I LOVE DWARVES

Year 75

When I open my eyes only a year has passed. No one is around so I decide to install the Dungeon Hearts but the one I was holding has disappeared. I have a suspicion it's an impatient Dwarf that goes by the name DaVinci. It doesn't take me long the find what he's done with it.

DaVinci fused it with the Mana tree. There was now a great door on its face with a pedestal next to it. For entry any participant could use the pedestal to view their skills, stats, and magic so as to provide the right level of challenge for parties. It's a small glimpse of my omniscience power that they can use.

Since they seem to be doing fine, I take it upon myself to hide the remaining Dungeons. I leave a note on the door of the Mana Tree challenging them to come find them. I'll hide one in each Kingdom of Eldaria for now.

I hide one in the chasm of the Aether Forge. One in a great lake in Avalon. I hide the third in far southern reaches of the Erebus Desert. The fourth I hide in the ocean off our eastern shores of Shangri-la. I do it mostly to spite the Dwarves for sneaking my Dungeon Heart.

As a side effect of creating the Dungeon Heart system, I made a Job System. The Job System works similar to the Mana System. It assesses who someone is and their capabilities and talents, then assigns their best suited job. Warrior, Mage, Healer, Ranger and even things like Armorer and Inventor for the Dwarves. Armorer Dwarves specialize in creating equipment while Inventors... well they invent things. I'm sure more will pop up as we grow.

Since Bestowing Knowledge doesn't cause me to time jump, I'm going to make a vast Library of Lost Human Knowledge. It'll be filled with all the Knowledge of Humans I think will help all my children far into the future.

I've left plans to establish an economy based around the Dungeons with Aurelius. I want to stimulate growth. I gathered a vast amount of gold and silver from the chasm in El Dorado with instructions to mint two different sets of coins. Ten silver coins will equal a gold coin. Defeating a floor on a Dungeon rewards a silver per floor increase in reward. Beating the Boss rewards each winning challenger a gold coin. They can also use it to pay the Dwarves for their equipment, labor, and inventions. 

As I finish up the books, I can't help but wonder why the human's Watcher never guided them this way. It cost me nothing to do. All our holy text were surely written by humans to control the masses. They contained barely anything useful for survival or advancement. Just empty words and promises.

I've left instructions for an Academy to be built on the large island just off the shore of Shangri-la. I dared the Dwarves to impress me if they can. I like to rile them up. I'm going to claim El Dorado as the Holy Capital for the Dwarves. I imagine it'll be another eight years gone in a flash.

When I opened my eyes again it had indeed been eight years but as I exited the Aether Forge a great fortress has been built in front of the cave. The Dwarves took heavy inspiration from the halls of the Alhambra that once stood in Spain for its design. It was majestic and impressive as I'd expect of Dwarves. I quickly teleported to Shangri-la to see its changes. The city did not disappoint, I love Dwarves. A massive palace in the trees resembling the once great Taj Mahal was built high in the trees. All the architecture of the city had a similar look and feel to it as well. It has been 84 years now since I restarted the world. The Elves and Dwarves had developed at such a quick pace, it almost frightened me. A mighty bridge had begun construction across the Dragonspine and my island Academy had been completed. The Academy looked like a cut and paste of Mozna Castle from old Bohemia. It had over four hundred dorms split into four dorm houses: Lion, Bear, Eagle, and Wolf. A banner bearing the head of each creature flew outside its respective house. It was much too large for the current population, but it was exactly as I imagined it to be.

I was ecstatic and impressed as always with my children. After missing so much I decided to just live my days out with my children. The next six hundred years were filled with peace and prosperity. Everything was perfect, or at least I thought it was. The passing of all my first children was hard for me, most especially losing DaVinci and then later Aurelius. It was at Aurelius's funeral that everything changed. Distraught with grief I left my children to clear my head. They had advanced quickly and since no hidden enemy had ever appeared I felt they were safe without me for a spell.

I soon discovered how wrong I was. As I visited with each of my mythical beasts, I eventually found my way back to the great empty ocean. Calypso was the last beast I had to visit but I couldn't find her immediately. I ventured further and further until I found her visibly upset.

Father, I have found something upsetting. 

She spoke directly into my mind, and I was impressed with her evolution.

What it is sweet Calypso?

I looked to her warmly.

An unknown land mass appeared

A pit grew in my stomach. In 700 years, I had never felt sick before now. I knew something was wrong. I designed this world there should be no unknown land.

Take me to this land Calypso. I must see it for myself.

*****

Alexander

Alexander by the age of thirty-two had become the Great King General while he built the vast Macedonian Empire. He had served on the frontlines with his elite military since he was sixteen years old, the day he became a man by killing his father and taking his throne for himself. All he'd ever known was death, killing, war... and he was the best at it all.

Macedonia was just a small Kingdom when he was a child. His father the previous King excelled at very little while running the Kingdom and he never had a mind for strategies or war. He was a weak man and Alexander smiled and laughed as he gutted the man with his own sword.

In sixteen years, Alexander built a mighty Empire out of his father's small kingdom. He conquered and he absorbed territory after territory until he grew bored with it all.

That was until he was informed of a planet similar to the earth. He initiated a top-secret project in his Empire to build a colony ship to reach the planet. He named it Atlantis.

He then formed a list of every citizen in his empire who had great talent. From old teachers like Aristotle to the 4th sons and 3rd daughters of his nobles and top generals and all their houses. He even gave any commoners within his land the same treatment. Anyone with promising talent. He snatched them all up and brought them to his ocean city Atlantis. They all arrived for a great banquet and the unveiling of his new capital city. It was a prestigious offer but not for just anyone, it was by invitation only. The looks upon the faces of the trash he left behind... he only wished could have seen it.

Only his most trusted officers new the truth. Atlantis was a colony ship disguised as a floating city. He would bring only a thousand of the brightest talents and take this new world for himself. The trash could have the earth.

Alexander had a mighty Empire that stretched from the British Isles to the sand of Egypt. Any kingdom that grabbed his fancy but who needed a small Empire when you could have an entire world. It was supposed to be the greatest strategy he ever pulled off. His only regret was that he'd never live long enough to see the true fruits of his labor.

However, once they initiated the jump for the planet, they found themselves surround by only the darkness of space. Their engines had stalled and then after some time the Numerian appeared.

A woman in a dark cloak and hidden face, at least that is what Alexander assumed from the feminine monotone voice that called out from under the hood, "Alexander Macedon... would you like to be a god?"

He thought she was insane. Some crazed space witch. He looked to Hephaestion, "Just kill her I have time for this."

Hephaestion fired upon the witch, but his rifle could not harm her, and all physical attacks proved pointless. She remained calm like an emotionless robot in flesh. He eventually gave up trying to fight her.

"Satisfied? Oh, Great General... care to hear me out?" She asked coldly.

Alexander hung his head a bit annoyed but currently at a loss on how to handle the witch. "Fine speak your peace."

"Your home and your gods are all dead and gone," she paused to wait out the whispers and gasping. "Wiped from existence a few thousand years after your departure."

Alexander laughed. This witch must be speaking nonsense. They had only been gone from earth for a few months at best, "and you expect me to believe that?"

"Alexander where do you think you are at this moment?"

"Aboard the Atlantis somewhere in the far reaches of space," Alexander grew weary of this.

"You are incorrect and at the same time correct," she spoke in riddles that annoyed Alexander, "You are in a place where space and time fold over and into one another. Both all time and no time are happening at this moment in this space."

Alexander was a bright man. He had been tutored by the great Aristotle and had rarely known defeat at the hand of any man. If he had not known the theory applied to their jump drive, he would have continued to think these words lies, but he knew the answer that solved far reaching space travel. You had to fold space and time onto itself with extreme precision.

"Am I supposed to take you for a god then?" He looked at her from underneath the brim of his hat. His pristine white military uniform mixed with his handsome face almost made him appear angelic and pure.

The hooded woman remained to stand their calmly, unflinching, "Your people have referred to us as such in the past. We are merely the Watchers of Men. We watch civilizations grow and build. We try to help advance civilizations and keep them on track."

Her words showed so little emotion it was difficult for Alexander to get a feel for her intentions, "What happened to the Earth?"

" 3363 years after you left a General Julius Draken, also known as the Mad Dog General, detonated a chain reaction of seventy-seven nuclear bombs which resulted in the complete incineration of Earth and all 11 billion human inhabitants. As well as three of our Watchers," her responses were all clear and to the point. It did not even seem to Alexander that she had any feelings about her dead people.

He scoffed at her, "If the Earth is gone what shall I be God of the dust and darkness?"

"The Earth is back to its beginning Alexander. All time is now, here. Your chosen people here on this ship will reclaim the Earth with you as their God and leader. You will be given an immortal body which only Julius or a similar scale nuclear explosion could harm." She continued to explain calmly, "As his people have already claimed all the lands with their head start, we shall raise an acceptable land mass for you."

"How much of a head start?" He asked.

"If you agree to our terms now, we can have you arrive in the year 600."

"Can you raise the borders of my former empire; from the British Isles to the Red Sea?" He was finally becoming intrigued. Alexander had been becoming bored while aboard the ship. There is only so much drinking and fucking one can do before the coldness of space and the lust for blood starts to get to you.

"That is acceptable."

Alexander could hardly believe the woman yet for some strange reason he did. She was offering him a solution to his only regret. He may get to be God now on a world untouched by humans. His starting army was small but all full of promising talents.

His opponent was however an unknown factor. "What can you tell me of this Mad Dog, incinerator of Earth?"

"The rules do not permit me to reveal much. He has a small but growing population of two peoples. They are not humans. They are called the Elves and the Dwarves."

Alexander couldn't hold in his laughter. A few of his officers snickered behind him as well. The man who destroyed the world replaced it with fairies. It was so obscene that he doubted her no more. No one would make up a lie so outlandish and he had learned that life had a way of being stranger than the imagination.

"And the other rules?" He asked.

"The object of this game is simple. Your opposing ideologies will compete for control of the planet. You are only allowed to guide and instruct your people. You will be given a set number of powers you can use to help guide them however please keep in mind that use of powers will put you in a rest period."

"And what are our opposing ideologies?" He asked as the gears in his head began to turn.

"The Mad Dog Watcher believes humans are evil and should be exterminated. He believes he has been successful. I assume you believe the opposite?"

Alexander heard her words but only the ones he liked. He assumed he could ignore the rules once he was given the power of a God and who could stop him then, "Then make me a God and raise my Holy Empire once again."

The woman bowed slightly, "I will return when we are ready for you." She disappeared as quickly as she had appeared on their command bridge.

Alexander looked to Hephaestion, "Make sure this information never leaves this bridge."

"What it is you plan to do brother?" Cleopatra asked him as she slyly wrapped herself around his arm playfully.

"We will not tell the people the truth. We will tell them we arrived at the new planet of Alexandria as planned. We will populate the land and build a mighty army. One to rival our old." He answered her. "Hephaestion, Cleopatra, all the world will be ours just as we planned."

"You mean it will be yours, brother. One day we will grow old and pass as humans do," her words were bitter and stung Alexander's ears. He did not wish to think of it.

There were only two people Alexander loved and cherished, they were Cleopatra and Hephaestion. Cleopatra was his only sister and the last of his family. He shared a special and unnatural love for the girl. Alexander was thought to be a queer man for he showed his love and affection for Hephaestion publicly. However, of the three wives he took he showed none. Everyone assumed it was Hephaestion he spent his nights with away from his wives, but it was really Cleopatra. He and Hephaestion shared lust with one another, both of the skin and of battle.

Yet it was Cleopatra that Alexander was madly infatuated with. She had no shortage of potential suitors from powerful families, but Alexander never permitted her to marry. Cleopatra's beauty knew no equal in the world so she was desired by all but that just made Alexander want her for himself all the more.

At first, she had resisted him, but he had always loved a challenge and knew not the meaning of no. When she was but fourteen, he came onto her in a drunken fit. She protested, she fought, she cried out, but with her father dead and Alexander as King, no one would save her.

As the years went on, she became numb to it all and grew to accept it. She let it turn her dark inside, almost as dark as Alexander himself. Like any girl given to a man by their father she had become her brother's possession. A toy to be used at his pleasure. It was a common fate for a woman.

"I will be God. I will find a way to extend your lives before we march on the fairies. You and Hephaestion can sleep in the cryo chambers until then." Alexander tried to assure his sister that he would take care of her as he always had.

"Alexander I am already too old," she protested, "my beauty is already fading from me I'm not fit for a god." She flattered him but she really only wanted her youth back, if Alexander was to be God, he surely could give it.

"I will figure it all out my dear sister. For now, I must focus on this Mad Dog who has stolen the Earth," he assured her as he changed the subject.

"What do you make of him sir?" Hephaestion asked.

"I assume he has some mind for strategy, or he never could've destroyed the world. That's not something a man can pull off alone. He would've needed to masterfully work his way up a military career for decades to be put in the position to pull that off. The Mad Dog General who wiped out the world." Alexander rose from the command seat and took Cleopatra's hand, "I'm excited for this opportunity to face this General of the Earth's future. The man who killed 11 billion people. I hope he doesn't bore me. I'll have to thank him for making me a God."

Cleopatra giggled as Alexander lead her to his quarters. She knew he desired the pleasure of her company and for now, until she got what she wanted, she would continue to be his toy.