GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?



Situ was the one that started calling the plane the Virut plane. He has been Emperor for thousands of years, so the name stuck. If he wasn't so untalented because of his race's lacking intelligence, then the first Sage wouldn't have replaced him. His six arms didn't give him any advantage over the Sage when it came to fighting with weapons.

The first Sage could have replaced the name if he wanted, but he knew what the plane thought about it, so he didn't bother. If he had gone ahead with it, then the plane would have reduced its support for him.

So while the battle sage monkeys totally hate Vipers, the will of the plane misses them. If not that these Vipers are from another plane, then the will of the plane will just snort and ignore their conflict. But it is the Virut plane against the Tarat plane, and there are big things at stake here, so the plane will support him with its best.

Soverick didn't spare anyone his attention because he felt there was no rush. The fight had not started yet, and they still had time to prepare, so he wasn't worried. He didn't answer Salvini's question, and he didn't move when their enemy was finally shown.

The other side of the arena suddenly became transparent. It was like there was a wall there before, and it disappeared now. It disappeared and showed a hill similar to the ones that the battle sage monkeys are on. 

There is a large group of living beings on the other hill too. These living beings are scaled. They have a torso that ends in a single long muscular tail. They have two arms that end in 4 fingers with sharp claws. They also have yellow vertical pupils on top of slightly protruding serpentine jaws.

A Battle Sage Monkey shouted in shock, "Vipers."

Battle sage monkeys with bloodlines that come from ancestors that experienced the oppression and liberation of their race will recognize these beings anywhere and anytime. There are a lot of memories and instincts tied to the Vipers. So they all recognized these serpentine beings. 

The battle sage monkeys became agitated again. Their reaction became severe now that they could see what had been riling them up. Meanwhile, the Vipers on the other side of the hill were pointing and laughing at them. 

They were saying something like, "Don't they look like our pets back at home?" 

"The ones at home all have white furs, but these ones have different colors of fur. But they are unmistakably furries. They are just assorted furries."

"Yes, they are very soft looking." 

"They also have nice flesh."

"What? Do you eat your pets? They are family. Eating them is gross."

"I didn't admit to that. I just said that they are delicious. I have stated a fact. There's nothing wrong about that."

Another Viper interjected, "The fact that you kept them for pets is just wrong. They belong in the wild to be hunted."

"Yes. They are slaves and occasionally game for hunts. The furries are bad for pets. They are too stubborn and willful. It is too difficult to domesticate them. You also mustn't allow them to become strong, or they will fight back. They are bad pets."

"That's because you didn't get furries that have been bred for their obedience. If you treat them right, they will behave properly."

They were chatting amongst themselves about their enemy. They didn't know that they would be facing furries in the last challenge, and they found it to be funny. They don't have any traumatic or anxiety-inducing memories about the furries that they have at home. They only have pleasant memories.

The furries have soft white fur. Their meat is delicious and they make for good companions if trained well. There's absolutely nothing for them to be afraid of about the furries.

The Vipers were the top predators in their plane, and they subjugated all the other races without even trying. They lived as they usually do, and one day they suddenly realized that they had conquered their plane. It was that easy for them, and they expect this battle to be easy too. This battle with the furries could be a mock battle to simulate the yearly hunts that they have back home. It shouldn't be anything more serious than that.

The agitation of the battle sage monkeys or furries was about to become too much to handle. They were already rushing forward to fight the Vipers and roaring at the top of their lungs. But they stopped when the giant phantom of an eye appeared above the battle sage monkeys. 

The first Sage had recorded a message for them to hear. He is the one that will address them instead of the arena spirits. The agitated monkeys relaxed immediately when they saw the eye. They know who it represents just as they recognize the Vipers despite not ever seeing a Viper personally, and it fills them with confidence. 

They are still agitated, but they are not afraid anymore. Their bloodline knows that there's nothing to worry about when the battle sage is leading them to battle. They will follow him anywhere he goes, and he will give them victory like he always does. He has never disappointed them, so they will always have faith in him. 

There are others with opposite reactions too. The presence of the first Sage filled them with fear instead of peace. Some of them felt hate and animosity towards him. Not everyone likes him, but they all stopped fixating on the Vipers because they know that the first Sage will deliver. He always delivers.

The Sage began to speak, and people listened, all except Soverick.

"There have been many theories about the origin of a race's divine ability. No one has been able to figure out how to create a desired divine ability in a race, but there has been some advancement in determining some of the factors that affect divine ability. First is the element of pure chance. The random assortment of law fragments from our origin core makes a divine ability what it is. That means that any divine ability is possible."