Overpowered Wizard

Ezda felt excited by her new god’s interest in local lore. “There is, of course, the fear of corruption by tangling with the corrupted goblins at Grimrock. There is also the evil human city between us and the foot of the Grimrock Castle Mountains. This city is a favored servant of Carrowmore and known as Crossdeath.”

“Oh, ho, ho, ho! This sounds like fun! I think I’ve read up on Crossdeath a little. We even tangled with some of their spies and whatnot. But I didn’t delve too deep.” The alpha elder god smiled sharply, like a gnoll in human form. “Now my friends can see what it’s like to be more among my side of the alignments.”

“We’re all in the freedom alignment, darn it,” Gilbert drawled.

“Just saying. It can be a solid practice run for Carrowmore.” The alpha elder god shrugged before waving for Ezda to continue.

“It is indeed a great meeting point for many evil aligned beings other than humans, and it is untouchable to us Blood Prairie Savages,” Ezda said. “Perhaps if we can maneuver wisely around Crossdeath, and you can somehow convince Shadowfell to spare us from corruption, my gnolls can accompany you to Castle Grimrock.”

The alpha elder god shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. Only the five of us and our summons will head into Grimrock. I don’t want you tangled up with the issues we’re going to face over there.”

Ezda felt sad suddenly.

Her new god reached out and gripped her shoulder. He looked deep into her eyes and made her feel like the center of his great attention. “I need you, Ezda, and your best gnolls staged near Ride-or-Die Village. We still have our Mythical Regional Event on pause there, and that can start at any moment.”

“But if you go too far, your event would end with forfeiture,” Ezda said, stuck on the spot by the intensity of Zarian’s look.

Ezda nodded. She enjoyed the hold he had on her shoulder until he pulled back. Then she looked up at the porous holes filled with bone scaffoldings and ropes made of woven grass that made up the upper levels in the cavernous section of the skull stronghold.

She led them toward the manual lift where some of their strongest laborers waited by the wheel. A gnoll crafter had already done maintenance on the rope pulleys. A sturdy elevator platform waited on the ground for them already.

Along the way, they passed by large holes where the voices of hundreds of thousands of gnolls and their many, many pups resonated up from the caverns far below. There were many more gnolls than just this spread out across more territories the Blood Prairies Savages held.

The alpha elder god stopped to look down into the dark hole.

“Damn, there’s a lot of you,” Zarian said. “I guess I see why the Eternal Garden Kingdom was so afraid to upset you. At any moment, you could’ve wiped them out.”

Ezda looked around at the wide-eyed and nervous gnolls following on the flanks. MagMag seemed to behave herself, but she still had a look of defiance in her eyes.

Ezda decided to divulge some secret knowledge long passed down her ancestral line to her. “My alpha, it is unwise to do such a thing against the humans regardless of our power over them. Or we would enrage your mentor.”

The frankness of his open shock and curiosity spurned Ezda to explain more. “Ruvaria the Genocider killed all the orcs except for Ogrul, who she left for reasons we don’t understand. It would’ve been simple for her to do the same to our ancestors. Instead, she spared us under the condition we will not commit genocide. The human kingdoms were never under the threat of total annihilation.”

After some silence, the alpha elder god burst out into loud laughter.

Ezda grew curious and dared to ask, “Why laugh, my alpha?”

“Whenever I seem to think I grasp the depths of my dear teacher’s wickedness, I learn she can go further and further.” The alpha elder god laughed and laughed some more.

Eventually, he recomposed himself and explained further. “I don’t think you are to blame for the kingdom’s misfortunes. In fact, I think you’re a tool of Ruvaria to keep humans from being annoying and uppity.”

“No,” Ezda said, breathless.

“Yup!” he cheered. “She could’ve threatened you to stay out of human lands. She didn’t. She just wanted you to avoid outright genocide. In my head, that means she doesn’t mind you culling the humans with your raids as long as you don’t push too hard.”

“It sounds like she used the gnolls to conduct population control on the humans,” Hannah said, piecing it all together.

Ezda was flabbergasted.

Looking around, she saw the same surprise on the faces of the other gnolls. It was almost heartbreaking. If this was all true, then it would mean they were mere tools of Ruvaria the Genocider, and her grip upon them was greater than anyone could predict.

“Oh woe, Carrowmore,” an elder said. “Ruvaria the Genocider is too cunning and powerful to let that wicked city out of her sight if she truly has control over us after so many years.”

“Yeah, I’ve actually thought about that. She’s like the most good aligned villainess anyone could ever meet in the Lesser Worlds, right?” The alpha elder god said. “I was thinking Carrowmore was untouchable, but maybe it isn’t. Then again, she’s working on redemption, so maybe she’ll move on.”

Ezda doubted that. What did it mean for a good-aligned elf villain to find redemption? Nonetheless, Ezda tried to steer the conversation to matters that dealt with the Blood Prairie Savages.

“Down there at the bottommost caverns amid the blood pits and birthing sanctuaries, we shall hold the blood rites.” Ezda smiled softly. “And in honor of you, Alpha Elder Zarian, I will sacrifice myself so my blood will be of the highest quality for your blood rites.”

“Yeah, no.”

“No?”

“You won’t sacrifice yourself. Just get blood from some powerful monster or whatever.”

Ezda was stunned.

MagMag took advantage. “I denounce you! You are not my new god! I refuse to join the freedom alignment! You are all heretics and heathens for turning your back on Evil God Killall!”

Ezda’s shock sparked into a rage like no other. MagMag, you wretch! You dare embarrass us in front of our new god and his chosen ones!

Ezda didn’t care if her human form was weaker. She would strike MagMag dead!

But the alpha elder god had already crossed the distance before Ezda could act upon her murderous inclinations. He stood in front of MagMag, and for a moment, Ezda thought MagMag would become the sacrifice for their new god’s blood rites.

“There. There. Change is hard. And you are scared. But I bet Killall never did this.” The alpha elder god hovered up and gave MagMag pats to her head.

Everyone froze. Even Ezda. She felt extremely jealous suddenly.

Elders didn’t get pats to the head often.

Showing such affection was an intimate and private affair given to those who were worthy followers and the best of the best. It was many steps above reproductive acts!

All the gnolls, male and female, watched with keen interest and desperation as MagMag took the pats to her head before crumpling to the floor.

Just like that, the alpha elder god broke the proud and rebellious elder. And like any opportunistic god, the alpha elder extended his hand to her.

“Come now. Join freedom. Spread freedom. I’ll even give you more head pats,” he said.

A bird cried out from somewhere nobody could see. Ezda felt something warm and bold and mighty swell inside of her. She stood straighter and felt prouder.

MagMag joined the freedom alignment. All resistance was crushed. The transition from evil alignment to freedom alignment went on without a hitch henceforth.

The only downside was that Ezda had to go out with some of her best hunters to find powerful beasts that were worthy of tonight’s blood rites. They barely made it back in time to bring the Floridians to the prepared pits and conduct the ritual to make them proper elders of the Blood Prairie Savages.

“So, Las Vegas rules?” Alpha Elder God Zarian asked his fellow newly anointed elders after they finished with the ritual.

They were all thoroughly covered in blood. They were all honorary gnolls now. The gnoll ancestors would be with them forever.

Ezda felt quite satisfied by how the blood rites had gone. But the Floridians seemed disturbed for some reason.

When Ezda looked at Naomi, there was a big and mean smile on her face. Had the sigma not told them what would occur in the blood rites?

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Las Vegas rules? Who cares about Las Vegas? What have I done? Why did I do that? Oh my God,” Elder Gilbert said. “I’m going to need a lot of prayer and repentance after that.”

“It isn’t so bad,” the alpha elder god said lightly. “You know how it is? Gnoll stronghold. You’re with the homies. We get into some fun hijinks and unholy, savage blood rites. But it’s all fine when it’s with the homies.”

“I wonder if my familia would recognize me if I ever get back home?” Elder Bianca said, eyes wide. “Would anybody recognize me? Am I still Bianca Garcia? Or am I someone else? Whoa! These are hard questions, guys. I think I’m having that existential thing. Does that mean I’m no longer Bianca? Must I call myself something else? Like, like, Vianka?! But I don’t want to be Vianka. She sounds way too bad and goth, and won’t allow bright colors and pink and fluffy little cakes to exist in her life. Poor, Vianka.”

Elder Hannah combed her hand through her blood-soaked hair. “Can I go back to looking at Reiki’s core now?”

“Oh, sweet, it’s finally in my origins. It says Alpha Gnoll Elder.” The alpha elder god flipped into the air. His cloak wavered and extended multiple tendrils that lapped blood off their bodies like monstrous tongues.

Later on, Ezda stirred restlessly from her bed. She ended up wandering around the stronghold. She found Alpha Elder God Zarian out and about with some gnolls.

She recognized the gnolls as the ones who delved into the blood path and classes. Ezda joined them. The gnolls were showing off their blood abilities. Be that Ezda was the best with her blood abilities, she showed off as well.

Zarian studied them all for a few hours. Then he gave them head pats and dismissed them back to bed. Ezda slept better after that.

The next morning, Ezda was desperate to make sure their very important guests had a big and wonderful breakfast. She knew that her new god’s appetite was a mighty one, so they prepared the biggest creatures they had.

When breakfast was prepared in a dining hall that also served as a throne room, Ezda directed the alpha elder god to take his seat at the head of the table.

“Hm, I got a better idea,” he said, as tentacles from the cloak whipped out and grabbed a spare chair. “Sit with me, Ezda, since you’re still the head of the Blood Prairie Savages when I’m not around. Also, thanks for the food. I see you provided some decent-size carcasses.”

Ezda tried not to blush. It was hard with her human form. She sat next to the alpha elder god at the head of the long table in the dining hall.

She was proud of the mammoth carcasses they’d cooked to appease his grand appetite. Surely, he wouldn’t find a better feast than this!

“Hm, let me add a little more,” Zarian said.

His cloak extended to an immense size before dropping an even bigger carcass that belonged to a Blood Prairie Rex. The massive animal was three times the size of the mammoths and had terrorized many rising gnolls before.

Ezda gawked at the giant beast. She couldn’t imagine anyone eating that whole thing. There would certainly be leftovers after breakfast!

Twenty minutes later, the alpha elder god sat back. He had a satisfied smile and a full belly. His cloak rested all around him, fluffed up and very satisfied.

The rex was gone, and so were several mammoth carcasses. Ezda and the other gnolls were doing their best not to gawk like imbeciles.

Ezda wondered if the key to becoming very, very strong was to eat lots and lots. Maybe she would one day become a demigoddess with a fraction of the alpha elder god’s power.

I must eat more and become mightier!

“I know I said we won’t be staying the night,” he said, “but I need most of the day to accomplish an important task.”

“What such task, my alpha?” Ezda asked, leaning over her armrest in his direction.

“I’m going to give all of your gnolls pats on their heads,” he said. “I can’t do it physically. But I can certainly do my best with Aura Mastery.”

“Impossible!” MagMag blurted out from far down the table.

The alpha elder god waved his hand. A magical force pressed down on MagMag’s head and silenced her.

Before Ezda could feel jealous, a divinely pleasant pressure patted down on her head and made her shiver and wriggle in her seat. Such affection! Just because! This was worth everything!

“Here you go. All of you! Head pats! A head pat for you! And a head pat for you! All gnolls get head pats!” The alpha elder god cheered!

All the gnolls in the dining hall cheered. They all received magical pats to their heads, many having never enjoyed such pleasure before.

It didn’t last for long, because the alpha elder had to go about and give magical pats to all the gnolls at the stronghold. But for those sweet few seconds, Ezda and the others in the dining hall felt at peace.

They felt … adored.

Zarian is the best, best god!

“Look at them. They’re so cute when you show them a little love. Maybe that’s how we’ll beat Ariana. By showing her love, which only Bianca can do, not Vianka,” Elder Bianca said.

“Highly doubt that,” Elder Hannah said, still studying the core in her lap.

“I can give her love taps,” Sigma Elder Naomi offered. “One. Two. Hook. There. Love taps.”

“Y’all don’t think I’m going to hell, do you?” Elder Gilbert asked. “I think I’ve gone too far into the red. And all of this really started getting weird for me ever since that witch. Bianca, how could you let me sleep with a witch?”

“Ahhhh! Don’t blame me! I was trying to be a good friend! I really, really was trying!” Elder Bianca screamed.

Elder Gilbert shook his head. “I’m going to hell. I should’ve seen the signs. I’m damned. But what else can I do but continue the course? I’m too committed. Maybe I can still make up for it somehow. I’ll go celibate! Yeah, that’s it! I’ll make amends through genuine sacrifice!”

Based on the doubtful looks from the female chosen ones, Ezda concluded Gilbert would fail in his quest to not mate with witches.

Ezda didn’t understand why Gilbert thought himself doomed to go to hell. If he went to hell, he could ask the alpha elder god to get him out.

“Oh, would you look at that?” Elder Hannah held up Reiki’s core as it shone with a brilliant light.

“Oh, oh, oh! Is she evolving again?” Elder Bianca asked.

“Huh, I hope not,” Sigma Elder Naomi said. “We still need a domesticated dungeon for the gnolls.”

“Not an evolution,” Elder Hannah said. “It’s another miracle of the Star System.”

The core’s light brightened and brightened until there was a minor flare. After the light went away, Ezda quickly blinked her eyes and saw there were now two pearly head-sized cores in Hannah’s hands.

“What?” Elder Gilbert said.

“Hahahahaha, nice!” Elder Naomi laughed.

“OH EM GEE!” Elder Bianca shrilled.

“What?” Elder Gilbert asked again. “She made another version of herself? Now we have two Reikis?”

“No,” Elder Hannah said, raising one core in her left hand. “This is Reiki.” Hannah lowered her left hand and raised the other core in her right. “This is the result of her consuming the Fortress Bear Dungeon. Now it’s the Spider Bear Dungeon.”

“What?” Elder Gilbert asked.

Elder Bianca blurted it out. “Reiki’s a madre!”

Ezda didn’t understand the strange and flowery language the Floridians called Spanish. But she assumed madre meant mother, and that was a joyous thing to learn. Ezda ordered for more food to be brought to the long dining table and to throw a celebration in honor of Reiki’s great accomplishment.

It was around sunset that the alpha elder god finished his grand quest to deliver head pats for all the gnolls at the stronghold. He looked tired by then. But he wasn’t given much time to rest when the baby core of Reiki’s grand accomplishment was passed into his arms.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Your godchild core. This is Reiki’s child, Reiki Junior, the Bear Spider Dungeon,” Bianca said.

“Oh, yeah?” He grinned warmly. “Well, welcome to the world, Reiki Junior. You’re going to be the most frightening and hideous thing anyone is ever going to face, aren’t you? Yes, you are. Yes, you are, you beautiful and wonderful baby mass murderer.”

Ezda watched the display with a strange smile on her face. The other Floridian women seemed to watch this with smiles as well. Even Hannah had lost her coldness and smiled warmly at the love between newborn core and the alpha elder god.

Then the moment was ruined by raging drunk Gilbert.

One of the gnolls had unwisely given him access to their beer cellar and let him on the loose to stomp around with his fabled eight-legged steed. Ezda felt embarrassed for the Floridians, but they looked even more embarrassed in return.

Soon after, they said their goodbyes and went on their way east to Crossdeath, dragging Gilbert with them while the suns were setting behind them.

Ezda waved them goodbye while holding Reiki’s core. She’d made ironclad promises to return Reiki to the Central Library Artillery Tower and staging a war band of gnolls nearby Ride-or-Die Village. The Star System had even given her multiple quests as extra incentives.

Reiki Junior would stay with the Blood Prairie Savages, but Ezda already had it in mind to plant the newborn dungeon and explore it with the mother before they had to depart.

With the Alpha Elder God and his chosen ones gone, Ezda started turning to do a hundred things as the chosen head leader of the gnolls. But, with a strange whimsy she felt, Ezda stopped herself and looked around. There was nobody else around but her and her scouts.

She sniffed once or twice. She smelled nothing. But she suspected he was near.

“Why didn’t you show yourself, baron?” Ezda asked.

She waited as the Carrowmore Baron appeared from thin air, six hands folded behind his back. He smiled up at her with his many eyes and fanged mouth.

“You’ve gotten bold, Elder Ezda, oh so bold.” He chuckled. “I like it. As for your question, I was more curious to see how the Floridians conducted themselves here. It says a lot about who they are, how they operate, and what they’ll do under predictable conditions.”

“Is that so?” Ezda asked.

The baron nodded. “Very much so. Do you know the job of a tailor isn’t very creative but actually quite mechanical, rote, and predictable? It’s really more of a craft like any other instead of an art. And like any craft, you need to make your measurements before you execute the job.”

The baron chuckled. “But the measurements I’m taking keep changing in radical ways. So I must measure and measure to get things exact. That’s important in my business, you know?”

Ezda pushed herself to be bolder and ask a question that could get her killed. “Are you going to be a threat to them?”

The baron laughed, his many hands pressed to his chest. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Maybe I won’t. Maybe the other barons don’t know what I’ll really do. Hell, I’m not even sure. But I think I’m getting an idea. A fun one. Now I must be off, dear Elder Ezda. But before I go, I must insist that you keep me in mind for your tailoring when you come to Carrowmore.”

He passed his card into her hand. His hands were smaller and more slender compared to her bigger hands. She found that interesting as she felt over the card.

He turned away and walked down the road, speaking aloud for her to hear him as he went. “Your human form is lovely, by the way. Seven feet looks great on you. But you’re going to need a bit more pizazz to really take advantage of your frame than just a simple slip-on dress. Especially when you end up in Carrowmore.”

The baron disappeared.

Ezda stood there for a long while, blinking slowly. She looked down at Reiki’s core. Then she glanced at the baron’s card again.

Ekri the Tailor

Silk Felt Delights - Tailor Shop

White Silk District - Carrowmore

‘Look your best for every adventure. It could be your last.’

“Why would I go to Carrowmore if I could avoid it?” Ezda snorted. “Silly, drider. You’ll never see me there again. I serve a greater god who’ll have you destroyed if you dare threaten his gnolls.”

She turned back to conduct her business for the gnolls and for her alpha elder god.