133 - The First Age

GOD REALM

"... and as such, I find it imperative for you lot to affect the world in this inconspicuous ways". Erizos had just gone through a long-winded speech about the intricacies of leading the mortals.

"For the first three true races, the choice of which god will lead and guide them is very obvious. But this doesn't mean the others will be any less affected by this. Each of you will have a race or maybe even the same race to lead. You do not need to worry about all this." he halted there before his tone turned dire and his aura became menacing.

It was a part of Erizos that they had not seen, even when the Eldritch had attacked Erizos had fought it on the terraforming surface of Merrenok while they were above. When the Sentient Order had been fought only Tepes and a few Eternals witnessed it.

The gods had yet to see their father in combat except for Gerasmine.

Yet before they could ponder on why his aura had changed he spoke.

"There are rules that will be kept no matter what. Rules that no matter who breaks them will be punished. " his eye went from one god to the other burning his gaze into them.

"The first and the most important of all. A god can't kill another god". he looked at all of them slowly.

" You can teach your followers your doctrines, establish your faith as you wish. But you can't and will not intervene with mortals unless asked. Remember that whatever you teach will be the building blocks of not just their faith but also their ways.

"Once everyone has a major race to guide then the lesser races will be opened to their influence."

He looked straight to Velces as his next words came. " One piece of advice. Delegate".

No one knew what he even meant and they didn't have time to find out either.

********

MERRENOK

Nuknuk watched the three newest races interact with the land in totally unexpected ways.

One of the races intrigued him, the other only brought fright to him, and the last. Well if Nuknuk had a shred of respect for anything existing in this world then it went to the last race

The First race was to be considered the incarnation of pride. Behemoths of greed and the Apex predators of any and most universe. The most common creature yet one so revered Dragons.

These beasts at first had been just twenty eggs, but now hatched and grown they towered up and disturbed Merrenok with their presence and roars.

The next creatures were the fewest of them. This one had Nuknuk's respect. A feat unachievable without even meeting the world tree.

They were as silent as the night, calm as an early morning breeze, and wise beyond their time. Yet they had one solid problem.

Their body size. True leviathans that feared to move in the advent of causing a catastrophe these Burdened lions took to staying in one solitary habitat.

Their manes longer and thicker than the canopy of a forest, able to adapt to the element of their environment, and their sizes at full-grown stages comparable to islands. Immensely powerful creatures yet docile and humble to a fault.

The Last race was the ... Nuknuk didn't have a word to emphasize them with.

A complicated mashup of Ent, Titan, and pure magic. They stood taller than the trees of Merrenok. Its full body was a bulk of wood and leaves, runes and metals, as well crystals and vines. A normal humanoid shape. Six eyes littered its face glowing golden green designed into a star with the last on its forehead. (Picture in comment)

But it wasn't exactly the features that made them special but their system. Each of the living fifty was based on a rule. Their hearts each a block of varied colored rhizome gems the size of a man's Fist.

Soul Crest, they were called. This race was a powerful lifeform called The Olden.

While the dragons had their breath, size, and high affinity to magic and the Burdened Lions held on to the rulerunes of the elements it was the Olden who forged a path with their soul crests by using soul magic.

So began The First Age.

*********

Quintapazurri was all smiles as she stood there in her beautiful skin. Her trunk or branch-like arm creaked as she moved it. Her leaves rustled as she swayed.

She felt giddy and excited. Like she was on an adventure.

Erizos had sent her to guide the Oldens because she was the wisest of all her siblings. Teaching would not be hard for her plus impacting needful information to them would be productive.

Her personal mission though was finally getting to meet this soul crests bearers up close. Father had shooed her and Calharra away when making them. Saying it was a once-only deal and he didn't need any of the gods getting the idea.

'Pfft. Like it mattered' he shouldn't have sent her then if he wanted that.

The girl unbothered by this focused on the major problem. Unlike the other two races who were scattered so could be steadily approached the Oldens had formed a tight-knit community.

As the only active beings on this continent apart from the animals and others, of course, the Oldens had each taken a territory for themselves. So now she had to find one of these Oldens and worm her way into his or her life without exposing her initial identity as a goddess.

It would be too early.

As her legs tapped the floor a sight caught her eye, one that made the goddess roll an eye before looking up to the skies.

"Way to go dad. Perfect damsel in distress scene. Or is it Hunk in distress".

To the corners of Merrenok, two more such scenes were playing out with a two-headed dragon lamenting his lack of ideas while a female her green hair billowing in the wind sat atop a Burdened Lion's shoulder and just conversing like old buddies.

Yes. Gerasmine wasn't one to play by the normal rules while Pyrkam was still bothered about his lack of five heads. He felt like his pride had taken a hit.

Yet a certain tree confused by what it was seeing finally acted. For the first time in the past eight hundred years, it had stayed motionless physically at least, its roots moved to uproot a bit before burrowing deep into the grounds.

'Whoever you three are, you won't be able to harm those little ones'.

Gods or not. Nothing could escape Nuknuk's watch. The poor world tree could sense the danger this three exuded especially the green-haired one. He had to act.