of the silver weapons we create with her magic or donate some of her scales. The silver from silver dragons is extremely toxic to most vampire species and their blessing began the fear of holy water."

Senani expected an outcome like this, after all Patricia had told him that they were in hiding until the nameless one could be revived. It made sense that they had many enemies. "You may gather as much silver as you think we need from wherever you are able to gather it. As to Illadri, I will discuss this with her when next I make it to Deviant Home. I am moving a portion of the Draco Vere there, so it should be relatively soon. Feel free to send any vampires you wish to Deviant Home anytime you desire. You will always be one of the top elites and one of my hands, in our faction regardless of how many members we manage to recruit."

By this point, Senani assumed that Zurin and Percival would have managed to form a list of who would be staying and who would be leaving. He returned to discuss the matter with them. Senani arrived at their location rather quickly and was unsurprised to learn that the anomalies had joined the group of Draco Vere that were leaving with Zurin to move into Deviant Home. To Percival's disappointment, only 10 of the Draco Vere had decided to stay with him. He had felt sure that most would want to stay on their home world. Though in retrospect, most had just been freed from a horrific life of slavery. He had forgotten to factor that in when weighing his options.

There would be few buildings and belongings to move as most of those that were leaving were recently freed from the Butchers. But Senani still transferred all that they requested with them into Deviant Home. He planned to give them some time to acclimate to the dimension before any requests were made. To his disappointment Zurin contacted him soon after she arrived.

"Senani, someone named Illadri is here demanding to speak with you. She says she has an urgent message from someone called Ezyrth. She claims she has been trying to reach you since you disappeared after your battle with Grishnar."

Senani immediately teleported himself into Deviant Home. If Ezyrth was looking for him, it could only mean something terrible was about to happen.

"Senani, I need your help. I have been discovered by Hades. He comes to claim the trickle of dragon souls that flow into my domain. I need you to transport my domain into your land grant. Can you do that for me Senani?" pleaded Ezyrth through Illadri"

Senani replied, "Ezyrth you advised and aided me when I had no one else to turn to. How do I move your domain? I will move it as soon as you permit me to."

Ezyrth utilized her own interface to request that Senani move her secondary dimension.

· Do you wish to move Silver Twilight into your land grant?

Senani chose yes. He could immediately feel a large dimension enter his land grant beside Deviant Home. As it existed in his mind now, he began mentally examining the new dimension. It stood immaculate and beautiful. Everything had been made from the purest marble. It was an interesting contrast to the Hodge podge of resources utilized to build Deviant Home. He then considered what Ezyrth had said and recalled that he possessed his own trickle of souls that were moving to the Shadow Realm. Senani then moved the Shadow Realm into his land grant on the other side of Deviant Home and called Ezyrth to his Hearth in Deviant home to continue their discussion.

Ezyrth once again spoke first. "I feared you would not heed my request without a ridiculous sum of payment from me. I have not yet relinquished Illadri, and I am desperate, I would have paid any price as Hades was almost at the entrance to my domain. Why then did you help me without payment?"

Senani chuckled as he spoke. "I consider you my only ally. If you required it, I would have fought Hades by your side. In comparison, moving your domain temporarily is easy as pie. Besides, I had a few questions I wanted to meet up with you and discuss. The Deviant Faction now holds a place in the rankings of the dragons. The Draco Vere species I have created also have a place among the dragons. Is this good or bad?"

Ezyrth grew silent for a time before she replied. "Senani, I will not lie to you, the dragons will hunt you until you prove the strength of your species. Dragons are few, but great in strength. Even the weakest among dragonkin are merely a step away from growing a candle. We are a proud species. The great Asmodeus has only allowed one other humanoid dragon species has been allowed to live in the millennia that we have existed.

If he realizes that you also command undead and worse of all, the species the nameless one created, the Deviant Faction will be doomed to destruction. There is one way you can survive, however. On a planet in a solar system near to Greshem lies a planet like no other. It and many other planets in that solar system were created by an ancient dragon known as The Muffin Man. This dragon possessed an unusual ability that allowed it to create unique species. One of those species is on the verge of becoming one of the species on the list of recognized draconic species. The Muffin Man was destroyed when developing his candle as his ability requires an unnatural amount of power. If Argent were able to find this candle and finish it, he would gain the powers of The Muffin Man and could claim the species he created. This should nearly raise the Deviant Faction to the ranking of Dragon Elder. I will provide more information once this step is completed."

· Quest Received. Argent's Ascension. "Ezyrth has provided you with the galactic coordinates of The Muffin Mans primary planet. She believes that his candle resides somewhere within. If Argent manages to claim and finish the candle of The Muffin Man, he will gain an ability unheard of in galactic society."

· Quest Reward, Argent will become an anomaly unlike any other.

Senani accepted the quest without hesitation and replied, "Ezyrth, I owe it to Argent to find him a candle to claim. But how do I manage to leave Gresham and travel to this planet?"

Now it was Ezyrth's turn to chuckle. "Senani, you made the Deviant Factions primary headquarters the Pyramid of Wagu. While it has been known by many names through the millennia, one thing has never changed. The Faction that owns the artifact can use the portals within to travel to any planet that their faction owns as well as any neutral planet that the portal has led to. Wagu travelled to this planet many times as The Muffin Man was one of his allies. Fully claim the artifact, and either fly they're in it, or use its portals to travel instantly. That choice belongs to you. Though if you do decide to use the portals, I would advise you to rescue Wagu's ancient portal master. She is imprisoned in the center of Greshem, under the pyramid. Her prison is meant to be inaccessible. Though with your species abilities, you will be able to reach her easily. Bringing her out however will prove difficult."

Senani teleported back to the real world and appeared near his Pyramid. He moved to the chamber that contained the body of Wagu and began to look for a hole that would lead him down to the center of the planet. Eventually he pushed the sarcophagus aside and found the hole beneath. The heat coming out of that hole was rather intense. Senani did not hesitate and jumped in with his feet positioned below him. He rocketed down the hole as the heat grew more unbearable to an ordinary creature. With Senani's blackened scales and his ability to absorb energy, the heat did not faze him in the slightest. In fact, the higher the heat increased, the more power Senani managed to absorb.

Down and down and down Senani rocketed, gaining more and more power as he moved. Eventually he landed in molten lava. Was it not for the strength of his blackened dragon scales, he would have been burned to a crisp? With them, he was merely uncomfortable in the heat. He continued to swim down the shaft, absorbing the heat energy from the lava as he moved.

As Senani continued to move deeper into the lava, he managed to absorb more and more energy from it. Eventually he managed to trap himself as above him the lava had lost most of its heat from his absorption and had become solid rock. Yet still he continued down the shaft, continuously absorbing the heat energy as he went.

Several hours later, Senani finally reached the bottom of the shaft. It now formed a walking path slightly higher than Senani was tall. He traversed this with ease, continuing to absorb the heat energy. This path proved to be significantly shorter than the shaft had been. Senani reached the end after a mere 10 minutes. He then had to stretch his wings and fly up another shaft. This too proved to be shorter than the initial shaft. Within 20 minutes he made it to another level place. He had managed to make it here safely, and yet he had absorbed enough heat energy to make all the lava solid rock. Senani carefully walked to the end of this path.

At the end of the path, Senani found an ornately carved door. The door matched the symbols on Wagu's sarcophagus. He cautiously opened the door and continued inside. Once inside he was surprised to see a sarcophagus similar in design to that of Wagu. Senani lifted the lid and an extremely scarred and disfigured woman emerged. Each breath caused her great pain. Speaking would be torture and yet she managed. "You're not Wagu. Wagu claimed he would keep me here to keep me safe from the galaxy and those that would abuse my powers. Yet here I am burned and disfigured. His greed and paranoia placed me far too close to the lava. These many years I have slowly burned away. My hands are disfigured to the point I do not know if I can even conjure a portal out of here. What use am I to you? Leave me and let me die. Once dead, take my ability stone. It can provide you a way out once you master it."

"I am sorry for your pain, but I may know of a way to end it. I am Senani, Leader of the Deviant Faction, and I can turn you into a Draco Vere. As a Draco Vere, your skin would be covered with dragon scales, and you could begin life anew." Replied Senani.

The disfigured woman could no longer bare the pain to speak. She nodded her head slightly in acceptance and passed out. Senani bit into her neck and began to drain her blood. It was unlike anything he had ever tasted before. It possessed a flavor so delicious that he found it hard to stop himself from draining her completely dry. Once the bloodlust set in, he barely managed to leave a single drop in her body. Realizing his mistake, and the dire situation the woman was now in, he quickly began force feeding her his blood. A healthy person would not survive this process, she was far from healthy, and he fully assumed he would have to revive her as an undead champion. Yet still he tried. As his blood began to make its way down her throat and into her digestive system, her body began to glow with a deep black light. When the light dissipated, Senani was left alone with a deep black cocoon speckled with spots of light.

For the next 5 days, Senani could do nothing but sit by the cocoon and explore his system menus. He found many things he had previously not seen. For example, now that the Deviant Faction had become a ranked faction in the galaxy, he had gained access to an auction house that sold almost everything imaginable. There were weapons and planets, ability spheres and even corpses and slaves. It seemed there were no limits to what could be legally sold in the galaxy. He also found the faction registry which listed each faction by species and ranking. He began to read about the factions present in both the vampire and dragon hierarchies. Senani was surprised to see that he was nowhere near the bottom rating of either hierarchy. He assumed this meant that those he had surpassed would likely be unhappy with him. Those slightly ahead may also be looking to eliminate him to maintain their standing. Being in two hierarchies put him in an even more precarious situation, as he had twice as many enemies as most others.

Senani continued to waste time while he waited on something to happen with the cocoon. Finally on the seventh day, it began to show signs of opening. After several hours, and many cracks had formed, finally a new Draco Vere emerged. This Draco Vere was unlike any he had yet seen. Her scales were as black as the deepest night with bright yellow dots randomly scattered across their surface. As Senani stared at those dots, he realized they resembled the stars in the sky, and they were not just yellow. Each one burned with a different intensity and shade. Staring at this Draco Vere was the equivalent to getting lost in the night sky. She again spoke. "I have been suffering the agony of those burns for hundreds of years. Yet I could not simply die.

Even the healing powers of this sarcophagus could not fully eliminate the pain, nor would it allow me to die. I have been trapped in limbo. But enough about that. Let us return to the pyramid and claim my candle. It would seem I now have a new master. You may call me Arcady. I can create portals, and I am the anomaly that made Wagu so famous across all the lands. There is a device within his pyramid that I can use to create a permanent portal. Some of the ancient ones may be active, if you allow me to place my candle with your own, I can also create portals to all the towns or planets you own. Wagu never grew a candle, he could not utilize me to my full potential as you will be able to."

When she finished speaking a portal appeared in front of her, and she motioned for Senani to step in first. Arcady brought the sarcophagus along as she came through the portal.

Senani was amazed to see a vast chamber that had yet to be explored, that was obviously within the pyramid itself. Seeing his confusion, Arcady let out a melodious laugh as she spoke. "You could not have travelled here without me, as this is my own secondary dimension. When Wagu conquered me, he joined this dimension with his artifact. The pyramid is more than just a spaceship, it possesses the ability to contain dimensions within itself. To possess it, is to possess all the dimensions that Wagu conquered. Yet none can be accessed without me. I am the key to accessing the artifacts true power. Therefore, Wagu hid me away. Be warned, once I join my candle to yours, it cannot be removed unless you cease to exist. Many in the galaxy will seek out your demise to gain control of me and this ship."

Senani encouraged Arcady to place her candle within his candelabra. Once she had received permission, she picked up her candle from the center of the hall, and she and Senani were instantly teleported to his shadow hearth within the pyramid. Arcady placed her candle into the candelabra, and rather than landing on another tier, it sank into Senani's own candle and made its flame all the brighter. Senani began to glow with the power of a thousand suns. The intense heat and light sprayed out of the top of the pyramid like a massive beacon. Across the galaxy that light could be seen, and while few knew what the meaning of this light could be, all were curious. Those that knew began to move toward that beacon. Each of them desired to control the power of the portals.

· Congratulations, the Deviant Faction has gained the most sought-after Ancient Anomaly and Artifact paring in the galaxy. Deviant Faction has now transcended to the Grade of D. Continue to grow the power of yourself and your Faction and you will ascend the rankings of the Galactic Factions.

· Congratulations, you now command the Galactic Pyramid of the First Men, Artifact ship of Wagu. "This is the most sought-after artifact in the galaxy and having the portal master by your side will grant you a bit of security and a lot of headaches. Until you manage to fully control and utilize the abilities of the pyramid, you're a sitting duck. Your enemies are coming. Will you survive?"

· Quest Received. Survive. "Merging with the Portal Master released a massive beacon that will lead many to Gresham to challenge you. Survive the first wave or die trying."

· Quest Reward. Increased Galactic reputation.

Arcady again spoke. "Don't say I did not warn you. Many will come for me and the pyramid. What will you do?"

Rather than reply, Senani teleported the pyramid into Deviant Home. As Deviant Home still resided within his land grant, it would not matter if the beacon showed, few had the ability to locate it. Those that did, were unlikely to challenge a faction in their Domain within a land grant. The increased power was simply too extreme. Even the weakest anomaly could become dangerous within their own land grant.

Arcady revealed an expression of surprise and she spoke again. "How many abilities do you possess Senani? A land grant is rare enough, yet I sense three secondary dimensions and a Hive Mind here as well. All of which were owned by anomalies from my time. The nameless one, Ezyrth, and Grishnar respectively. How did you come to possess these locations?"

Senani carefully replied, "I absorbed the nameless one and gained his power. Grishnar was absorbed by one of my champions who took his power. Ezyrth is hiding here with me. My next goal is to finish the candle of The Muffin Man and allow my Draco-Lich Champion Argent to absorb it and claim his abilities and hopefully his armies. Do you know where it resides?"

"I see what Greshem has become. Your forces are strong there. The armies of The Muffin Man, while strong, will not blend well with your current forces of evil. But if you wish to follow the path there, I can reestablish my portals. Bear in mind, that only those of Deviant Faction may pass through without my permission. Once the portals are reestablished, there will no longer be any doubts to my return. Many will seek me out, and some of them will find me even in your land grant. Grishnar is not the only one capable of that feat."

Arcady then reestablished the portals, and in doing so, created a portal to each of Deviant Factions locations. A member of Deviant Faction now merely had to walk into the portal with a location in mind to teleport there. This would save an incredible amount of time for the faction and would result in far more efficient reinforcements. Arcady sent a mental image into Senani's mind of the planet he intended to visit. Senani called for Argent and the duo stepped into the portal.