"My kin will be upset... But I suppose this is what we get for being weak." Hissed the strange woman, in response to me asking her if she'd like to strike a deal. She beheld me once more, her serpentine eyes studying my form with a bizarre detachment and near objectivity that I found amusing.

The coldness of her gaze made it feel as though she was actually assessing me pragmatically. I could admire that and allowed her to study me for a bit longer before doing something I felt I ought to do before we continued our conversation.

"As I told you previously, my name is Althos. And I know your name, Beithir." I told her, revealing that she was one of the creatures I had used my abilities on. Her eyes went wide again, and she looked at me in fear for a moment. Though I liked surprising her, I was a bit annoyed that the fear that she felt wasn't because she recognized my strength.

I could clearly tell she wasn't afraid of me because I was a god. She was afraid of me because she didn't know what I was, or how I knew the things that I knew. And the silly creature was still afraid of this dragon, Ygaynth more so than she was of me.

"I believe it is time that we negotiate." I proclaimed, confident that I could strike a deal with this odd creature. Beithir looked at me, anger in her gaze but she nodded at me and approached me openly.

---

When the female lizard-creature was in front of me, I declared my intentions. I made no attempt to hide anything from her, and spoke to her as an equal.

"Beithir, I am a god. I am in the process of acquiring followers and building an empire. I am more than happy to make deals with evil creatures. I have no problem forgiving your past actions and working to save you." I told her, speaking frankly. Her personal vice was pride, and I knew that if I were to deal successfully with her than I ought to treat her with some respect.

She gave me a look that told me that she had questions about what I had just told her. I chuckled and waited for her to speak. When she did, her voice was respectful and inquisitive.

"Althos... I suspect your power is the real deal. I can... just tell." She said, speaking hazily for a second. She quickly regained her focus and spoke more sternly. "But what are you? What is a god?" She asked, genuinely curious. I laughed softly at her question, and considered how to best answer her question. It took me a few moments to come up with a real answer to it.

"A god is a higher-being. One of the many types of entities that vanished a long time ago. We can manipulate the system, and do many other things." I told her, while opting to manipulate the system to send her a message.

I activated my power to send messages remotely using the system and wasn't surprised when a textbox appeared in front of me, asking me to compose a message to send to her. I sighed, and quickly mentally scribbled a simple message.

[Gods are creatures of creation and destruction. They were the most powerful entities in the mythic age, alongside other lost species like demon lords, archdevils, elemental overlords, and other devastatingly strong creatures. They were once worshipped by quintillions of living beings throughout the multiverse.]

I chuckled and sent the message. I watched the lizard woman's eyes widen as she received the message I had sent her, and smiled at her.

"Gods possess an incredible diversity of abilities. One of them is that we can arise spontaneously. Which is what happened to me. I came to life a few days ago, and I am already powerful enough to begin to build an empire." I told the woman, speaking confidently and honestly.

She looked at me with an astonished and curious expression on her face. I could tell that she believed me, but I also sensed that she had questions for me. I grinned at her but the truth was that I also had questions for her. So I opted to begin to ask them.

"I believe it is my turn to ask you a question." I told her, before immediately asking her what I was curious to know.

"What is the deal your people made with Ygaynth?" I asked her, getting straight to the point. I didn't believe in not starting with such an important detail. This caused Beithir to cringe, and I could tell it was something she didn't want to reveal. But after a few moments where I just looked at her, quietly, she could tell that she had no other choice.

"Althos... Where we're standing right now was made by Ygaynth." Beithir whispered, speaking of that event reverentially. She looked at her allies, who gave her a neutral stare. There was something oddly cryptic about their reaction to one of their leaders. I had a feeling that I was about to receive a sort of secretive history lesson.

The lizard-woman glared at her companions, and she gestured at me like I was giving her no choice but to reveal the secret history of this region. I chuckled at her pointed gesture, though I made no effort to react to her actions.

"When my people first reached Puerto Rico, there were no human settlements here. We arrived on the island long before humans first left their little continent across the sea. We lived in caves until the day that Ygaynth first roared into the lives of our ancestors." Beithir told me, her serious tone causing me to stop even think snarky thoughts and listen to her.

"We lived in caves until the dragon arrived. He didn't arrive alone Althos. He was being pursued by dragon hunters." Beithir announced, speaking dramatically. And to this, I actually did react. Mostly because the way she spoke about it suggested that that was something I ought to be surprised by.

I shrugged at her, which caused her to look at me in disbelief. While she looked surprised at me, I sighed and began to remind her of something.

"I'm a few days old Beithir! You could write an endless number of books on the things I don't know. And that includes what dragon hunters are. Or rather... I can infer from the name and context of the history you're telling me what dragon hunters are, but I don't have the cultural or historical knowledge to understand why hearing that would shock me." I told her, annoyed at her surprise.

She listened to my explanation and then quietly mulled over my words. After a few seconds, she nodded at me, understanding my statement a lot more. She was silent for a second while considering how to best reply to me. When she did, a smile settled on her lips.

"A long time ago, this portion of the world was not inhabited by humans. At all. Only other things lived here. Things like my people. Humans came in pursuit of Ygaynth. And when he arrived, he saw my ancestors who had settled into their caves and lived relatively peaceful lives. But he came and made us an offer." She explained, opting to go back to the beginning and start over.

"He offered us a grander life. He said that he was tired of being hunted, and wanted to go to sleep. He informed us that he was going to tunnel through the island, and create a lair for himself. He asked if we'd come to guard his realm and capture sacrifices for him. We said yes, and so he granted us the power to tunnel through the earth and capture people to sacrifice to him." The lizard-lady revealed, speaking proudly of her people's bloody history.

"He awakens once naturally every few decades, and when he does we tunnel through to him to uphold our end of the bargain. But once after we didn't have the sacrifices we needed he reacted. And he reacted viciously. He ate many of our members, showing us the steep cost of failure." She told me, speaking sternly and frightfully when thinking of what'd happen if they failed to keep their end of the deal they struck.

"So the slaves you'd acquired were just going to be dragon food? That doesn't make me regret doing what I did." I told her, curious as to if there was some deeper meaning to all of this. She sighed and then began to laugh.

Her laughter was a harsh sound, like that of a dying animal. I wondered what she found so amusing because I wasn't amused by this. It took her a moment to regain her composure and pull herself back together. When she did she immediately began to speak to me once more.

"It's not about making you regret what you did, it's about explaining why I regret what you did. Why my people will regret it. And the truth is... A lot of people will suffer if Ygaynth decides to continue to rampage the next time he awakens." She explained, trying to get me to see her side a bit more. That said I wasn't about to passively accept her justifications for her behavior. I wasn't that nice.

"What you did was wrong. You took random people and enslaved them and you're just trying to justify it so that I'll stop my attack." I told her, not feeling inclined to do so now that I actually knew the annoying justification her civilization had for its immoral behavior. And I still had more to say.

"Plus, Ygaynth won't be a problem." I told her, speaking confidently. There was an arrogant smile on my lips and a glow in my eyes when I said this. She looked at me, intrigued by what I said.

"Oh? And why is that?" She asked, and I could tell by the gleam in her eyes, a strong glow that was surprisingly astute that she knew why.

"Because I am going to go and ensure that that dragon either never bothers you again, or never wakes up. And in exchange for that you all will join my empire. Those of you I let live anyway." I told her, grinning all while I spoke. And I had one more condition to reveal.

"In addition to that, I'll reanimate those of your people who already died as undead you can use to make up for the loss of labor that you have to deal with now that your slaves are gone. I recognize that slavery, though unpleasant, was seen as a necessity before. It's not now." I told her, speaking sincerely.

Beithir looked like she had something to say. There was a steely expression on her face and a flare of anger in her eyes.

"And if we say no?" She asked, sharply. I could tell this was her way of suggesting she planned to refuse my very generous offer. I smiled at her and chuckled.

"In that case you all die. Well... not all of you. I'd keep you alive. Or anyone who opted to accept my offer. Even the men, though they are unnecessary." I told her, speaking sinisterly and allowing myself to sound as evil as possible. My comment confused my audience though and one of them spoke up.

"Umm... What do you mean by 'unnecessary'? Men are pretty necessary!" He remarked, calmer than some of his fellows. There was an innocence to the question that made me chuckle. I turned to face the questioner and replied to him.

"Not for gods! I can cause someone to become pregnant, even a virgin. So long as one female is alive I can ensure the eventual regrowth of a population." I explained, hinting at the diversity of powers I possessed. I then turned back to Beithir with a smile on my face.

"Don't underestimate gods. I am a natural-born emperor with the ability to build buildings instantly, and so long as one woman exists, be it you or someone else, I can make full use of my powers to control your population. I could even render you immortal long enough to restore the population to this point and use my powers to make your child grow to adulthood almost instantly." I explained, making it clear that my powers allowed me to inflict a horrible fate on those I wished too.

The lizard-lady shivered when I informed her of this. I chuckled at her. She visibly deflated, sensing that her defeat was at hand now that she knew about some of the things I could do.

She looked to her companions once her, her people. There was a sadness in her gaze, and the sadder she looked the happier I did. I knew that I had won, that there wasn't a way forward for her people without me.

---

In the safety of my mind, I realized something. This constituted the third time I was about to add territory to my empire. And it felt right. I wanted to celebrate it somehow.

I wondered how I could celebrate it. But the truth was, that I knew how I wanted too. It was just something dark.

I wanted to gain more servants. And I enjoyed the evilness of the servants I had already acquired. I liked the viciousness and the violence of my undead horde, the sophisticated evil and culture of the dark elves, and the basic evil of the reptilians I had defeated.

I also liked the casual evil of Sombra, my shadowy minion. I especially liked my shadowy minion, and indeed I felt bad that the thing didn't have more of a chance to shine.

A sympathetic part of me wanted the creature to have more allies. More peers. And I knew about three types of demons, in particular, that would be well-suited to serving me. Incubi, succubi, and of course praereptor demons. And I even knew about how to learn to bring them to this world.

Internally, I whispered to my pet. I did so soothingly and kindly.

"Sombra, I have a task for you." I told the demon. I felt its energy shift and turn towards me, turning away from the drama that was unfolding between myself and Beithir.

"Oh? Master, what is it?" The demon asked, speaking energetically and eagerly. I chuckled and began to question my minion.

"I believe that it's time that we bring more of your kind into the world. Together." I declared. Before I let the creature reply, I continued to speak. I had more to say.

"I possess a number of powerful abilities and things that I can influence. Among other things I am a god of dreams, undeath, darkness, evil, and lust. I want to summon demons that are like me. I want to summon more of your kind, but I also want to summon succubi and incubi." I declared, speaking honestly.

"Oh master, are you telling me the truth? If so, what a day! A chance to serve you and to fulfill my kind's purpose at the same time? Glorious! Truly glorious!" Sombra replied, catching me off guard with the sincerity and energy it showed me.

"And you even gave me a body! With a body I can make a demonic summoning circle myself!" It almost screamed in my mind. I chuckled, and spoke softly to it once more.

"Sombra, that is your task. I shall watch and learn from you, but go ahead and build a demonic summoning circle. Just not here. Not quite yet." I remarked. I had a place I wanted to put the circle. A special place. One I was about to build.

---

I refocused on the scene in front of me and I began to do something silently.

I selected the area to my left and locked in on it. When I felt that I could do something with that area, I did the mental version of raising an arm and activated a potent power.

I silently activated my "Create building" power, and willed a large but ultimately simple building to be made out of the stones that made up the floor. Before the eyes of the gathered creatures, the stones beneath our feet began to shake.

The stones shook, and visibly changed. The gathered humanoids turned to face the source of the shaking. They watched as the stone changed and as it slowly began to rise out from the rest of the rock.

A simple structure, as plain as a wooden house but three times as large, rose up out of the ground. It was a windowless, plain place, and it suited me perfectly. It was made from onyx colored stones and rocks and thus matched the overall aesthetics of the rest of the cavern. I didn't mind that at all.

The thing continued to divinely clamber out of the floor. I watched this, excitedly, as what I was doing was creating the first-ever formalized seat of worship for myself.

I felt a surge of power flow into me, and after a second of contemplation I realized that I had gained the worship of one of the lizard-people who I had come to subjugate. And that only increased my triumphant mood further.

As the place continued to slowly climb out of the ground, I whispered a mental command to my shadowy servant. It was simple, but important.

"Sombra. Enter that building and go ahead and prepare a summoning circle." I informed my shadowy worshiper. I sensed the creature depart from my shadow and watched as some of the darkened floor at my feet became fluid and began to crawl towards the chapel I had created.

I grinned and turned back to face the creatures I was speaking too.

---

"You all are not foolish. I know in your hearts that you have already accepted my deal. I am ready to put an end to the violence. I have even given you a gift." I said, arrogantly explaining the circumstances which led to the creation of my first ever chapel.

"What you see before you is a sign of my magnanimity. I have created, for you, the first building dedicated to my worship. Because you see, what you will give me is worship, and what I will give you is a real purpose." I told them, beginning to clearly outline the terms of our peace agreement.

"I am your god now. You will worship me, and in exchange I shall grant you protection, food, a source of labor, and power." I told the assembled creatures. I let pride fill my voice and I grinned at the creatures before me.

"You all think Ygaynth is strong? I am power incarnate. And I can give you more than just the means with which to tunnel through the earth. If you come over to me, forsake your old master, I will protect you from all enemies, and I will give you more power than you could have ever dreamed." I told them, speaking to their pride as a species.

"I shall free you from your dark task of enslaving others. I shall free you from the fear of the sleeping dragon. And I will give you new work to complete. You shall become the first, but not the last of the civilizations lurking below the world that gives themselves over to me. Surrender to my power." I told them, speaking proudly and magnanimously.

I reprojected the images of the battle, showcasing what would happen to them if they continued to stand against me. They watched their companions fall to my power and saw the darkness of the coming onslaught. It served to remind them that this was time-sensitive and each second they stalled was a second they were closer to death. I didn't pretend to be kind to them.

"What do you say, little ones? Will you come and serve me, the king of darkness, the god that lurks below?" I asked, giving myself two easy to remember and grandiose titles.

I sensed magic beginning to come from within the chapel I was constructing. I could tell that in the time that I had been speaking Sombra had eagerly and expertly begun to work towards constructing that summoning circle.

Before my very eyes the reptilian creatures began to fall to their knees. They prostrated themselves before me, and as they did I smiled and instructed my horde to cease their relentless attacks. I had won, and so I began to treat my former foes with kindness.

I targeted all of the warriors who had been bold enough to stand against my servants. They were now mine and I intended to be kind to them. They had courage when many of their peers did not. I recognized that.

I channeled potent healing energy into them. I cured them of the diseases they had contracted and regrew their lost limbs. As I did, I felt many of them begin to wonder what was going on. It was an understandable confusion.

I targeted my own hordes and teleported them away. I deposited them elsewhere, scattering them amongst the endless broken tunnels situated throughout the darkened world. My speedy mind allowed me to place them safely in parts of the world below the world that were fitting for their size and body-type. And then I turned my attention back towards the reptilefolks and spoke to them.

"Come. Come to your innermost cavern. Bring your dead. The battle is over, and the time has come to establish a new order." I said, speaking ambitiously and magnanimously to the newest members of my empire.

As I said this to them, two things happened at once. The first was that my chapel stopped rising out of the stone. It was a large thing, several dozen meters tall. And the second was that I received a message from Sombra. It was an excited one.

"Master! The circle is ready." The excitable demon informed me, its voice filled with energy and enthusiasm. A part of me glanced at the chapel and felt a potent surge of magic coming out of it. I smiled and felt grateful to my servant.

It was at that moment that Beithir finished considering her circumstances. And she too knelt before me, falling to one knee and bowing her head. I chuckled and then began to laugh. The battle was over, and I had won a decisive victory.

I teleported myself into my chapel, all while shrinking down into a new and regal form. One I made on the fly and was quite proud of.

The area I appeared in when I was done teleporting was a simple space. I had an intuitive sense of what parts of a chapel were called, presumably thanks to the influence of the domain of faith, and I found myself on a pulpit on the end of a nave.

The pulpit was the space on which a speaker stood, from which services were led and the nave was the central area in which participants in the service sat and participated. I could see firm looking seats, pews, situated in the nave that allowed participants to have a place to sit.

I looked out around me out of curiosity. I could see that this chapel was focused on efficiency and as such there was no gallery for non-participants to watch any services that this place may perform. Instead the doors that led in and out of the chapel opened immediately into the massive nave of the chapel.

I looked to my right and left and saw nothing beyond the space dedicated to the pulpit. There wasn't a sacristy, a room for sacred objects or clothing, and there wasn't a vestry, a room for priests to prepare for services, either. There wasn't even any living space here. It was purely a spartan chapel which was quite intriguing to me.

Sombra was here, in her dark-elven form. And to my right was the summoning circle. I could see it because it emanated a scarlet glow and at a glance, I could see that it was made from Sombra's own rose-colored blood. The demonic dark elf look-a-like grinned sensuously at me, and I could tell that she felt lust.

She walked over to me, and so I could more readily smell the sweat on her skin, as well as the scent of another bodily fluid. I could see the cut she inflicted on herself to be able to make the circle. Droplets of her oddly floral blood were still dripping down her skin, and the scarlet liquid's scent intermingled with that of her sweat. It was darkly enticing.

I had taken on a new form, and my new form was the regally dressed form I had made that was similar to the one I used when I had a conversation with Andrea. I enjoyed it because it was a form meant to be handsome and awe-inspiring, which differed from my usual form.

When I pretended to be human, I had to hide my strength. I had to hide my capabilities. I didn't have to do that here. It was incredibly refreshing to be able to unleash my real power, or at least not have to be preoccupied with hiding it.

When Sombra stood in front of me, I studied her form for a moment. I had taken time to exquisitely craft her body, and to see it so close I felt tempted to take her into my arms. The scent of her blood, mixing with her sweat, was oddly pleasant and I couldn't tell exactly why but I suspected it was because of me and my personal tastes that I felt it smelled as pleasant as it did.

Sombra wore "clothes" fashioned from solidified darkness. I didn't make them either, so I had to suspect that this was a power she possessed. They were intriguing because it looked like someone put silhouettes of clothes onto her shapely body rather than actually dressing her.

"Master..." She whispered, breathily, in front of me. I smiled at the demon and was surprised when she wrapped her arms around me. I was considerably taller than her, in my current form anyway, and so she wrapped herself around my waist and chest.

My current form was clad in armor I had fashioned while transforming from darkness. That didn't stop my demon from hugging me tightly, and it didn't prevent the warmth of her body from reaching me either. I smiled at the creature, and knew that it was craving a reward. And a part of me felt like giving her the rewards she craved.

I was acutely aware of what she wanted. Even if I hadn't been a god of lust, I'd have been able to detect it. Her heart was hammering in her chest, there was a visible blush across her face, and she was subtly trembling. I could also feel a part of her chest harden and push against the surprisingly skin-tight armor she wore thanks to my sense of touch and the sensitivity of my skin.

I looked down at her and studied the curvature of her dark lips. She looked up at me and I watched her grin as her tongue snaked out of her mouth. It was a thick thing, as dark as the rest of her body, and she winked at me as it traced her lips before sliding back into her mouth.

It was at that moment that we were interrupted by the sound of the doors to the chapel opening. I wasn't surprised, but I did grin at my small servant who twisted her head angrily at those who dared to interrupt us. The reptilefolk who entered the temple felt the chill of the demon's glare.

"There, there... I'll properly reward you when we return to my tower." I promised, whispering temptingly into the little demon's ear. I wasn't lying either, as I realized almost instantly what a proper reward would be for her: a new class. One that tied the two of us together even more and further reinforced our relationship as master and servant.

And then I gently kissed the creature's forehead. When I did, I felt her immediately begin to calm down.

Partially as a response to the kiss, Sombra began to lean back against me. And a few seconds later, the demon entirely dissipated and faded into my shadow again. She suddenly and rather unexpectedly left me alone in front of the reptilefolks I had gathered to my side. I sighed and looked out at the gathering reptilefolk as more and more began to enter the chapel.

It took a few minutes for the reptilefolks to finish gathering into the massive space.

---

By the time the last surviving inhabitant of the connected caverns had entered the chapel, the place was overflowing. All of the pews, fashioned from solidified darkness, had been filled to their maximum capacity, and creatures were sitting on the floor as well.

I chuckled and counted that well over five hundred reptilefolks were in here. That said, in total there were well over three thousand reptilefolks in the encampment, a gigantic number and many of them were right outside of the chapel, listening to the best of their abilities to learn what was to happen to them and their families.

In total, just over 85 of the creatures had been cut down by my forces. I felt their souls within me, and in time I knew I'd need to figure out what to do with those souls.

I looked out at the crowd, and then cleared my throat. When everyone's eyes fell upon me I smiled and began to speak.

"Hello, my name is Althos. I am the new god you all serve and worship." I declared, channeling my inner pride still and using it to make it clear that I spoke the truth. I also activated one of my favorite powers, "Religious fervor", and gave the interior of the chapel a distinct blue tint.

The reptilefolks looked at me in confusion and I chuckled at them.

"I am the source of the dreadful army that you all faced. You fought for your lives bravely and boldly, and for that I am here to welcome you all into my service." I began, revealing that I was their dreadful foe. Many of them then began to glare at me, and I smiled back at them.

"I want you to know that I recognize that you are angry with me. That is fine. Just like you are angry with me, those you enslaved were angry with you. I came to you to deliver death and justice. I have done those things. Now I am offering you a new future. One which your leaders decided to pick. I am strong, and you are weak. That is the way of the world." I calmly stated, making direct eye contact with the angriest reptilefolks I could see.

"Your leaders opted to have you join my forces in one way. There was another way by which you became mine. Believe me, your leaders chose the more pleasant option" I informed the reptilians I was making eye contact with. For a second there was a murderous glare in my gaze, and I watched the anger in the lizard-people I was talking to slink back in favor of fear.

"I am a god. Gods are spirits of unfathomable power. I fought against you all not only to liberate your slaves, which I did, but also to test the power of my own minions and to begin to build my own empire." I informed the creatures I had assembled. They began to gasp when they realized that I had freed their slaves from their cruel clutches.

While they were gasping, I focused and asked a question to the domain of magic specifically.

---

"So, I want to conjure demons. I intend to conjure demons I can easily control, so probably succubi, incubi, and praereptor demons. I want them to be my enforcers in this community. How can I do that?" I asked the domain of magic.

I felt time slow to a near halt as I waited for the domain, the one that I felt was among the greatest of the domains I could influence, to reply. When the reply came, I personally felt like a minute had passed, though I knew that was impossible.

"Well... The way you're going about it is unorthodox, but if you summon a total of fifteen separate demons you'll gain the first tier of influence over the conjuration subdomain. And the subdomain has granted you access to a few mid to high ranking spells that are suitable for your intentions." The domain explained, sounding somewhat tired for some reason. Then it chuckled at me.

"You are such an odd god. Oftentimes many past deities went for magic like conjuration and evocation first, to gather personal power quickly. And here you are, coming into being possessing power over healing, and acquiring both necromancy and alteration before you acquired evocation and conjuration abilities." The domain said, amused by the odd circumstances of my life so far.

I chuckled, equally amused by the oddities that led me to this particular cavern underneath the surface of the planet. It was an odd set of circumstances to be sure, and I couldn't blame the domain for laughing. That said, I appreciated my growing magical abilities and I actually intended to use some of them here in this cavernous lair.

That said, as a god I wasn't ever just in one place, doing one thing. Even as I spoke to the domain of magic I was beginning to formulate actual schemes about how to best and most effectively influence the world around me.

The truth was, I could influence a considerable number of things already. I didn't doubt that in comparison to youthful gods of the mythic age I was probably weak but I had a number of advantages compared to them and to other creatures.

The first advantage I had compared to the gods of the past was that I was alone. I was, apparently, the only god in existence. And as far as I knew I was the only higher being in existence. So I didn't have to worry about following the rules that the gods of old bound themselves too for the sake of lessening inter-divinity conflicts, nor did I have to compete with them.

The second advantage I had was that I possessed a bizarre mishmash of powers. This included, but wasn't limited to, the fact that I was on my way to becoming an elemental overlord. I could now answer all sorts of prayers ranging from prayers for healing, to fertility prayers, to prayers for good harvests. These powers allowed me the power to be creative, and now I intended to be.

I took a deep breath and then activated my power to split my mind so that I could focus on many different things at once. I wanted to begin to observe the universe I was in more readily and more actively, now that I had secured myself my first victory against a defined enemy.

---

The sensation of splitting my mind was an admittedly odd one. It felt as though I was physically in two places at once, and I wasn't. Instead one of the "places" I was in, was the quietness of my own mind. I didn't intend to let my mind stay a quiet place though.

The second I was done splitting my consciousness, I did two things of note. The first was that I immediately activated my "domain-sense" power, but I did so fully this time. And the second was that I opened my mind to prayers and other desperate pleas to the cosmos for intervention.

With regards to domain-sense, I didn't pick a single domain or subdomain to focus on. Instead, I chose to open my eyes to all of the notifications my potent power had for me. I immediately received an almost comforting flood of notifications and alerts. I took it all in stride and absorbed the information into myself.

In doing so, I felt my mind expand considerably and for the first time, I gained a true awareness of the planet I found myself within. And that brought a smile to my face.

---

Torus was a fascinating planet. And now that I possessed influence over things like air, fire, biology, death, and other domains and subdomains I could fully appreciate the planet I found myself on.

I received an uncountable number of notifications per second, and my mind nearly instantly adjusted to allow me to make sense of the notifications. The constant flood of information became an understandable, albeit swift tide of alerts that I was able to make sense of and actually sort through.

That said this wasn't a perfect process. I still didn't know the shape of this world. I didn't know the number of continents or nations it possessed, nor did I know all of the inhabitants of the planet by name. But I possessed a wealth of information and knowledge.

The knowledge I possessed was incredibly enhanced and expanded by my choice to use my domain-sense ability. And all of that knowledge made me feel... over the moon. Positively triumphant in fact.

I gained an immediate awareness of an almost uncountable number of animals, animals located throughout the universe. These animals included bears, wolves, countless insects, and distant hordes of vermin. And with the knowledge of their existence came a quick realization: I could easily reach out and gain quintillions of worshippers throughout the universe. And that filled me with pride.

More than that though, I gained plenty of other types of awareness. I was acutely aware of the location of every poison in the universe. I was aware of the type of poison, its quantity, and its effects. I could sense poisons throughout Puerto Rico, especially underneath the Island, but poisons existed on top of Puerto Rico was well. A few vials could even be found in Comillas.

I could also sense every disease throughout the universe, and every attempt at healing diseases throughout the universe. Both of these bits of knowledge filled me with pride. After all, if I wanted too I could cure every disease. I was a bit saddened that I couldn't reach out and inflict anyone in the cosmos with a disease, but I knew that in time I'd gain the power to do so. I just had to be patient.

More fascinating bits of knowledge that I acquired through my bold decision to use domain-sense included the identity of every alchemist in the cosmos, the identity of every rebel, and every necromancer. Those bits of knowledge felt like keen gossip, that I stored away in the back of my mind. I could feel the potential of those bits of knowledge and I intended to make full use of them soon.

Despite all of the knowledge I gained in one instant I didn't just want to gain knowledge. I wanted to begin to subtly influence the world. And I knew that one way I could do that was through listening too and answering prayer. And so my mind wasn't just inundated with new knowledge, I also began to actively listen for requests for divine intervention. And those came rushing in as well.

My mind was rushed with prayers from all over the universe. I had opened my mind up to prayers as fully as I had opened it up to my domain-sense ability. And prayers and other forms of begging for intervention flooded my mind as fully as notifications related to my domains did.

I could hear all manner of requests thanks to my ability to hear prayers. I heard people pray for relief from nightmares, people pray for love or to at least satiate their carnal desires, people pray for health and dealing, and even prayers for aid in revenge. It was incredibly interesting and satisfying to sort through all the prayers that were transmitted to the cosmos. But something about it was odd.

As I sorted through more and more prayers I felt a question develop in the back of my mind. And when I read my three-hundredth prayer in a minute I decided to ask the question I had.

"How is that mortals still know to pray? Even the oldest mortals don't remember the gods and other higher beings right? How can they remember something as specific as prayer?" I asked, directing my question to the domain of faith. The domain had an immediate answer for me.

"Extraplanar beings. They are the ones who taught mortals who forgot about prayer how to pray and the importance of prayer. Every world in this universe was visited by extraplanar beings of every alignment and type in the days since the end of the mythic age. For various reasons and to varying degrees of success they taught mortals to keep praying even in a cosmos that lacked a higher being." Explained the soothing voice of the domain of faith.

I listened to this explanation and chuckled. I suppose it made sense that someone was responsible for telling mortals how to commune with the gods in an age of godlessness.

I decided to take a moment to look at the new spells I had access too. I figured I might as well use this time to familiarize myself with the new tools at my disposal. I mentally tapped on my grimoire, as eager as ever to learn about what new things I could do.

[Welcome Althos, here is your list of conjuration spells:

Portal (You can create a portal to another dimension. This spell is the first of your spells to allow for interdimensional travel.)

Summon (You can use an existing conjuring circle to summon a type of extraplanar being of your alignment, or in your case an alignment over which you have influence over. This being is a real member of their species and isn't bound to you. It can freely resist your commands, though some types of extraplanar beings will freely obey you due to your power and the domains and subdomains you have influence over.)

Create (This conjuration spell allows you to create facsimiles of things you can summon. These things serve you, and eventually, dissipate into nothingness. You can use this power to create phantom-versions of things like succubi, praereptors, and eventually, other things you'll gain the power to summon like angels.)

Soul Armament (This spell is the upgraded version of the spell that lets you summon your staff. With this spell, you can conjure armor and weapons alike from your soul. That is especially potent in your case, since you can strengthen your soul using the soul domain and souls you acquire using the variety of powers at your disposal.)]

While filtering through prayers and countless notifications the other part of my mind, the more outward-facing part, was hard at work establishing the rules of the temple I had built to myself.

---

"This chapel is one of my gifts to you. It is a neutral place where conflicts with each other are set aside and where the newest of my servants, demons, will reside." I told the gathered lizard-creatures. They looked at me in shock when I explained that I was going to bring demons to serve me. I studied their faces for a moment before opting to continue speaking.

"It is true. I can summon and tame demons. Indeed, I am already obeyed by one and I intend to one day be obeyed by many more." I explained, smiling at the stunned creatures before me. It was at that moment that I turned to circle next to me and cast a spell.

I closed my eyes, and rose my hand over the circle while mentally activating my "Summon" spell. When I did so, a new alert filled my vision.

Reading this alert was surprising to me, but it was also exciting. As I read it I began to think about the sort of demon I wanted to call to my side to be one of my agents amongst the reptilefolk. The only thing I had come in knowing ahead of time was that I wanted to summon a succubus or an incubus. I hadn't thought I'd be able to requests beyond that.

"Hmm... I suppose it'd be best if I summoned someone who I'd be able to make mine easily. So an impressionable demon with a bit of loyalty... For a demon anyway." I remarked. I wanted someone who'd be an inquisitor of mine, an agent I could trust who'd want to see my will enforced and who would cow the reptilefolk into fearing me and my powers.

I paused and considered what else I wanted in a demonic follower. This ultimately led me to think about what sort of a cult I wanted to develop amongst the reptilefolks.

"Hmm... I have a good cult with the goblins, so I suppose this ought to be an evil cult? Balance." I thought, chuckling. "But what does that constitute? Logically, I could incorporate the summoning circle into my worship, and have the summoning of demons be a part of my faith, but what else?" I asked myself. I spent several moments in silence considering what to say next.

And that was when I realized what I wanted. And it brought a smile to my face. I immediately began composing a message to the system, annoyed that I wouldn't be summoning my first inquisitor just yet. But in the end, what I was about to summon was worth waiting a moment to acquire an inquisitor.

"I want a succubus who has as pious a personality as possible. I will make her into the highest priestess of a culture of necromancy and demon-worship. I will make her into a cleric of mine and give her the necromancer class as well so that she can become an extremely skilled necromancer." I told the system, opting to change my focus for now.

[Understood. We have the perfect candidate. Summoning her in 3... 2... 1...] The system replied right as the summoning circle began to emit ruby-colored smoke. The smoke continued to flow out of the circle for a few moments while an undeniably feminine silhouette appeared within it.

I could see through the smoke and I was impressed at what I saw. Standing in the center of the circle stood a naked woman about one and a half meters tall with silver skin, huge horns jutting out of her head, a sinful smile pursued on her lips, and slender hands on her waist. She had a tempting figure, and I could detect lust radiating out of her.

She looked out in front of the circle and was fixated on the reptilefolks that looked at the circle in awe. I could tell by the way she gazed at them that a part of her was enjoying the attention. In fairness to her, the suddenness of the circle flaring to life had done a good deal to distract from me and my general presence.

It took the smoke a few moments to dissipate and reveal the succubus in all of her unearthly beauty to the reptilians who stood before her. When it did, she gazed at them a few moments longer before turning to me and bowing low, exposing her ass to the gathered lizard-people.

"Hello Althos. My name is Lilim. Allow me to pledge myself to you, and to be the first of my kind to pledge myself to you as your faithful servant. Do with me as you wish, oh dark lord of lust and dreams." She uttered, speaking my name and the title she had chosen for me with genuine reverence.

I was taken a bit aback by this but I was also pleasantly surprised. I didn't entirely trust the beautiful succubus, but the fact that she knew about me was convenient.

[She is telling the truth. She was the person that the spell chose, she knows about you because she was informed by me, about you and what you are. If you can grant her power, she'll be yours.] The system explained, causing me to smile.

"Ambition huh? I like it. Easily manipulable, unscrupulous, and direct. Easy to work with." I muttered, speaking the truth. I found people with pride easy to deal with and convenient allies to make. I suspected that the beautiful succubus and I would get along famously.

"Welcome to my service Lilim. I am more than happy to accept you into my church." I told her, grinning all the while. I was also speaking the truth and I was genuinely happy to have acquired my very first succubi servant.