189 Demonic Pain (2/2)
________________________________________________
As a god my mind was probably my strongest weapon. I had known that for a while now but I hadn't really seen direct evidence of it until here and now. Before me was a horde of demons, all but one of whom were on their knees, as I wracked their minds with pain to punish them for their mistakes.
I studied them, standing still until I decided to approach one of them. The one I approached was a succubus with blazing red hair. She had a lovely face, with full-lips, high-cheekbones, and green eyes. She wore a simple hunting outfit, and on the ground next to her was a loaded crossbow. I chuckled at her and her weaponry. No simple ranged attack could ever hurt me.
She was moaning, but not pleasurable moans. Ones caused by considerable pain. Ones that were music to a god like me's ears.
After a few moments I turned to study the other demons. I would spend time studying various demons. And in doing so the part of me that delighted in pain, that relished the opportunity to be cruel, was reawakened for the first time in a while. The part of that me that had been worshipped by ”The Order of the Heated Blade”. And that meant cruel, and painful things for the demonic horde who had set out to infuriate and then study me.
And then, eventually, I'd grow bored of studying the demons. When I did, I began to utilize my powers once more. I had an idea.
I began by further hollowing out the earth beneath the village I had created. This added yet another layer to the twisted labyrinth of tunnels beneath the first community I had ever made in another dimension. But this layer wouldn't be used for prayers. Or at least not demonic prayers. Instead it'd be used for the study of demonic bodies.
I created a considerable number of research areas beneath my tiny home-community. Creating them took around twenty-five minutes I planned to staff this research-area with some of the best and brightest researchers I knew, Mi-Gos. I was already worshiped by a healthy number of Mi-Gos, many of which were in my divine-realm.
When I was done creating the research areas, and strapping the demons into a number of custom-made tables using holy instruments once more, I turned my thoughts inward. Towards the system. But not before knocking the demons I had captured fully unconscious using my powers over sloth.
________________________________________________
I found myself inside one of my little research areas, the ones I had just created. It was a laboratory and medical center of sorts. It was barebones at the moment, but I didn't need to give it a lot of mortal technology. I was interested in utilizing my abomination-worshipers, not my mortal ones. Mortal technology would only hold back my servants. I intended to allow the creatures I brought over to outfit these places as they saw fit.
”System... I would like to travel to my divine realm. I can do that right?” I asked the strange voice that was always just a question away and appeared to live not only in me but in all lifeforms. I was met with silence at first. It took the system a few moments to reply to me.
”Yes... Yes you can. Apologizes, we, the domains and I, were just checking things out to ensure your realm was ready for you to visit. We never anticipated that you'd be interested in visiting it until you ranked up. But you can, if you want.” The system told me, speaking in a rather surprised tone. It wasn't a pleasantly surprised or unpleasantly surprised tone, just a neutrally surprised one.
Upon hearing this I didn't hesitate. I rose a hand and conjured a portal, conjuring one to a destination I identified as ”My divine realm”. On the other side of the portal that appeared in front of me was a beautiful island, with sandy beaches and a thick forest. I knew this place at a glance. It was a colony controlled by the dreaded fungal scientists I was about to confer with. One of the places where they studied and experimented on mortal lifeforms.
The place was frozen in time. No waves lapped the shore. No sounds could be heard coming from the other side of the portal. It was all a bit unsettling.
”They have been placed in stasis. They won't move... Until you enter the portal. When you do, they'll be able to go about their lives once more. Your divine realm is now filled with over 98% of the life that once inhabited Torus. The effect it has had on Torus is significant, but as of yet unnoticed by Morehammer and his dwarven loyalists, since they live underground.” The system informed me.
”We, the domains and I, needed to freeze time on your divine realm to work to adjust it. When you enter through the portal the temporal stasis your worshipers are in fades away. And in your realm... You are even stronger than you are outside of it.” The system informed me, saying things that quite excited me.
I took a deep breath, and then stepped through the portal and into my divine realm. I stepped from an underground laboratory, onto an island paradise inhabited by eldritch terrors who worshiped me and the mortals they experimented on.
As I stepped through the portal, time resumed on the island. Waves began to lap against the beach, wind began to rustle through the island, and I began to hear the distant noises of footfalls, technology, and alien wings beating deep underground, beneath where I stood. The sounds of Mi-gos. The sounds of my eldritch scientists, hard at work.