Too Stubborn to Die

Book 3: Prologue (Will be moved back to the beginning of book 3 soon)

PentivalThis was… unexpected, Pentival thought as he glanced up from his kneeling position in his patron god’s throne room

The divine interception that had brought him here had struck in the blink of an eye. It had come just as he had been planning his first campaign on their new world.

The would-be lord didn’t even know that such a thing was possible; then again, it was Lenriel.

Who are all these people?

Nearby, a kneeling reptilian snorted, and some kind of apeman glared back at him. They were all bowed before Lenreil in the gaudy throne room on marble tiles.

Strange species wasn’t a new concept. He had seen many in the trials. But there were many others in this room he had never seen before. They must have been from other sectors across the universe, but why?

Lenriel’s lazy gaze swept across them. “Rise, my followers,” he said, gently raising a hand in gesture.

As the great god commanded, all in attendance immediately got to their feet.

Followers? Has Lenriel given his blessing to everyone here?

The thought immediately made Pentival feel small. He had known he wasn’t the only one. But there were dozens within the throne room. Maybe even a hundred or so. Whatever importance Pentival may have felt for being dragged into Lenriel’s scheming, it was quickly falling apart now.

“You have all received a blessing from me,” Lenriel spoke, and those in attendance seemed to stiffen, hanging on his every word. “You may look around and feel ordinary in such company. But that isn’t even close to the truth. Despite the numbers you see in this room, I do not hand out my blessings so easily. If you are here, it is because you have great promise. Unfortunately, promise is not enough in the multiverse. Some of you will fail. Some of you will die. You will fall short of greatness and end your paths with little to show for it. Such is the multiverse.”

“But do not despair. You have a chance. An opportunity to be something greater than you could have ever possibly imagined prior to the integration of your universe. You will be required to take many difficult steps if you wish to see this path fulfilled. And one such step is that which leads you to the Grand Tournament.”

Lenriel’s gaze washed over them, watching for reaction. Pentival did his best to hold strong. He knew it to be a test, and he would not fail.

“You have all reached your trials and performed well. As such, you already have tokens for the first two stages of the Grand Tournament. The first of which is the dungeon. In three months, you will enter this dungeon, and you will find your first opportunity to prove your worth to me.”

“Right now, any of you could fail, and I would not bat an eye. It is for you to prove your worth. If you wish to carve yourself a path through the multiverse and earn the respect of gods such as myself, then win. Rise to the peaks of your respective worlds, conquer and subdue those around you in my name! Build a force worthy of me, and lead that force into the dungeon! Claim the prize that awaits you at the end, and after a year passes, you shall have a second chance!”

“The tournament will pit you against one another. Conquer that too! Prove yourselves. Earn your spot! For the prize at the end of it all is one you cannot even dare to imagine. And know this, you must claim it. I demand it! It is a prize I demand from each of my true disciples in each of the universes I claim as part of my domain.

“You cannot understand the importance of all this. Not yet. But understand it is all part of a greater plan, one that mere mortals simply cannot comprehend. So go. Subjugate all beneath you, and claim the prize for yourselves. Do that, and one of you will earn the right to join my council. To become one of the great lords of the multiverse.”

Pentival swallowed. One of them? Did his patron god truly intend to pit his own followers against one another?

He glanced around once more at his new rivals as the air around them shimmered and twisted. If he wanted to serve Lenriel, he would have to defeat them all.

And in an instant, it was all gone, and Pentival had been returned to his warcamp with a new streak of urgency panging at him.

Casryn the RedCasryn the Red crouched on one knee before her god. The drakaran scion had been called to their domain shortly after arriving on her new world. And it had come as somewhat of a surprise. After all, it hadn’t been long since she had spoken to her patron god in the trials.

Stilled and breathing steadily, she peered up at the massive, scaled dragon before her. It was a strange sensation to bow. As the only trial taker to complete three full trials in her sector, she had gathered somewhat of a reputation, and usually, it was people bowing to her.

“It annoys me to waste divine energy bringing you here. But I suppose your progress has been impressive, Casryn,” the god of fire said, and flames erupted from his scaled nostrils. “Perhaps impressive enough that this will be the year that I make that annoying little man squirm. Humans, detestable, even after godhood.”

Casyrn had no idea what the gigantic dragon god was speaking of. But she kept her head down nonetheless and waited for her turn to speak.

“They can’t be underestimated, though. Tiny, pink, and scheming, those little creatures are. You’ll have to keep your focus. They can be dastardly tricky. Work hard and grow strong. The tokens you have in possession will grant you access to a great tournament.

“And bring you into conflict with the plans of that annoying little godling. That conniving little man and his projects infuriate me. And that is where I shall get my revenge, oh, how sweet it shall taste. I will enjoy playing games with his ambitions. You see, he intends to win this tournament and has invested much into doing so. Me? I do not care for such trivial things. However, I do hunger to see disappointment etched onto his soft, fleshy face.”

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Casyrn raised a brow. Was her patron god seriously talking about sending her into conflict with another god simply so he could frustrate the man? It was absurd, but she dared not speak back. Her patron god had been useful, and his blessing was powerful. Not to mention, she feared his wrath more than anything else.

“To this end, it would behoove you to conquer your world,” the huge dragon puffed flames thoughtfully. “But do not do so recklessly. Keep your gaze on the softskins. And as much as it pains me to say so, you will need allies for the battles ahead. Of course, I wouldn’t expect you to sacrifice your pride. You may kill those whom you find too troublesome to work with. However, show some care. They’re not all as weak as they appear.

“And if you are to achieve this task for me, you will need the assistance of powerful warriors by your side. This tournament cannot be won alone, not even by ones such as ourselves. When you enter the tournament, secure at least nine other allies, and try not to kill them until the thing is over. Do you understand?”

“I do,” Casryn said. “I will conquer my world, and I shall spare enough fodder that I may have allies when necessary.”

“Good. You’ll have eleven or so years to see it done. Don’t fail me. You may go now. I shall sleep for some time… perhaps I shall wake by the time you finish,” the dragon’s scaled lips curled into a wide smile. “And until then, I shall dream of Lenriel’s displeasure.”

Mala the Avenger***In a distant sector***

While humans had their various Tutorials, the beasts that stayed behind on their planets had their own integration events. Even while their worlds were being morphed and changed and smashed together, the beasts battled and competed, with the greatest victors earning the Beast Lord designation, and many evolving into intelligent species. Mala was one who had done both.

Before the integration, Mala had been a local celebrity. Her size made her stand out from the rest of her herd, making her a prized specimen and a prime target. Her fur would be enough to clothe an entire clan, and her tusks would be worth a small fortune to the southern collectors. Her bones would support many a tent, and her meat would feed an entire tribe. If they could catch her.

For as long as she could remember, the humans hunted her. They charged her with spears and bows, they ambushed her at watering holes, they laid traps for her in the woods, and once they even tried bringing an avalanche on her head, but no matter what, she managed to survive. They got her mother. They got her brother. They got her mate. They got her left eye. But never her.

When the integration happened, her size and durability continued to serve her well, and even as everything around her gained magical abilities, she continued to survive. No, she thrived. She quickly emerged as the most powerful beast of her region, goring and trampling any that dared oppose her. She absorbed multiple natural treasures, accelerating her growth even further, and when she reached D grade, she gained true intelligence, and an opportunity for a divine Blessing.

When she awoke after her D grade Race Evolution, she remembered everything. Every single human who had tried to kill her. Everything they had done to her and her herd. And after talking with the god who wished to bless her, she knew that it wasn’t over. The humans would return, and they would come with power, and an even greater desire than ever to hunt her and her herd.

She would not let that happen. She had the power to fight back. She had the mind to understand how best to do so. She had a god feeding her information. The humans would not win this time. She would be the hunter, not them. And she would be their world’s Overlord.

“Ah, you’re still thinking too small,” her god had said when she declared her intention. “Why be a world Overlord when you can be the Overlord of an entire sector? Or perhaps an entire universe?”

“Of course!” said Mala. “I will rule them all!”

“It won’t be so simple,” said her god. “You are indeed powerful, but the multiverse is a vast place. There are many powerful beings who will oppose you.”

“Let them try! My herd will never be oppressed again!”

“It will be difficult. Humans and others of their ilk will come from all over your universe. They will be strong. Stronger than you.”

Mala scoffed. She knew that the god was powerful, but how could any human oppose her at this point? Even before, they had been forced to rely on silly weapons, and she had grown too powerful for that. Even if they had learned a few tricks from the System, they would not have gained as much as she had.

“Don’t underestimate them,” the god cautioned. “Your world has no one who can compete with you, but there will be others. You will meet them in the future, first in the Grand Dungeon, and again in the Nexus Tournament, and more beyond. If you grow complacent, you will be in danger. You will be unable to take advantage of the generous rewards the System offers to new universes.”

“The humans cannot kill me anymore,” said Mala confidently.

“That is the kind of mindset that will get you killed. If you do not believe me, then by all means, go to the Grand Dungeon unprepared. See what awaits. But if you truly wish to protect yourself and your herd, then listen to me. Work with me. I will help you reach your goals.”

True Blessing offered: The Beast God, Jorax the Juggernaut, has offered you their blessing. Caution: Blessings are limited by the power of one’s bloodline. You may or may not be eligible for multiple blessings, and consideration should be taken when deciding whether or not to accept a god’s offer.

Accept the invitation to hear the god’s offer? Y/N?

Time remaining until offer expires: 00:00:59

“And what if I say no?” asked Mala.

“Then you can give up on ruling your universe. You may even have to give up on ruling your world. The others in this grand tournament will bear their own blessings. Not having one will put you at a disadvantage.”

“I am no man’s beast of burden.”

“I am no man, and you will not be a beast of burden,” replied the god. “I was once like you. I rejected an offer from a powerful deity, and later, I did not have the power to protect my herd. Only after thousands of years of struggle did I finally manage to rise above my oppressors and tear them apart, and it was too late. Do not make the same mistakes I did.

“I see myself in you. You will not be my beast of burden, but instead my protege. I will sponsor you, and you will show the multiverse that it is not only the Enlightened Races that can rule.”

Mala considered his words as the timer ticked down toward zero. She had no desire to submit herself to anyone, but if this truly was the only way to keep her and her herd free…

“If you speak the truth, then I accept,” she said. “Help me subjugate the humans, and I will bear your Blessing.”

“I only ask one thing in return,” replied Jorax. “The Grand Dungeon in three months, the Nexus Tournament a year later, and the final event, which the System has not yet revealed, which will occur ten years later… You must do well in them all. If you do, my power is yours to use. And it will help you too.”

Mala stopped a moment to ponder, wondering why Jorax would set such conditions, but after a few seconds, she decided she did not care. It sounded simple enough, and she had already planned on entering the dungeon with the token she had earned. Doing well was already a given.

“I accept.”