^^ Muradin, Deity of Magic ^^

— Nonith —

A portal opened in a black cell made of volcanic glass and mithril ore, pouring out into it the soul of a young woman in a comfy cotton onesie, looking incredibly confused by this whole situation while two beings, one faceless and one stone, appeared above the cell, staring down into it.

Muradin was the first to speak, seething with rage and contempt for this mortal who would ruin a project eighty billion years in the making. "Who are you, Mage? Who is your Teacher? Who gave you the Art of Magic? Answer me my Questions Three, and you may indeed go Free; Lie to me, and Doomed you will be."

The confused woman looked around, finding no source for the voice, but decided internally that she'd fallen asleep at her desk and was dreaming of a typical DnD Challenge setting. After a deep breath, she nodded and spoke clearly into the void. "My name is Laura Morgana D'Artagnan, my Teacher is Master Craftsman Sunhorn of the Harvard University Dungeons and Dragons Circle, and I suppose the Art of Magic was designed and given to the world by the legendary Gary Gygax, the first Dungeon Master?"

There was a silence, as the deities above the woman sensed her thoughts, her memories, and halted their rage in its tracks as something became clear: Magic wasn't Real. In this woman's mind, Magic was a children's story, a game to play with, never real. She was convinced she was dreaming, and they were going to ask her three questions and then give her three rewards for answering honestly. The shift in their demeanors was instant, and Muradin placed their face in their hands slowly, a feeling of shame filling the godly space around them. In the human's mind, however, there was a realization happening; she was looking down through her hands, and the void around her was starting to feel more and more real, no longer like a dream. She could feel it, and that meant this wasn't a dream.

Muradin tried to steamroll the conversation along, awkwardly. "Ah... good... you answered truthfully, so... I guess... you get a prize? Uhm..."

Stone Eye cleared his throat, assisting swiftly the stunned deity. "A new life, aye, that's the first gift, yes! And the second is Magic, eh? The third... what would you like for the third?"

Laura looked upwards finally, finding both of them floating there, and surprised the both of them by putting her fists on her hips and glaring up at them sternly. "Now who told you boys that it was okay to talk down to people like this? Come on down here, NOW!" A sheepish looking stone man and pale silhouette appeared before her, in human heights, neither of them looking directly at her, and she snorted dismissively. "Look at you, both of you know what you did wrong, don't you?!? Huh?!? Speak!!!"

"Ah, Uhm, well, you-"

"I didn't-, that is, you-"

"ME, nothing!!! WHERE IS MY FUCKING BODY?!?" Her screech silenced both of them, making them shuffle their feet awkwardly like siblings in front of a broken vase and a pissed-off mother. Their silence only made her rage spike higher, and she repeated herself slowly, at full volume. "WHERE!!! IS!!! MY!!! FUCKING!!! BODY?!?!?"

"... Gone."

"Gone? As in, you lost it, or it no longer exists?"

"... it... no longer exists..."

"Oh? And why is that, Hmm?" Laura crossed her arms and glared, seething, down at the slowly shrinking deities.

"I... thought that you were a spy, sent by the Universal Standard System to impede my experiment on Dimension 27 and it's Manaless state... so I summoned your soul with Divine Intervention into Stone Eye's Divine Realm to interrogate you... destroying your body in the process."

"Mm... I see... so, to be clear, you just fucking murdered me?"

"Well... you are currently dead, so... yes?"

"Mm... alright, so let me-... what the fuck is that?" Laura's eyes were drawn to the world of Nonith, down below, its surface covered in green and black jungles and forests, with only a few visible breaks in the wild planet's foliage, where cities were growing and living.

"Nonith, the World I made, disparate from the USS... the world that became my Divine Realm."

"Huh... It looks like Earth, before humans got too far ahead in industrialization... and with black forests instead of green... anyway, no, focus, Laura, magic is real, gods are real, there's 27 dimensions, earth is the only one without Magic, and God took magic away to test its effects on us... fuck me..."

"I am not God. I am Muradin, Deity of Magic. And I didn't Take Magic Away, I simply never gave it to your Dimension after I created it. I wanted to see what life would be like without a System or Magic... and somehow you designed magic anyway. In a very odd manner, but I won't deny that it's interesting."

"So you're saying humanity was created by intelligent life, but that you just put us in a Petri dish and watched us all kill each other in your name? Like... what?"

The faceless being shrugged slowly. "I cannot interfere with beings who do not worship me, except to smite those who would do harm to my disciples, in rare cases. No one in your world worships me, therefore... I cannot interfere."

"Okay, so there's some sort of... god law? That stops you from doing that?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's definitive... alright, so, here's what I think; I answered your Questions Three, and you Kidnapped and Killed me. You owe me Five Gifts. One: a new body with a gift for magic. Two: a guarantee of immortality after the expiration of my second lifespan."

Muradin sighed again, suddenly sitting at a table with all three people in simple wooden chairs around it. "While I accept that I owe you a debt, I cannot guarantee immortality, but a path to it exists, as a Demigod... to become one, you would need to reach the Seventh Tier of Existence, a rare feat of strength and endurance few ever have the ability or talent to reach. But a new body that has a gift for magic... I have something I think will work, yes. I will give you Four Gifts for Three Questions and one Death, and only because I killed you, will I give you these. What else?"

"Fine, so you can only give me one of those? Then I want to have my Cards, as Magic. Like, I want to be able to make them, and make them real." She grinned wolfishly, envisioning using DND magic to survive in a new world. 'So many paths... business, with Fabricate, war, with Meteor, healing, with Cure Wounds...'

"Hmm... many of your spells exist already, in some form or another... but many do not... I will add them all to my Lexicon, and you may learn them as you get stronger."

"No, bullshit, you can't just steal shit from another world and say 'oh yeah; that shit I stole? You can earn it the hard way, like everyone else!' No, the gift I want is my cards, or a grimoire with them all in there as permanent versions!"

Muradin shook their head slowly. "Magic is already dying, on Nonith, the Mageocracy is dead, I can't give you that much power; I literally don't have it to give!"

"You have enough power to reach across dimensions and fucking murder someone without so much as a trial, tearing their soul out of their body to throw in a fucking obsidian cage, but not enough to give me the power to make magical scrolls? What happened to 'you can't interfere with earth because no one believes in you'?" Laura raised an eyebrow icily, frowning at the faceless being without a shred of mercy.

An uncomfortable silence descended on the trio, eventually broken by the god of Magic sighing again. "I overextended myself to grab your soul, and I broke dimensional taboo, yes... but because the System doesn't exist on that plane, they couldn't have detected it. Also it's not the first time someone has taken a soul from earth. It's quite common, I've noticed, happens at least twice a year... you can have your Cards, but the materials to make them will include Mana Crystals, monster blood, and Magical Paper."

"Fine, ignoring the confirmation of Truck-Kun and Isekai tropes being real, fine. I want to be able to Summon stuff with Conjure Woodland Beings and Summon Greater Demon and other Conjuration magic. And powered by AI, not real souls, so that there's no ethical or moral hang ups about it being technically slavery."

"I do not possess that power. The ability to create bodies in moments, to summon and create monsters, is the purview of the USS... I have no ability to do so. You would need the power of a Dungeon Core and a dozen other magics to even begin to try."

Wheels began to turn in Laura's head, and her grin returned slowly, a new idea forming as she considered what 'Dungeon' was referring to. 'A fucking Monster Spawner...' "And where would I get a Dungeon Core? If I asked for the ability to fuse things together, magically, merging them for a new result with both of the inputs, at a lesser output, would that work? If the excess went to you, to power the gift behind the scenes?"

Muradin's head tilted slowly. "That..."

Stone eye spoke up for the first time in a bit, chuckling happily. "Wouldn't that help you? More magic, more mages, more mages, less work for you? And if you could assimilate a Dungeon Core, you could control their Spawning locations! I'll have my clerics haul out the Core of that dungeon, instead of breaking it, and you can have it sacrificed to you?"

"No, the USS would never allow it... but if it was merged with a Human's Magical Core... and that human was my Champion... they could do nothing... Laura D'Artagnan, are you interested in a Bargain?"

"Isn't that what we're doing now? Tell you what, my gifts have been revised: I want to be able to make magic cards and scrolls and Grimoires and enchantments and summon monsters, and you want that Dungeon Core, and more Mana and more Mages, yes?"

"That... is correct, yes."

"So if my second wish is to be able to merge things magically with your assistance, while losing a third of their potency to the reaction and also as payment to you except in very special cases, (such as a certain dungeon core or my spell cards,) that would work? All I'd need is to merge that core with my body? What negative effects would that have on me?"

"None, if you were my Champion. And yes, I can grant that wish; losing 1/3 potency in the mixing is a fair bargain, and it would help me maintain... well, me. And your third wish?"

"You need more mages, you say? Why can't you just teach more mages?"

Muradin shook his head, and Stone Eye responded grumpily. "Ach, the feckin brats are too much like their maker, is why! Too proud to teach more than one student at a time! Each student takes decades to teach, and by the time they're done, their lives are winding down to their twilight years! Magic extends lives a bit, but not that much! And, the brats refuse to teach commoners, even the ones with talent!!! A damn crying shame, it is!!!"

"Ahh, I see. Good old fashioned elitism, eh? Funny, you'd think magic would be the great equalizer of society."

Muradin looked downwards at their planet, sighing nostalgically. "It was, once. Long ago, though. Now my Mageocracy is dead, and there are less than a hundred mages left in all of Nonith, much less Arcata. Less than a hundred sources of Magic, holding the dimension together."

"Mm... okay, so, for my third wish, can I have a Demiplane? One that allows people with talent to visit it in their dreams and learn magic from your Lexicon? And can I sell limited access to said Demiplane, acting as a dimensional merchant and magic academy that transcends space?"

The stone being spat lava to one side angrily. "And ruin every feckin' merchant on the planet?!?"

"Nope: they'd have to pay crystals out the ass to even access the place, unless they were a Cleric of Muradin, when it'd be comped by their deity just like most of the rest of their magic; thus creating it as either an exclusive shop for the devout of Muradin, or just the filthy rich. That'd solve your problem of new mages, right? And if they paid, say, three times as much crystals as that transaction would require, the magical transport of materials and the personal portal to and from said Demiplane included, there would never be a point of diminishing returns. Normal merchants would not even feel the effect, as only magical items and materials would be traded. I imagine you have Adventurers here, if you have dungeons? If you have them a chance to store monster corpses for a fee, I imagine the more powerful -and therefore rich- adventurers would jump at the option? And of course, an increase in the amount of perfectly preserved and perfectly harvested magical ingredients would positively impact the world market for Magic, especially if they were only sold through an exclusive magical market?"

Stone Eye frowned at the human woman, leaning back and crossing his arms. "A bit cold-blooded, aren't you? Thinking about money in this situation?"

"Yes, well, I'm a Merchant at heart, you see, and the hustle is in my blood; I grew up eating roadkill and trash and I fought my way into the most exclusive University on the planet, and I thrive on challenges, but they can't fill my stomach, or my family's. So if I see a way to make money, I jump at it... also, I'm incredibly pragmatic: I've accepted that I'm dead, now I need to make a new living. Magic is nice and all, but money is how you survive, no matter the world. Does that appease you?"

The stone being quieted his grumbling, nodding at the statement. "Fair and true, aye. I apologize if I was rude."

"You were, but I understand. So, Muradin? Giving me my own Demiplane, where I can sell Magic Scrolls, Cards, Grimoires, and even knowledge of magic, and producing a steady stream of Mana for you and me both, is that an acceptable third wish?"

Muradin stood from the table, walking over to the edge of the glass disk they all sat upon and staring down at the ruined Mageocracy below for a few minutes. "I admit, I don't hate the idea... if magic cannot flourish with simple master-disciple teaching... why not spread more basic magic to the masses?"

"And you said Demigods have immortality and can serve alongside you forever, right? What if they acted as Teachers in this Academy of Dreams? More mages more mana, yes?"

"Their duties leave them currently stretched impossibly thin... but if your idea works, they'll have the availability to do just that... indeed, that is the best option. And if you spread your knowledge of magic, and gain fame as a merchant and headmaster of this school of magic, more mages will be born... I'll send you all the Orphans of the world that I can, in their dreams. If they learn a magical spell before their Awakening, they can be the next wave of mages, even if they never escape the first tier."

"Good! So to recap, I get Fusion Magic, Card Magic, a Demiplanar Store in my employ which can be accessed anywhere in the world, by anyone, so long as they pay three times the magic crystals necessary to power the Dimension Door three times, which will likely mean... what? Nine crystals?"

Muradin did a small calculation that began to spiral into a fractal in front of them and quickly spanned the entire span of the plane they were sitting in, before it disappeared and they nodded. "Nine Tier Three Crystals or three Tier Four Crystals, would do the trick. It works out rather well, mathematically, at least."

"And that's sufficiently expensive to create a wealth barrier?"

Stone Eye shrugged. "Mmm... perhaps not; raising it a Tier would work, though."

"Then for people who aren't followers of Muradin, it'll be three Tier Five crystals, how about that?"

"Better, yes. Forcing them to get crystals from beyond the Median Tier is a sufficient Barrier... but then only around 1% of the world would be able to access it without Muradin's help."

"Exactly the point, no?"

Muradin looked back at the pair of murmuring merchants, shaking their head sadly. "Why my worship is being commercialized, I don't know... but I suppose it's time for me to sell out, after all... I've already fallen to having to ask my best friend to destroy a Dungeon in the very heart of my own Cathedral, so I can fall no lower above the grave, I think."

"That's the spirit!!! Shame is for the weak!!!" Laura gave the deity a hearty thumbs-up, seeming to be totally serious in her assertion.

Another sigh emanated from the featureless manikin, and they turned fully back to the table. "Fine... what's your fourth wish?"

"Ah, that... I wonder if you can make my Shop the focal point of my Demiplane? So I can interact with them, somewhat? I do have a family, after all, and I'd like them to know-"

Muradin was shaking their head before she finished speaking, tapping the table with perfectly manicured nails. "No. That realm has no magic, and I'll keep it that way... your knowledge of their version of Magic was quite extensive, and I'm rather impressed by their technology; I want to see if they really can leave the planet I made for them, without magic."

"You mean like the Moon Landing?" Laura's left eyebrow raised slowly, calmly exuding her abject disappointment.

"... ... ... humans landed on the moon? Amazing... no, I simply must give them another thousand years to go even further! I cannot accept this wish, no, ask for something else. I will fabricate some story for your family, such as that you took a job in a different country or you died in a car crash or something, but no more than that."

Laura grumbled under her breath irritably, but didn't push the issue: contacting them with news of her death was likely best, after all. She didn't want them to look for her pointlessly, or worry for her safety somewhere else in the world. "Fine... what else could I want... access to the Classical Magic Lexicon and DND Magic, magical crafting and enchanting, summoning magic, (once I merge with a Dungeon Core and become the Champion of a Deity, just like any other Tuesday,) and a Demiplane all my own... ah!!! Once I assimilate the Dungeon Core, could I create my own dungeons with my own rules, with the proper amount of Crystals as tribute? You'll be able to make them, right? Like, if I make Dungeons inside my Demiplane, would they work as I want them to? According to the rules of Demiplane, inside it I can set even the laws of physics, so a dungeon should be child's play, once we settle the Dungeon Core bit?"

Muradin chewed on the question for a few more minutes, making a few more calculation fractals and solving them several times over before making a curious noise. "Well... yes? With you as the Core of the Dungeon/Demiplane, yes, you could definitely control the interior like any other Dungeon Boss? But if you did, then the Demiplane would collapse once you died, so I advise against that course of action. I can, however, guarantee that once I have assimilated the Dungeon Core through you, I can make and move dungeons wherever I please, so with the proper amount of tributes, yes I could make you a dungeon. If you provided a core from a different dungeon, that would be significantly easier, and would benefit both of us in the end, as I could manage the interior and use it as a mana generator... yes, that is what we should do! This wish I will grant, indeed!"

"Okay, sweet... now let's talk equity. All of my wishes benefit you in some way, some of them even involve saving your life. As part of payment for assisting in saving a God's Life, I want a return on my wishes investment in the form of 50% of the Net Profit of Mana, with some of it being pumped into my Demiplane to pay for the Orphans' teachings like a scholarship program, and the rest to empower me on my journey towards the Seventh Tier, Demigod-hood, and beyond."

Both deities turned towards the human in shock, but neither spoke for several minutes, instead choosing to stare at her and calculate her worth; now that this idea had presented itself, was she necessary? No, not even a little bit, any follower of Muradin would do... but their word as deities spoke to answering her wishes, so they must do so... finally an answer revealed itself to Muradin, and they responded after further deliberation. "I understand your intent... and yes, I do gain just as much, if not more, from this deal than you do. My very existence is being preserved, after all, as is yours. One could argue that that evens out, but my lifespan trifles yours without question, as does my knowledge and memory. I will tell you this: I have a plan to compartmentalize your wishes, to make sure there is some form of Equity to be had, from the start. After all, if it was started as it is now, you wouldn't see a return on your investment for a few millennia, when the strain on this world is finally done and I have Net Income of Mana to share."

"Fair point, if your world is in that much of a dire straight, then I wouldn't get anything as profit. What's your solution?"

"Simple: The Merchant will be accessible inside our Dungeons, behind the Boss Room. This partially satisfies two of your wishes, for the Merchant and the Dungeon Maker, while driving the investment cost down significantly. And by designing it so that only the Clerics of Me can access the spell which either sells the corpses to the Merchant or pays a portion of the corpses worth in Mana in order to butcher and store it, the Followers of Muradin gain traction, popularity, and devout. You would still have access to your Demiplane, wherein the 'Back-End' of all the shops would be, as well as the 'warehouse', the 'butchery', and your personal Mages Tower, but the School will be in the Physical world, in Arcata, the capital of the old Mageocracy, and the students will be capable of accessing it magically with your Demiplane, with enough magic stones, or if they are my followers. Your Fusion Skill will be a feature of the dungeons we make, though of course only the monsters and the rewards, while the excess materials and mana taken from these will be used to better each dungeon specifically or sold in the Dungeon Shop. As for your Equity, you will be receiving all of the Monetary rewards for these transactions, such as the taxes and tariffs placed on each sale and purchase, which you will decide, as well as enough of the mana for a percentage increase in your XP gain. How much the percentage is depends on how much your Dungeon Shop is being used, and perhaps one day I won't even need to take a cut of it at all, and you'll be receiving 100% of the 'equity'. Is this agreeable?"

Laura blinked slowly, tilting her head at the pale being. "I'm sorry, XP? Is this world a fucking RPG?!?"