THEOS

The three of them plus the griffin struggled in their metal bonds as they were dragged towards the earth, and then pulled in. The ground parting inches from their skin, as darkness engulfed their senses.

“This is where you will stay.” Said Sophia as they emerged into the light seconds later.

This looks… high tech. Thought Luke, blinking the spots out of his eyes as they adjusted to the sudden brightness. Definitely a change from all the marble, wood, and bricks everyone else uses.

The floors and walls were made of a silvery metal, and strips along the edges casted a clinical white light into the room. One end of the room opened up to an artificial grassland where, as promised, ten elephant sized bull-like sheep were grazing. Idly staring at the new entries with bits of grass in their mouths, and sharp horns glinting ominously in the light. Promising a skewering to whoever came close.

Along one wall were shelves, stocked with all manner of books, scrolls, and bottles. Along the opposite wall an assortment of dumbells and other workout equipment. A row of three large beds were nestled deep into the room, in a dimly lit portion of the room, a fair distance away from the openeing with the sheep.

“I’m assuming you three have manasinks already?” Sophia asked, as she walked into the grassland. Briefly glancing at them, her lone eye expertly found the ring on Luke’s finger before darting to Rex and then Nel. “Good.” She nodded. “The sheep are trained, and there’s a machine that will milk them. All of them are in the Warrior-tier, so if you’re a mortal, don’t drink too much.” She turned back and eyed Luke and Rex. “And once you do drink it, make sure you burn the mana off by using the weights in the corner or something. Don’t drink more than half a cup, and you should already know not to cultivate the mana manually.” She advised them. “Agnella, you can drink all you want. It won’t be as beneficial for you as it is for them, but mana is mana. One of the sheep, that big black one actually, is at the peak of the Warrior-tier, so if you drink its milk, it should give you some benefit. What else…”

Drink milk? Does it have mana in it?

“We can cultivate with milk?” Rex asked, for once seeming equally as clueless as Luke.

“Not just any milk. My sheep are special.” Sophia beamed. “Cyclops of ages past have bred them specifically for cultivation. I had to give them a special regime of potions, and –” She shook her hand through the air. “It doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that their milk has mana and putting the mana in the milk is a labor of decades. Especially to get it to the right quality and density. At my level, what they make now isn’t exactly useful, but if the baby sheep drink the milk of the elder sheep, they get stronger faster, and hopefully within the next century or so, I’ll have a flock of a dozen Hero-tier sheep.”

So the milk does have mana. And warrior tier mana at the sound of it… that’s good. Really good. If it’s anything like the monster I killed earlier, then I’ll have to be careful, but this could take me to the peak.

“Lady Sophia, I thank you but–”

She cut Nel off with a wave of her hand. “I know what you want to say. I get it. Being imprisoned isn’t any fun, even if the box you're in is a really nice one. Cyzicus has told me about this woman before, and I’ve learnt a few things about her myself. I know first hand how many of your brothers, and cousins she’s killed, and I know how hard it was for your Grandfather. To have his enemies kill his own family, and not be able to do anything about it. It nearly broke him.” She sighed. “He spent a decade hunting her, but she was always too slippery, and with the Tides, he could never be too far from the Capital. At the Mortal-tier, and even the Warrior-tier, battles are easy. Two opponents face off, and the weaker one dies. At the Hero-tier– things are different. Any cultivator at that level worth their salt isn’t easily cornered. We have too many ways to run. To hide, and remain hidden. It’s… If a hero doesn’t want to die, it’s nearly impossible for another one to kill them.”

“Then how does he plan on killing her now?” Nel frowned.

She grinned. “Well, unfortunately for her, she can’t leave the Island. Emperors are the only ones that can teleport in and out undetected, and she isn’t one. If she tries, that crazy lady, Arke, will kill her. Like she’s done with anyone else who’s tried. There’s some kind of ward around the archipelago and each island, and it alerts her when anyone crosses. Which means she’s trapped. And with two cultivators of similar strength hunting her…” She chuckled. “There’s not a chance of her leaving alive.”

“Oh…”

“Indeed. As annoying as it has been having that winged-bitch on the island, I guess it had some unexpected benefits.”

“That winged-lady, why does everyone hate her?” Luke asked, seizing the opportunity to ask the one question that had been bugging him for a long time.

“HAH. She’s an Olympian now which is bad in and of itself, but before that she was an Othryian. There’s nothing worse than being an Othryian.” The cyclops said, her hands balling themselves into a white knuckled fist.

“That doesn’t mean much to me.” Luke confessed.

Titans versus Gods, obviously I've heard of it, but how much is the same and how much is different? Troy is real, and Spiros might be Paris. Even Cyzicus and Arke could be mythological figures as far as I know. Does that mean that Zeus and Poseidon are brothers. What about Hades? Cyzicus mentioned him, but how does a God of Death factor into things? Was Aeolus some kind of death god, or is control over souls something you just get once you cultivate high enough? Like a warrior being able to fly. There’s still too much I don’t know, and no good way to find out.

“I’d be surprised if a young one like you did know, and you’re much too weak to have a reason to know any of this anyhow.” She stretched out her arm, and on cue a single sheep broke free from the crowd, and trotted towards her. “Othrys was the home of the Titans, and Othryian is what they called themselves. They were a band of gods that ruled Theos for ages. It was a dark time. They were cruel. They butchered mortals like they did chickens and pigs. Their degeneracy knew no depths, and their greed knew no heights. They inspired hate, were careless with their power, and…” She trailed off. A dark look in her eye, and her face set into a deep frown. “It doesn’t matter. When you live like they did, justice comes to you. No matter how powerful you are. There’s no one in this world that is truly invincible, and they learned that the hard way. After they fell, the Olympians took over, and things have generally been better. They're still assholes, mind you, but Zeus won’t kill millions because he tasted some bad wine, and if someone does act out, he’ll get off his ass and deliver some justice. At the very least, the Council is good at keeping each other's worst impulses at bay. That’s about all you need to know.”

So not too different from the tale I know. There seems to be less baby eating at the least.

Why couldn’t there just be a library somewhere that I could just read this all in. It would make life so much easier. At least then I would know what I should know and what I shouldn’t.

“As for Arke in particular, her actions aren’t in good form. She’s far stronger than anyone on the archipelago, and using strength to twist everyone's arms into compliance is what the Titanomachy was fought for. To see her act like this…” She shook her head. “It’s not what anyone wants to see. Mind you, she hasn’t done anything too egregious. I’ve heard rumors of what she’s been doing to the Possessors, but those folk chose to be cursed anyhow, and only a fool will try and fight for them.”

Isn’t that what Cyzicus got blasted for?

“How long are you going to keep us here?” Rex broke Luke out of his musings.

“Until she’s dead.” She cupped her chin. “With me and Cyzicus working together, that should take about… a week? Maybe two?”

Luke sighed in relief. A week or two in a bunker while the war sorts itself out, isn’t bad. Not bad at all actually.

“Worst case scenario… we die, and you can leave when one of you becomes a Hero, and figures out how to dismantle my wards.

What?

“But that’s unlikely. With Cyzicus and me working together, and Arke keeping her from fleeing the island… there’s little to no chance that she’s able to pull her tricks like last time.”

“Let’s say you and Grandfather fail? How would I get out of here?” Nel asked.

“It won’t be hard.” She assured her. “The wards aren’t meant to keep friends in, they’re meant to keep enemies out. You’ll be able to feel them as soon as you ascend. Quite frankly, if Cyzicus thinks you have the ability to ascend to the Hero-tier, your chances are better here, than nearly anywhere else on this island. There are people who would give me their first-born for what I’m giving you. Take what you can from it, I’m not so generous that I’d let you back in here again when you inevitably realize what exactly you're getting.”

“Very well.” Nel bowed down. “I thank you for your kindness, and I wish you and Grandfather the best in your battle against the Rebel… and in your marital pursuits.”

Sophia smiled softly, slapping the sheep gently, and watching it as it wandered away. “So formal.” She shook her head. “I can see what Cyzicus sees in you, you have some potential girl. Not just to the Hero-tier but beyond.” Her eyes briefly darted over Luke and Rex. “You two aren't bad either.”

“Aren’t bad?” Rex muttered under his breath. Just loud enough for everyone to hear with their enhanced senses.

I’ll take it. Who the fuck wants to be overtly special in this world. I already have one god-killing asshole after me, and I could definitely do without anyone else thinking the same.

“I’m afraid I should get going. The faster I deal with this would be usurper, the faster I can have you lot out of my home.” She lifted her hand, wiggled her fingers, and disappeared.

“So…” Luke said, looking between the two siblings. “Who wants to try sheep milk, and do you think she has cookies?”

“Why would she have cookies?”

“You don’t like cookies?”

“I like cookies, I just don’t see why a cyclops would have them lying around.”

“Hey, watch your tone. That ‘cyclops’.” Luke made some air quotes, “is your New Grandmother, a Hero, and an Empress.”

Rex stared at him blankly. “Just because she might get married to Gramps, doesn’t make her my Grandma.”

“Well actually. It kind of does.” Nel said, walking toward the sheep. “You know how Grandfather is, he’ll insist on it. Family is important to him.”

Rex frowned, and walked after her. Choosing not to say anything.

“Have you guys heard of this special milk before?” Luke asked, following after them.

“No.”

“Yes.” Nel said. “...Kind of. I’ve heard of special techniques that imbue parts of animals and plants with mana. Some animals do it naturally, and others can be made to. The Apples from the Evening Garden are supposed to be like that. There are some snakes that imbue their venom too, but that’s less useful.”

“Huh. So how do we do this?” Luke asked as they gathered around a sheep. All three of them craned their necks, and watched it chew.

Rex bent down on his knees, and looked underneath it.

“What are you doing? You don’t even have a bucket.” Luke quirked his eyebrow.

“I’ll just use my mouth.”

The fuck? There’s supposed to be a machine that does this, isn’t there. What’s he thinking?

“Baa.” It leapt over their heads, and darted away.

Yeah, I would run too. Luke thought, his eyes briefly meeting Nel’s. Both their gazes filled with revulsion.