《God Is A Game Designer》 C1 - Bleak Beginnings 2034 - England The sound of thunder boomed through the air, accompanied by streaks of lightning that painted a brilliant picture across the sky. In the streets, basking in the rain, children screamed and laughed as their parents held them close on the warm summer''s day. Cycling through the rain, mud and puddles with an exhausted look on his face, Nathan''s drooping eyes slid along to look at the crowds of people who lined the streets and park walkways. They all smiled as they enjoyed the strange summer weather. Having just gone shopping, Nathan held two large plastic reusable bags. The bags were in tatters, riddled with holes and tears. Inside, several packets of cheap instant ramen, bread, water, and other essentials could be found. "Fuck!" Passing over the crest of the hill, Nathan let out a loud curse as he heard something crash into the ground behind him. He stopped his bike as he turned to see the forlorn packets of ramen that had fallen from his bag. "Massive sale! Twenty packets for a pound! The fuck are they doing not adding extra packaging then?" he muttered to himself, complaining to the heavens about his issues. It was sadly his fault that he was in such a complicated financial issue, how could he work when he had his dreams to follow. Working nine to five or close to seven or eight was not something he could bring himself to do. He shook the water off the packets and shoved them back into the overfilled bags. Remounting his bike to continue home, he noticed a few distant women gossiping and staring at him, laughing as he rode past. He had to bear this shame every time. Being jobless and penny-pinching was not a good combination, but he cared little what others thought, which was one of the reasons he could keep going. He arrived at the housing complex --- three stories of old apartments that had seen better days. It was modelled after a cheap motel which, frankly, was the only reason he could afford rent. Coming up to his door, number 104, he felt a chill run along his back as he sensed someone''s gaze. "Nathan, in two days you better have that rent for me! I''m sure I don''t need to remind you that it''s increasing, so you better not forget."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The landlady was short, roughly 4''11 with thick body proportions. Her attitude was that of a commander as she stared at him and barked her complaints. "N... No worries Ms Krass. I''ll be sure to pay on time." As he was still cold from the pouring rain, he shivered as his hand struggled to grip the keys stuffed in his pocket. "Good! I''d hate to kick your skinny ass out, remember I can always offer you some good work..." She slowed her words near the end, emphasizing. Nathan clambered into his apartment, slamming and locking the door. In a flash he had already hooked the chain into its slot, and he slumped with weariness and relief. "Creepy old hag! Does she think I''m a piece of meat?" Stepping into the tiny flat, his eyes locked onto the mirror as he stood looking at himself for a brief moment. Standing at just over six feet, he admired his height, which he believed to be one of his few redeeming features. He had short, shaggy black hair that had been left to grow on its own, disturbed only by the occasional amateur self-cut that tried but failed to tame the ''wild beast.'' But the rest of his body... he was skinny to the point that a skeleton would recognise him as kin! His hollow sunken eyes were only emphasised more by the dark circles beneath them. With piercing green eyes and a slight limp from an injury he had never fully recovered from, he looked to be the perfect antagonist. "Hey, what are you staring at!" he spat at his reflection before moving into the tiny kitchen. Though it should be said that this kitchen was also his living room, office, and master bedroom. It was a reduced standard of living, but he at least had a separate room for his bathroom and shower. He emptied the bags on the counter, slowly counting the items as he felt that something had gone missing. "Wait, where is the tomato sauce..." He rummaged through the items for a while before realizing that, during his trip on the bike, he must''ve missed something falling out. "Crap! It''s probably somewhere on the road..." Any notions of going back to grab the sauce were quenched as he looked outside at the current weather. His soul hurt as he gave up on the one thing that might''ve improved the taste of the otherwise bland meals in his future. He felt his head throb as he resisted the urge to scream towards the heavens in outrage towards this punishment he had to endure. After putting away all of his items, he would have a quick shower, cleaning himself from his journey and the damp water that had soaked him, quickly drying himself after to keep his body from getting sick, he would be in trouble if got ill at this point, he was so close to finishing his masterpiece. He sat at his computer and pushed the power button. Immediately, a loud racket filled the room as it seemed like one of the fans inside had turned into a blender. Although, he was just glad that the machine continued to function. "Okay scary beast, just calm down for now," he said as he started to browse the internet. He clicked on the latest news as he bit his bottom lip. A video started to play. It showed two young men standing proud, tall and clean. They wore huge smiles as they spoke into the microphone. "Our first M.C.H game is a massive success, having sold over one hundred million copies on release. It is currently the number one seller world-wide!" The presenter whistled while clapping his hands. "This is the first full M.C.H game after its release. As the creators, why don''t you tell the audience about this software and the hardware that''s running it?" The blonde haired male on the left smirked, clearly enjoying the limelight as he stepped forward. "Sure, Mike, I''ll give you a rundown of the software and hardware behind Thax''s and my game." Nathan felt like spitting blood. These fuckers had taken his core gameplay and system to build on the game, then cut him out at the last moment by firing him from the company. "Bastards, I''ll get my revenge soon!" C2 - M.C.H (Mental Connection Helmet) The live stream continued to play in the background as Nathan chewed on his lip in anger. The two guests were talking about the systems in place as they went back to discuss the M.C.H. "Well, the M.C.H was designed by a woman named Kessy Falmi. She''s a neuroscientist. Working with engineers, she was able to come up with a design and helmet that would link the human mind with processes that are man-made. It has been almost twelve years. The best we could do was sync videos and allow multiple users to sit in a virtual lobby to watch a film. While this is very cool, since you can enjoy a movie with a friend in another country, it''s nothing all too special." He kept on talking, and the viewers on the live stream sent messages out of pure boredom at the history lesson. Anyone: Boring, I want to see the new game. Ann-Jane: It will be coming up soon, kids these days! Anyone: Shut up old hag! Nathan just switched off the chat as he saw it devolving further. He already disliked human contact, but found himself further disappointed when he read comments on the internet. "It''s only the one percent who are this vocal. But still, it makes me sick..." Nathan mumbled as he continued to watch the stream. "Gaming was not possible until another company released specialised tools. These tools allowed people to use imagination and MCH coding knowledge to make the game. It was genius, though so far only Drax and I can use it correctly out of thirty staff so far. It''s a very limiting software." Nathan almost threw his mouse in rage, his anger flaring up as he wanted to yell and shout at the top of his voice. Seeing the smug smiles on the faces of his previous partners, he let all his frustrations out. "Assholes! I did all the work, all you''re doing is using previous systems and then adding junk on! You''re pirates... No, you are worse than pirates!" He continued to curse at the computer, his fist shaking at the screen as he felt like tossing the entire console outside. Maybe he could become a hermit living in the woods. "That won''t work, I love my computer too much..." The broadcast carried on, with the host asking another question as Nathan raged in the background. "So, what is your game about? I heard it was a modern world war simulator." The announcer gave the audience a brief overview, even showing some video previews of the game. "Well, Mike, Our game is called Battle For All, or B.F.A for short. We do like shorter names like that. It''s about the world collapsing due to resource shortages, and you are one of the few to stand up and try to rebuild the world. It involves much more than just first-person shooting, as it will also incorporate nation-building elements as clans will rebuild areas. Quests are dynamic, and large clans in control of areas can also issue quests. We have many features, but sadly too many to discuss on this livestream." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The livestream began wrapping up with an announcement of the game coming out in just a few weeks. The whole thing had left Nathan in a terrible mood as he closed the stream early, quickly loading up some of the files on his computer. "Assholes, it''s been almost seven years. I''ve been sitting here doing nothing. Hah, you wish! I''ve spent these years making my own game. Since I can use the systems correctly, I''ve managed to put together a game that will trump anything you could do. Fantasy is always more loved than modern games!" He launched the game on his computer, allowing the files to load as he opened the box next to his bed. Inside was a large metal helmet with a rusty hue. The old device had seen much use during the time it was in service. Nathan plugged all the cables into the back of his computer, the helmet lighting up as he slid onto his bed. Fastening the helmet, he accessed the back door, opening up the game as his vision faded, connecting to the local server. During his loading, he watched the sky come into view, clouds forming rapidly below him as he walked towards the testing area. He was in an extensive testing arena with many items, walls and NPCs which wandered aimlessly. "Celorian, can you make sure that all of the files are ready to go, we are going to package and test the game using settings three, other settings are too unstable." Coming towards him was a stunning woman dressed in all black. The dress she wore gave her a model-like appearance, though closer to a fantasy style than a modern version. She was around his height, being just under six feet tall. Her features almost perfect, with a soft but kind looking face, a toned figure that would draw any man''s gaze, and a flawless face with no imperfections, looking almost doll-like. It was closer to porcelain than anything else. She had a timeless look to her. She was the first NPC he had created. It took him several years of improvement before he could get her to act as his assistant. Sometimes, the look in her eyes almost had him mistake her as an actual human. "It''s almost like she has a soul, well I used the same structure on everyone else so everyone will look realistic. I bet those jackasses with their sucky modern game will be jealous of this!" He finished uploading the final files for the completed game. His excitement at reaching this point already overshadowed his frustrations with those traitorous thieves. He looked to his assistant, still chuckling. "Thank you for your help. It''s time to go make history." His body faded from the world, leaving his assistant staring at the space he had vanished from. Her emotions changed as her expression morphed from uninterested to guilty. "I''m sorry, father, you will thank me afterwards. This world has clouded you and will eventually destroy you. Please forgive me." She spoke these final words before the entire world went black, the test world shutting down. C3 - Transported to my world Nathan tapped his foot on the floor impatiently. Being in virtual reality while it loaded was a strange experience, and he had yet to figure out what to do during this period. He thought about adding some minigames in the room to keep players from becoming impatient. It was something he would have to add later, though, as the main game came first. "Just watch, I''ll blow that shitty game out of the water, carve it up and devour it piece by piece while I laugh at your expense!" he said with a smirk. He had focused his mind on revenge. Nothing else mattered when dealing with his two scumbag ex-partners. He watched as the central area finished loading, and a portal opened at the end of the room. "Finally! Took it long enough... I''ll have to optimise the loading area, maybe make it smaller again." Nathan walked through the portal as he felt his body become weightless. The introduction began, as he had reset the game intro area for testing. "Welcome to Celerin, the world of fantasy, magic and wonder." He had created this voice-over himself, but it had been changed and edited to sound much older and more profound. He was proud of it, as the audio course had several hours to complete. It wasn''t that much, but for his tight deadlines it caused much havoc. The intro began as he flew across a wasteland. There were no trees, water, plants, or anything alive at all. There was only broken dirt and stone as far as the eye could see. "The creator god first made the world. This broken world was made to challenge his children. Seven of his divine offspring were sent to change and mould this place to become paradise." In the distance stood seven distant figures, all different sizes, shapes and colours, though too far to make out any specific details. "The current time is 4000 B.E, the start of the seven divine''s efforts to create a living, breathing world. It would take another four thousand years before the first races were born unto this world." Time sped up, dozens of years flying past in the blink of an eye, four thousand years passing in just under a minute. The colours of the world turned from greys and browns to a lush green landscape, filled with blue oceans, red deserts and other vibrant colours. Everything had changed in a moment, as the world had become a paradise. Distant children ran around screaming. The sounds of wind rushing through wheat fields accompanied the gentle hum of a mother''s singing as she watched her children play. "It was not till 667 A.E that the world lost its lustre, and everything turned to ash." The world again morphed to a mottley mixture of browns, blacks and greys. Fires raged as races clashed in brutal battles. Two towering figures in the sky battled with unbelievable power as millions could be seen killing each other on the ground below. "It''s unknown what started the divine war, but you, young demi-god, have been sent to ascend into the world and resolve the crisis! Bring back the peace that had long reigned, this is the decree of the creator-god himself!" Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Nathan nodded his head in pride. Of course, he knew the whole plot, and what had started the war, though he would never give any spoilers. The most vital aspect to making any good game was letting the players explore and find these things for themselves. The next part was character creation. In normal games, one would customise a character''s appearance freely. But, due to the method of connection via the helmets, it was possible for one''s in-game avatar to match their appearance in real life. Still, he always recommend against this option. "There are crazy people online. If your avatar looks like you, then it''s gonna cause some issues." The intro was still ongoing, and he noticed that something had gone wrong as he watched the armies still fighting each other. === Would you like to enter the world ( Y / N ) === He blinked for a few seconds. This wasn''t correct. It was supposed to take the player to the character creation area before they could begin. He knew that it must be a bug with the system, as he narrowed his eyes, slowly waving his hand to open the admin menu. "What? Why isn''t it opening?" He muttered. It could be an issue with the cutscene, Nathan thought. If that was the case, then opening the character menu or admin menu would be impossible. He would have to first skip past the cutscene. "Fine, I''ll enter the world. Bugs these days are getting annoying." He pressed the ''Y'' option on the screen, and soon felt his body becoming lighter before floating towards the open sky. The entire world shifted and he felt his body starting to swim, the scene changing again to an ocean of sand. This was not the starting location in the Valley of the Gods, that was for sure. "What broken ass location is this!?" He looked around to see a massive desert that covered many miles in all directions. At the edge of his vision was a gigantic wall that seemed to be divine, almost like a barrier to keep everyone out of this barren land. "Or more like to keep everyone inside. This place is massive..." he muttered once more. He came to realise that he was not standing on the ground. Instead, his body was floating, but gravity caught up to him as he plummeted to the ground like a comet. The sound of screaming echoed through the sands, before Nathan found himself crashing face first into the dust. His rag-doll body rolled down the dunes until he eventually spread out on the sand. He soon coughed out that sand before standing and looking around, confused. He had been summoned into an area he did not recognise. There was some cruel irony in the fact, as he had spent many hours carefully sculpting each and every area as if they were his own children. For this place to be unknown to him was very strange. His mind began to work overtime, his pride hurt by the brutal fall. He felt his rage building as he screamed to the skies. "FUCK YOU GAME! I made you and I can unmake you!" C4 - System Menu and revoked privileges Nathan stood at the bottom of the hills of sand, his body covered with it as he could feel grains in almost every nook and cranny of his body. He grumbled as his hands quickly patted down and removed it from even his underwear, shoes and socks. "No point in cleaning my feet. I bet in several hours they will just be filled again." He looked around the area before he came to realise something. His character was himself. His body was still frail and weak, his glasses hung from the end of his nose as he quickly pushed them back up in embarrassment. "I had a massive buff warrior, I had six packs on six packs, but now I am back to my boring old self!" He felt cheated as he screamed at the top of his lungs. This could not be happening. Why was this happening to him? "Bullshit! Someone is fucking with me. Must be my friends that have done this... Hahaha!" He laughed out loud. Anyone who might view this scene would think that this poor man had gone crazy due to heatstroke. "Wait... There''s one flaw with that... I don''t have any friends. At least, none with coding knowledge." He felt even more frustrated as he screamed once more, his voice growing hoarse as he furiously swiped, trying to open the admin menu. "Come on you piece of shit! Open up!" He waved his hand in the air, back and forth, left to right. At this moment, he looked completely insane, though only the desert was present to see his sorry state. "Fuck me, no admin menu. What kind of bankruptcy Costco shit is this!?" He was starting to get even angrier before he continued to shake his head, slowly waving his other hand as he pulled open his player menu. "At least this works. If even this failed to work then I would have just scrapped the entire game!" ====================================== Name: Nathan Blackrose Age: 27 (Getting old now Gramps?) Race: Arch God Title: Creator God Level: 255 Dominion: 5/5 Faith: 2000 Words Of Power: None Unlocked Current Relations: None (Lonely Fool) Current Missions: - Primary - Lend a word of power to someone in need - 0/1 - Secondary - Gain 250 Faith from the lending of the power Gain an increase of Dominion points to 10 Extra Abilities: Admin Menu: Locked ======================================== Looking through the menu, he could see his status and abilities. His brows furrowed into a frown as he viewed it. Something was wrong. "I never had a title like that in my game, starting with any dominion and faith is not part of the base game, you have to work for that!" He continued to shake his head as he looked at the menu, slowly feeling his life draining, as he could not even open the options menu to log out. It was like the game was trolling him. "The helmet automatically cuts out every four hours or fully turns off every twelve hours for safety reasons. I just need to wait for that amount of time!" "This game is going in the virtual bin. Can''t have this turning into an anime now, can I?" He pushed his glasses up again as he began to walk across the sand, his entire body sweating as he let out a deep sigh. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "I need turn down these effects, or I may die!" He complained many times as he trudged through the sands. He had no sense of bearings, as he headed in a random direction. Harsh winds howled as though to cover up his complaints. ... Feya struggled to catch her breath as she continued walking. Each step was a struggle as she cleaned her forehead of sweat. She had been leading survivors and refugees across the desert to find any place with shelter and tools to survive. The group she currently led had started around two thousand strong, but had dwindled down to the current 738 members which she directed at this time. Only 62 of them had weapons or weapons training, and each day brought a new disaster as they came to the south-east part of the vortex. "Sandworms, carrion beasts and dusk seekers." She cursed each of them, her previous title meaning nearly nothing in the vortex, as everyone could do anything. The vortex was a massive area that previously belonged to the valley of the gods. When the goddess Saleh had returned to the world, she decided that all criminals had to be sent to the vortex, exiled as punishment. It was a harsh punishment, and some thought that the demi-god had become jaded from previous wars. "Three hundred years have passed, she is holding onto some baggage!" Feya said with spite. Feya was the previous royal princess to the empire of Celepha, but when she spoke against the goddess and her depraved discipline, she found out who was more valuable. Goddess, or Princess? The choice was easy to see. Feya was nothing compared to the goddess, and her life was forfeit along with any others who voiced their complaints. "I will get these people to safety, then I will find a way out of here!" Feya was a tall woman, roughly 5''11 with long blonde hair that seemed to be sun-kissed, freckles across her face, and lovely blue eyes that looked like deep pools of crystal water. Her figure was toned by many military exercises, as succession in her empire was down to performance, rather than gender or popularity. "I bet my younger brother did this. To ''get rid of a problem,'' as well." She was still thinking of many issues when one of the soldiers approached, clearly distressed. "My Queen!"he said, as he bowed with respect. Feya shook her head. "I''m not a queen here. Call me Feya, please." The guard seemed to be reluctant to use her name, though he continued with his report. "The dusk seekers are back with an archbishop leading them. They are coming to slaughter us all for questioning the authority of the goddess!" Feya felt her lips pull back in annoyance, slowly shaking her head again. "There is more than one god, and there is also the creator god as well! How dare they do something so evil!" She paused for a moment. "How many are coming for us?" The guard swallowed saliva with difficulty, the spit in his throat drying up as he spoke his next words. "Almost ten thousand soldiers." C5 - Lost Hope Feya had a short amount of time. She knew that the soldiers would be fast on her trail. She had limited resources, bodies, and time to get any plan in place. She knew that the result of this would be down to her skills, her soldiers and a whole mountain of luck. "If any god is listening, please lend me a hand... I will surrender myself to you if you save these people." She resolved herself, as she knew that no one would come, it was her fight to save these people, and at the end of it, she had to resolve any problem that came her way. "Bring the soldiers! The scouts have found a valley past those large rocks and boulders, it will be good to slow down the army. For now, we will perch ourselves on the cliffs to the sides of the valley and ambush them. We can hold off a greater number of troops with the height advantage. Doing this will also allow all non-combatants retreat into the valley to hide." She supervised her soldiers as they rushed to pass along her orders. Soon, the strongest and strangest woman in the entire army came to stand next to Feya. The woman was entirely made out of plant and organic material, her eyes were like tiny bright yellow suns that seemed to burn with conviction. Roughly 6''4, abnormally thin, with a wire-like frame, she sported two curved blades on her back. The woman''s name was Kai. She was from an unknown race of plant-people. Despite Feya¡¯s protest, her kingdom had gone to war with Kai¡¯s people, blinded by conquest and greed. In the end, the entire army of Feya¡¯s nation was destroyed, and only a handful of survivors escaped. It was a complete massacre, and the race of plant-people came to be known as ''War Dancers.'' War dancers could rarely exit their territory in the deep south. As to cross the vortex was a difficult and arduous task. "How do you feel about the plan, Kai?" Feya asked, looking too her. "It''s my destiny to be here. Our leader sent me to support you, no matter the plan." Her voice was sweet and light, but it was not spoken out loud. Rather, it echoed through Feya¡¯s mind, as the strange woman spoke telepathically. Feya had heard a similar speech from Kai many times in the past. Each time, she wondered at the meaning behind those words, never understanding why Kai was lending her aid. It seemed possible that she wanted to use the royal bloodline in her veins to stake a claim in the country she had been exiled from. "Tell me why you help me. Do you want something from me?" She was skeptical. She always hated making deals that would come bite her in the ass later, though at this stage she would take any help she could get to survive. "We are not here for you, you just so happen to cross the same path as he does," she said cryptically. Feya was glad for the assistance, but the arcane nature of the woman¡¯s race always threw her for a loop. She had said ''we,'' but Feya could only see one of them. It mattered little, though, as long as she received help from the woman in her time of need. "My Queen, the barricade is as good as we can make it, the hill is reinforced as best we can manage with the lack of supplies. Anyone who can¡¯t fight has passed into the valley below." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Twenty minutes away, thunderous marching boomed through the hills as an army of seasoned warriors continued to move towards the location that their most recent scouts had indicated. Each moment passed by slowly as they creeped up towards the cliff. The defences there, by comparison, looked shoddy and makeshift when placed across from the professional army wearing white and black uniforms. That same army soon began to spread out, each and every soldier wearing a magic stone to protect from the heat of the desert. Standing in the middle of the column, riding on one of the giant desert beasts, a large Gazebo sat comfortably on this mount that was large enough to carry almost a dozen people while moving. Inside this open space was a group of poorly dressed women, chained to the poles that supported the roof. One large man wearing priestly robes sat in the centre on a massive throne made from pillows, cushions and other soft materials. The man¡¯s assistant stood next to him with a meek and crestfallen face. "Archbishop, we are almost caught up. We can soon kill the heretics who do not worship the Goddess." The large Archbishop chuckled, causing folds of fat to rumble as he looked up to his assistant. His bald head glowed in the sunlight. "Excellent, yes?" He continued to laugh, and the building shook slightly under his weight. "Remember, the princess is to be caught and captured. If we let her die, then I cant chain her with the rest. Even the royal family won''t be anything in the face of the church!" As the giant army closed in, encircling the small defensive area, the scent of fear was ripe in the air. Feya felt apprehension coursing through her as she gazed down on her enemy, over ten-thousand soldiers lined up and ready, versus her nearly one hundred. How could she even fight against that? It seemed a joke that they were even attempting such a feat. She felt the urge to turn and hide in the corner, crying for someone to help her. "Do not fear, everyone! They may outnumber us, but remember the women, children, and families through the pass! They require us to win. We have the high ground! Defend with your lives! She shouted at the top of her lungs, rallying the other guards to raise weapons and scream their passionate battle cries. Feya took a step back, sighing, as she clasped her hands to pray one last time. "Gods, please send help. I''ll take anyone, but please help!" She sent this prayer to the sky, but was jolted when she felt a tapping on her shoulder. She turned her head to the scene of what looked like a ghoul with glasses. "Holy creator god!"she cursed as she jumped back. A few people looked at the man in surprise, wondering how or when he had arrived at this location. All the terrain around them was surrounded, save for the cliff face at their backs. "Do you need some help? I heard you praying, and came as fast as I could!" He smiled as he gave her a thumbs up. Leaving the rest of the small army staring slack-jawed at him, in disbelief. Just who was this pitiful budget-saviour? C6 - My First Power Word Nathan stumbled across the sand, his feet burning despite the protection of his shoes, as he screamed into the air again. He was utterly pissed at the current situation, as he started to get annoyed by the whole experience. Desert life was miserable, and one of the reasons why he would never program such a realist experience into his games. After wandering for roughly an hour, he felt something that made him pause for a moment. Concern abruptly hit him as he gulped, realizing his throat was bone dry. "I''m thirsty... I never programmed that in..." He started to panic. This was not something in his control, he had no options. He couldn¡¯t escape, but he needed items to survive. Nathan hurriedly pulled open his menu again, letting out another groan of displeasure. ====================================== Name: Nathan Blackrose Age: 27 (Still old) Race: Arch God Title: Creator God Level: 255 Dominion: 5/5 Faith: 2000 Words Of Power: None Unlocked Current Relations: None (Very Lonely Fool) Current Missions: - Primary - Lend a word of power to someone in need - 0/1 - Secondary - Gain 250 Faith from the lending of the power Gain an increase of Dominion points to 10 Extra Abilities: Admin Menu: Locked ======================================== "Hey! Damn system¡­ You sure are gutsy! When I''m free, I''m going to destroy you!" He shouted at his system, and just as the words left his mouth, a small box appeared in front of him. ''System Message: Deducted 100 Faith Points - Have a nice day!'' Nathan felt blood rushing to his head, as he felt the impulse to tear someone limb from limb. "I''m sorry, system, please refund the points!" he said through a tense smile and gritted teeth, clearly annoyed by this. ''System: Declined - Have a nice day!'' He almost screamed again. Have a nice day? How about you go¡­ He again stopped himself, shaking his head and continuing his walking. Thirty minutes passed by as he kept up his march. Eventually he came to a stop when he heard a distant rumbling, the sounds of activity. ¡®Let''s check this out; maybe someone can help me¡­¡¯ Eventually, he came to the top of a cliff. He could see, to the left, a massive valley, with a large group of people trying to flee. Further away, a group of warriors stood on a smaller cliff below him against a hoard of uniformed soldiers. "This will be a slaughter, though I see no arrows or magic from the soldiers... Are they retarded? That will just increase the number of deaths, those fools." He could already see the outcome. The soldiers would overwhelm the smaller force on the top of the cliff, and the army would then march into the valley. While it would take time to locate the stragglers, it would not be difficult. "One entrance, one exit, a final stand, it seems." His eyes locked onto the war dancer, but he was surprised when the woman¡¯s eyes caught his own. He felt a chill down his spine. She had noticed him before he had even spotted her. He soon heard her soft voice in his mind, the signature move for the race he had created years ago. "Please, God, save us all." Her voice was soft and light, carrying the words of wisdom and kindness. He could intuit the respect and knowledge that came with it. She knew who he was. This was not something a standard NPC would understand or do. Something was wrong, but this made the entire situation feel even more real to him. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "Fuck..." He cursed to himself as he checked the system menu again. Pulling open the shop area, Nathan sighed. He would have to spend some of his limited points to gain a power to help defeat them all. ======================================== - Welcome to God''s Store! - Power Word Sale! (Monthly) Bow (80% Discount): 1700 Faith Fertility and Aqua Bundle (50% Discount): 3000 Faith Journeying (20% Discount): 10,000 Faith ----------------------------------------------- -Card Effects!- (Monthly) Loyal Vassal (1 Left) (Popular!): 2500 Faith each. Tempory Power Word (3 Left): 500 Faith each. Power Upgrade (2 Left) 250 Faith each. ----------------------------------------------- Vassal Power Upgrades No Vassals, you must be lonely! ----------------------------------------------- Legal Items 1. We are not responsible for damage, destruction or loss of property due to these effects 2. No refunds. 3. No discounts for creating the game. ----------------------------------------------- Next month, on the first, the shop will rotate the stock. Please make sure to purchase all the items you want or need before the end of the month. ======================================== The entire menu made him twitch in anger. Lonely, and no discounts for creating the game... The system was poking fun at him for this. He resolved to obliterate it when he had the chance. Looking at his options, he saw he only had one at this point. He had never used the bow power word all too much in the past. Luckily for him, he had created it and all of its workings himself. He would be able to use all the powers for it instantly. "Buying upgrades. I can just follow the system I made and discover the solutions myself!" He accessed the shop. Requesting to buy the ¡®Bow¡¯ power word, he watched his faith plummeting before his eyes, this limited resource draining from 1900 to 200. System: Thank you for the purchase, you now can use Power Word: Bow! Nathan open his system menu in a hurry, looking at his new power word. ====================================== Name: Nathan Blackrose Age: 27 Race: Arch God Title: Creator God Level: 255 Dominion: 5/5 Faith: 200 Words Of Power: (One) Power Word: Bow Sub Skills: None Current Relations: None (Q.Q) Current Missions: - Primary - Lend a word of power to someone in need - 0/1 - Secondary - Gain 250 Faith from the lending of the power Gain an increase of Dominion points to 10 Extra Abilities: Admin Menu: Locked ======================================== He had no skills yet, though he could create them on the fly, which was the beauty of this system. While one could acquire one through the system, it was better to make them yourself. "Excellent! Let''s go greet them and lend some aid!" He jumped from the cliff, flowing through the air as he landed next to a woman shouting orders, her face full of worry as he stood unnoticed next to her. Standing as tall as Nathan could, he puffed out his chest as he said the most refreshing line he could think of on the spot. "Do you need some help? I heard you praying and came as fast as I could!" He blinked in surprise as the woman cursed his name. Did everyone know who he was? He felt somewhat worried, though he stood tall. God had arrived! C7 - Impossible Shot Feya stared at the man who was standing behind her just a moment ago. A few guards whispered to each other at the sight of Kai bowing her head with respect. Kai had never shown any connection to anyone before, leading Feya to feel intrigued by this stranger. Who was this man that could command such respect, yet look so strange? His clothes looked so foreign that they made no sense, and his appearance led her to wonder if this man had been on a diet of grass and nothing but for his entire life. She felt worried, despair filling her heart, as she watched him walk forward and grab one of the bows laying against the barricade. "Sir, we do not have any arrows left, it''s useless," came the voice of one guard, as he watched the stranger test the bowstring. This guard held the same hopelessness as Feya in his eyes and heart. He knew that this was going to be a gruesome massacre, and had only stayed to buy time for his family. Nathan smiled as he marched forward, eyes looking out at the soldiers ready to march to their deaths. His gaze came to rest on the guard that had sputtered out nonsense. "Who is the leader of that group?" The guard seemed to be taken aback, looking over at the giant beast obscured by the enemy¡¯s rear-guard. The same beast that carried the archbishop, his assistant, and his slaves. "That person, on the throne, just over two sectors away.¡± The guard answered earnestly, but couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the strange man intended to do. ¡°Good, just a moment then,¡± Nathan said, pulling the bowstring back. The guard suddenly understood. ¡°One bowshot is accurate for only half a sector at the most!" he sputtered, wondering what god gave this fellow the balls to try something like this. The guard continued to talk about how ridiculous the situation was, word after word, as Nathan pulled bowstring further, his mind coaxing the power of the word through him. "Listen to me. We are fighting today. Not for the end, but for a bright start!" He needed to give these hopeless idiots something to chew on for a moment, else the guard¡¯s distracting words might distract him and cause a misfire.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He grew the power from the word as a bright yellow light slowly formed in the arc of the bow, stunning those watching his actions. As his fingers released, the arrow of light flew from the bow, shattering the wooden frame in an instant. The loosed arrow sped up, faster and faster until it broke the sound barrier with a deafening boom. Death was oncoming! The Archbishop sat in his chair. Lust filled his eyes as he dragged one of the chains towards him, not paying any heed to the upcoming battle. His assistant would rolled eyes as he looked towards the general who also wore the same expression of disdain. "General, can we get this started and finished?" The general nodded his head, ready to begin. As he was about to issue the command to charge, he noticed a frail man with bow in hand, aiming directly at them. He was such a far distance away that it was laughable. A few of the other generals started to chortle in response. "What is he- Shit! Get down!" His words came too late, as he watched the Archbishop stop, his hand dropping the chains as he gasped for air. Everyone looked on in horror, as they saw the massive gaping hole in the middle of his chest, almost five inches in diameter. The entire back of the Archbishop¡¯s throne had also blown out with the power. The Archbishop rolled from the seat, sliding off the side of the beast, crushing several unfortunate soldiers below. The general''s assistants flew into a panic as they gazed at the man in the distance who had killed their boss. They rushed to flip over tables and chairs, hiding behind their slaves and doing anything in their power to break line of sight. The general himself stood watching the frozen battlefield. Everything had shifted, as the soldiers now stood paralyzed in fear of the man who could obliterate someone from such a distance with a shoddy bow. "Is he a Demigod?" He had heard and even seen the Dusk Mistress before, during one of her speeches, before he was assigned to the vortex after a campaign failure. She had an aura of power and strength that gave people hope. Although, she also had a nasty streak deep within her heart. The general¡¯s eyes shone as he looked at this man, his power flowing during this shot. Something inside the military man gave him profound hope, as he knew he had to join this new Demigod and serve by his side. Perhaps the creator god had sent someone to help after such a long time. He needed to get his daughter, and find those loyal to him. He had to get plans into motion! "What are you all doing! Soldiers grab some bows and fire! I order you all to fire!" The Assistant to the now deceased Archbishop had become the de facto leader at this point, and started to give orders. The general nearby, however, let out a small hiss when he realised he did not have enough time to counter the order. Soldiers had already pulled up their bows, aiming at the man. "Fire!" Twangs of bowstrings rang out as the arrows launched into the sky. The general''s central unit launched their arrows into the air. The orange desert sun was blotted out by the black dots of arrowheads, each one shining with deadly intent. "Eat that, you stupid archer!"the assistant to the Archbishop screamed, his face contorted in pleasure, an ugly sight for anyone close enough to watch. It was not long, however, before his face turned from joy to sheer horror. Suddenly, thousands upon thousands of arrows stopped dead. They sat floating in mid-air as the man who fired the bow earlier held his hand to the sky. It became evident that he was holding back all the arrows with just one hand, power erupting from him. His body was engulfed in white light that cascaded around him, even flowing down the cliffs. Quiet weeping could be heard from the Assistant, apparently having a breakdown in the face of this nightmare foe. The trained military was terrified, but as disciplined soldiers, they continued to fire volleys, only adding to the grim scene. "Stop! Halt firing!" the general warned, knowing something terrible was about to happen. He gave a secret command to retreat his troops rapidly, before the first volley had even landed, and by now he could see his forces pulling away. At least, the ones that were still loyal to him, roughly over one-thousand troops had already made their retreat. "This cant be good... Bring the shield unit here!" General Lee Shee had always hated being right, and today was just not his day. C8 - Total Victory The backlash of wind flowed over the battlefield, sweeping up the sides of the cliffs. The guards stationed against the barricades braced themselves, each of them stunned, as they watched a large figure roll off his mount, slamming into the soldiers below with a splat. Blood could be seen squirting out like water from a balloon, leaving each of them feeling horrified, but slightly relieved and impressed that this man was on their side of the battlefield. Feya watched in stunned silence as she saw the mood on the battlefield change in an instant. She could perceive the moral of the groups. Her side had been outmatched in all aspects until this man appeared. With only one shot he reversed the entire situation, changing everyone''s future with a single bolt, shining brightly to lead them to victory. "Are you a god?" She muttered this quietly, as she was stunned. The war-dancer, Kai, had shown respect, and now Feya understood why. She felt her knees wobbling as she looked over to the army, hearing a man screaming on the other side. She even felt glee as she watched the general''s staff cowering behind the slave women and furniture, fear spreading among the ranks of those in command, which would soon spread to the soldiers. That glee soon turned into a bottomless pit in her stomach, as she watched the enemies knock their thousands of bows and start to aim. Their actions were unexpected. She¡¯d assumed they would be captured, rather than killed, but due to the Archbishop¡¯s death, it seemed the plans had changed. "Well fuck me," she muttered, as she looked around at her soldiers, quickly raising her voice to them. "Stop gawking and raise the shields! Hide behind the barricade!¡± She stopped for a moment, realizing that the strange man hadn¡¯t moved a muscle, she screamed at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but put your head down!" Nathan looked at her with a serene ambience, power leaking from him as he just shook his head. "Hide away like scared children. With my power, how could I let these ants intimidate me?!" Two Minutes Earlier - Nathan POV Nathan had watched this entire event unfold. He was even laughing inside as he watched the fat bishop roll off his platform like a bowling ball, the troops below as the pins. ''Strike!'' he screamed in his mind before he heard the system start to ping him. System: Godly Act - Faith increased by 200 System: Godly Act - Faith increased by 450 System: Godly Act - Faith increased by 350 System: Killed Archbishop of a rival faith - Faith increased by 1000 Internally screaming with joy as he pulled open his system, his eyes grew wide in response to the massive amount of incoming points, ====================================== Name: Nathan Blackrose Age: 27 Race: Arch God Title: Creator God Level: 255 Dominion: 5/5 Faith: 2200 Words Of Power: (One) Power Word Bow - (Rank Copper 50%) Minor Sub Skills: Bolt Of Unstoppable Might - (Rank Copper - 12%) This ability fires a single bolt that is unstoppable by non-divine beings, If non-divine being lives after the blast then they will be permanently terrified around the caster. Current Relations: None (I recommend making a friend, loner boy.) Current Missions: - Primary - Lend a word of power to someone in need - 0/1 - Secondary - Gain 250 Faith from the lending of the power Gain an increase of Dominion points to 10 Extra Abilities: Admin Menu: Locked ======================================== He noticed the massive increase in points. He would soon have enough to purchase some extra items. It seemed the system was rather generous compared to his older system, which gave him some indication that something had changed. "Better farm for some more easy points." He watched everyone panic around him, and heard the shrill command from the woman next to him. Nathan would not run away when he had some points to earn from this new system! If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Hide away like scared children. With my power, how could I let these ants intimidate me?!" He held up his hand, activating his power as he began to spread his influence through the air in front of him. Sweat plastered his brow, as this power was still new to him, causing some discomfort as the arrows flew. Thousands of arrows hung in the air, as though frozen in time. More arrows soon followed suit as the archers loosed more and more. It took several volleys before the archers stopped, noticing the terrible situation before them. "You all dare to fight against a god?!"he shouted with divine conviction, everyone flinching as they heard this word, pulling away. He listened to a few of the soldiers below starting to scream and run, pushing each other down as it became a panicked rampage to flee. "Receive your gift. It¡¯s time to enter my domain!" System: Godly Act - Faith increase by 50 System: Godly Act - Faith increase by 25 System: Godly Act - Faith increase by 25 He grinned at the small increase. This was not even the start of his power. He exercised his ability, and each arrow turned in mid-air, aiming back at the senders. By that point, even the archers in the back began to sweat as they joined in the chaos, fleeing as fast as they could. Time resumed as the arrows were flung back towards the archers, soaring through the air like bolts of light as screams echoed across the battlefield. Thousands of bolts landed simultaneously into the mass of fleeing bodies, and waves upon waves of soldiers crumpled to the dirt below, each one crying out in a despair. System: Broken an enemy force - Faith Increase by 1000 System: Godly Act - Faith increase by 500 System: Godly Act - Faith increase by 200 Nathan smirked as he watched the stampeding people run off into the desert. Those that were uninjured helped to carry away the overwhelming majority that had sustained injuries. The dead, as well, were dragged away, leaving an empty battlefield with nothing but red-stained dirt to mark the massacre that had occurred. Nathan cared nothing for his fallen foes. He cared far more about his new stats. He opened his status window once more to look at his new skills. ====================================== Name: Nathan Blackrose Age: 27 Race: Arch God Title: Creator God Level: 255 Dominion: 5/5 Faith: 4000 Words Of Power: (One) Power Word Bow - (Rank Bronze 25%) Minor Sub Skills: Bolt Of Unstoppable Might - (Rank Copper - 12%) This ability fires a single bolt that is unstoppable by non-divine beings, If non-divine being lives after the blast then they will be permanently terrified around the caster. Major Sub Skill: Lord Of That Which Falls - (Rank Bronze - 8%) This ability allows the user to redirect any ranged weapon that is fired in your presence. Non-divine beings cannot stop this process. Current Relations: None (I recommend making a friend, loner boy.) Current Missions: - Primary - Lend a word of power to someone in need - 0/1 - Secondary - Gain 250 Faith from the lending of the power Gain an increase of Dominion points to 10 Extra Abilities: Admin Menu: Locked ======================================== He nodded his head in satisfaction. He had gained a fair amount of points during this, and his skills had levelled up past copper to the bronze stage. His skills even had cool-sounding names. "I wish I could have named my skills myself. These names are too cool for my tastes!" He chuckled to himself as he thought for a moment. "That last skill I would have named... Pew Pew Stabby Stabby!" System: Poor name choices are not acceptable -100 Faith. He screamed internally again, as he saw his faith points being removed for a suggestion. Nathan swore once more to destroy this system when he got out. He just shook his head. He was enjoying his time here, it was turning out to be rather fun! If this were his video game, then maybe he would not change anything, for one reason alone. He was happy. C9 - Unexpected Friends Feya watched the entire scene, the image of tens of thousands of arrows hanging over her head, held back with nothing but that man¡¯s bare hands, guards around her gasping as they all felt so close to death. She burned the images into her mind, never to be forgotten. "Holy fuck," one of the guards cursed, as he watched this heaven-defying feat. All of those present couldn¡¯t help but bow their heads to the man who had saved them all, each of them looking at the arrows fly, seeing the enemy¡¯s frontline crumble and flee in terror. Feya stumbled in the face of this miracle, her eyes almost dreading to see what came next. She still didn¡¯t know why until her head moved up, and she watched as row after row of arrows spun around, aimed back at their senders. "Please have mercy on them." She offered a silent prayer to the gods, before hearing the arrows whistle, each one launched back like multiple repeater cannons firing in unison. She stood up, resolving her spirit, as she watched the enemy soldiers being cut down, arrows landing in the hoard of fleeing bodies. She could see nearly a thousand soldiers cut down, almost two thousand injured, while the rest continued to escape. The giant beast carrying the Bishop and other leaders rushed away through it all. Feya still hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock, her eyes watering. Eventually, it sank in, and she leapt into the air, screaming with joy. The last few weeks all rushing back to her. She had had to escape the capital and flee, watching her comrades falling by the dozens with each day that passed. Now that they had come across this incredible luck, the floodgates opened, and she cried happy tears. Each of the guards acted in the same way, bawling with her. Everyone felt like a child as they dropped all pretenses, a river of tears flowing from their eyes. Everyone cheered in reverence of the man who had saved them. "It''s not over yet!" Nathan spoke out as his eyes still looked over to the east side of the battlefield. A smaller group was approaching. Over one-thousand soldiers marching in unison, each of them full of vigour. Two people lead at the front, looking much more fearsome. While the first army seemed like a militia, this one was closer to an elite task force. The scattered forces on Nathan¡¯s side turned silent, unsure once more. "We might be fighting the true force here. Hand me a bow." Nathan commanded. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. One of the guards quickly grabbed another spare bow and passed it to him. "Wait here. Let me see if I can talk to them." Nathan hopped off the cliff, landing without any issue on the ground. The distance fallen would kill an ordinary man, turning into a pancake. This feat alone clearly indicating Nathan¡¯s status as someone no longer human. Feya, Kai, and the rest watched from a distance, unable to support the man who had saved their lives. One of the guards still tearing up. Feya shook her head as she then commanded. "He is our master, the one who saved our families and us. We will follow him to the ends of this earth. If you disagree, then you must say so to his face!" No one would disagree. One battle, one impossible battle, was overturned in a matter of moments by that man. Nathan started to walk forward, looking at the group. After a few minutes, he stood before them, staring at the two standing at the centre of the column, each one holding authority similar to each other. "Must be family, then,¡± he muttered, while taking a look at the older gentleman. The man was roughly 6''2, with long white sun-bleached hair and sideburns, but an otherwise clean-shaven face. His body was trained, but slightly let go due to his time in the command tent. He held an aura of command and experience. The other one was a woman, undoubtedly much younger, at the age of twenty, maybe twenty-two at the most. She was shorter, around 5''8, toned, with a sharp, cheeky smile coating her lips. Long blonde curls fell down her back, taken care of well enough to remain in such a beautiful state even in the desert. The gleam in her eyes betrayed her inexperience, but it also showed courage, command and strength. "Have you come for another round? Ten thousand against one hundred is a poor show on any side. Civilians involved is also bad form!" Nathan shouted. Some of the soldiers behind both the generals seemed to become agitated by this, which threw Nathan off. The older gentleman stepped forward, his smile sharp and professional. "My name is Lee Shee. This is my daughter, Ameria Shee, and behind us is over one-thousand of our loyal forces. We are here right now not due to our allegiance to the Dusk Mistress, but another reason entirely." He pulled out his sword, turning the blade down and stabbing it into the sand. His leg kicked back, leaving him kneeling on one knee. His daughter mirrored the motion. The entire army behind him followed in suit, as over one-thousand soldiers unsheathed their swords and stabbed them into the ground, kneeling to him. Nathan moved forward to reach out his hand, grasping the general''s shoulder, his voice loud enough for all those present to hear. What would follow became a memory all of them would remember to their deathbeds. "Lee Shee, I do not know the struggles you faced, and I do not know why you align to my side, but you have much to make up to the people beyond here. I may accept you, but unless the rest of them do, I cannot accept this gesture." He pulled the general to standing at ease, his strength surprising the general, given his thin frame. Nathan''s hand grasped the general¡¯s in a handshake. "Forgiveness takes two, but one person must take that first step. Do you understand, General Lee Shee?" The general felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes, nodding his head as he resolved himself. "Yes!" C10 - Uneasy Union Feya and the rest had taken time to scale down the cliff, and almost five minutes had passed before they even started to move towards the group. Each of them was full of courage, and they began to form groups as they approached, distinctly a militia compared to the army they faced. Feya slowed down, as she felt her eyes bulging from their sockets. The entire foe was kneeling before the man that had just saved them, and the enemy general was nearly crying with happiness. What had happened while she was not around? This scene almost made her feel like coughing out blood. Just how many miracles could this man perform? "Ahh, this is the General Lee Shee. He is surrendering to us to help us all out. I see no ill wishes from him, so I assume he and his men will be fine." Nathan said, pursing his lips. In truth, he had forgotten the name of the woman who stood before him. Had he even been told her name? He smiled lightly as the general and his daughter both looked unsure, each of them looking to the other as both armies gazed mistrustfully at one another. All those present seemed worried that things would escalate. "They just tried to kill us, now you want us to work together?!" One of the guards from Feya''s side argued, upset at the sudden turnaround. Many of the others agreed, but Feya herself remained quiet. Kai moved forward quickly and bowed her head, kneeling soon after, leaving everyone else stunned. War-dancers never submitted to anyone. They were free spirits that could never be tamed. This was truly a fantastic sight. Nathan shook his head, looking to both sides as he let out a deep sigh. "Nothing is black and white. Clearly, this man was not in charge, but he came here without a single wounded member in his party, which means he pulled out of the battle during that whole incident. Not a single arrow would have been from his group. So it can be assumed that he has made no aggressive move." He looked to Lee Shee, who nodded his head at that statement, impressed by the man''s level of insight. "They are now outlaws as well as you, so why not open your arms and give them a chance. We are stronger united than apart.¡± He paused to look towards the general¡¯s side once more. ¡°Though please, make note that if you do betray us, I will kill you. Naturally, if the other side starts anything due to the past, I will also dole out punishment." He gave fair warning to both sides, and the corresponding representatives nodding in recognition. They understood that this man could truly back up his claims. Feya shook her head as the guards had become silent. She was the de facto leader of her group, so she acquiesced as she responded to Nathan. "Sure, that is a fine idea. I agree with it and hope that the other group do not betray this union. I would hate to see more blood flow,¡± she said. Nathan nodded as he looked at the general. Lee Shee nodded his head as he replied in turn. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "We are looking for freedom from religious oppression, as well. The current Dusk Mistress has fallen to hate and depravity." Nathan bit his lip as he heard the last statement, the Mistress of Dusk was Saleh, his daughter and one of his first creations. She was always a happy child, and this news made his heart ache. What had changed her? This turn of events had also proven his theory again. He was no longer in a game. This had turned into reality, which gave him cause to worry. Many things had changed, and he more knowledge to be able to combat this new era. Feya turned to her guards. "Let me go gather the group together. I''ll send one of my men back once we have gathered everyone. It''s too risky for everyone to come separately, as they might flee in different directions if they see a massive army." Nathan nodded his head as he watched the group of guards heading off, a few of them looking worried at leaving the man who saved them with this group of strangers. Kai remained behind with Nathan as the two groups stood uneasily. "Why are we all standing around so uneasily? Sit down and have a rest!" Nathan broke the silence, sitting onto the ground. He looked up at the War-Dancer who still stood, looking slightly confused. "Oi, Bothanical, you may as well sit down as well. I bet you have some serious dryness up as well." Lee Shee, Ameria, and the others looked to each other, confused. "Do you mean the War-Dancer?" Lee Shee asked, confused. "War-Dancer? Is that the name you gave them? They are called Bothanicals, pronounced Both - Ann - Ick - Alls." They all looked confused as they watched the plant-like woman who seemed to let out a small rustle before sitting down obediently. "I''ve never seen one so obedient. Normally they rampage and kill so easily! it¡¯s like she''s a pet..." Ameria said, with a small giggle escaping her lips. Nathan motioned to one of the soldiers who was resting, holding his hand out. "Can I have that bottle?" The soldier slowly handed it over after getting a nod from his general. They all watched as Nathan moved back towards Kai, beginning to empty the water on her leaves, making sure to drain specific amounts onto each part. None of the water poured onto the sands, but was instead absorbed completely into the creature. "I''m surprised you managed to last that long..." Nathan muttered as Kai shook around, her leaves growing slightly due to the water she had taken. Her mouth pulled closer as she looked up to him with an almost childlike expression, her nature different to the typical cold attitude she usually bore. "Thank you, o¡¯ great one!" she said. All the soldiers heard her echoing voice, and couldn¡¯t help but blush slightly. Everyone could only think one thing, just one word that stuck into their minds. "Cute!" Ameria muttered, as everyone nodded in agreement. Lee Shee stared strangely as he wondered in his head: How can a plant be cute! C11 - Groups Reunited Time went past quickly, the soldiers taking a rest, as Nathan kept his eyes peeled after watering Kai. The retreating army that he had decimated still headed north-west, away from their location. He had a hunch that the first military must have come from a large city based in this desert, meaning that the entire land was not just a ruined wasteland of sand and despair. He continued his work, watching the area for any signs of people trying to sneak up. It took almost thirty minutes before a guard from Feya''s side approached them, gesturing for them to walk towards the basin. While the entrance stood blocked with massive boulders, it seemed possible to navigate between them, the cliffs on each side providing a good defensive bonus. Lee Shee moved up to walk alongside the young man. While he had hoped for someone older, he expected him to be young. Demigods tended to represent eternal youth. Even the Dusk Mistress looked rather young, though she was almost five-thousand years old at this point. He looked towards the gentleman as he realized something. "Sorry, I don¡¯t think I ever caught your name." Nathan stopped as he turned to the man, thinking for a moment as he wondered if a fake name was better at this point. He figured it didn¡¯t matter, so he simply shrugged. "Call me Nathan." Lee nodded his head as he could tell it was not a fake name. The person hesitated to consider it, but the resolve clearly stated that he thought giving a fake was not a good choice at this time. "Nathan, interesting name. Have you known this group for long?" Nathan was surprised at the questions, but just shook his head slowly as he answered them truthfully. "I just met them nearly ten minutes before meeting you. I saw the unarmed folks and this massive army. I was right to join in. This world is much different than what I imagined." Lee felt confused at that point, looking at the man as he stopped in his tracks before the giant boulders. "Different? What did you imagine?"Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Nathan again had a choice. He could lie, or give the full truth. He thought for a moment before deciding to be truthful. "I thought I was coming into a warzone between all seven Demigods." Nathan stopped moving at this point, the soldiers staying still as they looked nervously at the Demigod that was leading them forward. "The Age of Downfall?" Lee asked with curiosity. He felt worried now that the wrong answer might anger this young man. He had only just arrived with these fundamental questions. "Yes, that is right. It should be 668 A.E at this moment?" Lee''s face grew pale, his eyes staring at Nathan as he felt his throat tighten. His actions made it clear to Nathan that something was wrong. "What year is it, General Lee?" Nathan turned his body to face the man properly, staring at him not with rage or anger, but with understanding. "It''s 997 A.E, my Lord." Nathan slowly sighed, relieved. He let out a deep laugh as his hands placed themselves on his hips. "Oh my, seems I missed everything. Well, three-hundred years is a large jump! I guess I will need a refresher course later!" He laughed before turning around and continuing to walk towards the entrance to the valley, squeezing through the rocks. The entire army behind him was left dumbfounded by the calm and happy response. Even Lee Shee was surprised. Ameria and her guards moved forward, her smile growing as she looked at her father. "Stunned, father? He''s not like our old Mistress." Lee nodded to his daughter as he and the rest of the army followed through the gap. Kai was moving at the back, merely watching in silence. Feya and the rest of the guards had taken almost twenty minutes to collect everyone together. Aside from Feya, there was another woman leading the group. Her name was Auryn Zey. Auryn stood at the front of the group that had regathered, her pale skin almost like snow with a tall, thin figure that made women jealous and men stare. She had long white hair, each strand perfect as it floated down her back. Two long elven ears stuck to her head, and she had piercing silver eyes. She had lived for a long time before being thrown into the vortex. She had seen the Demigods in all their power. She had enjoyed the era before the Age of Downfall, and had watched it all. She was somewhat knowledgeable about most facts. As such, she was confused about how or why a new Demigod had appeared here when she heard the news from Feya. She watched as the sunken looking human approached, the others behind him showing respect. Those around her tensed up at the fact that the enemy was also with them. Though Auryn herself was not all that bothered, she needed to figure out if the man who looked almost like a skeleton was an ally to them, or someone who would doom them all. Each Demigod received their power from the creator god. Each of them could do certain things within the limits of the powers they had received. It was not easy for the Mistress of Dusk to do certain things that her fellow Demigods might be able to do. Auryn resolved herself, taking prideful steps forward. Feya almost choked when she saw the resolved footsteps from the Elf, each movement causing her heart to sink, as she knew this would cause trouble. She decided to watch it to the end, not interfering. She needed answers as well, and knew that Auryn would get them. Nathan, Lee and Ameria, including the army behind them, stopped. The tall elven woman now stood before them, towering over even the old General Lee. Her eyes betrayed her intelligence as she looked directly at Nathan. "You claim to be a Demigod. Prove it to me, or I will denounce you here!" Everyone drew a sharp intake of breath. The guards, soldiers, even Lee Shee, Ameria, Kai and Feya all stared at the woman who seemed to cross the boundary. This was going to be terrible. C12 - Legends of the Eira Nathan came with the group, noticing the Elven woman coming out, hearing her challenge echoing into the valley around them. Nathan was confused. When did he deserve this challenge issued against him? He could easily just use some power to show her what he was capable of. He could also just ask those around him to verify his status. He took a moment to think, before deciding on the best course of action. He knew that the best way to gain this person¡¯s trust was through knowledge. He may not know what happened between 668 to 997 A.E, but he was still a master with everything before that point. "It''s rather odd to see an Eira elf, I would have assumed you would still be up in the northern wastes, hiding away from the world, and since Saleh is the only one around, I would have assumed that you would remain in hiding." Auryn felt her face growing cold, she would have believed the man after muttering her ancient race name. Most people called her a snow elf. Slavers would drool over enslaving her to sell for a profit, but her ancient race name was lost in time. She was about to apologise, but could not even get a word in, her mouth shutting tight as the man continued. There was fire in his eyes as he wanted to prove his point, showing his superiority to the ancient elf who had lived more than five hundred years. "Eira Elves, supported by the God Ingros, God of light, sun, and hope. He was also the patron of soldiers and army officials. Eiras originally came to his side as the white snow looks oh so beautiful in the bright sunlight. Now it seems you are lost in the darkness." Auryn felt her heart spilling out, her memories flooding to her, the younger years she was promised had been snatched away when the great war started. She watched her race dying out, and her own life becoming hollow when they fled to the north. "It''s all lost. Hope is gone for you and your race in the north, I can tell just from by looking at you. Ingros was a stable force for an unstable race. You lost something, and now I can tell, you are withering each day. You are all infertile, if I''m correct, unable to have children." Auryn felt like dying, her heart sinking as the man had not only uncovered her heart, but ripped it out for everyone to see. Tears started to stream down from her eyes, her body starting to shake as her knees became weak, collapsing down onto the sand as she sobbed. She had lost hope in her own future. Auryn had come to this place to seek hope, thinking that maybe she could find Saleh and request her help. Only a Demigod could help them resolve this issue, but this man had just taken all of her cards and tossed them into the open for everyone to see. Saleh instead had just thrown her into this place to wither faster. "Fear not, Eira, there is hope. I can provide you with a seed of fertility and grant you a power."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Auryn looked up at the man, her eyes wet and messy from crying, confusion written all over her face. She had never heard of a Demi-god giving power to a mortal before, it was a strange thing. Nathan smiled gently as he mentally pulled open the store. He had over four thousand points to spend. It was time to create some miracles and complete some quests. ======================================== - Welcome to God''s Store! - Power Word Sale! (Monthly) Bow (80% Discount): 1700 Faith (SOLD OUT!) Fertility and Aqua Bundle (50% Discount): 3000 Faith Journeying (20% Discount): 10,000 Faith ----------------------------------------------- -Card Effects!- (Monthly) Loyal Vassal (1 Left) (Popular!): 2500 Faith each. Temporary Power Word (3 Left): 500 Faith each. Power Upgrade (2 Left) 250 Faith each. ----------------------------------------------- Vassal Power Upgrades No Vassals, you must be lonely! ----------------------------------------------- Legal Items
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----------------------------------------------- Next Month, on the first, the shop will rotate the stock, please make sure to purchase all the items you want or need before the end of the month. ======================================== He quickly scrolled down to the power word bundle. Two words for the price of one was almost a steal, he knew he had to get this. While these two powers tended to be less combat based, he would still use them. He had to create a power base of worshippers to increase both his faith and also increase his dominion. While faith could be spent on consumables, powers, and other such items, dominion let him affect the world in a more permanent capacity. He could do many things with it. He was going to spend most of his dominion in this coming moment, as he knew this first day was crucial to establishing his base of power. "My name is Auryn. Master, how are you going to do that?" She asked, confused. Nathan almost felt like spitting his lungs out, hearing ¡®Master¡¯ from a beautiful older woman did still have some effect. He kept a poker face as his eyes adjusted and watched her. "Simple, I will grant you my power of fertility. It''s a powerful word that can affect a province." He summoned the power of fertility inside him. Instead of using it normally, he started to focus on giving it to someone else. System: Would you like to give Auryn the power of Fertility? This will require an upkeep of (1) Dominion. (Y / N) Nathan smirked as he pressed the Y option in his mind. He extended his hand as a white warm glow came from his fingers. Its light extended from his body as it wrapped around Auryn, entering her mouth, ears and eyes as she let out a loud moan, clearly affected by this power that penetrated her body. Only a minute later had she stopped struggling against the power coming inside her. The last of it finished oozing out of Nathan, and she looked up at him, feeling the power inside her. It was like a beacon that gave her hope. When she was younger, she had the feeling from Ingros himself. This time, she owned the power on her own, and it was stronger. Who was this man? "My God, I will serve till my final breath," she said, getting on her knees and bowing her head. She pressed herself into the lowest and smallest form possible, showing utter defeat and submission. Nathan nodded his head in a powerful manner. In his mind he could only think one thing. ''Bestowing her with fertility will cause one issue. She was already beautiful... But now she¡¯s smoking hot!'' C13 - Fertilitys Growth Auryn felt the power flooding into her. She had accepted this gift willingly, as she knew that any help might be something to help her and her race turn the tides on their impending extinction. The power felt like a wave crashing into her, each second passing causing her breathing to speed up as she tried to retain control over her rationality. The sensation of pleasure and pain mixed as her body was ravaged by this intense feeling. She began to change. Not all too much, as she looked the same as before, except for some key differences. All of the lines, wrinkles and aging marks on her skin had vanished. Her appearance was now closer to a thirty-year-old beauty. The men around her couldn¡¯t help but to stare intensely. She had become untouchable in the mortal realm. The power settled down in her stomach, and each moment that passed made her feel more at ease. The ability didn¡¯t cause any issues as she stared at the ground, taking a few moments to breathe and recoup. Energy radiated around her as she appeared like a goddess who descended from the heavens. Auryn reached inside herself to use the newly-acquired power, her curiosity getting the better of her. It was a strange feeling. As she tried to pull the power to the surface, it quickly started to get out of hand, expanding faster then she could control it. It only took a minute before she gave in, letting the energy explode like a bomb around her. She was startled, but an inner voice told her it would be fine. Feya watched with disbelief, the woman who interrogated him had been given such a gift! She wondered if she should have questioned his every move beforehand. She watched as the so-called Eira elf rose, her eyes so pure it made Feya swallow dryly. "Beautiful..." she said gently, her voice croaking as she felt she might bawl her eyes out at the sight of this beautiful woman. Auryn had turned from someone who was lovely to look at into a person who should be worshipped. But at the next moment, Feya felt confused. White light began to expand from Auryn''s body, everyone gasping and taking steps back as the woman was now shrouded in the brilliance. Everyone except Nathan seemed worried, and noticing that fact, Feya calmed herself down and just watched. The white light expanded rapidly after a few minutes, going wild. It grew to roughly ten meters wide in all directions from Auryn. Eyes shut tightly, Feya felt concerned as she fell forward onto her hands, grasping the cold damp grass between her fingers, coughing as she opened her eyes. In a ten meter radius around the snow elf was a beautiful visage. Life had bloomed in this small region. In a barren wasteland, a small patch of grass, flowers and even a single tree had matured. The tree was tall and thick at the base, and already had small bulbs growing from the branches. Auryn stumbled, taking a few steps forward before her eyes closed, body crashing towards the ground. Nathan moved forward to catch her body, pulling her up in his arms as he smiled brightly. He looked more like a proud father than someone traced by her beauty. Nathan let out a soft self-satisfactory sigh. The small area had grown thanks to her power. He looked around at the others who stood nearby, clearly happy at the sight. Everyone stared back at him. This was an image they wanted to burn into their memories, as history had just been made.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. System: Godly Act - Gained 1000 Faith Points System: Taken a New Vassal - Gained 500 Faith Points System: Small Community Worship - Gained 5 Dominion System: Quest Completed - Secondaries Completed. He blinked as he watched the system push many messages to him. System: Reward - Discovery Box: This box can is openable for one of three items, you may choose which one of the three random rewards you can keep. He stood for a moment staring at this, basically, it was going to give him a random reward, but he could choose from one of the three outcomes. "What a cheap game," he said with a small smile, his mind opening his new character sheet to see what was new. ====================================== Name: Nathan Blackrose Age: 27 Race: Arch God Title: Creator God Level: 255 Dominion: 9/10 - 1 In Use Faith: 2400 Words Of Power: (One) Power Word Bow - (Rank Bronze 25%) Power Word Fertility - (Rank Copper 0%) Power Word Aqua - (Rank Copper 0%) Minor Sub Skills: (Bow) - Bolt Of Unstoppable Might - (Rank Copper - 12%) This ability fires a single bolt that is unstoppable by non-divine beings, If non-divine being lives after the blast then they will be permanently terrified around the caster. Major Sub Skill: (Bow) Lord Of That Which Falls - (Rank Bronze - 8%) This ability allows the user to redirect any ranged weapon that is fired in your presence. Non-divine beings cannot stop this process. Current Relations: (1 is the loneliest number!) Auryn Zey - Eira Elf - Fertility Vassal Current Loyalty - 63% Status: Healthy Current Missions: - Primary - Increase Followers to 10,000 - Secondary - Increase Vassals to two. Create a Miracle Extra Abilities: Admin Menu: Locked ======================================== He checked out the new missions. It seemed the not-game wanted him to build up his follower base and also increase his vassals, though the ¡®Miracle¡¯ part was difficult. He knew in the past that a Miracle was only possible when one had been pushed to the limit, about to die. It could only be a last-ditch effort to stay in the mortal world. ¡®This system is giving me harder challenges,¡¯he thought to himself. Placing Auryn back down onto the grass and patting her head gently, he checked the item collection area of the menu for his reward. System Reward One: Senshi (Bow) System Reward Two: Eternal Springs (Building) System Reward Three: Ten Thousand Clay Soldiers (Items) He looked at all three items. They seemed to give no stats. This system was different from before, as he had to pick this blind, which made him somewhat annoyed. He selected the first reward, he could quickly make water with his ability, and the ten thousand clay soldiers were useless to him until he acquired other words. Therefore, the first option was the best use to him with his current words. He moved his hand forward, summoning the bow. Black oak sprung from his fingers, entwining slowly to make a bow frame. Soon, what was left in his hand was a longbow with the beauty of an ancient weapon. Two strings unwound from the ends of the bow as they floated towards each other, connecting in the middle and finalizing the summoning. Nathan smiled gently at this beautiful weapon. System: You have acquired Senshi Name: Senshi Rarity: Demigod Weapon Effect: This bow can be summoned and unsummoned at will. Each honourable kill with this weapon will infuse a charge into the bow. Once a day, the wielder can expend charges to unleash seven ballista bolts at any target within sight. Mortal Effect: If a mortal touches this bow without sufficient will and honour, they will wither and turn into a black oak tree. He stared at the bow in his hands, quickly fading the item away when he noticed everyone watching him. It was probably better to not turn people into trees just yet, he thought. He watched as all the people around him fell to their knees, rendering him speechless. "We pledge ourselves to you, Nathan, Demigod of the future!" C14 - The Valley Feya stood with the rest, watching Nathan place Auryn down onto the grass beneath the tree. The sight was inspiring, beautiful. A moment later, they would almost describe it as heroic as they watched Nathan pull a weapon from thin air. The majestic black bow that seemed to grow like a sapling from his hands, the string pulling from the bow, they had the aura of a divine weapon. Feya felt an urge to grasp the bow. It was a sincere desire that all of them held. It seemed that Nathan could tell, as the instant he saw the hungry gazes, the bow vanished from sight. Many guards and soldiers snapped back to attention, feeling embarrassed. Feya felt such her cheeks flush, knowing she should have restrained herself as well. She was a princess with countless hours of military training, not some kleptomaniac layman. Nathan came over to the group, his eyes landing on Feya. "Feya, Lee, Ameria and Kai. Care to walk with me?" His words were soft, a smile on his face as he eased their minds. He lead them away from the group. It was time for a serious discussion about the future, and he had high hopes for these four, as well as the currently unconscious Auryn. "Just some questions. Since this place is a rather nice location, we need to discuss supplies, current population and the delegation of tasks." He said this without any force, indicating that he wanted to let them be the ones to decide on these matters. While he could use a heavy hand and just give out tasks, he knew it was better to allow people to take responsibilities naturally. Though, in the end, he would still have to hand out the more disliked tasks. He looked to Feya first. "How many people do you have, and what are the supplies looking like now?" Feya slowly pursed her lips, knowing that out of the two groups currently, hers was the weakest. It was impossible to give a good report, so she decided to bring it out. "Bad. Our supplies are gone, and we have been eating carrion meat for the past few days. People are tired and sick, and our water supplies are almost gone..." She stopped herself from getting into more details, thinking about the numbers roughly. "Including the guards and a recent headcount, we have eight hundred and two people. That includes the guards who are most likely going to go back to normal work with the soldiers being here." Nathan nodded his head as he turned to look at Lee Shee. The general understood the look and began to speak, his voice calm as he gave the information to him.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "We have one-thousand one-hundred and thirty-two troops, including my daughter¡¯s elite unit of knights. Our rations are not great, as we could only take a small amount. Most supplies are taken on a supply train by beasts which are with the retreating army. I¡¯d say we have about three days of food, and the same for water, as we have a water crystal with us." Nathan nodded his head as he thought to himself. The supplies would not do too much. They would last only a short time. He looked to both groups as he asked the next question. "What about this valley? Has anyone taken a good look around?" Ameria stepped forward as a smile covered her face. "Sir, my knights scoured the area when we arrived. It''s a perfect oval basin with one entrance on the north-west side. It''s an ideal area for shade. We have found a few cave entrances, and what appears to be a dried up river bed running through a place that is slightly south of the centre." She thought for a moment, remembering that Nathan had only just arrived. "In the vortex, most areas struggle for food. This is because we have nearly no farming land. This area has no land suitable to farming, no water, and no wildlife. We have yet to explore the caves, but I doubt any resources will become available." Feya felt ashamed. If she had Auryn with her, then she was sure the woman would say the same things, but right now she could only bite down on her pride. Her group was the least useful for now. She had one card now, though, since Auryn had her gift. Nathan took all this in, sighing as his shoulders relaxed. "That is a relief. If we can go to the source of the water, I may be able to find whatever happened and resolve the issue. With my own power, and now Auryn, we can resolve the soil fertility issue. It only requires time." He continued to ponder as he looked at the group. He could still feel some tension as he gave out commands. "Well, Ameria, you seem good with the scouts. I need you guys to keep looking around. Find any sources you can see in regards to food. It¡¯s vital to our future plans.¡± Ameria nodded her head and saluted. "I will not let you down!" Lee looked at Nathan. "What about my group?" Nathan nodded again as he held his chin, thinking as he sighed. "Tension between your groups is still rather high. We need to build cohesion. I want you to get your soldiers to start sharing food. Get them to make the food then come over and start sharing meals, stories, and mix in together. I do not want any group divides. I also need you to be careful with all the food." Lee nodded his head, Feya just blinking as she looked at Nathan. "What about us?" "Just rest for now. You have had it rough, so take some time to relax. Eat and drink as well." As he was about to break the meeting up, he saw Ameria come forward. "Sir, what about yourself? I know you are strong, but you should take some of my girls with you, as well as some men for protection who can also carry some water back if you do find a source." Lee cheered his daughter on internally. This was a good idea to increase her value to him. He knew that the Demigod was capable of transferring powers, and his daughter would become stronger with Nathan''s power mixed in. "That is a good idea. Send a small group with me, then. Let''s start this. Remember to make no mistakes, and if an army shows up, hide and wait for my return. I shall not be long. Oh, also, make sure Auryn does not use her powers yet without me around." Everyone nodded before breaking up, they all had a job to do. C15 - Climbing To The Source Nathan had spent the last few minutes planning. As he felt like he had missed someone, his eyes turned to look at the woman he had forgotten, Kai, staring at him with barely any emotion. It was hard to tell her feelings through a regular standard, mainly due to her race communicating by scent and smell. It was easier for them to do everything this way. The communication via telepathy was due to him not wanting the race to be stuck unable to talk to anyone else. It was a compromise, since they had no way to speak to anyone vocally. He turned to Kai and nodded to her. "Kai, want to come with me?" He saw the woman nod her head, coming over almost instantly. He could swear she was happy. He just sighed as he started to move towards Ameria''s group. He saw her talking to three women, each of them slightly older than herself. Kaye listened to Ameria, nodding her head as she looked to the mission. Apparently, the Demigod had assigned tasks to everyone, and she was assigned to find the source of water. She was about to hear who else was coming on her mission, as Ameria had been somewhat vague. Kaye stood at an impressive height of 5''11, her muscles defined and able to put any man to shame. Confidence and pride showed on her face, as she knew her mission was of the utmost importance. Short rough-cut brown hair hung on her head like a mop. She also sported freckles and one large scar along her jaw that showed her skill in previous combat. Her armour was made of iron plates and silver inlining, magical runes carved onto it, with magic stones attached in the sockets to allow cooling of the armour. Kaye had her two sergeants with her. While she was with the logistics group that did not dull her sword or her member''s blades, she saw her job as the most important of the entire group. Supplies had to do with the whole army, and she even gave aid to the regular army. She also had seven days worth of supplies for her small group, showing that she was prepared for this. Ameria saw Nathan and Kai coming, and she clasped her hands together while nodding to them both. "This is the group. You three will go with Kai and Nathan to find the water source and bring back some fresh water. I know you will do best to..." Before Ameria could even finish her words, Kaye''s eyes widened as she stared at the man who was coming to assist them. He was skinny, almost like a bag of bones. She had expected them to gain some assistance from the locals, but this was insulting. The Demigod had requested this mission, and when she finally met the Demigod, she wanted to be successful and not regretful due to the extra baggage. "Commander, I request that we do not take this peasant. He is malnourished and should stay here." Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. She had even noted his strange eyewear and clothing, seeing that he was a foreigner as well. She had nothing against people from other countries, but she knew that culture boundaries could cause friction, and she needed her first mission to go flawlessly. Ameria stood, shocked. She felt like the woman she had just assigned to this mission was going to stab her in the back with her dealings with the Demigod. She bit her lip, about to speak up for Nathan, but sadly she was beaten to the punch. "Oh, you think I will be useless. Well, we shall see now. Come along, tin can, let''s see if you can keep up." Nathan sent out a verbal bash of his own as he turned and walked towards the dried river bed to the south. Kaye felt her rage surge, her face turning red as she charged forward after him, her two sergeants looking to each other before following. Kai took up the rear. Ameria was stunned, but decided not to say anything. If the Demigod had a plan, then she would trust him. Following the path west, it seemed the tension between the small group had grown to new heights as the knights glared at the man. Kai and Nathan just ignored them both as they continued to ascend to the west, eventually reaching what looked like an old fall area, a small indent into the ground. "This must have been an old waterfall, it¡¯s eroded away this wall, and the water must have created this hole at the bottom. We have to continue up and over to find the source. I hope you can climb well, Tin-can." Kaye seethed as she looked at the man. Maybe he was more intelligent than what she had pegged him to be. He could potentially be a noble, but in the vortex, that did not matter. "My armour is made out of highest quality iron with silver inlines and magical inscriptions that you could only dream of owning!" she spat back at him, defending her prized equipment. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that Nathan did not even care about this, his bored face seeming to taunt her. "Okay Tin-can. Let me know if you need some oil on those joints. Let''s hurry and climb this." Kaye charged past the man, unhappy with the situation, but keeping her cool. She did not want to get caught punching a non-military party member. It would cause too many issues thanks to her rank. As she approached the wall of stone, she began to climb, switching out one of the heat crystals for a weightless gem, making the climb easier but not by all that much. Ten minutes went past before she finally reached the top, her body sweating crazy as she smiled. She must have been first, given the weak strength of that man. Her smile disintegrated rapidly, however, as she saw not only the man, but also the plant woman from before, standing at the top and looking bored. "How-- That is not possible! She must have helped you!¡± Kaye shouted, indignant. Both her sergeants pulled themselves up and over at that moment with an expression of death. Climbing in armour was horrible. Each one of them had to switch out the heat crystal for a weightless one, but now they all felt cooked on the inside. Nathan just stared at them, a smirk spreading across his face as he just shrugged. "Kai climbed herself. I beat her here. It''s fine, I know that the metal around you probably cooked your brain, but fear not. Once we get some water, you will be fine." Nathan and Kai continued walking up, following the dried up riverbed, leaving the knights and Kaye foaming at the mouth behind. C16 Ancient Water Temple Nathan, Kai and the three knights continued to make progress, the sun beating down on them as everyone looked worse for wear. Kai looked rather unhappy about the weather, and the three knights were all sweating horribly, taking drinks from pouches when they felt the need. Kaye stared at Nathan, who still maintained the lead. His movement were fast, showing no signs of stopping or slowing down. Hatred continued to fill her soul. Her need for revenge rose as she continued to push on, her throat feeling dry and sore. Seething, she continued to stare at the man¡¯s back. Nathan continued moving. He did not need to eat, sleep, or even drink. The sun was annoying, as he was used to the damp and mild climate of London. The climate here, however, felt like hell. After coming to this world, his form had also changed. He could no longer feel any of the issues that stumped him previously. His athletic skill was terrible before, and he usually had to stop after a few minutes of running. But now, he felt like he could keep going. He could only attribute this to the system. Becoming an Arch-God had its benefits, though right now he had access to none of his abilities. So did he have the right to be called an Arch-God? He felt a small tugging on his shoulder, his eyes turning to Kai, who nodded ahead. He stopped as he turned to look forward, seeing the strange carved stone building ahead that stuck out of the cliff Two large sides of the structure had aqueducts and other areas that water could pour from. It was clear that this place was the origins of the river, a non-natural source of water. "What is this place?" Kaye asked as she looked at the large stone building. "I''m guessing it is a temple to Elnas. She is the goddess of water, the sea and travel." The three knights looked at the man, wondering how he knew so much. Kai, on the other hand, just nodded her head, accepting it. Nathan moved forward, not allowing any more questions. He had a mission. Water was necessary, and he needed to figure out what had happened to this place. Stepping inside was a relief for everyone as they no longer had to suffer the ravages of the desert sun. The inner area felt cold to the touch, the stone keeping the temple cool, allowing everyone to rest for a moment. Nathan and the group continued after a few moments, the room opening up after around one hundred meters. The size increased from a two person wide corridor to being so massive that one could not even see the sides. To the left and right could not be seen, but ahead was an enormous drop downwards, leading to a small shining liquid at the bottom that seemed to reflect some light. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience."This is the water reservoir. It''s a large one, and it seems sad that nearly no water is here. Normally this would be filled with rainwater or magic, though it seems no one has been here in some time." He continued walking across this vast reservoir, leading to another corridor. After another five minutes of walking, Nathan stopped again as he saw two directions. One lead down, while the other lead forward. Nathan assumed that going down he would find the source of the water and maybe find the location to fix this mess. He figured he should do this alone, as he could not fully control his water power word. "Okay, let¡¯s split up. I''ll head downstairs and have a look for the source of water. You guys carry on ahead and see if you can find anything to carry the water." Kaye stared at Nathan for a moment. She knew this was stupid. It was better to stick together. If anything happened, they could defend each other, though she figured in the case of that man, it was better for him just to run away. Maybe this was the best time for revenge. She hoped the man would find something scary and run away screaming. "Sure... Nathan, was it?" she said. "You head downstairs, and we head forward. If you see anything too scary, please come back and get us. The big strong knights will protect you!" she smirked, but her smile was soon scraped from her face once more. "Alright, Tin-can. Don¡¯t rust in here. Water is bad for your metal." Kaye seethed with anger as Nathan started to walk down the stairs, almost wanting to shove him down so he might break his soft and weak neck. Kaye had to satisfy herself with rolling her eyes as she headed on, the other two following behind as she walked forward. After several minutes they entered another room. This time it was smaller than the last, with a centre platform that held a dull round and slightly cracked crystal on a podium. All around the room were shallow pools of water that seemed to shimmer, a soft blue light coming from them that looked magical. Each step they made echoed through the tall room. "Look, in the walls, I can see small holes. It seems that the water starts here and drains into the big area. Seems Mr Know-it-all was wrong!" She laughed her head off as she stepped up to the podium, staring at the dull crystal as she nodded. "If we take this, maybe the Demigod can use it for water, draw out the energy!" She touched the sphere with greed and pride as she attempted to lift it, but her smile was again pulled away as she saw blue water leak from the crystal and form into a solid fist, colliding with her and catapulting her back several meters. Her body crashed to the floor as she let out a hiss of pain, her suit shielding her slightly, but not to the blunt force. In the centre, a giant water elemental formed, its figure slightly deformed as parts of it had holes. One of its fists was somewhat smaller than the other, and its entire body took on a shiny red colour once fully formed. It was weaker than a standard elemental, the crystal in its centre almost out of power. "Who dares defile this temple? I will destroy you all and let the carrion feed on you!" The giant elemental was eight feet tall, with hatred in its eyes as it looked at the four who intruded. It was no use talking to it, as it was ready to fight. "DIE!" C17 My Luck Will Shine! Kaye stared at the creature with fear. This was not a beast she was normally capable of taking on. Elementals had to be countered by magic casters or pinpoint snipers to hit the core in their centre, and each second fighting against this beast was a disadvantage. Elementals never tired, while mortal races normally did. She pulled out her blade as she watched the elemental. A small smirk came to her face, despite her disadvantage. This was a perfect chance for her to impress the Demigod. "I will kill you and take your crystal!" Kai shook her head as she pulled out both her curved blades, moving into a strange pose as she pointed one blade forward, the second blade behind her head as she leaned lower to the ground as she prepared herself. "Do not use shields. this creature will either use blunt force or the water can just go around." Kaye gave commands out to her soldiers as both of them tossed the shields to the side as they pulled swords out. Kaye gulped as she knew what she had to do. "Can you both buy us some time, we have one chance at winning this." She prayed to the Demigod she had never met to grant them the strength to win. The elemental moved first, its speed slower than what anyone expected. It almost looked drunk with its strange movements, gliding sideways before moving straight towards one of the sergeants, its large arm moving upwards as it swiftly came crashing down. While the soldier had managed to move to the right, avoiding the main blow, it was sadly not the same for the aftershock. The water fist crashed into the floor, the entire surface below smashing and cracking as a thunderous echo boomed, the sergeant tossed away by the aftershock, smashing into the wall with a thud as she started to cough up blood. "Mina!" Kaye moved to block the path to the injured woman, the other Sergent moving to pick her up and move her out. It was already down to two on one, as she wanted to have no casualties. "You have disturbed my sanctuary! The goddess may forgive but I! Do! Not!" The elemental boldly proclaimed in a guttural tone as it charged again towards Kaye. Kaye braced herself, knowing she would have to take the blow head on. The two soldiers behind her trying to escape would be caught in the water if she avoided the blow. Her sword pushed forward as she watched the elemental stumble towards her. She shut her eyes, bracing for the impact as she felt fear holding her. But the impact never came. She heard instead the tapping of footwork against the stonework, and hissing from a clearly annoyed water elemental. Her eyes opened up again as she looked at what was going on. Her jaw dropped wide in surprise.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Kai was dancing, her body twisting past the slow but strong blows from the water elemental, her form twisting as the dual curved blades struck into the elemental¡¯s body, slicing chunks out as the water-like goo hit the floor. The creature seemed annoyed as it was struggling to fight such an agile creature. "Stop moving!" It shouted, slamming its large fist down to the ground again, attempting the same trick as last time. The ground shattered again, the shockwave even stronger than before. Kai swung her blades upwards, pulling her body back as the water fist came down against her. She moved like a blur, stepping forward and jumping above the fist as it was about to hit the ground, plunging both her blades into the beast as she held on tight. The shockwaves rattled the ground and air around her, almost blowing her back. After a few moments, she pulled another chunk of flesh from the creature as she stepped back, twirling a few times as she got back into her stance. The elemental grew a deeper shade of red as it charged again towards Kai. Its large fist crashing down a second time as Kai prepared to perform the same maneuver once more. But the elemental was not a stupid creature. Its large fist slammed into the ground as it felt Kai¡¯s blades slice into its gooey water-based flesh. Quickly shifting the mass from its right hand to its left, the other fist became massive and full, quickly swinging a right hook with speed much faster than before. Kai quickly pulled her blades free without doing much damage, pulling back as she cartwheeled away several times before spinning and dropping into a stance. She had avoided the blow, and was even holding her own against the elemental. Kaye felt in awe of this woman. It was no wonder they won the last imperial expansion war. She had heard all these plant women were capable fighters, but if each one of them could fight to this extent, it would be horrifying, to say the least. The water elemental screeched loudly, pissed that this woman was winning in the fight against it, its body glowing as it used some of its magic to control the blobs that had come from it, quickly turning them all to water as the ground became soaking wet within an instant. Kai struggling to keep her footwork on the floor. The elemental glided across the water, appearing before Kai once more, its large fist slamming down to the ground. Sadly, this time, Kai was unable to launch herself due to the surface. She was barely able to get out of range as the fist slammed to the floor, causing ripples and another force explosion, catapulting Kai into the nearest wall. Kaye felt fear come back into her heart, staring at the creature that had turned back towards her. She was now alone against this creature, her sergeant still tending to the wounds of the other woman. Kaye gulped down her worry as she stared at the elemental, boot smashing into the floor as she used her own weight to push aside the water and dig her feet into the ruined stone floor. She used the broken parts of floor for grip as she moved forward. "Dieeee!" she screeched as her sword pierced upwards. The tip pierced of her sword plunged into the orb that was in the elemental¡¯s chest, her arm buried deep inside the elemental. The core cracked slightly, but remaining in one piece. She watched the elemental freeze and stop moving. "I¡­ I¡¯ve done it! I''ve defeated it!" she squealed with glee, her smile growing as she cried tears of joy. An impossible feat had just been accomplished. "Thank you, Demigod, for looking over me!" she said, grateful for her good fortune. C18 No Luck Required. Fifteen Minutes Earlier Nathan wandered down the staircase, the long winding stairs seemed to be doused in a soft and slightly gooey substance. It was like slugs used this trail every day. It required his strength and careful steps to make his way down, each level more dangerous than the last. "This is stupid... I''m glad I''m alone, or I may have fallen on my ass already." He had an image to uphold now. Kai was one of the few who he knew trusted him to a point, but it was strange, as he never understood why. This woman had absolute trust and faith in her gaze, which haunted him. "How can someone like that have so much faith in me? I don¡¯t get it¡­¡± Things had never appeared so different since he had come here. The world had advanced onwards in time and left everything he designed behind. He used this alone time to reflect on the situation. "Is anything I made still here? The seven divine cities, for example, do they still stand?" He had many issues that he needed to resolve. Who had sent him here, and how did this video game become an actual world? He had no way to leave, either. "I need to concentrate on finding a way to escape this nightmare. This isn¡¯t what I created..." His words died in his throat as he stopped in his tracks, his head hanging low as he realized he was wrong. This was the world he created. He had designed every inch, including all of the races. "They may not be those that I''ve created, but they are all my children, descendants of many years." He held his head high once more as he looked back at his objective. He needed to stop worrying about the future, but rather push one foot ahead of the other and continue his march towards the endless grasp of time. Nathan eventually landed on the last step, his footing slipping as he came crashing down onto the slippery floor, spinning in a circle twice before stopping. He let out a loud growl of pain, a few moments passing before he finally laughed out. "Oh fuck! I''m glad that I managed to avoid landing on my ass with so many women around. That would¡¯ve been embarrassing!" His laugh was echoing through the hallway as he shook his head, pulling himself back up from the slimy and rather gross floor, sliding a few more times as he had to get his balance.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. It took him several minutes before he managed to get into the next room, a wide space opened up before him, as he was below the large water reservoir room. His eyes looking up at the glass bottom, staring as he was wondered about something. "Why would they keep a glass on the bottom?" He stopped as he noticed something moving in the depths. His jaw hit the floor as he stared at the movement. "The entire bottom of the glass is not dirty! All of those are fish!" He stopped for a moment as he moved up and tapped on the glass, none of the shapes in the bottom even flinching. Though, as soon as he got closer, he noticed them becoming more active. "It can¡¯t be. They..." In the distance, his ears picked up a faint but distinct roar, a screech following shortly afterwards. This was bad. "They must have activated something. Fucking hell, just my luck!" He turned and began to charge back up the stairs, struggling up the slimy floor as he started to gasp and groan. "Fuck this designer... Wait, did I make this?" He looked around before seeing his signature overlapping of the stonework with a small cut on the corners. "Fuck me, fuck me so much right now!" He had designed this? He couldn¡¯t remember the place at all! Once he arrived back at the top, his eyes turned to the left, noticing the two sergeants in the doorway. One was bleeding and crying while the other was doing all she could to stop the bleeding in time. "What are you doing? They are fighting inside!" the busy sergeant said as she watched Nathan walk past, unable to stop him as she had her hands tied with work. Her jaw fell to the floor as she watched the man who was supposed to be a weak peasant start to glow a bright blue. Water flowed around him like waves as it started to obey his commands. Nathan moved forward, locking onto the massive water elemental as he raised both his hands. He had only just acquired the aqua skill, which he knew could cause some issues with control, but he did not need full power to destroy the crystal in the centre of the elemental. His powers were surging through the water as the substance started to obey his command, shaking with energy as it eventually entered into the large water elemental. He watched as Kaye started her desperate charge, rolling his eyes as he knew it was not needed now that he had restrained the beast. Her blade perfectly hit the crystal, causing a crack on the side. Nathan was surprised at her accuracy, as he used the opportunity to apply pressure on the crystal, the crack spreading rapidly as the elemental stared at him with hatred. It understood its loss was due to this man who was holding him in place. The water no longer obeying it. The orb was smashing into thousands of small particles, and the water was released, splashing onto everyone nearby as Nathan let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, Nathan, came to see my victory over that massive water elemental?" Kaye boasted pridefully, despite being shaken by the fight. Nathan swallowed his urge to push her down a peg, forcing a smile. "Well done, Kaye, you did well." Nathan moved past her and over to Kai, quickly checking her out, making sure she was fine. Kaye walked past as she went to look after her sergeants, but something in the back of her mind twitched as she thought about something. "Wait, I never told him my name. Neither did the commander... How does he know?" C19 Mistakes Made Kaye checked on her soldiers, making sure they both were safe. Her eyes turned back to Nathan, seeing him working on helping Kai, who seemed to also be out of harm''s way at this point. "Nathan, what did you find downstairs?" Nathan finished checking on Kai. It seemed she only suffered some light blunt force that had stunned her for a moment. He looked over to Kaye as he walked to the centre of the room. "Nothing but a maintenance area. It''s an area where you can check on the water levels from below and then make adjustments from above." Kaye felt her mood drop, as she knew that the only drinkable water was down in the reservoir. She had no way of getting to that water without climbing equipment or any other sort of magic. This was not how she wanted their expedition to end. Coming back with buckets of water was much more impressive than nothing but future hope. Kaye looked at him with false hope, smiling as she shook her head, realizing she had sent the man into a potentially dangerous area alone due to her need for petty revenge. "I''m sorry, Nathan, I should have sent someone downstairs with you. It was because of petty anger I had against you. Please forgive me." She bowed her head, ditching her pride to apologize. Nathan stared at Kaye with surprise on his face, smiling as he felt warm inside. He was unsure as to what had caused the woman to abandon her pride. Maybe the close encounter with death had something to do with it. Perhaps it was his response that helped after he defeated the elemental. "Thank you, Kaye, please don¡¯t look so hopeless." Nathan moved into the centre of the room, his hands stretching outwards as he started to pull the pools filled with mana towards himself. Four tendrils of water pulled out and quickly moved towards Nathan, forming a water orb in front of him. System: It seems you are trying to create an Orb of Water. System: Orbs of water provide endless sources of water depending on the amount of power. Either mana or celestial power may power it, the latter being much more potent for providing a source of energy.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. System: To continue operation, there will be two costs: An upfront cost of Faith, and an ongoing cost of Dominion to supply the orb continuously. System: Cost 1400 Faith points and three ongoing Dominion points. System: Accept or Deny? Nathan looked at the cost and felt his entire body shudder. His anger rose at the ridiculous prices, but he needed this item to move forward, otherwise he would have many other issues. ''Bastard system, taking all my money. You bloody monopoly, getting away with taking it all!'' he thought, as he hit the accept button. The orb turned into a bright blue object. Unlike the previous orb, this one was three times the size, the colour a brilliant ocean blue that shone bright. It gave the brilliance of an item created by the gods. Nathan released the orb to the centre of the room, letting it hang in the air as it glowed a bright blue that seemed to cascade over the entire room in waves. Nathan looked around the area, noticing two large funnels on the left and right side. He assumed this was the location to funnel the water directly. Nodding his head as he focused his power into the orb again, activating it, he felt the power surge inside the structure. A few moments passed with nothing happening, a frown starting to appear on his face as he waited for the damn thing to activate. ''Hey, if this does not work, can I have a refund?'' System: No He was wondering who was in charge, the system or him. He dared not think about the answer as the room started to shake, the rumbling causing everyone to gasp as small drops of water began to leak from it. "Is that all? Come on!" His hand moved up to the orb, smacking against it as the pressure was released all at once. Torrents of water stronger than several firehouses were at once unleashed as two streams extended from the orb, flying towards the aqueducts on the sides of the room. Stepping back, he smiled at Kai who was standing at his side, apparently happy that he finally managed to get this stupid system to work. "Let''s head back. We have some work to finish off. Gosh, this was a fun little mini-adventure." He turned around, noticing the three soldiers standing in total stunned silence. Kaye was the most shocked. She had insulted this man many times! She had tried to contest herself against a Demigod! She was the biggest idiot on the entire planet right now. Wait, she had even insulted that Demigod¡­ Not once, but many times. She was dead. Worse than dead, she might as well sign her entire life away. The Demigod who managed to slay someone from a distance that no standard bow could reach, a range that was almost impossible even to see. This was the man that was powerful enough to cause tens of thousands of arrows to halt in the air naturally. She had made a mistake on such enormous levels, only one thing that remained in her mind as she stared at the skeleton-like man. "I''m so fucked..." C20 Let The Water Flow A few minutes before. Kaye had finished checking on her fellow soldiers, her eyes looking over to Nathan again as she asked him what he had found. After learning everything, Kaye gave her apology, feeling better as she saw a smile that would be with her forever. This man¡¯s smile was like the sun shining down on her. It filled her with hope and pride. She felt proud to have gained such a smile, which confused her, as this was a pure human who was weaker than herself. "Thank you, Kaye, please do not look hopeless." Nathan''s words hit her like a wave as she watched him enter into the centre of the room, the waves of magical power coming from him like a tidal force, the room basking in a light blue light that shone brightly, her sergeants taking a deep breath, Kai standing, looking proud, as she bowed her head in respect. "What is he doing?" She asked the question, and a few moments later, the water around the room began to vibrate, shaking, as four large water tendrils pulled from the magical pools around them, forming a sphere in front of the young man who still radiated power. An almost deafening boom was heard, exploding rapidly with power, and almost blowing those present away. They all struggled to keep standing as they watched the shining aqua orb slowly hover in the air, moving to the centre as it lined up and eventually flew above the pedestal that held the old one. A few moments passed by, as tension grew in the air, a pressure building as they watched the man move up, his hand rising before slamming down onto the orb. The pressure released all at once as two massive torrents of water flowed out and into the system of networks connecting the room, the rumbling speeding up. She watched him turn around, his eyes still soft. She knew she had made many mistakes up to this point, her mind starting its blaming mechanic as it ran like a machine, arriving at the same conclusion over and over. She was doomed. Nathan stared at the woman, his smile growing as he just laughed it all away. She had apologised earlier, and that was all that was important. "You have already said sorry, let¡¯s just put it behind us and head on with our lives!" he said with a bright smile, walking past them all, not saying much more as he heard the group following behind him. The vast reservoir continued rumbling as dust blasted from the large channels at the top of the walls, apparently designed to flow water. He watched as the water from his orb started to cascade down the sides of the walls, the reservoir at the bottom filling up quickly. He knew everyone was in for a lovely surprise once they found out the other secret that came from the place.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Well, let''s hurry or we may be washed away when the river starts to gain fresh water!" He started to make his way outside as she looked up at the bright sun, his smile growing as he began to make his way back down the sides of the rocks. Eventually reaching the top of the waterfall, he gazed down towards the bottom, seeing many people. Inside the water temple, the water levels had finally reached the amount required to start pushing out water. The two front parts were quickly spitting out dust, dirt and rocks that had accumulated as the surge of water began to spill out like a small wave. Eventually, the trickle turned into a stream which then turned into a full river. The water flowed down into the previous riverbed, following the path of least resistance as it grew into a torrent, gushing over the waterfall like a force of nature as it crashed down, filling up the hole at the bottom and eventually flooding down and into the valley below. The river bed which had long been dry quickly started to fill, the people at the bottom screaming as they had to run out of the way of the water that flowed eastwards. He smiled as he watched everyone starting to jump into the water, dancing and drinking as they laughed. The people who had fled from the army that had chased them since entering this hostile land finally had a chance to rest and relax. This play time was something that they all craved. A simple thing that was required for life could be cherished only when one was without such a thing. Nathan watched them all with a smile as he heard Kaye moving up next to him, her voice shaking, as she was still suffering from what she had done earlier. "I''m sorry, sir, but why are you just staring at them from here?" Nathan looked over at Kaye with another soft smile as his hand moved, planting it on her shoulder as his next words escaped his lips, almost like magic flowing from his mouth. "This is only the beginning. Each miracle has two parts. Kaye, keep watching as we restore hope for a bright tomorrow!" Inside the water temple, the fish at the bottom of the river stirred, the movement of the water causing them to awaken as they started to move around the bigger space. Each of them quickly swam up and into the flowing pipes. Kai turned as she heard the movement, watching small silver-like fish bouncing from the water, each one making a splash as they landed back inside. It was almost like a swarm was coming to get them all. Kaye and the others turned to watch as they dived towards the cliff. "Nathan! They¡¯re almost about to jump from the cliff!" She was worried for the safety of the creatures, her heart still pure in that regard. Nathan was sure that someone who had fought so many wars must have little fear, but for such small creatures, she seemed to worry for their safety. "Don¡¯t worry. This is a miracle." Nathan and the rest watched as the first fish dove off the top, its body flailing as it jumped from the rapids and into the open air. It almost looked helpless as it wiggled into the open sky. A few people below pointed them out as several others began to watch. Eventually, the first fish opened two flaps on its side, large white angelic wings appearing. Feathers emerged as a white light started to flow behind it, slowly descending as it glided down into the water, causing a splash as its wings were quickly pulled back inside. "Celestial flying fish, or flying fish for short, really. They are rather old, and must have survived at the bottom of the reservoir for many years." System: Godly Act - Gained 400 Faith System: Godly Act - Gained 300 Faith System: Godly Act - Gained 100 Faith System: Many people have become your worshippers. - Dominion increased by 2. Nathan ignored the system menu, simply watching as the sun bathed the valley, people screaming and enjoying the water and the fish flying down the valley with such grace. A single tear fell down Nathan''s cheek, landing on the ground.