Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Li Yu didn't walk to the spires. He stepped through the cracks in the world.

The sensation of entering the First Layer of the Void in this realm was different. In the Frostbound Dominion, the First Layer was a silent, grey mist. A place of absolute stillness.

Here, the mist was tinged with streaks of crimson lightning. The spatial fabric felt thinner and more volatile. It was as if the dimension itself was bruised and prone to tearing.

'Even the nothingness here is angry,' Li Yu noted.

He moved rapidly through the spatial fold. He quickly moved through the miles of treacherous jungle in a matter of minutes. He had seen a decent amount already and didn’t think he had anything to gain from slowly exploring.

The monstrous flora and fauna he had seen earlier were reduced to blurry shadows beneath the layer of reality he traversed. He approached the destination.

The Spires were not ruins. They were a thriving but chaotic scar on the landscape.

From the safety of the void, Li Yu looked out at the settlement. It was a sprawling town built into the base of a cluster of massive and twisting rock formations that jutted out of the earth like black ribs.

The architecture was a jagged mix of black stone, iron and colossal bones. Bridges made of giant spinal columns connected the spires and the windows glowed with the bioluminescent blue of the jungle vines and the harsh orange of fire.

It was loud. Even from the void, Li Yu could feel the vibration of heavy industry. Hammers ringing on metal, beasts roaring and the low thrum of thousands of beings living in close proximity.

'Time to observe what this place is like,' Li Yu thought.

He didn't step out. He remained in the First Layer, a ghost in the machine. He walked around like he was there but no one saw him or sensed his presence.

He drifted through the town and was watching the streets through the hazy veil of the void.

What he saw surprised him. He had expected demons. He had expected monsters. He hadn't expected a melting pot.

The street was paved with crushed black stone and it was packed with lifeforms that defied simple categorization.

To his left, a shopkeeper was arguing with a customer. The shopkeeper was a Magma Elemental. A being made of cooling volcanic rock with a core of molten fire. Steam hissed from his shoulders as he gestured.

"Three cores for the ore!" The Elemental rumbled.

The customer was a Thorn Kin, a humanoid plant creature with bark for skin and vines for hair. It hissed back, its wooden fingers tapping on the counter. "The ore is impure! Two cores or I feed you to the roots!"

To his right, a massive Crystal Golem lumbered down the street. It was ten feet tall and made of jagged blue quartz. It didn't speak; it just moved with a heavy, rhythmic thud and was carrying crates of supplies.

And weaving through the legs of the golems and the elementals were the Humans.

They were there, surprising Li Yu. They were not in cages. Not on leashes. They were walking the streets, carrying crates, sharpening weapons or haggling at stalls.

They looked rougher than the humans of the Frostbound Dominion. Their skin was weathered, their eyes hard and darting. Many wore armor made from beast chitin or demon bone. They walked with a hunch and kept to the sides of the road but they were armed and they were free.

'Humans exist here,' Li Yu realized. He was watching a scarred human mercenary shove past a goblin-like creature. 'Seems like they are the minority but they aren't enslaved, at least not here. They survive.'

He drifted further into the town. He was following the flow of the crowd and letting that guide him toward the center.

He needed information. And in any world, human or demon, there was one place where information flowed as freely as wine.

He spotted a large, raucous building near the center of the main thoroughfare. A sign made of a massive beast-skull hung above the door with the words "The Gilded Tusk" carved into the bone in jagged words. As he had seen and experienced before, it seemed that the language was relatively universal.

Li Yu floated through the heavy iron doors without opening them.

The tavern was cavernous. It was lit by floating orbs of green fire. Long tables made of ironwood were crowded with patrons of every species.

Li Yu moved to near the ceiling, tucked away in the shadows of the rafters within the void. From here, he could see everything, but no one could see him. He extended his spiritual sense carefully. Keeping it within the void layer so it wouldn't alert any high-level experts.

The tavern was a goldmine of gossip.

At a table near the center, three massive Ogre Demons were tearing into a roasted beast leg, talking with their mouths full.

"...heard the Western Front is stalled," one Ogre grunted. "The Beast Nations are pushing back. That new Lion King of theirs is a monster. Ate a whole battalion of Shadow Stalkers and vowed to eat more."

"Beasts are stupid," the second Ogre spat. "Strong bodies, mush brains. The Infernal Court will crush them eventually. We have the numbers."

'Beast Nations,' Li Yu noted. 'So there are organized territories for non-demons. And they are strong enough to fight a war against a demon faction. Wonder if that is the main one or just a smaller one.'

At another table, tucked away in a dark corner, a group of humans sat huddled over bowls of stew. They looked tired and their clothes stained with red dust.

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"The tithe is going up again," an old man whispered. "Lady Kaida demands more ore from the mines. If we don't meet the quota, she'll send the Enforcers into the Dust Lands."

"We can't dig any deeper," a younger man nearly shouted back. "The Earth Wurms are waking up. We lost three diggers yesterday. Why don't we just leave? Go to the Ash Plains? The Human Kingdoms are there."

"You idiot," the old man hissed. "The Ash Plains are so far away. You have to cross the Razor Mountains and the Living Sea. We stay here because the demons don't want the Dust Lands. It's trash land. That's why they let us live there."

'So there are strong human nations,' Li Yu analyzed. Some relief washed over him. 'They exist but they are far away. In lands so inhospitable or fortified that the demons don't bother them. The fighting isn’t worth what they’d gain. The humans here are just the ones stuck in random territories others don’t want. It definitely seems like the humans are weak here. At least compared to the other races.'

It was a hierarchy of strength. The Infernal Court or the demons ruled the best lands. The Beast Nations fought for their own territories. And the Humans here scraped by in the margins, surviving by doing the jobs no one else wanted.

Suddenly, the noise in the tavern died down. The heavy iron doors banged open. A hush fell over the room. Even the massive Ogres stopped chewing.

A group of warriors walked in. They wore armor made of polished black steel and trimmed with gold. They weren't a specific race. Some were demons, some were beastmen, one was even a hulking human with scars covering half his face. But they all wore the same emblem on their chest: a stylized eye crying blood.

"The Enforcers," someone whispered.

At the center of the group walked a woman.

She was tall, easily seven feet. Her skin was a deep, lustrous crimson. Two long elegant black horns curved back from her forehead and a mane of white hair cascaded down to her waist. She wore armor that was more ceremonial than functional. It exposed her midriff and arms to show off corded muscle and intricate black tattoos.

She was a greater demon. She would be considered a Berserker Demon. Li Yu scanned her aura from the safety of the void.

Early Soul Formation.

'Strong for a town leader,' Li Yu noted. 'But not untouchable. So it seems that the strength here isn’t too outlandish. There aren't just Balor level demons walking around everywhere.'

This was Lady Kaida. The ruler of Obsidian Hollow.

She didn't walk; she prowled. Her eyes glowing yellow and scanned the room with predatory boredom. Trailing behind her, on loose golden chains, were four men.

They were distinct but they all shared one trait: mass.

One was a massive Orc with tusks the size of daggers. One was a human that had the body of a bodybuilder. One was a tiger beastman with biceps thicker than Li Yu’s waist. And one was a Rock Golem that had been smoothed down into a humanoid shape.

They were all incredibly bulky, muscular and radiated raw masculine power. They didn't look like tortured slaves; they looked like prized pets, fed on the finest meats and whatever else.

Lady Kaida stopped at the bar. The barkeep, a nervous goblin, immediately poured a goblet of glowing blue wine and handed it to her with trembling hands.

"The shipment from the mines is late," Kaida announced. Her voice was smoky and deep. It carried effortlessly to every corner of the silent tavern.

"My Lady," the old human from the corner table stood up and was bowing low. "The Earth Wurms... they have collapsed tunnel four. We are digging a bypass."

Kaida looked at him. She took a sip of her wine.

"Excuses are boring, old man," she said. "I don't care about Wurms. I care about my ore. You have three days. If the quota isn't met, I will take ten of your strongest young men to service the arena."

She paused while licking her lips. "Or my chambers. Whichever I find more amusing."

The old man went pale. "Yes... yes, My Lady. We will double our efforts."

Kaida lost interest in him. Her gaze swept the room again. She was looking for something.

Her eyes landed on a table near the door where a massive, hulking minotaur sat. He was huge, rippling with muscle, his fur sleek and black. He was easily eight feet tall and wide as a door.

Kaida smiled. It was a hungry smile. She sauntered over to him. The minotaur froze with his drink halfway to his mouth.

"You are new," Kaida purred and ran her hand across the minotaur’s bicep.

"I... I am just passing through, Lady," the minotaur stammered.

"You have good shoulders," Kaida noted while squeezing the muscle. "Wide. Strong. I like them big."

She glanced around the room. Her eyes passed right through the spot where Li Yu was hovering in the void. Even if she could see him, Li Yu thought she wouldn't have looked twice. Li Yu was average in almost all areas when it came to his appearance. To Lady Kaida he would look like a twig. A snack, maybe, but not a meal.

"Are you strong?" Kaida asked the minotaur.

"I... I am a warrior of the Black Hoof Tribe."

"Good," Kaida nodded. She snapped her fingers. Two of her Enforcers stepped forward and were already holding a golden collar.

"You are drafted," Kaida said simply. "You will join my personal guard. And my collection."

The minotaur panicked. "My Lady, I have a mate in the west! I cannot—"

Kaida’s expression didn't change. She just backhanded him.

Crack.

The blow sent the massive beastman flying across the room. He smashed through a table and hit the wall, sliding down unconscious.

"I didn't ask," Kaida said as she was wiping her hand on a silk cloth one of her harem boys offered her. "Collar him. Wash him. Send him to the tower."

The Enforcers dragged the unconscious minotaur away. The tavern remained dead silent. Li Yu watched from his vantage point in the void.

'So that's how it works here,' he thought. 'Not all that different from my own world but a lot more open. Strength is the only currency. If she wants you, she takes you. And nobody says a word because she is Soul Formation and they are not.'

He noted the way she looked at the men in her harem. It wasn't love. It was possession. She collected them like rare weapons.

Kaida finished her wine and turned to leave. Her new prize was being dragged out ahead of her. Her harem followed obediently, the massive Orc glaring at the other patrons as they passed.

"Three days, humans!" She called out over her shoulder. "Or I start culling!"

The doors slammed shut. The tension in the room broke instantly. Conversations resumed but they were hushed and nervous.

"She's getting worse," the old human whispered to his companion. "Her appetite is growing."

"We need to leave," the younger man said.

Li Yu left and went to gather his thoughts. He had learned quite a bit.

This was Obsidian Hollow, a mining town somewhere in this world.

The ruler here was Lady Kaida, a tyrant with a penchant for collecting massive and bulky males.

There were humans that lived in the Dust Lands nearby. There were also powerful nations, at least according to the humans here, located at the Ash Plains.

The world was ruled by the Infernal Court or a group like them. A demon group is all he really knew. But they were challenged by the Beast Nations.

'I need a map,' Li Yu decided. 'And I need to find these Dust Lands. If humans are there, I might find information on how to navigate this world.'

He looked at the towering spire in the center of town where Lady Kaida lived. Li Yu didn’t think she would bother him with her preference for men but if possible he would stay out of her sight.

Li Yu went to leave the town. He would come back in as a wandering human and see what else he could learn.