In the future

"...I nearly died for real that time; no respawning or resurrection, just death." I confessed to Cadence. "If they had used metal-tipped bolts instead of poorly crafted wooden projectiles, then my helmet wouldn't have protected me from the impact."

"So who were they?" Cadence asked. "Their clothing sounds familiar..."

"They were called Daoloth's Acolytes," I explained. She just gave me a confused look. "They were a nomadic group of fanatical cutthroats, touched by the madness of otherworldly knowledge, which allowed them to destroy and loot every town or settlement they came across; able to have a personal transport of labor slaves. They're also one of the branches of the Leviathan Cult."

"T-That's not possible!" She protested. "Aunty got rid of them when she went to the Griffon Empire years ago!"

"Just because they're not in the area anymore, that doesn't mean they disbanded." I countered. "While the majority of them were in the Griffon Empire, they just scattered, regrouped, and split off again to do their own thing. If they were gone, then the Emperor would have been removed from power a long time ago-" Of course, Celestia would have just detained him; she doesn't have it in her to take a life. "It's a shame your aunt's compassion made her oblivious to the dark truth; of how the Emperor was actually supporting them."

"What?!" Cadence shouted. "That's absurd! The Leviathan Cult terrorized his kingdom: why would he help them?"

"Did you not figure it out?" I bet Celestia had already solved that when I told her about the true nature of the corpse pit, the hungry thing that eats down there, and how it seemed like the cult would somehow stay active for so long. Such a shame I have to deal with her adopted niece instead. "When I look back on those days when I discovered the full truth of his involvement, I realized I should have solved it much, much sooner."

"But why did the Emperor ask her for help?" The poor mare was confused. "If he was helping the Leviathan Cult, wouldn't he have just covered up their existence? Why bring attention to them in his kingdom if they were stationed there?"

"The cult attracted the public's attention: they did a lot more than abduction and torture, and the demand for their Emperor to take action was growing," I started. "He deliberately half-assed the efforts to launch investigations and raids on their hideouts, but not before giving the members a warning to leave. That way, he satisfies the public, and his fellow cult members stay safe... until they saw the Leviathan Cult was still active, and public unrest was skyrocketing."

"Which got Aunty's attention when he asked for help..." Her damaged eyes started to widen; putting the clues together. "Letting her think she drove the Leviathan Cult out of the Griffon Empire, tricking and satisfying the public into thinking they were gone!"

"After he gave her a planned tour of his kingdom," I added. "Lying to her about how poor his kingdom is, whilst at the same time taking advantage of her generous nature, so he could make a trade deal with her."

"But that's...that's manipulation!"

"That's politics," I corrected. "Something you had the pleasure of never doing, and a burden you will never master."

The full realization that one of Equestria's political allies was assisting the most brutal, wicked individuals in the world hit her hard. If she's going to be a princess, wielding power and authority to interact diplomatically with other nations, then she better get used to it. "I can't believe the Emperor lied to us... Aunty had so much trust in him!" I bet Cadence had a false good impression of him too. For her to be tricked, for someone so attuned with emotions like her, betrayal can hurt more than any weapon could inflict.

I let out an amused chuckle. "Do you now understand why I don't lie?" I asked; she gave me a confused look. "It's so when I give information, I don't have to waste time arguing, providing physical evidence, or have other testimonies to back up my claim. It's why I can tell you what I know, and you wouldn't waste your time debating with me -" Well, most of the time as there will be others who either forget I always the truth... or are in full-blown denial when I say it. I like to think Cadence falls in the latter group. "-I can just spill a secret and they take my word for it, and charge them so much more, as a bonus."

"I can't see how that's useful now, considering there are those pretending to be you."

"True, my services for providing information have suffered," I admitted, but I did not yield. "Lying is the one thing I will never do, and if you do a good enough job in your craft, well, then it doesn't matter if there are imposters."

"Then tell me," She begged. "What happened to the Leviathan Cult after Aunty came to the Griffon Empire?"

"I just told you: they scattered and regrouped," I repeated. "They got into respected groups, devoted to worship their respective entities, before roaming around the world. I was just unlucky enough to be caught by those who worship Daoloth."

"It would explain the name," She said. "At least we finally know what they're called now... but who's Daoloth?"

"That doesn't matter, frankly even if I do explain it you wouldn't be able to grasp her existence," I said before rolling my eyes at her expression. "Oh don't be so sensitive, I'm not calling you an idiot! You know, I've always wondered where Twilight got that mentality - to be warned about the dangers of knowing too much and interprets it to be rude - and now I know!"

"What does Twilight have to do with any of this? She and her friends were nice to you: they tried to be your friend!"

"I don't befriend those who nearly bring the end of the world... multiple times!" I shouted while flailing on the bed I'm chained to. "Oh let me guess, they still somehow think its all my fault, isn't it?"

Cadence's damaged eyes widen in shock. "The end of the world...?" She started to shake her head. "No, no! That can't be true! How would something like that even happen?!"

"I would get to that if you would stop shifting the conversation!" I let out an annoyed huff. "Why do you want specific details on the Daoloth's Acolytes?"

"It's one of the most controversial topics that come up every time there's a diplomatic meeting. When he was still alive, the Emperor thinks the Daoloth's Acolytes started in Equestria and moved into griffon territory. Aunty theorizes they were the leftover, low-ranking members of the Leviathan Cult who regrouped and moved into her lands."

"Well, the Emperor was a liar since he secretly supports the Leviathan Cult," Or used to after I was done with him and murdering every member, but that's a story for later. "And your Aunt thinks too small. But I will give her credit, she is closer to the truth; even the other nations have their ideas and theories where they came from after Celestia supposedly drove them out - which they criticize her for not doing a good job: just another political game of assigning the blame."

"But you could clear that up!" There was a hopeful realization in her eyes, and for the first time since her disastrous and traumatizing wedding, I saw Cadence smile. "You know what happened, and with your knowledge, you could erase the political tension that's been building for years!" She stood up with excitement. "Aunty is in a meeting right now with the representative with the Griffon Empire! The other diplomates are coming too! You can help her and-!"

"Why would I bother helping the civilization of a griffon who ordered his cult members to abduct me, threw me in a pit to be eaten by a cosmic horror, which resorted me to a sick filly to survive?" I scoffed at her before turning to stare straight up at the ceiling. "Why should I care?"

"I know you had a bad experience, but can't you stop thinking yourself as the only victim-!" She closed her mouth when I sharply turned my head to look at her, glaring at her, causing her to flinch; silently challenging her to finish her sentence - to somehow justify that my suffering wasn't the griffon's fault, but is somehow actually mine while undermining the severity of that traumatic experience. I silently dared her to continue; I know she was going to do something like that - she just caught herself before she could finish that mistake - I can see it in her eyes, in the expression of her face, in the tone of her argument. Just like those before her who heard about my life, and I would make sure Cadence would experience the same fate.

Being on the receiving end of my unbridled, feral wrath.

Yet she knew that as with her having a high affinity for emotions, sensing bloodlust would be natural; if only she was good at detecting deceit, then the events of her wedding wouldn't have happened. "...I admit you were wronged, and I'm sorry for what happened to you - no soul should ever have to experience that!" I could tell she was being sincere, even as she started to plead. "... but please, innocent lives are at stake! The griffon's civilization is on the brink of collapse! They think a war-powered economy is the only way to stabilize everything! You murdered the Emperor, the least you could do is minimize the fallout!"

"...You remind me of Applejack from Ponyvile."

She wasn't prepared for that. "Why bring her up now?" Her tone became accusatory. "You just said you wanted to stop shifting the topic of the conversation! Are you trying to gloat about what you did to her?"

"Technically Cadence, you changed the subject when you fantasized about me helping you by playing diplomate. As for what I did to Applejack will be clarified - and, ultimately, not be the work of exaggerated rumors from a hyperactive pink earth pony - in due time," I said. Yet reminding her of Pinkie Pie's current state made Cadence silently resent me even more, but kept it to herself as fear took hold; the fact I would let something so awful happen to a pony so happy and active without a shred of remorse. But why should I feel bad for a thief? "As for Applejack, you and she have a common trait: you're both terrible at using words to get what you want."

"What is that supposed the mean?" Cadence demanded. "I'm just asking for your help!"

"Cadence, you can't say 'sorry', then appeal to my sympathy, only to twist the conversation around to make it all seem like everything is my fault!"

"You killing the Emperor and collapsing the griffon's government is your fault!"

"Again, that's just rumors." What I did was something much, much worse than death. "Be glad he is gone; that fool would have unleashed something much worse. That's how you can tell they're part of the Leviathan Cult; they stupidly try to play puppeteer with forces beyond comprehension." I glared at her. "And now you want me to go and willingly confront those incomprehensible forces? Tell me, are you somehow related to Applejack? Because she tried and failed to do the same thing you just did: fixing a lethal mistake caused by an outside force and ignorance that wasn't my fault."

"Please, just listen-!"

"No, you are going to listen," I stated. "Since detecting subtly isn't your strong suit, let me state it loud and clear: I. Don't. Care! I've been bound by a contract, Cadence. I'm just supposed to stay here, tell my story, and Celestia passes judgment. That's it. I'm not obligated to play peace-maker; that's for your aunt to decide."

"You're guilty of plenty of things; including murdering the Emperor! Aunty could punish you for that!"

"I can't be charged for a crime that happened outside of her jurisdiction," If those guidelines aren't in place, and with the animal-protection laws Equestria has, every carnivore in the world would be guilty... back then in ancient times, carnivores were declared guilty and should be punished until the ponies experienced the consequences of provoking a meat-eater. Magic can only do so much. "What punishment to be decided would be from those with authority in the Griffon Empire. It's why the current laws are universally agreed by the other nations: they wouldn't stop invading each other to capture wanted individuals. In the end, even if I'm found guilty for murdering a high-ranking political official in the Griffon Empire and should be punished, the most Celestia can do is detain me before sending me back to the Griffon Empire for punishment."

"Which would be dangerous since you murdered their leader," She argued. I couldn't tell if she was trying to appeal to me with compassion or threaten me with a painful fate. With a mare so young compared to Celestia, politics - and keeping leveled emotions - is not Cadence's specialty. "If you help us, then Aunty will be lenient with you - she could protect you from being deported there-!"

"Don't make promises you cannot fulfill," I warned her, and that got her to stop, causing her to flinch. Among the rumors about me, the ones about having promises made to me being broken are frightening, and only a few were actual tales of fiction. "Besides, the griffons know what their Emperor tried to do, and they're not going to lose any sleep after his death, just like how Heaven-feather could finally let his guard down after he moved to the castle to work for Celestia. Even if for some dumb reason they are angry, I'll just remind them of how I helped the Minotaur Clans, except I'll give them a 70% discount on all war-related services... which would be very helpful, and high in demand, considering they're planning for global conflict."

"Y-You would help them in their war preparation?" Cadence said, my threat made clear. "They're going to fight the whole world - despite the current destruction going on! Too many lives are being taken from the dark forces that are running amok, if the griffons participate in the slaughter then potential millions could die!"

"Like I said in our previous conversation: violence is profitable." I reminded her without an ounce of care, much to her shock and horror. "You should have seen the fortune I made with the Minotaur Clans. In the end, blood is the ultimate lubricant to grease the wheels of an economy... I learned that at a young age."

"You... you would sacrifice the potential deaths of millions for money?!"

"I'm a merchant; profit always comes before morality, and I always find a way to make it so," I repeated. "It may sound horrible, but that doesn't make it untrue. If it was nothing more than lies conjured by those infected with madness, then the world wouldn't be so terrible."

"It feels like you're trying to make the world horrible on purpose! What about that talk earlier about trying to be good, trying to care?"

"I didn't have that ambition yet," I reminded her. "I was a boy. I was scared and paranoid, a prisoner who briefly had a momentary celebration of freedom before it was taken away. I didn't just turn 'good' on the spot - instantly regretting everything I did to survive, and forget the horrors I experienced and saw in the Punishment Zone - as easily as flipping a damn coin! You can't just shrug off a traumatizing experience and move on like yesterday's breakfast. It lingers, and it can appear when certain triggers are present. When one of the cultists shot me in the head, my helmet protected me, but I was knocked unconscious again. After experiencing another nightmare, when I woke up - groggy and confused - I saw them dragging me into a mass grave filled with their latest victims."

"...What did you do?" Cadence was briefed on what I told Celestia; the corpse pit back in the Griffon Empire - and the mass grave I mentioned - seemed similar enough. Especially for me back then.

"I freaked out and went crazy." I clarified. "I thought I was back in the Griffon Empire, being thrown into that pit again, with the thing eating down there. By the time my mind had cleared up, the cultists had restrained me, but not after I had killed a few of their own."

"So you became their prisoner," She said before looking uncomfortable. "...I've heard tales where you ruled over a small gang when you were young, providing them with powerful weapons and magic as they destroyed everything in their path."

I scoffed. "Oh please, they only kept me alive because they were too scared of going near me, especially after I butchered one of them with my bare hands, and ate him in feral rage when he took off my helmet and tried to smash it."

"You... ate him..." She nauseous said as if she were restating a fact, rather than asking for clarification. I don't think her stomach is going to last. "D-Did you intimate them to follow you? Is..." She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. "Is that how you joined them?"

"Cadence, remember, those are just rumors: I clung onto what little moral lines I hadn't crossed." Although I wish I didn't, it just made my life so much harder than it needed to be. "I wouldn't instantly join a cult of rapists and murderers who pillaged and destroyed villages."

In the past

I was naked and covered in blood, but none of it was mine.

My cleaver was kicked away before they threw me in a small cage made out of dark crystal, dragging it - with me in it - up to a high hill overlooking a small town.

Then they just left me here. It wasn't until when I was completely alone I was reunited with my weapon, appearing on my lap before I moved to hide it under me as I sit down. Back in the Punishment Zone, I would always complain and be startled on how it would appear next to me, now I am grateful. I need to escape from this cage, away from these fanatics.

But these aren't like the feral beasts in the Punishment Zone; despite their unstable mentality, my opponents are capable of thinking, plotting, and scheming for the desired outcome. I'm outnumbered, only level 10, and I only have my bone helmet as an article of clothing.

"I'd finally get my freedom, only to be locked in a cage." I let out a sigh at the irony. "And if I try to escape, I'll be hunted down and killed." The other cultists were farther away, at the base of the hill they left me on, easy for them to keep an eye on me. Nonetheless, I've picked up random bits of fanatical conversation, of how the town in the distance is called Sire's Hollow, and how 'Big Boss will show them the way'. I knew who he is.

The leader of my captors, the sadistic enforcer of these cultists, is a griffon who went by the name of Big Boss; a title he earned from killing his predecessor. He told me as his underlings restrained me, "This will be the introduction to the first day of your new life." It only unnerved me that he had a big grin when he said that, bending down just enough to show the scars on his beak.

===
???
Level: 65
Species:Griffon
Title(s):Big Boss, Daoloth's Prophet
===
Description:
A griffon who was recruited into the Leviathan cult at a young age. One day he had a vision of the future and an insight of knowledge that set him down a path of giving up his identity and name in exchange for cosmic power. After much research in discovering the cosmic being known as Daoloth, his devotion was rewarded when the leader of the Leviathan Cult created a separate branch for the diety. When he wasn't made leader of the Daoloth's Acolytes, he easily plotted to overthrow his predecessor with the aid of insight Daoloth herself provided him. But this too had a price, one that is soon to be paid back.
===

It would be another hour before I'd seen him again, carrying various things before placing them down in my cage, gently slipping them in between the bars. I felt the rage return. He is so close. I wanted to tug on his extended limb and cause his head to slam into the bars. Repeating the process until his head cracked open like an egg.

But survival is a priority. I'm outmatched and underpowered and I don't have a lot of room to swing in this cage. I'm easy prey to these fanatics, and yet I'm being treated more like an exotic pet than a prisoner.

"...Why am I still alive?" I asked in disbelief that I was still alive. Not even harmed. I was even given a thick, wool robe for warmth after they gave me some food. I didn't touch it, but not because of pragmatic reasons: even though I no longer require sustenance, I still would enjoy the flavors of food I fantasized feasting on after escaping the Punishment Zone. Yet when I used [Observe] on the meat in the bowl of stew, I discovered that it was harvested from a young, unicorn filly. The coincidence frightened me, and I did not want to be reminded of what I did.

"Killing you would such a pitty... such a waste!" Big Boss laughed as he sat down next to my cage, and I was able to see multiple symbols and patches of beautiful - and frighteningly disturbing - ornate metal sewed onto his cloak; showing supreme status among the fanatics. I still couldn't see his head; he was simply that tall, and the cage was so cramped. "Daoloth had granted me a vision about you, the potential you have as you've already crossed the threshold of insanity, and still able to retain your mind."

I don't know who Daoloth is, and I doubt we are thinking of the same entity, but somehow Big Boss knew what I did in the corpse pit in the Griffon Empire; the unnamable thing in the pit, what I did to get into the Punishment Zone, and the monoliths granting me maddening insight into awful truths of the world. I didn't want to acknowledge it. Not yet. "...You know I killed five of your crew, right?" He reminded me of the griffons that threw me in the corpse pit, a confident facade that was a simple, transparent layer for hiding expert cruelty. "Hospitality isn't a proper response to homicide."

"What kind of host would I be if I didn't properly treat an honored guest. Besides, you only killed the initiates," Big Boss told me as he wrote down in a piece of paper, so fluidly and efficient, all the while not looking down at it, facing Sire's Hollow while keeping his eyes close. They were always close. "Time is such a limited privilege, and you've saved me the effort of killing them myself; the idiots thought I wouldn't notice when they would attempt to steal from me."

I didn't like how he phrased that sentence. "Would attempt?" I repeated in confusion. "How could you know something that didn't happen yet?"

"You're not the only one who has done something unspeakable to gain knowledge," He chuckled before he stopped writing, folding the paper into a compact form before flicking it in my cage.

It landed on my lap. Yet the moment I grasped it in my fingers, Big Boss said, "Don't open it until I say so." Something in his tone made me do so.

"It's just a piece of paper," I argued. An idiotic part of me wanted to tear it to shreds just to spite him, rage justifying my actions for denying me my freedom after working so hard to obtain it. But I knew it was nothing more than a fantasy: I had to survive first. It didn't stop me from being angry.

"It's proof to consider my offer." The griffon explained. "In exchange for your services."

"What services?" I had no idea what he was talking about, and trying to ask for clarification of what he says just makes me more confused.

"The bloody kind," His laugher was malicious. "Just look down onto the crystal floor of your cage."

So I did. Not because I wanted to be co-operative with him - I have every right to be suspicious - but my attention was drawn to the floor of this dark crystal substance, as it became a smooth black before it dissipated to reveal a zoomed-in perspective of Sire's Hollow.

And the small army of Big Boss' underlings slowly approaching the town. These weren't the same cloak-wearing initiates I've killed earlier, these individuals visibly have full-body armor of dark crystal, custom made for their species as if the armor was grown on them, wielding quality weapons with confidence and comfort as this wouldn't be the first time they were to go into battle.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Big Boss said with smug satisfaction. "Scrying magic is so versatile and has so many uses, despite it having one main function: remote viewing. But Daoloth has provided me with crystals that have unique properties... try not to resist it when you fall." He warned before tapping my cage. The floor of it starting to ripple as if it were a liquid, and my fears only grew when it started evaporating. "It's easier that way."

I didn't have time to react when I was engulfed in darkness.

An isolated settlement with a fertile population.

Blistering heat from daylight to make the residents reluctant in leaving their homes.

Dark clouds as a cruel accomplice to hide the Daoloth's Acolytes approaching the town.

All of it being reaped by a legion of cut-throat brigands and occultist fanatics, who channeled homicidal rage into their cruelty, and uttered incantations of the foulest origin to rend the peaceful land asunder. The earth turned into ash. The after transmuted into toxic sludge. Foul things from beyond the void were conjured to capture any trying to flee; disgusting abominations that are without form, a horrible concept of invisibility as normal eyesight cannot grasp their existence. The only noble quality these cultists have is their controlled destructive motivations to spare as many lives as they could.

Another reminder of how they are vastly superior to the initiates I've killed.

All of it is due to Big Boss' barbaric first-come-first-serve policy unleashed a flood of greed his underlings released onto the ruins of the once-peaceful town; a desire for material goods that rivaled any dragon. Creating a fierce rivalry that would turn comrades into accomplices, allies into enemies, as betrayal for a bigger cut of loot was common. It is for this reason why Big Boss is passionate about recruiting

The griffon himself declared that nothing was off-limits when it came to plundering, and these cultists would horde and loot with freakish conviction and mark them as the individual's property; may it be food saved from the burned and salted farmland, valuables taken from destroyed residents that once housed a loving family, or the even mundane materials used to salvage for later use.

The first-come-first-serve rule applied to everything.

Especially to the underaged fillies being separated from their families.

No pony was spared his organized cruelty. His cloaked, armored underlings dragged and separated the terrified folks of this once-lovely residence into two groups. The adults and elderly were to go to the right, shoved into a pit before it was set aflame; any who tried to climb out was joyfully kicked back down by the fanatics. The crackling flames, the roars of dying life, and the smell of roasting flesh and ash.

All of it is witnessed by the children who before forced to go away to a secluded area away from the town.

Only to be stripped naked and subjected to a fate worse than death.

There was nothing more wicked and feral than the sounds of a filly being violated to its maximum extreme: at an age where they should be learning of the world with joyful innocence instead of being, relishing the loving embrace of a parent. Instead, their parents are forcibly being separated from them, as the children are nothing more than pleasure

Even with my helmet on, nothing could stop the echoes of their screams and agony hammering into my skull! Over and over again I would hear the feminine youth being penetrated, forced to endure it repeatedly for hours at a time from multiple strangers who saw them as pleasure objects to be used, abused, and discarded, before being replaced by another poor soul whose lower orifices would be stretched and splattered white! Even as I cover my eyes with trembling hands, my broken imagination can still picture it! Every detail! Every smell! The grunts, the moans, and screams! All the factors and damnable machinations of organized defilement on children-!

[Gamer's Mind] has been activated!

I took in a deep breath; the events happening being nothing more than dismissable background noise. I am felt calm and empty. Detached as if I'm watching a film, rather than witnessing reality; unable to be immersed in the horror as it all felt fake. In the end, even as the events I am impressively witnessing - after the pillagers' lust is satisfied and all the underaged children died from overused - I can only describe my detachment and lack of caring in one word.

Boredom.

My eyes snapped before I found myself in the cage again, laying on my back, watching with ease while my prison dissolves into powder. As I stood up, nothing had changed outside my cage: the sun was still rising, not a cloud in the sky, and Sire's Hollow perfectly fine and intact in the far distance. "The town..." I said in disbelief. "The town is fine...?"

"Wow..." Big Boss said in wonder, his back turned to me, facing in another direction. Not at the town anymore, but at the campsite where his goons and underlings have finished setting up. "I'm impressed. Most who gaze into Daoloth's crystals go mad, but you... you were just bored in the end!"

Then it all came back, what I witnessed, and how my mind remembered it akin to being collided with a large boulder; heavy and painful to experience. "What did you do?" I demanded, raising my voice. Picking up my cleaver from the ground, taking a step back from the griffon.

"It's something that I might do, or will do, soon," He replied smoothly. "It's scary knowing your future, isn't it?"

"That... that was the future?" I asked, and it seemed too crazy to be true. "You can use time-manipulation magic?"

"I'm not a unicorn, nor am I a zebra!" Big Boss laughed before standing up. "I used time in its purest form: in beautiful crystals. That cage of yours was made of it, and I simply activated to show you what could be - oh don't look so upset, it's just a minor inconvenience!"

"You mean the town getting slaughtered and the children being raped?" I shouted at him. "That's not a minor inconvenience, it's downright cruel!"

"I meant when the cruelty begins!" He clarified, still not facing me, but laughing all the same. "My crew is anxious to plunder - such a shame we have to wait - but don't worry you'll get to participate in the fun-"

He sidestepped my attack before tripping me. When my balance shifted forward, ready to hit the dirt, Big Boss' talon grabbed my head before slamming it into the ground.

[Physical Resistance] has leveled up!

"Not bad," He praised me as if me attempting to take his life wasn't a big deal, all the while he pressed my head deeper into the earth. My helmet started to crack. "Most idiots would wait until their opponent is done talking before striking. But your attack was sloppy and some work, and you need to pick your target carefully. I've had attempts on my life before, so naturally, I'm going to be prepared to react. And don't forget, Daoloth has blessed me with a fraction of her power; I know what you're going to do before you do it!"

He lifted my head before slamming into the ground again. But much, much harder than last time.

[Physical Resistance] has leveled up!

"You almost lost this," Big Boss dropped the tightly folded paper he gave me earlier, landing in front of me. "Look, what I showed you was some mere insight into a possible future; a consequence of me ordering my men to pillage Sire's Hollow."

"Then why are you?" I demanded, even with my head being pressed into the ground I turned my head as far as I could to shout at him. "What could you possibly gain from this?!"

"Daoloth showed me the truth," He replied cryptically. "She showed the best possible future I could have, and I need Sire's Hollow to get it, but I can't do that without you."

"Oh, I get it..." I couldn't keep the disgust out my voice. "Is that why you used your time-infused crystals to make my cage? To make me insane and convert to your cause? No wonder you're underlings are so crazy!"

"Only if there are those alive to call us crazy," The implications in his tone reminded me of what I saw; sadistic and relentless. "Besides, I can only show an individual's possible future: they have to be present in that timeline to experience it so immensely as you did."

"So what? I witness your pillaging as a prisoner?" I didn't like the idea that he was going to make me watch.

"One of your possible futures, yet that can always change, but the constant variable is that you are there! Because Daoloth showed me something even better: the reason why we can pull off the raid on Sire's Hollow so smoothly is that you help us!"

"I would never to that!" I've done enough in the corpse pit back in the Griffon Empire.

"But you could, and that's all that matters!" He elaborated. "We all have choices to make, you just have to make the one that benefits you the most... and lucky for you, I can see the future."

"I don't care what you see!" I shouted at him, even with his weight pressing down on me. "I'm not like you!"

"That's what I said to my predecessor, I was just like you," Big Boss lectured in a fatherly tone, recalling his assassination with loving care and nostalgia. He released his hold on me before walking away. "But don't worry, I've seen your future, and you will become something terrifying! We just have to properly train you for it... did you know I have a daughter? That's her chained in the cage with the other labor slaves." He pointed at the base of the hill, a malnourished griffon among the diverse group of labor slaves. There were ponies of all kinds, a few zebras, and even a minotaur and donkey was among them. Despite being biologically different, they were all equal: they were treated as property.

I stood up and yelled, "How could you plot to pillage Sire's Hollow when you have a child yourself?!"

"Because it gets easier the more I do it!" He laughed, and it only fueled my disgust for him. "That's a life lesson you are going to learn very soon! Besides, Sire's Hollow isn't the first place I looted and razed to the ground. And with your help? It certainly won't be the last."

Author's Note

Call of Cthulhu is a good, quick source if you want to know of cosmic deities and what they do, what they provide, and the extremes their cultists would do for them. Anyways, I'm sorry for the late upload, I've written so much, but I felt some of it was out of place. Then there was some in-real-life stuff I've had to deal with too.

I've also joined a few writing groups, asking for opinions and prompts on concepts, ideas, and overall things I wanted to incorporate into this fic; it's good to receive another person's perspective on such things.

Anyways, I'm finally getting to the really fucked up parts I wanted to write for so long. So I'm giving you all a warning: the story is rated 'Mature' for a reason.