F Lines

Bazra Za'Darmondiel.

***

Never did we think the prince of Shujen would one day walk around the Falls of Zimysta. Much less be slain and reborn by the hand of Amun. Not Elg-Horr. A creator and a destroyer.

True to that name, he created the mightiest human my eyes ever settled on. Two meters of golden skin, swaying black hair, and feral orange eyes covered in the fur of the great celestial beast who accompanied Amun's first arrival to Nydorden Halls.

The very beast said to have been melded with his soul now had its skull resting atop his boulder-sized shoulder as a pauldron. Clenched in its mouth was a cannonball of adamantine infused with magic both arcane and celestial like the miniature glaive dangling from his ear. Yet that told me nothing. And so, like Etan told us, my brother, Barro, and cousins, Novl and Seon, joined him to learn what we could of this man they called Freki.

He was more than a mere man, however. He and the other 'primes' of their Troupe exuded every quality of the deities written in the annals of history. They held an angelic beauty, even the undying ones; even to drow standards. Soft light poured from some of heir visages to elicit both emotions in passersby and reactions from the very realm, and of course, they changed their environments by their very presence. From this God of a man, it was something that spawned a sense of purpose the moment we descended into the gate complex.

Considering the circumstances, the gate was completely barren. The standard slaves stood guard amongst the entrance while their slave overseers lingered above, staring at the 14 canines guarding a gargantuan… tube.

"We'll take my train." Freki casually said, gesturing to something that appeared more like a beast made of adamantine. With the fanged maw agape on the front, that's exactly what it seemed to be, yet chimneys protruded from its back and pipes ran down its front. No feet supported its massive frame either. In their place were great wheels of iron, balanced atop smoldering rails, connected by a metal bar thicker than a troll's arm.

I knew a mine cart when I saw one, for I spent many an hour listening to dwarven slaves fantasize about carts that could move themselves. Admittedly, I grew to dream of them too. If only to have some peace from their ramblings. Thus I trotted behind the giant to learn more about this beast, only to have my zeal stolen by the… expensive real estate within.

That was to say, the thing was cramped. For someone of Freki's size, it was nothing more than a shack connected to the ass-end of this long metal tube. Seats sat between a small chamber near the floor, placed next to each window where they faced an array of small gauges and dials on the upper end. With the giant and the four of us, I began to fear when the wolves trailed after us, yet became relived once they filed into the oversized mine-cart to our rear.

"So, how does this work?" I turned away from the archways to look up at the giant, completely bemused by the lack of mana flowing from the 'train.'

Without so much as a look my way, Freki booted the bottom chamber, opening a fanged maw to reveal another one of those canines sleeping atop a tongue of infernal brambles. It looked like Hellfire in there, born from the snores of that beast; for what purpose, I could only imagine, for I would have never guessed what he said next.

"Amun's knowledge of the natural world is immeasurable. He is a master in exploiting the laws of nature for his benefit. An engineer. The ArcaTech. Although trains exist in his homeland, the concept of this locomotive came from him. I made it, however. It's an engine driven by steam."

"Steam?" Novl chortled derisively. "Gaseous water?"

"Exactly." Freki grinned. "Although this steam and the fire that heats it is the only magical part of its design. The former being from the divine realm of Eotrom, the latter from my sorcery. Now then, follow."

So saying, he guided us into the rear cart after shifting a few levers and knobs to put us into motion. The rear cart was a much more vast space than one would have otherwise believed. Grass, weeds, and other plants were sprawled across the open floor, save for a path that led through a clearing to reach the other side. Cliffs stood in place of walls, colonized by plants and strange mushrooms that bore solid spores that somehow formed windows, showing us a glimpse of the House before it faded into the distance.

"We gave our names but that tells you nothing," Barro started once we found seats in the clearing. "We are the Great Grandsons of Prime Matron Etyl Za'Darmondiel. Grandsons of the Fourth Daughter, Ilar Za'Darmondiel. We two are the sons of Ilar's First Son, Senior Monk Antton Za'Darmondiel." He gestured to me, then to cousins Novl and Seon. "They are the sons of Ilar's Second Son, Senior Monk Aldo Za'Darmondiel.

"We ask of your name, and if the tales regarding your rebirth are true. Were you once the prince of Shujen?"

"Aye." He grunted, handing us each a bottle of fine wine he sourced from a dimensional storage. "Freki is my name. Was both a deal and a pact I made with Amun. He faced me and my sister with our parents, whom we wished to kill, and told us what would happen if we tainted our souls by killing our kin. Yet we did anyway. We slayed our parents, murdering the celestial wolves, Skoll and Hati, in the process. Now, both remain, blessing and haunting us."

I began to inquire about his meaning when an undead appeared from the woods around us. A familiar face, human, aged, and lithe, with pale skin and blue eyes wreathed in a familiar crown of ice. Issa. The… former Ice Queen of Shujen.

"Haunted by the one you hate." I whistled low. "Brutal."

"Partially." He snorted contemptuously at the strangely benevolent zombie, giving us a wickedly knowing grin. "I hardly remember my past with her, nor do I care, yet she tells me anyway. I only care for the present and future." He said after a short pause. "I only care to live freely. That's why many of us have decided to take no part in this game of cunning between Amun, Matron Etyl, and her Spider Queen. That's why I'll tell you, those most interested in me, the truth of our being here."

We all exchanged nervous glances with one another. Something he seemed to read immediately. "Fear not." He raised his giant hand. "You wear no holy symbols and we are long gone from the Falls. Not even the spider can hear us in here."

Even after seeing foreign tunnels outside the windows, I was still skeptical, but the nod from Seon made it so I had no choice but to listen to him say. "My pact saw me become a celestial of the seasons, Summer and Autumn. Upon leaving Shujen with your great uncle, we ventured to Bakewia, Chor, and several other places across the Peninsula, wherein I recruited my followers."

I followed his gesture to the many wolves lounging around us. Then it clicked louder than a hand crossbow. The wolves that bore so much intelligence in their eyes. "They are like you?" I gasped. "And they are... farmers?"

"Aye and Nay!" A grainy voice echoed from one of the smaller ones; black and with noticeably shorter fur than the rest. Yet its voice was unmistakable to any drow ears. "We're False Shepherds. Predators that blend with prey."

I felt a column of spiders dance down my spine at the words, leaving fine silk in its wake to straighten my spine in fear. Though not for them.

"Some of us are bards, me boy, but my name be Mycahnis, agriculturalist of the deep, Farmer of the Darkworld. Fungal woods, mushrooms, mosses, and rothay; I'll be huntin' for some!" Laughing in that sourceless, grainy voice, the deep gnome canine trotted up to the archway we entered through and disappeared.

Almost immediately, the 'window' blinked to showcase the same canine running across the air itself, leaving plumes of smoke in the wake of every step. "Such advanced scrying!" I gasped.

"Therein lies the second thing you must know," Freki told us. "That scrying eye is a result of Amun's engineering. An art he passed onto us, the members of his Troupe. Thus every one of us is a professional. A master of a chosen field and simultaneously the proprietor of a hierarchal mercantile business. A corporation. Upon realizing I wouldn't always be able to spend time hunting, I created Summer Wolf Industries. A business that can feed empires." He said, cheekily snapping his finger to summon a basket filled with chilled spirits; many of them never before seen or heard of. Gin. Tequila. Moonshine.

"Upon gathering the rest of the Troupe, we ventured to Amun's divine realm to train, be educated, and evolve into the first Gods of his pantheon. There, I created this train and used it as a template to be mass-produced. Each Warden of the Harvest has one, like Mycahnis. As does the bards, known as the Fruitful Four." He gestured to the wolves that had been following him thus far. "In doing these things before my evolution, I became the God of Agriculture, Barbarians, Freight, and Logistics. Yet, during my evolution, I trained to become a supreme officer of Amun's Legio Noctis; in command of many things.

"I am the Grand Quartermaster of the Legions, Commander of the Ordinance and Field Artillery Corps, and the commander of a division of specialized destroyers. The Black Wolf Brigades."

"It was as he said." I huffed in shock. "Creator of Destroyers."

"And the Destroyer of Creators. Therein lies the reason for that something that told you to follow me here." He grinned, tapping his bestial finger on his head. "That something, you may or may not know, is Amun's divine mana guiding you toward the desires of your heart- the desire to be free of the Falls, of the Spider for good.

"And so, I offer you four the opportunity to become commanders of my brigades. Black Pack Alphas. Of course, you'll receive my power." He gestured to his wolf companions with a sweeping hand before bringing a clenched fist between us. "But so too will you receive status, privilege, knowledge, wisdom, and fifteen hundred gold coins. Weekly.

"It is enticing, for sure," Novl said before any of us; and for all of us. "We've been raised as monks. We're indeed unevolved. But it is not as simple as agreeing. Merely having this conversation is a sin worthy of a fate far worse than death."

"I understand they will try to turn you into an abomination." Freki quickly said. "However, I can assure you of five things, should you agree. First, is that, should you agree, you will die; yet death is not the end for us. From where we stand, to die means to change. Death is liberation. So there should be no reason for you to stay after your rebirth as werewolves.

"Second, it will be impossible for you to betray me, and I, you; for this is a devil's deal we are making. Breaking the conditions yields direly irreparable consequences. Third is the one condition; the one rule. You will be prohibited from unjustly taking another's freedom. That includes both slavery and rape, for necromancers need no slaves. And… well, I'm sure you've seen how we are looked at." He sighed nostalgically.

"Fourth, you will obtain ultimate freedom. The freedom to go wherever on the Mortal Plane you please as celestials, unopposed by even the Gods; for Amun is the Eternal of this universe. Finally, you will gain legendary classes. With training, of course."

"Legendary classes? Like the… what was it?" Seon looked at me before snapping back to Freki. "Clerical Druid. That's what Iris is, no?"

"Yes. A merge of classes. You will be Barbaric Warlocks, Alphas of the Meteor Wolf Pack. Of course, I ask not for you to decide now. To only think about it and ask your curiosities away."

I chuckled at that. That and the irony of me asking. "What is the cost?" A simple question regarded as heretical treason in Lilith's society. But then again, I- we've been sinners since the day we were born as males in this God's forsaken cavern. If this cost was more bearable than the cost of sinning in this hellacious pit, I felt I had no choice but to pay it, for the alternative was to stay in this hell for the remaining several centuries of my life.

If I made it that far.

"A bite?" I recoiled at the simplicity of his answer and the tone in which he gave it.

"A drool-filled bite and a bit of madness is how the curse spreads. It is how you will create more werewolves. A celestial wolf from Eotrom will merge with your entire being. Mind, body, spirit, and soul. It will be an extremely painful death. But unlike me, you won't lose your memories or be haunted by the ghosts of your past.

"Unless you're a kin slayer." He shrugged moments later.

"And what is the gain? Besides a transformation, knowledge, wealth, and power? We are to serve you for the rest of our days? However long that may be."

"Not quite. We all serve Amun. As I do with him, you will live and roam with me. However, when Amun works in the context of our Legion- when he goes to war, you will be among those next to him.

"You, and the other drow of House Za'Darmondiel who secretly wish to be free from the crimson webs."

***

Barro Za'Darmondiel.

***

I knew what he was truly asking of us. The others didn't, but I knew what our acceptance would yield; and not just the obvious banishments and boons.

Of course, we'd be cast out from the House. We'd be taken into that foul pit like Etan. Tortured and turned into an abomination or, in the best case, killed. In turn, if we agreed, we would indeed join Amun, just as Etan did, yet we'd be sworn into an allegiance to beneath a human. A God of a human but a human nonetheless. A master in playing the fool. A silver-tongued enticer who wove gilded tales of ultimate power and freedom.

A False Shepherd.

On the other hand, we four and the 4,400 monks like us knew what tens of thousands of drow did not. We knew the disparity between the lies we learned as infants and the truths we saw as children.

Elven children of the surface did not spend their days plotting our demise just as we hardly spent time plotting theirs. Many of them had never even seen our kind just as many of us had only laid eyes on a surface-born elf once Reina appeared in the Falls- and she was half-human. Many of those on the surface had never drawn blood in their lives, much less elven blood; whereas we slaughtered each other for sport. Many elves of the surface were completely oblivious to us drow; and for the ones that did hate us, it was either after blood had been spilled or because of the angst of the Gods; just like us.

Now, an unknown yet long-since-foretold variable had arrived; a paradox in every meaning of the word. An anomaly. An enigma. Bool. A being who acted like no human, drow, devil, or undead the realms had ever witnessed. No one knew what he was thinking, much less what the Elven Devil was plotting. None knew the capacity of his power, perhaps even himself.

What I could discern, however, was that Amun was a being of purposeful ambition who, for better or worse, had no restraint when it came to sharing his knowledge and power. He did not act without reason. Thus I couldn't foresee him looking upon this chaotic hellscape and seeing it as anything more than what it was: A pit of pointless chaos.

In that sense, I knew what his presence here would yield. Perhaps all drow of Zimysta did. Only a few of us denied it not, however. Only a few of us realized that, like Shujen, so far above, Amun would destroy these ancient Falls, and from the ensuing rubble, something new would arise. Perhaps another necropolis; if not something darker.

"Gloom."

More of a sourceless whisper than a surface thought, the word bounced off my very spirit as if to beckon my eyes toward the 'window' of spores. As if I were standing over his shoulder, I could see the deep gnome from earlier walking among the moss fields of Zimysta as if he owned the place. That wasn't the strange bit, however. His actions were being showcased to us, true, yet Freki paid no attention to it just as he paid no mind to the Harvest Warden leaving in the first place. Or the others for that matter.

Here these… wolf-men were, napping, painting, drinking, playing music, and dancing as if they were in some peaceful forest meadow. Even when we were up above, in the Halls, they came and went as they pleased while their Troupe leader was off meditating or marching.

After some reflection, I realized the same was true for Peter, Veil of Shadows, and Rua. Amun made them mighty before they even evolved. Amun gave Peter all of his knowledge, power, and support simply because he was a so-called 'friend'- a word that had no meaning in our tongue. If one didn't use the word for spider, we would say he could endure his company, as saying he enjoyed his company had… other meanings. In turn, Peter joined his guild. Not because he was enticed as Freki was enticing us now, but simply because Peter wanted to continue living alongside his 'friend.'

'So then, how would I wind up any different than Peter? How would our stations differ?' I wondered, expecting no answer to return. Foolishly so, for we were dealing with the unexpected incarnate.

We were dealing with Gods.

"They will differ because you will be the most elite."

I turned towards the source of that voice- that same thought or whisper, spoken in a tone so familiar, finding it to be the mote of light from earlier transformed into the likeness of Amun, reaching out his finger to touch me on the brow.

Both a searing cold and a numbing heat spread from the point of his finger, invoking a wave of darkness and light to consume the entirety of my being. My body was gone of all flesh. My mind was stripped of all thought. Yet my senses and soul remained with my spirit, trapped in that abyss of malevolent benevolence, transfixed on a black and blue coiled ladder that had been bent and twisted by the red webs of the Demon Spider.

Somehow, I knew that coiled ladder to be me, Barro Za'Darmondiel. Simultaneously, my disembodied mind echoed something that rattled against my body, spirit, and soul alike.

"Paragon."

Like a cursed spell, the words spawned heavenly fire beneath the cranked ladder. The nightly flames, dancing and beautiful, burned away those putrid webs, leaving a row of smoldering gold and ashen violet rungs fastened between planks of abyssal blacks and nightly blues. The light it outputted illuminated a great cloud of blues and purples expanding at infinitum in every direction, and at its center stood me, standing taller and stronger, with eyes- gilded like Etan's- capable of gazing across that infinite void to gaze upon worlds of metal and fire and water and ice.

Then it all regressed. The ice and fire and water and metal. The earth and the gas. The light and the fire. The cranked ladder and my disembodied self were all engulfed by a great maw of nothingness before I was reformed and spat out into reality as a young drow in a strange vessel, staring at the mirrored expressions- those same stupefied gazes in the gilded eyes of my brother and cousins.

I knew not if such questions served as my agreement to some pact or if I had simply changed like the moss and stone in House Za'Darmondiel. I knew not if turning toward his voice- if asking those questions caused his divinity to pour into me or if this change, this… feeling of greatness I felt was from the deeper parts of my mind admitting what the surface would not.

Neither did I care, however. The changes were here, yet my allegiance had yet to be sworn. Thus the time was nigh to make the choice of the ages.