《Stone-Cold God [Portal Progression LitRPG]》 1-1 — Tumbling Down The Rabbit Hole Callan shivered involuntarily as he stepped out of the medical center and on to Seneca Street. Overhead, the sky was a mottled gray, eternally threatening rain and misery on whoever happened to draw its ire. Dangit, he hated Seattle in February. Easily the most miserable month in existence. Shoving his hands into his coat pockets, he set off shuffling down the hill. Westlake Station might only be a ten-minute walk from here, but on days like today it may as well have been on the moon. Actually, the moon might have been easier to get to in his current condition. He only made it to the corner before he had to stop and lean against a post, his breath coming in ragged gasps. How annoyingly stupid. Not that he¡¯d ever been the most athletic person, but it wasn¡¯t that long ago he could have at least walked down the street without getting so winded he needed to lay down. Callan wasn¡¯t sure if this was a direct result of his condition, or one of the side-effects of his treatments. When he¡¯d asked Doctor Martin about it, the man had given a long-winded talk about environmental factors and individual response that Callan had stopped paying attention to about three minutes in. Now he was wishing he¡¯d listened a little more closely. Either way, it really just made his whole situation even more unbearable. Bad enough his parents couldn¡¯t take the time to go with him to his appointments, but on top of that they couldn¡¯t even be bothered to schedule him a ride home? No. That was unfair, and Callan knew it. Both his mom and dad were working overtime to help pay for his treatments. Heck, practically every spare moment they had went in to trying to make a few more dollars, and stay one step ahead of all the bills that were already streaming in. Who knew that having cancer was so expensive? His doctor called it Metastatic Periosteal Osteosarcoma, but far as Callan was concerned, it was good ol¡¯ leg cancer. It had started with some uncomfortable swelling, which he had originally assumed was just from sleeping wrong. Then the pain had gotten bad enough his mom had taken him to see his usual doctor, who had sent him to a specialist, who sent him to another specialist... By the time he¡¯d wound up in Doctor Martin¡¯s office, both he and his parents knew it wasn¡¯t going to be anything good. But still, cancer? He was only seventeen, for fuck¡¯s sake. He was supposed to be skipping school to mess around with girls in the back of cars or ingesting questionable substances purchased in a Walmart parking lot. Not hiking his sorry ass downtown to spend the entire morning in waiting rooms. A few drops of rain started hitting Callan¡¯s head as the gray sky finally decided he was due for a little more suffering. Great. Just great. With a resolute sigh, he set out walking¡ªwell, hobbling¡ªhis way down the street again. Honestly, why was he working so hard to get to the station? All it would mean was an uncomfortable ride, followed by another painful walk, just so he could catch the last few hours of school, or go home and sit in an empty house. It wasn¡¯t as if anyone would miss him. His parents were at work, and most of his friends had stopped talking to him after he was stupid enough to let his prognosis slip. Apparently, nobody wanted to be friends with the dying kid. Well, nobody other than Lyle, but Callan suspected his sole remaining friend hung around him because he was even more of a pariah than Callan. The ten-minute walk took more like twenty at his pace, and he was forced to stop three more times for a break before he got to the station. Despite there being a fair number of people on the streets¡ªSeattle was never quiet, especially downtown¡ªthe entrance to Westlake station was empty. The only person in sight was a man sitting against the entrance wall, knees pulled up to his chest, empty baseball cap lying upside down next to him. Based on the grime smearing his clothes, Callan could guess what the hat was meant for. The man¡¯s eyes flicked towards him as Callan passed by, but he didn¡¯t say anything. A moment later his gaze darted away, looking at nothing in particular. Callan hesitated. He didn¡¯t have any change, but he did have a twenty-dollar bill his mom had given him so he could get lunch after his appointment. Unfortunately, given the way his stomach felt at the moment, food was the last thing on his mind. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled the bill out and tossed it into the guy¡¯s hat. His mom would probably be furious if she found out, but whatever. Twenty dollars wasn¡¯t going to make that much of a difference towards his mounting bills at the end of the day. It would probably mean a heck of a lot more to this guy. The man glanced at him again as the bill fluttered down. His eyes were surprisingly blue, almost piercing in their intensity. There was a ring of light in their center that seemed to glow on its own. Callan blinked, and when he looked again, they seemed like normal eyes to him. Must have been his imagination. ¡°Hey, thanks, man.¡± The guy¡¯s hand shot out, and the twenty disappeared like magic. ¡°Been a slow day around here. Hope yours is a good one.¡± Callan shrugged, already wanting to get a move on. The stairs down to the light rail station beckoned to him. ¡°Can¡¯t get any worse, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°Wow, man, that¡¯s like... dark. Whatever you got going on can¡¯t be that bad. Young kid like you got his whole life ahead.¡± Yeah, all six months of it, Callan thought glumly. Of course, Doctor Martin told him to be optimistic, that plenty of people made it past the fifth-year mark with his prognosis, but Callan had done enough googling to know his chances weren¡¯t great. Twenty percent survival if caught early. And his cancer hadn¡¯t exactly been caught early. Something must have shown on his face, as the man shot him a bit of a sad smile. ¡°You just gotta have faith. Look at me. Here I was, thinking I might not even get lunch today, and then you come along. Fate provides.¡± ¡°Glad you¡¯ve got a good attitude about it,¡± Callan said, trying his best to return the smile. He turned and made his way into the station. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Just remember, Callan, hitting rock bottom means you¡¯ve got nowhere to go but up!¡± the man called after him. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that!¡± ¡°Right.¡± Callan got another two steps, then paused. When did I tell him my name? He turned around, but the station entrance was empty. Whatever. He needed to get moving. Before, he might have gone and hung out at a coffee shop for the rest of the day, but now that he was penniless, returning to school was as good an option as any. Maybe Lyle would have some new stuff for him to read. The guy was into the weirdest genres, but that was fine. Callan just appreciated being able to forget about his miserable life for a little while. Behind him, one of the overhead lights flickered. With an audible pop, it went dark. Callan glanced back and frowned. That was... weird. The next light began to flicker. Even as Callan watched, it turned off, then on, then off again. There was another pop. It stayed dark. ¡°Okay, getting creepy.¡± Turning, he started hobbling his way down the stairs again. Behind him came the sound of a third light popping, then a fourth. The way behind was entirely dark now. I really don¡¯t need this right now! He was moving as fast as he could, which admittedly wasn¡¯t particularly quick, but at least he seemed to just be keeping pace with the blackout. All he needed to do was get down to the station platform, and he should be safe. There were plenty of lights down there, and besides¡ª His foot missed one of the steps and went out from under him. With a shout, Callan landed on his ass. He stared up at the ceiling light directly overhead in a half daze. The light flickered. Turned on. Winked out. Darkness surrounded him. It smothered over him like a warm blanket. Callan tried to draw in a breath, but it was like being stuck in an airless room. His lungs started to burn as his lips sucked uselessly at nothing. A silent scream bubbled in his throat. Then, all at once, the feeling lifted. Callan drew in a breath, the sweet taste of stale air filling his lungs. Huh. Usually, Westlake station didn¡¯t smell so... earthy. Nearby, one of the overhead lights flickered to life. Or maybe it was part of the emergency backup system. The light was dimmer than normal and had a gray pallor to it that reminded him more of the overcast sky outside. Even so, after being stuck in that smothering darkness, the light almost blinded him. Callan squinted his eyes shut for a moment until he had a chance to adjust. When he opened them again, he wondered if maybe he had hit his head when he¡¯d fallen. It wasn¡¯t an overhead light at all. It was an open flame, flickering in the dark. The flame was burning inside of a small metal bowl set into the wall. The bowl was green with age, but a few spots of the original golden material still glittered through in places. Also, the flame wasn¡¯t a normal orange, but rather a grayish color that barely cast any light. He was reasonably certain that wasn¡¯t normal. Another light flared to life behind him, and Callan turned to find a second bowl, this one also lit by gray flames. Seemed to be a common theme here. Two more bowls lit up, then two more. Six became twelve, then twenty, then more than he could count. Callan held a hand up to block out the sudden light. Through his fingers, he started to make out details of his surroundings. The stairway was gone. Instead, Callan stood in a large chamber, perhaps a football field in width. Bowls of flame lined the walls, and stone benches ran into the distance. The floor beneath his feet was rough-hewn stone as well, though of a different variety than the benches. Overhead, the ceiling had a look more reminiscent of a natural cave. Either the Westlake station had been heavily renovated since his doctor appointment, or he was somewhere far, far removed from Seattle. ¡°Hello?¡± His voice echoed through the hall, the fading cries seeming to go on forever. Nothing moved around him. No rats scurried on the floor, or bats squeaked overhead. It seemed he was alone. But if that was the case, how had he gotten here? A deep rumbling noise began to build. Callan glanced around, but the sound seemed to be coming from every direction at once. It continued to grow louder, until finally he recognized it for what it was. Laughter. A booming, gravelly laugh, like the kind a mad scientist might make before saying something like, ¡°No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± he called again. ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯m pretty sure this qualifies as a kidnapping!¡± It worked... it WORKED!!! ¡°Huh?¡± Callan blinked. He turned in a slow circle, and finally spotted what he had failed to notice before, what with all the other craziness going on. The cavern came to an end a short ways behind him, with several openings leading off into darkness. Between him and the exits was another slab of stone, this one too high to be used as a bench. On top of the slab was... a statue? He had no idea what else to call it, but it didn¡¯t look like any statue he¡¯d ever seen before. It was vaguely human, at least from the neck down. Instead of a normal head, there was a shape that almost defied description. Irregular angles and abstract shapes all mashed together. Staring at it too long made Callan¡¯s head hurt, so he averted his eyes to scan the rest of the chamber. ¡°Where are you?¡± He was fairly certain the voice had come from this direction, but unless somebody was hiding behind the altar-thing, he still appeared to be alone. Had they fled down one of the tunnels before he spotted them? I¡¯m right here, little human. You are human, yes? It has been so long, and I have forgotten so much while I¡¯ve waited here in the dark. ¡°Uh...¡± Callan looked around again. The voice seemed to be coming from right in front of him, but there was nobody here. ¡°I mean, yeah, I¡¯m human. What else would I be?¡± Oh, so many things, little mortal, so many things. Perhaps not now, but one day. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s not super ominous or anything.¡± Callan squinted. The only thing he could see was the statue, but that couldn¡¯t... He started edging closer. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know what you think you¡¯re doing, but if you let me go, I promise I won¡¯t mention your weird little wannabe temple down here to anybody. Just point me in the direction of the exit and we can both forget this ever happened.¡± And why would I do a thing like that? After so much effort to bring you here. Callan stopped in front of the statue. He was positive now the voice was coming from it. Was there a speaker on it somewhere? If so, it was well hidden. So, little human, from what nation do you hail? To whom do you owe your allegiance? ¡°My what now?¡± Yeah, it was definitely the statue talking. Reaching out, Callan poked at it. The stone felt strangely warm to his touch. Almost like it was alive. ¡°I¡¯m from Seattle, Washington, in the good ol¡¯ US of A.¡± Hmm. These names are unfamiliar to me. It seems much has changed since... Tell me, mortal, does the Han dynasty still rule in Zhongguo? ¡°The¡ª¡± Now Callan really did find himself at a lack of words. He had no idea what Zhongguo was, but Han sounded vaguely familiar. ¡°You¡¯re talking about China? I¡¯m pretty sure the Han dynasty hasn¡¯t existed for, like, two thousand years.¡± Two thousand? Interesting. And yet, that does seem reasonable. It took so long to build sufficient power to summon you here. But still, it appears I have lost more time than I thought. Two thousand years. Interesting... The voice trailed off into muttering. Callan shuffled nervously. ¡°I hate to interrupt whatever it is you¡¯ve got going on, but I really need to get going. If I¡¯m not back soon my parents will call the police, and you really don¡¯t want that.¡± Actually, he doubted his parents would even notice he wasn¡¯t there for a day or two, at least. They rarely got home before he¡¯d fallen asleep anymore. Stupid cancer bills. Actually, that gave him another idea. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m really not going to be much use to you. I¡¯ve got this form of cancer, and it¡¯s pretty aggressive. If I don¡¯t get back for treatment¡ª¡± I¡¯m afraid you will not be going anywhere, human. Not for some time, at least. Callan¡¯s heart sank. So this really was a kidnapping. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± That is up to you. I require... assistance. If you aid me in getting what I desire, I can help you in return. You are free to refuse, of course, but without my powers, you will never find a way to leave this cavern, let alone back to your world. ¡°I mean, so long as this isn¡¯t some weird sex cult thing...¡± Callan paused. ¡°Wait, did you just say ¡®my world¡¯?¡± Yes, human. I am afraid that you are quite a ways from Earth. Several galaxies worth, if I had to guess. Welcome to the Outerworld. 1-2 — And They Say Shock Therapy Never Helped Anyone Welcome to the Outerworld. The words faded away without so much as an echo. It only now occurred to Callan that it was only his voice that bounced through the chamber. The other appeared to be occurring entirely in his head. Which, you know, tracked with him having gone completely and utterly insane. He took a step back and sank onto one of the stone benches. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡± Yes, this is always a difficult revelation for your species. But do not be alarmed. You will not find this world so different¡ª Callan ignored the voice, since it was clearly just a manifestation of his shattering mind. He stared at nothing in particular. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually losing my marbles. This has to be because of the cancer. Or maybe those new pills Doctor Martin started me on. He said there were going to be side effects, but I just assumed he meant, like, my hair falling out. Not... whatever the hell this is.¡± Mortal? ¡°If I¡¯m going to hallucinate, why couldn¡¯t they be the good kind of hallucinations? Filled with parties and girls and video games. Not dank caves and uncomfortable chairs.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Maybe this is just a dream. I hit my head when I fell on the stairs, and this is what I¡¯m seeing while I¡¯m passed out on the station stairs. Or maybe that homeless guy called me an ambulance and I¡¯m on my way back to the hospital. Damnit, my parents can¡¯t afford for me to ride in an ambulance. This is a disaster!¡± Human, if you would just allow me to¡ª ¡°I really don¡¯t need this. It¡¯s not like my life isn¡¯t hard enough already. What sort of long-term damage is a concussion going to cause? I bet I¡¯ll need a cat scan, plus some lab work. You know, all those expensive animal reports.¡± He chuckled at the idea of a big black dog wandering into the exam room to look him over. His laughter started to become ragged as his breathing grew faster. Was this a panic attack? Could you have a panic attack inside of a dream? Yep. He was definitely having a dream panic attack. Human... Human... HUMAN! Callan¡¯s head snapped up and stared at the statue. ¡°What?¡± You seem to be encountering more difficulty than usual. Come here for a moment. His breath still ragged, Callan got back up and approached the statue. Good. Place a hand upon my effigy, please. ¡°Um...¡± Reaching out, he brushed his fingers against the statue. He¡¯d already touched it once before and nothing had happened, so he wasn¡¯t sure what exactly the voice was expecting this to¡ª ¡°Youch!¡± He yanked his hand back and shoved the finger into his mouth. An electric shock had just jolted through his entire body, like he¡¯d accidentally touched an outlet. There, is that better, mortal? ¡°What the hell do you mean, better, you just...¡± Callan blinked. ¡°Actually, yeah, that is better.¡± Suddenly, his head felt clearer than before. His breathing was normal, and despite the pain, Callan found himself grinning. No, this definitely wasn¡¯t a dream. Nor was it some sort of hallucination, unless it was common practice to use defibrillators on somebody losing their mind. Actually, didn¡¯t they used to electroshock people they thought were crazy? Still, it seemed he could rule out this all being an illusion. Reaching down, he felt the stone of the statue¡¯s altar. It was cold and rough to the touch. He was actually here. Though Callan wasn¡¯t completely convinced that this was another world just yet. Might all be part of some elaborate scam the voice was trying to pull on him. But he couldn¡¯t deny just how much that shock had clarified his mind. For the moment, he¡¯d just have to roll with it. I¡¯m glad to see you adjusting to your situation, the voice continued. Not only did the sound not echo around him, but Callan realized it didn¡¯t exactly sound human, either. It was more like the noise of two rocks grinding together just happening to approximate the sound of human language. Weird that he hadn¡¯t caught that before. ¡°You said something about needing assistance?¡± Yes, but first, I wish for you to know that it was not my choice to draw you from your home, merely an act of desperation. If any other options had remained to me, I would not have risked perforating the barrier between your world and mine. ¡°Uh, thanks?¡± Callan wasn¡¯t sure how he was supposed to feel about this whole situation. ¡°I mean, so long as you can send me back after I help, I guess we¡¯re square.¡± Ah, as to that... it may prove difficult. What powers I still possess allow me to draw objects from your world into mine, but returning them is far outside of my abilities. For now, at least. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s less encouraging.¡± He waited, but when the statue didn¡¯t elaborate, he decided it was better to just move on. Sooner done, and all that. ¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind my asking, what exactly are you? I assume you¡¯re not just a talking statue.¡± That would be correct, human. The voice paused a moment, and Callan got the impression it was drawing an invisible breath, preparing itself for some elaborate spiel. You stand before an effigy of the mighty and terrible Xeph-Zul-Karatl, god of stone and mountains. Everything beneath your feet is my domain, and there is nowhere my power cannot reach. Once I ruled over a hundred kingdoms in the Outerworld, and there were none who did not know my name. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Callan blinked. ¡°...Huh.¡± You don¡¯t appear surprised. ¡°No, no. I am. It¡¯s just...¡± He hesitated, unsure he wanted to risk insulting his captor before better understanding the situation. In the end though, he decided to take the risk. ¡°It¡¯s only, you don¡¯t seem particularly... divine? I mean, you¡¯re down here alone in this hole. I know you said you were the god of stone and all, but...¡± Ah yes. It is true that I may have... fallen slightly from my previous lofty heights. ¡°That¡¯s putting it mildly.¡± Callan glanced behind him at the near endless rows of stone benches. Most were covered in a layer of dust at least an inch thick. Noticing the imprint in the bench he¡¯d recently occupied, he patted at his backside, and a small plume of gray rose into the air. Turning back, he added, ¡°Also, if this is your ¡®domain¡¯, why are you only speaking from your effigy? Shouldn¡¯t you be able to go anywhere? There was no response from the statue. Callan wondered if he¡¯d gone too far. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not trying to offend you, simply better understand the situation here.¡± You are not incorrect. While I may inhabit a piece of my domain, it is not my preferred domicile. Once imbued, I cannot leave of my own free will. That doesn¡¯t sound particularly godlike, either, Callan noted wryly. He kept the thought to himself. However, should a more preferable vessel present itself, I might again step into the world and flex my awesome might. Then once more the world would tremble beneath my feet, and a hundred kingdoms would be but a drop compared to the heights of my new empire! Callan held up a hand. ¡°Wait a second. ¡®Preferred vessel¡¯? You don¡¯t mean me, by any chance, I hope.¡± I do. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have to decline. I¡¯m not really into giving up my free will¡ªto a god or anything else. Besides, like I said, with my health, you wouldn¡¯t exactly find me the most long-lasting of ¡®vessels¡¯.¡± You would sacrifice nothing to house me, mortal. An avatar of the gods retains control of their body, to say nothing of the bounties I would bestow upon you. ¡°Bounties?¡± Such as curing this illness that plagues you, for instance. Callan blinked. ¡°You could do that?¡± Possibly. I do not know the nature or the extent of your disease, but given enough time and additional followers, there is little that cannot be accomplished. Suddenly this whole kidnapping situation was starting to look quite different. Callan felt his heart begin beating faster with excitement. ¡°What exactly would I have to do?¡± For now? Simply open yourself and allow my majesty to flow inside of you. Once we are joined, my many bounties will be at your disposal. ¡°Including curing me?¡± In time, yes. ¡°Time isn¡¯t something I exactly have in abundance.¡± Callan cracked his knuckles, then nodded. ¡°Alright, Xeph or whatever your name is, I declare myself open. Just don¡¯t make me regret this decision.¡± Any regrets will be on you, mortal, Xeph said, his rocky voice taking on a rasp more like sandpaper. Callan suspected that was his version of a soothing tone. However, I suspect you will find the advantages of our partnership outweigh the drawbacks. All that you have ever dreamed of lies within the realm of possibility as an avatar of a god. ¡°Really? Does mean you can also give me a bigger d¡ªAaaaaaaaah!¡± A shadow had broken off from the effigy and was flitting its way up Callan¡¯s arm. Even as he stared at it, it reached his neck. A tingling sensation began to spread through his skin. Not cold, but like the feel of cold without the chill. Before he could dwell too long on the strangeness of it, the shadow reached his chin. It moved up to his mouth and slipped inside. ¡°Bleh! Gross!¡± The taste of the thing sliding across his tongue was a mixture of sulfur and ash¡ªthough how he knew what either one tasted like, he wasn¡¯t sure¡ªthen it was gone. A heavy weight settled onto his mind, a sense of something... other. Ah, this is much better. Xeph¡¯s voice definitely came from inside Callan¡¯s own head now. It has been too long since I felt the press of flesh all about me. It is both liberating and nauseating at the same time. ¡°Just don¡¯t go throwing up in there.¡± Callan raised a hand to his face, flexing his fingers. Other than the sense in the back of his skull, he felt the same as usual. No worse, but not any better, either. In that case, I suggest you refrain from shaking about too much. Now, give me a moment to inspect your body, human. I will see what I can do to mitigate the effects of this disease currently ravaging you. "Callan. My name is Callan. Might as well get on a first name basis if you¡¯re going to be living in the back of my...¡± He trailed off. A box had just appeared in the air in front of him, obscuring most of his vision, though it was just see-through enough that he could still make out the altar and effigy behind.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 0 Momentum: 0 Fortitude: 0 Concentration: 0 Influence: 0 Piety: 0 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C I Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - I) Orison Slot 2: *Locked* -DOGMA- Total Followers: 7 Available Faith: 7 Conviction: 0/5 Conviction Rate: 0.5/week Temples: 0/1 APOTHEOSIS: 0/25%
¡°That¡¯s... Huh.¡± Alright, mortal, I have finished my inspection of your interior compartments. There does appear to be an anomaly that is ravaging your system. I have halted its advancement for now. ¡°Callan. I told you, my name is Callan.¡± Reaching out, he waved a hand across the screen hovering in front of him, but nothing happened. The image didn¡¯t even ripple when his hand passed through it. Turning his head, he saw the screen moved right along with. ¡°So you couldn¡¯t actually cure me?¡± Not yet. With additional power, I believe it is possible, but the strength I currently possess can do no more than hold it at bay. We will need to sally forth and find more... more... What are you doing? Callan was repeatedly poking a finger into different places on the screen, seeing if it elicited a reaction. So far, nothing. ¡°What in the world is this?¡± Ah, of course. Your primitive Earthling brain would never have seen an interface before. It is the method by which we gods allow mortals to interact¡ª ¡°Oh, so this is like a video game screen?¡± ...A what? ¡°Actually, it¡¯s more like those weird litRPG stories that Lyle is always reading.¡± He tilted his head, and the screen tilted with him. Oh, that was so cool. Unnatural, but cool. Who, or what is a Lyle? ¡°A friend from Earth.¡± Yeah, it really reminded him of those stories. This whole situation definitely had an isekai-ish feel about it. At least he hadn¡¯t been reborn as a baby or turned into an ugly-ass spider upon arrival. ¡°How do I interact with it?¡± he asked, still poking at the screen. Simply focus your will, and the desired effect will be achieved. Or if you wish, I can make adjustments on your behalf. ¡°Good to know.¡± Callan squinted, and with a little mental force the screen winked away. A moment later he willed it back, then away again. On, off, on. ¡°Hey, this is kind of fun!¡± I am pleased you find such a simple mechanism so amusing. Truly your species has made great strides in culture and refinement since I last walked amongst them. Callan paused, his screen winking away again. ¡°I mean, we did, but have you actually been to Earth? Or do you mean the people here?¡± I cannot leave this planet. For whatever reason, it is only organic matter that may pass through the barrier between galaxies. Gods are forbidden from doing so. ¡°Gods? So there¡¯s more than one of you?¡± Oh yes, many more, though fewer now than when I secluded myself, if I had to guess. But we shall speak about that at length later. For now, I think our time would be better spent finding our way to the surface. ¡°Good point.¡± Callan glanced around. ¡°Which way do I go?¡± Xeph hesitated before answering. That... is a more complicated question. 1-3 — Orisons, And The Facts Of The Situation Beyond the main chamber with its altar and near-endless rows of seats, the cave was a veritable labyrinth of branching tunnels. It didn¡¯t take long before Callan was hopelessly turned about. While Xeph claimed to be tracking their progress and could retrace their steps if need be, Callan wasn¡¯t entirely confident in his new cohabitant¡¯s memory. For several reasons. ¡°So you really don¡¯t remember the way out of here?¡± he asked as he stuck his head into another chamber. This one was similar to the last half-dozen they had passed, with several beds and empty trunks placed about the room. It seemed the area closest to the temple proper had been a living quarters. It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t remember, simply that I cannot access the memory. ¡°Right, because you locked them away when you entered that statue.¡± I didn¡¯t lock them, I compressed them. There is a difference. There was an irritated note to Xeph¡¯s voice¡ªat least that¡¯s what Callan thought the sound like breaking crystal was meant to represent. It was almost like he had an inner sense for it now, with the god inside of him. ¡°What is the difference, exactly?¡± he asked. Locking implies a simple release, if one possesses the appropriate key. Compression is a matter of sealing, which is more complicated. I cannot simply command my memories to return. Instead, they require the appropriate stimulus. ¡°Which is...?¡± I¡¯ll know it when I see it. ¡°It still seems weird to me.¡± Callan entered another small chamber and found it full of dusty crates. Lifting the lid from one, he discovered a pile of small packages that contained something similar to a cracker, about the size of his fist. Emergency rations, if he had to guess. ¡°How is it that you kept knowledge about subjects like ancient China, but not something as simple as the way out of your own temple?¡± I¡ª Xeph¡¯s voice faltered. I¡¯m not entirely certain, he admitted after a moment. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just have to experiment until we find the appropriate ¡®stimulus¡¯, whatever the hell that means. Pity though, I¡¯ve got, like, a billion questions.¡± Then ask your questions. Perhaps your words will prove sufficient to uncompress more of my memories. ¡°Okay. What is the best path to get out of here?¡± Callan grinned as he took a bite of the giant cracker. It tasted better than he had feared, with a soft texture more reminiscent of mochi. He chewed it a moment, swallowed, then waited for Xeph¡¯s response. ...Very amusing. ¡°Hey, it was worth a shot.¡± Stepping back into the hallway, Callan considered his next question. There was so much he wanted to know about this world, though he was guessing that Xeph¡¯s knowledge was somewhat lacking, considering how long he¡¯d been down here alone underground. Actually, now that he thought of it... ¡°Why do you keep calling this place the Outerworld? I mean, we¡¯re not exactly ¡®outside¡¯ anything right now, are we? Shouldn¡¯t this be the Underworld?¡± A common misconception. It is called the Outerworld because even here, we are still above the lower depths of this planet. Anything beneath the ocean¡¯s surface is the Subworld, and beyond that is the Innerworld. Neither are places we would wish to visit at the moment, however. ¡°Huh. I guess that makes sense.¡± Most of civilization exists in the Outerworld. At least, that is how it was before. I cannot say if life above us has changed in my absence. ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s anyone even still up there? I mean, look at this place.¡± Callan gestured to the empty hallway, and the even emptier surrounding rooms. ¡°Seems weird this place would just have been abandoned. Obviously there was quite the population here once.¡± When Xeph didn¡¯t respond, Callan kept on walking. ¡°Right. Compressed memories. Well, what can you tell me?¡± There must still be life in the Outerworld. Your interface proves that much. ¡°My interface?¡± With a mental flick, Callan brought his screen up again.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 0 Momentum: 0 Fortitude: 0 Concentration: 0 Influence: 0 Piety: 0 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C I Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - I) Orison Slot 2: *Locked* -DOGMA- Total Followers: 7 Available Faith: 7 Conviction: 0/5 Conviction Rate: 0.5/week Temples: 0/1 APOTHEOSIS: 0/25%
See? Seven followers. Even after all this time, there are still those in the Outerworld who remember my name, who still honor the old practices. Once we have found our way outside, finding them should be our first objective. They will form the basis of my new congregation, and the source of curing your calamity. ¡°Right, followers. Is that important? I assume it must be since it gets its own line on the interface.¡± Yes, and it is not just for my own glory that you will wish to grow the number of our faithful. The more that worship my name, the more power you shall gain for yourself as well. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Really? How does that work?¡± Callan squinted over his stat screen, his eyes settling on the word Brawn. He almost jumped out of his skin as another box appeared in front of him.
Would you like to increase Brawn? Cost = 1 Faith
Like that, Xeph noted dryly, then added, You may also apply Faith to your orisons in order to increase their strength. Your God Bond and its associated manifestation will increase naturally on their own as the ranks of our followers swell. And with each additional follower will come additional faith. ¡°Okay, more followers equal more faith and more powerful abilities. That makes sense, I suppose. What about Conviction? Not that I have any of it at the moment to be worried about.¡± Yes, that is a problem, but one we can deal with at a later time. For now, simply know that Conviction is important for many purposes, not least of which because you will require it to unlock additional orison slots. ¡°What, you can¡¯t just do that for me?¡± Callan asked with a grin. There are reasons for all things, human. Much of this system is meant to impose checks and balances upon us both, to ensure that I do not flood you with too much power and overwhelm your pitiful shell¡ª ¡°Pitiful, really? You didn¡¯t have to do me dirty like that.¡± ¡ªAnd also so that you do not draw too heavily upon my own resources before I have time to replenish them. Take, for instance, the last line of your interface. Callan dismissed the notification from earlier, then glanced to the bottom of the stat screen. ¡°Oh yeah, Apotheosis. I¡¯ve been wondering about that.¡± It is a measure of how much of my power you may draw upon at any one time. Currently it is capped at twenty-five percent, though you may exceed that in a time of crisis. Just know that if you do, there will be consequences, including restricted access to my powers for a time following. ¡°What happens if it gets all the way to 100%?¡± The god was silent a moment. Just when Callan was sure he wasn¡¯t going to get an answer again, Xeph spoke in a quiet tone, his voice like the rasp of sandpaper. Then both of our lives come to an end. You must be careful never to cross this threshold. Do not even approach it, if possible. ¡°Okay. 100% equals death. Got it.¡± Poking his head into another room, Callan saw it was full of crumbling chairs and moldy bookcases. Darn, a few books might have been just what he needed right now. Even if he couldn¡¯t read them, Xeph might have been able to use them to fix some of his own memory problems. Hmm. It seemed like the furniture and other supplies he was coming across were growing more and more deteriorated the further he got from the main chamber. Had Xeph been protecting them somehow, or was there another reason for¡ª A wave of dizziness passed over Callan, and he had to grip the doorway to keep from falling over. Human? There was a note of concern in Xeph¡¯s voice. What is it? ¡°Nothing, I just¡ªDamnit!¡± Callan stumbled back a step, then slumped against the opposite wall as it felt like his whole body was suddenly locked in a vise. He could feel his heart hammering against his chest, and his legs wobbled beneath him. And here he had been so hopeful, too. He¡¯d made it close to an hour before feeling dizzy. That was something of an improvement, but not nearly enough for his tastes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just another side-effect of my sickness. Or maybe the medicine I¡¯m on, I don¡¯t honestly know. I just need a minute to rest.¡± Hmm. Perhaps it is time to spend some of the faith we have accumulated, Xeph suggested. Open your interface again. Callan did so, the box enlarging to block out most of his vision. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± Concentrate on your Fortitude. Let us see about adding... three to it. That should be sufficient at the moment. If it does not improve your situation, you can always add more. Once again, another box appeared. Callan stared at it, wondering how the hell to acknowledge it. After a moment he realized he was being an idiot, and simply concentrated on the idea of adding three points.
You have increased Fortitude by 3 Total cost = 3 Faith Current Fortitude is at 3
Immediately, he felt much better. The pain that had been flooding him receded, although the feeling of weakness remained. Still, he could breathe a little easier again. Good. Now do the same for Brawn. Callan didn¡¯t need to be told twice. Just those first three points already had him feeling like a new man. A weak, sickly man, but new, nonetheless.
You have increased Brawn by 3 Total cost = 3 Faith Current Brawn is at 3
A warm feeling coursed through his body, starting in his toes and working upward. Wherever it passed, Callan felt a renewed sense of vigor. No sooner had he dismissed all his messages and stat screens than he scrambled to his feet. Better? ¡°Much.¡± Callan grinned. He flexed his fingers. ¡°So can I, like, crush rocks with my bare hands now?¡± Not quite. Xeph let out a grinding chuckle. Patience, mortal. It will take hundreds of points in Brawn for you to accomplish such a task at your current physical level. ¡°Yeah, I suppose that¡¯s a bit much to expect from my very first power up. Hey, so why is it all of my stats started at zero, anyway? I mean, I know I¡¯m sick, but I didn¡¯t think I was that sick.¡± These stats do not correspond to your body¡¯s physical condition, but rather are a measurement of how my powers enhance what you already possess. Thus, if you were to build more muscle on your own, you would find your strength magnified proportionally. Or someone who already possesses quick reflexes will naturally remain faster than an avatar who doesn¡¯t, even if their Momentum is the same. Now, there is one last technique I would like to teach you before we continue our search. If you would, please concentrate on your orison. ¡°I assume you mean the one labeled Shape Stone? Since the other is locked, and all.¡± Very astute. I am so pleased to have possessed such a wise and observant avatar. ¡°Is that sarcasm?¡± Callan asked. ¡°I feel like that¡¯s sarcasm.¡± You are a clever human. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out. Focusing on the line as Xeph suggested, Callan was presented not with a single message, but multiple.
Orison: Shape Stone Allows manipulation of any natural stone surrounding the user within a radius of 10 feet. Apotheosis cost = 5% per cubic foot of stone
Would you like to improve the orison: Shape Stone? Cost = 1 Faith
¡°What the heck is ¡®natural stone¡¯? Pretty sure they didn¡¯t cover that in geology class.¡± Callan shook his head. A quick confirmation later, and the box was immediately replaced by another.
You have improved the orison: Shape Stone to Talc ¡ª II Range increased to 11 feet Total cost = 1 Faith
¡°Alright, points assigned.¡± Callan flexed his fingers, then cracked his neck from side to side. ¡°Shall we continue looking for the exit?¡± In a bit. First, I think it is time you saw exactly what it means to become an avatar of a god. ¡°And what does that mean?¡± Observe to your left. Callan turned, and spotted a door of aging wood, with a sign attached to the wall beside it of equally decrepit material. Because of that, it took a moment for him to realize the sign was in English. Training Hall. 1-4 — Ultimate Cosmic Power ¡°So this is a training hall, huh? Gotta admit, I was expecting a bit more...¡± Callan glanced around at the empty room. It didn¡¯t even have any piles to indicate where equipment might have once been. ¡°...Well, more.¡± Hmm. Perhaps the sensors did not detect our entrance. Just a moment. Xeph¡¯s presence in his head shifted towards the back, a sensation that was as alien as it was uncomfortable. Callan stood, trying to think about anything besides the fact a strange incorporeal entity was currently rooting around inside of his skull. There. I have manually activated the room¡¯s training program. ¡°What does that mean exactly?¡± Callan asked, only to blink as a section of the floor pulled away, and a trio of mannequins rose in front of him. ¡°Actually, never mind, I think I figured it out for myself.¡± He approached the first of the mannequins. It was vaguely human-shaped and wore a set of armor that looked straight out of a fantasy novel, all interwoven chain with a few pieces of leather where the joints would be on a person. ¡°Am I supposed to wear that?¡± No. You¡¯re supposed to strike that. ¡°What, with like my fists?¡± Callan knew some basics, but he was no professional fighter, that was for certain. ¡°Pretty sure hitting that barehanded is a good way to end up with bloody knuckles. Besides, is wasting my time training really a good idea? I thought we were looking for an exit.¡± We can spare a few minutes. Callan frowned. ¡°For what? I¡¯m not going to put on enough muscle mass in the next ten minutes to make it worth the trouble.¡± You aren¡¯t here for that kind of training, Xeph said with a sigh like the wind over a borehole. But so that you can familiarize yourself with your new abilities. I would rather you learn of the quirks and eccentricities of wielding a god¡¯s power now, before called to do so in a crisis. ¡°Oh, right! Those things.¡± With a flick, Callan pulled up his stat screen. Under Bounties, it currently listed two abilities, a manifestation called Mountainform, and an orison called Shape Stone. Since the dummy didn¡¯t have any stone for him to reshape, he focused on the manifestation. Another box appeared in front of him.
Manifestation: Mountainform Encases the user in a protective layer of stone. Quantity of coverage and quality of stone dependent upon ranking. Remains until dismissed. Cost to activate = 10% Apotheosis
¡°Soooooo, how do I activate this? Do I just concentrate like I do for the stat screen?¡± Callan gave the ability a mental nudge. Nothing happened. It is less a mental command and more an innate feeling. Reflect inward, and you should find the power dwelling in your core. Once you know where to look, calling up it will be as natural as breathing. ¡°My core? Please tell me you¡¯re not going to start spouting a bunch of nonsense about channeling my chi next. I get enough of that from my uncle. The guy can¡¯t even come over for a visit without making me watch at least one terrible old kung fu flick from the seventies.¡± I don¡¯t know what any of those things are. Just focus. ¡°Right, right.¡± Callan sighed, then closed his eyes. He tried to focus his thoughts ¡°inward¡±, whatever the hell that meant. A bunch of mystical mumbo-jumbo if you asked him¡ª Oh. There it was. A shining ball of light nestled inside of him, like it had always been there, just waiting to be discovered. Even though Callan knew it hadn¡¯t existed in him before coming to this world, it felt like it had always been a part of him. Opening his eyes again, he looked down at his hands. As he watched, his skin shimmered, and a thin layer of chalky white stone oozed from his pores, spreading out and solidifying between one breath and the next. It stopped just a little ways past his wrists, leaving him looking like he was wearing the world¡¯s grittiest pair of boxing gloves.
Alert: 9.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 9.5%
Flexing his fingers, he was surprised how easy it was to still move them. They felt a little bulkier than usual, but not so much he couldn¡¯t easily form a fist. Good. There was a note of pride in Xeph¡¯s voice. Now, let us see what you can accomplish. Tentatively, Callan squared off in front of the mannequin, raising his fists into a starting position. He struck out with a quick jab. His stone-encrusted fist hit the mannequin in the middle of its armored chest. The practice dummy rocked slightly back and forth from the impact. Callan was mildly surprised: he had thought the stone covering him would provide more solid feedback, but he hadn¡¯t felt the strike at all. It seemed the stone provided some sort of cushioning effect, making his attacks feel more like shadowboxing. Actually, it reminded him of the time Lyle had him try out his VR headgear. He¡¯d played a sort of boxing game there too, and even though he hadn¡¯t felt his fists impact anything but air, by the end of a half hour playing the game he¡¯d been drenched in sweat. Lyle had laughed, and explained something about how the anticipation of a strike was as much of a workout as the real thing. Though Callan doubted his friend knew that from experience. Lyle was many things, but athletic was definitely not one of them. Again! Xeph barked, bringing Callan¡¯s attention back to the present. He practiced a few more moves against the mannequin, rocking it about but never getting close to knocking it over. Callan wasn¡¯t sure if it was because the thing was weighted at the bottom, or if his strength was seriously that weak. Had to be the first one. The implications of the second were too depressing to think about. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Time to move on to the second golem. You seem to have a solid grasp of combat maneuvers already, that is good. It places you well above my previous incarnations. ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m totally a badass warrior. Also, what¡¯s a golem?¡± Focus! Xeph¡¯s voice rattled in his head, and Callan let out a sigh. Raising his fists again, he stepped in front of the second mannequin. This one was similarly attired to the first but also contained a pair of wooden arms to each side. A small, metal shield was wrapped around one of them. Callan dimly recalled seeing a similar one before. He thought it was called a... buckler? Just like with the first mannequin, he started out with a quick jab to the chest. Instead of rocking back and forth, the mannequin leapt backwards, buckler coming up to intercept his strike. Callan let out a yelp of surprise. Ah, good, this golem appears to be operational. ¡°Yeah, you think?¡± Callan eyed the wooden dummy suspiciously. After he had retracted his arm, it let the shield drop back to its side, but he suspected it was poised and waiting for his next attack. Hopping on the balls of his feet, he danced to one side and tried a few more jabs. The dummy flicked its arm out and blocked each attack, though the second one managed to rock it a bit. Callan fell back and considered his opponent. It only had one shield, and its arms were too short for full coverage. Which meant... Darting in quick, he shot off another jab, then followed up with a rear hook with his other arm. The dummy blocked the first but couldn¡¯t move its shield quickly enough to stop the hook from getting through. It rocked backwards a bit and almost fell over. Hmm. Promising. Now for the third. ¡°How are these things moving, anyway?¡± Callan asked, stepping up to the final dummy, or golem, or whatever. ¡°Are you funneling your power into them too?¡± Don¡¯t be ridiculous. These are simple dveorgan golems. ¡°They¡¯re what now?¡± Dveorgan. They¡¯re... Xeph trailed off, and a sense of confusion suddenly rippled through Callan, originating from the back of his skull. It was a strange feeling, especially since he knew that it hadn¡¯t come from him. ¡°Can¡¯t remember?¡¯ Indeed. It appears that particular memory remains compressed. Strange. I know of the dveorg, but I cannot seem to recall what, exactly, they are. It is a most frustrating sensation. ¡°Well, at least we have that in common.¡± I suppose, Xeph muttered, though he didn¡¯t sound as if he fully agreed. Callan stopped in front of the final golem and studied it. This one, in addition to being armed with a buckler, was holding a small steel blade. Yeah, that looked way too sharp for something which had been underground for nearly two millennia. ¡°Is this thing going to fight back?¡± Possibly. Only one way to know for certain. Callan sighed. ¡°Alright, but if I die from my injuries, you¡¯ve got no one to blame but yourself.¡± If you die, I will of course offer my most heartfelt sympathies. Tensing for an attack, Callan started with a simple jab-cross combo. The golem lurched to life, blocking the jab with its shield and cracking its blade across Callan¡¯s knuckles. The blade bounced off his stone gloves with little effect. Another reason for this training session, Xeph drawled as Callan stared at his unharmed hand. You must think about your Mountainform both offensively and defensively. While its uses are limited at this early stage, as the numbers of our followers swell, it will become one of the most important tools in your possession. ¡°I¡¯m beginning to see that.¡± Raising his fists again, Callan darted in, and the golem had to leap back to avoid his flurry of strikes. Its sword flashed out, but he merely turned it aside with the back of his hand, the blade raking uselessly against stone. Then Callan¡¯s other fist slammed into the golem¡¯s chest, rocking it backwards. ¡°Alright!¡± He pumped a stone fist in the air. Inside his head, Xeph let out a chuckle. I see you are taking well to the role of avatar. Soon, when my worshippers outnumber the grains of sand in the sea, you will taste true power like you can barely imagine. A flick of a finger will leave these pitiful constructs as little more than dust and ruin! Waves of Xeph¡¯s excitement rippled through him as the god continued to crow about their inevitable return to glory, but Callan just couldn¡¯t bring himself to feel the same. This power was amazing, true, but it only mattered if the god could chase away his cancer for good. Otherwise, all of this was meaningless. A few moments later, the god collected himself. That is sufficient work with Mountainform for now. It is time you mastered your orison as well. ¡°You mean Shape Stone?¡± This time Callan didn¡¯t even need to shut his eyes to sense a second ball of light inside. He had barely even reached out for it before the power welled up inside of him, ready to be used. A hazy circle appeared on the ground, showing the maximum range of his ability, if he had to guess. With a thought, he activated his orison. Immediately, a sense of solidity settled between his fingers, like he held a particularly tough piece of putty, one he could just barely mold. At the same time, a small glow formed on the floor below. Callan found that it moved with his vision, to the very edge of the circle. So this power not only showed him his range, but what area of stone it would affect? As an experiment, Callan turned and directed the glow towards the nearest golem. While it would move near, he discovered that it stopped short of touching them. The glow also wouldn¡¯t cross over the section of floor from which the golems had emerged. It would disappear on one side and reappear once his eyes moved to the other. Apparently whatever mechanism had brought the golems up wasn¡¯t made of stone, though it had the look of it. Or maybe the stone simply wasn¡¯t thick enough to manipulate. Questions to answer later. For now, he redirected the glow to directly in front of him again, then gave the invisible putty in his hands a squeeze. A small ridge began to rise from the floor. When it was about six inches high and maybe half that across, it came to a stop.
Alert: 4.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 10.25%
¡°Huh.¡± Callan stared at the results of his efforts. The little ridge on the floor wasn¡¯t particularly impressive. Might have been enough to trip somebody running at him, but that was about it. They spent a bit more time letting him learn how to shape the stone. He managed to create a good-sized divot in the floor, and once even crafted something that had the general shape of a spike, though he doubted it was sharp enough to cause any real damage. Finally, Xeph called a halt to his efforts. That is enough for now, mortal. You do not want to push past your current limit unless it is a true emergency. As if in response to the god¡¯s words, another message flashed across his vision.
Alert: 4.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 24.5%
Callan frowned as he read. ¡°Hey, Xeph.¡± Yes, Mortal? ¡°Something doesn¡¯t seem to be adding up right. I should have way exceeded twenty-five percent by now. And earlier, Mountainform only cost 9.5% instead of 10% like it said in the description.¡± Ah, yes. Xeph let out a dry chuckle. Apotheosis will slowly drop on its own, quicker if you take the time to eat or sleep, which is why you have not exceeded your allotted usage. ¡°Okay. And the discrepancy with Mountainform?¡± Open your stat screen and look at the information for your God Bond. Callan did so. Immediately, a new window appeared in his vision.
God Bond: Talc ¡ª I Reduces Apotheosis cost of all bounties by 5% Followers to next level: 10
¡°Oh hey, only three more followers until the next level.¡± Callan stretched and glanced towards the door. ¡°Guess we¡¯d better get back on that, huh?¡± What do you mean, Human? We still have more training to complete. ¡°Really? I mean, I can¡¯t exactly use my Shape Stone anymore for the moment. Do you want me to practice on those golems again?¡± No, no. There was a note to Xeph¡¯s voice that Callan didn¡¯t like one bit. While that was good for the start, those particular models are only good at defensive maneuvers. This one, however... The floor rumbled again, and another golem appeared. It immediately drew a pair of blades and began advancing towards him. ¡°Uh, Xeph?¡± Callan took a hesitant step back. ¡°Remember what I said about dying earlier? I¡¯m not sure this is the best idea.¡± Bah, have more confidence in yourself, mortal. You said that you were a warrior. I¡¯m certain this is nothing you cannot handle. ¡°That was sarcasm!¡± The golem swung a blade at him, and Callan yelped as he just barely managed to knock it away. Really? Why would you¡ª ¡°Not the time, Xeph!¡± Fine. Just a moment while I deactivate... Oh. Oh dear. ¡°What?¡± Callan asked, already afraid to know the answer. The golem swung at him, and he dove out of the way. Well, let us both just consider this a valuable learning experience. The god hesitated, then added, One where we learn the value of running away. 1-5 — Right In The Family Jewels As the training hall door slammed behind him, Callan leaned against it, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He tensed, waiting for the golem to attack the door, but when several minutes passed without incident, he allowed himself to relax. The golem¡¯s programming should not allow it to leave the training hall, Xeph noted. Probably. ¡°What happened back there?¡± It appears that some of the functions of this temple are not responding to my commands. Others are not automating the way they should. See that sconce there? Callan glanced up to see another of the bowls attached to the wall that usually had gray flames burning inside of them. This one was dark. Normally, those should light up automatically when they detect a nearby presence. I do not know what it means that they are not, but it bodes ill for our departure. There may be mechanisms standing between us and freedom that simply no longer function. ¡°That¡¯s a problem, but not an immediate one at least,¡± Callan said. Wiping his brow, he straightened and glanced in either direction down the hallway. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know where a drinking fountain is? After all that fun in the training hall I¡¯m kind of parched.¡± Actually, I just might. Go up the tunnel a bit further and turn left. Following the god¡¯s directions, they soon found themselves in a large chamber, though nowhere near the size of the main hall. At its center was an ornately carved fountain, complete with a half-dozen fish statues around its edges pouring an endless stream of water within. There. A fountain. ¡°Not exactly the kind of fountain I meant, but thanks.¡± Callan approached the edge and peered in. Crystal clear water showed a bottom of rough white marble. ¡°Is it safe to drink?¡± Xeph harumphed. I should hope so. My followers used this to gather water for their daily use. It connects to an aquifer buried beneath us where rainwater from the surface is funneled in and cleansed. He paused, then added. At least it used to. I imagine the aquifer has been full for some time. Callan reached down and cupped some of the water. Bringing it to his lips, he let the cool, clean taste of it wash down his throat. Instead of making him feel better, the water just brought a rush of panic. The enormity of his situation was settling on him again. While he¡¯d been able to mostly ignore it during the training, now that he had a moment to rest, it was returning in full force. Last time, it had taken a shock from Xeph to help steady him. Since he wasn¡¯t exactly eager to repeat that particular experience, he just needed to find something else to focus his attention on. Luckily, there was another matter that had been weighing on his mind. ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Pardon? ¡°All of your followers. Or anybody else, for that matter.¡± Callan gestured to their surroundings. ¡°This place is massive, and yet it looks like nobody has been here for centuries. Why? It made sense when I thought this place was nothing but a ruin, but look at this¡ªfresh water, crates of food, furnished rooms... it¡¯s like this whole cave was built to prepare for a siege, and then nobody ever bothered to show up.¡± Xeph didn¡¯t reply, and the silence yawned. I¡ª ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Correct. ¡°But you¡¯d tell me if you did, right? Because I¡¯m not going to be any help to you if I don¡¯t understand the situation. For better or worse, we¡¯re kind of bound to each other now. I need you to heal me, and you need me to get you back out in the world. That sort of relationship requires a degree of trust.¡± Of course I would tell you, Human! Do you think I like stumbling around here in my old home, grasping at pieces of memories? Do you think I enjoy being surrounded by shadows of my former glory, not remembering what I did to lose it? ¡°I suppose not.¡± Callan took another sip, then leaned back against the side of the fountain. ¡°But still, you have to admit it¡¯s strange. A whole world of people out there, and you had to pull me from my own to help you. Is there a reason you couldn¡¯t simply do the same to someone already here?¡± There were reasons, yes. Only... ¡°...You don¡¯t know what they are.¡± He let out a sigh. ¡°Just promise me, the second something comes back to you, you¡¯ll tell me, okay? I don¡¯t like being stuck in the dark.¡± Just because a few of the lights are non-functional is no reason to be melodramatic. The majority of these tunnels appear to still be well lit. Callan put his head in his hands. ¡°I meant figuratively.¡± Oh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Climbing to his feet, he took a look around. ¡°We¡¯d better get back to looking for the exit. Any preference in directions?¡± When the god didn¡¯t respond, Callan chuckled. ¡°Onward it is.¡±
They only made it a short distance down the tunnel before Xeph called a halt. I... This area feels familiar. ¡°In what way?¡± Callan glanced about, but this section of tunnel looked the same as all the others. A few doorways, some even still containing doors, but most without. There was a definite feeling of deterioration this far from the main chamber. Just a moment... Yes. Go that way! Following the general tugging sensation in his brain, Callan turned down a side tunnel, which snaked downward and followed several sharp turns, a distinct contrast from the relatively straight passages they had been following until then. It ended abruptly in front of a steel door, like the kind you typically saw in bank vaults. It even had an enormous wheel set into its center. ¡°Is this the exit?¡± Xeph scoffed. What? Don¡¯t be absurd. This is something even better. My former treasury. Callan¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°I suppose that might be useful. All I¡¯ve got on me is a stick of gum. Not that US currency was going to be of much value here, anyway.¡± What are you babbling about? ¡°Nothing. So how do I open it? Just turn the wheel?¡± Yes. If the mechanism still functions, it should sense my presence. Only myself or my high priest were allowed access to this chamber. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Right, because everything else is operating around here so consistently.¡± Despite his words, Callan grabbed hold of the wheel and gave it a turn. It spun easily, without even a hint of complaint from rusted gears. At least some things hadn¡¯t deteriorated. Prepare yourself to be amazed, mortal. Xeph sounded as if he were rubbing invisible hands together with glee. While I might not have been among the richest of deities, being the god of mountains does come with certain benefits. My followers were adept at retrieving precious stones and metals. The best of their finds were kept here for me to enjoy. ¡°Sweet, so that means I can take anything I want?¡± Within limits. Just because we are rebuilding my empire is no reason to¡ª The god cut off with a strangled cry as the door swung open, and the two of them saw what lay beyond. There were no racks of jewels, nor piles of gold waiting to be jumped on. Instead, a smell like rotting garbage hit Callan¡¯s nose, the floor littered with broken pieces of stone that had been stained greenish brown by a thick layer of some putrid substance he couldn¡¯t immediately identify. Larger chunks of stone also lay to either side, the walls pockmarked by the holes where it had broken out of. Even the ceiling had an appearance more reminiscent of Swiss cheese, with a particularly large piece of stone hanging on by a single nub right near the doorway. What is... I don¡¯t understand... WHERE IS EVERYTHING? Callan¡¯s head rumbled as the god let out a growl like a descending avalanche. There should be more jewels than one can count! Where are my emeralds? My spinels? My taaffeites? WHERE IS MY GOLD? ¡°Gone, by the looks of it.¡± Waving a hand to try and chase away some of the horrid smell, Callan glanced around. ¡°Do you think bandits made it down here? Or maybe some of your followers helped themselves when they left.¡± No... I should have recognized the signs earlier. This foul stench, the damage to the walls. This can only mean an infestation of velak. ¡°What?¡± They are underground scavengers, Xeph explained. The bane of stone gods such as myself. This vault should have been warded against them, but it appears the protection failed. Now they¡¯ve taken everything. A low cry echoed through the chamber, and a creature lumbered out of the wreckage. To Callan, it looked vaguely similar to a yellowish slug¡ªif slugs also grew to the size of a weasel and had slimy legs that they used to waddle across the lawn and into his mother¡¯s tomato patch. The creature turned its eyeless face towards them, let out another low cry, then lumbered behind a rock pile. Callan lowered his fists, having not even realized he had raised them in the first place. ¡°Are these things dangerous? Also, where do you think they stashed your gems?¡± The creatures are harmless enough, they only become aggressive when protecting their territory. And the gems are long gone by now, the gold too. Velak are lithovores. It took Callan a moment to puzzle out the meaning of the word. ¡°They eat stone?¡± Precious metals, mostly, though the substance coating their bodies can dissolve stone as well. It is how they burrow and search for their sustenance. ¡°I¡¯m guessing Mountainform isn¡¯t going to be particularly useful, then. Or Shape Stone.¡± Unfortunately, no. ¡°Welp, time to retreat.¡± Callan started backing up. Wait! He froze, hand on the doorframe. From inside the vault, one of the velak let out a mournful cry. There! Against the far wall, do you see it? ¡°Um...¡± Callan glanced inside and saw what appeared to be a wooden box sticking out from a pile of rubble. It was probably no bigger than about two feet in any given direction. Something is coming back to me... Yes, I am certain. We need that box. ¡°You sure, Xeph? Wouldn¡¯t the velak have just eaten whatever¡¯s inside it by now?¡± No, they would have left this particular box alone. Velak don¡¯t care for wood, and the contents are neither metal nor stone. Callan frowned at that. Some fancy pottery, maybe? What else would be worth keeping in a vault like this? Well, whatever. If the god said they needed it, that was that. You¡¯ll be fine, mortal. Move quickly, and you can be in and out before the velak even know you¡¯re there, Xeph said, with more confidence in his voice than Callan was currently feeling. Still, the one creature from before hadn¡¯t seemed particularly fast. He¡¯d probably be fine. Stepping into the room, he paused a moment to decide his path. Around the pile of rubble there, then over the one there... Yeah, he could do this. He started forward, only to jump back as one of the velak let out a hiss and lurched off a pile. It stared blindly in his direction but didn¡¯t come any closer. Did it actually know he was there? Pulling up his stat screen, he checked his apotheosis. Currently it was sitting at 9%. Enough for three good uses of Shape Stone if he was careful. Carefully, he tried edging around the velak. It hissed again, and he froze. Calling on his orison, he squeezed his hands together, using it to form a stubby wall right in front of the creature. The hissing cut off. He waited, but when the velak didn¡¯t try and clamber over it, took another tentative step forward. ¡°Oh, yeah, brilliant plan, Xeph, march right into the slug-weasel nest. No problem,¡± he grumbled as he made his way past the next pile of rubble. Luckily no more velak were in sight. ¡°Figures the first monster I would encounter would be friggin stone eaters.¡± Monsters are made-up creatures that mortals believe prey on them for their own amusement. Velak are just animals. No different from a pig, or a sheep, or a dvorak. All of them are products of their environment. ¡°Okay, got it, not a monster. Also, what¡¯s a dvorak?¡± Callan held up before the god could respond. ¡°Wait, let me guess: you don¡¯t remember.¡± Hmm. I recall that they are beasts of burden. Beyond that, however... ¡°Well, I suppose that¡¯s something.¡± He gave a tug, but the chest was soundly buried and resisted his efforts to tug it free. He bent more effort into freeing it, but when nothing budged, cast another glance over his shoulder. No velak in sight. ¡°So no monsters in this world, huh?¡± Callan grunted and wiped a bead of sweat away. ¡°Seems weird, given the whole video game interface.¡± I don¡¯t know what a video game is. ¡°It¡¯s an. Earth. Thing. Can¡¯t. Really. Explain!¡± With a dissatisfied grunt, Callan released the chest. It was stuck solid. If only he had a way to move the rubble¡ª Oh. Right. Activating Shape Stone, he grasped the rocks to either side of the chest and flowed them away. While anything his power touched sort of melded together into a solid lump, he still managed to set off a small avalanche. Rocks clattered to the floor as Callan pulled the chest free.
Alert: 4.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 18.5%
¡°Hah! Take that you stupid...¡± Callan¡¯s grin faded from his face as the clattering echo was replaced by a series of hisses. Velak began crawling out of the two nearby rock piles, featureless faces sniffing in his direction. ¡°Uh, Xeph?¡± Move human! Callan didn¡¯t have to be told twice. He snatched up the chest and darted around the nearest pile. Several velak launched at him, and he swatted the nearest¡ªonly to pull his hand back with an angry curse. The velak slime bubbled as it ate away at his Mountainform, exposing the bare skin underneath. ¡°Dammit! That burns!¡± He kicked away another of the creatures, then let out a scream as the slime ate through his pants, leaving red blisters on his leg. Two more velak skittered across the ground at him, and he just barely managed to knock them away using the chest. Xeph let out a cry of dismay, but Callan was past caring. Better to lose the chest than his life. He stumbled his way towards the door, but a half-dozen of the creatures followed after him. The closest leapt onto his back, its slime like a burning brand against him. Even as it slid off, Callan lost his balance and crashed to the floor. Rolling over, he saw the hissing velak slowly approaching him, like a pack of slime-encrusted hyenas circling their prey. He kicked out at the nearest, which hissed and skittered back a pace, only to start forward again. Dammit, this is not how I saw today going. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the door with its solid vault wheel was only about six feet away. If he abandoned the chest he might be able to scrabble his way to it and get it closed before the creatures reached him. A hiss drew his attention. One of the velak reared onto its hind legs, and as it did so Callan noticed the pockmarked ceiling overhead. There had been a particularly delicate piece hanging near the entry. If he could just hook it with his powers... Activating Shape Stone, he directed his focus to the ceiling more on intuition than knowledge. When he thought it was in the right place, he pulled in opposite directions.
Alert: 4.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 23.25%
There was an almighty crack above his head. Callan rolled over and half leapt, half-scrambled towards the door. He didn¡¯t make it more than three steps before a chunk of stone as wide across as he was tall slammed into the floor behind him, shaking the ground under his feet. When he turned back, the six velak were gone. A small pool of yellowish-green slime was oozing out from beneath the ceiling chunk. The chest lay beside the mess where he had abandoned it, unharmed. The room had gone silent, but Callan suspected there were still more velak around. Darting forward, he snatched up the chest again and pelted for the door. Slamming it behind him, he spun the wheel, then collapsed to the floor. He lay there, panting, his lungs on fire. Good work, human. Not the best, but... good work. ¡°Thanks.¡± He wanted to say more, but it was too much work to force the words out of his throat. Instead, he turned his head and stared at the unimposing little chest, the source of all this chaos. Whatever is in there, it better be worth it. 1-6 — Getting The Lights Back On He waited until they were a good five-minute walk away from the vault before finally stopping. Probably none of the velak would follow past the door, but Callan didn¡¯t want to learn that lesson the hard way. ¡°If I had a nickel for every time I had to flee from an enemy today...¡± he muttered, letting the chest drop to the floor again. It was surprisingly heavy despite its small size, and already there was an ache settling into his arms. Or maybe it was simply the three points of Brawn hadn¡¯t helped as much as he¡¯d thought. Nickel is a precious metal. What do you mean by ¡®a¡¯ nickel? ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the name of a coin where I come from.¡± Callan studied the chest. The lid appeared to be hinged with pieces of leather, further explaining why the velak had left it alone. ¡°Pennies, dimes, and nickels. Also quarters.¡± Hmmph, that sounds needlessly arbitrary. A quarter of what? Also, why call one by the metal it is made of and not the others? Xeph paused, then worriedly asked, It is made of nickel, isn¡¯t it? ¡°I think so. Never really thought about it.¡± He tugged at the lid of the chest, only to belatedly note another belt of leather circling the entire thing, keeping it closed. With a little work, he managed to slip it off. ¡°Also, it¡¯s a quarter of a dollar.¡± Now you¡¯re just making words up. Callan worked his fingers under the edge of the chest¡¯s lid and managed to pull it open. With a cracking noise like the unsealing of an ancient tomb, the lid fell away, revealing the treasure inside. Ah, that is more like it. No replacement for a dozen generations worth of mining efforts, but it is something. ¡°Right. Something. Care to explain exactly what this ¡®something¡¯ is?¡± he picked up one of the reddish crystals inside the box and peered at it. The gray light from a nearby sconce reflected off the crystal¡¯s surface, casting crimson shadows around him. ¡°I thought you said these velak were lithovores.¡± They are. Those, however, are not rocks. Callan squinted at the crystal. ¡°You could have fooled me.¡± Based on what I¡¯ve learned of you so far, that seems likely. ¡°No, I mean¡ª¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°If it¡¯s not a rock, what is it?¡± Why don¡¯t you eat it and find out? ¡°You¡¯re joking. Look, I¡¯m not that gullible.¡± This is no joke, or trick. Place your trust in me, mortal. If we want to have any chance of finding an exit before your bones turn to dust, this is the best way. Callan eyed the crystal warily. ¡°Alright, but if this IS a joke, I¡¯m putting you back in that statue.¡± Before the god could respond, he brought his hand to his mouth and tilted his head back. The crystal slid down his throat surprisingly easily. It left a mildly chalky flavor in its wake. Swallowing a few times to clear away the taste, he asked, ¡°Now what?¡± Now we wait until¡ª Xeph paused. Ah. That.
Alert: Conviction has increased by 1. Total Conviction = 1/5
It is called a memory shard, Xeph continued. They are a valuable way to supplement Conviction generation, especially at the early stages of avatarhood. I had assumed using Conviction to aid our escape was impossible, given the weeks it would take you to generate it, but this expedites matters handily. ¡°You told me before that I use Conviction to unlock my orison slots. Is that what you wanted this for?" While that is useful, it is only ancillary to our current predicament. Let us return to the worship hall, and I will explain on the way. Scooping up another handful of the shards, Callan closed the lid of the chest, then secured it under one arm. Following Xeph¡¯s directions, he started retracing his steps through the tunnels, occasionally swallowing another crystal as they went. ¡°So why are they called memory shards?¡± he asked, popping another in his mouth. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t conviction shards make more sense?¡± I couldn¡¯t say, as I was not consulted when they were named. It was slightly before my time. ¡°You sure it isn¡¯t because the knowledge is still locked away?¡± The term is ¡®compressed¡¯, and no, I am not certain. How could I possibly know that I don¡¯t know something? The very idea is a contradiction of itself! ¡°Okay, okay, sorry I asked,¡± Callan said. More quietly, he muttered, ¡°And he gave me grief about our arbitrary names.¡± What was that, human? ¡°Nothing! So why are we headed back to where we started?¡± Ah, yes. There are multiple ways to leave this temple, but one of them was unavailable to us, or so I thought. With enough Conviction, we should be able to simply teleport ourselves to the surface. ¡°Nice! That would be way better than wandering these tunnels.¡± He gulped down another shard. A new message flashed in his vision.
Alert: Conviction has increased by 1. Total Conviction = 5/5
Ahead of them, the tunnel widened, and Callan found himself once again staring out across that vast chamber where he had first arrived. Gray flames sprung to life at their approach, but fewer of them than before, leaving half the immediate area in shadow. Hmm, the problem appears to be growing worse, Xeph noted. Fortunately, we should now be able to resolve that issue as well as the matter of our escape. Approach the altar. ¡°What exactly are we doing?¡± Several tasks. These ruins were once more than a place to merely store my almighty presence. It was a temple dedicated to my service and filled with the chants of thousands of my followers. Callan glanced over the altar at the rows of stone benches. ¡°Yeah, kind of got that already.¡± I do not think you do. Temples in this world are more than mere houses of worship. They are as much an extension of the god they serve as our avatars are. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m granting you space rent free in my head. Leave my ¡®extension¡¯ out of this.¡± What? ¡°Never mind.¡± Callan laid his hands on the altar. ¡°So how do I¡ªAh.¡± Several new boxes filled his vision.
Would you like to create a temple? Cost = 5 Conviction Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Error: High Priest not found. Temple cannot be created. Error: Presence of existing temple detected. Attempting to merge... Error: High Priest not found. Consulting protocols... Error: protocols not found. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR...
Pain stabbed through Callan¡¯s head. He leaned over the altar and let out a moan, his whole body shaking. Somewhere, Xeph¡¯s voice buzzed with urgent questions, but he could no more answer them than he could make his head stop quaking. It was like he was being torn apart from the inside. Another box appeared in front of his vision. It flickered, disappeared, then returned.
Would you like to reestablish temple? Cost = 0 Conviction
Quickly, before it could disappear again, he sent a mental confirmation. Immediately, the pain in his head ceased.
Temple being reestablished. Please wait...
Callan blinked as the pain immediately vanished. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s never ever ever do that again.¡± Are you alright, human? ¡°I think so. Something clearly wasn¡¯t right about that whole process though.¡± Indeed, Xeph rumbled. It seems there has been some... corruption to the system since my seclusion. But you did manage to establish a temple, I felt that much. Our suffering has not been in vain. ¡°My suffering you mean.¡± Callan blinked as a new window appeared.
Temple reestablishment cannot be completed until a high priest is present. Access is limited to the following functions: Teleport Scrying Current Conviction reserves = 0/???
¡°Okay, that¡¯s a bit ominous. What¡¯s with the question marks?¡± I have no idea. Likely an issue due to a lack of a high priest. Nothing we can resolve at the moment. Callan lifted his hands from the altar and the screen disappeared. Placing them there again, the glitchy, angry text reappeared. Hmm. Pull up your interface for a moment. Stepping back, Callan brought up his stat screen.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 3 Momentum: 0 Fortitude: 3 Concentration: 0 Influence: 0 Piety: 0 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C I Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - II) Orison Slot 2: *Locked* -DOGMA- Total Followers: 7 Available Faith: 0 Conviction: 5/5 Conviction Rate: 0.5/week Temples: 1/1 APOTHEOSIS: 9/25%
Immediately Callan noticed that his temple stat showed ¡°1/1¡±, so that was probably a good sign. Unfortunately, concentrating on it just brought up more error messages. Meanwhile, Xeph was grumbling to himself. Eventually he said, I have a theory. ¡°Really? Do tell.¡± This facility was a temple before, and it appears it remained so in some form during my seclusion. That also explains the nonfunctioning features. Notice that the temple¡¯s conviction reserves have bled dry. If we refill them, I suspect much functionality will be restored. ¡°Okay, worth a shot.¡± Callan wasn¡¯t sure exactly how to transfer Conviction, but trusting that he would muddle through he put his hands on the altar again. As he suspected, while his hands were on the altar all he needed to do was look inside of himself and it was as if the ability had always been within him, buried deep inside. A moment later, and...
You have increased temple Conviction by 5 Total Conviction = 5/???
Several of the sconces nearby that had previously been dark burst to life. Somewhere behind him a rumbling began to build, like a machine slowly powering itself back on. The air crackled around him, making the hairs on Callan¡¯s arms stand on end. That appears to have done it! Our temple is awake at last. Now, you need only step onto the teleportation circle, and we should find ourselves topside. ¡°Right, teleportation circle. Because I totally know what one of those looks like.¡± Callan glanced around, wondering if he should see a portal full of swirling mist, or maybe black smoke. Nothing so wonderous appeared. It is inscribed onto the floor in front of the altar. ¡°Oh.¡± Leaning over, Callan could just barely make out a small circle embedded into the floor, big enough for maybe a half-dozen people to stand in. The edges appeared to have been crafted from a bronze-colored metal, then inlaid or poured into the surrounding stone. Far as mystical teleportation circles went, he was a little underwhelmed. Scooping up a handful of memory shards, Callan moved to the other side of the altar and right up to the edge of the circle. He stared at it, willing himself to take a step across. What¡¯s the problem, mortal? ¡°Does it activate instantly? I don¡¯t want to have my foot teleported without the rest of me. Is it better if I jump in all at once?¡± You¡¯ll be fine. The portal won¡¯t activate until it senses we¡¯re fully inside. The process is totally safe. ¡°So you say, but the track record today for ¡®safe¡¯ hasn¡¯t exactly been stellar. Can you forgive me for being a little paranoid?¡± If you would rather look for an alternative... ¡°No, no. I¡¯m as eager to get out of here as anybody.¡± With a resigned sigh, Callan stepped into the circle. He waited. After several long heartbeats of absolutely nothing, he turned in a slow circle. ¡°Am I doing it wrong?¡± Not that I can tell. It appears that the teleportation circle is inoperable at the moment. ¡°I knew it was broken! And you were so confident it wasn¡¯t going to tear me apart!¡± He shook his head. ¡°I bet this is why the text listed ¡®ERROR¡¯ beside it.¡± We can worry about the why¡¯s later. For now, we still need to get out of here. The temple¡¯s scrying function seemed operable. Try that. Grumbling, Callan returned to the altar. Laying his hands on it, the same angry screen from before reappeared. This time at least, the temple¡¯s Conviction was at a satisfying 5/???. Alright, give me a moment to activate Scry... Hmm. It appears it is currently limited to the confines of the temple. Unfortunate, but not unexpected. It should be visible... now. A ghostly mass of lines settled in the air just over the surface of the altar. It took Callan a second to realize he was looking at a map. ¡°Okay, that big area there has got to be this chamber,¡± he said. He traced his finger along one of the lines that descended towards the surface of the altar. ¡°And here is where we made our way down to the vault. The training hall must be somewhere between, either here, or here.¡± Yes, yes. More importantly, see that other tunnel? The one that slopes towards my effigy? It took Callan a moment to locate it, but when he did, he traced the line as it wound slowly upward before simply ending near the altar¡¯s edge. ¡°This one?¡± Yes. I cannot be certain, but I think¡ªI think¡ªthat is the back way into the temple. Built just for emergencies like this when the teleport circle is unavailable. Callan straightened, looked around the room to get his bearings, then turned back to the map. ¡°Doesn¡¯t appear too far from here. Let¡¯s get a move on.¡± They set off down the tunnel, his steps quicker now that he knew where their destination lay. Over the last few hours, the press of the walls had been steadily building on him, and it had grown to be all Callan could think about. Seeing the sun again, or even just catching a hint of a fresh breeze would do wonders to help restore his sanity. Ah, it will be good to walk amongst mortals once again. ¡°Yeah, about that. We need to start figuring out a game plan. How exactly does one recruit followers in this world?¡± How do priests recruit new worshippers in your own? Callan frowned. ¡°I mean, a lot of ways, but we don¡¯t have gods that actually show up to convert us directly. Religion is more of a ¡®believe what you do not yet see¡¯ sort of thing.¡± Yet you cannot see me, either. ¡°Yeah, but I can definitely hear you. Whether I want to or not.¡± He tapped his palm to the side of his head for emphasis. Very humorous. Still, for ordinary mortals, they will not be able to see or hear me any more than any other god. It will be up to your words and emotions to turn their hearts in my direction. ¡°Oh. Huh. Okay.¡± Is there something wrong with that, human? ¡°No, I guess not.¡± Callan shrugged. ¡°Just, you know, thought there might be more on offer here. I mean, you gifted me with some pretty awesome powers, so...¡± My bounties are reserved for my priesthood and followers who distinguish themselves from the rest of the masses. Such gifts should be used sparingly, and it is far better to win a follower¡¯s worship through something more than personal enrichment. Such individuals do not remain in the fold for long. ¡°Okay, but don¡¯t blame me if they think I¡¯m just another crazy human trying to start his own cult. The first time one of them breaks out a batch of Kool-Aid, I¡¯m out of there.¡± Kool-Aid? ¡°It¡¯s a¡ªDangit, I don¡¯t want to explain Earth stuff right now.¡± He noticed another door up ahead, this one similar to the one that had guarded the vault, but easily twice as large, if not more. ¡°Hey, how much do you want to bet that¡¯s our exit?¡± I find gambling to be a reprehensible addiction. ¡°Aw, you¡¯re no fun, Xeph. Keep it up and I won¡¯t take you to Vegas.¡± What is¡ª ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s just get out of here.¡± Callan tugged at the wheel on the door, grunting when it didn¡¯t give way like the last one had. Clearly the elements had gotten into this one a bit. It took several tries before he finally got it moving, the bolts disengaging from either side of the wall with a god-awful squeal. Rust flakes rained down, leaving him coughing and spitting in an attempt to chase them away. Then the door swung open, and Callan forgot all about the rust flakes. He took an involuntary step back. It was night outside, with only a hint of light on the distant horizon, the glow of an alien moon or perhaps some city hidden from view. Still, it was enough to see what lay beyond. Past the door, the cavern disappeared, air sweeping out over an abyss that appeared bottomless in the wan light. Sheer cliffs stretched to either side, and some hundred or so feet away a second cliff line followed his own in parallel. Wind howled through the void between, tugging at Callan¡¯s clothes and attempting to draw him out into its embrace. He wasn¡¯t going anywhere through this exit, except down. 1-7 — Baby Steps, But Like, REALLY Big Baby Steps Forcing his legs to obey, Callan shuffled forward until he was at the very edge. Holding onto the door, he leaned out into the void. After a moment of squinting, he was able to make out a bottom, but it was easily a hundred feet below. He imagined this was what it was like staring down into the Grand Canyon. Now he was glad that particular family trip had gotten canceled when he was ten. Also, this was really not the time to discover that he had a problem with heights. Another blast of wind tugged at him. It was tinged with the same saltwater smell he always associated with the Puget Sound. Wherever they were must be close to the ocean. Hmm. It appears that the walkway has deteriorated over the centuries, Xeph noted dryly. No matter. You should be able to scale the cliff¡ª ¡°Yeah, nuh uh. Not happening.¡± What? Another breeze hit Callan, and he shivered as it cut through the tears in his shirt. ¡°I¡¯m not ascending that thing in the dark. We¡¯ll come back in the morning.¡± He slammed the door shut, then set off back down the tunnel. Where are you going? Xeph asked, a worried note in his voice. ¡°To find a bed. This day has been long enough already without adding hardcore parkour to it. Whatever is waiting for us up there can wait a little longer.¡±
He woke the next morning with stiff aches in his back and legs. At first Callan had feared they were signs of his advancing cancer, but after the sleep cleared from his mind further, he realized it was likely nothing more than the aftereffects of all the strain he had put his body through the day previous. Or, possibly his injuries. While he couldn¡¯t quite reach where the velak had hit him in the back, the spot on his leg was still red and tender to the touch. How did you sleep? Xeph asked in a friendly tone as Callan¡¯s feet slid off the bed and onto the dusty floor. He had managed to shake most of two millennia¡¯s accrual off the sheets but hadn¡¯t bothered to do much with the rest of the place. If they ended up coming back here, he¡¯d have to do something more permanent about the mess. ¡°Fine, I suppose.¡± He frowned as he took in the room. Xeph claimed this one had belonged to his former avatar, and Callan supposed it was certainly big enough, but it had nothing in the way of ornamentation. Just the bed, and a small chest by the door. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s a chance of getting a warm breakfast in this place, is there?¡± Perhaps if you cooked it yourself, but with what ingredients? I doubt anything other than those emergency rations have survived the passage of time. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m surprised anything has survived the test of time down here. You¡¯d think it would all have rotted away by now.¡± Hah. Xeph¡¯s chuckle was like a boulder rolling down a mountainside. That is dveorgan construction for you. Callan lifted the lid of the chest by his bedside, grunting as it resisted his efforts. ¡°Those are the same people who built the golems, right?¡± ...I believe so. With a little effort, he managed to lift the lid off the chest. Inside, it was absolutely filled with piles of folded clothes, all the same color. Priest robes, if he had to guess. ¡°Suppose it¡¯s better than wearing bloody rags.¡± He glanced down at what remained of his own outfit. The last twenty-four hours hadn¡¯t been kind to them, as there were rips in his shirt, and the bottom of his pants had been turned to ribbons thanks to the velak acid or whatever it was. Pulling several of the outfits from the chest and laying them out on the bed, Callan was surprised to discover they were not, in fact, robes. Or rather they were nothing like what he would have expected a priest to wear. They looked like ordinary street clothes, albeit in a somewhat garish dark purple color. The pants bowed out near the leg a bit, and the shirts tapered near the bottom more than he liked, but beyond that they were plain and made from a sturdy material he didn¡¯t recognize. He rubbed it between his fingers, trying to place it. Veloomian silk, Xeph offered. ¡°Right. What¡¯s a veloomian?¡± Not a veloomian. The veloom are... They... Xeph trailed off, muttering something incomprehensible, though Callan suspected whatever it was wouldn¡¯t have been proper to say in polite company. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll figure it out together.¡± Poking around further in the chest, he managed to find a matching outfit that looked cut to his size. He started to pull off his own clothes. Interesting, though. If everything in this chest was left by Xeph¡¯s former avatar, why weren¡¯t they all the same size? Had his followers been expecting the god to summon Callan? Or if not him specifically, someone like him. Someone from Earth. The implications were more than a little disturbing. He pulled on the new outfit, deigning to keep his socks and boxers. The former avatar hadn¡¯t left anything behind for him other than shirts and pants, but there was no way Callan intended to go commando in a brand-new world. The last thing he needed was to start a riot because he accidentally exposed himself. The pants didn¡¯t have any belt loops, just a simple drawstring he could use to tighten them. That accomplished, Callan admired himself as best he could without a mirror. Other than the color, he thought they looked nice. Plus, they were clean. That counted for a lot right now. Ready to depart? ¡°Almost.¡± Digging into the chest further, Callan pulled out a drawstring bag with a loop of rope on it for carrying. He poked his head inside and discovered it contained a myriad of supplies¡ªa blanket, several packages of food rations, an empty water bottle made of tin, and even what looked like a flint and steel. Everything needed for a moderate journey. Yeah, now he was definitely suspicious about this whole setup. Tightening the bag around his shoulders, he gave a satisfied nod. ¡°Okay, now I¡¯m ready.¡± Good. Let us return to the exit. ¡°Actually, maybe I¡¯m not ready. Shouldn¡¯t I poke around and find a rope, or some climbing equipment?¡± The closest that Callan had ever been to cliff scaling back on Earth was watching people climb the rock wall at REI, but even so, he knew that only the most skilled or insane of individuals attempted that with without proper support. ¡°After all, if I fall from that height, there won¡¯t be any do-overs.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Xeph let out another of his rumbling chuckles. Oh mortal, did you forget who you are now? What need have you of equipment, when the powers of stone are yours to command?
As the first step pulled itself away from the cliff face and formed a solid ledge, Callan felt a bit silly. Of course his Shape Stone ability was uniquely suited to this particular problem. Had he not been so tired last night, that would have likely occurred to him. Not that he would have attempted this in the dark. He glanced down at the valley floor below with a shiver. The view was bad enough in daylight as it was. He had arrived back at the door shortly after this world¡¯s sunrise, the sky above still stained a deep lilac. Not that Callan had taken much time to enjoy the view, with Xeph immediately launching into instructions about using his orison. You need to concentrate on refining your ability. Do not attempt to move the entire square of stone, or you will end up with a block that isn¡¯t wide enough to properly support your feet. Focus on only moving a small piece, that will both conserve your apotheosis, as well as provide a broader surface to stand on. ¡°Right. More surface area better.¡± Callan stopped manipulating the step and studied his handiwork. It was maybe three inches thick, though not consistently. Some places bulged, while others were clearly too thin. It also didn¡¯t stick out nearly as far as Callan would have liked, barely enough room for one of his feet, let alone two. That is not bad for a first attempt. Now try to form the next one a little wider. Do not worry about the variations in thickness, overall this ledge should be more than enough to hold your weight. ¡°I really hope you¡¯re right about that.¡± Callan tried glancing upward but couldn¡¯t see much from his current position. ¡°How far up do we have to go?¡± Not too far. If you space them properly, we should only need to form... ten steps, perhaps. Certainly no more than fifteen. ¡°That¡¯s going to take more than my current apotheosis limit can support.¡± Not if you are careful about limiting material. At worst, we wait for you to recover before continuing. Xeph paused, then added, You should also form handholds above the steps as well. Just in case. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be practicing this elsewhere first?¡± And use up more of your precious time? I thought you were eager to be cured, human. ¡°Yeah, well, better to risk my cancer spreading than a certain fall because one of my steps isn¡¯t formed right.¡± Just then, a twinge passed through Callan¡¯s leg, making him wince. It was probably just from the velak attack, but... He gritted his teeth, then set to forming another step. When it finally came time to step out onto the first platform, Callan had to take a few minutes to pep-talk himself into doing so, but it was surprisingly not as bad as he had feared. His handholds were solid¡ªprobably owing to the fact they were shaped perfectly for his grip¡ªand so long as he didn¡¯t look down, he could pretend he was just a few feet off the ground. Forming new steps while hanging from a current one took a bit of practice, but he got the rhythm of it quick enough. In the end they still took a break for a half-hour to let his apotheosis drop, though part of that was because Xeph insisted he use enough of Shape Stone to form an alcove halfway up the cliff line rather than retreat back to the tunnel entrance. It was big enough for Callan to lay down in if he wanted, albeit in the fetal position. Instead, he sat with his legs dangling off the edge, trying keep his gaze riveted to the cliff opposite. Excellent progress, mortal. Your skill with Shape Stone is already noticeably improving. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± Callan didn¡¯t want to think about anything even tangentially related to the fact he was hanging off a sheer cliff right now. He tried changing the subject. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose anything has come back to you since yesterday, has it? Anything about what¡¯s waiting for us out there?¡± You mean the Outerworld? I recall hundreds of details. Callan blinked in surprise. ¡°Really? And when were you planning to share these tidbits with me? I¡¯d kind of like to know what we¡¯re walking into up there.¡± I didn¡¯t share them because they would be of little use to you. Any knowledge I have about this world is outdated at best. In the time I spent underground, empires will have risen and fallen, cities will have been wiped off the map. The landscape will have reshaped itself several times over. ¡°I kind of doubt that last one, takes a bit more than two thousand years for continental drift to occur.¡± What? ¡°Never mind. So, what can you tell me? At least give me a baseline to work with.¡± Hmm. Xeph fell silent for a few moments. When I was still in power, this continent was known as Urslang. My temple here was hidden at the southern tip, an area that had been known as the Badlands. Likely both those names will at least still be remembered, if not commonly used. ¡°That¡¯s a start.¡± He sniffed the air, the salty scent on the wind still overpowering. So they were definitely near the ocean, then. ¡°Anything else noteworthy?¡± Nothing that comes readily to mind. Although I suppose the pythian trees are somewhat more common on this continent than others. ¡°Trees. Right.¡± Callan chuckled ruefully to himself. He wasn¡¯t sure how that particular information would ever prove important, but Xeph seemed pleased to remember the detail. Reaching into his pack, he extracted one of the chewy survival rations and ripped open its package. Xeph had told him that his apotheosis would recover quicker if he slept or ate, and since he wasn¡¯t going to attempt a nap out here, this was the next best thing. Once his apotheosis was almost back down to zero, Callan set to work forming more steps. From this little alcove, he could finally make out the top of the cliff line, which lit a fire under his efforts. The sooner he was done hanging from this nauseating drop, the better. Last thing he wanted was to still be forming steps when the sun went down. Although the sky overhead was still tinged with lilac, so perhaps he didn¡¯t need to worry. It seemed the sun moved much slower on this world. By the time the last step formed, Callan had mostly worked out the problem with the uneven thickness. He¡¯d discovered it was a matter of having his fingers splayed apart as he worked, meaning the stone was squeezed together in some places and not others. By keeping his fingers together, the efforts were noticeably smoother. Instead of forming a handhold, Callan reached for the top of the cliff, launching off the newly created step to haul himself the rest of the way. He had a moment of panic as his fingers scrabbled at the loose surface above for purchase, but finally they enclosed around a hardy bush, and he pulled himself up. Flopping onto his back, he lay there panting, staring up at the sky. A laugh bubbled up onto his lips until it was all-consuming. Mortal? Should I be afraid for your sanity? Do you need me to administer another clarifying shock? ¡°I most certainly do not.¡± He wiped a tear from his eye and sat up. The cliff yawned at his feet, and Callan could only marvel that he had just climbed the entire thing without so much as a rope to save himself from falling. In hindsight, it seemed a little crazy. Scratch that, a LOT crazy. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he climbed to his feet. It was only then that he realized the sun was overhead. So, not morning, after all. Lilac colored skies were apparently just the norm around here. Then he noticed the tree. It was some distance on the other side of the canyon, possibly miles away, which is why he hadn¡¯t been able to see it before. And yet, he could make out details even from here, could see the individual leaves hanging from its boughs. How big did a tree have to be in order to see its leaves from miles away? ¡°Is that a¡ª?¡± he began. A pythian tree? Yes, it does appear so. Based on the leaf color, it should be the dry season at the moment. Not the best time of year to be traveling the Badlands, but at least we will not have to worry about rain. Callan turned in a full circle, taking in the landscape. A cloudless lilac sky reigned above, while a dusty plain of brown grass and the occasional cluster of bushes ran for miles behind him. Some ways off in the distance he spied another of the giant pythian trees, and possibly a third one even further away. ¡°Yep, we¡¯re definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto,¡± he muttered. What¡¯s a Toto? ¡°In this instance? Probably you.¡± Even though Callan had known ever since the velak that they weren¡¯t on Earth any longer, it was one thing to know, and another to have it confirmed so visually. Between the purple sky and the trees bigger than imagination, the full weight of just what he had taken on hit him in full. He was supposed to help Xeph rebuild his followers? Here? His mind could barely wrap around the idea at the moment. We should head towards that pythian tree. Where there¡¯s a tree in the Badlands, there¡¯s usually civilization. Xeph¡¯s words snapped Callan from his mounting panic better than any shock could have. Right. He didn¡¯t need to comprehend the world fully. He just needed to put one foot in front of the other and focus on what was important. The rest would figure itself out as they went. ¡°Pythian tree, right. Let¡¯s go.¡± Shouldering his pack, he set out across the dusty plain. 1-8 — No Fluffy Bunnies Here It didn¡¯t take long for the pythian tree to get on Callan¡¯s bad side. No matter how long he walked, it stubbornly refused to get any closer. Based on its size, he¡¯d assumed it would have been looming overhead before too long. Which at the very least, would have been nice for the shade. Sweat was dripping down Callan¡¯s back, making his velak injury itch something crazy. The water from his bottle lasted through a total of three enormous gulps before it was gone, leaving him with little to do beyond try to shake the last stubborn drops at the bottom onto his parched tongue. Are you alright, human? Your endurance levels seem... lacking. ¡°Of course they¡¯re lacking. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. About the only time I saw anything approaching a desert was when I visited my cousins.¡± Callan shuddered at the memory. He¡¯d been seven, and so excited listening to his father describe his hometown. The little community of Othello sounded completely different from what Callan had grown up seeing. There would be farms, and tractors, and maybe even cows! To his poor seven-year-old mind, it sounded like the grandest adventure ever. Seeing the rapid change of landscape from one side of the Cascades to the other was admittedly rather amazing, but he hadn¡¯t been ready for what the weather in mid-July had in store for him. Seattle occasionally got hot in the summer, but it was nothing like the blast furnace that waited for him when he stepped out of the car. His psychotic cousins were just the icing on the cake of that whole experience. Technically, this isn¡¯t a desert, Xeph noted dryly. There¡¯s too much rainfall during the cooler months. Then, torrential floods will pour through the canyons and lightning storms will scour the landscape above. Another reason proximity to a pythian tree is preferred by many inhabitants. ¡°Not really helping, Xeph.¡± Callan squinted at the horizon. Okay, the tree was definitely closer now, he could make out more details, could see the way its roots broke the surface of the ground all around it. Also, there was a smear of darker color a bit to its right, leaving a blot on the otherwise unblemished skyline. A village? That¡¯s a village, Xeph said, echoing Callan¡¯s thoughts. He felt his steps lighten at the god¡¯s words. Or was that his head? The horizon wavered and danced in front of him. Callan frowned, blinked, and looked again. The dancing was more erratic than before. No, it was definitely his head. Probably the lack of water, if he had to guess. He tried increasing his steps, but his legs refused to move at more than a glacial pace. This really was turning into the trip to Othello all over again. Even with the heat, he had still been excited to visit, in the way that only a naive seven-year-old can be. His cousin Jared, who was fifteen at the time, told his parents he was going to take Callan around and show him the sights. The ¡°sights¡± in nowhere-burg turned out to be an excuse to go looking for rattlesnakes. They wandered for two hours through barren wilderness without seeing so much as a single one, and as Callan¡¯s city legs steadily failed him, he had fallen further and further behind. Eventually Jared disappeared from view, not even once checking if his young charge had managed to keep up. Hot, thirsty, and cranky, Callan made for an irrigation ditch to soak his feet and splash some water on his face. And then it happened. A rattlesnake lay coiled near the water¡¯s edge, and even having never heard one before, Callan¡¯s heart nearly stopped as the snake let out its signature warning. He¡¯d stayed frozen in place, the water tantalizingly close yet impossibly out of reach for almost an hour. At some point the snake had slithered off, but not knowing where it was Callan didn¡¯t realize. He was only saved from dehydration and sun exposure when his father came looking for him with his cousin in tow. And who got in trouble for that whole near-death experience? Not Jared, far as he knew. Only Callan, for ¡°wandering off¡± while his cousin was watching him. Total BS. From there, the trip had only gotten worse. Yeah, and his aunt and uncle wondered why he didn¡¯t like to visit them anymore. A rock suddenly loomed in Callan¡¯s path. He attempted to step past it, but his sluggish feet were barely obeying him anymore. The toe of his shoe caught on the top and he went sprawling to the ground. A dull moan slipped past his lips. Mortal, are you alright? ¡°Guh.¡± Callan managed. I think you may be suffering from the effects of dehydration. ¡°Muh.¡± We need to find water, or we¡¯ll never make that village. ¡°Fuh.¡± Stand up, mortal! You can do this! Oh, why didn¡¯t I have you place more points into Fortitude? No, never mind that now. Stand! Not wasting any further breath on talking, Callan pressed upon the dusty soil and lurched to his feet. His vision had gone so blurry he could barely tell where he was walking, but with Xeph¡¯s encouragement he managed to get one foot in front of the other. Then again. And again. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he stumbled along like that. Time had sort of lost meaning. However, the next time he managed to steady his vision enough to look for the village, it didn¡¯t appear to be any closer. He was never going to make it. Luckily, he didn¡¯t have to. STOP! Xeph¡¯s screech sounded like grinding boulders in his ear. There, to the left, human, do you see it? Callan turned slowly. Blinked. Tried to focus his eyes on the sudden splash of green in his vision. It wasn¡¯t much, but out here where everything was shades of gold and brown beneath a lilac sky, the green stood out like a flashing neon sign. How he hadn¡¯t noticed before, he had no idea. The green wriggled and split into two. Callan blinked again as a wave of dizziness almost dropped him. Oh right. That. He made it to the edge of the greenery before collapsing, which turned out to be a clump of reedy grass about as tall as he was. Pushing his way between two long stalks, Callan almost broke down in tears for what he found. Water. No more than a foot deep, but it was clear and sparkling and looked like the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Small fish darted away to hide among the reeds at his approach, and several large stones jutted out from beneath the surface, but for the moment his focus was entirely on what lay inches from his lips. Water. Precious, precious water. ¡°Oh, thank God.¡± You¡¯re welcome, Xeph said with a note of smug satisfaction. Callan ignored him. Practically dunking his whole head, he swallowed one huge gulp after another, until his stomach felt like it might burst. The water¡¯s restorative effect was immediate, and already Callan¡¯s head felt clearer. ¡°I¡¯d better fill my canteen,¡± he said, reaching back for his pack. A loud snort froze him in place. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°...Xeph?¡± Yes mortal? ¡°Please tell me that was you.¡± Unfortunately, it was not. Slowly, Callan looked up. Perhaps twenty feet away on the opposite side of the pond, two black eyes stared back at him from between the reeds. The eyes began to rise until they towered above the grass, revealing the rest of their owner. In that moment, Callan was seven all over again. The pond was the irrigation ditch, and here he was frozen with fear, barely able to even make himself breathe. Unfortunately, unlike the time with the rattlesnake, he could very much see the monstrous beast looming over him. And it could very much see him. It looked as if someone had taken a goat and stretched it to be about ten feet long, and maybe half again as wide. Patchy hair covered most of its body, and its legs rippled with muscles. A trio of horns speared out from its snout, their tips level with the animal¡¯s eyes. Those eyes, which had been studying him curiously until this moment, now narrowed in anger, apparently not liking what they were seeing. Ah! Xeph said suddenly, and a feeling of euphoria flooded through Callan that he didn¡¯t personally share at the moment. Now I remember! That, mortal, is a dvorak. A wild one, anyway, and quite a healthy specimen. ¡°What, this thing is a dvorak?¡± With the god¡¯s words, Callan paralysis had been broken, and he began backing up. The dvorak matched each step with one of its own, slowly working its way around the pond. ¡°That¡¯s not a ¡®beast of burden¡¯, Xeph. That¡¯s a rhino with a glandular problem!¡± I don¡¯t know what either of those words mean. ¡°It¡¯s¡ªgah!¡± Callan dove out of the way as the dvorak charged. It wasn¡¯t particularly fast, so he guessed it was more testing the waters than truly attacking. Even so, it tore up the ground with its feet as it charged past, kicking up dust and leaving him coughing. ¡°What should I do?¡± he asked, climbing to his feet as the dvorak made a wide circle. Hmm. It would probably be best not to engage directly, given your physical inadequacies and lack of training with Mountainform¡ª ¡°Yeah, I already kind of figured punching it would be a bad idea.¡± ¡ªSo perhaps attempt to waylay it while you withdraw. The dvorak is likely just defending its territory, and it should not pursue once you reach a certain distance. They aren¡¯t predators, just heavily reliant on their size for intimidation. Callan watched the approaching dvorak warily. ¡°Consider me properly intimidated. That thing is built like a Sherman tank.¡± Activating his orison, he directed the glowing sphere to the maximum range of his ability. Gripping the invisible putty between his fingers, he watched the dvorak for any sign of an impending charge. The beast snorted, then leapt forward at lightning speed. Callan felt the briefest moment of vindication¡ªthe beast had been testing him earlier¡ªbefore it entered the circle of his orison. Callan thrust the stone upward like he¡¯d done with the steps, hoping to trip the dvorak as it passed.
Alert: 4.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 4.75%
Take this, you overgrown¡ª Nothing happened. No stone formations, no rising barricade. The ground didn¡¯t even wriggle. Damn. That was all the time he had to consider his failure. The next moment, he was flying through the air, the whole world tilted sideways, the very air punched out of his lungs. He didn¡¯t really feel the impact until the ground reasserted itself, and then the pain washed over him so completely he almost blacked out. This must be what getting hit by a truck felt like. Human! You need to stand up! It¡¯s coming back! With a cough, he pushed himself off the ground. His whole chest was on fire, yet he didn¡¯t think anything was broken. Definitely hurt, though. ¡°Why didn¡¯t that work?¡± he managed to wheeze, climbing to his feet. There isn¡¯t enough stone. Only small rocks mixed into the soil, which is primarily composed of¡ª ¡°I know what soil is, thanks!¡± Callan braced as the dvorak charged him again, then activated Mountainform. It was better than nothing.
Alert: 9.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 14.25%
Remember, we don¡¯t need to defeat it. Just render it unable or unwilling to follow. Xeph¡¯s words rasped like sandpaper in his ear. Callan didn¡¯t waste the breath necessary to respond. Then the dvorak was looming over him. Callan twisted, trying to avoid a direct hit. At the same time, he swung a stone-encrusted fist at the beast¡¯s head in a wide haymaker. Between his evasion to the side and his swing, he managed to turn the dvorak away¡ªbut only barely. Instead of striking him head on, it only clipped his shoulder with the side of its snout. But that was enough. Pain lanced through Callan again, and he heard a distinct crunch before being spun around. Something was definitely broken now, or at least sprained. Mortal! ¡°I¡¯m fine, Xeph. I think.¡± Pressing a hand to his shoulder. He couldn¡¯t feel much with Mountainform still coating his fingers, but given he could still move his arm, albeit painfully, he was going to go with just sprained. ¡°Not sure I can take another hit like that, though.¡± Then best make sure it doesn¡¯t strike you. ¡°Easier said than done. That beast is fast.¡± Callan glanced around, but there was nothing to use his Shape Stone on. Just dirt and sand¡ªwait, did sand count as a rock? No time to test it now, though¡ªand the swaying reeds by the pond. The pond! Turning, he ran for the water¡¯s edge, even as the dvorak growled and charged after. Reaching it, he jumped, landing near the middle with a splash. The water reached up to his kneecaps here, and fish darted away in flashes of silver as he waded amongst them. Turning around, Callan got a full view of the dvorak bearing down on him. He started backpedaling. With a resounding crash, the beast hit the water. The foot or so it treaded through didn¡¯t slow it much, but it was enough. Callan reached out with his orison and grabbed a nearby rock. The moment the dvorak stepped near it, he twisted his hands, flowing the stone around the creature¡¯s hoof.
Alert: 4.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 19%
The dvorak snorted and came to a halt. Lifting its leg from the water, it attempted to shake the stone loose. This gave Callan ample opportunity to repeat the attack. A second rock enclosed around one of the dvorak¡¯s back hoofs as well.
Alert: 4.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 23.75%
Careful! Xeph warned. Any higher and you risk activating quarantine protocols. Callan didn¡¯t respond. That would just have to be enough. Turning, he scrambled to the opposite shore of the pond and leapt onto dry land. Behind him, the dvorak let out an angry trumpeting noise, but a glance over his shoulder showed the beast was still engaged trying to free its legs from their new anchors. A wild grin crawled up Callan¡¯s face. It looked as if he¡¯d won. Not that he intended to slow down anytime soon, of course. In fact, he didn¡¯t stop running until his legs physically gave out on him, dropping him to the ground. Xeph called out something, but the words were garbled, and Callan was too focused on getting his ragged breathing under control. When he finally managed to look around, the pond was nowhere in sight, but the village he¡¯d spotted earlier was noticeably closer. Climbing back to his feet, he started weaving unsteadily in that direction. Between the fight with the dvorak and the madcap run after, he felt worse than he had before he¡¯d managed to snag a drink. His throat was dry as sandpaper, and his spit was thick as jelly. It was all he could do to even swallow. Almost there, mortal. Almost there. Just one foot in front of the other. ¡°Callan... Name¡¯s.... Callan.¡± Any further words were impossible. His voice simply refused to cooperate. Yes, yes. Concentrate on moving forward and save the talking for later. Assuming there¡¯ll be a later, Callan muttered to himself grumpily, but the thought was sluggish and difficult to finish. Was the village any closer? He couldn¡¯t tell, it was wavering and splitting in his vision so much. He just hoped he was going in the right direction. Step. Step. Step. He concentrated on his feet, watching them move slowly forward at a shuffle, then a slow plod. Each inch gained was more difficult than the last. He checked on his progress again. The village was close, but still horribly out of reach. Callan tried to move another foot forward, only to instead find his face pressed into the dirt. It seemed this was as far as he would go. ¡°Gotta... move...¡± He reached a hand towards the village. The houses were quaint things of unpainted wood, their roofs thatched with some unfamiliar material. From the doorway of one of them he saw a person step outside, pause, then begin hurrying in his direction. ¡°Almost... there...¡± Mortal? Mortal! Callan! ¡°Gotta... Gotta...¡± The person stopped beside him and lowered themselves into a crouch. In Callan¡¯s wavering vision, the girl looking at him with a worried expression seemed to have two heads and four arms. Callan blinked, but his vision didn¡¯t improve. It wavered more, the colors bleeding, separating, reforming. He blinked again, then closed his eyes. Rest. He just needed a few minutes rest. Then he¡¯d move again. Just a few minutes rest... 1-9 — I Hope This Basement Isn’t The Torture Dungeon Variety With a yelp, Callan sat upright. Then immediately regretted that decision. Pain wracked his body, which made him suck in a sharp breath, which in turn left him in a fit of coughing. Several minutes passed before he managed to rein it in. Only then did he notice his surroundings. He was in a dimly lit room, the air cool but not uncomfortably so, with a few cracks of light coming through the boards over his head. A thick rug lay between him and the packed dirt floor. The walls were also dirt, and several had shelves full of plain crockery on them. Bags of some rough material were stacked in a corner, and across from him, a simple wooden ladder reached all the way to the ceiling. Of other occupants, he could see none, but a creaking from overhead made him think someone must have heard his wheezing. The creaks steadily moved in the direction of the ladder. A moment later, the wood paneling above the ladder pulled away, and a burst of light showed through, almost blinding him. As Callan squinted through his fingers, a figure rapidly descended the ladder and approached him. It was a young girl, close to his own age. Callan thought she might have been the same one he¡¯d seen before he collapsed, but he¡¯d been so out of it at the time he couldn¡¯t quite recall. Her hair was black and straight, and her skin was a dark olive color. When she smiled at him with a mouth of dazzling teeth, he couldn¡¯t help but smile back. Then he realized that the girl also had four arms. He blinked, but they didn¡¯t disappear. At least she only had one head, so that part must have just been his imagination. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± the girl said at last. Callan tried to speak, but the words just came out as a rough cough. The girl turned and pulled an earthenware jug from a shelf, uncorked it, then handed it to him. ¡°Here, drink.¡± Taking a hesitant swig, Callan was pleasantly surprised to find it was just ordinary water. As he drank, the girl watched him warily. She started to back up. ¡°I need to alert the elder. Don¡¯t... Stay here. Please?¡± With that, she darted back up the ladder and disappeared. The trapdoor swung shut behind her with a bang. Well, that was interesting, Xeph said, surprising Callan and almost making him spill his water. She seemed nervous. Although I doubt it is directed at us, it is difficult to say for certain. I wonder why? Callan finished drinking and set the empty jug down. ¡°Hey Xeph. I¡¯m so touched by your concern over my condition. I mean, it¡¯s not like I almost died fighting that dvorak, or anything. Yes, yes. I am glad you have recovered as well, mortal. It would have been a tragedy for our journey together to have ended so abruptly after it began. Now, we have important matters to see to. ¡°Hmm.¡± Callan twisted about to study his surroundings a little better, and only then noticed his left arm was tied up in a sling. There were also bandages wrapping most of his chest. Of his new shirt he saw no sign, but at least the girl had left him with his pants. And I just got that outfit, too, he thought, chagrined. ¡°Do these important matters involve explaining why I just saw a person with four friggin arms?¡± he asked, pushing the rug covering him aside and rising to his feet. His vision swam for a moment before steadying. What, you mean the girl? She¡¯s one of the lud, obviously. ¡°Oh, right. Obviously.¡± There was a moment of silence, and then a jolt of excitement ran through Callan¡¯s body. The lud! They were the first race that my fellow gods created from humanity. It¡¯s all coming back to me now. The lud, created from mud, we used to say. They¡¯re incredibly hardworking and dedicated. Worthy followers for a god of stone and mountain, wouldn¡¯t you say? ¡°Sure.¡± Callan knew he should have been growing accustomed to the gaps in the god¡¯s knowledge by now, but apparently it was still taking some getting used to. ¡°Wait, did you say you created them from humans?¡± Of course! All of the elevated races were formed from human stock, to better serve the needs of my fellow deities. After all, if there is a task that one desires to be completed, one needs the correct tool to properly accomplish it. ¡°Not entirely sure how I feel about you calling me a tool, Xeph." Callan shook his head. ¡°Any other races I should know about?¡± Hmm. There are the veloom, the rutain, the lilish, the... ah... hmm. Callan waited a moment, but when the god lapsed into silence, attempted a gentle prompting. ¡°Remember anything about them in specific?¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Give me a moment, mortal. Let me see... Before Xeph could further uncompress his memories or whatever, Callan heard footsteps overhead again. He thought about covering back up with the blanket to feign weakness, then decided against it. Whoever these people were, if they meant him ill, they¡¯d had plenty of opportunity to do far worse than locking him in a basement. The trapdoor lifted again, and the girl began descending, followed this time by an older man with a white beard. Like the girl, he also had olive skin and four muscular arms, which he used to quickly reach the basement floor. Only once they were standing in front of him did Callan realize how short they both were. The girl only reached up to his hip, and the older man not much further. The older man studied him a moment before turning to the girl. ¡°Where did you say you found him again, Kivi?¡± ¡°On the edge of the village.¡± The girl, Kivi, studied him as well. At least her expression was no longer nervous. More... hopeful? Callan couldn¡¯t exactly say why, but that was the impression he got. ¡°Hmm. And how do you know his injuries aren¡¯t from the cult? They might take offense if they find out we¡¯re sheltering him.¡± ¡°The thought did occur to me, elder Tervak, but does it matter?¡± Kivi¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°If he¡¯s their enemy, then that makes him our ally. Sheltering him is the least I would do to oppose them.¡± Tervak reached out and squeezed the girl¡¯s shoulder in a fatherly way. ¡°Your dedication is admirable, Kivi, but it does us no good if you get yourself killed.¡± ¡°Um, excuse me.¡± Both of the lud glanced back at Callan when he spoke. ¡°Hi, sorry, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not from around here. What is this cult you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Ah, forgive our rudeness, honored stranger.¡± Tervak bowed lowed, and a moment later Kivi hastened to follow. ¡°We are referring to the priests of the goddess Zavastu, she who rules the western Badlands.¡± Hmm. Xeph¡¯s voice rumbled in the back of Callan¡¯s head like a small rockslide. I do not recognize the name of this divine. They must have risen to power sometime after I withdrew from the Outerworld. Callan frowned at that. ¡°Another god?¡± It would appear so. This village, and much of the Badlands, appears to be under her sway. We may find it more difficult to recruit followers than I hoped. That also sounded rather discouraging to Callan. They needed at least a few more followers pronto, to head off any further symptoms of his cancer. Still, that wasn¡¯t reason to give up hope yet. If nothing else, it didn¡¯t sound like these lud were on particularly good terms with the goddess. There might be some recruitment opportunities yet. ¡°Forgive me,¡± Tervak said, interrupting Callan¡¯s train of thought. ¡°Did you say ¡®another¡¯ god? Are you not a follower of Zavastu?¡± Before Callan could answer, Kivi grabbed him by the shoulders, a frenzied light coming into her eyes. ¡°Which god or goddess? Is it one opposed to Zavastu¡¯s rule? Is that why you are here? Are you a priest looking to foment rebellion?¡± ¡°Uh, yes. I mean, no. I¡¯m not a priest, and I¡¯m not here to start any rebellions.¡± Kivi practically deflated at his words, so Callan added, ¡°I¡¯m an avatar.¡± Careful, mortal, Xeph cautioned. We should not reveal too much until we better understand the situation. ¡°Little late to tell me that now,¡± Callan muttered. He watched the two lud. Kivi¡¯s frenzied expression had returned, but Tervak was watching him warily, as if Callan were a strange dog who might either lick his hand or try and bite it off. ¡°Pardon the boldness of this request, stranger, but can you prove that you are what you say you are?¡± ¡°Umm...¡± Callan glanced between the two lud. Lifting up his good hand, he activated Mountainform. Immediately a layer of stone formed, spreading out of his palm until it wrapped all the way to his wrist. Interestingly, he didn¡¯t sense anything forming on his bandaged hand. Apparently, the ability was clever enough to know not to interfere with his healing. Tervak¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°I see. That settles it, then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an answer to our prayers, elder!¡± Kivi grasped the other lud¡¯s hand and crushed it in her own. ¡°Finally, we have a way to stand against the cult, to chase them from our village forever! I knew there was something special about him.¡± ¡°Hold on, Kivi. We don¡¯t know if the avatar would even want to involve himself in our village¡¯s problems.¡± Out of the corner of his eye, the elder glanced at Callan. ¡°Something tells me he isn¡¯t out here in the Badlands merely for our benefit.¡± ¡°Actually¡ª¡± Callan began. ¡°In any case, even if he were willing to aid us, the price might be higher than the village can bear. What is the point of resisting if we merely trade one shackle for another?¡± ¡°Any shackles would be better than those Zavastu has chained to us!¡± Kivi countered, releasing the elder¡¯s hand. ¡°More children will starve if we continue to do nothing. More elders like yourself will be beaten and left for dead. I refuse to spend the rest of my life toiling away merely to line the pocket of some goddess I¡¯ve never even seen before!¡± ¡°Excuse me, could you¡ª¡± Callan tried again. ¡°We need not endure this forever. Eventually the cult will leave us in peace.¡± ¡°And how many of us will they take as slaves when they do? You speak of shackles, but we might all soon wear them in truth. Whatever this avatar asks of us, it cannot be worse than what we have endured already!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what you are speaking of, Kivi. You have never witnessed the depravities of the north. Some of the gods that dwell in the green lands would make Zavastu seem like a saint.¡± ¡°Which is why we need to strike now! While we have the advantage of familiarity and distance! Speak with the other elders, call a vote if you must.¡± ¡°I will not argue village politics with¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Both lud went silent and turned to look at Callan, who was surprised enough himself at how forcefully his shout came out that it took him a moment to collect himself. He gave a quick cough, then said in a more normal voice, ¡°Look, I think you two had better explain what¡¯s going on here. You said this goddess controls this whole area. Are you not her followers too?¡± Kivi and Tervak glanced at each other. Eventually it was the girl who spoke. ¡°The cult of Zavastu has ruled over the western Badlands for nearly twenty years. Did you... not already know that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m, ah, not from around here.¡± Heeding Xeph¡¯s advice, he decided to keep the particulars of both his and the god¡¯s origin secret for the moment. ¡°I know that I¡¯m in the Badlands on the southern end of Urslang, but that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kivi glanced at the elder again, and after he gave an encouraging nod, continued, ¡°Then you should know, honored avatar, that we are not followers of Zavastu. We¡¯re her prisoners.¡± 1-10 — Mo Followers Mo Problems ¡°So let me see if I understand the situation,¡± Callan said. He and the two lud were seated on the floor now, passing around another jug of water. It seemed that was all they had to drink in the village. From some of what Callan had just learned, he felt lucky to have even that much. ¡°So, these priests of Zarastu¡ª¡± ¡°Zavastu,¡± Kivi said. Callan nodded in appreciation. ¡°Right, Zavastu. They showed up about six months ago and took over the village?¡± ¡°Correct, Avatar.¡± Tervak took a swig of water, then set it down with a frown. ¡°We are not the most prosperous village by northern standards, but ours is the largest in the Badlands within a few day¡¯s travel, and we are wealthier than most thanks to the resources we can harvest from the pythian tree.¡± ¡°That is why the filthy parasites are here,¡± Kivi spat. ¡°They treat us like dirt, yet don¡¯t have the skills we lud do when it comes to harvesting the tree¡¯s bounty. So they keep us prisoner in our own village and take the spoils of our labor for themselves.¡± ¡°Calm, Kivi, calm.¡± The elder glanced at Callan. ¡°As you can see, it is a difficult situation. So long as the priests remain, we have not the strength of arms to rise against them. It would be suicide to fight the powers their goddess has granted.¡± ¡°Which is where I come in,¡± Callan said. Xeph let out a grunt, and he quickly amended, ¡°Where we come in.¡± ¡°Should Xeph-Zul-Karatl see fit to aid our cause, yes.¡± Tervak¡¯s brow pulled together into frown. ¡°I must admit, I have never heard the name of this particular god before. Where did you say you came from again?¡± ¡°Oh, you know. Around.¡± Callan made a vague gesture with his hand, hoping it would appease the elder. After a moment the lud slowly nodded. ¡°It is unfortunate that our knowledge of the outside world is so limited, but we had little in the way of visitors even before the cult¡¯s arrival. I hope your god will forgive this old man¡¯s ignorance.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine with it.¡± Callan said, flashing his friendliest grin. ¡°Right, Xeph?¡± Hmm. Ask the elder lud what sort of deity this Zavastu is. Callan did as requested, and the two lud glanced at each other in confusion before shaking their heads. ¡°Pardon, honored Avatar, but what does Xeph-Zul-Karatl mean?¡± ¡°Well, like what aspects do the goddess¡¯s bounties take? Xeph¡¯s all seem to center around stone and mountains.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Tervak frowned for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. At last, he shook his head again. ¡°I do not know if I can answer that sufficiently. The cult rarely uses their powers around us, and when they do, the effects are... disturbing. When the village first resisted their advance, one of the priests struck my brother several times on the face. Afterwards we found the skin burned away wherever he was touched.¡± ¡°Huh. Kind of sounds like fire to me,¡± Callan said. Possibly. Acid is another possibility. Ice can also produce a similar effect by a controlled user, as can chaos. Or metal, if superheated. Even the servant of another stone god might¡ª ¡°Okay, okay, I get the point. Are any of those going to be a problem?¡± I am unsure. We must gather more information before I can properly offer any tactical advice. Now, the elder is certain the goddess herself is not in the village? When Callan voiced the question, Tervak assured him that no lud had seen the goddess Zavastu themselves. ¡°Her followers simply appeared on the horizon one day. They are led by a forfiliin priest by the name of Ligo.¡± Interesting. If the goddess herself is not here, then this Ligo must be reasonably powerful himself. Only a high priest or an archon could establish a temple without the god themselves present. Callan, who had just been about to ask what a forfiliin was despite knowing Xeph wouldn¡¯t have an answer, changed tracks immediately. ¡°Archon?¡± A priest imbued with additional powers. Dangerous to oppose. The god went silent a moment, then added. But only so long as the temple here is active. We might be able to use that to our advantage. ¡°How so?¡± Remember how I told you only members of my priesthood are granted access to bounties? ¡°Right. Priests and those that distinguished themselves.¡± Yes, yes. There is a reason for this. Besides avatars such as yourself, those who are granted bounties can only use them when in proximity to a temple. Callan frowned at that. ¡°Does that mean we need to establish a temple here as well?¡± No, not in this instance. You, yourself are also a temple, of sorts. After all, are you not a very shrine to my majesty, my magnificence, my¡ª ¡°Yeah, thanks, I think I got the picture. So, any priests of ours will need to be near me to use their abilities.¡± Correct. More importantly, if we can corrupt or otherwise destroy the temple of Zavastu here, the priests will lose access to their own bounties. Then it will be a simple matter for the townspeople to overwhelm them. Glancing up, Callan noticed Tervak watching him with a bemused grin. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing, mighty avatar. I have simply never witnessed one communicating directly with a divine being before. It is a... confusing experience, to say the least.¡± ¡°I bet, like listening in on half a telephone conversation.¡± ¡°So what has the mighty Xeph-Zul-Karatl decided?¡± Kivi asked. ¡°Will he aid our village? Will you call upon your priests to chase away this scourge and free our people?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine to just call him Xeph¡ª¡± Callan said, only for the god to growl loud enough in his ear that it made him wince. ¡°¡ªOr not.¡± I might allow such familiarity from my avatar, mortal, and perhaps even my high priest, but there is a certain respect due to a name. Followers, even potential ones, should not be allowed to forget that. ¡°What, you¡¯re saying a Xeph by any other name wouldn¡¯t smell as sweet?¡± Your words make no sense. How do you smell a name? Callan shook his head. ¡°Never mind. So, what do you think? Are we in for helping these people?¡± Perhaps. Provisionally, based on the full details surrounding their captors. And the number of followers to be gained, of course. If this village is as large as they claim, we would be foolish to pass it by without at least a little effort at bringing them into my fold. But we would also be foolish to promise freedom when we currently have so few resources available to provide it. Privately, Callan agreed, but he wasn¡¯t sure how to communicate that to the god with the two lud listening in. Instead, he turned his attention back to them. ¡°Xeph is willing to entertain the idea of helping free your village, but we need some information, first. How many cultists are we talking here?¡± ¡°No more than a dozen,¡± Tervak said, then added, ¡°At least, we have never seen more than that at any one time. After coming to the village, they seized our main warehouse to serve as Zavastu¡¯s temple. Only six of their number ever leave it at once.¡± ¡°Okay, so at minimum, six priests to bypass in order to shut down the temple. What about your village? How many people here would be willing to join in the fight?¡± At this, the lud elder hesitated. ¡°There are some seventy of us here in the village, but... as I said before, honored avatar, we have not the strength to stand up to Zavastu¡¯s men. The powers they wield would overwhelm what feeble strength of arms we might raise against them.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Oh, sure, right now. But once Xeph and I shut down that temple, the priests won¡¯t have those fancy powers anymore. Would it be a problem for your people to chase them off after that?¡± ¡°That should not be an issue,¡± Kivi said, her face breaking into a wide grin. ¡°Once you and your priests have culled the cultists, myself and the other villagers can organize an armed revolt. They should prove no match to our ferocity.¡± She turned to Tervak. ¡°You see, elder, our troubles are nearly over.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t celebrate just yet, Kivi. We still have not heard the god¡¯s conditions for aiding us.¡± ¡°Of course, Elder.¡± Kivi turned back to Callan. ¡°Oh great Xeph-Zul-Karatl, what do you require to call upon your priests and help us scour this land of those that torment us?¡± With the eyes of both lud boring into him, Callan rubbed at his neck nervously. ¡°Right, priests. See, the thing about that is, we¡¯re currently kind of... between priesthoods?¡± Kivi blinked at him, her smile slipping away. ¡°You have no priests?¡± ¡°I mean, not at this exact moment. I actually thought, maybe, you know...¡± He let the rest of the statement hang in the air. ¡°It is as I thought,¡± Tervak said with a heavy sigh. Kivi looked at him, aghast. ¡°Elder, you knew?¡± ¡°I suspected. For an avatar to be alone and injured in the Badlands...¡± He squinted up at Callan. ¡°Things did not go well in the north for you, did they?¡± ¡°Er, something like that.¡± ¡°So now you have come to our village, hoping to rebuild. Hoping that we might be willing, in our desperation, to agree to anything that may see our people freed.¡± Tervak cast a critical look at Kivi, whose cheeks flushed at the accusation. Turning back, the elder settled his gaze on Callan. ¡°You will not find us so easily swayed.¡± Hmmph. The lud intends to use our weakness as a bargaining chip, Xeph grumbled. This is why I advocated for not revealing our secrets too quickly. ¡°Pretty sure he¡¯d have figured out how desperate we were anyway,¡± Callan whispered from the corner of his mouth. The god grumbled something else unintelligible but didn¡¯t refute the point. Raising his voice, Callan held out his hands. ¡°Alright, so all the cards are on the table now. Xeph and I need priests, and you need our powers. What is it going to take to satisfy both?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Tervak considered the issue a moment. ¡°How many priests does Xeph feel will be needed to overwhelm the cult¡¯s presence here and corrupt its temple?¡± That depends on exactly what type of god this Zavastu is, Xeph noted. ¡°Why not just make everyone in the village a priest?¡± Callan asked both of them. ¡°More priests means more bounties, right?¡± It is not that simple, Xeph said, while Tervak frowned and shook his head. Creating a priest requires conviction, of which we have a limited supply. How many of those shards did you bring with us? Callan located his jacket on a nearby shelf and counted out the crystals. ¡°Including the ones I consumed before leaving the temple, we¡¯ve got... thirty conviction, maybe?¡± That is sufficient for six priests, at most. Four, if we want to have enough to corrupt the temple and complete a few... other tasks before engaging with the enemy. Turning back to the lud, Callan said. ¡°Seems like four priests will have to do.¡± ¡°That is a more acceptable price,¡± Tervak said with a bow. ¡°I, of course, will be one of them. To the god Xeph-Zul-Karatl I do pledge my undying loyalty, now and forever.¡± ¡°I do as well,¡± Kivi said, jumping to her feet. The elder lud twisted and about grabbed her by the sleeve. ¡°Kivi, no! I will find others in the village. Your place is with the resistance, once the temple has fallen.¡± ¡°I can do both, Elder. Allow me this choice. You know what my plans were, before the cult¡¯s arrival. Pledging my life to Xeph-Zul-Karatl does not change that.¡± Tervak bowed his head, apparently having no response to... whatever that meant. Callan glanced between them. ¡°Xeph? Is there anything further you need from them?¡± No, that should be adequate. In a moment we shall... Ahh. Yes. There it is.
You have been awarded 2 additional faith.
With a mental swipe, Callan dismissed the message. Across from him, Tervak rose to his feet. ¡°I will begin making discreet inquiries into others who are willing to join your priesthood, Avatar. In the meantime, you should begin inducting Kivi. I do not know what that entails, but I imagine it will take some time to adjust to wielding the powers of a god.¡± Wait! Xeph said, rattling Callan¡¯s brain. What of the rest of the villagers? Tell the old one that we need more faithful, not just priests. More followers means more power, all the better to stand against this cult. Callan repeated his head-mate¡¯s words. Tervak shook his head. ¡°I will speak on the god¡¯s behalf to the rest of the village, but only after the cult is removed.¡± When Callan opened his mouth to protest, the elder held up a hand. ¡°You must understand, discretion is of utmost importance here. If word reaches the cult before we are ready, should anyone in the village betray us, then you and all who pledged themselves into your service will almost certainly be killed. Fomenting an armed rebellion is one matter, but the goddess will not tolerate a rival deity in her territory. So please, ask Xeph-Zul-Karatl to find a way to defeat the cult with what resources we can provide, and afterwards he shall have his followers. This, I promise.¡± Bah. Xeph seemed to mull this over a moment. Very well, we can tolerate such terms. Human, call the lud girl forward. Callan glanced at Kivi as Tervak made his way up the ladder. ¡°Um, could you come a little closer?¡± Good. Now, take her hand. Reaching out, he took Kivi¡¯s hand in his own. It felt surprisingly soft. ¡°Now what?¡± Now that.
Would you like to elevate target to class: Priest? Cost = 5 Conviction
He focused on the idea of accepting the offer, and the box winked away. Across from him, Kivi¡¯s eyes widened. They darted back and forth over nothing, and Callan suspected she was reading through her own set of messages. It is done, Xeph said. Pull up your interface. Callan complied. Immediately, he noticed the two additional faith points waiting for him.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 3 Momentum: 0 Fortitude: 3 Concentration: 0 Influence: 0 Piety: 0 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C I Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - II) Orison Slot 2: *Locked* -DOGMA- Total Followers: 9 Available Faith: 2 Conviction: 0/5 Conviction Rate: 0.5/week Temples: 1/1 APOTHEOSIS: 0/25%
Before he could do anything with them, Xeph continued, Concentrate on your followers, please. With an internal sigh, Callan did as requested. A new screen appeared in his vision.
Total followers: 9 Priests: 1 Paladins: 0 (requirements not met) Archons: 0 (requirements not met) Guardians: 0 (requirements not met)
There was that mention of Archons again. Plus... Paladins? Callan¡¯s imagination immediately went to the good old D&D stereotype of armored warriors riding around on white horses, righting wrongs and being the usual goody two-shoes that always annoyed the rest of the party. Before he could lose himself in remembering a particularly fun campaign that he and Lyle had spent trying to corrupt their resident Paladin, he felt someone tug at his sleeve. Kivi was staring up at him with a look of concern. ¡°Avatar? I have used the holy message provided by Xeph-Zul-Karatl to find my bounty, this ¡®stone shaping¡¯ ability, but I do not know how to use it. Can you guide me?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, sure.¡± Callan brough his hands up like he was grasping a basketball. ¡°First we need some stone to practice on, but what you basically do is¡ª¡± Human. Xeph¡¯s voice cut in. Before that, there is another conversation we must have. ¡°Uh, hold on a moment, Kivi.¡± The priestess will not be able to utilize her power until we have expanded the ability for her to do so. Callan frowned. ¡°Right. How do we do that?¡± Do you remember your statistics? There is one referred to as piety. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been wondering about that one. All the others are pretty self-explanatory, but I wasn¡¯t sure what making myself more faithful would exactly do.¡± It is not about your own faithfulness, it is the extent to which my gifts may extend to others. Add a point to it now. Callan¡¯s flitted back up his sheet until they found his statistics.
You have increased Piety by 1 Total cost = 1 Faith Current Piety is at 1 Piety detected. Please wait while domain is generated... Domain is now active
A circle appeared around Callan¡¯s feet. As he watched, it began to spread outward, until it was roughly three feet in any direction. It was similar to the one he perceived for his Shape Stone ability, except that as soon as he stopped focusing, it faded from view. Looking for it again made it reappear. A broad grin formed on Kivi¡¯s face. ¡°I sense the god¡¯s gift now. It is... strange. Like I am suddenly remembering something I had always known, but merely forgotten until this moment.¡± ¡°Yeah. It was like that for me, too. As if I¡¯d forgotten about an entire appendage.¡± The lud girl¡¯s face screwed up in concentration, and she began manipulating something with her hands. Callan glanced behind him and saw a stone sticking out of the basement wall begin to wriggle about. He stepped aside so she would have a better view. Careful that you do not let her leave the circle, Xeph cautioned. She only has access to our bounty within a short range. As you increase your Piety, our sphere of influence shall grow as well. ¡°Does that mean I should drop that second point into it, too?¡± Not yet. Callan could practically hear the eager grin in the god¡¯s voice. There is a much better use for it. I think it is time that we finally unlocked your second orison. 1-11 — Decisions, Decisions Unlocking your second Orison is a simple matter of infusing the slot with sufficient Conviction, Xeph lectured, as Callan sat and forced another memory shard down his throat. When the message appeared showing him that he was once again maxed out, he swiped it away with a relieved sigh. After that, it will require faith to actually fill the slot, the same as it is to upgrade an Orison. Once that is accomplished¡ª ¡°I have a question.¡± Callan set aside the remaining bag of crystals, his stomach queasy at the sight of them. ¡°You said that we would need Conviction to corrupt the temple, too, right? How exactly does that work?¡± Do you recall how we infused our temple with Conviction before departing? We can do the same to another god¡¯s temple. Only in this case, doing so robs it of the conviction that it currently possesses. Simple, effective, and far more elegant than the alternative. ¡°Uh huh. And what is the alternative, exactly?¡± Destroying everything in sight. ¡°Honestly, the second way sounds easier,¡± Callan said, standing up and stretching. His chest ached a bit from the effort, but he needed to do something to keep the rest of his muscles limber. Already being trapped in this basement was getting to him. There are other advantages to corrupting with Conviction. For instance, we could claim the temple as our own if we had the available slot. However, in this instance, the fact that Zavastu¡¯s temple is also the village storehouse should be reason enough. I do not think the lud would appreciate us destroying their livelihood to save them. Still, depending on the situation we find inside, it may prove necessary. Now, it is time. Unlock your Orison. Callan nodded, then sat down again, unsure exactly what this would entail. Pulling up his stat screen, he found the second orison slot¡ªthe word *locked* was highlighted in an angry red color¡ªand focused his intent on it. A message appeared in his vision.
Would you like to open this slot? Cost = 5 Conviction
¡°Is it just me, or does everything cost way too much conviction? Temples, priests, orisons...¡± Shaking his head, he accepted, and the message winked away.
Please wait while slot is activated... Orison slot now available. Would you like to assign an Orison? Cost = 1 Faith
Not like I have much choice. What else am I going to do with that faith, keep my cancer from spreading? Callan accepted this message as well. His vision ballooned with additional messages.
Alert: You may choose one of the following Orisons:
  1. Wurmchain
  2. Caltrops
  3. Dveorgeye
Orison: Wurmchain Creates a 6-foot chain woven from the scales of a mungandir. Apotheosis cost = 5% per 15 minutes of use
Orison: Caltrops Creates 5 stone caltrops that spring from the ground and cause minor damage when tread upon. Apotheosis cost = 12%
Orison: Dveorgeye Allows the user to detect nearby gems and other precious metals. Apotheosis cost = 2% per 5 minutes of use
It took several moments for Callan¡¯s eyes to sort out what he was seeing. ¡°Which should I choose?¡± That is ultimately up to you, mortal. Although it is prudent to know that whichever you choose, it is not just yourself who shall benefit. Your priests will also have access to this orison. Callan blinked in surprise. ¡°They don¡¯t get to pick from their own list?¡± Priests are not avatars. They have many limitations, such as only bearing three orisons at a time, and all are limited to the same selection. As we will only have this new orison and Shape Stone available for the immediate future, that will limit the range of our priests¡¯ abilities even further. ¡°What about Mountainform?¡± Xeph hesitated. That requires a... more specialized follower to access. I think. Remembering how a Paladin class was included on his list of followers, Callan had a good guess what it might take for someone else to share Mountainform. However, it wasn¡¯t of any use to his current dilemma, so he put it out of his mind. Of the three abilities on offer, he immediately discarded Dveorgeye. While he could see how that might be useful for the followers of a mountain god, its utter lack of combat application made it worthless in the short-term. That left him with either Wurmchain or Caltrops. He was hesitant to make a choice before knowing what sort of enemy the cultists might present. The squeak of footsteps above announced the return of Kivi, who had left to perform whatever work Zavastu required of her¡ªapparently Callan had been lucky to wake early in the morning, before everyone was gone for the day. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Kivi had advised Callan to not make too much noise in her absence. While the cultists had long since ceased to search homes for anything of value, there was no sense risking drawing their attention. A few moments later, the trap door opened, and Kivi peered inside. ¡°I should have dinner ready in a little bit. Are you partial to spirebeans?¡± ¡°They¡¯re one of my favorite,¡± Callan said without missing a beat. The girl beamed at him. ¡°Good, because that is all I have. I¡¯ll return in a few minutes.¡± Her head disappeared back through the trap door, which closed after her a moment later. Callan leaned back against the wall. He¡¯d probably need to see if it was possible to do any scouting of the cultists that evening, when the village was quiet. In the meantime... Just off gut instinct, Callan was inclined to go with caltrops. After all, he already had a weapon with Mountainform, and being able to lay down some defenses around him sounded like a good way to round out his abilities. But he also needed to consider the priests. Tervak had said the villagers could provide themselves some rudimentary weapons, but maybe it would be better to have something with a bit more bite to it. If this Wurmchain was an Orison, it was bound to be better than a simple wood club or spear. By the time Kivi returned with a plate of some reddish beans, Callan still hadn¡¯t managed to convince himself one way or the other. He would just have to wait and see if any ideas occurred while scouting. When he suggested the idea to Kivi she seemed to find it a good one but advised that he wait at least until Tervak returned with other potential priests. After that, they ate their food in silence. Even Xeph seemed occupied with other thoughts. Callan was just mopping up the last of his spirebeans¡ªwhich were as bland and flavorless as the name implied¡ªwhen a creaking from above announced visitors. He only hoped it was Tervak, with potential new followers in tow.
The lud who followed Tervak down the ladder did not exactly inspire confidence in Callan. One was a man of an age with the elder, with a similar pointed beard but one that was still peppered with spots of black. Older, but at least he appeared to still have vitality to him. In contrast to this, the other was a woman so wizened that she had to be a decade or two older than either of the men, at least. Her skin was worn and weathered and dark as a nut. Out of the corner of his eye Callan caught Tervak watching him. Noticing the attention, the lud gave a polite cough. ¡°Allow me to introduce elders Shamain and Aldis, both respected members of our community. Does Xeph-Zul-Karatl find them worthy to join his priesthood?¡± Is the lud joking? The female looks like she¡¯s a single bad cough away from the grave! Callan couldn¡¯t exactly disagree with that sentiment, but he tried to put it a bit more eloquently. ¡°Elder Tervak, I¡¯m afraid Xeph was hoping for priests that were a bit...¡± ¡°Younger?¡± Tervak let out a soft chuckle. ¡°I do not wish to disappoint you, honored avatar, but even with the threat of the cult looming over us, there are not many here who share Kivi¡¯s... fervor for freedom. Especially when the price of failure is certain death, and even success means a lifetime of service to a god which none here have heard of. Can you blame those who have already lived a rich and full life for being the only ones to step forward?¡± ¡°I suppose not,¡± Callan admitted. I can, Xeph grumbled. However, the lud¡¯s words are logical, even if I disapprove of the logic in specific. The two elders joined Tervak at the center of the room, while Kivi also made her way down the ladder and stood off to one side. Tervak opened his mouth to speak, but the old woman beat him to the punch. ¡°Boy doesn¡¯t think we have what it takes, does he? I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯ve been climbing that pythian tree out there since I left the cradle, and still can get to higher branches than any whippersnappers a third my age! But maybe that¡¯s not good enough for some baby-faced exile from the north. If so, tell me now so I can get back to bed. Some of us have honest work to do in the morning.¡± Callan blinked, then held out his hands in a show of surrender. ¡°My apologies, elder. I didn¡¯t mean to imply¡ª¡± ¡°Hmmph. Enough with that ¡®elder¡¯ nonsense! I¡¯m not like these two fogeys to either side of me. Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t hesitate to tan your backside if I think you¡¯re up to no good! There might be a god inside of you, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can go around insulting a woman with ridiculous titles she doesn¡¯t want!¡± ¡°Shamain, please,¡± Tervak said, though the grin on his face was at odds with his words. ¡°Oh, stuff it, Tervak. Best the boy knows what he¡¯s getting himself into now, so there isn¡¯t any trouble later. Elder, indeed!¡± Inside Callan¡¯s head, Xeph let out a dry chuckle. Hmm, on second thought, I like this one. She¡¯ll make a fine addition to our priesthood. Very well, call the elders forward. We¡¯ll take their vows of faith and make them priests immediately after. Callan glanced between the three waiting lud. He groaned. ¡°I¡¯m going to be eating a lot more rocks, aren¡¯t I?¡± They¡¯re not rocks. Also, yes. Yes, you are.
You have been awarded 2 additional faith.
¡°Alright, faith confirmed. If you could please take my hand...¡± Callan absentmindedly swiped the message away and turned his attention back to the waiting lud, only for another to burst into his vision. This one was much longer than he was used to, and completely blocked the rest of the basement from view. He pulled his hand back as the old woman Shamain reached for it. ¡°Hold up, everyone. I need to... um, just hold on a moment.¡± He read over the text. A broad grin began to spread across his face.
Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 10 followers, your God Bond has increased to Talc ¡ª II. +1 to all stats Apotheosis cost of all bounties now decreased by 10% Conviction rate has increased. Mountainform¡¯s coverage has also slightly increased. Next God Bond threshold: 20 followers.
With everything else going on, Callan had completely forgotten that he was near the threshold. Now that he saw everything it entailed, he regretted not increasing it before then. Even if Xeph was disappointed with his new priests, the increase in power they brought were certainly worthwhile. Fortunately, even Xeph appeared elevated by this. He let out a contented sigh, which for him reminded Callan of a geyser letting off a blast of steam. Ah, yessssss. I can feel the pathways between us opening further. Not much, but at this stage even a little improvement is noticeable. Can you feel it, human? Can you feel it as I spread out further inside of you? ¡°Dammit, Xeph, phrasing!¡± Done reading the message, Callan swiped it away. He returned his presence to the three lud still waiting to be made into priests, all of whom were watching him curiously. Shamain held out her hand again. There was a dangerous twinkle in her eyes. ¡°And here I thought maybe you just didn¡¯t want to touch this old woman¡¯s claws.¡± She let out a mischievous cackle and jerked her head toward where Kivi was hovering in the corner. ¡°Bet you didn¡¯t hesitate to take hers in your own though, did ya?¡± ¡°I¡ªah, that¡¯s not¡ª¡± Callan fumbled over his words, caught off-guard by the sudden change in subject. Shamain cackled again. ¡°Oh, looks like my arrow found its mark! Bet you¡¯ve been thinking about taking more than just her hand, haven¡¯t you? Two of you alone in a big old house like this. I remember what it was like when I was young. My father had to beat the boys away with a stick. Not that it stopped them. Just made it all the more fun when they finally found their way into my room!¡± At this, Kivi burst from her corner, face flushed with embarrassment. ¡°Shamain! Do not forget that this is an avatar you are speaking to! He would never deign to have such base thoughts!¡± I mean, I wouldn¡¯t go that far, Callan thought, chagrined. From the look Shamain gave him, she could tell what he was thinking. ¡°He¡¯s still a boy, isn¡¯t he? Still got blood pumping through his veins? I can guarantee that same blood is also pumping to his¡ª¡± Tervak gave a polite cough. ¡°Perhaps we should get on with the proceedings? I would hate for our absence to be noticed.¡± ¡°Bah, very well.¡± Shamain snatched up Callan¡¯s hand and glowered at him. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, boy.¡± ¡°Uh, right.¡± Once Shamain was confirmed as a priest, Callan set to downing a quint of the memory shards, after which he confirmed Tervak. Another handful of shards later, and the last elder, Aldis, was also confirmed. Callan collapsed onto his mat, breathing hard. Even though he¡¯d just been standing there, it felt like he¡¯d run a mile. Maybe five. Kivi leaned over him. ¡°Honored Avatar, did you still wish to conduct scouting activities?¡± ¡°That¡¯s... probably... better... tomorrow...¡± he panted out. The lud girl nodded, then retreated after the elders. Despite feeling like there was an iron bar over his chest, Callan forced himself to sit up. ¡°Also, you don¡¯t... have to keep calling me avatar... Callan is fine.¡± The girl paused at the base of the ladder as Tervak clambered up it in a matter of seconds. Say what you want about the elder¡¯s age, none of them appeared weak. ¡°Perhaps. But you are an avatar, and such a position is owed a certain amount of respect.¡± ¡°Uh, sure, I guess that makes sense. Also, about what Shamain said earlier¡ª¡± The smile slipped from Kivi¡¯s face. ¡°Do not let her teasing bother you. I know you would never stoop to debasing yourself with one such as I.¡± Callan frowned. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant at all.¡± Overhead, someone spoke to Kivi, though the exact words were lost to Callan. The girl¡¯s cheeks turned pink, and there came the sound of Shamain¡¯s laughter. ¡°I should go. We will speak more tomorrow.¡± She scurried up the ladder. A moment later Tervak¡¯s head reappeared. ¡°We¡¯ll talk in the morning when you¡¯re recovered. For now, get some rest. I have a feeling we¡¯ll need all we can get.¡± With that, the trapdoor snapped shut. Callan collapsed back on the mattress again, allowing himself to relax at last. Well, Xeph said, his voice almost a purr. This has been rather eventful. A new threshold reached, four priests in our service, and an orison slot opened, all in the span of a single day. Mortal, have you decided which orison to choose? ¡°Not yet, Xeph. Tomorrow.¡± Callan¡¯s eyes fluttered, as sleep weighed down on him. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll figure it out... tomorrow.¡± 1-12 — Hurry Up And Wait Callan awoke to the sound of the trapdoor cracking open again. He yawned, surprised to find himself feeling refreshed and alert. Either this mattress was more comfortable than he¡¯d realized, or those extra stat points he¡¯d received yesterday were helping take a bit of the edge off. As Kivi began the process of bringing down breakfast, he pulled up his stat screen.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 4 Momentum: 1 Fortitude: 4 Concentration: 1 Influence: 1 Piety: 2 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C II Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - II) Orison Slot 2: *Awaiting Selection* -DOGMA- Total Followers: 11 Available Faith: 2 Conviction: 0/5 Conviction Rate: 1/week Temples: 1/1 Domain: 2 yd APOTHEOSIS: 0/25%
Hmm. Statistics look good. Bounties show an empty slot, guess I¡¯ll need to pick that today. As for the rest... The first thing he noticed under Dogma was that his Conviction rate had increased. Still only 1 per week, but that was double what it had been before, so he could hardly find it in himself to complain. The second thing was that he now had a section showing his domain range. It looked as if it might be tied in a 1:1 ratio with Piety, given that it had only stretched one yard before he¡¯d gotten the boost, but he¡¯d have to check back next time he increased the stat to see if it changed further. Finally, the third thing he noticed was that his total Conviction was empty again. He had a sneaking suspicion that once Xeph caught wind, it was back to eating rocks for him. Well, if the god hadn¡¯t noticed yet, Callan certainly wasn¡¯t going to bring it to his attention. Speaking of his head-mate, Xeph gave a loud yawn and shifted in the back of his skull. Callan dismissed the stat screen but wasn¡¯t nearly quick enough. He felt Xeph surge to the front of his mind. Human! Don¡¯t think that escaped my attention! ¡°What are you talking about, Xeph?¡± Callan asked innocently. You haven¡¯t assigned your remaining faith yet. Or picked a second Orison. ¡°Oh, right, that.¡± Callan pulled up his stats again, ignoring the orison issue in favor of the easier decision. ¡°At least I know exactly where those points are going.¡± Yes, yes, I¡¯m sure we¡¯re of the same mind on that. Obviously, they¡¯re going into¡ª ¡°Fortitude.¡± ¡ªPiety. Wait, what? Callan frowned. ¡°Hey, I think that¡¯s my line.¡± Why would you put them into Fortitude? We need more Piety to increase the range by which our priests can wield bounties. Placing them anywhere else right now would be incredibly short-sighted! ¡°Yeah, well maybe I¡¯d like not to suffer another attack and collapse in the middle of combat. Did you think of that?¡± You¡¯re hardly in THAT great a danger of collapsing. And besides, that is all the more reason to invest in Piety. If our priests handle most of the physical work against the cult, you need not risk over-exerting yourself. ¡°Something tells me we aren¡¯t going to be that lucky,¡± Callan said. Xeph started to argue more, but was cut short by the return of Kivi, bearing the last of the items for breakfast. She handed Callan a small chunk of some dark bread, and a bowl filled with¡ªoh, great¡ªmore spirebeans. ¡°Boy, you weren¡¯t kidding when you said this was all you had, were you?¡± He took the bowl and poked at it half-heartedly with a spoon. ¡°Let us just be grateful that we have spirebeans at all,¡± Kivi said, digging a spoon into her own bowl. ¡°My master had a greater stockpile of them than most families in the village, and with him gone I have only had to worry about feeding myself. Even with your contribution, I imagine there are still enough for a month or two. I do try to share them with the other villagers, of course, but with the cult, any acts of charity are deemed... suspicious.¡± The thought of eating these beans every day turned Callan¡¯s stomach. Kivi gave him a halfhearted smile. ¡°Do not worry, Callan. Once you have freed the village, all the food the cultists took from us will be returned, and we shall see that you experience a true lud feast, I promise.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Callan started to ask about this ¡®master¡¯ Kivi mentioned but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps overhead. The lud girl left to investigate and returned a moment later with Tervak in tow. ¡°I mustn¡¯t dally long, Avatar. Kivi and I will be required to join in the day¡¯s pythian harvest soon. In the meantime, you should continue resting. We cannot move against the cult while you are still hampered by your injuries.¡± ¡°How soon do you expect that shall be, Elder?¡± The eager look on Kivi¡¯s face told Callan that whatever the answer, it wouldn¡¯t be soon enough. He wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Hmm. Perhaps... three weeks, I think.¡± ¡°Three weeks?¡± The lud girl nearly spilled her beans in surprise. ¡°Unfortunately, yes. I would wait even longer, so as not to risk the avatar¡¯s long-term health, but I dare not. The cultist¡¯s next caravan is due any day now, and we can afford neither the supplies nor the manpower the cult is sure to collect from the village.¡± ¡°Is it almost time again already?¡± Kivi glanced down at her beans. ¡°We have just barely recovered from the last culling. So many, lost to us forever...¡± Tervak reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze. ¡°I am certain that he is alright, young Kivi. Master Mirdelre¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about him!¡± Kivi stood, abandoning her bowl. ¡°He and his father are gone! I worry for the rest of us, those who continue to suffer under the cult¡¯s thumb! What of them, elder?¡± ¡°They, like you, must be patient. Freedom is coming. We need but time to prepare.¡± ¡°Hmmph!¡± Stomping to the ladder, Kivi scurried up it and disappeared from sight. With a sigh, Tervak turned back to Callan. ¡°It would be best if you stayed out of sight. The cult occasionally patrols the village during the day, looking for any stragglers, but they are unlikely to actually enter a home to check. Still, if they do, hide yourself as best you can.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Actually, would it be alright if I tried to go above for a bit?¡± Callan asked. ¡°I promise to keep hidden, but I wouldn¡¯t mind getting a peek at some of these cultists. Information gathering, and all that.¡± Tervak considered the idea for a moment, then nodded. ¡°You should be able to climb to the second story of Kivi¡¯s home if you are careful. From there, most of the town is visible. Gather what knowledge you can but do try to keep from being noticed.¡± Callan bobbed his head in agreement. ¡°Believe me, I don¡¯t want to end up crucified anymore than you guys do.¡± ¡°Crucified?¡± Tervak tilted his head. ¡°Ah, never mind. Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a rather unpleasant form of execution.¡± ¡°In my experience, all executions are unpleasant. Especially for the executed.¡± The elder rose and made for the ladder. ¡°Wait at least an hour after I¡¯m gone before ascending, that should minimize the risk of detection. Until this evening, honored Avatar.¡±
It turned out that it was actually kind of difficult to climb a rickety ladder when one of your arms was bound against your chest. Go figure. Eventually, Callan managed to figure out a method that involved twining his arm through the steps, then scrabbling upward until his butt stuck out at a sharp angle, then hooked one leg around the side while he hauled his body straight again with his good arm. He was really glad no one was around to see, because he almost certainly looked ridiculous. Such a noble and graceful creature, humans, Xeph noted dryly. Truly I was wise beyond measure to saddle myself to you. Why, you might even reach the top floor before the lud returns from her work! Alright, almost no one was around to see. ¡°If you¡¯ve got time to complain, how about lending a hand instead?¡± Callan snapped. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, you can¡¯t. So maybe don¡¯t judge.¡± Hmmph. I may not be able to cook a meal, either, but I still know when one tastes wrong. Callan paused. ¡°Can you taste food?¡± Of course I can taste! I use all of your senses, and experience all of the sensations that you do. ¡°Wait, so does that mean you also feel it when I¡ª?¡± Yes. Xeph chuckled, the sound like a rumbling volcano. Don¡¯t worry, mortal, I have ridden enough avatars over the centuries that I am no longer disgusted by the various sounds and expressions that you all make prior to coitus. Nor will I judge what carnal activities you choose to pursue in your free time. ¡°Says the guy who just finished mocking me for climbing a ladder. Forgive me if I don¡¯t take you at your word.¡± Callan straightened again and found himself at the top of the ladder. With his good hand he began feeling about for a handle. Not finding one, he simply pressed upward. The trapdoor swung open with a loud bang. Callan winced. Welp, already off to a great start. He waited, listening for the sounds of an alarm being raised. When nothing happened, he awkwardly clambered his way up and out. The main floor of Kivi¡¯s house was spacious and airy, quite in contrast to the basement crowded with its shelves and bags of what Callan suspected were more spirebeans. No bags were in evidence up here. Instead, a kitchen rose around him, a solid-looking table set with knives and other tools pressed against one wall, with an alcove for a large firepit near the far end. Passageways led out to the rest of the house in either direction. Keeping low so he¡¯d be harder to see through the windows, Callan followed Kivi¡¯s instructions and made his way down the larger of the two hallways. On his way he passed several open rooms filled with couches, desks, even a few beds. Altogether there was space for at least six people¡ªlud¡ªto live here comfortably. Hadn¡¯t Kivi mentioned something about a ¡®master¡¯? Though Tervak had also mentioned something about the cult taking prisoners away with their caravans. Probably better not to ask her about the empty rooms, then. At the end of the hallway, he found another ladder, this one even taller than the one in the basement, though luckily without a trapdoor waiting at the top. Callan glowered at it. ¡°Hasn¡¯t anybody here ever heard of stairs before?¡± he grumbled, taking hold and pulling himself onto the bottom rung. Perhaps too many materials are required for stairs. These lud don¡¯t appear to have access to much hardwood. ¡°What about this?¡± Callan asked, rapping the ladder. As he did, he realized that the material didn¡¯t feel right. It wasn¡¯t nearly solid enough for wood, and gave slightly underneath his knuckles. The ladder below had been the same. Most everything here is made from the bark of the pythian tree. It¡¯s relatively easy to harvest and grows back quickly. I suspect that is one of the main exports of the village¡ªthat, and pythian sap. Both were highly valuable commodities even during my own time. They reached the top of the ladder, and Callan found himself in what appeared to be a storage room. Several wardrobes and chests of drawers leaned against the walls. There was also a small bed in one corner under the eaves of the roof, but it didn¡¯t appear anyone had used it in some time. More importantly, there was a shuttered window next to the bed. Callan crept over to it and unbound the shutter ties as quietly as he could. Easing it open, he peered out at the village. There were perhaps three dozen buildings spread out beneath him, and other than a large stone structure in the distance, none of them were more than one story. They all had roofs shingled with some dark material¡ªCallan suspected more pythian bark¡ªand the streets between them were bare dirt, which dusted up in the occasional breeze. From here he couldn¡¯t see signs of any movement. ¡°Well, that¡¯s disappointing,¡± he whispered. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t risk coming up here for nothing.¡± Patience, mortal. Tervak told us the cult makes a habit of patrolling. One is bound to pass eventually. It only took about ten minutes to prove the elder¡¯s words. The crunch of footsteps announced a patrol mere moments before they turned a corner and started down the street past Kivi¡¯s house. Callan quickly ducked back, but none of the group even so much as glanced up. In fact, they didn¡¯t seem to be patrolling so much as just wandering around, and the group was casually passing a bottle between them, laughing and joking amongst each other. Growing bolder, Callan leaned out further. There were three of the cult members, and they were as different from the lud as he was, if not more so. The first looked human at first, but something about the way he walked kept bothering Callan until he realized why¡ªthe man¡¯s knees bent in the wrong direction. Also, his eyes were larger than they should have been, giving him a bug-eyed expression. The second was completely hairless, his skin having a rubbery, bluish-gray cast to it. He took a swig of the bottle, and when he grinned, Callan saw two rows of razor-sharp teeth. But it was the third member that really drew Callan¡¯s eye. He only wore a pair of shorts, and his entire upper body was covered in small, greenish feathers. Larger ones stretched from underneath his arms, and while they didn¡¯t appear nearly enough to allow for flight, they still gave an overall impression of a half-man, half-bird hybrid. Ah, yes. Xeph sighed happily. Those are more of the elevated races. The forfiliin, lilish, and veloom, respectively. I remember, the forfiliin were designed for scouting maneuvers, but proved more than capable as front-line soldiers, while the veloom¡ª ¡°Is it just me, or do you seem to recall your memories based on visual cues?¡± Callan whispered, interrupting the gods rambling history lesson. There would be time for that later, but right now they had more important issues. I keep telling you, mortal, my memories are compressed! And yes, that makes sense, visual cues are an important factor in finding the right pattern to unlock the knowledge I have stored away. ¡°Well did you happen to unlock anything about the cult they belong to? I¡¯d like to know exactly what we¡¯re dealing with.¡± Below them, the three cultists paused. The forfiliin said something to the others Callan couldn¡¯t make out, then held out a hand. A gout of flame burst to life, leaving a scorch mark on the wall of the building opposite. The others laughed, and they set off down the street again. I think that answered our question, Xeph noted. Callan nodded in agreement. ¡°Soooooo, fire god. Is that going to be a problem?¡± Were we at full power, I would say no. Stone is intrinsically advantaged against the bounties of the flame gods, much as we are weak against ice and chaos. However, with our limited orisons... I fear it may not be enough to merely harry the priests when we attack. We will need to strike decisively, and with force. ¡°Yeah. Something tells me arming the priests with a few wooden spears and clubs isn¡¯t the best idea.¡± Callan took another moment to consider it. By the time the priests had turned another corner and disappeared, he¡¯d made up his mind. Pulling open his stat screen, he selected the open slot.
You may choose one of the following Orisons
  1. Wurmchain
  2. Caltrops
  3. Dveorgeye
With a flick of his concentration, Callan selected Wurmchain. Somewhere inside of him, a new shining ball of light burst to life. He didn¡¯t even need to go looking for it this time. Caution, mortal. You don¡¯t want to go summoning that where you don¡¯t have room to swing it around. ¡°Noted. Guess I¡¯ll need to find somewhere open to practice. We¡¯ll also need to train the priests in Shape Stone. I want everyone ready for when we attack.¡± Callan cracked his knuckles, then turned back to the accursed ladder. ¡°I suppose we¡¯re going to be busy the next few weeks. Might as well get what rest I can.¡± Wait a moment. He paused. ¡°Yeah?¡± You¡¯re forgetting something. ¡°What are you talking about¡ªoh.¡± Pulling up his screen again, Callan studied his statistics section. While his gut kept telling him his points were best spent improving his own constitution, he had to admit that Xeph hadn¡¯t steered him wrong yet. That warranted a bit of trust, he decided.
You have increased Piety by 2 Total cost = 2 Faith Current Piety is at 4
¡°There. Happy?¡± Quite. It seems you are not quite the lost cause that I feared, human. We may survive this yet. Rolling his eyes, Callan set to climbing down the ladder. 1-13 — Whip It Kivi¡¯s head appeared through the trapdoor. ¡°You¡¯ve increased your domain.¡± Frowning, Callan pulled up his stat screen. Sure enough, his range was now listed at four yards. Apparently it was a one-to-one ratio with his Piety. Good to know. Dismissing the screen, he glanced up at the lud girl. ¡°Hey, Kivi, good to see you too. Have a nice day at the office?¡± A tinge of pink colored her cheeks. ¡°Apologies, honored avatar, I meant no offense. It simply surprised me when I sensed my orisons while standing in the kitchen¡ª¡± Now it was Kivi¡¯s turn to frown, a rather humorous sight when viewed upside down. ¡°Interesting. Two orisons. What does this one do, exactly?¡± ¡°We can go over that when Tervak and the others get here later. Honestly, I¡¯m rather curious about that, myself.¡± ¡°In that case, I shall prepare dinner. Are spirebeans acceptable?¡± Kivi disappeared before Callan could reply. As he sat down again, his stomach let out an unhappy gurgle. ¡°Yayyyyyyy, more spirebeans. Definitely better than starving to death, but still...¡± You sound as if you are unhappy, mortal. Let us be glad there is food available at all. Best savor what you have. ¡°Oh, you really telling me you enjoy those things, Xeph?¡± I simply turn off my connection to your tastebuds when you eat them. Callan sighed. ¡°Figures.¡±
When the other three priests trudged in, all brought with them an assortment of large rocks, most tucked into baskets on their backs. Tervak began spreading them upon the floor as the others settled themselves. ¡°Honored Avatar, tonight will you show us how we can best use the gifts of Xeph-Zul-Karatl to vanquish our enemies?¡± ¡°Yeah, and they best be some pretty good tricks,¡± Shamain added. ¡°If all we can do is shift about a few pebbles, we might as well surrender to the cult now and save everybody some time!¡± ¡°I admit the first orison is a little lackluster,¡± Callan said, which elicited an indignant squawk from Xeph. ¡°However, I¡¯ve added another to our arsenal that I think will prove more adequate. Tervak, is there any way for us to go outside and practice without attracting the attention of the cult?¡± The elder lud blinked at that. ¡°It should be possible. The cult mostly guards against villagers leaving to the north past the pythian tree, as there is little besides cliffs and barren waste in any other direction.¡± ¡°Tomorrow should be a moonless night as well,¡± Aldis said, surprising Callan. He hadn¡¯t heard the older man utter more than two words before this. ¡°Perfect for slipping through the streets unnoticed.¡± ¡°Then it is decided. We shall gather two hours after sundown at the south end of the village.¡± Tervak shook his head. ¡°It seems our long nights are just beginning.¡± ¡°Oh, quit your complaining, you old goat. You don¡¯t see me worrying about getting my beauty rest, do you?¡± Shamain slapped the elder¡¯s shoulder good naturedly. Callan, who was already feeling guilty enough about napping while the poor lud had to work for the cult, cleared his throat and steered the conversation in another direction. ¡°Right. New orison tomorrow. For now, let¡¯s see if I can show you a few tricks with Shape Stone. It takes a little practice, but if you shape it around a target¡¯s foot...¡±
They made their way through the dark streets, Callan¡¯s hand tightly gripping Kivi¡¯s own. It seemed elder Aldis hadn¡¯t been kidding about the benefits of a moonless night¡ªthe village was utterly pitch black. Not so much as a single light glowed in any of the windows they passed, the residents likely hording what little lamp oil or firewood they had left. If not for Kivi¡¯s grip, Callan likely would have run into a wall at least three times already. It was a strange experience. Even on the few occasions when Callan had been camping with his parents, he couldn¡¯t remember it ever being this dark before. There¡¯d always been the glow of a distant city or something on the horizon to provide some light. But here? Nothing. If he didn¡¯t know better, he¡¯d think the lud village was a ghost town. ¡°The meeting spot is just ahead,¡± Kivi whispered over her shoulder. Callan nodded and glanced back. No sign of any patrols by the cult. Seemed they were safe for the moment. Then, ahead of them a shape loomed out of the dark. Kivi let out a small squeak, and Callan spun about, already summoning Mountainform to his aid.
Alert: 9% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 9%
A soft cackle filled the night air. ¡°Oh dear. If I¡¯d known that would be the reaction to interrupting your little tryst, I might not have bothered.¡± ¡°Shamain.¡± Kivi bowed to the shadowy figure while Callan let his Mountainform dissipate. ¡°Any sign of the others?¡± ¡°Oh yes, I already sent Tervak and Aldis on ahead, can¡¯t stand to listen to those two nattering on. You would think having the entire village captured and enslaved would keep a pair of old men from¡ªwhat in the name of the Butcher are you doing?¡± Callan, who had begun glancing around nervously the louder Shamain¡¯s voice rose, snapped his head back towards her. ¡°Oh, nothing el... Ah, nothing. Shall we get going?¡± ¡°Hmmph. Close one there, boy.¡± Shamain turned and stalked off into the dark, lost from sight almost instantly. Kivi¡¯s hand snaked back into Callan¡¯s own. ¡°Come, Avatar, we still must travel some ways out of the village to ensure we won¡¯t be discovered.¡± ¡°Hurry up, you two!¡± Shamain¡¯s voice rang through the dark street. ¡°And don¡¯t think I don¡¯t see you holding hands! This is a training mission, not a courting.¡± Immediately, Kivi released Callan. It was too dark to see, but he imagined she was probably blushing. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand again. ¡°Don¡¯t let her get to you, it¡¯s what she wants.¡± He paused, then added, ¡°Also, I literally can¡¯t see my own two feet right now.¡± ¡°Very well, Avatar.¡± There was a grin in the sound of Kivi¡¯s voice, though that might have just been Callan¡¯s imagination. Together they continued on through the dark. The walk once they left the village took only a few minutes. Soon Callan began to notice a blue glow in the distance. He and Kivi moved towards it, and a moment later found themselves standing on a rocky shelf. Jars were placed about at the edges, each one teeming with a small collection of blue lights that flitted about inside. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°I hope these conditions will prove adequate, honored Avatar,¡± Tervak said, sliding out of the darkness. ¡°These wispflies might not be a perfect solution, but I thought them better than risking the light of a torch.¡± Callan glanced around as Shamain and Aldis also emerged. There was enough light to see across the entire shelf, and a little beyond. Past the rock, the land fell away into a vast canyon, similar enough to the one Xeph¡¯s temple occupied that he would have suspected it was the same if he didn¡¯t know for a fact it lay at least several hours walk to the west of them. Stepping to the center, he turned back to his four priests. ¡°This will do. I hope, anyway. Really only one way to know for certain.¡± Holding his good arm out, he activated Wurmchain.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 12.5%
The air around his hand warped and twisted, and a heavy weight settled into his palm. Callan found himself holding a jagged-looking whip, black as the night around them. The grip in his hand felt like soft leather, but the rest of it was anything but. Moving closer to one of the jars, Callan laid down the whip as the lud gathered around him to see it for themselves. The whip, if it could be called that, was made of a series of interlocked plates, each one fastened together through some method he couldn¡¯t discern, but allowed them to twist independently of each other, giving the effect of a singular undulating whip. Callan ran a finger along one of the black edges, then winced and pulled his finger back, finding a thin line of blood now running down it. The material was razor sharp. At the very tip of the weapon was a white barb with a slight hook to it. While he didn¡¯t even bother trying to touch that, Callan could tell it was sharp. Its edges practically glistened in the light of the little blue bugs. ¡°So these are the scales of a mungandir,¡± Tervak said, his voice awed. ¡°I had always thought the stories about them nothing more than fanciful imaginings.¡± ¡°What exactly is a mungandir?¡± Callan asked. He¡¯d meant the question for Tervak, and so was mildly surprised when Xeph answered instead. They are giant worms that burrow beneath the earth, feeding on the energy of pythian tree roots. Occasionally they surface to lay eggs, which causes widespread destruction of any settlements that happen to be built at a pythian¡¯s base. Mungandir are vicious, nasty creatures, and extremely difficult to kill. ¡°Oh joy. You just decompress that particular little factoid?¡± It seems the knowledge was tied to your orison. I recalled the particulars once you selected it. ¡°How about next time you let me know when something comes back to you? Who knows, might be relevant information to someone with no bloody idea about anything.¡± Callan noticed the lud watching him with worried expressions and waved their concern away. You can hardly expect me to consider every mundane fact that returns to me. ¡°To you they¡¯re mundane, but to me¡ª¡± Callan stopped himself before launching into a tirade. ¡°We¡¯re wasting valuable time. Is there anything you can tell me about this weapon?¡± Ah, yes. Because it is made from mungandir scales, Wurmchain is uniquely suited to cutting through both stone and metal. Not that you are likely to encounter either with these enemy priests, as any armor they possess will be of a more divine variety. After Callan had relayed this information to the others, they moved apart from each other and summoned their own weapons. Callan attempted a few cracking motions like he¡¯d seen in old Indiana Jones movies, but the chain proved too thick to move like that. It was more similar to a whip-sword, like the kind you saw in martial arts films and anime. Eventually, he got the hang of a few swings to the point that he wasn¡¯t too worried about cutting himself. Unfortunately, that was about the extent of his abilities. Though he was interested to note that the white tip at the end appeared particularly suited to embedding itself in stone. While he scored the shelf he stood on several times with the black scales, the first time he really hit it directly with the Wurmchain, the tip sank a good foot or so and stuck fast. ¡°Son of a¡ª¡± He gave several great tugs, but the chain wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°I can¡¯t get it out!¡± Hmm. It does appear to be rather embedded. You may have to dismiss it and summon the chain again. Callan eyed the mischievous weapon angrily, then willed it away. It disappeared with a puff of sulphureous air. ¡°That could be a serious liability if it got stuck somewhere during a fight,¡± he noted, summoning a second version of the chain.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 12.0%
To be fair, if you had more Brawn, pulling out the chain would be less of a problem, Xeph noted. ¡°Yeah, well I don¡¯t exactly see that situation changing any time soon.¡± In the dim light, a flicker caught Callan¡¯s attention. He squinted at the hole the chain had left behind, but couldn¡¯t make out anything but darkness. Turning, he went and fetched a jar of flies. The lud paused as their light diminished and turned to watch him. Ignoring the stares, Callan marched back to the hole and held the jar close. He peered inside, eyes squinted. The Wurmchain had left a small tunnel in its wake. Callan could just barely make out a hole at the far end. And under that, only darkness. Slowly, he began backing up. ¡°Hey, uh, Tervak?¡± ¡°Yes, honored Avatar?¡± ¡°Is it just me, or is there literally nothing beneath this shelf but air?¡± Tervak blinked at him. In the blue light of the jar, his skin had a hollow appearance to it. ¡°A small portion of this area extends out over the canyon, but it¡¯s hardly a need for concern. This shelf has weathered seasons and moonrises better than most of this area. I assure you, it¡¯s steady.¡± ¡°Yeah, forgive me if I¡¯m not entirely confident about that, considering I just drilled a fist-sized hole through it. Xeph?¡± A moment, mortal. Xeph lapsed into silence, then grunted. It is not an overlarge piece of the whole that is exposed. Most of the stone lies buried in the cliff. Though I do detect several anomalies, some of the surrounding strata is¡ª ¡°Don¡¯t need the details. Is it likely to collapse under our weight?¡± Not without assistance. Callan paused. An idea was building in the back of his head. Before it could fully form though, Tervak gave a polite cough. ¡°Apologies for interrupting, Avatar, but it appears that myself and the others have reached our limit for using the god¡¯s chain weapon this evening.¡± Glancing around, Callan noticed that no one but himself was holding their Wurmchain any longer. ¡°How long have we been at this?¡± No more than fifteen minutes. That would make sense, new priests are even less adapted to wielding a god¡¯s power. We should not expect them to be able to use either orison more than once a day for some time. Certainly not before the battle against Zavastu¡¯s followers commences. ¡°Okay, I guess that¡¯s it for tonight, everyone. Be sure to practice Shape Stone, if you haven¡¯t already.¡± Stepping away from the others, Callan gave his Wurmchain another experimental flick. It still didn¡¯t move fast enough for his liking, but he couldn¡¯t deny that it cut through just about everything it touched. Not that there was much to touch out here. Swinging at empty air or the ground wasn¡¯t exactly the best form of training. ¡°What we really need are targets.¡± A thought occurred to Callan, and he chuckled lightly to himself. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d be missing those training golems back at the temple. I bet we¡¯d have these weapons figured out in a day or two.¡± Perhaps, but there is no sense wishing for what you do not have. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth.¡± Callan paused his swings at the sound of approaching footsteps. Kivi appeared from behind him and stood watching, a jar held in her hand. ¡°Before we return, would you like to release the wispflies with me? We cannot keep them bottled for long, or they will tire themselves to death trying to escape.¡± ¡°Uh, sure, Kivi.¡± Together they walked to the edge of the cliff. While Kivi held the bottle, Callan carefully unscrewed the top. No sooner had he done so than dozens of flickering blue lights darted from inside and took off into the night sky. In moments, they were only faint pinpricks in the distance. ¡°It is a beautiful night,¡± the girl whispered. Glancing at her, Callan could just see her eyes raised heavenward. He followed her gaze to where a pantheon of stars glittered overhead. It occurred to him, one of those could very well be his own. Were his parents looking up at him at that moment too? Was Lyle? Knowing his parents, Callan¡¯s face was probably plastered on the side of a milk carton by now, or at the very least hanging on the wall in a few post offices. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to Kivi. She was still staring upward, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. ¡°Thank you for coming to our village,¡± she said at last, still not looking at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what you were running from, but I¡¯m glad it led you here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I mean, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t appreciate the thought, but you should probably save the thanks for after we¡¯ve saved the rest of the village. If we manage to.¡± Kivi shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ll do it. The only question now is a matter of when, not if. We¡¯ll save everyone here, and then... and then...¡± She trailed off. Callan looked at her questioningly but was unsure what he should say. ¡°Hey, hurry up, you two!¡± Shamain¡¯s voice cut through the dark. ¡°There¡¯ll be plenty of time for canoodling later. Right now, I want to get home to my warm bed!¡± The lud girl jumped up, dropping the jar. It disappeared silently over the edge. ¡°Coming, Shamain.¡± She scampered off, and a moment later was lost to the night. Then, just as quickly she returned and snatched up Callan¡¯s hand. ¡°Come, Avatar. Let¡¯s return home.¡± That¡¯s a relief, Xeph grumbled as they made their way back to the village. I half-expected you to tumble off the cliff if left alone. Has human eyesight always been this lacking? Callan ignored the jab. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you would have just gifted me with an orison for a pair of wings really quick. I wasn¡¯t worried.¡± You forget who you¡¯re talking to, human. Xeph¡¯s chuckles rumbled through Callan¡¯s skull. I am a god of stones and mountains. If you drop a stone from a cliffside, it does only one thing¡ªand that isn¡¯t fly. 1-14 — The Illusion Of Free Choice ¡°So?¡± Callan asked. I¡¯m thinking, mortal. ¡°You¡¯re stalling, is what you¡¯re doing.¡± Because I do not understand the question! Callan grinned. ¡°C¡¯mon, Xeph, it¡¯s a simple yes or no.¡± It is not at all. The god¡¯s voice rumbled in his skull, and once again Callan was glad nobody but him could hear it. Not that they were likely to attract much attention, but it was better safe than sorry. They were seated in the upstairs room of Kivi¡¯s house, watching out the window for any sign of the cult, trying to piece together exactly what sort of powers the priests possessed. The first few days they had sat up there, Callan had been constantly petrified one of the priests would look up and see him, but they never did. Maybe because other than Zavastu¡¯s temple, this was the only other building in the village with more than one story. As it turned out, that stone building he¡¯d spied on his first day here was the village¡¯s main storeroom the cult had seized for use as their temple¡ªalong with all of the goods inside. Seemed as if there was more to be made from the pythian than just bark for ladders and rooftops. The village also harvested the leaves for weaving textiles, and even refined oil from the tree¡¯s sap, though Callan was a little unclear on the exact use for that. Leaning out a bit, Callan scanned the distant streets. He didn¡¯t see today¡¯s patrol yet, but that wasn¡¯t unusual, they never seemed to be in any particular hurry. He half suspected that the cult wasn¡¯t actually patrolling, they just used the time to wander around goofing off. Also practicing their orisons where the villagers couldn¡¯t see them, which was of particular interest to him. No sign of the priests, but he did catch a flicker of movement from a nearby building. A small lud boy was lurking in the shadows, clutching something to his chest. Stealing from his neighbors, perhaps? Kivi had told Callan that most of the other lud were suffering from lack of food, but he hadn¡¯t really wanted to think about it too much. Maybe he could wave the boy down and give him something. A kid that young shouldn¡¯t have to stoop to stealing just to fill his stomach. Callan knew Kivi was donating a sizeable portion of her supply already, surely a little more couldn¡¯t hurt. With a start, he realized that Xeph had been talking the entire time he was distracted. ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± I said, it is a ridiculous question, even for a mortal. A grin split Callan¡¯s face again. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you can¡¯t?¡± I¡¯m saying that the logic doesn¡¯t even apply! First of all, I wouldn¡¯t be lifting the stone, you would. Whether it is too heavy to lift is more a matter of how many points you have placed into Brawn. Or you might grow strong enough there is no stone I could create that is too heavy. Either could apply. Why does it even matter? ¡°Eh, it¡¯s a common theological question where I come from,¡± Callan said with a shrug, his eyes still following the kid in the street. As he watched, the kid darted into the shadow of a closer building. Was he working his way this direction? Hmmph. This is what comes of not having your gods manifest themselves amongst their followers. Foolish mortals sitting around debating nonsensical questions. ¡°Fine, fine. Let¡¯s try another one. Is it possible for you to make a triangle that¡ª¡± Callan froze as he caught further movement out of the corner of his eye. He pulled himself back from the window just as a trio of cultists rounded the corner, led again by the moon-eyed forfiliin. ¡°Aw, crap.¡± Moving so the cult couldn¡¯t see him, Callan peered down the street again. The kid was huddled next to a crate. He was hidden from the priests for the moment but wouldn¡¯t be much longer. As he watched, the kid¡¯s eyes darted in the cult¡¯s direction. Even as Callan willed him not to move, he launched himself out from behind the crate, scurrying for an alleyway opposite. Too slow. A shout rose from the priests¡¯ direction. Feet pounded on dirt in response. Well, that is unfortunate, Xeph noted. Callan felt his throat close up. After some of the stories Kivi had told him... It was only a moment before the three priests hauled the boy back into the more open space of the street. The forfiliin loomed over him. ¡°Well, well, well. Looks as if we have someone who thinks he¡¯s above an honest day¡¯s work, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Tears spilled down the boy¡¯s face even as he struggled uselessly to free himself. ¡°I only wanted... only thought...¡± He snapped his mouth shut, but it was too little, too late. The forfiliin¡¯s eyes darted down to the scrap of food the boy was holding. ¡°Oho! Not just lazy, but a thief as well! Just the sort of troublemaker we¡¯re here to keep out of the village.¡± ¡°Please...¡± The words came out as a strangled rasp. Callan found he was leaning out the window, his head dangling right above the forfiliin. He could practically spit on the man if he wanted to. Human, what are you doing? Get back inside at once! Callan didn¡¯t respond, for fear the cult might hear him. He still had the element of surprise. If he dropped on top of the forfiliin, he could probably take him out before the other two even realized what was happening. He reached inside himself to activate Mountainform. The power fled at his touch. I know what you¡¯re attempting to do, Xeph rumbled, his voice fiery with indignation. And I won¡¯t allow it. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Retreating so that his words wouldn¡¯t be overheard, Callan hissed, his own voice equally indignant. ¡°You can¡¯t just expect me to do nothing! They¡¯re literally right there. It would be the work of a moment to¡ª¡± And then what? Three members eliminated and the rest of the cult hunting you. We would not be given another chance for a strike against them, of that I promise. Why save one boy and lose the village? It is a risk we cannot afford. ¡°You don¡¯t get to tell me what to do!¡± Callan grasped for Wurmchain, but the power slipped through his fingers. Even Shape Stone¡¯s warming glow eluded his internal grasp. Xeph was withholding the power from him, somehow. He hadn¡¯t even realized that was possible. So long as I am bound to you, mortal, then the consequences of your actions are mine to bear alongside. At best, we ruin our chance to free the lud. At worst, you end up in chains. I cannot afford either. Fuming at his sudden impotence, Callan returned to the window. The forfiliin still loomed over the boy below, a hand held close to his face. As it drew nearer, the air filled with a sizzling sound that reminded Callan of nothing more than a frying pan full of bacon. The thought turned his stomach. Acrid smoke filled the air. The boy screamed. Callan ground his teeth. He glanced back for anything to throw, something heavy enough to drop on the forfiliin¡¯s head, but the room betrayed him just as Xeph had. There was nothing. ¡°Pity. He was a healthy runt, too. Would have been nice to send him along with the next caravan.¡± The forfiliin straightened, giving his glowing hand a shake. ¡°You two work him over a bit, then toss him out of the village.¡± Locking eyes with the boy, the forfiliin sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t let us ever catch you here again. If we do, it¡¯ll make today¡¯s punishment seem like a slap on the wrists.¡± The boy screamed again as the two other priests raised their own hands. His eyes cast upward and appeared to notice Callan. They filled with a silent plea for mercy. Callan... Xeph¡¯s voice filled with warning. The forfiliin was still watching the boy. Noticing his gaze, he followed it and turned to look upwards. Callan pulled himself inside before he got halfway there. Retreating to a far corner, he squeezed himself into a ball, wanting to cover his ears to block out the screams but refusing to allow himself to do so. It was the least of what he deserved. I know this is unpleasant, but it is for the best, Xeph reiterated. Soon you shall be healed, and then we may set this village to rights. Do not let yourself be distracted from what is most important. Too many lives are counting on us. Least of all our own. Deep down, Callan knew the god was right, but it was difficult to acknowledge that when a child¡¯s cries for mercy still echoed in his ears.
When Kivi returned that evening, she found the avatar pacing about the basement and gnashing his teeth, occasionally pounding a fist against the earthen walls. For a moment, she hesitated to enter, fearing that she might have done something to displease him. After sixteen years of living as a Daisa caste here in the village, she was well-versed with being the subject of a master¡¯s ire, even if she didn¡¯t know the cause. Especially when she didn¡¯t know the cause. While she might have found new confidence under Parias¡¯s roof, that didn¡¯t mean a lifetime of lessons were simply forgotten. Luckily, the angry expression melted from the avatar¡¯s face the moment he noticed her. ¡°Kivi! Am I glad you¡¯re back. Listen, there was boy earlier, and the priests¡ª¡± Kivi nodded. ¡°Yerka¡¯s son, Ishe. We noticed he wasn¡¯t at the tree this morning.¡± Quickly the avatar told her about what he had witnessed in the streets, and Kivi felt her worry melting away completely. This was a situation that the lud had learned to deal with already. Still, the avatar¡¯s face was so... stricken. Kivi felt her heart breaking on his behalf. ¡°We need to get word to Tervak. There¡¯s a chance they might still be able to find him. Get him supplies, or medicine or...¡± ¡°Do not fear, Avatar. If the boy remembered his lessons, he will go to the meeting place by the cliff to wait. One of the elders will collect him and keep him hidden away for a time. Most of the cult do not seem capable of telling one lud from another, so once the boy¡¯s wounds have healed, he¡¯ll be able to emerge again.¡± Of course, by that time they would hopefully have freed the rest of the village from the cult¡¯s taint. Kivi wouldn¡¯t allow herself to even consider any other possibility. ¡°Meeting place?¡± Rather than look pleased over this revelation, the avatar simply frowned. ¡°This has happened before?¡± ¡°Several occasions, yes. The cult seems to do it mostly for their own entertainment. Tervak¡¯s brother Nelrek was the same, and now he is back and safe amongst us.¡± Kivi frowned and shook her head. ¡°Perhaps this will teach Ishe to not go sneaking about the streets during work hours. If he was so hungry, he could have just come to me.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re... okay with this? You¡¯re fine with what happened?¡± Kivi¡¯s frown deepened. How could the avatar ask her that? She had been more outspoken against the inequities of the cult than anyone else in the village. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not fine with the situation. I would not be aiding in your plan to overthrow the cult if I was. But what else can we do, Avatar? Until you are healed, the others and I stand no chance against the powers the priests wield. We have no choice but to endure.¡± The avatar went silent for a long time, though Kivi could tell from his expression that he was listening to something the god Xeph was saying. It didn¡¯t seem he particularly cared for what he was hearing, either. Eventually, he shook his head. ¡°Do you really have to? Endure, I mean?¡± ¡°What else is there?¡± ¡°We could leave.¡± When Kivi opened her mouth to respond, the avatar pressed on. ¡°Xeph¡¯s temple is only a few hours walk away from here. It has plenty of space for the entire village, not to mention supplies and access to fresh water. We go there, hole up for a few months, then emerge after the cult leaves. Even if they stick around, it gives us more time to train and better prepare to fight them.¡± Rather than dismiss the idea out of hand, Kivi gave it a moment¡¯s consideration. Eventually, she shook her head. ¡°Even if we could sneak the entire village out without drawing the cult¡¯s attention, we cannot abandon this place. There is more to be done than simply overthrowing the cult. We need to finish this fight in a position of strength, both to keep Zavastu from retaliating, and so we can negotiate for the return of the rest of our people.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯d forgotten about that.¡± Glancing at her, a bit of color tinged the avatar¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Sorry, that was inconsiderate. Are you... I know Tervak mentioned... We¡¯ll get him back, Kivi. I promise.¡± Right. Curse the elder and his big mouth. Kivi had allowed herself to forget about her former master for the briefest of minutes. Now her pain returned in full force. Not knowing what else to do, she changed the subject. ¡°If it helps, there is also the matter of the wild dvorak you mentioned. I do not think we could safely move the entire village without attracting its ire. Not a risk we should take with small children or the elderly.¡± The avatar chuckled, and a smile returned to his face. He was surprisingly emotive, for a yeth. Kivi wondered if that had something to do with his mysterious origin. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d like to see that overgrown goat go toe-to-toe with Shamain. I bet she¡¯d have him licking his wounds in minutes.¡± ¡°Perhaps. Shamain may be intimidating at times¡ª¡± Frustrating was more like it. ¡°¡ªBut her powers still can¡¯t compare to what you possess as an avatar, and look at what the beast managed to do to you.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The avatar glanced down at his bandaged arm. ¡°True, but I was much weaker then. I¡¯ve got a new orison, not to mention¡ª¡± He froze. Kivi watched him, more curious than wary this time. Eventually, another grin began forming on the avatar¡¯s lips, this one wider than before. ¡°You know what? I just had a great idea.¡± ¡°Oh? What¡¯s that, Avatar?¡± ¡°Well, we need a target to actually practice using Wurmchain on, right? And eventually we¡¯re going to need to return to Xeph¡¯s temple for one reason or another. Seems like we might be able to kill two birds with one stone.¡± Pausing, the avatar cocked his head, listening to voice only he could hear. Eventually he snorted. ¡°It¡¯s just an expression, Xeph, I¡¯m not going to actually¡ªforget it. I¡¯m not going to explain Earth stuff right now.¡± ¡°Earth stuff?¡± ¡°Never mind, Kivi. Just find out from Tervak when the next moonless night is. I¡¯ve got a plan for how to use it.¡± 1-15 — Oh Great, Not You Again The prairie was quiet as the four lud and singular human made their way across it, with only the occasional gust of wind to stir the dirt and set nearby clumps of grass waving. At least, Callan assumed they were grass. Hell, they could have been grasping tentacles for all he knew. It was dark out here. ¡°Remind me again why we had to wait for a moonless night?¡± he asked, his voice carrying across the prarie. They were far enough from the village now that he doubted there was anyone else to hear him beside his companions. ¡°It is too dangerous, Honored Avatar,¡± Tervak said, with the gentle tone one might use to lecture a child. ¡°Should a cult patrol catch sight of us, even if we managed to escape capture, it could throw everything we¡¯re working towards into jeopardy. We do not wish to risk revealing our hand before we are ready, do we?¡± ¡°I suppose not.¡± Callan¡¯s face pulled into a grimace, and he tried not to think of the terrified expression on the Ishe¡¯s face as the priests loomed over him. The shame of simply letting it happen still chafed at him. ¡°Besides,¡± Tervak continued, oblivious to Callan¡¯s expression in in the dark. ¡°We are not so far inland that I would risk traveling by moonlight. I may be old, but I have no desire to ascend to the Cairn just yet.¡± What does that mean? Callan wondered. Probably just a local superstition, but before he could ask about it something sharp jabbed into his ribs. ¡°Gah! What the¡ªOh, hey Shamain.¡± He found himself gripping the old woman¡¯s upper left arm, her finger still extended as if she meant to poke him again. ¡°Did you need something?¡± ¡°Hmmph. At least you had the decency to get my name right this time. How far are you going to make us walk in the dead of night? My old bones aren¡¯t built for these sort of excursions anymore.¡± Callan, who distinctly recalled at least three separate stories the ¡®old woman¡¯ had told him about outclimbing lud half her age, did his best to bite down a retort. Instead, he glanced up at the night sky, as if that might tell him anything. ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly measure how far away the watering hole was. You know, on account of my near-fatal injuries and all.¡± He gestured with his bandaged arm for emphasis. ¡°Excuses, excuses. You just enjoy watching me suffer, don¡¯t you? For all I know, we might be walking all night, or this is some wild wesker hunt to no purpose. Do you know what those priests will do to my family if I¡¯m not there for headcount next morning? Maybe I ought to just head back now, before we waste any further time trekking out towards who knows what¡ª¡± ¡°I know of the pond the avatar is leading us to,¡± Tervak said over his shoulder. ¡°It is about a two-hour walk from the village. Somewhat excessive, but we should manage to get there and back before tomorrow¡¯s headcount.¡± ¡°Hmmph. Sure, and leave me too tired to reach the bottom branches of the pythian, let alone meet my quota. One of the cult will find me napping on a leaf, and then it¡¯s goodbye Shamain! It¡¯ll make what happened to Ishe seem like a tickling.¡± Callan, who had been sneaking glances back at Kivi, thinking he might be able to drop behind to engage her in conversation and escape Shamain¡¯s prodding, nearly stumbled and fell. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, lad?¡± Shamain asked him suspiciously. ¡°Nothing.¡± Callan grimaced but avoided snapping back at the woman. It wasn¡¯t her fault, after all. Still, why did he have to be constantly reminded of his failure? A hand crept into his own, and he glanced down in surprise to find Kivi walking by his other side. She gave him an encouraging squeeze, then released him. ¡°I think the avatar would prefer to discuss a different topic.¡± Callan shot her an appreciative smile, while Shamain spat off to one side. A curse from Aldis implied her aim had been off¡ªor maybe spot on, given what he knew about her. ¡°I suppose there is a small matter he has been avoiding for the last few days, haven¡¯t you? Hmm?¡± The older lud woman¡¯s voice was downright predatory. Suddenly, Callan found himself wondering if he was about to get a case of ¡®be careful what you wish for¡¯. ¡°What is that?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, like the lad doesn¡¯t know!¡± Shamain burst out laughing. ¡°You and that god in your head need to decide who among us is going to be your high priest, that¡¯s what. The suspense has been killing me. Not that I particularly care, of course, since we all know the obvious choice.¡± Kivi nodded. ¡°I agree. Tervak is the most experienced of the four of us, clearly, he is the best candidate.¡± ¡°What? I meant myself you impudent little¡ª¡± ¡°Actually, Xeph and I are going to wait on deciding who will be the high priest,¡± Callan cut in. ¡°From how he¡¯s explained it to me, there¡¯s no difference in power, it¡¯s merely an administrative position, right?¡± That¡¯s correct, Xeph said. ¡°So then there¡¯s no point to picking someone until this trouble with the village is resolved. After everything is settled, Xeph and I will discuss the matter further.¡± Actually, they already had a pretty decent idea who they would pick, but given the odds of any of them surviving the attack on the cult, let alone all of them, Callan had agreed with his head-mate that waiting was prudent. ¡°Bah, more excuses. The lad is probably just trying to mollify us, then once this is all over he¡¯ll go pick a forfiliin, or a rutain, or a zartouna. Some race more worthy of leading a priesthood.¡± Kivi rounded on Shamain, forcing Callan to stop as well. ¡°Watch your tongue, Shamain! The avatar may tolerate such accusations, but I won¡¯t stand here and let you slander the man that is risking himself for a village he barely even knows!¡± ¡°Oooh, brave words, girl. Seems your recent rise in status is going to your head. I told the lad exactly what he was getting when I met him, didn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t expect me to start pulling my punches just because you¡¯ve gone sweet on him.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t¡ª¡± Before Kivi could say any more, Tervak appeared between the two women. Callan almost jumped out of his skin. He hadn¡¯t even noticed the elder¡¯s approach. ¡°Enough, both of you. We¡¯re here.¡± Glancing past the man, Callan saw he was right. Ahead of them lay the small watering hole that Callan had stumbled on after leaving the temple. Before, the sun had burned high overhead, showing the waving reeds and the rippling surface. Now, wispflies flitted about in the hundreds, casting the entire area in an ethereal glow and hiding what lay on the far side. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here.¡± Shamain stepped forward, hands on her hips. ¡°So where is this little dvorak you keep clamoring on about?¡± ¡°Nothing little about him.¡± Callan scanned the area but didn¡¯t see anything that looked like it might hide a beast as large as he remembered. Empty prairie stretched out around the small pool, the land showing only a few shallow swells in the dark. No hills, no caves, nothing that might serve as a den or warren. The night was quiet, but for the chirp of wispflies. ¡°Hmm. Most unfortunate.¡± Tervak stopped next to Callan and peered into the gloom. ¡°Perhaps the beast has moved on. It would have been unusual for a dvorak to lay claim to this area without adequate protection. They must sleep sometime.¡± ¡°Sleep, right!¡± With renewed interest Callan scanned the tall grass. Surely the beast had to be in there somewhere near the pond. There was nowhere else in the area he could be. Tervak shook his head, following Callan¡¯s gaze. ¡°If it was as large as you said, we would be hearing or seeing sign of it by now. I¡¯m sorry, Avatar, but it appears the beast is gone.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t exactly sound unhappy that we hiked out here for nothing,¡± Callan noted. The elder did little to hide his grin. ¡°My avatar commanded us to join him in a midnight dvorak hunt, and we have done so, but I won¡¯t lie and say I was looking forward to the prospect with any real anticipation.¡± Shamain slapped Callan on the shoulder. ¡°What he¡¯s trying to say is that it¡¯s better to lose a few hours of sleep over nothing than risk our necks killing some dumb beast. I for one agree with him. Foolish as this whole endeavor was, I¡¯ll sleep better knowing we don¡¯t have to worry about some wild draft animal bothering us, should we find ourselves needing to flee the village with little more than the skin on our backs.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the whole reason for this training,¡± Callan reminded the woman, feeling his frustration mount. ¡°If any of us actually want to be competent facing the cult, we need practice on a live target.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t always get what you want, lad. Now, let¡¯s skedaddle. I might still manage an hour of sleep before those arrogant bastards roll us all out of bed¡ª¡± The clump of reeds nearest them rustled and shifted, then bent to either side as an enormous something rose over them. All eyes turned and met the gaze of the dvorak that blinked at each sleepily in turn. Callan wasn¡¯t sure whether to feel vindicated or worried. Especially because the dvorak was even bigger than he remembered. The animal blinked again, then seemed to come fully awake. Its eyes narrowed and it expelled a large blast of air from its nostrils. ¡°Right. Showtime.¡± Callan stepped forward, breaking the lud out of their shock. ¡°Remember what I told you before, let me keep the creature occupied until you can get your hooks in it. Then we¡¯ll all pull it down together. Understand?¡± For once, Shamain had no scathing comeback. Kivi was the first to respond. ¡°We¡¯ll not disappoint you, Avatar.¡± The sound of snapping reeds filled the air as the dvorak approached. Callan didn¡¯t take his eyes off the animal, watching for any sign of a charge. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with your Shape Stone ability, there isn¡¯t enough around to make use of. Right, Xeph?¡± Correct. There is the rubble left over in the pond from your first encounter, and a sizeable deposit several dozen yards behind us, but otherwise this is not a favorable battleground. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to make the best of it.¡± Quickly, Callan relayed the information to the others. He saw the dvorak lower its head. ¡°Showtime. Scatter, now!¡± Lud fled to either side even as the dvorak let out a trumpeting cry and dashed forward. Callan grinned, letting his Wurmchain drop into his open hand as it formed. His other still throbbed with the memory of his last clash.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 4.5%
No repeats this time. I¡¯ve got more power, and allies to boot. This overgrown rhino isn¡¯t going to know what hit it. Remember, mortal, Xeph said, his words rumbling inside Callan¡¯s skull. Do not risk further injury to yourself. If you must, use the same trick you did with the rocks in the pond, or sacrifice one of our priests to provide time to escape. ¡°Yeah, definitely not doing that last one.¡± Callan danced out of the way as the dvorak went by, grazing it with his chain in response. While he was definitely feeling spryer as Xeph continued to cure him, it was somewhat countered by muscles still sore from a combination of their previous beating and sitting idle in a basement for most of a week. Oh, do not worry yourself. Our priests would be honored to know that their sacrifice ensured both their god and avatar¡¯s survival. ¡°You can¡¯t honestly believe that, Xeph. You¡¯ve met Shamain. I was there.¡± Callan watched the dvorak turn itself about. He gave a quick nod to Tervak, who stood a short distance to his left. The lud nodded in return. With this next pass, they¡¯d get their hooks in the beast. Callan started swinging his Wurmchain over his head even as the dvorak built up to another charge. With another trumpeting, the beast charged. Straight at Kivi. Shit! Before he had a chance to think about what he was doing, Callan dropped his weapon and dove, knocking Kivi out of the way as the dvorak thundered through the space she had just occupied. Behind them, Tervak and Shamain let out cries of surprise. The two of them landed with a thud, Callan attempting to cushion Kivi with his body. This only resulted in sending a shock of pain up his bad arm as it was crushed between lud and ground. He let out a ragged hiss and withdrew. ¡°Avatar, are you alright?¡± Kivi blinked at him. At some point during the fall she had released her own weapon and now lay unarmed. They were out one combatant in this battle, and they had barely even started! ¡°I¡¯m fine, Kivi. Find somewhere to hide until this is all over.¡± Turning away, Callan summoned another Wurmchain.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 9%
Kivi glanced at him nervously. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLPPPPPP!!!!!!¡± They both turned in time to see as Aldis swinging through the air from one end of his chain, the other end firmly embedded in the dvorak¡¯s side. Callan gaped for a heartbeat, then gave chase, leaving Kivi to find her own way to safety. Mortal? What is your plan now? It appears that the beast is barely slowing down, even with one anchor already set. ¡°Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious Xeph.¡± Over his shoulder, he shouted, ¡°Tervak! Shamain! Get in position, I''m going to bring it past again!¡± And how, exactly, are you intending to manage that? Xeph asked. Callan ignored him. The dvorak slowed to turn again, providing Aldis an opportunity to find his feet. Callan had to give the older lud credit, he¡¯d managed to maintain his grip on his chain even while being dragged through the dirt. Hopefully he could do so a little longer. ¡°Hey, big guy!¡± The dvorak turned, then let out a howl as Callan¡¯s Wurmchain raked across its face, almost slicing into its left eye. It glowered at him, pure animalistic hate reflecting back. Callan immediately turned and ran. Ah, so this is your plan. Hmm. It feels... lacking. ¡°Xeph, I swear. Now. Is not. The time!¡± Callan pumped his legs, spitting his words out between ragged gasps. He was really wishing he had more than a single point in Momentum at the moment, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it. They would just have to survive long enough to correct that mistake later. Passing by where Tervak and Shamain were waiting, he risked a glance over his shoulder. Only to wish he hadn¡¯t. An enormous, goat-like face strained to reach him just a pace or two behind, its three horns scything the air between. Callan saw his death reflected in the creature¡¯s vision as the gap narrowed. It was almost on top of him... With a bellow of pain, the creature jerked to one side, the gap immediately widening as Callan pulled ahead. Tervak and Shamain heaved on their chains, the far ends buried in the dvorak¡¯s thick hide. Blood left wet splotches on the dark earth below, casting back the glittering light of the wispflies overhead. Callan skidded to a halt and spun around. It had worked! Raising his good arm, he started whirling the chain overhead. The dvorak had turned to vent his fury against Shamain, who was the closest, but now that he was no longer being dragged along Aldis had found his feet. He dug in his heels on the dvorak¡¯s opposite side, keeping the beast from reaching either of the other elders. They had the beast pinned, right where Callan wanted it. Almost seems a shame to kill such a magnificent creature, Xeph tut-tutted. In ancient times, my brethren would train large dvorak like this as beasts of battle. There is no surer way to scatter an enemy, to see them driven before you. Ah, even now I can hear the lamentations of the¡ª ¡°Sorry, Xeph, but we¡¯re not keeping this thing. It¡¯s caused enough trouble as it is.¡± Callan swung his chain, aiming for a direct strike on the dvorak¡¯s head but only managing a cut to its cheek as it thrashed about. He frowned and took aim again. With a sudden lunge, the dvorak pulled itself free of Tervak¡¯s chain. As if that he been the signal, Shamain lost her grip on her own weapon, and Aldis released his willingly lest he be dragged away again. Free at last, the dvorak surged forward. Callan just barely managed to fling himself away in time. He landed in the dirt, rolled over, and saw the dvorak eyeing him from a dozen feet away. Blood poured down its back in small rivulets, but the beast hardly seemed diminished for the loss. It took a step forward. Callan! Xeph¡¯s words were panicked. The plan has failed. Leave the lud and retreat! ¡°I told you, Xeph, I¡¯m not sacrificing anyone.¡± Still, Callan¡¯s eyes cast about for a solution. He still had his Wurmchain in hand, but seated on the ground was a bad angle for attack. If only there was some stone to manipulate! He scrambled back as the dvorak started forward, slowly at first, then picking up speed. With a curse, Callan raised his Wurmchain. The next moment he let it fall again as a large rock rolled between him and the dvorak. The beast snorted, barely slowing down to step over it. With a thrust of his hand, Callan activated Shape Stone. The rock quivered and seethed forward, flowing around the dvorak¡¯s front leg. The beast snorted again and tried to pull away, but the rock had already solidified, leaving the leg encased. A prisoner tied to a ball and chain. Minus the chain. Turning, Callan saw Kivi standing nearby, wiping sweat from her forehead. She gave a pleased wave. Callan returned his gaze to the dvorak, which was growing increasingly agitated in its efforts to break free. That wasn¡¯t going to happen, not with a rock nearly the size of Callan attached to it. Tervak appeared at Callan¡¯s side. ¡°We need to finish the beast off quickly.¡± He swung his weapon, cutting a deep gash into the dvorak¡¯s side. The beast turned and snarled at him, but couldn¡¯t get anywhere close with its horns, let alone the rest of it. Scurrying to one side, the elder struck again. ¡°Are we really okay with this?¡± Callan asked. It was your idea to go hunting the dvorak, Xeph noted dryly. ¡°I mean, yeah, but it just feels kind of wrong to be whittling it down now that it¡¯s immobilized.¡± It is not the most honorable approach, true. But if it prevents further damage to your extremities, I will not complain. Kivi joined Callan in watching the elder finish off the beast. ¡°It is for the best, Avatar. Now that we know this creature is out here, it poses too much danger to the village to leave alive.¡± ¡°You mean because it¡¯s blocking the way to Xeph¡¯s temple?¡± Kivi nodded slowly. ¡°That. Also, it might eventually turn to attacking the village, should it ever migrate in our direction. I must admit, it is strange that it has not already done so. Wild dvorak tend to move frequently, and rarely remain in the same place for more than a night or two.¡± ¡°What, you think this thing might not be wild? Like it escaped from somewhere?¡± ¡°Its unusually large size does seem to imply that.¡± Kivi looked thoughtful. ¡°It is also possible that it is a wild variety after all, and it merely has young in this area. That might also explain its aggressive attitude towards your first encounter.¡± ¡°Whatever the reason, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Shamain said, as the dvorak gave a final trumpeting cry and collapsed with a ground-shaking thud. ¡°We got our training, yes? Now can I finally return home to bed?¡± ¡°Yes, I agree,¡± Tervak said, his weapon fading away as he joined them. ¡°While this encounter may not have been ideal, we all now have a much better understanding of how our weapons work for when we finally face off against the cult.¡± ¡°What about the dvorak?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Should we harvest it¡¯s meat, or hide, or anything like that?¡± The other stared at him, aghast. Even inside his head, Callan could feel Xeph¡¯s revulsion. Human, tell me that was some pathetic earthling attempt at humor. No one would eat a dvorak. It would be like eating a horse. ¡°What? People eat horses, too.¡± Callan quickly added, ¡°At least they used to, I think.¡± That is¡ªIt seems I wasn¡¯t a moment too soon rescuing you from that primitive backwater you call a home planet. Clearly, we have much to teach you about how civilized society comports itself. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not saying I¡¯ve ever eaten a horse.¡± Callan had to jog to catch up with the lud, who had set off for home while he and Xeph argued. ¡°Just that, like, you can do it. If you¡¯re really desperate for food. Or it comes up lame, or something.¡± Lame? You would eat it simply because¡ª Xeph sighed. Primitive society, indeed. Next you¡¯ll tell me that you eat pigs. Callan stopped. ¡°Okay, now I know you¡¯re fucking with me.¡± The god¡¯s gravelly chuckle was his only reply. 1-16 — We Make Plans So the Gods Can Laugh At Them The next few weeks were some of the strangest of Callan¡¯s life. During the day he spent most of his time bored out of his skull, watching for the occasional patrol and trying to figure out the layout of the village. He and Xeph also discussed strategies and possible avenues for attack, considering and then abandoning a dozen plans as their scouting revealed new information about the cult. Evenings were better. After Kivi returned and the two of them ate an evening meal, they usually napped until midnight. After that, Tervak and the other elders joined them for practice using Shape Stone under Callan¡¯s tutelage¡ªor, more accurately, under Xeph¡¯s, since Callan was still more or less a novice himself. While all of the newly made priests could manipulate the same amount of stone as Callan from effectively the same distance, by the end of two weeks only Shamain was able to use the ability more than once a day. Even as Xeph continued to assure him that was to be expected, given both the relative newness of the priests and his own limited power at the moment, Callan still hoped at least one more priest might breach that limit before their attack. While he still wasn¡¯t entirely sure what they would do with the orison yet, he figured the more power they had at their disposal, the more options they¡¯d have available. Of their second orison Wurmchain, after the battle with the dvorak there were scant few opportunities for further practice. Tervak promised that they would have another moonless night shortly before the three weeks were over. So, while Callan waited, they practiced Shape Stone, and made what other preparations they could.
¡°Twelve priests,¡± Callan said, as the others lowered themselves to sit in a circle around him. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re dealing with. Based on my observations, they always send three of their number along to watch over work at the pythian tree, while six remain at the temple and three patrol the village. Anyone disagree with that assessment?¡± The lud all shook their head. ¡°From what we¡¯ve been able to confirm, the priests appear to have three separate abilities. There¡¯s the heated touch that Tervak¡¯s brother experienced firsthand, along with two others I¡¯ve observed them using when they think no one is around. A quick burst of flames, and a wall of heat that appears to be defensive in nature.¡± He left unsaid that this ¡®defensive¡¯ wall had cooked the ground around it until it was charred black. One problem at a time. ¡°According to Xeph, this should be their upper limit. Priests can only possess three orisons at a time, and unless Zavastu makes a change to her entire priesthood, we shouldn¡¯t expect that to be any different.¡± Don¡¯t forget about the Archon, Xeph reminded him. ¡°Right.¡± Callan repeated to the others what the god had told him earlier. ¡°By all accounts, Ligo should be an archon¡ªwe don¡¯t know for certain, but let¡¯s assume this to be the case until proven otherwise. I can confirm that I¡¯ve seen him using one additional orison the others don¡¯t appear to possess, a sort of whip made out of pure flames. However, it¡¯s likely he has another I haven¡¯t witnessed yet. Not to mention a manifestation, which is sure to be potent. To put it simply: he¡¯s more than a match for any of us, including me. I think our best option is to simply not engage with him unless absolutely necessary.¡± ¡°Is that going to even be possible?¡± Aldis asked. ¡°Yes. It appears that despite his position in the cult, Ligo participates in patrols and other activities.¡± In fact, it had been Ligo whom Callan had seen scorching the home of Kivi¡¯s neighbor that first day he snuck upstairs. Since then, he thought he¡¯d gotten a measure of the man¡ªor forfiliin, or whatever. Ligo had a cruel streak but appeared to treat the other priests as equals. Callan still wasn¡¯t sure if that fact was relevant. ¡°We should wait until he leaves on patrol and jump him,¡± Shamain said with a cackle. ¡°Easy as can be. Stick a few sharp objects in him before he realizes what¡¯s going on. All his fancy powers can¡¯t help him then.¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°Without knowing what other abilities he possesses, we can¡¯t take him head on. It¡¯s too risky.¡± ¡°Then what do you suggest, Avatar?¡± Tervak frowned at him, his face contemplative. ¡°Would it be better to strike at the temple while Ligo is away? After all, once it falls, he will be as powerless as the rest, yes?¡± ¡°That is one option. However, attacking the temple directly comes with its own risks. If we don¡¯t eliminate the patrol first, there is a chance they might overhear and come join in the fight. This village isn¡¯t that large, after all. Six priests are a bad enough fight already. Nine is a guaranteed loss.¡± ¡°So we eliminate the patrol first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my thought as well,¡± Callan said, nodding. ¡°What of the guards at the pythian?¡± Kivi asked, eyes flashing. ¡°Can we eliminate them as well?¡± Tervak shook his head. ¡°I have already arranged a sufficient distraction. My nephew Andelsus will enact an escape attempt. That should keep the priests there occupied until the temple falls.¡± ¡°And then we shall eliminate them?¡± ¡°Capture, Kivi, capture,¡± Callan reminded her. The girl turned to him, her eyes flashing. ¡°Remember, every priest we keep alive is a potential bargaining chip. If we want to have any hope of keeping Zavastu from sending a retribution force and to negotiate the return of the rest of your people, we¡¯ll need her priests alive.¡± ¡°Assuming you want master Parias returned to us,¡± Shamain cackled. ¡°Maybe you¡¯d rather he and that looker of a son of his stayed enslaved up north? Maybe you¡¯ve gotten a taste of having their house all to yourself, eh? Is that it, girl?¡± ¡°Shamain, how could you accuse me of such a thing? I want the two of them returned more than anything!¡± The old woman snorted. ¡°One of them more than the other, I think.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get nobody back unless we have hostages to offer,¡± Callan said, trying to steer the conversation back on track. ¡°Tervak, has there been any sign of the caravan yet?¡± ¡°Not yet, honored Avatar, but it is certain to be any day now. We must be ready to strike before it arrives, or the priests will be too numerous for us to overwhelm.¡± Callan nodded. He flexed his arm under its bandage and found it didn¡¯t hurt any more. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Then we shall strike the next time Archon Ligo is amongst those watching over the pythian tree. My nephew shall sacrifice himself to provide a distraction, and hopefully by the time the archon realizes what is afoot, the temple will have already fallen.¡± ¡°What of the patrol?¡± Aldis asked. ¡°Do we have a plan for eliminating them before assaulting the temple?¡± ¡°You leave that to me,¡± Callan said. ¡°I¡¯ve got something in mind.¡±
When Callan opened his eyes the next morning, he felt Xeph¡¯s presence flood his mind. At last, you¡¯re awake. Mortal, show me your interface screen. ¡°Gee, Xeph, could you give a guy a few minutes to clear the wool out of his ears?¡± Sitting up, Callan let out a wide yawn. I do not believe your blankets are wool. Likely a combination of rakhair and woven pythian bark. Though it is possible the lud import more exotic fabrics, but¡ª ¡°It¡¯s an expression, you dork.¡± Concentrating, Callan pulled up his stat screen.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 4 Momentum: 1 Fortitude: 4 Concentration: 1 Influence: 1 Piety: 4 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C II Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - II) Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - I) -DOGMA- Total Followers: 11 Available Faith: 0 Conviction: 3/5 Conviction Rate: 1/week Temples: 1/1 Domain: 4 yd APOTHEOSIS: 0/25%
Yes, good... your Conviction has increased again as of this morning. Xeph¡¯s voice was a purr in his ear. Assuming you liked your cat¡¯s purr particularly gravelly, anyway. ¡°Has it really been three weeks already?¡± Callan shook his head. The time had felt like it just dragged on, yet looking back now it seemed to have passed in a flash. ¡°You think we¡¯ll be attacking today?¡± For some reason, this whole plan to assault the temple didn¡¯t really bother him anymore. They had been working towards this goal for so long now, him and the lud both. Honestly, all he felt at the moment was relief that it might soon be over. I do not believe we will be assaulting the temple today, no. The archon left with the pythian crew yesterday, and he has never done so two days in a row. Likely he will either be resting at the temple, or out on patrol of the village. Callan nodded absentmindedly. Hopefully the second one. That would mean another chance to hopefully observe one of his additional powers. While a fight with the archon was best avoided, if it did come to that he¡¯d rather know as much as possible going into it. Still, I expect the odds of attack on the morrow or the day after are highly likely, Xeph continued. You should fill the rest of your Conviction with memory shards so we are ready to go when the moment comes. Reaching into his pocket, Callan drew out the last five of the reddish crystals that he had brought with him. He eyed them with suspicion, as if more might appear at any moment. ¡°Can¡¯t I just wait until we actually assault the temple?¡± It would be better if we didn¡¯t have to rely on your insufferable slowness swallowing them down while in the heat of battle. ¡°Ouch. Harsh but fair.¡± Callan tossed back the first stone, resisting the urge to try and chew it before swallowing. ¡°How many Conviction does it take to bring down a temple, anyway?¡± A basic structure of this size should take no more than ten, Xeph said, far too casually. Callan almost choked. ¡°Hold on a second. I only have...¡± He counted the crystals again, then added his total Conviction. "...A total of eight. Is that going to be enough?¡± Conviction is canceled out at a one-to-one ratio. Likely we will not even need half of our supply, but I did warn you that this might be a possibility. If the worst happens, then we simply destroy the temple as opposed to corrupting it. The lud will lose their warehouse, but it is better than remaining in servitude. Callan opened his mouth to say something further¡ªwhat, he wasn¡¯t entirely certain¡ªbut snapped it shut as a loud crash echoed from above. He glanced up at the ceiling. Loud footsteps rattled the floor in one direction, then the other, like someone hurriedly pacing about. Callan could just make out Kivi shouting something, and another person responding, equally loud. That doesn¡¯t sound good, he mused. Apparently Xeph agreed with him. Human, we should find somewhere to seclude ourselves. ¡°And where, exactly, would we do that?¡± The only objects in the room beside his bed were the shelves of foods, a half-dozen bags of spirebeans, and the not-insignificant pile of rocks that the priests had brought with them, most warped in one way or another by their lessons in Shape Stone. Then we should prepare for a fight. ¡°We don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s...¡± Callan trailed off as he approached the ladder, and the voices above became indistinct. He recognized one as Ligo immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, lud. I have reports of villagers coming and going from your house at all hours of the night. If you aren¡¯t hiding at least a few of them somewhere I¡¯ll swallow the Emperor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, there is no one here!¡± Kivi¡¯s voice was clearly angry, but there was a pleading note to it as well. It sounded as if she was standing directly over the trap door. ¡°I¡¯ve been alone since you took my master and his son. Please, leave me be!¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true, then why have your fellow villagers reported seeing someone from your upstairs window?¡± Ligo chuckled darkly. ¡°Start the search there, you two.¡± A pair of footsteps moved further into the house, while Kivi continued to plead with the archon. Callan backed up, suddenly beginning to sweat. If it came to a fight, this was hardly the ideal location. Ligo would tear him apart down here. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m coming around to your hiding suggestion, Xeph.¡± Good, mortal. Perhaps if we pile those bags against the far wall¡ª ¡°I have a better idea.¡± Callan turned to the pile of rocks the priests had been bringing down. It was a sizeable pile, reaching up to his waist now, but even if he managed to burrow inside it would be obvious to anyone who looked. Luckily, that wasn¡¯t what he was intending. Raising his hands, he summoned his Shape Stone ability and began molding the pile, smoothing out the sides until they looked like a single uniform lump.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 4.5%
More crashes echoed above Callan¡¯s head. He stretched the pile out, until it was less high but longer, enough that he could fit inside without having to get too bunched up. That would only improve as he pushed the rocks inside out further.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 9%
From upstairs came the sound of returning footsteps. Through the trapdoor, Callan could hear the priests talking with their archon. Sweat dripped down his brow. He moved his sphere of light until it disappeared inside the rock-pile-turned-primitive-art-installation. The pile bulged outward as the inner stone moved outward, making a hollow at its center.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 13.5%
Callan pushed them further, then began shaping an opening. Once it was large enough, he dropped to his knees and began to clear the space further. Sweat poured off of him as he concentrated on making sure no holes or cracks followed his efforts.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 18%
¡°Hey, what is this?¡± The shout was loud enough that the words reached Callan clearly enough. Kivi¡¯s response was muffled, and cut off just as quickly. ¡°She¡¯s hiding something! You, move that table!¡± Callan¡¯s chest seized as he heard a scraping noise above. It¡¯s now or never. With a mighty shove of his powers, he pushed the last of the rock in the back out, quickly smoothing the whole thing over. It looked... not like a natural rock, but certainly not the sort of place one might hide a stowaway, either.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 22.5%
Well, that was the limit of his power. He began wriggling in, even as some sort of scuffle erupted above. As his head slipped under the crevice, he heard the trapdoor crack open. ¡°Avina, get down there and see how many more of her kind are trying to avoid an honest day¡¯s work. Filthy creatures. For each one you¡¯ve hidden, I¡¯ll take a strip of your hide, I promise you!¡± The ladder creaked as someone began descending. Callan! Xeph¡¯s cry rang in his ears. Your hole! Close it! With a start, Callan realized the god was right. He hadn¡¯t even thought to seal up the rock behind him. Anyone who bent down for a look would see him hiding underneath. But I¡¯m maxed out on Apotheosis, he thought despairingly. Xeph had warned him not to go above the 25% threshold, though he had implied it wouldn¡¯t be nearly as bad as going all the way to 100%. Surely he could afford one more use of the ability, couldn¡¯t he? Xeph must have come to the same conclusion. Use your orison, mortal. Better to seal away my power for a time than end us both forever. Activating the ability, Callan pulled down a curtain of stone even as the priest reached the bottom of the ladder. Footsteps crunched across the basement floor.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 27%
Apotheosis has exceeded current threshold. Five minutes until quarantine protocols engaged.
Callan stopped shaping the stone just shy of the floor itself, leaving a finger-wide space for air to flow through. Also, voices. ¡°There¡¯s nothing down here, Archon! Just a few shelves and bags of foodstuffs.¡± ¡°Damn Lud!¡± Even from upstairs, Ligo¡¯s words were clear through the open trapdoor. ¡°What, were you afraid we might steal your precious beans? I have half a mind to see you whipped for causing such a fuss!¡± ¡°Hold on, I might have found something.¡± The priest stopped next to Callan¡¯s rock, and his breath caught in his throat as fingers slipped through the hole at the bottom. There was a grunt, and the fingers retreated. ¡°Never mind. Just a weird rock.¡± The footsteps retreated. Callan found he could breathe again. ¡°Well, seems you were telling the truth after all, lud.¡± Ligo¡¯s voice sounded disappointed at that fact. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying! Now please, leave me be, I have much still to do before work begins for the day.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about your precious housework, lud. You won¡¯t be doing any more of that. At least, not for this house.¡± ¡°What are you¡ªStop! Put me down!¡± There was a sharp laugh. ¡°If you¡¯re all that¡¯s left, I guess you¡¯ll be this home¡¯s tribute for the next caravan. Come on, we¡¯ll have you wait with the others back at the temple. Might as well enjoy what rest you can. Going to be a busy day tomorrow.¡± Callan¡¯s heart started thudding in his chest as the sound of Kivi¡¯s cries retreated. Caravan? But I thought¡ªTervak said¡ªI can¡¯t let them take her! I need out of here! His fingers scabbled against the edge of the rock in vain. Well, whatever. He had already passed the threshold for using his powers once, what did it matter if he did it again to get free? After that, he was going to put these cultists in their place and¡ª
Quarantine protocols deployed. Time until quarantine lifted = 02:00:00
¡°Hey, Xeph, what exactly are these quarantine protocols?¡± Callan asked impatiently. When the god didn¡¯t answer, he frowned and tapped the side of his skull. ¡°Xeph? Helloooooooo. Kind of in a hurry here...¡± Nothing. Only silence greeted Callan inside his head. Frowning, he tried to activate Shape Stone again. When that didn¡¯t work, he tried Wurmchain. Then Mountainform. None of them responded to his will. How was that possible? Xeph had said that crossing the threshold meant restricted access to his powers, but it wasn¡¯t like that at all. He wasn¡¯t restricted, his powers were just... gone. And Xeph along with them. 1-17 — Gloves Off
Time until quarantine lifted = 00:00:05... 00:00:04... 00:00:03...
Callan opened his eyes. At some point he must have dozed off. All he could make out was the thin slit of light drifting in from under the lip of the rock.
00:00:02... 00:00:01... 00:00:00. Quarantine has now been lifted.
Like flowers blooming at midnight, the balls of light inside of him unfolded, pulsing with their resonant power. Callan dove into the one that gifted him with Shape Stone, and with a mighty shove pushed the wall of his prison aside.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 4.5%
The glow of the lamplight hit his face, making him squint as he crawled free of his hiding place. Casting a glance back, Callan could hardly believe that the cultist had been fooled by it. Stone flowed in irregular patterns, looking more like paint smeared on a canvas. There were obvious handprints in several places as well where he hadn¡¯t done a good job of smoothing out his work. Altogether, it was an embarrassing mess. One which had cost him dearly to make. Callan could only hope it would prove worth the price. Hurgh... ¡°Xeph, that you?¡± Callan felt relief flood through him. After losing contact with the god for the last two hours he had begun fearing the worst. Only the fact that he could still access his stat screen helped to alleviate the panic. ¡°Where have you been?¡± ...*Blech* Huh. Had the god just... thrown up? It certainly sounded like that¡¯s what had happened. Could Xeph even throw up? Was there psychic vomit floating around in Callan¡¯s skull even at that very moment? That was entirely too much to dwell on right now. He shoved the concern away for later. Ah, that¡¯s better. Xeph¡¯s voice was faint, but otherwise he sounded as he usually did. It has been too long since I experienced the joys of apotheosis. I¡¯d forgotten how... disorienting it can be. ¡°Disorienting is right. I wasn¡¯t expecting to be completely powerless for the last two hours. And what about you? Where did you go?¡± I did not ¡®go¡¯ anywhere, mortal. When you drew on my power past the threshold, I was forced into a weakened state, one where I am just barely conscious. Be assured that I still heard all of your banal chatter during that time, though. ALL of it. Callan rubbed his neck, chagrined. ¡°Oh, ah, sorry about that. Getting stuck under a rock for a few hours kind of does things to a guy.¡± I shall forgive you mortal. Just... next time perhaps don¡¯t sing the same song repeatedly to yourself. If I could have screamed, believe me, I would have. ¡°Right, right.¡± Then Callan shook his head. ¡°Wait a minute, that¡¯s not important right now. Kivi was taken! We need to get her back before the caravan arrives.¡± Footsteps rang on the floor above his head. Without even a thought, Callan activated Mountainform. He raised his fists right as the trapdoor swung open, then let them fall as Tervak¡¯s worried face appeared. ¡°Avatar! You are alright! When the cult searched the village, I feared the worst.¡± Swinging himself around, he dropped directly to the floor, the limber movements belying the elder¡¯s age. ¡°It appears the caravan is arriving sooner than I feared. Twenty of the villagers have been taken already in anticipation of its arrival.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware. Kivi¡¯s among them.¡± Callan gritted his teeth as he spoke. ¡°What?¡± The elder¡¯s expression crumpled. ¡°Then we are lost. Aldis has been seized as well. Without either of their support...¡± He trailed off and hung his head. ¡°We¡¯re doing this,¡± Callan said. Tervak¡¯s head snapped back up. ¡°Honored Avatar, are you certain? Our numbers¡ª¡± ¡°Are only reduced until we get into the temple. Once we free the others it will bolster our support. Besides, we have to at least try. We won¡¯t have another chance after today.¡± ¡°I fear you are right. In that case, I shall go alert Shamain. And my nephew. Though I fear that with the cult already on alert, his attempt at distracting them will be rather futile.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, why aren¡¯t you at the pythian tree?¡± Callan asked, pieces falling together at last. ¡°It¡¯s got to be past time by now.¡± ¡°I do not know. The cult did not send us to work after gathering our family members. Perhaps they wish to keep us homebound and out of the way until after the caravan departs.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Callan thought over this for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Are the priests still patrolling the streets?¡± ¡°Yes. I counted two patrols on my way here, six priests in total. Including the archon.¡± Silently, Callan cursed to himself. Well, so much for trying to take the man prisoner after the temple fell. ¡°Do you think you can get by them without being noticed?¡± Tervak drew himself up proudly, all three-feet-six-inches of him. ¡°Of course, Avatar. This is our village. I know these streets as well as my own family.¡± ¡°Then find Shamain, and head out of the village, to where we trained with Wurmchain. Find somewhere to hide and await my signal.¡± The elder frowned at this, and Callan was sure he was going to protest. Instead, he asked, ¡°And my nephew? Will he still serve as a distraction?¡± ¡°Leave your nephew out of this, Tervak. I¡¯ll take his place. Our time is too precious to risk anyone else for this.¡± ¡°You will serve as our distraction, Avatar?¡± A mischievous grin split Callan¡¯s face. ¡°No. I¡¯m serving as our bait.¡±
Callan waited until the elder¡¯s footfalls had faded into the distance before speaking. ¡°Xeph, I need to know you¡¯re with me on this.¡± What do you mean, mortal? ¡°I mean, this plan isn¡¯t without risk. I need to know you¡¯re not going to pull some shit like you did the other day and cut off my powers at a critical moment.¡± That was different. You were planning to throw your life¡ªand mine¡ªaway for a single lud. One who wasn¡¯t even yet a follower. It risked everything we were building here. ¡°Yeah, well so does this. Even if we can deal with the problem of the archon, there¡¯s no guarantee that the temple will fall in time. Are you sure you want me¡ªus¡ªto risk it?¡± It is not as if there is an alternative. ¡°There is.¡± Callan paused a moment, then said. ¡°We could just leave. Head out the way we came, find another village. Somewhere outside Zavastu¡¯s influence, somewhere that doesn¡¯t have all the troubles they have here.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ...Is that what you want? Callan grimaced. ¡°No. I want to stay here and fight. I stood by helplessly once already, and I¡¯ll be damned if I let myself do that a second time. But we¡¯re partners, aren¡¯t we? If we¡¯re going to do this, I want to make sure we¡¯re both of the same mind. Committed, to the very end. I... Xeph went silent. Callan let him think. Sometimes it was better to let a person come to their own conclusions. Or in this case, a god. At last, Xeph spoke. I do not wish to die needlessly. But I also do not wish to leave these lud to their fate. Even if they have not sworn themselves to us yet, they... No. It is not the way of a stone god to run. We are implacable, like the mountains we represent. If we are to make a stand, let it be here. A wave of relief passed through Callan. He had been hoping that was the decision his head-mate would make, but he hadn¡¯t been certain until that moment. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± Also, I wish to learn more about this Zavastu. Enslaving these lud rather than taking them as followers is... strange. There is something unusual going on. We need information, and those priests are our best chance to get it. ¡°Good enough for me.¡± Callan cracked his knuckles, then started climbing the ladder. Tervak should have had time to find Shamain by now and sneak out of the village. Assuming neither of them had been caught... Probably best to keep an optimistic attitude about the whole scheme. The alternative was to let himself go to pieces with worry. So what is your plan for gathering the priests? ¡°I told you, Xeph, I¡¯m going to act as bait.¡± That is not a plan. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s the best I can offer.¡± Callan shrugged, then heaved himself into Kivi¡¯s kitchen. He glanced around, but everything was quiet, so he made for the front door. ¡°I¡¯d really prefer doing this without the archon,¡± he muttered. ¡°Not knowing what the guy is capable of isn¡¯t exactly comforting.¡± Perhaps we could simply avoid engagement. ¡°Nah, afraid that¡¯s not going to be an option.¡± Pushing open the front door, Callan glanced down the empty street. He took a deep breath. ¡°HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!¡± What was that??? Xeph demanded. Callan almost chuckled at the note of horror in the god¡¯s voice. ¡°You wanted to know how I was gathering the priests. There you go.¡± Couldn¡¯t you have been a little less obvious about it? We don¡¯t want the entire cult on our trail. ¡°I¡¯m working with limited options here, Xeph. Oop, looks like it worked.¡± A trio of robed priests rounded the corner at a jog, obviously coming to investigate the yell. They stumbled to a halt at the sight of Callan. He gave a stone-encrusted wave, then took off running in the opposite direction. The yells from behind told him they were following. Now what? Xeph asked. ¡°Now we try to find the second patrol before taking a fireball to the back.¡± Callan swerved to one side as a gout of flames passed over his shoulder. ¡°Ooh, that was a close one. Hey, found the second patrol!¡± Another trio of priests stood ahead of them, Ligo at their front. The forfiliin frowned at Callan¡¯s appearance, clearly unsure what to make of it. Callan grinned, then turned and dashed in the direction of the cliffs. In seconds he was past the houses and out onto the prairie. Here was his most dangerous traversal. There were no trees or other barriers he could put in between him and the following cultists, so he adopted a sort of zig-zag run, sacrificing a bit of speed in favor of not taking a blast of flames to his posterior. Even so, there were several close calls. Balls of flame scorched the dry grass and sent pebbles flying into the air as they struck around him. One passed close enough it singed Callan¡¯s leg. He winced but managed not to fall over and kept running. The rocky shelf appeared ahead of him. A glance over his shoulder showed the priests still following, Ligo in the lead. The archon had an expression that was mostly angry snarl. Callan didn¡¯t look forward to letting the man catch up to him. He kept his speed up until right before the cliff edge, skidding to a halt only a foot away from tumbling over, his arms pinwheeling to keep his balance. Slowly, he turned around. The priests had spread out in a semicircle behind him. Ligo took a step forward, a ball of flame bouncing in his palm. ¡°Who are you, stranger? What are you doing in this village?¡± Mentally, Callan pulled up his stat screen. Giving it a quick scan, he noted that his apotheosis was once again down to zero. Perfect. Time to get this show started. ¡°I am Callan, avatar to the god Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± Sticking out his finger, he pointed at each priest in turn. ¡°This is your one opportunity to surrender. Do so, and I¡¯ll spare your lives.¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Ligo snorted, and several of the priests behind him started laughing as well. ¡°This one¡¯s got a pair on him, doesn¡¯t he? If you¡¯re an avatar, you must know this territory belongs to the goddess Zavastu. She doesn¡¯t take kindly to interlopers in her affairs.¡± ¡°Not anymore. This village is under the protection of Xeph now. So, what¡¯ll be? Surrender, or death?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you appreciate your situation here, Avatar.¡± Ligo gestured to the priests behind him. ¡°You wander into this village alone and unprotected, and think you can simply take what the goddess owns for yourself? And we would just lie down and surrender? Perhaps if you surrender, you might live long enough for the goddess to teach you the error of your ways.¡± He took a step forward but paused as Callan grinned. ¡°Afraid you¡¯re wrong on all counts, there Ligo.¡± The forfiliin blinked in confusion. ¡°How do you know my name?¡± Callan ignored him. ¡°First, I never expected you or any other of Zavastu¡¯s priests would surrender; in fact, I was counting on the opposite. Second, these lud aren¡¯t property. Neither your goddess nor anybody else gets to claim otherwise.¡± Holding his arm out, Callan summoned his Wurmchain.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 4.5%
¡°Finally, and most importantly, did you really think I¡¯d come out here without support?¡± From behind a nearby hillock, Tervak and Shamain burst from cover. Callan had to admit, he was impressed; he hadn¡¯t been able to spot them when he ran in, even while looking for them. They stood just at the edge of the rock shelf, barely within the range of his domain. Even as the priests began to turn, they raised their hands, working with their Shape Stone ability. When Callan had explained the plan to Tervak earlier at Kivi¡¯s, the elder had expressed uncertainty that the combined power of only three of them would be enough. Although Callan had similar doubts on the matter, it was still the best choice they had given the circumstances. Especially with twice as many priests out on patrol. A direct assault with Wurmchain simply wouldn¡¯t cut it against so many. So instead, they sprang a trap. Still holding his chain, Callan activated Shape Stone, mentally directing his power beneath his feet. While he would have preferred more opportunities to practice manipulating stone he couldn¡¯t actually see, his battle long ago with the velak had at least taught him that it was possible. His sphere passed through the stone at his feet, then went slack as it encountered open air beneath. Mentally he shifted it further back until he found the cliff¡¯s edge beneath. His fingers tore it apart with abandon.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 9%
Behind the cultists, Tervak let his hands drop and stepped back. Callan had advised the two lud to not use their own Wurmchain until it was absolutely necessary. Unlike him, once their fifteen minutes of use were up, that was it. Next to him, Shamain continued her own manipulations of the stone beneath, cackling madly. Several priests moved in her direction but stopped as one of their number let out a yelp, Callan¡¯s Wurmchain biting into his shoulder. Callan didn¡¯t swing again, instead focusing back on manipulating the stone. Ligo growled, and suddenly his own whip was in hand, this one surrounded by a blazing inferno. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I intend to get answers out of your scorched hide¡ª
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 13.5%
The stone beneath their feet shuddered. Slid to one side. Arms flailed as cultists attempted to keep their balance, and the archon¡¯s whip passed harmlessly to the side of Callan¡¯s head, the air sizzling in its wake. Callan concentrated, tearing into the stone beneath further. Just a little bit more... Just... *Crack*
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 18%
Stone shuddered again. Tilted. Then the entire thing simply pitched forward. ¡°Yargh!¡± Ligo flailed away as Callan struck out with his weapon, raising his own fists in response. But attacking the archon wasn¡¯t his goal, creating a space was. And now he had it. He rushed past even as his perspective began to tilt dangerously, then he was through the cluster of screaming, flailing priests before they even noticed and was leaping away, back towards the cliff as the rock tilted further and tumbled into open air. Already the lip was past his point of view, but that didn¡¯t matter to him. He swung his Wurmchain, and the deadly point sank into the cliff face, embedding itself deep. With a shoulder-wrenching jerk, his fall was arrested, and the canyon wall rushed at him as his weapon carried him in an arc towards it. He hit the wall, bounced off, and almost released his hold in response. Only the enhanced grip from Mountainform kept his hands locked around his weapon¡¯s handle. Swinging back and forth, Callan risked a glance down. Then immediately wished he hadn¡¯t. Sheer canyon stretched between him and the floor a hundred feet or more below, without so much as a ledge to catch his feet on. Instead, they kicked open air or scraped the wall in a futile search for purpose. Distantly, he noted that the cult¡¯s screams had stopped. He hadn¡¯t even heard them hit the ground. Not that he intended to risk another look down to confirm, since his brief glance had already shown him their broken bodies lying strewn beneath his feet. Pity the archon had to be included in that little plan, but better the loss of a hostage than needing to fight him outright later. Before his grip on the chain could begin to slip, a rope tumbled down into his periphery. Above, Tervak and Shamain looked down at him. ¡°Avatar! Are you doing alright?¡± ¡°Oh, you know. I¡¯ve been better.¡± ¡°Grab ahold and we¡¯ll pull you up.¡± Callan quickly changed over to the swinging rope, his Wurmchain puffing away to nothing the moment he released it. With Mountainform still covering his hands, he found pulling himself up was a relatively easy matter, but he still let the lud assist, and in only a few moments he was back on solid ground. ¡°Thanks,¡± he wheezed. ¡°That¡¯s not an experience I want to repeat any time soon.¡± Honestly, I still can¡¯t believe it actually worked, Xeph grumbled. Privately Callan agreed with him but decided not to ruin morale by saying so out loud. ¡°At least the difficult part is done.¡± Shamain grinned maliciously. ¡°Now just the small matter of assaulting the most secure building in the village, which still has enough priests inside to outnumber us two-to-one!¡± ¡°Once we have freed the others, it should be easy enough to bring villagers onto our side,¡± Tervak said, puffing his chest. ¡°The rest of the villagers should help us even the odds in a fight.¡± ¡°No fighting, not unless we can help it.¡± Climbing to his feet, Callan dusted himself off. ¡°Our mission now is simple¡ªI shut down the temple. If you can free Kivi and the others before then, great, but what¡¯s important is you two keeping the priests away while Xeph works his magic.¡± The two lud nodded, and together they set off back towards the village. In his pocket, Callan could feel the remaining memory shards, waiting to be used. ¡°You ready for this, Xeph?¡± Would it matter if I wasn¡¯t, mortal? No, don¡¯t answer that. Callan chuckled to himself. ¡°Fair enough.¡± 1-18 — Molehill to Mountain A lizard skittered its way along the cliff edge. It had hidden in a cleft during all the excitement, as the big, brutish monsters screeched and tore at the rocks, but now it had returned to sun itself along the edge and await the coming of the evening¡¯s wispflies. Blinking, it twitched from side to side, looking for a suitable spot to sit and watch. The sky overhead was a clear lilac haze, and perfect for drawing in what heat the little lizard would need. Tentatively, it sidled closer to the edge. Not that it needed fear the drop; between its nimble reflexes and the grip of its toes, there was little that could threaten it, even a potential fall into the canyon. Which is why its last thought was one of mild, lizardy surprise as an enormous foot fell from the sky and crushed it underneath. Ligo, archon to the goddess Zavastu, may she reign in fiery glory forever, landed on the cliff¡¯s edge with a solid thump. The flames wreathing his body faded away with a hiss, including the two enormous wings that spanned his back. It was a lucky thing the archon had managed to master his goddess¡¯s flameform before leaving the main temple. Most of the paladins in Zavastu¡¯s service, and even a few of his fellow archons, had barely enough control over their mistress¡¯s gift to do more than shroud themselves inside of it. Besides Ligo, there were only two others in the clergy that had learned the more technical art of shaping the flames into wings strong enough to carry them aloft. Unfortunately for his fellow priests, it was a rather solitary gift. Ligo had attempted to snatch several of his brethren from the air as they fell, but had only succeeded in burning them alive, a death as painfully swift as the one that awaited the others when they reached the canyon floor. Upon landing, his flames had cut off¡ªanother unfortunate limitation of his goddess¡¯s gift¡ªand Ligo had been forced to sit amongst the remains of his friends and colleagues, seeing the horror that had been brought upon them etched in the terrified expressions of their death masks. So much pointless death. Pointless loss. By the time his flameform returned, he¡¯d burned with rage. Now there was only Ligo, and the few priests who still remained at the temple. Still, they would be more than enough to deal with... whatever this was. This foolish avatar who had dared to defile his mistress¡¯s territory was about to learn a long, agonizing lesson. Along with the traitorous lud who had joined his cause. How dare they spurn the kindness his goddess was granting them, allowing them to keep their homes and families! Yes, the archon fully intended to enjoy flaying the skin from each and every last one of them. And as for this avatar? He¡¯d return to Ligo¡¯s mistress in chains.
The temple loomed before Callan and the others. Even though it was only a two-story building, between the solid stone walls and the ominous aura emanating from it, the whole structure was far more imposing than it had a right to be. Of course, most of that aura was probably just in Callan¡¯s head, but still. Shamain shuffled closer, inserting herself between Callan and Tervak. ¡°What¡¯s the plan now, boy? Still intend to peel the wall away and slip inside?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s no longer an option.¡± Mentally, Callan pulled up his stat screen. It showed his apotheosis down to 15% already, enough for a few uses of Shape Stone, but not nearly enough to make a hole big enough to squeeze through. If they had more of the priesthood, or if Tervak and Shamain hadn¡¯t utilized all of their orison uses back at the cliff... Well, no sense wishing for what one didn¡¯t have. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we¡¯ll go up instead of through. Tervak, you say there¡¯s a trapdoor on the roof?¡± The elder nodded. ¡°It should lead to the building rafters. However, there is no stairway or ladder to allow us access down.¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, we still have the rope, after all. I can use it to pull you both up to the roof, and you can use the same one to scale down to free Kivi and Aldis.¡± Shamain sniffed. ¡°You think I need help scaling a simple rope, do you? When this is all over, you and I are having a race to the top of the pythian tree, and we¡¯ll see who gets there first.¡± They did manage to pull you free of the canyon, Xeph noted. Best apologize. I¡¯d just as soon you not climb a tree that¡¯s taller than some mountains. ¡°Anyway,¡± Callan said in an effort to bring the conversation back on task, ¡°I¡¯ll scale the building, make sure the coast is clear, then secure the rope for the both of you. Unless there are any other volunteers?¡± Both of the lud remained silent, much to Callan¡¯s chagrin. ¡°Right, well no time like the present, then.¡± ¡°Honored Avatar, if I may be so bold as to ask a question.¡± Tervak waited until Callan gave an assenting nod. ¡°Climbing the building will be difficult even with our god-given advantages. How are you expecting to accomplish reaching the roof?¡± He glanced at the building warily, as if looking for some crenelation or other feature to lasso with their rope. Callan just smirked. ¡°I have my god-given advantages too, you know.¡± Sticking his hand to one side, Callan summoned Wurmchain.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 19.5%
He approached the building wall. With a quick glance in either direction to make sure there were no onlookers, he swung the chain at the wall, embedding the hook as far up as he could manage. It stuck fast. ¡°Now for the fun part,¡± he muttered. Wincing, he grabbed hold of the chain. While the scales couldn¡¯t cut through his Mountainform, it was still like trying to hold on to a cactus too tightly. The pain only grew as he got higher. Soon he had reached the spot where the tip was embedded into the stone wall. Unfortunately, the roof was still too far away for him to simply clamber up. He swung for a moment, debating his options. Most obvious was making another ledge with Shape Stone, like he¡¯d done to escape the temple. But he had no idea what it would do to the building if he reshaped the stone. Or, more importantly, how obvious it would be to those inside. He was already risking enough with his Wurmchain hole. So instead, he dismissed the weapon. As the air filled with the odorous stench of sulphur, Callan snatched ahold of the wall, using the hole the weapon left in it as a makeshift handhold. With his other hand, he summoned Wurmchain again.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 24% The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
After that, it was the work of a few painful moments to haul himself onto the roof. Dismissing the second weapon, he lowered a rope, then set about pulling first Tervak, then Shamain up. ¡°Where¡¯s the door?¡± he asked, as the lud clambered along the side, trying to make as little noise as possible. Tervak waved him on. ¡°It is right over here, Avatar. We just need to¡ªyes, there it is.¡± A small trapdoor, made of the same pythian bark as the rest of the roof, lay to one side. Giving it a careful tug, Callan raised it enough for a quick view inside. The building below was a single, enormous room. Over half the space was taken up by rows of barrels against a far wall, and another quarter was dominated by a steel cage. One which Callan could see was crowded with various lud, from cowering children to old men with shoulders slumped in defeat. And at the center of them all, Kivi. Mortal. Xeph¡¯s voice pulled Callan back, and he tore his gaze away from the lud girl. Over there, against the wall. Do you see that? Callan followed the god¡¯s directions, and saw a slab of stone, not unlike the one that adorned the main chamber of Xeph¡¯s own temple. However, any similarities between the two died right there. The stone¡¯s surface was covered with ornate cloth of a deep, rich red color, patterned at the edge in gold. No statue or effigy adorned its center, but rather a golden bowl filled with crackling flames. From here Callan couldn¡¯t see any source of fuel, but then again he hadn¡¯t noticed any for the braziers in Xeph¡¯s temple, either. At least these flames weren¡¯t a creepy-ass gray color. ¡°Is that our goal?¡± he whispered. Correct. All you need do is lay your hands on it, and I can handle the rest. Callan nodded, then turned back to the others. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the plan. I¡¯ll descend down the rope first. If I can get to the altar unnoticed, great, but if not I¡¯ll create a distraction. The two of you follow and release the prisoners. Then it¡¯ll be your turn to keep the priests occupied while I corrupt the temple and shut down Zavastu¡¯s powers. Think you¡¯re up to that?¡± ¡°Suppose it doesn¡¯t matter if we are or not,¡± Shamain grumbled. ¡°We¡¯ve followed you this far, might as well see it through to the end.¡± Tervak nodded. ¡°I shall secure the rope. Just give the word when you¡¯re ready to attack.¡± ¡°About that. Do either of you have any food on you?¡± When the lud just stared at him, Callan continued, ¡°Xeph¡¯s powers recover faster when I eat or sleep. Might do to get a little bit more of an advantage before heading in.¡± ¡°Wise thinking, honored avatar,¡± Tervak said as Shamain handed over a handful of hard nuts that looked like a distant cousin to an acorn. ¡°But we must not tarry overlong. Do you see that?¡± He pointed into the distance. Callan squinted, just barely making out what looked like a cloud of dust rising into the air. ¡°Is that the caravan?¡± ¡°I believe so. Based on its movements, I would expect it to arrive within the hour.¡± ¡°We also don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll be until those priests inside notice their friends are missing,¡± Shamain added. ¡°However difficult this will be, it¡¯s going to be a sight worse once they¡¯re all riled up.¡± ¡°Dangit, that¡¯s a good point. Xeph?¡± You are currently at 21% apotheosis, the god noted. At the very least, we need to wait until you have enough to call upon Wurmchain again in an emergency. At least one use of Shape Stone as well would likely be prudent. Callan nodded, then swallowed down the nuts Shamain had given him. He sat down to wait, pulling up his stat screen. His eyes bored into the bottom row. Ugh, this is taking forever. Of course, watched pots and all that, I suppose. Not much I can do about that problem though. The minutes slowly ticked by, and with it, his apotheosis. Shamain watched the inside of the warehouse through the cracked door, while Tervak¡¯s eyes remained glued on the approaching caravan. After what felt like forever, Callan¡¯s apotheosis reached an acceptable threshold.
APOTHEOSIS: 15/25%
Rising, Callan dusted off his pants and glanced between the elders. ¡°Any updates?¡± Shamain grunted. ¡°I spotted two cultists moving down there, looked like they were making themselves some lunch. Spoiled bastards have probably been going through our food like there¡¯s no tomorrow. Well, when the real tomorrow comes they¡¯re in for a sorry surprise¡ª¡± ¡°Any sign of the other four?¡± Callan asked, talking over the top of the lud woman. She glowered at him, but they didn¡¯t have the time for her usual banter right now. ¡°Do you have at least a guess on their positions?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, lad, I was getting there! The others appear to be in their sleeping quarters, past the cage.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try to draw them near the altar so that their backs are to you.¡± Callan turned towards Tervak. ¡°How¡¯s the caravan doing?¡± ¡°Making steady progress, Avatar. Still nearly an hour away, if my eyes don¡¯t deceive me.¡± Callan strained his gaze in the caravan¡¯s direction but couldn¡¯t tell a difference. Given how much better lud eyes were than his own, he¡¯d just have to trust the man¡¯s estimate. The time for waiting was at an end. ¡°Is the rope secured?¡± At a nod from Tervak, Callan eased the trapdoor open fully and stepped into the warehouse. ¡°Wait until the priests are distracted before moving.¡± Then he grabbed the rope and dropped from the rafters. The rope passed through his hands with an angry hiss, but thanks to Mountainform¡¯s protection Callan didn¡¯t feel a thing. He gave a tight squeeze as the floor rushed up to meet him, arresting his stop before he could hit the floor. His feet touched with the softest of rasps. Satisfied with his Mission Impossible-style entrance, Callan glanced up. A wide-eyed lilish man stood across from him, mouth partially agape, a loaf of bread forgotten in his hands. Right. Should have probably looked before I dropped down. Chagrin flashed across Callan¡¯s face but was just as quickly replaced with an actual smile. ¡°What are you¡ªoof!¡± The lilish doubled over as Callan¡¯s stone-encrusted fist impacted his sternum. He went stumbling backwards and crashed into several barrels, knocking one of them onto its side. Callan glanced up and saw all other eyes in the room turning in his direction. Kivi stood up from the middle of the cage, the look of hope in her expression warring with terror. Giving the lud girl a quick wink. Callan turned his attention to the five remaining priests. They had also frozen in surprise, but he didn¡¯t expect that to last long. ¡°Greetings, all!¡± he called out. Striding forward, he leapt up onto the altar. That got the priests¡¯ attention, and with several growls they started forward. Balls of flame ignited in several hands. ¡°Listen up, because I¡¯m only going to say this once!¡± Callan settled hands on his hips and scanned the approaching cultists. No one was shooting at him yet, but likely only because they didn¡¯t want to hurt their goddess¡¯s altar. ¡°I¡¯ll give you six the same choice I gave the others¡ªsurrender or die. Best decide quickly now.¡± The priests paused in their advance on hearing that. They glanced at each other in confusion. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been wondering why nobody has checked in for a while?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Why you haven¡¯t heard from your precious archon?¡± ¡°There was some shouting in the village,¡± one of the priests said. ¡°He went to investigate.¡± ¡°Yeah, that shouting was me,¡± Callan said with a grin. He was tempted to also tell them he was an avatar, but decided it was better to play that card close to the vest. No sense giving away the real reason he wanted to be this close to their altar. ¡°Archon Ligo is one of Zavastu¡¯s greatest servants!¡± a small veloom called from one side of the crowd. ¡°And I killed him without hardly breaking a sweat.¡± Silence reigned in the room. Callan could tell by the varied expressions the priests were trying to decide whether they believed his words or not. Frankly, Callan didn¡¯t care; he just needed them distracted until¡ª ¡°Hey!¡± At the shout, all eyes turned to the lilish priest who was only now picking himself up off the floor. ¡°He¡¯s just trying to distract you! Look!¡± He pointed to where Shamain and Tervak were hustling their way towards the cage doors. The small veloom let out a harsh laugh. ¡°Foolish lud. What do they think they¡¯re going to do without the key¡ª¡± Her words died as Shamain manifested her weapon. The Wurmchain sliced through the cage¡¯s lock with ease. Showtime. Callan thought. The doors burst open and lud streamed out. Most fled towards the warehouse exit, but two came to stand beside Tervak. As the cultists turned and ran, some after the fleeing lud, the others towards Xeph¡¯s priests, Callan dropped down and placed his hands on the altar. ¡°Okay, Xeph, do your stuff.¡±
Alert: Foreign temple detected. Beginning desecration...
Callan watched as his Conviction slowly ticked downward. In moments, it was at two... one... zero. Quick, human. Swallow the remaining shards. For once, Callan didn¡¯t hesitate. He shoved all three crystals in his mouth at once, gagged, then managed to get them down. Immediately his Conviction rose, only to begin dropping again. C¡¯mon... please!
Conviction: 2/5 Conviction: 1/5 Conviction: 0/5
Error: Insufficient Conviction to fully corrupt this temple. Please restore Conviction and attempt again.
¡°No,¡± Callan breathed. Inside his head, Xeph let out a frustrated moan. It appears we¡¯ll have to do this the old-fashioned way, mortal. ¡°And what¡¯s the best approach for that? Destroying the altar?¡± Callan flexed his stony fingers. The entire building would be preferable. Try knocking down several of the support beams in the middle. Just be careful not to be crushed beneath the roof when it collapses. ¡°Isn¡¯t there an easier way? Why don¡¯t I¡ª¡± ¡°Step away from the altar, avatar.¡± Callan glanced up, and a cold sweat immediately broke out across his body. Striding towards him, bathed in a suit of fire, was Ligo, archon of the goddess Zavastu. 1-19 — Through Fire And Flames Callan immediately activated Wurmchain, the weapon dropping into his waiting hands.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 17.5%
Ligo sneered at him before summoning his flame whip. ¡°No cliff left for you to cling to, you filthy yeth bastard. I¡¯m going to make you wish you¡¯d fallen with the rest of us.¡± How is this one still alive? Xeph¡¯s voice was practically a screech in Callan¡¯s head. ¡°You expect me to answer that?¡± Callan had meant the retort for his head-mate, but Ligo¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he raised his whip in response. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for every one of my brothers and sisters you sent into the Cairn¡¯s waiting arms. By the time I¡¯m done, you¡¯ll be begging to join them.¡± He cracked the whip, then sent it hurtling forward. Callan snapped up his Wurmchain in response. The two weapons met in midair¡ª And the fire whip split neatly in two, the farther piece snuffing out like a drifting ember. Callan almost burst into laughter. I did tell you before that stone is advantaged against fire, Xeph noted dryly. Ligo stared at his broken weapon in shock. He let out a yelp and dove away as another swing from Callan¡¯s Wurmchain almost split him in half like his lost weapon. The fire encompassing him snuffed out. ¡°You pathetic lowland cur!¡± he growled, backing away and summoning a ball of flames into his hand. ¡°Did you really think such tricks would work against an archon?¡± ¡°I think they¡¯re working just fine,¡± Callan said, pressing forward and swinging his weapon again. Ligo dodged out of the way and hurled his fireball in response. The shot went wide, but Callan felt the heat as it passed. Somewhere behind him came a surprised scream. ¡°Pathetic. That god in your head must not possess many followers, or you wouldn¡¯t have attempted such an underhanded trick back at the cliffs.¡± Ligo snarled at him and raised his hand. Callan tensed for another fireball. ¡°Allow me to show you what someone wielding the full might of a goddess is capable of!¡± A slit opened in Ligo¡¯s palm, and black smoke poured into the warehouse. Even as Callan began to cough and wave it away, the archon let out a chuckle and retreated into the growing gloom. ¡°Xeph?¡± Do not worry, mortal. The smoke is safe enough. It is merely a way for the archon to mask his presence. ¡°Yeah, not exactly what I was worried about.¡± Callan glanced to either side, then yelped as a flash of orange light flew past, scorching the hairs on the right side of his head. From somewhere within the murk, Ligo cackled with laughter. ¡°Great. Now I get to play peek-a-boo with googly eyes in the fog,¡± he muttered. Another ball of flame came tearing at him from one side, and with a curse he barely managed to leap aside. Do not forget, our ultimate goal is the destruction of the temple. This archon is nothing but a distraction. Callan rolled his eyes. ¡°Sure. Try telling that to him.¡± Around him, the smoke swirled and grew thicker.
The battle had actually been going rather well for Kivi before the smoke rolled in. She¡¯d managed cut down one of the cultists¡ªa smaller veloomian who looked more scared to be there than anything¡ªand after that a half-dozen villagers had returned to join in once they¡¯d retrieved weapons. True, most were just sharpened tools used for climbing the pythian, but the fact the villagers were willing to stand against the cult at all was significant. She was harrying another cultist with her Wurmchain, this one a forfiliin woman who kept creating a scorching wall of fire to ward her away, when the room began to grow hazy. Within moments, the cultist had disappeared from view, along with Kivi¡¯s allies. While the sounds of fighting raged around her, Kivi stalked through the gloom, lashing out with her chain whenever she saw a shape that was too large to be a lud. Unfortunately, it seemed the cultists possessed some ability to pierce through the gloom that even her superior eyes could not. Kivi cursed the unfairness of it all as she hunted. The longer she wandered, the more bodies she began to stumble upon. None of which were cultists. First, she encountered Agnuu, a Biiran girl only one year her senior. The two of them had often played together as children, before such matters as caste and parentage had forced them apart. Now her childhood friend lay broken on the floor, a hole scorched right between her breasts. The girl¡¯s eyes stared at the ceiling with an expression of shock and surprise. Past this lay Bartram, a middle-aged man also of Daisa caste. He had always been gruff and antisocial, so seeing him here among the dead was a shock in more ways than one. Of all the people to raise arms in defense of the village, Kivi never would have counted him among them. It just went to show you never knew some people. Pity she had only learned this too late to matter. The third body she stumbled upon was Aldis. Kivi froze, staring in shock. The lud elder lay face down, with no immediately apparent sign of how he had died. It didn¡¯t seem real. How could one of Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡¯s priests have fallen so easily, without even a sign of a struggle? Through the smoke and haze, a ball of flame came hurtling in her direction. Kivi just managed to step aside before it reached her. Ah, of course. The enemy had many tricks. She ground her teeth, then lashed out into the murk with her chain. A sharp cry echoed back, but she thought it more likely one of surprise than pain. Still, the cultist retreated in search of easier prey. Before Kivi could follow, another shape loomed to her right. She raised her weapon again, only to let it fall as Shamain materialized out of the haze. Coughing and waving a hand before her face, the elder lud woman slumped against Kivi, her breath coming in ragged gasps. ¡°Glad to see a¡ª¡± She coughed again, then hacked something to one side. ¡°¡ªFriendly face. Been wandering in circles for five minutes now. Things aren¡¯t looking so bright, girl. We may have them outnumbered, but that won¡¯t last long.¡± ¡°Shamain, I found Aldis. He¡ª¡± ¡°I know. I saw him fall. Gave one of them cultists a nasty bruise on the way out, at least.¡± The woman smiled at her, but it was a hollow thing. ¡°Time to sound the retreat. This battle¡¯s lost. Assuming we can even find our way through this damn smoke, anyway.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t retreat, Shamain! The avatar is working to corrupt the temple. He needs us!¡± ¡°If that boy had been planning to corrupt anything, I imagine he¡¯d have done it by now.¡± Shamain shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s time to start thinking about your own skin, girl.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t abandon him!¡± Kivi said. A shape appeared in the smoke, and Kivi swung her weapon. There was a scream, and a wall of flames sprang up between them. When the flames died, the cultist had fled. Kivi seethed with impotent rage. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Suit yourself, but I¡¯m getting out while I still can!¡± Shamain said. Kivi opened her mouth to chastise the woman¡¯s lack of faith, when her Wurmchain winked out of existence in a little puff of sulphureous gas. She stared at its absence in mute horror. ¡°See? It¡¯s a sign, girl. Come on, we¡¯ll gather who we can on the way.¡± Shamain tugged on her sleeve, but Kivi refused to move. It couldn¡¯t be over. Not after all their preparation. Their practice. The avatar was going to save her village. She was going to save her village. It couldn¡¯t end now, when they were so close¡ª Somewhere in the distance an orange light flared to life. Kivi braced for another attack, but quickly realized that the flames were too large for that. From the light of the flames, the silhouettes of several combatants wavered and warped about the warehouse. One of them, Kivi thought she recognized. ¡°Avatar!¡± A small explosion nearly bowled her over. Once she managed to get her feet under her again, Kivi looked around and saw that she was alone. ¡°Shamain? Shamain!¡± No answer. Either the woman had fled, or... No. Kivi shook her head. The elder woman wasn¡¯t her concern right now. She took off running in the direction of the flames and the flickering silhouettes. Her avatar needed her. And Kivi intended to serve until her dying breath.
Another fireball flew at Callan¡¯s chest, but he casually knocked it away. He¡¯d stopped bothering to dodge Ligo¡¯s attacks once he realized that the cultist¡¯s flames dissipated the moment they came into contact with either his Wurmchain or Mountainformed fists. Unfortunately, they had reached a stalemate. Every time Callan tracked the bug-eyed forfiliin down, Ligo produced a wall of fire, retreating before Callan managed to punch through it. So they continued to play their game of cat-and-mouse, while Callan searched the smoke for more pillars. As he cut through a third with his chain, a grin climbed onto his face. What are you smiling about? Xeph asked. ¡°Oh, nothing. Just amused by the situation. The longer this goes on, the better it works out for us.¡± He pulled up his stat screen. Its blue light was almost painfully bright in the dim haze. Sure enough, it showed his apotheosis was already down to 11% again. His apotheosis declined roughly one percent every three minutes. And at a cost of 4.5% for every fifteen minute summon of Wurmchain, he was actually coming out ahead on apotheosis recovery. Not by much, but should he actually need to call on his other Orison, every little bit might help. Do not forget, you are not alone in this fight. The sooner we finish this business and hobble the cult, the better. As if to punctuate Xeph¡¯s statement, another pair of messages appeared in front of him.
Followers lost. Available faith decreased by 1. Negative faith detected. Minor Debt Penalty applied.
¡°Okay, I¡¯m guessing that isn¡¯t good.¡± Callan glanced around. He¡¯d heard a scream a moment ago, but hadn¡¯t thought... Who had fallen? Shamain? Tervak? Kivi? The thought sent an icy shock through his stomach. Yes, I was concerned this might happen. ¡°What does it mean, minor debt penalty?¡± Callan smacked aside another blast of fire and looked around for Ligo. There was no hint of movement in the smoke and, worse, no cackle of laughter. The archon must have finally learned from his earlier mistakes not to give away his position. While our faith remains in the negative, your powers will accrue apotheosis at a faster rate, and it will take longer for apotheosis to reduce. It is time to end this, mortal. Quickly. ¡°What do you think I¡¯ve been trying to do?¡± Callan growled. Another pillar loomed out of the smoke. He raised his Wurmchain to sever it, only for the weapon to dissipate. Cursing, he summoned a new one.
Alert: 5.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 18.75%
Oh damn. His orison was costing an extra 1.25% at the moment. That meant Shape Stone would as well. He swung his Wurmchain again, but at that moment Ligo fired another blast of flame. Callan swatted it away, but the shift disrupted his attack, and instead of severing the column in two, his chain stuck fast. ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon!¡± He tugged at the weapon, but like with the cliff and the warehouse wall, it was stuck fast. Several blasts of flame came out of the darkness, from multiple directions this time. Had one of the other priests joined with the archon? Callan was forced to release the weapon in order to block the attacks. It faded into a puff of sulphur. Holding out his hand, he summoned a new weapon. With a single swipe, the pillar rumbled and stones toppled at his feet.
Alert: 5.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 24.5%
Well, I¡¯ll just have to make this Wurmchain count. More stones cascaded down as the pillar toppled, and some of the roof landed at Callan¡¯s feet as well, letting in a bit of dull light. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°We¡¯re never going to bring the building down like this.¡± Callan glanced about, trying to gather his bearings. Even with the additional light, the place was a murky maze. ¡°Think Wurmchain is strong enough to tear the altar itself apart?¡± I highly doubt it. Even if you did, there is no guarantee that would be enough to disrupt the temple¡¯s domain. You need to greatly damage the structure itself. ¡°And how exactly am I supposed to do that¡ª¡± His eyes fell on the nearby cluster of wooden barrels. One still lay tipped on its side where the lilish priest had crashed into it. Barrells. Full of pythian oil. Bingo. Callan spun back and forth, doing his best to appear frustrated. He knew that the archon must have a way to see through the smoke, so with luck his performance was convincing. ¡°Where are you, Ligo? Are you going to continue hiding forever? Come out and face me already!¡± He stalked in a wide circle, progressively moving closer to the barrels. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re a coward, just like that goddess of yours. After all, what kind of deity must Zavastu be, to pick on innocent villagers that just want to be left alone?¡± A chuckle echoed over Callan¡¯s shoulder. He swung his Wurmchain about, encountering nothing. Another laugh came from his right, and Callan twisted, striking about at random. ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing.¡± Ligo¡¯s voice drifted through the smoke. Growling, Callan kept swinging at random. ¡°You¡¯re trying to destroy our temple. It won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Oh? Just give my followers more time and it won¡¯t matter anymore. All your priests will be dead. Then where will you be, Ligo?¡± Still twisting and turning, Callan kept up the swings. C¡¯mon, he mentally urged. Why wasn¡¯t the forfiliin shooting at him? ¡°Somehow, I am not worried. Are you not concerned for your own followers? Surely they must be feeling tired about now. Using a god¡¯s powers is so exhausting, and they can¡¯t be particularly experienced. I wonder if they can even wield their bounties for more than a few minutes.¡± ¡°They can handle their own.¡± Though he had to admit, the archon was right. Kivi and the others were probably without Wurmchain any longer. In the distance he heard a scream and couldn¡¯t help but wince. The archon¡¯s chuckle let him know the action hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed. ¡°There is still time to surrender. I¡¯ll have to make an example of a few lud, of course, but if you lay down that weapon of yours, I might just be merciful.¡± In response, Callan swung his Wurmchain. It stuck fast in the floor. With an angry grunt, he released it. He didn¡¯t summon another. ¡°I don¡¯t need my weapon to beat your ass, Ligo. Come out of the shadows and let me show you what an avatar is capable of.¡± ¡°You know what I think?¡± The words hissed in Callan¡¯s ear. He spun and found the archon looming over him. ¡°I think you¡¯re running low on power yourself and getting desperate.¡± The air around Ligo¡¯s hands began to shimmer and warp. ¡°I think you¡¯re a young god who is in far over his own head.¡± He grabbed Callan¡¯s stone-encrusted fists. ¡°I think you¡¯re hoping I¡¯m stupid enough to fire a flame blast into those barrels and do your dirty work for you. I¡¯m not.¡± He clamped down tight. ¡°And now I¡¯m going to show you the error of your ways.¡± ¡°Aaaaaaaagh!¡± Callan felt like he¡¯d stuck his hand in a furnace. Even through the protection of Mountainform, he could feel Ligo¡¯s power burning away his flesh. ¡°If you think this hurts, just wait.¡± The archon grinned, and his whole body suddenly burst into flames. A pair of fiery wings expanded from his back. ¡°Let me draw you close, avatar, and show you the extent of Zavastu¡¯s mercy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got... a better idea.¡± Callan couldn¡¯t pull himself free from Ligo¡¯s grip, so he didn¡¯t even bother to try. Instead, he let himself fall backward. Dragging the archon with him. Ligo¡¯s face changed, first to surprise, then shock, then pain as Callan¡¯s foot impacted his stomach. His shoe immediately caught fire, but Callan kept going, hurling the archon over his head and onto the floor beyond. The floor which, thanks to many wild swings of his Wurmchain, was now saturated with oil from the shattered barrels. As the oil caught fire, Ligo let out a scream and released Callan¡¯s hands, whether in pain or surprise Callan neither knew nor cared. He was already scrambling away. He¡¯d hoped for a flame blast to set the barrels alight, but a flaming archon would serve just as well. The first barrel exploded when he was only about twenty steps away, the heat a fiery rush against his back, spurring him on faster. Yet the temperature was rising faster and faster. Callan didn¡¯t dare glance back for what he might see. Move, mortal, move! Xeph urged in his head. Not that he needed encouragement. Ahead of him through the dissipating smoke, he could see the dim glow of the temple doorway. He only needed a few more seconds... Another explosion, and the heat at his back flared. Callan yelled in a mixture of pain and frustration and stumbled forward, but the heat was intense now. He¡¯d never make it. ¡°Avatar!¡± Out of the fading smoke appeared Kivi, coughing and practically tumbling head over heels in her haste. She slammed into Callan, and together they tumbled to the floor. ¡°Kivi, the barrels. You need to get out¡ª¡± ¡°I know, Avatar.¡± Kivi looked at him, and he could see the fire behind reflected in her eyes. They widened as the light suddenly bloomed, the flames rushing down on them like some fiery tide set to consume the world itself. Callan clutched her close in some vain hope of protecting her with his own body. He squeezed his eyes shut. Beneath his feet, he felt the stone floor shift right before the explosion washed over them. 1-20 — From The Ashes When Callan came back to himself, his first thought was to wonder how he was still alive. Because he was definitely still breathing. It hurt too much to be otherwise. Everything was dark around him. He shifted about and felt something soft and warm shift along with him. His groggy brain tried to make sense of what was pressed to his chest. Pushing himself up, he only managed a few inches before his head struck resistance. Stars filled the blackness, and the taste of blood filled his mouth. ¡°Owww... figures I¡¯d bite my own tongue. Talk about adding insult to injury...¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± The voice was breathy and close to his ear. Callan froze. Suddenly he had a very good idea of what¡ªwho¡ªhe was so cozied up to. ¡°Kivi?¡± There was an immense cracking noise, and Callan squinted as light suddenly streamed into his eyes. After a moment of furious blinking, he could see again. He and Kivi lay nestled together on the stone floor. The remnants of what looked like half a cracked eggshell rose around them, and even as he watched more pieces fell away, shattering on the floor like pieces of fine pottery. It seemed that Kivi had managed to use Shape Stone at the last moment and form a barrier against the flames. Callan was frankly amazed, looking at her handiwork. She¡¯d taken a cubic foot of stone and reworked it until it was no more than an inch or two thick. Even if they hadn¡¯t been under extreme duress, Callan doubted he could have managed the same. It made his own attempt earlier look like a child¡¯s fumbling. ¡°Are you alright, Avatar?¡± Kivi asked, looking up at him. Her hair had gone awry and was spread out on the floor above her head in a mess of tangles. ¡°You did not sustain any significant injuries?¡± ¡°No, I think I¡¯m alright.¡± Amazingly, he was. His hands still ached from Ligo¡¯s blistering assault, but other than a few minor burns he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d suffered any permanent damage. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear. In that case, can you please get off me? It is rather difficult to breathe right now.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Callan glanced down and saw that one of his hands was currently gripping Kivi¡¯s hip. He immediately let go, a flush of heat flooding his cheeks. ¡°Thank you.¡± Using two of her arms to push herself upright, Kivi used the second pair to brush off Callan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re covered in dust.¡± ¡°Yeah, tends to happen when one brings a building down on their own head.¡± Despite everything , Callan couldn¡¯t help but grin. He finally took an opportunity to look around, and the grin faded. Most of the warehouse was simply... gone. Several of its walls had collapsed, and the roof had been burned to ash in the explosion or whatever had followed. Callan wasn¡¯t sure how long he and Kivi had been trapped inside their stone egg, but it couldn¡¯t have been more than a few minutes. They would have run out of oxygen before too long, if nothing else. But in that short time, the lud village had been irrevocably altered. Most of the buildings around them were on fire. As Callan watched, flames jumped from the roof of one house to another, the dry pythian bark going up in seconds. Cries of alarm rang through the streets, and several nearby lud were attempting to put the fires out. From what Callan could see, it was a futile effort. ¡°Hey.¡± At her call, his attention snapped back to Kivi. Reaching out, she took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Only belatedly did he realize he no longer had Mountainform active. It must have deactivated while he was out. ¡°It¡¯s alright, avatar. It¡¯s over. We won.¡± ¡°If you say so, Kivi.¡± Though between the fires and the yelling, it didn¡¯t exactly feel like a victory. Not at such a cost. Rising to his feet, he flicked the last of the stone shell away. With Kivi¡¯s hand entwined in his own, they made for where the warehouse doors had once stood. Beyond it, he could see a gathering of nervous looking lud, several clustered in a tight circle around something that Callan couldn¡¯t quite see. As he drew closer, the reason for the nervous looks became apparent. Four priests sat in the dirt, hands tied behind their backs with rope¡ªor in the case of one veloom woman, what appeared to be the remains of a shirt. ¡°Ah, honored avatar!¡± Tervak stepped out of the crowd of lud and rushed to Callan¡¯s side. ¡°It is good to see you. I had feared you lay buried somewhere in the rubble, breathing out your last.¡± ¡°Honestly, I just assumed he slipped out the back during the chaos and fled,¡± Shamain said, coming up on Callan¡¯s other side. ¡°It¡¯s what I would have done.¡± ¡°It is what you did, Shamain,¡± Kivi said icily from Callan¡¯s other side. The two women glared at each other a moment before Shamain shrugged. ¡°Eh, suppose I deserve that. Still, we all came out of this with our skins still attached, so I can¡¯t complain too much.¡± ¡°Except for Aldis,¡± Tervak noted gravely. ¡°And any others that fell during the battle. We will need to get an accounting of who remains in the village, but for now, the immediate matter is putting out the fires and dealing with the approaching caravan.¡± ¡°I have an idea about that second problem.¡± Callan released Kivi¡¯s hand and stepped past Tervak. His eyes studied each of the cultists in turn. Most flinched away from his gaze. Finally, he settled on a veloomian. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The woman¡ªat least, he assumed she was a woman. It was difficult to tell under all the feathers¡ªstared and blinked at him for a moment before clearing her throat. ¡°I am Avina, priest of Zavastu, may she reign in fire¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, enough with the schtick. You¡¯re a prisoner now. Want to not be one?¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± Tervak asked from behind him. Callan held up a hand for silence. Avina studied him, and he stared her down in turn. Finally, she said. ¡°I won¡¯t abandon my faith. Better to die than give up my honor.¡± ¡°Nobody is asking you to abandon Zavastu,¡± Callan said, and the woman visibly relaxed. He continued, ¡°All you need to do is carry a message back to this goddess of yours.¡± ¡°I¡ªalright, if that¡¯s all you want¡ª¡± ¡°You shall do no such thing!¡± Callan glanced over his shoulder, and felt his veins turn to ice. Out of the wreckage of the warehouse clambered Ligo, archon of Zavastu. He was clutching at a bleeding shoulder, and the upper half of his face was a mess of burns and scabs, making his already bug eyes stand out even more. But, more importantly, he was still shrouded in blazing fire. Crimson wings extended from his back in all their burning glory. ¡°Suppose I should be thanking you, avatar,¡± the forfiliin said, stalking forward. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure whether or not to make an example out of this village. Guess that¡¯s not a problem anymore!¡± He laughed maniacally. Flee mortal! Xeph¡¯s voice roared like an avalanche. The temple is still active! Flee until it has time to fully collapse! A fireball shot past only inches from Callan¡¯s face. Ligo snarled at him. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about moving. Not unless you want to listen to these lud screaming in agony!¡± Callan turned fully towards the approaching archon. Xeph continued raging inside his head, but he ignored the god. Ligo was right, it was either Callan or his followers. He just needed to figure out a way to keep the archon distracted for a few minutes. ¡°Listen, Ligo¡ª¡± ¡°I will not!¡± A burning whip appeared in the forfiliin¡¯s hands. He swung it towards Callan¡¯s head. A blazing inferno shot forward with the speed of a rampaging truck. Callan raised his hands to summon Mountainform once again. He hesitated. What was his Apotheosis at? Had it dropped enough to make use of his manifestation without consequences. His hesitation lasted only a second. A blip on the grand scale of time. And it cost everything. Tervak leapt in front of him. The blazing weapon seared through the lud¡¯s chest, the air filling with the steam of his boiling blood. ¡°Elder!¡± Kivi¡¯s scream rent the air. Tervak fell backwards into Callan¡¯s arms. He sank to his knees, gently laying the elder lud on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s... It¡¯s...¡± The elder reached a hand up, and Callan took it in his own. Their eyes met. Then the light went out Tervak¡¯s expression and his hand fell away.
Followers lost. Available faith decreased by 1.
¡°No,¡± Kivi breathed. She spun on the archon, who stood watching with a smug expression on his face. ¡°How could you? Your temple has fallen. The battle is over!¡± ¡°Nothing is over until I say it is, lud.¡± Ligo raised his whip again. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Anger flared hot inside of Callan. Snapping his hand up, his own weapon appeared in it.
Alert: 5.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 23.25%
A dim part of Callan¡¯s brain noted the message, but he didn¡¯t care about its particulars. The cost of his power no longer mattered. The whip snaked out and wrapped around Ligo¡¯s foot. A surprised cry leapt from the archon¡¯s lips before he tumbled over backwards. Dust kicked up to either side as Callan hauled him closer. Blood ran down his palms as Wurmchain cut through the skin, but it was a dim background refrain to his thrumming blood. Ligo came to a stop at Callan¡¯s feet. His flameform winked out. The archon¡¯s eyes were wide with terror. He raised his hands and aimed them at Callan, but nothing happened. A wicked grin spread across Callan¡¯s face. ¡°You know what I think, Ligo?¡± Reaching down, Callan grabbed the archon by the front of his shirt. His other arm cocked back as he made a fist. ¡°I think your temple is gone.¡± *Punch* ¡°I think your power is gone.¡± *Punch* ¡°I think you¡¯re an archon in over your head.¡± *Punch* ¡°I think you¡¯re hoping I¡¯ll be merciful.¡± *Punch* ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± *Punch* *Punch* *Punch* Callan only released the archon when his fist hurt too badly to continue. Dammit, but he¡¯d gotten used to having Mountainform¡¯s protection. The archon flopped limply to the ground. His face was a mess of bruises, but Callan didn¡¯t think he was dead. He might be hitting harder than before, but he still only had four Brawn. It didn¡¯t count for that much. Glancing up, he saw all of the lud watching him. Even the bucket brigade working on a house in the distance had stopped to stare. Giving his fist another self-conscious shake, Callan strode through the crowd of lud and approached the prisoners. ¡°You.¡± He pointed at the veloom. ¡°Avina, right?¡± ¡°Uh...¡± The cultist¡¯s eyes glanced past Callan to where Ligo lay. Callan snapped his fingers, and her eyes jerked back to him. ¡°Yes, Avatar.¡± ¡°Good. Avina, here¡¯s what you¡¯re going to do. I¡¯m going to cut your bonds, and you¡¯re going to run as fast as you can towards the approaching caravan.¡± He pointed in the direction of the rising dust. The caravan was close enough now that he could make out several large wagons, though not the people riding them. ¡°You¡¯re going to tell them to turn around immediately. If they take even one more step towards this village, I¡¯ll kill every one of them, including you. Understand?¡± The veloom didn¡¯t speak. Her eyes were as wide as a forfiliin¡¯s. After a drawn-out moment, she rapidly nodded. ¡°Good enough,¡± Callan said, motioning to a nearby lud holding an axe. ¡°Cut her bonds.¡± The lud hastened to obey. As they worked, Callan kept his gaze locked on the cultist. ¡°When you get back to wherever you come from, be sure to tell your goddess what happened here. If she ever wants to see her priests again, any lud prisoners need to be released immediately. Once they¡¯re returned home, I¡¯ll give back your friends.¡± No sooner was the cloth holding her split apart than the cultist leapt to her feet. She took off running so fast it was a wonder she didn¡¯t take flight. Could the veloom actually fly? It occurred to Callan that he should have asked before hurling several of them off a cliff. Though he supposed that had answered the question in the end. He turned and stalked away, not moving in any particular direction. Kivi fell in alongside. ¡°If I may be so bold, Avatar, why did you let her leave? She was a valuable hostage.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Kivi, we still have three more.¡± Callan gestured towards the other cultists, noticed Ligo still lying comatose on the ground and amended, ¡°Four more.¡± ¡°Hmm. And what you said to her, do you really intend to...¡± She let the question hang. ¡°Kivi, look at me. I¡¯m spent. A strong breeze could probably do me in. The village is in shambles. What do you think would happen if the cultists with that caravan actually attacked?¡± ¡°Then why¡ª¡± Kivi paused. ¡°Ah, I see. It was a bluff.¡± Clever girl, Xeph noted. What is the plan now, mortal? We have defeated the cult, but this village paid a high price. It was true. The fire was spreading faster than the lud could put it out. Already, many had given up the bucket brigade and turned instead to retrieving what possessions they could before the fire arrived at their own homes. By nightfall, there wouldn¡¯t be a village. ¡°Kivi.¡± The lud girl turned towards him. ¡°Gather the villagers. Tell them to save whatever they can and let the rest burn. Once that¡¯s done, we all meet at the village¡¯s western edge.¡± ¡°It will be so, Avatar.¡± Once word began to spread, the lud accepted the loss of their village surprisingly quick. The buckets were abandoned. Children, adults, and elders alike began to comb the wreckage for anything of value. By the time the sun was beginning to set, the village had gathered at its edge. Callan stood apart with Kivi and Shamain. He watched as villagers glanced in his direction and whispered amongst themselves. How many of them knew who he was? Or had any idea about the god in his head? More importantly, would they be willing to listen? After all, the plan had originally been to win their loyalty as the savior of the village. Watching it burn behind them, he couldn¡¯t help but wince. That plan was in literal ashes now. Xeph apparently agreed. How should we turn this situation around, human? As it stands now, I would not expect even a tenth to join our cause. ¡°We still freed them from the cult, Xeph. That¡¯s got to count for something.¡± Hmm. We shall see. Callan stepped forward. The whispers ceased almost immediately, and all eyes turned towards him. The only sound was the crackle and pop of the flames reaching another nearby home. ¡°Some of you might know me or know of me, but for those who don¡¯t, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Callan, and I am the avatar of Xeph-Zul-Karatl, god of stone and mountains.¡± He¡¯d expected whispers again, or at the very least some muttering, but the crowd was silent. Finally, a younger lud man stepped forward. ¡°Are you here to enslave us?¡± ¡°What?¡± Callan blinked at the question. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m here on Xeph¡¯s behalf to ask for your worship.¡± That did generate some muttering. The same lud spoke up. ¡°No god or goddess has ever asked for our faith before.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, but Callan nodded, nonetheless. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Zavastu treated you the way she did. Xeph won¡¯t demand anything from you but your faith. Before they died, we had the backing of Elders Tervak and Aldis, and have already accepted elder Shamain into our priesthood.¡± He turned and nodded to Shamain. ¡°You want to say a few words?¡± ¡°What, me?¡± Shamain smirked and shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t want my support, lad. Half the village think¡¯s I¡¯m crazy, and the half that knows better wishes I was!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Callan frowned, off-guard. He had been counting on the remaining elder¡¯s support. Having her flat-out refuse to help left him stumbling. Mortal. Xeph¡¯s voice had an edge of worry to it. Best focus. We are losing them! The lud had begun to whisper among themselves again. The young man from before was still watching Callan. ¡°What do we stand to gain by pledging ourselves to Xeph-Zul-Karatl? We¡¯ve already lost everything.¡± He gestured to the ruined village. ¡°Can your god restore our homes? Return our loved ones? My father died back there in the battle of the warehouse. What can you do about that?¡± Callan opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He was at a loss. These villagers had every reason to refuse Xeph, after how the two of them had failed. ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± a middle-aged lud woman said. ¡°My husband¡¯s got family over on the Rovarian plateau. They¡¯ll take us in, at least until we can build a new home.¡± Another lud nodded. ¡°I need a roof over my head, not a god who¡¯ll just bring Zavastu¡¯s wrath down on us.¡± ¡°We still have the pythian!¡± a man in the back called. ¡°I don¡¯t want to give up my livelihood. Why don¡¯t we rebuild after the fire?¡± ¡°And what about when the cult returns?¡± another asked. ¡°Zavastu won¡¯t let this act be forgiven. We¡¯re free for now, but how long?¡± ¡°Well, I think¡ª¡± ¡°ENOUGH!¡± All eyes turned towards Kivi. As Callan watched, she strode forward, her face set in a grimace of determination. ¡°Stay or leave, it doesn¡¯t matter. But you all will swear loyalty to Xeph-Zul-Karatl here and now.¡± ¡°And why should we do that?¡± the young man asked. Kivi rounded on him. ¡°Because, Argas, the avatar risked everything to save us all. He didn¡¯t have to stick around. He could have left and found a different village, one that wasn¡¯t already crawling with the priests of another god. But he stayed, and risked his life multiple times so that you might be free.¡± ¡°Yeah, free and homeless!¡± Someone called. ¡°Our homes are gone, yes,¡± Kivi nodded, then pressed on before anyone could offer further arguments. ¡°Our homes are gone. But Xeph-Zul-Karatl has offered us a new home. There is a temple to the west of here, which Callan tells me has room for all of us. There is food, water, and most importantly, safety. If any offer their loyalty, they may journey with us to a new home. One where we will be safe from the cult forever.¡± ¡°What about the pythian tree?¡± the man in the back asked. ¡°We can return for its resources when the plateau is safe.¡± Kivi glanced from one face to the next. ¡°Don¡¯t you see? Aligning yourself with Xeph-Zul-Karatl ensures a better world for us all. The more power the god gathers, the more they may wield against Zavastu and any others who would dare to place us in chains. Come with us, and we shall ensure that your family members are returned to you at last.¡± Her eyes found the middle-aged lud woman. ¡°Frery, which would you rather have, your husband¡¯s distant family, or your husband returned to your arms? Or you, Argas? Wouldn¡¯t you like your sister and mother returned to you?¡± ¡°Can you really promise that?¡± Argas asked. ¡°The goddess must have thousands of followers. What is our village¡¯s faith in comparison?¡± ¡°Perhaps nothing. Or perhaps everything. Wouldn¡¯t you like even a slim chance that our village could be made whole once again? If so, then there is your answer!¡± She pointed at Callan. ¡°Pledge your faith to Xeph-Zul-Karatl. Do it on your honor as lud, first among the gods¡¯ creations. Then you may stay or go as you please. But I will not allow any less. All of us owe the avatar a debt, and it shall be repaid.¡± ¡°Who are you to demand anything? What does a Daisa know of honor?¡± A woman asked. Kivi drew herself up to her tallest. ¡°I am Kivi, priest of Xeph-Zul-Karatl. I have bled and sweat in the defense of this village, while the rest of you cowered in your homes and prayed for salvation. Well, your prayers were answered. So do not speak of me knowing honor. Instead, prove that what you possess is even a tenth of my own!¡± The village was silent, and Callan could feel the tension in the air like a palpable thing. Part of him wondered if Kivi had gone too far, if the villagers would be so offended they¡¯d refuse out of principle. Then Argas slowly lowered himself to one knee. ¡°On my honor as a lud, I pledge my faith to Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± ¡°I do as well,¡± the man beside him said. Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, and one by one they fell to their knees or dropped prostrate to the ground. As their village burned, the lud swore loyalty as one.
You have been awarded 64 additional faith.
Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 20 followers, your God Bond has increased to Talc ¡ª III Next God Bond threshold: 30 followers. Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 30 followers, your God Bond has increased to Talc ¡ª IV Next God Bond threshold: 40 followers. Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 40 followers, your God Bond has increased to Talc ¡ª V Next God Bond threshold: 50 followers. Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 50 followers, your God Bond has increased to Talc ¡ª VI Next God Bond threshold: 60 followers. Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 60 followers, your God Bond has increased to Talc ¡ª VII Next God Bond threshold: 70 followers.
Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 70 followers, your God Bond has increased to Talc ¡ª VIII. +6 to all stats Apotheosis cost of all bounties now decreased by 40% Conviction rate has increased. Mountainform¡¯s coverage has also increased. Next God Bond threshold: 80 followers.
Callan¡¯s vision filled completely with messages. It took all his concentration to sort through them. Inside his head, Xeph¡¯s laughter echoed like a seething volcano. Ah, at last, at last, mortal! Now the time for our reign has truly begun again! At last! Xeph-Zul-Karatl has returned at last! 1-21 — Advancements As the sun moved towards the far horizon and their village continued to pour smoke into the sky at their backs, the remaining lud followed Callan into the Badlands. At first, he had been hopeful they would be able to reach Xeph¡¯s temple before full dark, but it quickly became apparent that wasn¡¯t going to happen. Admittedly, Callan had been assuming his priests represented the slowest in the village, but it seemed Tervak had actually chosen rather well. It wasn¡¯t unusual to see lud that were half Shamain¡¯s age struggling to keep up with the cackling crone. Adding to the troubles were a small horde of sobbing children, elders being assisted along by family, and their many wounded. Besides his two priests, Callan suspected there wasn¡¯t a single person who had come away from that battle unscathed. Mentally, if not physically. The only silver lining was that their number of actual casualties¡ªboth from the battle and the fire afterwards¡ªwas relatively light. Including Tervak and Aldis, only eight lud out of the seventy-some who had called the village home had been lost. Thinking about either of those two left a painful ache in Callan¡¯s chest, but especially Tervak. The elder lud had literally saved Callan¡¯s life at the cost of his own. That was a debt he wasn¡¯t entirely sure he would ever live up to repaying. Never mind that he also really wished he had the man¡¯s sage advice right about now. Suddenly finding himself the leader of a veritable troop of followers was extremely daunting. In fact, every time one of Xeph¡¯s new followers caught his eye and tried to approach, Callan felt his breath catch in his throat, his whole body wanting to flee like a panicked deer. Luckily, Kivi was never far away to help redirect them, offering words of comfort or advice as needed. Once, she looked back at him and gave a reassuring smile, but otherwise seemed to respect Callan¡¯s need for privacy. Since leaving his thoughts to their own devices would eventually just force him to relive the battle and everything that had gone wrong, Callan focused himself onto other topics instead. Luckily, there was a rather big one at hand. With a mental swipe, he brought up his stat screen.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 10 Momentum: 7 Fortitude: 10 Concentration: 7 Influence: 7 Piety: 10 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C VIII Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - II) Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - I) -DISPENSATIONS- Perk 1: *Available* -DOGMA- Total Followers: 73 Available Faith: 62 Conviction: 0/5 Conviction Rate: 4/week Temples: 1/1 Domain: 10 yd APOTHEOSIS: 0/25%
The first thing he noticed was the boost in his stats. He had gained a total of seven points in each and every one in a single sweep, which seemed significant, but honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure he noticed a real difference. For instance, was his speed any faster thanks to Momentum? Or it might be he simply couldn¡¯t tell because his Concentration was also up. Curious, he bent down and retrieved a fist-sized rock. Stretching back, he hurled it to one side as hard as he could, the stone sailing into the distance and hitting the ground with a soft whump. All conversation among the lud stopped and turned in the rock¡¯s direction. When nothing further happened, it gradually resumed. Hmm. That seemed like it went further than it should have, but honestly Callan still wasn¡¯t certain. Enjoying yourself, mortal? You¡¯re making that ¡®hmm¡¯ noise an excessive amount once again. ¡°Am I? Huh. Hadn¡¯t even noticed.¡± Is there something bothering you? ¡°No? Maybe?¡± Callan frowned, then tried again. ¡°All my stats got seriously boosted with all of these new followers, but I haven¡¯t really noticed much difference.¡± Ah, of course. It is the same with every mortal newly come into their godhood. You get but a taste of the power I offer, and already you desire more. ¡°It¡¯s less ¡®desire¡¯ and more just trying to understand how all of this works. Like, take Brawn. It¡¯s over three times more than it was when we left the temple, so shouldn¡¯t it be enhancing my strength three times as much? Yet it barely seemed to make a difference when I tossed that stone.¡± Perhaps your hand-eye coordination is simply out of practice. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Concentration be helping with that as well? Or am I misunderstanding that statistic¡¯s purpose?¡± No, no, you¡¯re not wrong, not entirely. I suspect this all comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of how my enhancements work. Even though an increase of six points seems significant, compared to how far your stats may rise as you step further into the role of my avatar, it is a bare drop in the bucket. You will not even be pushing past the realm of what an ordinary human is capable of until you start to reach beyond one hundred. Callan blinked at that. ¡°A hundred? That seems high. Exactly what is the upper limit, anyway?¡± I do not know. I have never possessed sufficient followers to reach an upper limit, nor has any other god I have encountered. ¡°Well, I guess that gives me a goal to shoot for.¡± Still, if Xeph was right, then he had a long ways to go. Especially if one hundred was barely cracking what body builders and extreme athletes were capable of. Moving on, he noticed his god bond had increased to Talc ¡ª VIII. Intuition and prior video game experience made Callan suspect that this maxed out at X, but what the tier after might be, or how many there were in total was anyone¡¯s guess. Wait. Xeph would know, of course, assuming the facts weren¡¯t still compressed or whatever. He¡¯d have to ask the god later. For now, he simply focused and brought up the bond¡¯s details.
God Bond: Talc ¡ª VIII Reduces Apotheosis cost of all bounties by 40% Followers to next level: 80
His follower requirements were still relatively low, though he doubted it would stay that way for long. Still, at least through this tier, he seemed to go up every ten followers. Next on the list was Dispensations, whatever that meant. Callan focused on the part that said *available*, and immediately a large box filled his vision.
You may choose one of the following Dispensations: Wax ¡ª For every point of Conviction spent, increase the level of a single Orison by 1 level for the next hour. May not exceed current tier using this ability. Wane ¡ª For every point of Conviction spent, a target of your choice loses access to a single one of its bounties for the next minute. Other avatars are unaffected by this.
¡°Okay, new question.¡± You are wondering your Dispensations, yes? Xeph let out a gravelly chuckle. They are gifts freely offered when you reach the fifth level of any given tier, though most have an associated cost to activate. Unlike your Orisons, they do not increase in power, nor can they be shared with followers, so you need not choose them as carefully. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°I dunno, seems like something I should choose with all the more care. If they¡¯re just for me, they¡¯re bound to be useful, right?¡± Callan studied over the list. Two choices, both quite different from each other. Wax seemed more general use, a way to add a bit of an edge to any of his abilities. So far, the only one of his orisons that he had leveled up was Shape Stone, and all it had done was add an incremental difference to the range. Would that change with higher tiers? An ability like that might prove a useful investment for the future, if that were the case. The other Dispensation, Wane, was the complete opposite. Callan couldn¡¯t help but feel a little cheated that he hadn¡¯t possessed the ability before the battle with Ligo. It certainly would have left him at less of a disadvantage. Then again, he¡¯d been short on Conviction by the time that fight started, so maybe it wouldn¡¯t have mattered too much. The ability wasn¡¯t useful against another avatar, but against any more priests it could prove a lifesaver. Ultimately, it came down to which he thought would be more to his advantage¡ªbuffing himself up or nerfing his opponents. ¡°How much should I expect my Orisons to change in future tiers?¡± he asked. Hmm. Interesting question. Generally, an Orison will increase with utility for every level, and gain more power with the advancement to the next tier. They will also change in capacity at varying intervals¡ªwe call it ¡®evolving¡¯, but you may be unfamiliar with the term yet on Earth. It refers to when a plant or animal¡ª ¡°Yeah, no worries there. The theory of evolution has been around for at least a century or so back home.¡± Theory? Xeph huffed in indignation. It is more than a mere theory! Why, the advanced minds of my fellow deities more than proved the application of such principles when we crafted the first of the elevated races! ¡°So as far as my orisons go, you¡¯re saying that until they jump to the next tier, I should only expect to see changes in range and such?¡± Callan asked, pointedly trying to bring the conversation back on topic. That is correct. ¡°Okay. I think I know what to choose.¡± Looking over the options again, Callan selected Wane. While he might be shooting himself in the foot with lost utility, something told him that the next time he encountered the followers of another god, he¡¯d be glad for the ability. And there would be a next time, of that he was certain. Decision made, he turned to the last section of his sheet, the one he¡¯d been looking forward to the most. Sixty-two faith. Sixty-two points of potential possibility, and so many options for how to spend them. He was almost giddy at the thought. Part of him wanted to drop them all immediately into his Fortitude, all the better to help fight off any lingering effects of his cancer, but after Xeph¡¯s explanation about the range of his stats, he was a little more hesitant to do so right off the bat. Instead, he looked at his Orisons. He¡¯d already increased Shape Stone way back at the beginning of this adventure, but never put any into Wurmchain. He was curious exactly what sort of effect doing so might have. He dropped a single point into the orison.
You have improved the orison: Wurmchain to Talc ¡ª II Length increased to 7 feet. Total cost = 1 Faith
Callan blinked. That was... huh. The same increase in terms of measurement, but as far as actual utility, it was a significantly better improvement than what he¡¯d gotten out of Shape Stone. Curious, he started adding more points.
You have improved the orison: Wurmchain to Talc ¡ª X Length increased to 15 feet. Total cost = 8 Faith
Yep. It kept increasing at one foot per level. Callan went to add another point of faith, but was stopped as an angry message appeared in his vision.
Error: You cannot increase this Orison further at this tier. Cost to advance to next tier = 10 Conviction
¡°Oh Xeppppppppppphhhhhhhh...¡± There was a drawn-out sigh. Yes, mortal? ¡°I can¡¯t raise my Orison past level ten without paying Conviction.¡± He quickly glanced at his sheet. ¡°Twice my max Conviction, in fact. Is it possible to pay this off in installments?¡± Unfortunately, no. You will not be able to raise your Orisons to the next tier until your bond has reached it as well. It is another check on the system between us to ensure you do not burn yourself out with power you cannot handle. ¡°Huh. I¡¯m going to have plenty of points to spend on stats then,¡± Callan said, glancing over his screen. Even if he maxed out Shape Stone as well, he¡¯d still be awash in faith. Yes, that is intentional by design. Early in our development, you should spend your focus increasing your body¡¯s ability to handle the strain that later tiers will place upon it. While there may come a time when you will wish to husband your faith, to save a reserve for emergencies, for now I counsel you to spend what you have and improve yourself to the fullest. ¡°Alright, I can get behind that.¡± Callan added points to his Shape Stone orison, maxing its level as well.
You have improved the orison: Shape Stone to Talc ¡ª X Range increased to 19 feet Total cost = 8 Faith
With both his orisons maxed out for the moment, he still had 45 points left to play with. His attention returned to his stats. ¡°All in on Fortitude, then?¡± If that is your wish. ¡°It was a joke, actually, but now I¡¯m tempted.¡± Callan frowned, looking over his sheet. Perhaps a slight concentration to Fortitude, with the remaining points distributed evenly elsewhere? It would not do to ignore your other faculties merely for the sake of healing. ¡°Bah. You just have to suck all the fun and joy out of this process, don¡¯t you?¡± I¡¯m merely suggesting what benefits our long-term survival most. However, they are your points, and there is no reason not to spend them frivolously if you wish. We are certain to earn more soon enough. ¡°No, now I¡¯m not feeling frivolous anymore. I guess I¡¯ll just take the cautious dad approach.¡± Even so, he dropped almost half the points, a full twenty faith, into Fortitude. The remaining 25 he spread evenly between the rest of his stats. That finished, he was back to where he began, with only an hour or so of his time to show for it. Callan¡¯s eyes drifted back to Kivi. The girl was still doing a remarkable job of guiding and coaxing the villagers onward toward their destination. As he watched, a trio of younger lud women began approaching him, but Kivi intercepted before they got more than a dozen steps. She said something that Callan couldn¡¯t make out, but all four women laughed together in a friendly way, and then the trio resumed marching with the rest of the village. A smile lit Callan¡¯s face. He recalled the conversation that he and Xeph had had several nights ago, and the decision they¡¯d made. Now that the battle was over, it seemed like the time to talk with Kivi about it had come. The only question was: how to broach the subject? ¡°You stare at that girl much longer, don¡¯t be surprised if your eyes fall out of their sockets.¡± Callan jumped, then turned a glare toward Shamain, who walked casually at his side, hands resting on the back of her head. She didn¡¯t bother to look at him, so his disapproval was wasted. Not that it wouldn¡¯t have been even if she were looking. ¡°How long have you been there?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, I dunno, sometime since you started jabbering a bunch of nonsense to yourself.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t nonsense. I was talking to Xeph.¡± ¡°That might be, but it still sounds like nonsense to anyone without a god in their head.¡± She let out a mad cackle. ¡°Is there something you need, Shamain?¡± ¡°Heh.¡± The woman twisted enough to gift him with a mad grin. ¡°I see the way you¡¯re looking at young Kivi over there, lad. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t got an idea of what¡¯s going on. Had plenty of boys stare at myself the same way when I was her age.¡± A chagrined smile flitted onto Callan¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think, I promise.¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to feign anything with me. I¡¯m too old to care what young people get up to anymore. Besides, you¡¯re an avatar, not much I could do to stop you even if I wanted to.¡± When Callan opened his mouth to protest further, Shamain bulled on. ¡°I just wanted to give you a fair warning, lad. Kivi¡¯s heart already belongs to another. Not saying it isn¡¯t worth the effort, just know that you¡¯ll be fighting an uphill battle from the start.¡± ¡°Because of Mirdelre?¡± he asked, hedging a guess. Shamain looked at him in surprise. ¡°The girl told you, did she?¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°Tervak mentioned the name in passing once. That was her master¡¯s son, right? The one who was taken up north by Zavastu?¡± ¡°Him and his father Parias, both.¡± Another memory returned to Callan, and he frowned as he asked, ¡°You once suggested she¡¯d prefer the return of one of them over the other. Why is that?¡± Shamain was silent a moment before answering. ¡°How much do you know about lud society, lad?¡± ¡°Assume I know absolutely nothing,¡± Callan said with a grin. ¡°Like I¡¯m from another planet entirely.¡± ¡°Another planet. Of all the foolish nonsense.¡± Shamain shook her head. ¡°Kivi was Daisa. That means she was part of the lowest caste in our village. She was bound to an Etruscian family that saw to her well-being. Not an easy life, but there¡¯s certainly harder ones out there. ¡°Now, a lud can move up or down in caste through marriage, but only the women. Don¡¯t hear of too many men ever marrying above their caste, but the opposite... well, it¡¯s not exactly uncommon for a girl to try and improve her standing through marriage, by whatever means necessary.¡± It only took a moment for Callan to put the pieces together. ¡°You think this Parias was worried Kivi was only after his son for his caste standing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely certain. All I know is there was some sort of tension between him and Kivi for the last year or so. At first when she left her old master and moved into Parias¡¯s house she seemed so happy, but then... perhaps I¡¯m misunderstanding the situation. I¡¯m an old woman, after all, and as like to view everything though my own lens of experience. But if I had to guess... I don¡¯t think Kivi would have been utterly heartbroken if Mirdelre returned from up north and his father stayed behind.¡± Shamain glanced away a moment, then shook her head and laughed. ¡°Of course, Mirdelre might be surprised if he comes home thinking Kivi will be waiting for him. Not like she¡¯ll marry the boy now.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Are... are priests not allowed to marry?¡± Was that why Tervak had chosen from elders for the priesthood? Had he condemned Kivi to a life of loneliness by accepting her into the clergy? Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Xeph muttered. What sort of maniacal god would demand that of their followers, even their innermost circle? After all, we only require your faith. Why would we deny you the pleasures of existence as well, by which your faith gains its form and strength? Shamain too was looking curiously at Callan. ¡°It is because she is no longer Daisa caste. By taking her as a priest, you elevated her to the highest of levels, Leadership caste like myself. I can¡¯t imagine she would give up that standing just for the sake of some meaningless ceremony. After all, she doesn¡¯t have to marry the boy to enjoy what¡¯s between his legs!¡± ¡°Uh, right.¡± Callan felt a blush tinge his cheeks. Shamain laughed at the sight of it and slapped his shoulder¡ªor tried to. Her upper arm could barely reach his rib cage. ¡°Cheer up, lad. I¡¯m rooting for you, not Mirdelre. You just have to convince her you have more to offer than that god hiding in your skull. Then maybe she¡¯ll be enjoying what¡¯s between your legs instead of Mirdelre¡¯s!¡± ¡°I already told you, that isn¡¯t what I¡ª¡± His words were wasted, as Shamain was already wandering off elsewhere. Callan watched her go, then shook his head. What a ridiculous notion. There was nothing between him and Kivi beyond their connection through Xeph. Right? Glancing up, he noticed Kivi watching him. A wide grin crossed her face, and she waved. He waved back halfheartedly. ¡°Hey, Xeph, there aren¡¯t any rules or taboos about an avatar dating someone in the priesthood, are there?¡± No more than there is for any other position of power. Why? Callan looked at Kivi again, but she had already turned away to speak with a nearby elder. ¡°No reason. No reason.¡± 1-22 — High Priestess They arrived at the watering hole around the same time their daylight began to fade, which by Callan¡¯s estimates marked roughly the halfway point of their journey. A glance behind showed the pythian notably in the distance, and only a slight skein of smoke still in the sky around it from the abandoned village. As the small army of refugees drew closer, the body of the slain dvorak rose before them like a small hillock, eliciting worried murmurs from many in the crowd, and even fresh outbursts of tears from several children. Kivi strode to the front. ¡°Do not be alarmed! The beast that lies in the distance has long since departed for the Cairn. It poses no threat to us beyond its smell.¡± ¡°What does she mean by¡ªOh.¡± By now Callan had moved close enough that when the wind shifted, he got a full smack to the face. Right. The dead dvorak had been lying in the baking sun for the last two weeks or so, plenty of time for scavengers and other carrion to have their way with it. And by the sounds of retching from the line of lud, they very much had been doing just that. The group moved to skirt around the enormous beast and continued on to the watering hole. Once they were there, the smell blessedly faded into the distance. Glancing back, Callan saw several small animals emerge as if from nowhere and return to worrying away at the dvorak corpse. He wondered how many meals their practice victim was providing to the local fauna. At least the dvorak wasn¡¯t going to waste. On the far side of the small body of water, an impromptu camp formed in minutes. While the lud hadn¡¯t been given much time to salvage their belongings, quick as the fire had spread through their village, they had still somehow managed to locate a half-dozen tents, along with numerous bedrolls and cooking utensils. What little food they had was barely enough to make more than a meal or two out of, but Callan hazarded that wouldn¡¯t be an issue. By this time tomorrow they would all be ensconced in Xeph¡¯s temple. The food there might be close to two-thousand years old, but at least he could personally attest to its edibility. Soon, most of the community were seated on the ground or atop a few logs that had been dragged into the camp to form a small semicircle. Callan found himself relaxing on a stump, Kivi to his right and Shamain to the left. A smiling lud boy of no more than nine and with a puckered scar on his cheek handed him a bowl of steaming spirebeans, darting away the moment he took it. The boy returned a moment later and placed a similar bowl into Kivi¡¯s hands. She smiled and gave his arm a light squeeze before taking it. ¡°Thank you, Ishe.¡± ¡°Ishe?¡± Callan turned, but the boy had already disappeared back into the crowd again. ¡°That was Ishe?¡± Why does that name sound familiar? Xeph asked. ¡°He¡¯s the boy. From¡ª¡± Callan couldn¡¯t bring himself to finish. Fortunately¡ªor unfortunately, maybe¡ªXeph filled in the gaps. Ah, the youth we witnessed being tortured. It appears he¡¯s made a full recovery. ¡°Gee, very compassionate, Xeph. I hardly think his recovery was the problem,¡± Callan snapped, feeling a bad mood settle over himself. The god didn¡¯t appear to notice. Yes, yes, it is a tragedy what happened to him and the rest of his village. Now that these lud are in our care, we shall see that such a fate never befalls them again. I may be a god of stone, but I hardly have a heart of one. ¡°You don¡¯t have a heart at all,¡± Callan pointed out. Xeph squawked and said something further, but his attention was elsewhere. Suddenly the beans in his lap held even less appeal than they did before. ¡°Here. See that these make it to whoever needs them the most,¡± he said, shoving the bowl into Kivi¡¯s hands. She looked up at him in surprise. ¡°Avatar? You need to eat to restore your strength after today¡¯s battle.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. Besides, I¡¯ve got something else I need to deal with right now.¡± Rising, he stalked from the circle, the lud separating for him like Moses parting the red sea. Outside the circle, the rest of the camp was quiet. A few lud stood near the outskirts keeping watch, and several others were clustered near the edge of the pond, gathering water for drinking or washing or any of a dozen other reasons. Callan made for a pair of lud standing alert and on edge near the far side of the camp. Unlike the others watching the prairie for danger, these two looked inward, at the four individuals tied together and seated in the dirt, their once formal robes torn, their faces disheveled. Both the guards jumped at Callan¡¯s sudden appearance and made various gestures of greeting, as if they weren¡¯t entirely sure what was proper. In hindsight, they probably didn¡¯t have any idea, but then neither did Callan, so it didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°I need to talk to that one,¡± he said, gesturing to the forfiliin who sat in the middle of the prisoners. ¡°Can you untie him for me?¡± ¡°Are you certain that is wise, Avatar? If he were to escape¡ª¡± ¡°If he tries to escape, I¡¯ll just chase him down,¡± Callan said. Ligo glanced up, face swollen and puffy, and their eyes met. A nasty grin crawled across Callan¡¯s face. ¡°Trust me, he¡¯s not stupid enough to try that.¡± Without further comment, the lud untied the prisoner, and Ligo, archon to the goddess Zavastu, climbed unsteadily to his feet. Now that he no longer had the blessings of his goddess, he seemed somewhat deflated, a shadow of what he had been that morning. Or maybe the beating Callan had given him had done more damage than he¡¯d thought. Not that he particularly cared either way. ¡°Walk with me,¡± he said, then set out moving through the camp, not looking to see if the priest followed him. The crunching of stones underfoot a heartbeat later told him what he expected to hear. They moved away from the camp, until the sounds of lud voices had faded into the distance. Only then did Callan stop. He turned around. With the last vestiges of the sun¡¯s light casting gray shadows around them, he could just barely make out the archon¡¯s face. Ligo studied him in turn. At last, he spoke. ¡°If you release me and my fellow priests now, I can promise to beg mercy for you from my mistress. However, if you continue this farce of holding us prisoner¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± The forfiliin winced at the tone of Callan¡¯s words and fell silent. ¡°I have a question for you. The lud prisoners. What were you planning to do with them?¡± ¡°The... lud?¡± Ligo seemed confused by the question. ¡°We were sending them north, to Zavastu¡¯s holdings in the Reach. Lud make good slaves. It would be a waste to leave them here when they¡¯d be better served¡ª¡± Again, he cut off with a wince, this time as Callan manifested a Wurmchain in his hand. The chain was noticeably longer than it had been before, forming a coiled pool on the ground at Callan¡¯s feet. A notification popped into his vision but he dismissed it with barely a thought. Stolen story; please report. ¡°You figured they¡¯d be better served living as slaves, rather than remaining in the village where they¡¯ve lived for generations?¡± His words had a hard edge to them. ¡°They¡¯re lud,¡± Ligo said, as if that explained everything. He eyed the chain in Callan¡¯s hands warily. ¡°Not to me, they aren¡¯t. Not to us.¡± Ligo drew in a breath, then straightened, some of his courage apparently returning to him. ¡°Listen, yeth, this god that resides in you, they may have seduced you with promises of power, but any you might hope to gain will only be a drop compared to what my goddess possesses. When she learns of what you¡¯ve done, she will find you, and then there will be nothing to stand in the way of her wrath. But if you let me go, you might have time to flee, to find somewhere to hide far enough away that she loses interest. The Badlands are vast, and even Zavastu¡¯s reach does not extend past¡ª¡± ¡°I thought. I told you. To. Shut. Up.¡± Callan snapped the chain, the scales cracking the air like thunder. Ligo went silent. ¡°Your goddess isn¡¯t here. There¡¯s just Xeph-Zul-Karatl. And me.¡± ¡°What hope do you have before the might of the goddess?¡± There was a desperate note to Ligo¡¯s words. ¡°When she comes for you, there¡¯ll be nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not planning on running or hiding.¡± Callan dismissed the chain, and the archon sighed with visible relief. ¡°Either she¡¯ll be smart and trade our people back for you and your fellow priests, or she¡¯ll be stupid, after which she¡¯ll learn exactly what it means to mess with a god of stone and mountains.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t truly believe that,¡± Ligo said. ¡°My mistress will destroy you! Even I was almost more than a match for that weakling god in your head. If I still had my temple¡ª¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t, Ligo.¡± Stepping forward, Callan pressed his nose right up against Ligo¡¯s own. This close, his bulbous eyes were almost too large to see all of them. ¡°The only one with powers here is me. I suggest you remember that.¡± Activating Shape Stone, he pulled at the rock beneath them, squeezing his palms together as it flowed around Ligo¡¯s feet. The forfiliin winced, in pain this time, and glanced down. He tried to lift one of his legs, found he couldn¡¯t. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A reminder.¡± Callan turned and started walking back toward camp. ¡°Sleep well, Ligo, if you can. I¡¯ll send one of my priests to collect you in the morning.¡± ¡°Wait, you can¡¯t¡ªhow am I¡ªAvatar! Come back!¡± Ligo¡¯s cries faded as Callan marched on, refusing to look back, simply enjoying the petty revenge for what it was. It might not make up for what Ishe and the other villagers had suffered, but it was at least a start.
Kivi ducked inside of the tent, bobbing her head at the sight of Callan seated on a bedroll. ¡°You wanted to see me, Avatar?¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks for taking the request so late.¡± Callan watched as Kivi eyed the bedroll, then realizing what she must be thinking, a blush spread up his cheeks. He quickly gestured to the space in front of him, and the lud girl dropped down into a cross-legged position. ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to talk with you about since we left the village, but the opportunity never came up earlier.¡± ¡°Of course. Whatever my avatar desires, it is my duty to see that desire fulfilled to the utmost.¡± Dangit, phrasing! Callan thought, chagrined. He must have grimaced, as a curious frown crossed Kivi¡¯s face, but he quickly waved it away. ¡°That¡¯s sort of why I called you here. We¡¯ve been talking¡ªXeph and I¡ªand we¡¯ve come to a decision about who to choose as our high priestess.¡± ¡°Avatar, are you certain you wish to choose now?¡± The frown on Kivi¡¯s face deepened, her brow furrowing. ¡°The members of your clergy are so few. Would it not be better to grow the ranks first, then select a worthy candidate from a sufficiently large pool?¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°Nope. Xeph and I both agree on who we want. No time like the present.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Kivi bowed her head. ¡°Shamain is an unusual personality, but I know she¡¯ll serve well as your high priestess. You honor all lud by choosing one of us for such a noble position.¡± Without meaning to, a snort of laughter burst from Callan¡¯s lips. Kivi looked up at him, and he started laughing harder. ¡°Avatar? What is the matter?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t honestly think we¡¯d pick Shamain, do you? Kivi, the new high priestess is you!¡± ¡°What?¡± The lud girl¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°But... I cannot serve in such a position! It is better gifted to an elder, one who has lived long enough to understand the world better. No, I simply cannot!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you really get much choice in the matter,¡± Callan said, finally getting his laughter under control. ¡°Also, don¡¯t sell yourself short. You¡¯ve been amazing, right from the beginning. You volunteered to join the priesthood without hesitation or thought about what it meant for your future. You stood by, willing to put your life on the line to protect your village. And afterwards, when the village was on the verge of falling apart, your words pulled everyone together. Xeph wouldn¡¯t have all these new followers if it weren¡¯t for you. I probably wouldn¡¯t be alive if you hadn¡¯t saved me that day. Nope, it¡¯s decided: you¡¯re our new high priestess, and that¡¯s that.¡± ¡°But...¡± Kivi looked down, her hands wringing the folds of her dress. ¡°I... Avatar, I don¡¯t know how familiar you are with lud society, but I¡¯m... I¡¯m Daisa caste. That means¡ª¡± ¡°Shamain already told us,¡± Callan said. When Kivi looked up, he continued, ¡°She also told us that once you became a priest, you weren¡¯t Daisa anymore, you¡¯re Leadership. Seems like that¡¯s a caste worthy of being made a high priestess, isn¡¯t it?¡± When Kivi didn¡¯t speak, he reached out and scooped up her lower pair of hands in his own. ¡°Kivi.¡± The girl stared at him, her eyes wide. ¡°Xeph and I didn¡¯t make this decision lightly. If it¡¯s not you as our high priestess, it¡¯s nobody. We might as well turn around and march right back to the village.¡± Only because without a high priest we can¡¯t access most of the temple¡¯s functions, Xeph grumbled. Callan mentally shushed him, not that he expected the god to listen, even if he could hear. Instead, he focused on Kivi. ¡°I... if Xeph-Zul-Karatl is certain, Avatar, then of course I will accept.¡± She swallowed nervously. ¡°It will be my life¡¯s mission to live up to your expectations.¡± ¡°My only expectation is that you live your life to its fullest,¡± Callan said, grinning at her. ¡°As for Xeph... Well, maybe bringing in a few more followers wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°Yes, of course!¡± Kivi¡¯s face brightened. ¡°I already have several ideas for that. There are many smaller villages on the surrounding plateaus. I think if we select a few representatives to seek them out and inform them of Zavastu¡¯s defeat, this might incentivize them....¡± She continued on, talking of her plans. Callan sat back, listening with a smile on his face. It seemed the matter was settled. When she finished, Kivi rose to her feet. ¡°I should let you get some rest, Avatar. The three of us have much work to begin in the morning.¡± ¡°Hold on a second Ki¡ªAh, High Priestess.¡± Callan turned slightly to the side. ¡°Xeph, is there anything we need to do to make this official?¡± No, the title has already been awarded to her. High Priest¡ªor priestess, in this case¡ªis more a matter of administration. There are no additional powers or gifts that are bestowed for possessing it like there are with titles like Archon. I have accepted her as our High Priestess, so the temple should as well. ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± Turning back to Kivi, Callan nodded. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re all set. I¡¯ll talk to you in the morning.¡± ¡°Very good. Avatar. Xeph. Sleep well.¡± With that, she slipped from the tent. Callan flopped back onto his bedroll, sliding his hands behind his head. ¡°What a day.¡± That is an understatement if I ever heard one. Still, it all worked out for the best. We gained many new followers, and you are one step closer to being permanently free of the wasting sickness that consumes you. ¡°I suppose.¡± Staring up at the ceiling of his tent, Callan frowned. ¡°Things are going to change now, you realize that?¡± Of course. With more followers, there will be administration duties to attend to, bureaucracies to form. At the very least, we will need to organize the labor of these lud for as long as they reside in the temple. There is much work that will need to be done to make it habitable once again. ¡°Well yeah, that too, but I meant for us. I¡¯m not the weakling I was when I stumbled into Kivi¡¯s village. We¡¯re going to keep on getting more powerful, enough so that we can keep everyone safe. I won¡¯t let myself be in a position like I was with Ishe ever again. From now on, we tackle our problems head on. We do whatever it takes to come out on top. To make sure nobody under our protection gets hurt again.¡± That is... an ambitious goal. ¡°It is, but it¡¯s better than standing around and doing nothing.¡± Even if the consequences may mean our destruction? What if we find ourselves facing an even more powerful threat in the future? ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to make sure we¡¯re equally powerful.¡± You make it sound so easy, mortal. Callan shook his head. ¡°Of course it won¡¯t be. We need to work our hardest. Not just the two of us, but everyone that joins your religion. But the way I see it, we either get powerful enough that nobody can threaten us, or we worry about gods like Zavastu crushing us for the rest of our lives.¡± When you put it like that, then yes, I suppose our only way out is through. ¡°Good. We¡¯ll start tomorrow with getting your temple restored. Then it¡¯s time to start expanding.¡± I agree, human. Now, rest. We can talk more of your plans for the future once our present situation is not such an open question. ¡°Alright. Sleep tight, Xeph.¡± You as well, Callan, you as well. 1-23 — It’s The Fall That’ll Kill You By the time Kivi awoke the next morning, news of her... promotion had spread through the rest of the village. As she stepped from her tent into the glittering light of dawn, two young girls passing by with a large bucket held between them murmured a hesitant, ¡°Good morning, High Priestess,¡± before darting away as quick as their load would allow them. Kivi blinked after the pair. Her first thought was, how could they possibly have known that? Followed immediately by, Who in the world thought a bucket worth carrying all the way from the village? Yet once she stopped to consider it, the answer was obvious. After all, the avatar himself must have informed Shamain of the promotion, either before or after Kivi¡¯s visit, and it would have taken the woman only the scant time needed to fill her lungs with air before she began repeating the news to anyone willing to listen. Or even unwilling, knowing Shamain. Doubtless the older lud hadn¡¯t meant to cause trouble by informing the rest of the village¡ªShamain might enjoy teasing Kivi about everything from her cooking to her love life¡ªbut she wasn¡¯t needlessly cruel. Perhaps she even thought she was doing a favor by getting the word out. Yet the gap that existed between Kivi and the rest of the village was certain to widen even further than it had already. She had hoped to have at least a day, perhaps two, before word spread, enough time to build relationships with the other village elders, to soothe worries about the loss of their homes and fear over what awaited them ahead. Now, she would only be able to approach them from a position of power. Either they would be hesitant to speak to her for fear of Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡¯s retribution, or they¡¯d dismiss her out of hand as undeserving of such a lofty title. Either way, the difficulty of the tasks ahead had just increased tenfold. Shaking her head, Kivi managed to push these worries aside, and set off in search of some much-needed breakfast. Dealing with the elders was important, but ultimately it would have to wait until the village was settled again. She found a pair of young men tending to what were likely the last of the spirebeans. Like last night, they were using a large pythian bark trough salvaged from the village wreckage, one boy stirring the beans with a flat piece of wood serving as a makeshift spoon while the other tended to the fire underneath. Kivi smiled as the first boy looked up. ¡°Good morning Garuth. Are those close to done yet?¡± ¡°I believe so, High Priestess,¡± the boy said with a quick bob of his head. It took all of Kivi¡¯s willpower not to frown at the use of her new title. By the Butcher¡¯s eye, the boy was a year her senior, and a respected member of the Etruscian caste to boot! Seeing him bow and shuffle to her of all lud was almost too much. Taking the offered bowl, she retreated to the far side of the clearing, finding a small stone to sit on where she would be left in peace. It wouldn¡¯t be long until the camp was on the move again, and she needed to start planning for the day while she had the opportunity. First, there was the matter of transporting their supplies. Yesterday they had managed well enough, but Kivi thought if she recruited some of the younger members to haul the larger pieces they had salvaged, that might increase their efficiency. She could also set the elders to mind the little ones, as their pace should be similar enough. Then, if need be, the group could split in two, with the faster ranging ahead to establish camp, should the avatar¡¯s temple not prove as habitable as he seemed to believe it would be¡ª ¡°Ahem.¡± Glancing up, Kivi saw Shamain standing over her, a similar bowl clutched in her gnarled hands. A lump rose in her throat, and Kivi was surprised to discover that she had not forgiven the elder as much as she had thought. Barely managing to keep the iciness from her voice, she asked, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Thought I might join you for breakfast. Assuming there¡¯s room enough on that rock for my scrawny old bottom.¡± There really wasn¡¯t, but Kivi scooted over anyway, letting slip a slight grimace as Shamain¡¯s elbows dug into her side. The older lud either didn¡¯t notice or, more likely, didn¡¯t care. ¡°So,¡± Shamain said, shifting about to claim more of the miniscule seat. ¡°High Priestess.¡± Kivi picked at her beans. ¡°Yes, it would appear so. If you are here merely to¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, perish the thought, girl. We both know you¡¯re the most suited to dealing with all the rakshit that¡¯s likely to come your way. Just be glad the foolish lad didn¡¯t also name you the new leader of our community, besides! Now that might have done more than raise a few eyebrows.¡± Interesting. It seemed the elders were concerned about Kivi¡¯s qualifications, after all. She opened her mouth to ask for further details, but Shamain simply talked right over her. ¡°That¡¯s all a concern for later. We need to discuss what you intend to do about this avatar we¡¯ve chained ourselves to.¡± ¡°Do about¡ª?¡± Kivi blinked. ¡°Shamain, he saved us! He saved the entire village!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m plenty aware. The real question is¡ªwhy? Wasn¡¯t exactly a concern while the cult still had us by the tenterhooks, then I was just glad for anything that turned the situation to our advantage. But now the dust is settling, and it¡¯s time we started getting some answers.¡± Kivi frowned, then took a bite of her beans. She thought for a moment while chewing. ¡°I would think it¡¯s obvious. Xeph must have lost his former following. It supposedly happens, doesn¡¯t it? Up north, with its thousands of bickering gods. Callan can¡¯t be the first avatar wandering the Badlands, hoping to start over.¡± ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not. Certainly, the first I¡¯ve heard tell of in my lifetime.¡± The older lud shook her head. ¡°We know too little of the ways of the world, shut apart as we are down here. All I can do is speculate based on what we know about the avatar. And the rest of his race.¡± ¡°You mean the yeth,¡± Kivi said. Shamain nodded. ¡°Exactly. Parias took you with him when he visited Aos, didn¡¯t he?¡± It took Kivi a moment before she could answer, her heartbeat erratic. Finally, she wrestled it under control. ¡°He did.¡± ¡°Then you know what yeth are like. Cunning, calculating creatures. Hearts of stone, most of them, if they have hearts at all! And now we find ourselves serving a god that chose one of them for their avatar. Doesn¡¯t bode well if you ask me.¡± Kivi almost pointed out that she hadn¡¯t, in fact, asked, but instead took a moment to consider Shamain¡¯s words. ¡°You think Callan may have other plans for us? Beyond Xeph¡¯s desire for followers?¡± ¡°Could be. Wouldn¡¯t be the first time we¡¯ve heard stories of avatars using a cult to their own advantage.¡± Shamain blinked, then let out a cackling laugh. ¡°I suppose we¡¯re in a cult ourselves now, aren¡¯t we? Never thought I¡¯d live to see the day.¡± From somewhere nearby a call went up. It sounded like Garuth, but Kivi wasn¡¯t certain. ¡°Last chance for beans! Anyone who hasn¡¯t eaten yet best hustle over!¡± Shamain squeezed Kivi¡¯s shoulder with one hand, using two more to shovel the remains of her breakfast into her mouth. ¡°Best get a move on, camp will be breaking up soon. I imagine you¡¯ll be wanting to check on your avatar.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Yes, someone should make certain he¡¯s fed before the last of breakfast is distributed.¡± Kivi rose herself, only to find Shamain¡¯s hand still on her shoulder. ¡°Listen, girl. Whatever is going on between you and the lad, you should... encourage it. Might help keep whatever plans this avatar and his god have for us to a minimum.¡± Immediately, a blush lit itself across Kivi¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Shamain, enough! Your jokes were bad enough before I became high priestess, but now¡ª¡± ¡°This is no joke,¡± Shamain said, her eyes piercing through Kivi¡¯s skull. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to deceive him, but if you do actually care for this Callan, well... it couldn¡¯t hurt to have more than one source of influence over the avatar, when the time comes. There¡¯s a certain power to be gained by climbing into a man¡¯s bed. Think about it.¡± The blush spread further over Kivi¡¯s face, tying her tongue in knots. By the time she recovered, Shamain was gone, her coarse shouts and cackles barely audible over the din of the waking village. Kivi stared after her, bowl of spirebeans forgotten. She knew she should turn her thoughts back to organizing the village¡¯s march this day, but all she could think about were Shamain¡¯s words. Surely, the old woman was just growing paranoid. Callan was no lud, true, but he seemed to genuinely care about them. No one would risk so much for a village of strangers unless they were a truly decent person. And as for Shamain¡¯s other comments... She shook the returning blush from her cheeks and put everything the woman had said out of her mind. Eventually, the avatar would let his intentions be known one way or another, and she¡¯d deal with the problem then. For now, it was time to see if their new benefactor had managed to find himself any breakfast.
The lud came to a halt around midday beside a weather-beaten jacaranda tree, with only a few leaves still clinging to its upper branches. Kivi stared at it, wondering how such a tiny tree managed to survive here at all. The poor thing was barely more than thirty or forty feet tall. She moved to the front of the line, where the avatar was staring about, clearly looking for something. ¡°Avatar? What is the matter?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, hey high priestess. You remember you can just call me Callan, right?¡± ¡°I could, yes,¡± Kivi agreed. Then she added, ¡°But I will not. As high priestess, it would be disrespectful to both your own title and you personally¡ª¡± The avatar waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Fine, fine, whatever. Want to help me look?¡± ¡°Of course. What, exactly, are we looking for?¡± A grin spread onto his face. ¡°I¡¯ll know it when I see it, apparently. Xeph says it¡¯s a teleportation circle. It¡¯s supposed to connect to the one down in the temple below us.¡± Kivi wasn¡¯t entirely certain what teleportation meant, but she understood circle well enough. Calling over a few more lud to assist, they spread out and began poking beneath bushes and under rocks. Eventually, one of the searchers found it, an older Biiran caste by the name of Paeral. At least, he found a... corner of it. Scraping away the dirt near the base of the jacaranda, he showed them the slab of stone buried beneath. A band of bronze or some similar metal ran through it. The avatar glanced at the buried stone, then nodded. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s it.¡± He stared at nothing for a moment, then scowled. ¡°Damnit, Xeph, enough with your crowing. I never said I wouldn¡¯t recognize it when I saw it, I just¡ª¡± A pause, then, ¡°Hey, I am not bitter, I was just expecting¡ªNo, you were the one who¡ªBah!¡± Leaving the avatar to commune with their god, Kivi began organizing the others. Soon, several shovels were located and digging commenced. Those that had no tools helped remove the dirt elsewhere, or pulled rocks, or just gathered what they could with their hands. Perhaps a half-hour later, the circle was revealed in all its glory. ¡°Well, that explains why it didn¡¯t work so well from the other end¡±, the avatar said, stopping next to Kivi. He grabbed her shoulder as she stepped forward and pulled her back. ¡°Hold on now, High Priestess. No telling whether it still works. Better let me test it first.¡± ¡°With all respect, avatar, but that is exactly why you shouldn¡¯t be the first to test it.¡± Before he could protest further, she pulled free of his grip and stepped inside the circle. She turned about to look at him, arching one eyebrow. ¡°Huh. Guess it¡¯s still not functional. Maybe we need to turn it on downstairs first,¡± the avatar said, rubbing at the back of his head. Kivi rejoined him at the circle¡¯s edge. ¡°And how do we do that?¡± A nervous grin slid onto the avatar¡¯s face. ¡°Probably better if you just see for yourself.¡±
¡°And you¡¯re certain this is the only way?¡± ¡°You know, I feel like there¡¯s no good answer to that question,¡± the avatar said, helping her down to the next ledge. Above them, several dozen lud peeked their heads over the edge, watching as avatar and high priestess risked their lives descending the sheer cliff. Kivi shook her head at the madness of it all. ¡°Whoops, hold on a minute.¡± The avatar¡¯s grip tightened on her, and he gave a wave of his hand. The step below them bulged outward, growing thicker on the bottom as well. Once it had doubled in size, he gave a satisfied nod. ¡°There, much better.¡± ¡°Your skill appears to be improving,¡± Kivi noted. ¡°Yeah, benefit of sixty-plus additional followers, I guess. Sadly, Xeph says the ability won¡¯t actually get more powerful until we reach the next tier.¡± Kivi blinked and said nothing. She had no idea what the avatar meant by ¡®tier¡¯, but doubted it would be the last time he spoke of realms and ideas beyond her understanding. The avatar hopped down to the next step, and Kivi followed. The bottom of the makeshift stairway was drawing nearer, and already the onlookers above had slipped from view. With luck, she would be back on solid ground in minutes. ¡°Thanks again for not freaking out over this,¡± Callan said over his shoulders. ¡°I know I certainly balked the first time Xeph told me I had to go up the damn cliffside. Course, I was making the stairs as I went...¡± Kivi smiled. ¡°This is nothing, Avatar.¡± ¡°Yeah, I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be. You guys climbed that pythian tree every day, so what¡¯s a little fall off a cliff like this?¡± ¡°That is not it at all.¡± She took a moment to gather her thoughts while Callan glanced back curiously at her. ¡°Given everything you have done for us, after you risked your very life for our freedom, it would be rather hypocritical to refuse to do the same, wouldn¡¯t it? After all, these cliffs cannot compare to pushing back the cult single-handedly.¡± The avatar snorted at that. ¡°It was hardly single handed. Besides, what were my other choices? Wander for another forty years in the Badlands? No thanks.¡± ¡°Another forty years?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Callan glanced back at her, then pulled a face. The expression was so low brow, so... Daisa, that Kivi was momentarily taken aback. ¡°Right. That¡¯s an... Never mind. Forget I said that.¡± ¡°Of course, Avatar.¡± ¡°And enough with the titles, already!¡± He hopped down onto another ledge, his feet sliding dangerously on a few pebbles that must have fallen from above. Kivi¡¯s heart leapt into her throat, but fortunately nothing happened. Quickly she clambered down after him. ¡°As I said above¡ª¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± He waved her words away. ¡°It¡¯s just, where I come from, only stuffy rich guys and military types insist on using titles. Since I¡¯m neither, it just feels weird, you know? I keep thinking I need to say, ¡®don¡¯t call me mister avatar, that was my father¡¯s name¡¯, or something.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Kivi didn¡¯t, actually. Somehow the avatar must have intuited that from her tone, as he glanced back at her quizzically. ¡°I¡¯m sensing a ¡®but¡¯, there, High Priestess.¡± ¡°It is just...¡± She hesitated. While it was not her place to pry, Kivi realized this might be the perfect opportunity to try and learn some more about her avatar¡ªwhere he came from, or what his people were like. Why he spoke so strangely. Everything about him was an enigma to her. It certainly wasn¡¯t because of her conversation with Shamain that morning. She simply wanted to know more about Callan, and not because she worried that he might have other long-term plans for her and her people... Quickly, Kivi snapped the lid shut on that line of thought. Curse Shamain. May the Sentinel take her for putting such ideas in my head. And me too, for being foolish enough to listen! Belatedly, she realized the avatar was still waiting for an answer. Hurried, she continued, ¡°I had thought all yeth were obsessed about ranks and titles. Clearly, I was mistaken. Is it not so amongst your people?¡± She waited. Would the avatar finally tell her about his time before the village? Any tidbit of information might provide insight into what he intended. Unfortunately, his answer wasn¡¯t what she expected. Callan scratched at the back of his head awkwardly. ¡°Right. The archon called me a yeth, too. What is that? Some kind of insult?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a race.¡± Kivi gaped at the avatar. ¡°It¡¯s... your race? You are a yeth.¡± ¡°Um, pretty sure I¡¯m not.¡± The avatar went silent for a moment, staring off at nothing. Kivi continued watching him warily. Could he... simply not know? How was that possible? Unless... Before she could dwell overlong, Callan shook his head. ¡°Nope, Xeph just confirmed it. I¡¯m not a yeth. Apparently yeth have... six fingers? Really, Xeph? You can remember a detail like that, but when I ask about¡ª¡± He went silent again. Then, ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to tell her. Because. Because I don¡¯t want to. Look, you tell me why it¡¯s so damn important she know and I¡¯ll tell her right now. Until then, the decision rests with me.¡± ¡°Um, Avatar?¡± Kivi winced. She hated to interrupt his communing with their god, but... ¡°Do you think you could have this conversation later?¡± ¡°Right, of course. Sorry, High Priestess.¡± Callan practically leapt down the next three steps, then stopped. Kivi scrambled after him as quickly as she dared, only to discover him standing before an enormous door. It was made of a metal she didn¡¯t recognize, similar to iron but... smoother. She wasn¡¯t sure how else to describe it. ¡°High Priestess Kivi, may I present to you the temple of Xeph-Zul-Karatl, god of stone and mountains.¡± With a flourish, the avatar pushed the door open, revealing a dimly lit tunnel beyond. ¡°Welcome to your new home.¡± 1-24 — Settling In The walls past the door were solid stone, and cool to the touch. Kivi marveled at the uniformity of it all, much more so than any quarried stone could hope to achieve. Obviously, this work had been done with the god Xeph¡¯s Shape Stone ability, but the sheer volume of work that had gone into crafting just this one tunnel... Either thousands of priests must have tunneled in shifts, or the power that avatar Callan might one day wield would so outshine her own, it would be like comparing a candle to the sun. Kivi wasn¡¯t sure which she found more intimidating. She glanced away from the passing walls to study the avatar once again. Whatever argument he and Xeph had been having before they entered appeared to be over; although the young man muttered to himself periodically, it did seem to be anything of substance. Seeing an opportunity, she spoke up. ¡°Avatar?¡± ¡°Hmm? Yes, High Priestess?¡± He glanced back at her, his eyes reflecting the light of the strange grayish torches lining the hallway. Another miracle of the god Xeph, most likely. ¡°I...¡± Kivi hesitated. While she did not wish to anger the avatar by prying too obviously into his past, she also knew that there was not likely to be a better opportunity to do so. Down here it was just the two of them, without the rest of the village looming over their every word and action. Besides, as much as she hated Shamain for it, Kivi knew the older lud was right. If they wanted to understand this man who carried their god inside of himself, Kivi needed to take a few risks. After all, everything Shamain had assumed about Callan had been based on his being a yeth. If that weren¡¯t the case... A suspicion had begun growing inside of her, one she almost thought too foolish to put into words. Yet there was no other possibility. She needed to find out the truth for herself. ¡°What are you?¡± she blurted out. Callan blinked. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Immediately, Kivi¡¯s face flushed. She had not meant for the question to come out like that. ¡°Forgive me, that was more blunt than I intended. I simply meant¡ªif you are truly not a yeth, then you must be one of the other elevated races. Yet you are not nearly tall enough to be a rutain, nor feathered enough to be a veloom. You have not the eyes of the forfiliin, the fins of the lilish, the muscles of the gorgmith¡ª ¡°Hey, I think I¡¯m plenty muscular, thank you very much.¡± The avatar flexed his arms for her, which... didn¡¯t actually disprove her point, but she thought it best to keep that observation to herself. Instead, she continued with her observations. ¡°¡ªYou have no extra arms nor eyes, no fur or fangs or tail. I know I am just a simple lud from a small backwater village, but even we know the characteristics of the elevated races. So please, help me to understand... what are you?¡± At first, the avatar said nothing, and Kivi assumed he would simply refuse to answer. Or perhaps he would contradict her claims. After all, she was from a backwater village, and beyond the yeth she had met the few times she had left home, the only other races she had ever encountered had come with the cult. So, it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible that she was misinformed. But the wriggling sensation in her gut told her that wasn¡¯t the case. She waited. The avatar was looking at her, but his expression was distant, as if he was listening to a conversation only he could hear. Belatedly, Kivi realized that was exactly what was happening. She wondered what Xeph was telling him. ¡°I¡ªFine.¡± The avatar focused on her again, and Kivi felt the full weight of his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m not one of the elevated races. I¡¯m a trueborn human.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± The words came out of Kivi in a rush. The truth she hadn¡¯t wanted to let herself believe was laid bare in front of her. A trueborn human. It was like meeting a creature out of legend itself. The next moment she frowned, her giddy elation flowing away as reality reasserted itself. ¡°But how is that possible? There hasn¡¯t been a trueborn human left in Urslang for at least a thousand years.¡± ¡°Longer than that, I¡¯m betting,¡± the avatar muttered, though so quietly Kivi suspected she hadn¡¯t been meant to hear. He shook his head, then said more loudly, ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m not from this continent.¡± ¡°Of course, that makes sense.¡± Kivi was reminded of what the avatar had told her and Tervak on that first morning in her basement. Now his sudden lack of knowledge about the surrounding area, or the politics of the Badlands, or even the workings of lud society, all of these oddities fit together like pieces of a puzzle. ¡°You came here from... Cainox?¡± That was the only other continent Kivi knew by name. Shamain would know the others, most likely, but she wasn¡¯t there at the moment to help. The avatar shook his head. He almost looked embarrassed, though who knew for certain with a human? ¡°Not exactly.¡± Well, perhaps Shamain would have some insight about it later. Still, she felt she had a much better understanding of the situation now. Kivi gave a slight bow. ¡°Thank you for sharing this information with me, Avatar. If I can be of any assistance with helping to navigate Urslang culture, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± ¡°I will, thanks Ki¡ªah, High Priestess. Now, let¡¯s get a move on. I want you to witness the awesome power of this fully operational battle-temple.¡± Callan paused for a moment, then made a face. ¡°No, Xeph, that was a¡ªyou know what? Never mind.¡± They continued down the tunnel, and Kivi¡¯s wonder over the avatar¡¯s true nature was quickly supplanted by an even greater sense of amazement for their new home. For one thing, the temple was much larger than she had suspected, with pathways branching off from their tunnel again, and again, and again. Callan led her past innumerable doors, some bearing labels which she couldn¡¯t read, others giving no hint whatsoever about what lay behind them. Then at last they exited the tunnel, and entered the true heart of the temple, and Kivi realized that her amazement and wonder were only just beginning. The heart of the temple was MASSIVE. It stretched far into the distance, beyond where Kivi could even see. Stone benches lined either side of a walkway that in better times might have been lined with plush carpeting, or possibly dyed pythian mats. Now not even shredded tatters remained, but the sense of grandeur to the space lingered on. Kivi turned and stared at the avatar. ¡°I understand now why you felt our entire village could be housed here.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s something alright, isn¡¯t it?¡± She turned back to study the room again, nodding slowly in response. ¡°Is this where the village will reside? Communally in this chamber?¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± The avatar went silent long enough for Kivi to finish her second study of the space. ¡°Xeph, ah, isn¡¯t exactly keen on the idea of you all sleeping in his worship hall. However, he says there are more than enough rooms down the passageways we passed getting here. Plus, that¡¯s where the fountains and food supplies are, so your village should be all set. Supplies, security, privacy, the whole nine yards.¡± Before Kivi could ask what the importance of nine in particular was, the avatar turned and started walking further into the room. Just past him lay a massive slab of stone that Kivi knew instantly was the god Xeph¡¯s altar. It exuded a calm presence that she associated with a god of mountains and stone. Also, the strange effigy atop the altar could not be anything but the likeness of a god. Its head was a twisting mass of shapes that hurt Kivi¡¯s eyes to stare at too long, so she quickly averted her gaze back downward. Fortunately, the rest of the altar appeared to be ordinary stone. The avatar laid his hands on its surface, then glanced back at her. ¡°Care to join me, High Priestess?¡± ¡°Of course. What do you require of me, honored avatar?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but the last time it told me we needed an¡ªAh, never mind. That seemed to have done the trick.¡± Kivi blinked as words began to scroll down her vision. Unlike those in the hallway, these ones were readable. Their form was similar to the messages that had appeared when she was first gifted with Xeph¡¯s bounties, but this time there was far more information. Most of which made little sense to her. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Temple Designation: *Unknown* Temple Class: *ERROR* -STATISTICS- Nave: ??? Aumbrey: ??? Narthex: ??? Scarsella: ??? -CONSECRATIONS- Teleport Scry Commune (ERROR) Tintinnabulation -DOGMA- Annexes: ???/3 Domain: ??? Conviction: 2/??? Conviction cost: 1/week
¡°Huh.¡± The avatar was looking in her direction, but not at her specifically. Was he seeing a similar screen? Perhaps he could help her make sense of what the god was showing her. ¡°Hey Xeph, you getting this? Why is it tilted all funny?¡± He reached out, and Kivi almost jumped as the god¡¯s interface moved away from her, shifting to face the avatar instead. Now Kivi could only barely read the words, which appeared backwards to her. ¡°Hmm. Pretty sure all these question marks aren¡¯t supposed to be there. Xeph? This making any sense to you?¡± A brief pause. ¡°Yeah, yeah, compressed memories, I get that. But, like, shouldn¡¯t seeing this awaken something?¡± While the avatar communed, Kivi crept forward until she stood beside him. Her heart thudded in her chest at her brazenness, but she couldn¡¯t stop herself from reaching out a finger and tapping the edge of the interface. The entire thing shifted slightly, so that it was facing more towards her once again. ¡°Hey, what did you¡ª?¡± The avatar frowned, a confused furrow splitting his brow. The confusion as Kivi tapped one of the words before her. ¡°What does tin... tintinnabulation mean?¡± ¡°You can see this?¡± Callan blinked at her. ¡°I think so, Avatar.¡± ¡°Huh. Alright then.¡± Reaching out, Callan straightened the screen, so it was easily visible to both of them. ¡°Okay, Xeph. Better start explaining.¡±
I do not see what the concern is, Xeph grumbled, the sound like a mote of sand in a dust storm. The temple is both of your responsibilities. Why would you not share management if its interface as well? Behind them, another group of lud appeared inside the teleportation circle. Callan had to admit, the whole process was rather underwhelming. There was no flash of light, or clap of thunder, or anything remotely magical about the process. Just one moment the circle was empty, and the next¡ªpoof! There they were. Hmm. He supposed the poof part was somewhat magical. The group of lud hurried out of the circle to join their friends and family milling about the edge. Xeph had been quite clear that no one should remain inside it when the next group teleported in, or the results would be anything but magical. Returning his attention to the conversation, he studied the interface in front of him and Kivi. ¡°I mean, I guess that makes sense. It just seems weird that something which I thought was printed on the back of my eyeballs is apparently there for everyone to see.¡± With the small exception of it being invisible to all but my chosen few. ¡°See? That makes it even weirder. At least when I was pawing at nothing, I could write it off as using the computer in my head, or whatever. Now you¡¯re telling me you could have just let everyone see what I was doing so I didn¡¯t look like some crazed tweaker.¡± I don¡¯t know what either of those things are. ¡°Yeah, and its likely to stay that way, until you stop withholding critical information.¡± Xeph let out a growl. I keep telling you, mortal, I can¡¯t control which memories are available and which remain compressed. ¡°Just seems rather convenient, is all I¡¯m saying.¡± Glancing sideways, Callan watched Kivi for a moment. ¡°What do you make of all this, High Priestess?¡± ¡°Oh, this is far beyond anything I have experience with. Truly, Xeph-Zul-Karatl is as powerful as he is mysterious.¡± Glad at least someone appreciates my mystique, Xeph said, a preening note to his voice. Callan rolled his eyes. ¡°Mystique requires a level of control on your part, you know. Can you at least tell us what¡¯s the deal with all the question marks?¡± Hmm. I have my suspicions, but please check something for me first. Concentrate on one of the statistics. ¡°Okay...¡± Yet Callan hesitated. ¡°This better not give me a brain-splitting migraine like last time.¡± Everything in life worth doing comes with risks. ¡°Says the god who is probably shutting off his connection to my pain receptors as we speak.¡± With a shake of his head, Callan concentrated on the line for... the nave? Wasn¡¯t that a part of a church building?
Error: Paladin not detected. This temple is limited to tier 1 functionality.
He glanced over at Kivi. ¡°Did you see that?¡± ¡°See what, Avatar?¡± Okay, so they shared the main window, but it appeared that any sub-windows were their own. Callan wasn¡¯t sure if that was important information or not, but with as many mysteries as abounded here, he¡¯d take what he could get. My suspicions were correct, Xeph said, drawing Callan attention back to the matter at hand. Before my withdrawal from the world, this place was more than a mere temple. It appears that its status as a higher tier building remains intact, but inaccessible to us for the moment. Related aspects are similarly hidden until such time as we regain the requisite followers needed. ¡°And how many would that be, exactly?¡± Callan asked. Unfortunately, that is information we will need to discover together. Which was about as much as Callan had figured, but he couldn¡¯t deny still being a tad disappointed. He turned his focus elsewhere to keep from dwelling on matters beyond his control. ¡°Alright, so we can¡¯t know this temple¡¯s stats. What about the other parts, like consecrations? Seems like those are still functional.¡± Yes, at least some of them. Callan looked over the list, then focused each Consecration in turn, a series of boxes appearing in his vision.
Consecration: Teleport Move any of the god¡¯s followers between two designated points at will. Does not function for those who have not sworn an oath of faith. All circles must be located inside temple domain to be functional. Current number of active circles = 3 Maximum number of circles allowed for this temple is ???.
Consecration: Scry Display of maps and other information related to temple functions. May also utilize conviction to perform external surveys. Cost and time required to gather information is dependent on distance and interference from opposing domains.
Consecration: Commune Allows for direct communication with other temples. Conviction required dependent on distance and interference from opposing domains. Error: This consecration is currently unavailable due to no other functioning temples detected.
Consecration: Tintinnabulation Defensive function. Instantly summons all faithful within the temple¡¯s domain to the central worship hall. Cost to activate = 10 Conviction per 100 individuals
¡°Huh. Seems like there¡¯s another teleportation circle around here somewhere,¡± he said, dismissing the windows again. Kivi glanced at him curiously. Likely it is as damaged as the one above, or else it would have brought us to it during our first attempt. ¡°Suppose that makes sense. That tintinnabulation seemed useful, by the way. Could be a great way to gather everyone back here whenever we need to have a meeting.¡± I would caution against using it for frivolous purposes, Xeph noted. Most temple functions require additional Conviction in order to function, and the temple is dangerously low at the moment. ¡°Oh yeah, I was noticing that.¡± Turning, Callan nudged a nearby chest with his foot, the one that contained their remaining supply of memory shards. ¡°Want me to get chowing down so we can refuel?¡± That depends. How many remain? Callan opened the chest and sifted the pieces about. ¡°Seventeen.¡± In that case, leave them where they are. You are currently generating four times the conviction the temple will require, and we may have need of those shards for other purposes yet. Such as replenishing our priesthood. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Callan closed the lid again. He turned to Kivi. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time we start showing everyone around. I imagine they¡¯re famished after this morning¡¯s walk.¡± ¡°That would be appreciated, Avatar.¡± Wait a moment, Xeph interrupted. Now that the temple has full operations restored¡ªwell, mostly restored¡ªthere is something else I wish you to do. Callan sighed. Between the walk and the climb down the cliff, he really wanted to lay down and rest for a bit. ¡°Whatever it is, make it snappy.¡± I cannot snap, lacking the required meat sacks you call fingers. It took all of Callan¡¯s willpower not to sigh again, louder this time. ¡°Xeph...¡± Yes, yes. Approach the altar so I may activate the Scry ability. ¡°Are we going to show everyone the layout of the temple?¡± That actually was a good idea, and Callan felt rather silly that he hadn¡¯t thought of it himself. Perhaps later. I have something more important in mind at the moment. The space over the altar flickered, and a ghostly image bloomed to life. Unlike the map of the temple, which had been a series of snaking lines and boxes, this was a single, bloated mass. Many of the lud went silent and turned towards the altar at the image¡¯s appearance. Callan frowned at the image. ¡°What exactly are we looking at here?¡± This, mortal, is a map of Urslang. And with temple functionality restored, we can use it to finally locate my remaining followers. 1-25 — The Path Forward The three of them¡ªShamain, Kivi, Callan¡ªsat on the stone bench in silence, staring at the map hovering over Xeph¡¯s altar. It was quiet in the great hall, the last of the remaining villagers having long since wandered off to find rooms in the nearby catacombs. Callan had briefly switched out the Urslang map for the one of the temple¡¯s interior, instructing the villagers not to wander too far. Now the map of the continent was back. Silent. Intimidating. He leaned forward a bit to study it. ¡°Why aren¡¯t there, like, cities, or border lines? You know, map stuff.¡± he asked. Because the temple draws from stored knowledge, Xeph answered, the words slow as he unpacked them, or uncompressed them, or whatever. Do you happen to know where any cities in Urslang are? ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t.¡± Turning, Callan glanced at the two women. ¡°What do you two know about the outside world?¡± ¡°Very little, I¡¯m afraid, Avatar,¡± Kivi said, her eyes not leaving the map. She gestured to the lower left corner. ¡°This area here appears to be the Badlands. I think our former village would be... here, perhaps? So this temple should be just a short distance west.¡± The map shimmered. A small dot appeared in the bottom left, with a miniscule label beside it. When Callan squinted, he could just barely make out the words ¡®Primary Temple¡¯. Shamain grunted. ¡°Don¡¯t know much, considering I spent my entire life at home. We¡¯ll need to drag a few of the Etruscian caste members in, there are still two or three left among the villagers. It¡¯s their job to travel into the outside world, trading and mingling and cavorting with the other races, and what have you. Fah.¡± ¡°You sound like you don¡¯t approve,¡± Callan noted. The old lud just ignored him. ¡°Alright, so we know the general layout of the continent, and roughly where we are,¡± he continued. ¡°That¡¯s something. We can get the rest filled in as we go. Next order of business: Xeph, are you sure you want me to begin a search for additional followers?¡± Of course I am, mortal! Why are you even hesitating? Callan glanced at the message that hovered next to the map.
Would you like to Scry for follower locations? Cost = 5 Conviction
¡°It just seems kind of costly, is all.¡± Hmmph, a small matter of waiting a few days for your internal supply to generate. Once it does, the temple will have adequate supply to search for our lost members. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who just got done telling me that Conviction shouldn¡¯t be used for frivolous purposes?¡± This is hardly frivolous, Xeph said, a hurt note in his voice. My followers have remained faithful to me for centuries, perhaps longer. What kind of god would I be if I didn¡¯t attempt to return them to the fold, to reward them for their long years of generational devotion? Callan didn¡¯t really have an argument for that. Before he could think of something else to say, Shamain spoke up. ¡°Sorry to interrupt your ruminating, or whatever it is you two are doing, Avatar, but is this really the best use of our time right now?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± he asked. Shamain eyed him critically. ¡°I mean, we are talking about, what, seven additional followers somewhere out in the world? Hardly a problem worth all three of us discussing. You and the god should figure out this business on your own time. Meanwhile, there is the slightly more important matter of sorting out the business of your new followers, if you catch my drift.¡± Callan didn¡¯t, but he was smart enough not to say anything that would give the old lud more ammunition. ¡°What exactly do you propose?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m just an old woman, it¡¯s not my place to be offering advice to the high-and-mighty avatar and his sultry high priestess. No, no, not at all.¡± Kivi shifted uncomfortably at the ¡®sultry¡¯ comment, but Callan merely crossed his arms and watched Shamain. ¡°Humor us. What would you advise? You were a member of the leadership caste even before you became a priestess, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I suppose I was,¡± Shamain said with a cackle, rocking forward a little. There was an eager light in her eyes. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s start with the most important matter. You, Xeph, need followers. Probably in greater numbers than we can hope to get before Zavastu is breathing down our backsides, but the more the better. I think that should be our primary focus.¡± Is she talking to me directly? Xeph muttered. What a strange lud. I knew there was a reason I liked her. ¡°Yeah, yeah. She¡¯s a peach.¡± Callan rolled his eyes, then turned his attention back to Shamain. ¡°Okay, followers. I can¡¯t exactly disagree with you on the importance of that, but how exactly are we supposed to go about getting more? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a sign up above saying ¡®Temple of Xeph here! Sign up to be a member today!¡¯, is there?¡± Hmm, maybe there should be... ¡°Quiet, you.¡± ¡°I have several thoughts on the matter,¡± Shamain said, ignoring Callan¡¯s non-sequiturs. ¡°Boy, how many temples do you have the ability to establish?¡± Caught off-guard by the question, Callan summoned his stat screen.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 15 Momentum: 12 Fortitude: 30 Concentration: 12 Influence: 12 Piety: 15 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C VIII Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - X) Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - X) -DISPENSATIONS- Perk 1: Wane -DOGMA- Total Followers: 73 Available Faith: 0 Conviction: 1/5 Conviction Rate: 4/week Temples: 1/1 Domain: 15 yd APOTHEOSIS: 0/25%
¡°Just the one.¡± ¡°As I suspected,¡± Shamain said with a huff. ¡°The easiest way to gain followers would be to find another town and establish a temple there. People are likely to be more amenable to the idea of worshipping a god if they have a physical sign of his protection nearby.¡± ¡°In other words, a temple would bring followers, but we need followers before we can establish another temple,¡± Kivi mused. ¡°Huh.¡± Callan rubbed his chin. ¡°Bit of a Catch-22 situation, isn¡¯t it?¡± Both of the lud stared at him strangely. Even Xeph shifted inside his skull. Why would you need to catch twenty-two of something? ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s a¡ª¡± Callan glanced at the women. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°Hmm. Whatever you say, boy. Regardless, there are plenty of villages and small farmholds within a few days¡¯ of travel around here, though most aren¡¯t nearly as big as ours¡ªor how big we were, before the cult came a knocking. I imagine that if we offer them Xeph¡¯s protection against Zavastu and her ridiculous tithes, we can get a few to join our cause.¡± ¡°Is that really worth the use of a temple, though?¡± Kivi asked, tapping her chin in thought. ¡°Would it not be better to reserve such precious resources for locations with sufficient numbers?¡± ¡°What, you perhaps expecting us to traipse all the way to Amon Tul, girl, and start recruiting there? If you really want to endure the several weeks of travel, be my guest.¡± Kivi stared blandly at the older woman. After a moment Shamain grimaced and belatedly added, ¡°High Priestess. Whatever you think is best.¡± ¡°Thank you. And no, I am not suggesting we travel that far afield, just yet. Only that we need not offer every location on the surrounding plateaus a temple in order to secure faithful. If Xeph pledges to send them aid should they ever again be threatened by Zavastu or another god, that might prove sufficient.¡± Callan nodded. ¡°On that note, how long do you think we have until Zavastu responds to our message?¡± The two lud looked at each other. Finally, it was Kivi who responded. ¡°I cannot say for certain, Avatar. Usually it was a full season between caravans, but I do not know if that was due to travel times, or if Zavastu only deigned to send her representatives so infrequently.¡± ¡°Probably a little less, if I had to guess,¡± Shamain added. ¡°We weren¡¯t the only town that caravan stopped at, so let¡¯s assume we¡¯ll be seeing at least a messenger, if not a godsdamn approaching army, in perhaps half that time.¡± ¡°Wise as always, Shamain,¡± Kivi said with a nod. She turned back to Callan. ¡°So, two months optimistically before we need worry about Zavastu again. We will need to set several watchers to return to the village to alert us when that happens. It would not do for our hostages to be returned only to think the rest of the village has abandoned them.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll leave it up to you two to get volunteers for that task sorted out,¡± Callan said. ¡°Now, what about these nearby towns? Think you can show me their rough location on the map?¡± ¡°Avatar? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t exactly just go marching off in a random direction. That only barely worked out the first time.¡± Kivi stared at him, and Callan felt more and more self-conscious the longer her eyes bored into him. At last, she said, ¡°You¡¯re serious.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah? I don¡¯t understand why you seem surprised. Isn¡¯t gathering followers kind of my job?¡± Your job is to be my vessel and voice to the world, Xeph grumbled. And I would just as soon my vessel remain somewhere with comfortable beds if at all possible. ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, Xeph, those beds are falling apart and you know it. It¡¯s barely a step above sleeping on the ground.¡± ¡°If my avatar wishes to visit these villages himself, I will of course aid him in any way I can,¡± Kivi said, her voice using that gentle tone one reserved for speaking with small, excitable children. ¡°However, I would caution that¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bloody stupid idea, is what!¡± Shamain said with a snort. ¡°I may just be an old woman from a small country village, but even I can tell you that much!¡± Callan frowned. ¡°Oh? Care to elaborate?¡± ¡°Think about it, avatar,¡± Kivi reached out and set a hand gently on his arm. ¡°You are Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡¯s physical embodiment in this world. You are this cult¡¯s strongest asset, but also our greatest weakness.¡± I can¡¯t decide if that¡¯s a compliment or an insult, Xeph muttered. ¡°What the girl means, lad, is that if something were to happen to you, think what would become of the rest of us,¡± Shamain added. ¡°Sure, one day you might be able to crush mountains in your bare hands, but for now we can¡¯t risk some villager sticking something sharp in you because said the wrong thing. Gathering new followers is better left up to those of us that are expendable. Old fogeys like me who are only a strong breeze away from death anyway!¡± ¡°I will go as well,¡± Kivi said. ¡°To better increase the odds of success before Zavastu¡¯s return.¡± ¡°Is that really the best use of a high priestess¡¯s time?¡± Shamain asked. ¡°I can think of a few Etruscian elders who¡¯d be up to the task. We could even have the avatar make them priests, help bolster our numbers a bit.¡± ¡°As you reminded me earlier, Shamain, I have connections to the village of Aos. I will travel there and see what headway can be made.¡± Kivi glanced at Callan. ¡°Do not fear, avatar. The journey there and back should take no more than a week, I won¡¯t be gone long.¡± ¡°I have no problems with that. Though I do agree adding a few more priests should be a priority, at least to replace those we¡¯ve lost. That is, of course, assuming anyone else among the villagers is even interested.¡± ¡°I will speak with them and see what I can learn.¡± Callan nodded. ¡°Xeph, any issue with that?¡± While I would prefer to have a larger pool of applicants before we begin filling our inner circle, I suppose desperate times require certain sacrifices. Let us see if the high priestess can even find any volunteers before we worry overmuch, however. ¡°In that case, I think I¡¯ll make for Seabrest,¡± Shamain said. ¡°It¡¯s the only place outside our village I¡¯ve ever been, though the last time I visited was before my hair turned white. Still, I should at least still remember the general direction.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. You two shall gather followers, we¡¯ll set a watch in the village, I¡¯ll ordain a priest or two if there are any volunteers. And then...¡± Callan hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯ll do after that, actually.¡± You have plenty to keep yourself occupied, Xeph noted dryly. We also need to power the temple enough to search for my old followers. Callan rolled his eyes. ¡°Right. That.¡± Beyond that, there are more than enough administrative duties to oversee to keep you occupied. I¡¯ll not have lud children getting into every nook and cranny this temple has unsupervised! ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll do my best to contain my excitement over the prospect.¡± Why does your voice sound sarcastic? Are you saying that the idea of fulfilling your administrative tasks as my representative doesn¡¯t fill you with joy? Callan ignored the god and turned back to the two lud women. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be setting out again, we best make sure you¡¯re well supplied. Let me show you around, I¡¯m sure there are some travel supplies on hand. If nothing else, High Priestess, you are welcome to my pack. I never ended up needing anything I brought along the first time I left the temple.¡± ¡°Thank you, avatar. Any supplies and equipment would be appreciated.¡± ¡°Yeah sure, I notice you offer the pretty one assistance but not little old me,¡± Shamain grumbled. ¡°Why, if I were thirty years younger and still had all my teeth, I¡¯d have you twisted around my finger like that, boy!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find supplies for you, too, Shamain. Maybe an old boot or two.¡± Callan couldn¡¯t hide his grin. Especially at the sour expression on the lud woman¡¯s face. Behind them on the map, two more dots appeared unnoticed. One marked Aos, and the second Seabrest. A moment later, a third appeared to the north. Not a dot, but a wavering question mark hovering near the center of the continent. Beneath it, the label simply read Zavastu. 1-26 — TFW You Realize It IS Your Circus Concentrate. Breathe in. Allow your senses to flow through your entire body. Now, try to recall that sense of innate understanding from the first time you summoned your manifestation. Breathe out. Concentrate. Now¡ª ¡°Xeph, we talked about this,¡± Callan said out of the corner of his mouth. He had his eyes squeezed tight, his feet spread wide on the training room floor. ¡°No mystic kung-fu mumbo jumbo.¡± This is not ¡®mumbo-jumbo¡¯, whatever strange human notion that might be. It is rooted in generations of practice by avatars and gods since time immemorial! ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard that spiel before. My uncle loved to talk about innate talents and ancestral heritage and crap like that.¡± Callan opened his eyes and let out a sigh. Even knowing what he was looking for, this new technique was difficult beyond measure. It had been three days since Kivi and Shamain had departed for the neighboring villages, the former in the company of an older Etruscian woman, the latter with two of her brawnier grandchildren. Callan suspected Shamain intended to use them more for carrying her than protection on the way to Seabrest, but had been wise enough not to point it out at the time. Since then, he¡¯d been finding plenty to keep himself busy. Lacking access to the pythian tree, the lud villagers had rapidly turned to other tasks, principally the rebuilding of the temple spaces to make them more habitable. While Callan had originally assumed this wouldn¡¯t involve much beyond a good dusting, he¡¯d rapidly had his naivety crushed out of him. The nightmare of restoring millennia old plumbing was already proving more than he could handle alone. Three times already he¡¯d been forced to use his Shape Stone ability to access pipes that had corroded or clogged with the passage of time. Beyond that, he also had two new priests to initiate, which mostly involved walking them through the mind-numbing exercises he and Xeph had already drilled the first generation through. Callan was rapidly growing tired of explaining the same two or three tricks. There were only so many times you could shift a pile of rocks before it all blended together. Luckily, today he was focusing on something new. Unluckily, it was aggravatingly difficult. You just need to keep trying. Some skills can only be developed with continuous practice and diligence, Xeph lectured. Learning the basics to one of my bounties is easy but lacks variety. Using them beyond the fundamentals requires diligence and a dedicated mind. Or would you rather be like our priests, destined to only wield common tricks and strategies? Callan ground his teeth. Sometimes it was like his head-mate really could read his mind. Sighing, he closed his eyes again and tried concentrating. He breathed in and let his senses flow through his entire body. For a moment he thought, perhaps... but no. The ball of glowing light in his center that represented Mountainform remained stubbornly where it was. He opened his eyes. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense. How am I supposed to manipulate my manifestation before I¡¯ve even summoned it?¡± Theoretically, you should be able to do so, but you may be right. Try summoning Mountainform first. Callan flicked his focus to the ball of light again. Instantly it responded to his command. Chalky white stone oozed from his pores and began to spread across his hands.
Alert: 6% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 6%
Nice. That forty percent reduction to Apotheosis is really making a difference. The coating didn¡¯t stop at his wrists any longer. Now it spread almost all the way to his elbows. When Callan held his hands up, it was like he was wearing the sort of gloves a fancy society lady might wear to the opera. Well, at least if the society lady happened to be Ronda Rousey. It looked like he had a set of brass knuckles wrapped around his fingers. Or talc knuckles, maybe? Was this stone actually talc, or was that just a weird naming convention? Callan didn¡¯t know. His only experience with the stone was knowing that people used talcum powder on babies, and honestly, the two might not even be related. Right. He was getting distracted. He closed his eyes and concentrated again. With his manifestation activated, he no longer sensed the glowing light in his core. Instead, it was spread throughout his fingertips, with only a trickle extending down into his arms. Callan attempted to seize it the way he did when activating Mountainform but couldn¡¯t figure out exactly how. It was trying to wiggle an appendage he didn¡¯t know he had. Relaxing again, he let his senses spread out through his body. He felt the ache in his arms from holding them at the ready for so long. The gritty floor beneath his feet. The itch in his nose as he inhaled another nostril-full of dust. He exhaled... And there it was. For the briefest of seconds, he had it. Without meaning to, he opened his eyes. The stone covering his arms had shifted a bit. Now it was covering past his elbow, and there was a slight gap just below his wrist where bare skin showed through.
Alert: 1% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 7%
Even as he watched, the stone on his skin slid back into place, the two pieces sealing together with a soft hiss. Excellent, human! Xeph¡¯s voice was a victorious crow. You have taken the first step in the right direction. Now that you know the feeling you are looking for, the next time will be easier. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure why I even need to learn this,¡± Callan grumbled. ¡°You said yourself that Mountainform will continue to expand as I increase its power. Why can¡¯t I just wait until it covers all of me?¡± Because it may be months, perhaps years, before we gain sufficient followers. I would prefer it if you knew how to cover more important parts of yourself before then. What if you need to protect your chest from an incoming arrow? Or reinforce your feet for a long fall? There are many uses that you can put Mountainform to that do not involve pummeling enemies into submission. ¡°Well, when you put it like that, I suppose it¡¯s worth the effort,¡± Callan said. He tried not to dwell on that ¡®months or years¡¯ comment. It had already been long enough that his parents had likely given up hope of ever seeing him again. I do know what I am talking about occasionally, mortal. ¡°Only occasionally. The rest of the time it¡¯s all conveniently compressed.¡± He stuck out his tongue. Even knowing the god couldn¡¯t see the gesture didn¡¯t make it any less satisfying. ¡°Oh, hey, when I managed to shift Mountainform a bit I got another message. It looked like it used... one percent of Apotheosis?¡± That is not unexpected, Xeph said. Any time you utilize advanced techniques for one of your bounties, there is a cost. In this case, the further you move from the power¡¯s source, the more strain it places on us both. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Can I do more than move it? What about stretching out coverage?¡± Also possible, but with similar Apotheosis costs. In addition, the total amount of stone will not change, so you will have to thin coverage in some areas to provide it in others. Everything has a price. It will be up to you in the heat of the moment to decide which costs are worth it. ¡°Makes sense. Now, what about Shape Stone and Wurmchain? Are there any more advanced tricks I can attempt with either of those?¡± Behind him, someone cleared their throat. Callan glanced over his shoulder at the lud man standing behind him, awkwardly shuffling about and self-consciously tugging at a sleeve of his slightly too-large robe. ¡°You need something, Argas?¡± ¡°Sorry, Avatar, I didn¡¯t mean to disturb you.¡± The lud glanced away with a guilty expression. Callan had honestly been surprised when he¡¯d volunteered to become a priest. Clearly Kivi¡¯s speech had made an impression on him. Then again, Zavastu¡¯s cult wasn¡¯t hanging over them anymore. Aligning with Xeph didn¡¯t carry the almost-certain death sentence it did a week ago. The second priest they¡¯d ordained had been an older man with a salt-and-pepper beard named Paeral. If Callan was being honest, he couldn¡¯t really tell the difference between him and Aldis. ¡°Let me guess: somebody needs help?¡± Callan groaned as the other man nodded and bowed his head. ¡°Just tell me it¡¯s not a problem with the sewer pipes again.¡± ¡°No, avatar, at least, I haven¡¯t heard of any more issues.¡± ¡°Good. Because if they break again, I¡¯m putting you on repair duty.¡± Callan felt a bit of guilty satisfaction seeing the deer in the headlights look the poor guy got at hearing that. ¡°Just think of it as training for your Shape Stone orison.¡± ¡°Yes Avatar.¡± The man just stood there, waiting on further instructions. Callan sighed inwardly. He was already missing Kivi. Heck, even Shamain¡¯s needling would have been a pleasant change of pace. He made for the doors. ¡°Might as well get moving. You can tell me about it as we walk.¡± They left the room and started the long journey back to the main living quarters. This particular training hall wasn¡¯t the same one Callan had found when he first arrived, but rather out near the temple¡¯s furthest edges. Clearing out the rogue golem that still haunted the other hall was one more task on his never-ending list of projects. ¡°So, what requires Xeph¡¯s attention so badly you had to interrupt our private training session?¡± he asked as they reached an intersection. Argas squeaked and began stammering apologies again. Callan quickly waved them away with another sigh. Yeah, he was really missing Shamain about now. Who would have thought such a day would ever occur? ¡°There are several villagers who have been petitioning to speak with you,¡± Argas finally said, once he¡¯d gotten his embarrassment under control. ¡°Lynthia is requesting access to the teleportation circle so she can lead a group of hunters out on the plateau and supplement our food supply. Several lud have volunteered for watch duties back in the village, they simply need to be organized into shifts. And Sworv wishes to speak with you about making modifications to the temple structure itself.¡± Callan glanced back at him and lud quickly held up his hands. ¡°Not more pipes! Well, I don¡¯t think so, anyway. He asked to meet you in the kitchen.¡± ¡°We have a kitchen?¡± Callan asked. ¡°As of this morning, it seems, yes.¡± ¡°Huh. Not exactly as if any of the food here needs cooking.¡± They reached another intersection, and he came to a halt, Argas stumbling behind to keep from bumping into him. ¡°Though if we do send hunters out onto the prairie, I guess that would necessitate it, huh?¡± ¡°Avatar? Does that mean you wish to authorize the hunting parties?¡± ¡°I mean, I guess I don¡¯t have any issue with it.¡± Callan rubbed his chin and glanced at the priest. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°You... you want my opinion?¡± From the look in his eyes, you¡¯d have thought Callan had asked him if he wanted to go to the temple back doors and jump. ¡°I¡ªI suppose having something other than those biscuits would be nice...¡± the lud managed after a moment. His face flushed, and he quickly glanced away. ¡°Good enough. Which direction are we bound for now?¡± ¡°Ah, that way, please, Avatar. Just past the room with the large fountain.¡± ¡°Hey, I actually know that one.¡± Callan set off moving again. After a brief pause, he heard Argas following. The expression the lud bore was a conflicted one. ¡°Thank you for the learning opportunity, Avatar,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I keep forgetting that I am Leadership caste now. I spent so many years as an Etruscian, it is easy to overlook that decisions like this are now one of my duties.¡± Callan frowned. ¡°Uh, sure. Whatever.¡± He totally hadn¡¯t meant it that way. It had just been an idle question, and now the lud was treating it like Callan had laid down some new doctrine. He gave his head a shake. Inside of it, Xeph chuckled. Ah, heavy is the brow that bears the crown. ¡°Since when do you know Shakespeare?¡± he asked. I have no idea who or what that is. It was a common enough saying during my reign. A reminder that kings and gods both would be wise not to forget their every word and action carries consequences. ¡°Yeah, well I¡¯d just as soon avoid anyone making me a king if at all possible. You know what happened to most royalty in my world, Xeph? They died. Often at the hands of their own subjects.¡± Hmmph. That¡¯s what happens when you have dynasties that aren¡¯t backed by divine providence. ¡°I think the number of monarchies on Earth that claimed divine lineage might surprise you.¡± Callan said with a tight smile. Perhaps. But were those divinities actually present to provide meaningful support? When Callan didn¡¯t respond, Xeph chuckled again. As I thought. You will find that things work quite differently here in the Outerworld. ¡°Just don¡¯t ask me to wear any crowns.¡± You already wear something better than that. Me. ¡°Okay, first of all, gross. Second, that¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± Callan snapped back to attention. He¡¯d forgotten Argas was behind him. ¡°What is ¡®Earth¡¯?¡± ¡°It¡¯s, ah... You know what? Private avatar-to-god stuff, Argas. You best get used to tuning conversations like this out if you want to make it far in the priesthood.¡± ¡°Of course, avatar.¡± Argas nodded so seriously that Callan almost started laughing. ¡°I¡¯ll endeavor to serve as a positive example.¡± They stopped in front of a door just past the fountain room. It looked just like all the other doors in this hallway¡ªor at least, it had before. Now someone had written on the door with crude letters the word ¡®KITCHEN¡¯. What is this? The lud desecrate my very temple! Callan winced as the voice screeched in his ear. He put a hand up and palmed his head several times like he was trying to clear away water. ¡°Xeph, you realize this place was already well on its way to self-desecration, right? Everything the villagers have done has to be a net improvement.¡± Bah. They could at least have asked first. Inside, several younger lud were working to construct a series of tables out of what looked like several repurposed bed frames and crates. Xeph let out another squawk, but this time Callan ignored him. Interesting. He hadn¡¯t really thought about it until now, but the rooms in the temple were oddly decorated. Plenty of bedrooms and storage rooms, several libraries and rooms with water for drinking or bathing, but not a single dining space. At least the lud seemed to be doing their best to correct that deficiency. A vaguely familiar older lud stood in the center of the chaos, directing the younger workers with all four of his arms. He glanced up, nodded in Callan¡¯s direction, then began making his way over. ¡°Remember, Avatar,¡± Argas whispered out of the corner of his mouth. ¡°This one is Daisa caste. You need not speak to him as an equal. Daisa are good for manual labor and not much else.¡± ¡°Seems like he¡¯s doing a decent job managing this whole place,¡± Callan noted. Argas looked over the room with a frown. ¡°You¡¯re right, Avatar, my apologies for the oversight. I¡¯ll see a Leadership caste brought in immediately to oversee¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ll do no such thing.¡± Callan practically growled the words, and Argas snapped his mouth shut immediately. Before either could speak further, the older lud joined them. ¡°Thank you for honoring my request for an audience so quickly, Avatar. My name is Sworv.¡± The lud bowed deeply. Something about him tickled Callan¡¯s memory. Finally, it snapped into place. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t by any chance be related to Paeral, would you?¡± The older man looked up in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s correct, avatar. Twins by birth, though not in appearance.¡± ¡°But... Paeral is Biiran, isn¡¯t he? Well, I suppose he¡¯s Leadership now, but I mean, before. Right?¡± The lud just blinked at him. Finally, it was Argas who replied. ¡°Sworv is Paeral¡¯s younger brother,¡± as if that explained anything. He turned to the man. ¡°Is that how you managed to get a request for an audience? Paeral should know better than to use his new position for his family¡¯s benefit.¡± Callan simply frowned while the two men began to argue. Right. That was what he just didn¡¯t get about the whole caste system. When Shamain had first mentioned it to him, he¡¯d assumed it worked on some sort of hereditary basis, similar to caste systems on Earth. Clearly there was more to it than that. He made a note to ask Kivi for details when she returned. Now that she was privy to his ¡°secret¡±, she¡¯d be able to help fill in a few gaps in his knowledge. Speaking of gaps, Xeph claimed his own lack of knowledge about the lud caste system wasn¡¯t due to his compression. It seemed the custom had started sometime after his exile. So there was little help to be found from that quarter. ¡°What was it you needed, Sworv?¡± He asked, breaking in before the argument could grow too heated. ¡°Ah, yes. As you can see, we are trying to convert this space into a usable kitchen.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s weird that there wasn¡¯t one to begin with. Xeph, did your followers live entirely on those bland cracker biscuit things?¡± I hope you¡¯re not expecting me to actually have an answer to that question, mortal. ¡°The problem is that I worry there isn¡¯t adequate ventilation in here to support a cookfire,¡± Sworv continued. ¡°Is it possible to have a larger shaft crafted up to the surface?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± Callan considered the idea. ¡°It might be better to use one of the upper rooms, less stone to go through. Or one near the side of the cliff.¡± ¡°Yes, but I worry about the time needed for people to travel to both locations,¡± the older lud said. ¡°Perhaps building a staircase would be easier? We could prepare the food above and bring it down to be served.¡± ¡°Let me review the temple map and figure out what¡¯s best. For now, if you need to do any cooking let¡¯s use the portal. Apparently there¡¯s also a hunting party¡ª¡± ¡°Avatar!¡± A boy he recognized as Ishe burst through the door. He almost knocked over one of the workers attempting to reach Callan¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere!¡± ¡°Oh joy. Did the sewer pipes clog again?¡± Callan eyed Argas, and the lud priest paled. ¡°No, avatar, at least I don¡¯t think so.¡± The boy clutched his knees and sucked in several deep breaths. At last, he continued. ¡°It¡¯s Racine. She says her daughter has gone missing.¡± 1-27 — Search Party Callan stood by the altar, watching as another line of lud took their seats on a bench. ¡°Is that everyone?¡± ¡°Yes, Avatar,¡± Paeral said, ¡°I personally walked through the tunnels ringing the summons bell. Anyone not present is either dead or in hiding.¡± ¡°Nobody¡¯s dead, I would have gotten an alert if that was the case.¡± That was at least one benefit of everyone having sworn an oath. Callan turned to Argas. "What¡¯s our headcount?¡± The younger lud looked up from the paper he was holding. A number of charcoal scratches showed over its edge. ¡°Including yourself, avatar, there are a total of sixty-seven of us here in the main hall.¡± Okay. Callan quickly did the math in his head. He¡¯d received sixty-four faith from the villagers the day of the fire. There were also six babies or kids otherwise too young to swear an oath. Adding Kivi, Shamain, and himself made seventy-three. Kivi had left with one companion, and Shamain with her two grandchildren. That left... Damn. There really was one missing. He turned to the crowd. ¡°Which one of you is Racine?¡± A woman much younger than Callan would have suspected stood up. She looked no more than twenty, if even that old. Tears streaked down her face. ¡°I am, avatar.¡± ¡°Where was the last place you saw your daughter?¡± ¡°This morning. She went off to play with the other children. But when they all returned for lunch, she wasn¡¯t with them.¡± Next, Callan called the children in question forward. They remembered Racine¡¯s daughter, a girl of about seven named Ziln, but none of them had been particularly close to her. At some point while they had been exploring the tunnels, she had simply disappeared, and no one had noticed. Callan turned back to the altar and placed his hands upon it. Immediately, the map of the temple appeared in the air above it. He studied the map. A message appeared in his vision.
Would you like to Scry for follower locations? Cost = 5 Conviction
¡°What do you think, Xeph?¡± I seem to recall you were the one that advised waiting until we had accrued sufficient Conviction, human. ¡°Yeah, back when you just wanted to track down where your old followers were in the world. Situation is a little different when a child has gone missing.¡± Bah, the girl is probably playing in some forgotten corner. A problem I believe I warned you about. ¡°You and I both know there was no stopping an army of curious kids, Xeph. Now we just need to deal with the fallout. What if she wandered into the room with the haywire golem? Or the vault? Those velak weren¡¯t exactly friendly.¡± We sealed the door to the vault, Xeph reminded him. ¡°Look, all I¡¯m saying is we can spend five Conviction to Scry her location, or ten to use Tintinnabulation and summon her directly here. Which is it going to be?¡± Assuming she¡¯s still in the temple. She might have activated the teleporter and gone up to the surface. Shit. That hadn¡¯t even considered that possibility. He turned back to the crowd. ¡°Who here has tracking experience?¡± ¡°I do, avatar,¡± a woman said, rising from her seat. ¡°I was organizing a hunt before the girl went missing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Lynthia?¡± Callan asked, recalling what Argas had mentioned to him earlier. The lud nodded. ¡°Then gather anyone else with similar skills and head topside. See if you can find any sign the child might have wandered off that way.¡± While Lynthia and several others left to gather equipment, Callan waved Argas over. ¡°Have you finished an accounting of the temple rooms yet?¡± ¡°Of course, avatar!¡± The man looked offended that Callan might think otherwise, then seemed to remember who exactly he was talking to. Much more timidly, he held his papers forward. ¡°There are a total of two hundred rooms in the temple besides the main worship hall. One hundred and twenty-four bedrooms. Thirty-eight are for storage. Four are fountain rooms, and another eight are attached to these providing washing and waste removal areas. Sixteen appear to have once been used for document storage. Three are training halls, six are for purposes we were unable to determine, and one remains sealed to us.¡± ¡°That last one would be Xeph¡¯s vault. Trust me, you do not want to open that door on your own.¡± Callan considered the list. He¡¯d known the temple was big, but he hadn¡¯t realized it was quite that big. Two hundred rooms... ¡°You didn¡¯t find another teleportation circle anywhere, did you?¡± Argas shook his head. ¡°Not that was immediately apparent. Though it could easily be buried somewhere like the one on the surface.¡± If it was buried, then it would be nonfunctional, Xeph noted. That is what you were thinking, yes? It is unlikely the child slipped away by that method. ¡°Just trying to consider every angle.¡± He rested a hand atop the box of remaining memory shards. After ordaining Argas and Paeral there were only eight left. He hated to waste that, but... No. Best to search by other methods first. Callan turned back to the assembled lud. ¡°I want everyone here to pick several rooms from the map and begin going over them. Leave no stone unturned¡ªliteral or figurative.¡± As the lud began to rise, Callan turned his attention back to the priests. ¡°Paeral, you stay here, mark off locations as people report back in. Argas, you¡¯re with me.¡± ¡°Avatar? Where are we bound?¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You and I are going to check the rooms the others can¡¯t.¡±
¡°You ready for this?¡± Are you asking me? ¡°No, Xeph, obviously. You don¡¯t get a say in the matter.¡± What if I wanted a say? The god grumbled bitterly. He muttered a few other words that Callan couldn¡¯t make out. ¡°In that case, you shouldn¡¯t have made the mess in the first place.¡± Callan glanced at Argas. The lud nodded. A bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. Taking a deep breath, Callan kicked open the door to the training hall. The large room was silent. And empty, other than three golems standing at the ready near the center. ¡°Hello?¡± Callan called. ¡°Anyone? Ziln, are you hiding in here?¡± ¡°I do not see anyone, avatar.¡± Argas said from behind where he peered cautiously into the room. ¡°Nor do I see the mechanical monster you mentioned.¡± ¡°Not mechanical. Something else entirely. Xeph said the golem was dveorgan in origin.¡± ¡°Dveorgan?¡± Callan shrugged. ¡°Beats me. Xeph will tell me when he manages to uncompress that particular memory, or some bullshit like that.¡± Human... ¡°Sorry, sorry. I am fully empathetic to your plight, Xeph. But a guy has to get what humor he can out of life.¡± ¡°Avatar, is this one of those conversations I should learn to tune out?¡± Argas asked. ¡°If you have to ask, you¡¯ve already failed.¡± Callan scanned the room again with a frown. He stepped further into the room, checking its far corners. ¡°Xeph, any idea where the rogue golem got to?¡± Depending on how much of its programming continues to function, it may have descended back underground. Do you want me to attempt to summon it again? ¡°No, no. If it¡¯s not going to jump out at anyone who opens this door, then there¡¯s no problem. Besides, we¡¯re here to look for the kid, not beat malfunctioning constructs into submission.¡± A valid point. Perhaps during our travels we will encounter the dveorg and petition their services to enact repairs on this facility. I doubt the golem is the only function that requires it. ¡°Maybe. But considering even the lud haven¡¯t heard of the dveorg¡ª¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± Argas¡¯s voice rang out from the center of the room. ¡°Could we take these swords? They would useful for the guards watching over the cult.¡± ¡°Sure, why not.¡± Callan started for the doors, then paused. ¡°Did you say swords? As in multiples?¡± He turned in time to see Argas make a valiant but ultimately futile attempt to pull one of the weapons from a golem¡¯s grasp. A golem who happened to be holding two blades at the ready. ¡°Get back!¡± he yelled. Argas glanced at him, and the golem began to move. Its arm pulled back to swing. The shadow fell over Argas, and his eyes grew wide as he saw the blade descending for his head.
Alert: 6% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 6%
Alert: 3% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 9%
Callan¡¯s Wurmchain shattered the sword like a piece of breaking glass. The golem leapt back as Argas screamed and fell on his ass, scooting away on all fours as quick as he could move. ¡°On your feet, priest.¡± Callan retracted his chain, twirling about three feet of it over his head while the remainder pooled on the floor at his feet. A trickle of blood ran down his arm where the chain had managed to pierce through Mountainform on the center of his palm. The golem watched him warily. ¡°Looks as if we have a perfect training opportunity here.¡± ¡°My avatar? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Summon your Wurmchain,¡± Callan instructed. Argas complied, and Callan couldn¡¯t help but notice how much shorter it was than his own. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure the upgrade to this orison had been worth it, considering he could no longer hold it by the handle. ¡°Now, I want you to take down that golem.¡± Argas eyed the training construct. It had been watching them in silence, but now it cast aside its broken weapon and began advancing. ¡°What do I do???¡± Argas yelped as the golem swiped at him, almost falling over again. Callan sighed. Aren¡¯t you going to intervene? Xeph asked. ¡°I will if he looks like he¡¯s in trouble. But how often does someone get live combat experience like this? Kivi and Shamain got the dvorak, so now Argas gets the golem.¡± Need I remind you that we ran from this very same golem when we encountered it? ¡°Oh shush. I didn¡¯t have Wurmchain then.¡± Callan cupped hands and shouted, ¡°Swing your chain! Make the golem work for his attacks!¡± ¡°Um, alright.¡± The lud began to swing his chain the same as Callan, and immediately the golem retreated. Callan had suspected the thing was smart enough to recognize the threat of the weapon after the first attack, and this confirmed it. ¡°Now what?¡± Argas asked. ¡°Try and hit it!¡± ¡°Right!¡± The priest flung his weapon forward like he was hurling a live snake. It missed the golem by a good two or three feet. Callan pressed his face into his palm. ¡°Again, Argas.¡± Once again, the priest swung the weapon and launched it at the construct. This time it flew directly towards its chest, but the golem pivoted out of the way at the last second. It slammed its sword into the chain as it passed. The sword shattered as it met the stronger force of Wurmchain, but it was enough to jar the weapon and make Argas drop it. He gasped in shock as the weapon puffed away in a cloud of sulphureous smoke. No sooner had the chain disappeared than the golem launched forward. It still had its broken weapon in its hand, which it jabbed repeatedly in Argas¡¯s direction. ¡°Avatar, heeeeeeeeelllllllppppp!!!¡± The lud fell over backwards and the golem followed. Argas managed to latch all of his arms onto the construct¡¯s own, but it seemed even with two against one he was fighting a losing battle. What are you waiting for, mortal? Save our priest! ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Callan grimaced. The two were thrashing about on the floor so much he could hardly tell one apart from the other. ¡°I can¡¯t line up the shot!¡± Then perhaps an alternative is required. Argas continued to struggle. His arms were visibly quivering now. Callan pulled back his chain for another throw, hesitated, then sighed and released the weapon. As it puffed away, he pounded across the training hall floor. ¡°Avatar!!!¡± The priest¡¯s eyes were wide as the broken sword descended towards his throat. A wet scream slipped past his lips. Then the golem jerked away. Callan withdrew his stone-encrusted fist from the automaton¡¯s chest, leaving a sizable hole in its wake. Splinters of wood cascaded onto the training hall floor. Jerking more violently, the golem righted itself, leaned dangerously to the left, then righted itself again. Its movements were erratic, and it was making a buzzing noise like an electric current was flowing through it. Callan punched it again¡ªin the face this time. It toppled over backwards. ¡°Huh. Finally managed to knock one of these things over.¡± Callan glanced down at it. ¡°Gotta admit, I wasn¡¯t expecting my fist to actually punch through like that.¡± One of many benefits of increased Brawn. Also, the wood has likely weakened over the centuries. That might also account for this particular construct¡¯s erratic behavior. ¡°I suppose.¡± Turning, Callan offered Argas a hand. ¡°Sorry about that scare. You injured anywhere?¡± ¡°I, ah, do not think so, avatar.¡± Argas gained his feet and patted himself all over. Other than the haggard look in his eyes, he didn¡¯t appear any the worse for wear. That helped mollify Callan¡¯s guilt, if only a little. ¡°Well, you performed admirably. Xeph is proud of your performance.¡± Callan slapped the lud¡¯s back in a friendly manner. Argas gave him a weak smile in return. ¡°Now, since it¡¯s obvious nobody has been in here, time we got a move on. But first...¡± Callan walked over to the remaining golems. Finding the one with a sword and shield he ripped them both from the construct¡¯s hands and tossed them to the priest. ¡°Pity about losing the other two swords, but better half a prize than none at all, eh?¡± ¡°If you say so, Avatar.¡± Callan sighed. He turned towards Argas. ¡°Look. I know me having this god in my head is a bit intimidating, but you don¡¯t have to just agree with everything I say. I¡¯d rather we be honest with each other, like friends usually are. Can we be friends, Argas?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Something passed across the lud¡¯s face, and he stood a little straighter. ¡°Yes, of course. I would like that.¡± ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s get a move on. Small odds that Ziln managed to find her way into the vault, but we¡¯d better check, anyway.¡± ¡°Is this the vault infested with velak?¡± Argas asked. Callan flashed him a grin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After dealing with that golem, a couple slug-weasels should be a cakewalk.¡± 1-28 — An Outsider’s View They never found Ziln. There were no tracks, no signs of a struggle. No blood, or dropped toys, or torn bits of cloth to offer any sort of clue. It was as if the lud girl had simply vanished into thin air. Callan did his best to put it out of his mind as he lay down to sleep that night. The only possible explanation was that the girl had found some place to secret herself, some place not shown on the map. She was still alive, or he would have received an alert about losing a point of faith. Most likely she¡¯d turn up tomorrow morning or whenever she finally got hungry. He remembered doing the same to his own parents on an occasion or two.
The next day was much like the one before it. First, Callan sent six lud back to the remains of their village to watch for signs of the cult. Even though it would be weeks and weeks yet before the caravan reached the center of Urslang, he didn¡¯t like the idea that some of the priests with it might double back. Better to keep an eye on the ruins for any sign of approach than getting caught with their pants down later. He also authorized Lynthia to begin hunting for small game on the plateau, and another group of lud led by a Daisa woman named Origi to forage for any edible plants. A diet of emergency biscuits might sustain them, but it wasn¡¯t smart to live by itself long-term. It was only after he managed to track down Sworv to follow up on the chimney plan that Callan began to appreciate the complexities of the situation he now found himself in. Sworv sat in his room, a yellowish bruise blossoming on his face like some obscene flower. The lud¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of Callan standing in the doorway, then hurriedly rose to his feet. ¡°Apologies for yesterday, Avatar. It was presumptuous of me to bother one such as yourself with such a selfish request.¡± ¡°It was hardly a bother.¡± Callan frowned as he studied the man. He couldn¡¯t tell, but from the way the lud winced when he stood, it seemed his face wasn¡¯t the only place that was bruised. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°An accident, nothing more. Please don¡¯t trouble yourself about it.¡± ¡°Um, okay.¡± Callan had been forced to sit through enough Lifetime movies with his mom to know that was a load of crap. But he could also tell the man clearly didn¡¯t want him to pry. ¡°I¡¯ve gone over the schematics of the temple. The room directly above your kitchen is one of those we don¡¯t know the purpose of. I could probably craft a staircase directly between the two given enough time. Should we do that, and turn the current room into a dining hall?¡± The lud turned and gave a quick bow. ¡°I should have explained immediately, avatar, for this I apologize again. I am no longer the lead chef in the kitchens. The project is mine to manage no longer.¡± ¡°Oh. Who should I talk to about it then?¡± ¡°That I do not know. If you stop in the kitchen, though, I¡¯m certain one of the others can tell you.¡± Callan nodded and turned to leave, only to stop and return. ¡°Did you not want to be the lead chef anymore?¡± ¡°It is not about what I want.¡± The lud looked away. ¡°Please. I do not want any trouble. Just speak with the others.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re certain¡ª¡± Callan¡¯s words cut off as the door closed in his face. He took a step back and frowned. ¡°That was odd, right? Tell me I¡¯m not the only one who thought that was odd.¡± You are not. Clearly there is more to this story than the lud is telling us. Perhaps one of our priests can provide further insight. It only took a short search to turn up Argas, who was directing a small gathering in one of the empty libraries. The lud immediately stepped away from the group at Callan¡¯s approach. ¡°Good morning, avatar. Or perhaps good afternoon. It is too easy to lose track, living underground like this.¡± ¡°Yeah, this temple could really do with a few clocks. Or maybe a skylight.¡± Callan glanced at the others, but they seemed to be busy with... sewing? Were they repairing clothes? No, they appeared to be modifying several of the priest robes from one of the storage rooms. It only now occurred to Callan that most of the outfits he¡¯d seen so far had been made for humanoids with only a single pair of arms. Guess that would necessitate some customization. ¡°Anyway, I wanted to ask you about Sworv. The cook from the other day? He seems to have suffered an injury.¡± Argas nodded somberly. ¡°Yes, most unfortunate. It seems I wasn¡¯t the only one who was upset about his stepping outside his caste. I do not condone violence, but I also understand how his actions may have been viewed by others.¡± ¡°Wait, this was because he was Daisa?¡± Inwardly, Callan was kicking himself for his lack of foresight. Of course something like that was going to result in conflict. He glanced at the lud unstitching and restitching fabrics, then back at Argas. ¡°We need to find who¡¯s responsible.¡± The priest frowned. ¡°Avatar... this is a private lud matter. It is better if you don¡¯t get yourself involved with it.¡± ¡°This is Xeph¡¯s temple, I¡¯m not going to allow¡ª¡± ¡°Callan.¡± It wasn¡¯t clear who was more surprised at the use of his name, him or Argas. The priest recovered quickly, and repeated, ¡°Callan. You asked me yesterday if we could be friends. So let me offer you some friendly advice: don¡¯t get involved with this. It is a lud matter, and not something that will be improve by an outsider¡¯s meddling.¡± ¡°Why not? What if Xeph decides he¡¯s not going to allow this caste nonsense inside his temple?¡± Argas pursed his lips. ¡°That is the god¡¯s choice, of course. And if Xeph-Zul-Karatl decides thus, I promise you, every one of the villagers here will pick up and leave. Better that than lose our way of life.¡± ¡°Everyone?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Even you, Argas?¡± ¡°I¡ªOf course not, Avatar. Paeral and I have sworn to serve, and we shall. But that is also why by becoming priests we are elevated to Leadership caste. It places us above such worries.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t understand the whole lud societal structure,¡± Callan muttered. ¡°While I will do my best to assist, someone who has spent their life as Leadership caste might be a better choice. Shamain, perhaps.¡± Whoops. Callan hadn¡¯t meant for that to be overheard. He tried to play it off with a laugh. ¡°Have you actually met Shamain? If I ask her, she¡¯d never let me hear the end of it.¡± ¡°She can be slightly... contrary on occasion,¡± Argas acknowledged hesitantly. ¡°Downright hostile is more like it.¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll take your advice and drop the subject for now. Just... let me know when there are conflicts in the future, okay? I don¡¯t want anyone getting hurt because I didn¡¯t have all the facts.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Argas nodded, and Callan took his leave. As the door closed behind him, he turned in the direction of the nearest training hall. Where are we bound for now? Xeph asked. ¡°Somewhere I can punch something until I feel better about this whole situation.¡± They returned to the hall he and Argas had cleared the day before. The now-broken golem still lay where it had fallen, so Callan took a bit of time hauling it to the far corner and sweeping up the wooden splinters as best he could. Once that was done, he practiced a few basic punches against the least-mobile of the golems until his arms shook. After that, he and Xeph returned to their advanced technique practice from the day before. Remember to breathe, mortal. Steady breath is key to feeling the flow of my power through your body. Once sensing it comes as naturally as using any of your other organs, you¡¯ll be all the better prepared to call upon the skill in a moment of crisis. ¡°You never did tell me if my other bounties can be manipulated like Mountainform,¡± Callan said, making absolutely certain not open his eyes. His head-mate had also drilled into him how important it was to block out external stimuli whenever possible. That is a more complicated question. Wurmchain can be manipulated in several ways, though it is more difficult to do so as you are affecting something outside of your body rather than within it. Shape Stone theoretically can also be altered, but because of how that orison works, the effect is notably removed from how one would expect. ¡°Oh? In what way?¡± We shall leave that subject for another occasion. However, it might be prudent to accelerate your study of Wurmchain¡¯s advanced aspects, given yesterday¡¯s battle. A weapon too long and cumbersome to be used is no weapon at all. ¡°Does that mean I can change Wurmchain¡¯s length?¡± Callan asked, suddenly feeling excited. There were several applications he could put such an ability to use. Among other factors, yes. For the moment we should master one of the simpler advanced skills and move on from there. ¡®Simpler¡¯ turned out to be a rather generous description of what Callan was practicing. If manipulating the ball of energy that was Mountainform was like trying to rub your belly and pat your head at the same time, doing the same for Wurmchain was like attempting both those things while balancing on a beach ball. At the end of the first hour, he still hadn¡¯t managed to manipulate the weapon at all, whether summoned or not. According to Xeph, the easiest task to learn was getting the spike on the end to generate elsewhere along the chain, but Callan didn¡¯t even know what mental muscle to flex. Xeph assured him that with practice and concentration he¡¯d start sensing energy outside his body, but so far, nothing. It was like trying to grab ahold of the air itself. With his Mountainform he had better luck. By the time he and Xeph called it a day he¡¯d managed to move the stone encrusting his hands all the way to his shoulders. Doing so cost an additional five percent of Apotheosis, but given the reduced costs of his other abilities, that was no longer such a heavy price to pay. He still couldn¡¯t manipulate the manifestation at all unsummoned. They left the training room with Callan sweating and feeling like a wrung-out rag. But in a good way. ¡°Amazing how much of a sweat I worked up just standing there,¡± he said as he closed the training hall door behind them. Utilizing mental energy and focus still places a strain on the body. All the more so with my power flowing in your veins. Given time and sufficient followers, primitive acts such as sweating may become a thing of the past, but for now they are an unfortunately necessary biological process. ¡°Yeah, that was a bit too clinical a comment for my tastes, but I think I got your point.¡± So are you ready to talk about what is bothering you? Callan frowned, and almost missed a step. ¡°I¡¯m not bothered.¡± Human, I literally live inside your squishy meat sack of a mind. You aren¡¯t so skilled as to hide your emotional state from me. ¡°There you go with the clinical talk again.¡± He sighed and came to a stop. Luckily, the hallway here was deserted. ¡°It¡¯s just the whole thing with Sworv earlier left a bad taste in my mouth, is all.¡± Because of the conflict over this caste system. ¡°Exactly. It just feels like what happened with Ishe all over again. Except, this time it¡¯s not you holding me back, it¡¯s myself.¡± And what exactly are you holding yourself back from? Callan shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something. Anything! It¡¯s just stupid that Sworv has to suffer because of who he was born as. Maybe that¡¯s my Earthling bias showing, or whatever, but it doesn¡¯t feel right to stand by and do nothing.¡± Then make him a priest. That appears to have resolved our High Priestess¡¯s issues. ¡°But that¡¯s only one lud. What about the other Daisa caste members? I can¡¯t make them all priests, even if they wanted to be. I just wish there was more I could do...¡± Xeph was silent for a moment. Then, So do more. ¡°Huh?¡± Do more. Force them to give up this caste system of theirs. After all, what is a centuries-old tradition in the face of love and adoration for their new god and his chosen representative? There was such a preening note to Xeph¡¯s voice that Callan honestly couldn¡¯t tell if he was being sarcastic or not. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Argas said earlier? The lud will leave.¡± Then let them. If they wish to try their luck surviving on their own in the wilderness, that is their choice. You are the avatar of a god, above kings and commoners alike! And this is our temple, where your word is law. The god¡¯s words brought a smile to Callan¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯d give up your followers for me, just like that? After everything we went through to earn them?¡± I would not be happy about it, but there are always more followers in the world. There is only one Xeph-Zul-Karatl, and only one Callan Whitlocke. Callan wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that. Luckily, he was saved from the dilemma by a flicker of movement down the tunnel. ¡°Did you see that?¡± he asked. I see whatever you see, mortal, and a little beyond as well. That said, no. No, I did not. ¡°There was... I¡¯m not sure what.¡± Callan raised his voice and called, ¡°Anybody there?¡± There was no response. Xeph grunted. It is likely one of the lud. Still looking for the lost child, I suspect. Right, Callan had almost forgotten about that. ¡°Ziln? Is that you?¡± A streak of shadows shot out of a doorway at the end of the hall and disappeared around the corner. ¡°Hey!¡± Callan took off running after it. ¡°Come back here!¡± What are we even chasing? Xeph asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But it might be the lost girl.¡± If it¡¯s the lost girl, why is she running away? Callan didn¡¯t have a good answer, so he said nothing. Instead, he dashed down one hallway, then another. He kept catching flickers of movement ahead, or just the briefest glances right before they turned another corner. Whoever they were wore dark clothing that covered most of their features. Finally, he reached a hallway that ended with a single door. He glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Pretty sure they didn¡¯t slip past us. Gotta be inside here.¡± I¡¯m still unclear who we¡¯re chasing. I haven¡¯t seen anyone. Carefully, Callan pushed open the door. A single torch burned inside the room, casting wavering light onto a half dozen objects lying at odd intervals. ¡°Isn¡¯t this one of the rooms that Argas didn¡¯t know the function of?¡± Hmm. Xeph took a moment in responding. I believe so, though with all that running I¡¯m a little turned around. ¡°Ziln? You in here?¡± Callan stepped inside. On closer inspection, he saw the various objects lying around were pieces of old machinery, now rusted and covered in an inch or more of dust. Whatever their original purpose, they were long past it now. The room appears to be empty. ¡°Yeah, kind of got that, Xeph.¡± Callan still made an effort to check behind all of the broken machines, even though none were large enough to hide a lud child. Nothing. ¡°I know I saw them come in here.¡± And I keep saying that I never saw anyone ahead of us. Perhaps I allowed you to train for too long today. Your mind is clearly suffering from all the stress that your position as avatar is placing upon it. "Gee, thanks, Xeph. Let¡¯s just jump straight to assuming I¡¯ve gone crazy.¡± I never accused you of being crazy, Xeph said with a huff. Only under an inordinate amount of stress. I should have insisted you take more time to rest after our battle in the lud village. ¡°Well, I¡¯m telling you I¡¯m fine.¡± Callan frowned as he took a last backward glance at the room, but it really was empty. Besides the machinery there was a slight crack in the far wall, but otherwise the room was as plain and unremarkable as all the others. It took a bit to retrace his steps, but eventually they found their way back to the training hall door. From there it was only a short walk back to the main hall¡ªand more importantly, Callan¡¯s private quarters. When he reached the doors to his room, he found Argas waiting for him. The lud jumped at Callan¡¯s appearance. ¡°Avatar! I am glad to see you are unharmed.¡± ¡°Duh, I mean, why would I¡ª¡± Callan paused. Alarm bells went off in his head. ¡°What¡¯s happened? Did someone find the girl?¡± Argas shook his head. ¡°No. Worse, two more have gone missing.¡± Of course. Because nothing could be simple about this whole mess. Callan did his best not to grind his teeth. ¡°Gather the villagers for another meeting.¡± ¡°Already done. They¡¯re waiting for you in the main hall.¡± 1-29 — Enemy At The Gates
Would you like to Scry for follower locations? Cost = 5 Conviction
Callan stared at the words. After a drawn-out minute or two, he focused on accepting.
Error: Insufficient conviction to utilize this consecration. Please increase temple¡¯s conviction level to continue.
From somewhere nearby came a deep growling noise. With a start, Callan realized belatedly it had emitted from his own throat. Take a breath, mortal. Xeph¡¯s voice was like wind through a keyhole. Was he trying to be soothing? Probably still thought Callan had lost it after his mad dash through the tunnels. Now, are you certain you wish to resort to this? ¡°Three people are missing, Xeph. Three children.¡± I am not disagreeing with the choice, simply asking. Once you utilize our remaining supply of memory shards, they are gone forever. Callan glanced at the box sitting on the altar. It still had eight of the reddish crystals inside. Combined with the two Conviction he had already generated, that left ten at his disposal. Giving up half of that now meant one less priest, but if it helped them get to the bottom of this mess... Before he started to second-guess his decision, he pushed back the lid, scooped up three of the stones, then swallowed them down in a single go. Swiping away the message that appeared, he laid his hands on the altar again.
You have increased temple Conviction by 5 Total Conviction = 6/???
Would you like to Scry for follower locations? Cost = 5 Conviction
This time when he accepted, the message winked away and was replaced by a map of the temple. The words Waiting hovered slightly above it. While that processed, Callan turned back to the waiting lud. ¡°Tell me again what happened.¡± All the lud began talking over each other at once. Soon most of the voices faded, and the story began to come together again. The first child, a boy of eight named Grish, had failed to return from bringing supplies back from one of the storerooms. When his father had gone looking for him, he had found the boy¡¯s stuffed toy lying in the hallway, but no sign of Grish himself. According to the parents, the boy could hardly be separated from his favorite toy for even a few minutes. There was no chance he would have missed dropping it. The other missing child, a girl of nearly ten named Arousa, had been playing with three other children here in the main temple. They¡¯d been taking turns hiding behind various benches, but when Arousa¡¯s turn to hide had come, the other children had never found her. It was then that panic had set in among the villagers. Callan nodded as the story finished, then waved the lud to silence. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. First, nobody goes anywhere alone from this moment on. Whether walking the halls or using the bathroom, always have another person with you. ¡°Second, let¡¯s set up the tents around the teleportation circle outside and have all the children stay there until we get to the bottom of this. Maybe a few elders stay up with them to make sure nobody wanders off. If there¡¯s any trouble they can always jump in the circle and come back down here.¡± ¡°What about the missing children?¡± A woman in the back asked. Her face was streaked with tears, but Callan didn¡¯t think it was one of the mothers of the missing kids. A worried aunt, maybe? ¡°How are you going to find them?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already taken steps towards doing so. Still, Xeph and I won¡¯t rest until they¡¯re found. You have my promise on that.¡± Callan turned back to the display. As he did, a notice appeared in his vision.
Scry of temple interior complete. Beginning external search.
The map began to transition over to all of Urslang, but Callan hurriedly swiped it back to the tunnels. He leaned in close. Beside him, he could sense Argas and Paeral holding their breath. ¡°Xeph? Thoughts?¡± Hmm. Callan could sense the god shifting to the front of his mind, felt his eyes focusing more intently. Together, they studied the map. The temple showed a cluster of white lights, all within the main chamber. The tunnels and other rooms remained dark. There does not appear to be anyone within the temple except this room, Xeph said, confirming Callan¡¯s suspicions. Wherever these children are, they are not within the bounds of our walls. ¡°So they are outside, then?¡± Callan swiped back to the map of Urslang. Perhaps. The map of the continent now showed a circle around the temple, similar to the one Callan saw when he used his Shape Stone ability. As he watched, it grew slightly wider, but the pace was so slow it would likely be days before it covered the entire continent. Weeks, maybe. Reaching out, Callan pinched his fingers, then spread them wide to zoom the map in on their location. The rough edges of the map changed, taking on new definitions and colors. Suddenly the blob of landscape down at the southwestern tip of Urslang looked quite different. Gaps appeared in the landscape separating chunks of land, which Callan at first took to be rivers, but quickly realized must be the various canyons that separated the plateaus. The circle had also widened, and now he could see that it had spread all the way to the edge of their current plateau. ¡°Is that Tokash?¡± Argas asked over his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s what?¡± ¡°The Tokash Plateau. Our village was Tok¡ª¡± he gestured to where the ruins of the lud village showed at the far end. ¡°¡ªSo the plateau itself is called Tokash.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Callan frowned. ¡°I spent literal weeks in your village. How am I only just now learning its name?¡± ¡°I, ah, do not know, Avatar.¡± The priest gave a helpless shrug. ¡°We have always just referred to our village as ¡®the village¡¯, we only use its name when speaking with foreigners. Perhaps it simply never came up?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lame-ass excuse if I ever heard one.¡± If your posterior is coming up lame, perhaps you are sleeping wrong, Xeph quipped. Callan sighed and pinched his nose between his fingers. ¡°Focus, Xeph, focus.¡± He noticed that the circle had expanded to encompass the edges of the nearest plateau. Two dots of light appeared on it. ¡°Hey, there we go, more followers. Any chance you think it¡¯s them?¡± Argas frowned and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s a journey of at least a day. Maybe Ziln could have gotten that far by now, but not the other two.¡± ¡°Okay, so it¡¯s probably just Kivi on her way back, then.¡± The thought lightened Callan¡¯s heart a bit. It would be good to have the high priestess¡¯s advice again. Unfortunately, it looked as if she wouldn¡¯t be here until tomorrow at the earliest. There were no other lights on the Urslang map, so Callan grudgingly swiped it back to the temple¡¯s interior. Lights were beginning to filter into the nearby rooms, likely the villagers gathering supplies and preparing to move their children topside. What would Kivi think when she saw the temporary encampment? Callan grinned as he imagined her expression. At least it was her and not Shamain. ¡°Avatar, with your permission I¡¯d like to join in the efforts to find the missing children,¡± Argas said. Callan waved him away, then said, ¡°Be sure to take Paeral with you. Nobody goes anywhere alone, even priests.¡± ¡°What about yourself?¡± Paeral asked. Besides the priests, they were alone in the great hall now. Callan grinned and tapped at his skull. ¡°I¡¯m never alone anymore. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°Hmm, I suppose that¡¯s true. In that case, I hope to return with good news.¡± ¡°You and me both.¡± He watched the lud priests depart, then turned back to studying the map. Hmm, Xeph said contemplatively. At least we shall finally be able to locate my other followers. So using our remaining stones was not a complete waste of resources. ¡°Yeah, really not the time for that, bud. I¡¯m trying to concentrate here.¡± What are you looking for? the god asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anything that might give a clue.¡± Callan scrubbed at the back of his neck in frustration. ¡°Is there anything you can remember about this place? Anything that might pose a threat, or some secret chamber not on the map?¡± Unfortunately, much remains as compressed as before. There are no threats I am aware of, but then I was unaware that a nest of velak had infested my vault and eaten my precious treasures. Xeph went silent, though Callan could sense him thinking. If it is an official part of the temple, it will show on the map. That said, you will notice that none of the velak tunnels show around the vault. If someone or something else managed to tunnel into here over the centuries, it wouldn¡¯t be visible. ¡°But if there was another tunnel around, wouldn¡¯t we have stumbled on it by now? Other than the vault, there aren¡¯t exactly any locked doors here.¡± Unless whatever entered the temple sealed its tunnel after itself. Callan shook his head. He had several counterarguments, but they died on his tongue as another light blinked to life momentarily on the map, flickered, then disappeared again. ¡°Holy shit! Did you see that?¡± How does one consecrate¡ª ¡°Not right now, Xeph!¡± Callan stared at the place the light had been. He wasn¡¯t certain, but he thought it was the same room he had chased the shadowy figure into before losing their trail. The light flickered again, so fast he would have missed it if he hadn¡¯t been staring right at it. Unlike the others, it was an angry red. ¡°There it is!¡± Callan spun and dashed from the room. He nearly crashed into a trio of lud coming the other direction, armed laden with blankets, but managed to spin around them and continue his charge without losing any speed. Wait, mortal! Xeph bellowed as Callan pelted down one hallway, then another, trying to remember the way he had gone earlier. He was pretty sure it was a right, then a left, then another left... Mortal! Mortal! Callan! STOP! ¡°Wha... What is it, Xeph?¡± Callan stopped in front of the door to the room, his breath coming in ragged breaths. Three good lungful¡¯s of air later he was back to normal. Guess that¡¯s a thirty in Fortitude for you. We should be cautious, Xeph warned. That light... it was different from the others. I do not think it signifies one of our followers. ¡°Yeah, kind of already figured that out from the angry red color. Still, doesn¡¯t that make it all the more reason we should come investigate?¡± I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re wrong, only... perhaps you should not investigate alone. ¡°But I have you, remember? I¡¯m never alone.¡± My companionship is of little consolation if you happen to be bludgeoned to death. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best not to let that happen.¡± He pushed open the door to the room. Just like the first time, there was nothing to see other than the ancient broken machinery. A few tracks showed in the dust on the floor, but Callan suspected those were all from his own feet. He frowned and scanned the room, looking for anything out of order. Nothing. ¡°It¡¯s just like before.¡± Whatever that red dot on the map was, there is every possibility it moved elsewhere before we arrived. Callan shook his head. ¡°Nuh uh. There are basically no other doors along here for the last two corridors. No way anybody got out in time.¡± He stepped into the room and started searching through the wreckage. A few pieces of machinery broke off in his hand when he tugged on them, but none of them appeared to have been moved or otherwise disturbed. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. You saw the map, there has to be something here. Even if they¡¯re not here any longer, somehow they appeared in the first place.¡± A hole in the ceiling? Callan glanced up, but there was nothing. The rough stone overhead showed a few small cracks, but none anywhere close to the one on the far wall. Wait. He moved towards the crack in the wall and ran his finger along it. He couldn¡¯t remember exactly, but he was fairly certain that it was bigger than the last time. ¡°Xeph, is there anything behind here?¡± No, I don¡¯t think... Oh. Hmm. Interesting. ¡°What?¡± Earlier, this room was completely surrounded by stone, but now... there¡¯s a small pocket of space just beyond here. I can¡¯t quite see far enough to know where it leads. ¡°No worries, that¡¯s good enough for me.¡± Callan activated Shape Stone, then moved his power to the wall. Gripping the air tightly, he shoved the wall to either side.
Alert: 3% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 12%
It had taken four separate applications of his orison, but eventually he got a hole big enough to crawl through. A dark tunnel was visible just on the other side. ¡°Gotcha.¡± Now I feel as though we should gather allies even more, Xeph said as Callan got down on his hands and knees. We¡¯ve found the invader¡¯s entrance. Let¡¯s return with a small army of priests and angry parents to reclaim these children. ¡°I¡¯m not going far, Xeph. Just a peek to see what we¡¯re dealing with. Then we go get the others. Okay?¡± Fine. Just watch your head, especially¡ªOoh. There. Callan grimaced and rubbed at the sore spot on the top of his skull. ¡°Thanks.¡± Just making sure my precious human carriage doesn¡¯t suffer undue damage. ¡°Yeah, I hope you remember that next time you sic a golem on me.¡± That was ONE time, mortal! Callan chuckled, then cut off as he remembered where they were. Quietly as he could, he began to sneak forward, his legs making soft ¡®shnk, shnk¡¯ noises as they rubbed along the tunnel floor. The path did not grow any thinner, but neither did it widen out. It was a tight fit, but Callan managed to push through. Still, the light from behind them continued to fade until they were in darkness entirely. Just when Callan was beginning to think the tunnel would never end, that he¡¯d have to simply back up the entire way, he spotted a dim light ahead. The sight reinvigorated him, and he crawled faster towards it. Soon he was close enough that he began to suspect he knew its source. Still he crawled on, until he stopped right in front of it, which also happened to be the tunnel¡¯s end. There, near the base of the floor, was another of the lamps that lit Xeph¡¯s temple. Only this one glowed with a faint blue light. ¡°Why is that¡ª?¡± he began, but never finished. One moment, there was solid ground beneath his feet, and the next, there wasn¡¯t. He tumbled into open air for a heart-stopping moment, slammed into solid stone, was airborne again, landed, bounced, slid. The world spun around him at increasingly alarming speeds. Xeph yelled in his ears, but it was all lost amid the cacophony and chaos. Then with painful finality, his tumble ended. Callan lay in a wincing heap, his back pressed against whatever had brought him to a halt. It felt solid, and metal, and cold. With questing fingers, he reached out and felt around him. His search ended quick enough as they encountered more cold metal. They closed around it. Bars. They were bars. Smooth in some places, etched in others. He sat up, and nearly cried out as he discovered just how low the ceiling was here. Blinking in the darkness, he tried to make out details. Slowly, shapes began to form around him. He thought at first it was his eyes adjusting, but soon realized it was because the light around him was increasing. A bobbing flame appeared in the distance. It was the same pale blue color as the one from before. Slowly, it made its way towards him. The light came to a stop right on the other side of the bars to his cage. His cage. Callan looked around, and saw he was surrounded on all sides. Even the floor had a set of cross-hatched metal keeping him from the stone beneath. So distracted was he by the revelation of his imprisonment, that it took Callan a moment to notice the figure carrying the light on the other side. Black eyes stared back at him from a miniscule face. Callan had thought the lud were short, but they had nothing on the strange figure watching him. Hmm. I have some good news for you, Xeph said, startling Callan out of his wonderment. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I appear to have decompressed another memory. ¡°Does it have anything to do with the tiny man who¡¯s currently watching us?¡± Callan said, not taking his eyes off the stranger. They didn¡¯t respond to his one-sided conversation, just continued watching in turn. That is no man. It¡¯s a dveorg. 1-30 — Weakness The dveorg stared at Callan, and Callan stared back. Between them, shadows danced in the light of the flickering blue flame. It was difficult to make out details about the strange little creature. He didn¡¯t appear to be more than two feet tall, and while he had the normal number of arms and legs, they were stockier than Callan would have expected. In fact, the dveorg was almost as wide as he was tall¡ªassuming it was a ¡®he¡¯, anyway. The facial features didn¡¯t exactly give much away. Their skin tone was difficult to make out in the flickering light. While it seemed like it might be darker than the lud, it wasn¡¯t at all like dark skin back on Earth. It was more the color of hewn stone than anything terrestrial. In fact, when Callan squinted, he realized even the texture was more akin to a craggy rock surface. Like the small man had been birthed by the earth itself. After the silence dragged on for several minutes, Callan cleared his throat. ¡°Uh, hi.¡± ¡°Ug-mun.¡± The creature raised its free hand and pointed at Callan. ¡°Ug-mun.¡± ¡°Um... Xeph. Little help? Any idea what that means?¡± I believe he is referring to us. ¡°Me?¡± Callan pointed at himself. ¡°Am I an... ug-mun?¡± ¡°Yes. You ug-mun. You pris-on-er.¡± Each word was drawn out and strangely staccato. Still, Callan had understood that last part well enough. ¡°I¡¯m your prisoner?¡± He glanced around, but there wasn¡¯t much to see past the light of the flickering flame. ¡°Where are the others? Listen, I¡¯m not here to cause trouble, but you¡¯ve taken¡ª¡± ¡°Pris-on-er no talk!¡± The dveorg smacked at the bars. ¡°Pris-on-er do as told. You stay. You be-long to Ish-ka-plet now!¡± Hmm. Is Ishkaplet the name of their tribe, or their chieftain? Xeph mused idly. Callan pulled a face. ¡°Yeah, sorry, that¡¯s a hard no.¡± With a thought, he summoned Wurmchain. It would be the work of a few moments to cut through these bars. Then he¡¯d see what information he could get out of the tiny man. Or not man. Whatever.
Alert: 3% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 12%
¡°Ug-mun pow-er!¡± the dveorg said in alarm. ¡°Ug-mun priest!¡± ¡°Ug-mun an av-a-tar,¡± Callan said, drawing out the syllables like the dveorg. The little creature quivered visibly, then shoved its blue flame forward. As soon as the flame touched the bars of the cage, it snuffed out. In its place, symbols burst to light along the bars. Callan realized that this must have been the rough etching he¡¯d originally encountered in the dark. He¡¯d never seen their like. The symbols were wholly alien to anything he¡¯d encountered before. His Wurmchain dissipated into a sulphureous cloud. ¡°What in the ding-dong fuck?¡± Callan stared at his empty hand. When he glanced up, the dveorg from before had disappeared. ¡°Xeph, what¡¯s going on?¡± I¡¯m not certain, human. Though it like likely ¡ª¡ª bar. We should ¡ª¡ª¡ª and ¡ª¡ª. ¡°Uh...¡± Callan felt his throat tighten in sudden fear. ¡°Want to try that again? You¡¯re breaking up.¡± ¡ª I ¡ª¡ª Oh this is ¡ª problem ¡ª¡ª¡ª. You ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª immediately. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Callan! ¡ª¡ª. ¡ª¡ª¡ª. Silence. ¡°Xeph? Xeph!¡± No matter what he tried, the god didn¡¯t respond. Callan reached out and rattled the bars of his cage, but they were solid¡ªincredibly so. When he tried flexing, not only did they not bend, but a few seconds of trying left him gasping for breath. What in the world? He hadn¡¯t felt this weak since... Oh. Oh no. Nonononononononononono... Trying to contain his mounting panic, Callan summoned his stat screen. Or he tried to. Nothing happened. Where was it? Even when quarantine protocols had been enacted, Callan hadn¡¯t been separated from his stats. Only his powers. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine. This is just a temporary measure. The dveorg can¡¯t separate us permanently. No. I don¡¯t¡ªI won¡¯t¡ªbelieve it! Yet as time stretched out, and Xeph didn¡¯t return, Callan¡¯s panic reached a fever pitch. He rattled the bars of the cage, screamed into the endless dark. Raged about his tiny space. No one appeared. No one spoke. He was alone. ¡°Xeph? Where are you? Answer me you cantankerous bastard!¡± His raving echoed in the darkness, but there was no response. Eventually he slumped against the bars, from utter exhaustion if not an actual end to his panic. His whole body was shivering. Had it been this cold when he¡¯d entered the dveorg cave? He couldn¡¯t remember. Aches and pains were spreading through him, too, starting in his legs and working their way upward. Callan willed the pain to just be a figment of his imagination, but as it grew worse with every passing moment, he couldn¡¯t just write it off as psychosomatic. Xeph was gone. And without his intervention, without medications and treatments, Callan¡¯s cancer was raging through him once again. He could feel it like a tangible thing, slouching its way through his body, spreading its taint to every cell it could touch. Pain echoed through his legs, arms, chest, fingers, toes, ears, eyes, tongue, nose. He screamed an endless, raging scream. The cancer didn¡¯t care. The cancer advanced. He curled into a whimpering ball as his strength ebbed, and the poison spreading through him claimed his body completely.
They were hanging out in Callan¡¯s room after school. This had been their routine every day for the last three weeks now, as Lyle tried to get him caught up on what exactly was going on in the MCU. They had progressed¡ªthough Callan was using that term loosely¡ªfar enough that Lyle was now having them watch several of the Sony films for some reason. Currently, his friend was forcing him to sit through Spider-Man 2. The one with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst from 2004. Callan had nodded along as Lyle explained how this film would be important when they got to No Way Home, as if that was supposed to mean something. It wasn¡¯t a terrible film. Definitely not as bad as the version with What¡¯s-his-name Garfield¡ªwhich Callan had actually seen with his parents some years ago. He suspected his mother thought the actor was cute. But the plot of this film was a bit difficult to follow. Multiple villains, lots of moping from the MC, and a weird subplot where Spider-Man lost his powers for some reason that was never fully explained to Callan¡¯s satisfaction. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He commented as much to Lyle when they were done, who nodded along sagely. ¡°Yeah man, this is definitely the weakest film of the trilogy¡ª¡± Trilogy? Oh boy, I bet I know what we¡¯re watching next... ¡°¡ªAnd that whole deal with the losing powers always drives me mad. I mean, what is the point of giving a hero superpowers, only to take them away? Like, are the directors trying to say that Spider-Man is somehow still just as important and useful without the ability to stick to walls? It¡¯s Spider-Man! Obviously he¡¯s not the same!¡± Callan frowned. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant at all.¡± ¡°It always drives me crazy in stories when the main character gets nerfed like that!¡± Lyle either didn¡¯t hear Callan, or more likely, was working himself up to another one of his rants and didn¡¯t want to be interrupted. ¡°Like, it¡¯s nothing but lazy writing. If you¡¯re going to give your character powers, don¡¯t take those powers away just as a method to keep the story from advancing too fast. And then they bottle it all up with nonsense like ¡®the hero¡¯s true power lay inside of him all this time¡¯ or something! Total bullshit.¡± ¡°Does it really matter?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Of course it matters! You think I read all of these power fantasy stories because I enjoy hearing about everyday people? If a character suddenly gets weaker, it makes them worse, not better. Nobody wants to hear that shit, man.¡± The conversation lapsed after that as Lyle hunted for the next movie. Callan leaned back on the couch, trying not to dwell on what his friend had just said, but the words were hitting a little close to home when it came to another subject he¡¯d been meaning to bring up for days now. ¡°I don¡¯t think someone getting weak makes them worse,¡± he finally said. Lyle glanced up at him with a frown. ¡°Like, it¡¯s a thing that happens sometimes, you know? People get sick, or hurt. Weakness doesn¡¯t change who they are inside, any more than having strength or superpowers does.¡± ¡°Man, you really defending that movie?¡± ¡°Not the movie. I¡¯m talking about real life.¡± Callan drew in a deep breath, then said, ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you. Do you remember how I missed all that school the last few weeks?¡± Kyle didn¡¯t respond. Something caught in Callan¡¯s throat, but he swallowed it down and forged onward. ¡°My parents took me to a doctor downtown, and¡ª¡± ¡°You have cancer.¡± Lyle looked away and fiddled absentmindedly with the remote. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You do?¡± ¡°I mean, yeah, man. Aaron spilled the whole story. Apparently, he and Jamal already knew, they said you told them days ago. Kaylee, too.¡± ¡°Lyle, I¡ªThat wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± Callan¡¯s friend still refused to look at him. ¡°I thought we were buds. Yet you told all of them before you said a word about it to me.¡± We are buds, Callan thought, chagrined. You¡¯re my best friend. That¡¯s why I waited to tell you. He didn¡¯t say this out loud, however. Instead, he hung his head. ¡°I wish I hadn¡¯t. Told them, I mean.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Now Lyle was looking at him, a crease furrowing his brow. His whole demeanor changed in a moment. ¡°Because everyone¡¯s been acting weird since I did. Aaron keeps avoiding me in the hall, and Kaylee hasn¡¯t responded to any of my messages. It¡¯s like they¡¯re afraid my cancer is catching.¡± He hadn¡¯t meant to say the last part out loud. Hadn¡¯t meant to even give that thought from the darkest recesses of his mind a voice. Yet it had slipped out anyway. Now here it was. His worst fear made manifest. ¡°Man, fuck all of them,¡± Lyle said. ¡°Huh?¡± Callan blinked. The other boy shot him a grin, then tapped the remote. Another movie appeared on the screen. ¡°If somebody is going to start treating you like dirt just because you¡¯re sick, they¡¯re not worth your time in the first place. So I say, fuck them. I never liked Aaron anyway. Self-righteous prick who thinks he''s better than everyone just because his dad''s some hotshot at Microsoft." Lyle flipped a finger off at the window, as if Aaron might somehow sense it wherever he was. Callan just stared at his friend. Then, he started to laugh. He couldn¡¯t help it. The feeling bubbled up from inside of him and spilled out, until he was holding his sides from the pain of it. Lyle watched him with that wry smile of his. ¡°You know you¡¯ve always got me, right?¡± he said when Callan¡¯s laughter finally subsided. ¡°I know.¡± Callan wiped his eyes. A big grin had taken hold of his face and refused to leave. ¡°Believe me, I know.¡± ¡°Good, because with a pal like me, who needs those losers? They¡¯ll be kicking themselves when you beat this cancer and come back as the most popular kid in school. Just wait and see.¡± ¡°Sure. I look forward to it.¡± Callan turned back to the screen as Lyle hit the play button. Another movie started, but he could barely pay attention to what was happening. All the stress he¡¯d been carrying these last few weeks was finally gone. It felt like a physical weight had been lifted from his chest. Callan didn¡¯t know what his future held, but suddenly he wasn¡¯t worried about it any longer.
Awake. Wavering darkness greeted Callan when he opened his eyes. He tried to sit up, but it hurt too badly to move. So he just lay there and waited as his eyes uncrossed and his surroundings slowly came into focus. Had that been a dream about Lyle, or a memory? He couldn¡¯t remember ever sitting down to watch Marvel movies with his friend, but the early days of his treatment were kind of hazy. It could have happened. As his vision restored itself, he saw that his cage had been moved. Before, the blue light from the bars had illuminated little beyond natural caverns, but the space he was in now was much more open, and more intentionally shaped. Smooth walls formed a near-perfect circle around him, with his cage set at the center. A good fifteen feet of empty space lay in any given direction, the floor soft with sand. With his head feeling a little better, he risked sitting up again. A wave of nausea coursed through him, but he didn¡¯t pass out. His fingers gripped the bars tight to keep him in place. ¡°Hello?¡± he croaked. There was no answer. He appeared to still be alone. ¡°Xeph? Anybody?¡± Silence. Both inside and out. Callan cursed under his breath, then louder when he remembered there was no one to hear him anyway. This was not good. Whatever the bars were doing to keep the god locked away appeared to also be messing with his healing. While Callan didn¡¯t feel as bad as when he¡¯d passed out¡ªhonestly, half of that had seemed like some dream itself¡ªhis whole body was still shaky, and he could feel a fever burning through him. Sweat dripped from his forehead. Just how long could he last like this? How quickly would his cancer kill him, without divine protection or modern medicine? That was one question he¡¯d never bothered to ask Doctor Martin. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure if he regretted that decision or not. Sometimes ignorance was bliss. A rumbling across the room drew his attention. Part of the circular peeled away, revealing a small passage beyond. Callan blinked, wondering if it had been a trick of his sick mind. For a second, the effect reminded him of his Shape Stone ability. A dveorg emerged from the tunnel, turned, and closed the passage behind it via some method Callan couldn¡¯t determine in the dim light. They approached his cage. It wasn¡¯t the same as the creature that had captured him. Where that one had been as wide as they were tall, this one was thinner, if only slightly, and had smoother features on their face, less rough stone and more like chiseled marble. Callan suspected this might be a girl. ¡°Ug-mun. You, eat.¡± The dveorg shoved a metal platter forward that had several goopy piles on it. Callan glanced at them, and then back at the dveorg. They waved their hands at him. ¡°Eat. Eat. Ug-mun stay strong. For Ish-ka-plet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± Callan said. Which was true. His stomach was so riotous that this could have been the juiciest hamburger he¡¯d ever seen and it still would have turned his stomach. ¡°Eat. Krov stay. Watch ug-mun. You no cause trou-ble for Krov.¡± ¡°I. Can¡¯t. Eat.¡± Callan said, drawing each word out slowly. ¡°I¡¯m. Ve-ry. Sick.¡± ¡°Sick? Ug-mun sick?¡± the dveorg Krov frowned at him. ¡°No, trick. You no sick.¡± Callan couldn¡¯t have timed what happened next better if he¡¯d tried. He turned, looked at the plate of food next to him, and vomited on top of it. Little undigested bits of the emergency rations he¡¯d had for breakfast mixed with the goop the dveorg had brought, making an utter mess of all of it. Then the smell hit his nose, and he vomited again. He glanced back up at Krov, who visibly recoiled. ¡°Sorry, I think there¡¯s something wrong with this plate, could you bring me another?¡± ¡°Sick! Sick!¡± the little dveorg turned and fled into the dark. Callan waited a moment, but when she didn¡¯t return, he scooted to the far side of his cage and lay down. The dizziness was passing finally, but in its place were coming the aches again. It started as pins and needles, gradually ramping in intensity until he was gritting his teeth hard enough to nearly crack them. Is this what dying of cancer feels like? he thought between waves of pain. No wonder we load people up on painkillers. I wouldn¡¯t wish this on my worst enemy. The shuffling of feet signaled Krov¡¯s return. When Callan finally opened his eyes, he saw she wasn¡¯t alone. The dveorg from before was with her, along with a third. This newcomer looked older, his skin visibly paler and more wrinkled. He leaned heavily on a staff of¡ªCallan squinted to make sure his eyes weren¡¯t playing tricks¡ªsome pure crystal. Like a diamond that stretched nearly two feet in length. The older one leaned close, until their face was pressed against the bars, and studied Callan as he studied them in turn. Finally, they reached out and prodded him with their crystal staff. ¡°Knock it off,¡± Callan muttered. His voice was raspy. He thought about batting it away, but the effort was too much for him to bother. ¡°Hmm. Ug-mun no fak-ing.¡± The dveorg seemed to consider something a moment, then drew out a bag from within his robes. ¡°Ug-mun weak. We make strong a-gain.¡± Callan watched as the dveorg opened the bag, then proceeded to smear a foul-smelling substance on the bars of his cage. Within moments, the bars began to sizzle. Was that... acid? It wasn¡¯t enough to eat through the metal entirely, but everywhere the dveorg marked, the glowing runes faded away to nothing. When almost half the runes were gone, the dveorg stopped. They nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the others. A hushed conversation took place to which Callan didn¡¯t have the energy to try and listen. Eventually the two dveorg left, leaving Krov behind. ¡°Hey,¡± Callan said. The dveorg girl just stared back at him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°You no talk, ug-mun. Rest. Get bet-ter. Chief say runes too strong. Now they weak-er. You rest. Need strength soon.¡± ¡°Sure, get stronger. I¡¯ll get right on that, along with curing my cancer, and maybe bending these bars apart with my bare hands. Maybe then your chief... your....¡± He trailed off. A distant buzzing noise was building in the back of his head. Was that...? Callan almost didn¡¯t dare hope. The buzz grew in volume. Little chirps followed, like the auditory version of static shocks. ¡ª¡ª¡ª. ¡ª Had enough of this ¡ª¡ª¡ª. Listen, if you can hear ¡ª¡ª then ¡ª. Bah, why didn¡¯t I insist he send a priest into that tunnel first? Or one of the older lud, they¡¯re all expendable. Now we¡¯ve gotten ourselves into this horrid¡ª ¡°Xeph? Xeph!¡± Callan sat bolt upright. Oh? It appears communication has been restored. Joy. A wide grin split Callan¡¯s face. ¡°Boy, is it nice to hear a friendly voice.¡± That makes one of us. Although I suppose it is good to know that you are utterly lost without my guidance and wisdom. Thanks to this little adventure, I¡¯m certain you will appreciate my presence all the more in the future. Also, yes, it is good to be back. Now, how about we see to the small matter of gaining our freedom? 1-31 — Easier Than Kicking A Baby ¡°So where exactly did you go?¡± Callan asked. ¡°It seemed different than the time with the quarantine protocols.¡± I did not ¡®go¡¯ anywhere. I have been here this entire time. You simply were unable to hear me. ¡°It was more than just that. I didn¡¯t have access to any of my bounties, or even my raised stats. Hell, I couldn¡¯t even bring up my stat screen.¡± Just to make certain, Callan pulled it up now.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 10 (-5 modifier) Momentum: 7 (-5 modifier) Fortitude: 25 (-5 modifier) Concentration: 7 (-5 modifier) Influence: 7 (-5 modifier) Piety: 10 (-5 modifier) -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C VIII Manifestation: (Error ¡ª Locked) Orison slot 1: (Error ¡ª Locked) Orison Slot 2: (Error ¡ª Locked) -DISPENSATIONS- Perk 1: (Error ¡ª Locked) -DOGMA- Total Followers: 73 Available Faith: 0 Conviction: 1/5 Conviction Rate: 4/week Temples: 1/1 Domain: 10 yd (-5 modifier) APOTHEOSIS: 0/25%
Interesting. The first thing he noticed was that all of his stats were showing negative five, and his abilities listed ¡®locked¡¯ where they normally bore descriptions. Out of curiosity, he tried summoning his Wurmchain, but nothing happened. His muscles felt strong as before again, but he hadn¡¯t exactly been brimming with Brawn, either. Also, his Conviction had gone up another point. He¡¯d just drained the last of it to fuel the temple¡¯s scry function. How long had he been down here? At least a day, but no more than two, he¡¯d guess. The exact circumstances of our separation elude me as well, Xeph said, oblivious to Callan¡¯s worries. But it was not quarantine. During quarantine, I am placed in a reduced activity state in order to repair myself. Here, I was fully cognizant of everything, but had no way to communicate with you. It was... strange. Worrisome, even. I could feel the connection to our followers, but not to my avatar. If not for still being able to see through our eyes, I would have assumed you were dead. ¡°Gee, that¡¯s not a chilling thought. Think it has something to do with these bars?¡± Callan reached out and traced a finger along one. The blue glow produced no heat. In fact, it felt cold beneath his fingertips. Almost certainly. I have seen dveorgan runic work before, but this is something new. It must have developed during the time of my isolation. ¡°Any chance you¡¯re just compressing the memories of it?¡± Possibly. Xeph paused, then added. But I do not believe so. ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter, but it sure puts these guys in a different light, that¡¯s for sure. Based on all the dveorgan construction about the temple, I¡¯d just assumed they must have been a different kind of follower.¡± Xeph scoffed. Followers? The dveorg? Never. Allies, yes, but never followers. What would be the point? Their loyalty grants no faith, no conviction, nothing of any substance. ¡°Really?¡± Callan asked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. Why would some of the elevated races grant faith, but others not?¡± Because dveorgs are not members of the elevated races. ¡°Oh, right, you said something about that before.¡± In all the chaos with losing his connection, it had slipped Callan¡¯s mind. ¡°Is that what you meant by ¡®not a man¡¯?¡± Correct. Dveorg predate humanity¡¯s arrival in the Outerworld by... Well, I don¡¯t actually know. Perhaps that is still compressed. But a very, very long time. Callan glanced around for Krov. Now that Xeph had returned, so did his appetite. Unfortunately, it appeared that the dveorg woman had departed sometime during the conversation with his head-mate. You should get some rest, human. The next time one of the dveorg returns, I have a plan to get us out of here. In the meantime, you need to rest and recover from your ordeal. ¡°Yeah, about that.¡± Callan swallowed. Now that the god was back, he felt so much better he almost wanted to pretend like it had never happened, but another part of him needed to know what had happened with a burning desire. The two parts warred within him as he tried to find the right words. ¡°While we were... disconnected, or whatever...¡± He swallowed, his throat dry and scratchy and filled with a bitter aftertaste of bile. ¡°Did my cancer return? Is that why I was so sick?¡± What? Don¡¯t be absurd, human. Even if I departed forever, your disease would not manifest itself so quickly! ¡°Then why did I feel like I was dying? I could barely move, and everything ached...¡± Ah, that. Xeph was silent for a moment. I think it had to do with how we were separated. You know how I keep telling you of the checks and balances built into our relationship? How they exist to keep you from drawing too much power too quickly? ¡°Yeah?¡± While we were apart, my power was still flowing through you, but you no longer had access to the enhanced physical traits I have granted. Your body in its natural state is not built to withstand such strain. So it overloaded as all your energy was turned to keeping you alive in the face of my awesome might. Callan frowned. ¡°What happens to us if this ever occurs again? The amount of power you have is only going to grow, right?¡± Ah, but as you utilize the gifts I have granted you, as they integrate more with your body, suffering such ill effects should grow less severe over time, the god said. Of course, it is hard to say for certain, but I think we will be fine. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He paused, then added, However, it would be best to avoid such capture again in the future. ¡°Yeah, no argument there.¡± Callan¡¯s frown melted away with his worries. He wasn¡¯t dying again. Sure, they might still be stuck in a cage, but he wasn¡¯t dying. The cancer wasn¡¯t back. He lay down, resting his back against the bars. Good. Sleep, mortal. When the dveorg return, I want to be ready.
Callan slept well, probably because of how fitful his rest had been for the first day or so of his imprisonment, but well nonetheless. By the time Krov returned to check on him, he was awake again, and ravenously hungry. Which is why when Callan saw she had no food with her, it was all he could do not to growl in frustration. ¡°Is ug-mun bet-ter?¡± Krov asked, peering into the cage. She stayed well out of reach, which ruined Xeph¡¯s backup plan¡ªgrabbing the dveorg woman and using her as a hostage. ¡°Is ug-mun read-y?¡± We can still make this work, mortal. Quickly, pretend to collapse! Callan stared at the dveorg girl and asked, ¡°Ready for what?¡± Instead of answering, she tottered off into the dark. Callan lunged at the bars, but she was gone. ¡°Wait! What about some food?¡± Well, that didn¡¯t go according to plan. Any of the plans. Why did you speak to the dveorg instead of faking further sickness? Once she got close, we could have grabbed her¡ª ¡°And then what, Xeph? There¡¯s nobody else around to negotiate with.¡± Callan leaned back. ¡°We¡¯ll try again when she returns with the chief.¡± Fine. I am a god of stone and mountains. I can be patient. ¡°Oh really.¡± Callan did his best not to laugh, but some hint of it must have made it into his voice. What are you implying, mortal? ¡°Only that you are without a doubt the least patient god I¡¯ve ever met.¡± What foolishness is this, I¡¯m the only god you¡¯ve ever met! Callan shrugged. ¡°Doesn¡¯t change the fact. Bet even after I meet all the other gods of the Outerworld, I¡¯ll be all, ¡®yep¡¯, Xeph is the least patient of them all.¡± Bah. This coming from the avatar who could not even be bothered to gather our priests before exploring an unknown cave. Be careful who you cast accusations at, mortal, lest they be turned right back around at you! ¡°That is harsh, but fair.¡± Callan squinted into the dark, but there was no sign of Krov or the chieftain yet. He leaned back again. ¡°Hey, so how long do you think it¡¯ll take for Argas and Paeral to figure out where we are? I half expected them to stage a rescue already.¡± And why would you expect such a thing? ¡°I mean, we did leave a gaping hole in the back of that one room. Should be pretty obvious to anyone who sticks their head in there.¡± Ah, but I doubt that tunnel is there anymore. Likely the dveorg have sealed it up already with their own Stone Shaping. Callan sat up so fast he almost hit his head on the ceiling. ¡°They can do that?¡± He recalled a fuzzy memory of the wall peeling away before Krov first appeared. It seemed that hadn¡¯t been merely a fever dream after all. My orison is modeled after the dveorg¡¯s innate ability. Several of them are, in fact, but especially Shape Stone. It is how their species navigates life beneath the surface. Or did you think that the tunnel we discovered occurred naturally? In truth, Callan hadn¡¯t given it much thought, but Xeph made a great deal of sense. The tunnel had been sealed somehow before he came along, and there had been no evidence of tools or mechanisms involved. He just hadn¡¯t considered what might happen to it after his capture. ¡°So you¡¯re saying we¡¯re on our own down here,¡± he said. I fear so. ¡°Then we really better hope the chief is willing to negotiate. Though I¡¯m not sure Krov alone is going to cut it as a hostage. They didn¡¯t seem to think much of her earlier.¡± She will just have to do. What other choice is there? Callan considered the question. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. We need more information. Maybe if we can find out why they kidnapped the lud children, we can¡ª¡± Lights flicked on overhead. The transition from dark to bright was so sudden, Callan¡¯s eyes had no time to prepare. He slapped his hands over them as pain momentarily rocketed through him. Even covered, the cursed light still shone through. It took almost a full minute before he dared lower his hands and risk cracking open an eye. The chamber his cage occupied was still empty. Around him were the circular walls he could just barely make out, now revealed in all their glory. He saw they were not as smooth as he¡¯d originally thought, but covered with carvings of animals he didn¡¯t recognize. In front of him, the image of an enormous fish-like creature began to waver. The upper half of the wall shook, then flowed up into the ceiling. Behind it, maybe ten feet or so off the ground from him, were rows of seats, all of which were filled with cheering, shouting dveorg. Their chieftain sat in their midst, watching Callan. His black eyes blinked slowly, and a wicked smile spread across his face. Whatever was going on, Callan had a bad feeling about it. More walls flowed upward, until the entire room¡¯s second level was filled with cheering, screaming dveorg. Callan¡¯s gaze flitted back and forth as each section revealed itself. When the last wall¡¯s rumbles faded away, the far end of his cage fell open. Callan hesitated, unsure if this was some sort of trick. When nothing else happened, he crawled his way forward and out of the cage. Rising to his feet, he turned in a slow circle, taking in the crowd of dveorg. ¡°Any idea what¡¯s going on?¡± he asked. Reaching inside of himself, he tried to summon Mountainform, but nothing happened. The cage¡¯s proximity must still be suppressing his powers. If I am recalling correctly, I believe this is how they honor guests. ¡°Somehow, I doubt it. Honestly, it feels more like a gladiatorial arena.¡± I don¡¯t know what that is. ¡°Gladiators were¡ªoh.¡± Callan watched another section of wall peel away, at floor level this time. A single dveorg stepped through, the wall sealing itself behind him. ¡°Yeah, never mind. This is definitely a gladiatorial arena.¡± The dveorg that strode across the sand was... well, simply calling him ¡®muscular¡¯ felt like it wasn¡¯t doing the creature justice. He had muscles everywhere. Everywhere. His biceps, his shoulders, his legs, his neck¡ªhow the hell did you even go about building muscles in your freaking neck? The guy looked like he could pick Callan up and snap him in half over his knee. Which was saying a lot, considering the dveorg was still no more than two feet tall. It was like the world¡¯s buffest Chihuahua had learned to walk on two legs. When he was about five feet away, the dveorg stopped and raised his arms, turning in a slow circle. The crowd¡¯s cheers grew ten times louder. From his place in the stands, the chieftain rose to his feet. ¡°You!¡± He pointed at the miniscule-yet-muscular man. ¡°Fight well and bring hon-or to Ish-ka-plet! Show the ug-mun the strength of the vorgs!¡± Cheers echoed through the chamber. Xeph muttered, I still want to know if that¡¯s the name of the chief or the tribe. ¡°Yeah, not really our top concern right now.¡± The chief turned to Callan. ¡°You, ug-mun! Fight well! You sur-vive three fights, Ish-ka-plet give you free-dom! This I pro-mise as chief.¡± Hmm, so Ishkaplet must be the tribe. Good to know. Callan, however, was more interested in what else the chief had said. Three fights? He glanced at the muscular dveorg, who even now was striding towards him. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, but somehow, he¡¯d see his way through them. Then maybe he could negotiate for the return of the lud. ¡°Now, fight!¡± the chief roared. The muscular dveorg charged towards Callan. Without his orisons and manifestation, Callan didn¡¯t have many resources to draw on other than his fists and feet. And since he didn¡¯t relish getting down on one knee to punch a guy, he went with the latter. His foot shot out as the dveorg dashed forward. The little warrior must have trusted in his massive muscle strength, because he didn¡¯t even try to dodge. So it was something of a surprise for both of them when Callan¡¯s foot caved his face inward. The dveorg¡¯s nose crumpled like a soggy paper bag. Teeth sprayed outward to either side, and blood splattered the arena floor. Callan stared in shock as the dveorg¡¯s arms pinwheeled several times before he tumbled backwards. He lay there, unmoving. Silence reigned in the stands. Every dveorg stared at Callan in open-mouthed shock. Mortal, what did you do??? You just had to defeat the creature, not destroy him utterly! ¡°I¡ªthat¡¯s¡ªhow was I supposed to know that would happen?¡± Callan watched the motionless warrior. You¡¯re an avatar. Your strength is beyond that of mortal men now. ¡°Not by that much. With that negative I only have, like, ten Brawn!¡± And this dveorg is essentially no bigger than a human toddler. Would you kick a toddler? No, don¡¯t answer that. I don¡¯t want to know. Callan¡¯s head snapped up as the wall parted again. Six dveorg ran out, each brandishing a spear. Three lowered their weapons at Callan while the others dragged the comatose warrior from the arena. He watched them retreat, and a moment later the wall sealed shut behind them. Above, the chieftain rose from his seat once again. His face had an angry cast to it, but he still nodded as he stared Callan down. ¡°You win, ug-mun. One bat-tle done. Two will fol-low.¡± With that, the wall dropped in front of him. Like cascading dominoes, the others followed, until Callan once again stood alone in the center of the arena. ¡°So, is there any chance of getting a victory meal?¡± Callan shouted. His voice echoed around the chamber. ¡°Hello? Is that a maybe?¡± Overhead, the lights winked out again. Callan stood in the dark and sighed. ¡°Well okay, then.¡± 1-32 — The Chosen Weapon of Every Discerning Grandmother Callan wasn¡¯t sure how long he sat in the dark¡ªcertainly no more than an hour¡ªwhen the stone wall began to rumble again. A bobbing shape carrying another blue-flamed lantern appeared from inside. Krov. The dveorg girl stepped hesitantly inside, then glanced back as the wall sealed up behind her. When she turned back, Callan was only a few steps away, staring down at her. She let out a terrified squeak and dropped the lantern. ¡°Whoa, whoa! It¡¯s okay, I won¡¯t hurt you,¡± he said quickly. Mortal, weren¡¯t we planning to hold her captive and negotiate for our freedom? ¡°The plan¡¯s changed, Xeph.¡± If the other two fights were anything like the first one, Callan figured he¡¯d be free in no time. Might as well play along and try to earn some goodwill to help the children. Though, with that said... ¡°How is he? The muscly warrior?¡± he asked. ¡°Chief son will sur-vive, ug-mun.¡± Krov appeared to have recovered somewhat. She retrieved her lantern and held it up. ¡°But all know now he is weak. Chief is not hap-py with him.¡± Callan groaned. ¡°That was the chieftain¡¯s son? Seriously?¡± He was really regretting not taking it easier now. Krov shrugged. ¡°He is weak. You, strong. It is way of life.¡± Reaching into her pocket, she drew out a pair of bracelets. She held them out to Callan. ¡°You wear. Then Krov take you to room.¡± Callan slipped the bracelets over his wrists. Surprisingly, they were a perfect fit, almost like they had been made for him. In his head, Xeph grunted noncommittally. Dveorgan construction. Always of the finest materials, but lacking much in the way of style. Once the bracelets were on, Krov reached the lantern up. Even though he¡¯d been expecting it, Callan jumped a little as the flames leapt onto his bracelets. They began to glow with the same blue runes as the bars of his cage. The wall behind Krov slid apart again. She turned and walked into the tunnel. ¡°Come, ug-mun.¡± ¡°I have a name, you know,¡± he said, getting down on his hands and knees to follow. Luckily it was more than wide enough to allow him to move easily, but he wouldn¡¯t be running away any time soon, that was for sure. ¡°It¡¯s Callan.¡± ¡°You ug-mun. That is good e-nough for you.¡± She led him down a series of long passageways, through several intersections where the ceiling rose so high that he could have walked at a stoop if he¡¯d wanted, and past several empty rooms. Most bore the same scrollwork of unfamiliar animal life the arena had. They didn¡¯t pass any other dveorg. ¡°Nice place,¡± Callan remarked to Xeph as they walked. ¡°Seems rather cozy. Bit lacking in d¨¦cor for my tastes, though. Makes your temple seem lavish in comparison...¡± He trailed off. They had passed by a window, and while too small to crawl through, it still afforded a decent view of what lay outside. Callan stared, open-mouthed. It appeared the room they were currently in was near the top floor of a tower or some other tall building, as the view stretched for quite a ways. A city lay below, with dozens, if not hundreds of buildings, all carved directly from the stone itself. He couldn¡¯t see any seams or gaps. Rather, it was like the city was one solid piece. And the throng that filled that city... it was a teeming mass of dveorg. Tiny dveorg moving about on business or standing on street corners talking. Dveorg bustling behind counters of shops or leaning out of windows to air laundry. Workers repairing a lamppost beside the road. Dveorg children chasing after a ball inside a small, dusty park. A hustling, bustling city. All of it underground. Many of the inhabitants simply walked about, but an equal number piloted small mechanical vehicles similar to a motorcycle, weaving their way through the crowds. Others rode on the backs of what looked like pony-sized spiders, with legs that stretched over the heads of the dveorgs going about their lives below. As Callan watched, one of these drove their spider towards a wall and immediately began scrambling up it. The rider hardly seemed fazed at all as the entire world pitched and tilted around him. Callan leaned out a little further, then jerked back as an enormous hairy body passed over the window. A second later it was gone. He leaned out and saw the spider crawling its way up the building. Slowly, he pulled his head back in. His heart was pounding. His dveorgan guide watched him, her expression unreadable. She motioned him onward. ¡°Ug-mun fol-low. Ug-mun go this way.¡± ¡°Uh, sure.¡± He fell in behind the dveorg, and they set off again. More twisting tunnels, though this time Callan paid them little attention. What is wrong, mortal? Xeph asked. You seem disturbed. Your heart rate is fluctuating erratically. ¡°I guess I wasn¡¯t expecting this place to be so big,¡± he muttered out of the corner of his mouth. He needn¡¯t have bothered, as his guide was ignoring him completely. Why is that? You saw the crowd gathered in the arena. ¡°Well yeah, but I still figured this was the underground version of some pre-industrial tribe. I didn¡¯t figure they¡¯d have an entire city! There must be ten thousand dveorg outside, at least. And did you see the machines some of them were riding? That¡¯s technology closer to what we have in my world.¡± Hmm. I think I understand. Your issue is not so much with the size of the population as it is with their level of progress. You thought this a primitive culture, yes? ¡°I mean, I guess?¡± Callan shrugged, though it occurred to him the effort was wasted when his head-mate likely couldn¡¯t even see the gesture. ¡°You¡¯d think they¡¯d speak a bit more eloquently, at least. Not all of this cave man speech.¡± Be careful, mortal, that you do not confuse simplicity of language for simplicity of mind. The dveorg were always an advanced race, even before my eons of incarceration. If their words imply anything less than that, it is a fault of my translation, and nothing else. Callan stopped. ¡°Wait, really? You¡¯re translating everything I hear?¡± Of course. I have been processing all the words you both speak and hear so that they are compatible with those around you. Or did you think that the races of the Outerworld all spoke the same languages as that of Earth, unchanged after nearly two thousand years? ¡°I honestly hadn¡¯t given it that much thought, but when you put it that way...¡± Callan considered that for a moment. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying the dveorg sound strange because they¡¯re more difficult to translate? Is that because they¡¯re non-humans?¡± ¡°Ug-mun,¡± Krov called out, and Callan realized she¡¯d gotten a fair ways ahead of him. He crawled quickly to catch up. The dveorg girl stood in front of a stone archway. Callan peered inside, and saw that it was a small room, though with a higher ceiling than the hallway, tall enough he¡¯d be able to stand. A bed sat in one corner beneath a window that looked out over the city. ¡°In-side. You wait here.¡± Krov motioned him through, so he crawled into the room. Once there, he saw a plate of food, the same mushy material from before, on a table beside the bed. ¡°Thanks. Any chance of getting¡ª¡± His words met only empty stone as he turned around. Krov had already sealed the archway behind him. Sighing, he made his way over and picked up the food. Besides the plate, the table also had a small potted plant which looked like a fern, except it was solid white and glowing slightly. More lanterns flickered along the wall, with those same blue flames as before. He sat on the bed, and found it surprisingly comfortable, though made of a material he couldn¡¯t place. Leaning back, he dug a spoon into the mush. It was more tasteless than he¡¯d expected, and he hadn¡¯t been expecting much. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°So you¡¯re translating everything I hear and say,¡± he commented, swallowing a large mouthful of mush. Bland though it was, he¡¯d have eaten all of this and more happily. That is correct. One of the many gifts I bestow upon you as my avatar. ¡°What about words like ¡®ug-mun¡¯? How come I hear that instead of the translation?¡± The answer to that question is simple: because that is the dveorg word for you. If it meant something else, I would translate it as such. ¡°Huh, okay.¡± Callan wondered about all the times he¡¯d mentioned Earth subjects in front of the lud. Did they hear the actual words, or something else that made sense in their own language? He focused on finishing the food, after which he brought up his stat screen. As he¡¯d suspected, he still showed a negative five in all of his stats, and all his abilities were still listed as locked. Even though the bracelets he wore didn¡¯t have nearly as many runes, they must have been stronger versions. Or maybe it was because they were in direct contact with his skin. Whatever the reason, he was stuck here for the moment. His best chance of escape lay in completing the remaining trials the dveorg chief had prepared for him. One done already, only two more to go. But learning about the city outside had Callan worried. If the chieftain didn¡¯t have the missing lud children, locating them might be more difficult than he¡¯d originally expected. Well, one problem at a time. First, he¡¯d win his freedom, then he could worry about freeing Xeph¡¯s followers. Outside the window, the city bustled about on its busy schedule. Several more of those giant spiders passed by, but otherwise Callan was left alone. He lay down on the bed and discovered that he was much more tired than he¡¯d thought. Apparently, his brief fight had taken it out of him. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift off to sleep, belly full, and the chatter of the city a distant background noise in his ears.
He spent at least two more days in the room, waiting. More food appeared while he slept, but he never saw anyone else, not even Krov, until she returned at last to collect him. They made their way back through the tunnels, a confusing maze of twists and turns. Even if Callan were to make a break for it, he knew he¡¯d be lost in minutes. The layout made Xeph¡¯s temple seem simplistic. Actually, he was surprised that this city could exist almost side-by-side with the temple. Surely they must have intersected in more places than the one room. They arrived at a blank wall, and Callan had his first chance to watch dveorg stone shaping in action. It seemed very similar to his own orison. Krov simply grasped an invisible lump of clay and manipulated it to her liking, the stone around her obeying in turn. A moment later, the path into the arena lay open. Callan crawled past the dveorg, then onto his feet as the ceiling rose above him. The stands were already revealed. If possible, they had more dveorg than before, a crowded mass cheering and jeering at his appearance. He gave a friendly wave, turning in place until he found the chief. The dveorg chieftain was seated directly above where Callan had entered. He gave a knowing smile, then clapped his hands. The crowd fell silent. ¡°Ug-mun, you win first fight. But next fight not so ea-sy.¡± Now that Callan looked closely, he could see the chief¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t quite match up with the words he was hearing. Strange. He¡¯d never noticed that with Kivi and the others. Or maybe he simply hadn¡¯t noticed since he hadn¡¯t been watching for it? The chief was still talking. ¡°If you wish free-dom, you must fight well. Show the Ish-ka-plet the strength of the ug-mun!¡± He clapped his hands, and a string of dveorg emerged from the tunnel. They moved two abreast, a wooden box held between them. The dveorg struggled with their burden, but it couldn¡¯t have been much bigger than a shoebox. When they were all gathered, there were a total of five boxes placed around Callan at irregular intervals. The dveorg retreated, and the tunnel sealed behind them. Callan studied the boxes apprehensively. Whatever was in them must be rather small, but there were five... was he supposed to open them on his own, or...? Before he could decide, the first box began to shake. The others joined it, and the arena filled with the sounds of thrashing and angry hisses. The sound was oddly familiar. One of the boxes tipped over, and its lid popped off. A small creature with a myriad of flailing limbs tumbled out. Under the blue flames of the arena, the creature glowed an electric green, but Callan knew it was more of a yellowish color under normal light. Inside his head, Xeph growled. Velak! Disgusting creatures. Quickly, stomp them to bits before they can begin to swarm. ¡°You know, I¡¯d love to do just that, Xeph. Except for the minor inconvenience of them being slightly highly acidic.¡± Hmm, true. Best use a rock, then. Callan glanced around, but there were no rocks to be found in the arena. There was only him and the velak, the last of which had just emerged from its crate. Two had already spotted him and were making their way forward with angry cries. He backed up until his back hit the arena wall. Around him, dveorgs screamed for blood. ¡°I thought these things weren¡¯t normally aggressive.¡± Normally, yes. These ones must have been bred by the dveorg specifically for pit fighting. Expect their acid to be stronger than the wild variety as well. Oh, great. One of the velak took that moment to lob a ping-pong sized ball of goo at his head. Callan ducked, and the stone beside his head hissed and began to sizzle. Pebbles rained down on his shoulder as they came loose. ¡°Shit, shit, shit!¡± He turned and ran in a wide circle around the velak. They scurried faster, running after him. In the stands, the dveorg cheered. He almost broke free of the enclosing circle when one of the velak leapt for him. Callan instinctively punched it away, then let out a pained yelp as acid poured over the back of his hand. He shook it off, but not before it ate through a layer or two of skin. The back of his hand was angry and raw. In the meantime, the rest of the velak drew closer. Even the one he¡¯d punched rolled back over and scuttled towards him with an angry hiss. ¡°If you¡¯ve got any ideas, Xeph, now would be the time to share!¡± Perhaps if you kick them like you did the toddler? ¡°That wasn¡¯t a fucking toddler! He¡ªgah!¡± Callan kicked out, and a velak went sailing. Unfortunately, it left a smear of acidic goo on his sneaker, which began to hiss angrily. Reaching down, he pulled the shoe off entirely. At least this way he had a weapon he could use. Another velak launched at him. Callan swung, and the creature went sailing into the air, where it crashed into the stands. Dveorg darted out of the way, and the air filled with what Callan assumed were angry curses. If they were, Xeph left them untranslated. The other four velak rushed him. Damnit, he hadn¡¯t even managed to take out a single one of them yet. He swung with his shoe, but unless one of the blighters jumped, he couldn¡¯t do much. Even a solid hit only knocked them away. He needed something sturdier than a shoe. His eyes fell on the five crates, now standing empty. They looked like wood, but it must be something stronger for the velak not to eat their way through, right? He needed one of those boxes. Dodging another attack, he used his shoe like a croquet mallet and knocked another aside. A path opened up. He launched forward. Something struck him on the back. Pain seared through him. Callan scrabbled at the velak, but the beast was just out of reach near his spine and the pain was torrential. He spun about, trying in vain to grasp it. It felt like his muscles were melting. Callan screamed, then ran towards the nearest wall. He spun at the last moment, smashing the creature between him and hard stone. A scream, a hiss. Another slam. The pain suddenly let up, though he could feel acid still burning away. He stumbled forward. A box lay on hand only three or four feet away. Weaving drunkenly, he managed to reach it before the velak caught up. One of the creatures reared in front of him, stubby appendages whipping about, dripping yellow ichor. It let out a scream. Callan slammed down the box. The scream cut off. He slammed it again, and again. He lifted it up to swing a third time, then saw it was unnecessary. The creature lay twitching in its death throes at his feet. Behind him, the one he had crushed against the wall crawled forward slowly on broken legs. He approached in, then bashed its brains in as well. Only two velak remained. The one he had thrown into the stands still hadn¡¯t reappeared. Either the guards had killed it, or it had run off. He didn¡¯t really care either way. The two velak hissed and circled him, as if they recognized he was now more dangerous prey. Callan reached down, scooped up a second crate, then hurled it. The crate struck one of the velak, sending it tumbling. He charged. Before the beast could recover, he slammed his box down, and was rewarded with a satisfying crunch. The final velak let out a frightened squeak and began to run. It reached the far wall and began scrabbling at the stone. With a soft hiss, an opening began to grow as its acid ate away at the arena wall. Before it got more than a few inches, Callan¡¯s crate slammed into its back. It reared up in pain. He brought it down again, severing the monster¡¯s front half from its back, blood and ichor gushed out, leaving a bubbling pool on the arena floor. Callan rose unsteadily to his feet. He cast the moldering crate aside, then scanned the audience. His eyes found the chieftain¡¯s. The dveorg was leaning forward, watching Callan with his unblinking gaze. ¡°Are you not entertained?¡± Callan roared. He pointed a finger, then reached down and picked up another crate. He hefted it, testing its weight. The walls of the arena came slamming down, cutting Callan off from the dveorg. He threw the crate anyway, letting it shatter against the stone wall. The pieces fell and scattered across the floor. Good job, mortal. I think you¡¯re starting to win them over. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± The lights turned out overhead again, leaving Callan in darkness except for his bracelets. He glanced down and noticed that one of the runes was gone. Where the velak acid touched it lay only puckered metal now. Frowning, he pulled up his stat screen.
-STATISTICS- Brawn: 12 (-3 modifier) Momentum: 9 (-3 modifier) Fortitude: 27 (-3 modifier) Concentration: 9 (-3 modifier) Influence: 9 (-3 modifier) Piety: 12 (-3 modifier) -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C VIII Manifestation: (Error ¡ª Locked) Orison slot 1: (Error ¡ª Locked) Orison Slot 2: (Error ¡ª Locked) -DISPENSATIONS- Perk 1: (Error ¡ª Locked)
Interesting. Removing one of the runes reduced the modifier but didn¡¯t unlock any orisons. If I could just get a bit more velak acid... Before he could move, the lower wall opened, and Krov stepped out. She was accompanied by at least ten guards this time. Callan tensed. Did they know what had happened to the bracelet? But no. Krov motioned for him to enter the tunnel, so he got on his hands and knees and set off crawling again. Two fights down. One to go. 1-33 — When All You Have Is a Fist, Every Face Looks Like A Punching Bag ¡°We need a plan,¡± Callan said, pacing back and forth in his cramped quarters. There wasn¡¯t much space, but he managed about three steps before having to turn. ¡°A good plan this time.¡± Are you implying my plan wasn¡¯t a good one? If you had managed to hold the dveorg girl hostage¡ª ¡°It was a shitty plan, Xeph, and you know it.¡± Callan pivoted and started back across the room again. ¡°We need to be ready this time. No way they¡¯re going to actually let us go when this is over. You saw the way the chief looked at me.¡± I do admit, the prospect of winning freedom seems unlikely, the god admitted. ¡°What can you tell me about the dveorg? Anything I might use to my advantage?¡± Coming to a stop by the window, Callan glanced out at the city bustling below. It wasn¡¯t as crowded as someplace like Seattle, but there were easily several thousand dveorg living out there. Amazing that something like that had existed beneath his feet and he hadn¡¯t realized. Nothing that would be useful, Xeph said. The dveorg are usually friendly, if a bit reclusive. They prefer to dwell in the upper levels of the Innerworld, and have developed abilities to let them move more easily through dirt and stone. Their inventions were highly sought after during my time, and they possess animal husbandry skills that rival any found on the surface. Your encounter with the velak is evidence enough of that. Callan glanced at the bracelets around his wrists. One was still missing several runes where the acid had worn them away. He suspected that was the same technique the chieftain had used on the bars of his cage when it proved too strong. If he wanted out of here, his first goal needed to be getting his hands on more velak slime. How he was supposed to do that though, he didn¡¯t know. ¡°Anything else?¡± I... Bah! I don¡¯t know what you are hoping to hear, mortal. My encounters with these creatures were extremely limited before my seclusion. ¡°Because they can¡¯t provide faith?¡± Callan asked. That is part of it. Also, the dveorg have always been a proud people. They respect strength above all else. An aspect of their society you are getting to experience firsthand. ¡°Strength, huh?¡± he considered that for a moment. ¡°What do you think it did to the chief¡¯s reputation when I pummeled his son?¡± Nothing good, certainly. An idea started taking form in Callan¡¯s mind. He would need the right circumstances to pull it off, but if he could... While he was still considering, the archway to his room began to shake. The stone peeled away to either side, revealing Krov and a contingent of guards. ¡°You, ug-mun. Come. It is time.¡± ¡°My last fight already?¡± Callan had slept after they brought him back from his last match, but not for long. His sense of time was all messed up. Krov said nothing, simply motioned him forward. With a sigh, Callan followed. As he crawled through the tunnels, Callan glanced at the guard trailing after them. After his first fight, it had only been Krov who had guided him, and now he warranted over a half-dozen dveorg on his heels. That had to mean something. He just didn¡¯t know what. The wall leading to the arena appeared a few minutes later. Krov waved her hands, the stone falling away, revealing the brightly lit chamber beyond. Callan squinted as he climbed to his feet. Somehow, there were even more dveorg than before. There wasn¡¯t an empty seat in the place, and the aisles themselves were filled to bursting. Dveorg children sat along the arena''s ledge, tiny legs dangling in the air. If Callan was a few feet taller, he could have reached up and brushed them with his fingers. He didn¡¯t seek out the chieftain this time, simply moved to the center of the arena. Once there, he stood still, waiting. ¡°Ug-mun,¡± the chief¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°You have won two fights. This last re-mains. Fight well, and¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Callan said, cutting the chieftain off. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with already.¡± Angry mutters filled the arena. Callan looked up at last and found the chieftain glaring at him. He smirked back. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not afraid of your little challenges. That bothers you, doesn¡¯t it? A section of the wall across from him began to peel away. Callan braced. What does he have in store for me this time? Darkness filled the newly revealed tunnel. Nothing stirred. Above Callan, the crowd quieted, all eyes turned to watch. With an ear-splitting screech, a brown blur shot from the tunnel, darting around the edge of the arena. Callan spun, and just barely made out the sight of an enormous spider with a dveorg riding on its back. Another emerged from the tunnel, and another. The spiders skittered up the walls of the arena, sending dveorgan children tumbling backwards with terrified squeals. ¡°Three on one, really?¡± Callan muttered. His eyes tried to track the spider¡¯s movements, but it was too much, too fast. It¡¯s more like six on one, Xeph noted. ¡°Thanks, Xeph, not really helping.¡± He ground his teeth. ¡°Why does it have to be spiders? Why couldn¡¯t they ride giant butterflies?¡± Technically, they aren¡¯t spiders, they¡¯re broachnids. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Callan lunged forward, swinging a fist at one of the brown blurs. The beast let out a squeal of pain and dropped from the wall. It¡¯s rider, who Callan saw too late was armed with a short spear, stabbed out at him, scoring a hit across his knuckles. Pain seared through Callan immediately, far more than a simple flesh should have caused. He yelped and leapt back. I recall stories about these ¡®spiders¡¯ you have on your planet. They are small, spin webs of silk to trap prey, and reproduce through laying eggs, correct? ¡°Sure, I guess.¡± Callan shook his hand, trying to chase the pain away. He noticed the skin on his knuckles was sizzling, like it had from the velak slime. Broachnids are none of these things. They grow to immense size, hunt for their prey in packs, and reproduce via endoparasitoid larvae. ¡°Endopara... what? Care to put that in plain English?¡± He started to wipe his hand on the tattered remnants of his shirt, then thought better of it and brushed what little of the goo remained onto his bracelet. The roar of the crowd alerted him to the attack of another rider, and he barely managed to dive out of the way in time. ¡°Actually, never mind. Not important right now.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Yes, yes. What is important is that they are fast, and their fangs can be quite brutal. Best if you end the mounts first, then focus on the rider. Callan ducked as another broachnid and rider passed just overhead, the hiss of the spear passing a bare sliver from his ear. It seemed the dveorg had learned not to give him a chance to strike at their mounts and were staying well overhead. He glanced down at the bracelet and saw that another rune had winked out from just the small amount of slime he¡¯d collected. A smile crawled onto his face. ¡°Those spears are tipped with Velak slime, Xeph. You know what that means?¡± That we would be wise to retreat to the center of the arena and allow the riders to come to us? ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve got a better idea. Watch this!¡± Callan lunged forward, arms crossed in front of his face. The rider, already aiming for his head, squawked and thrust his spear as he sped by. Their weapon grated along Callan¡¯s wrist, burning away his skin with an angry hiss¡ªbut also leaving a trail of slime across his bracelet. Even as the pain began to reach intolerable levels, Callan wiped what he could off his wrist with the tail of his shirt. Another rider stabbed at him, and Callan thrust his other wrist forward. Both he and the rider missed, the latter scoring a mark across his cheek. ¡°Son of a bitch, that stings!¡± Callan shouted, backing up a step. He mentally summoned his interface and saw that he was down to a negative two modifier. Just another good strike or two... Two riders dropped their mounts from the wall and charged him from either direction, pincer-style. Callan wasted precious seconds debating. Should he dive out of the way, or¡ª? Screw it. He¡¯d just have to trust that they weren¡¯t tall enough to hit anywhere vital. ¡°Eeny, meany, moe!¡± He turned and lunged for one of the riders. The dveorg¡¯s eyes widened and he thrust his spear forward. Callan¡¯s hand wrapped around it, just a few inches past the point. He gritted his teeth as the skin of his palm began to sizzle, but held on as he wrenched it away. The poor dveorg was so surprised he let it slip from his grasp without a fight. Which was good, because a half-second later the second rider planted his own spear right into Callan¡¯s thigh. ¡°ARGH!¡± Callan twisted and kicked out, knocking the dveorg from his mount and sending him flying. He turned back, but the first rider had already fled back to the safety of the wall. Riderless, the remaining broachnid squeaked and scuttled away. Callan ignored it. He used the spear in his hand to smear what slime remained across his bracelet, then dropped it. Hand still aching, he seized the spear embedded in his thigh and pulled it out. Another scream escaped his lips, and his leg quivered and threatened to go out under him. Swaying, Callan wiped the side of the spear on his other bracelet. One by one, the runes winked out. He watched eagerly, his breath, coming in painful gasps, as the final one sizzled and went dark. Without any fanfare, the bracelets simply loosened and tumbled from his wrists. Power rushed back into him. The surge was so sudden it almost knocked him on his ass. Somehow, he remained standing. He turned to the stands. The rider he had unseated before had reclaimed his mount, and all three now continued their circling on the walls, though only one remained armed. Above, he saw several guards step forward, spears held at length. Seemed they weren¡¯t above rearming their fighters. Pity it wasn¡¯t going to do them any damn good. Callan turned until he found the chieftain. The man was leaning forward, watching. Had he not seen Callan remove the bracelets, or did he not appreciate the gravity of what it meant? Because this party was over. Time to start the new one. He started running forward. The chief, to his credit, merely narrowed his eyes in confusion, instead of panicking and dropping the wall. Good. Callan suspected he¡¯d only get one chance at this. He was almost there when he summoned Wurmchain.
Alert: 3% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 3%
There was something utterly satisfying about seeing that message again. Callan hadn¡¯t realized how much he¡¯d missed it. Missed his powers. He wasn¡¯t going to let his freedom go to waste. So, as the chieftain¡¯s eyes grew wide, he swung his chain, sinking the tip into the stone ledge above, and heaved himself up. He reached for the first length of chain and activated Mountainform simultaneously, sealing his skin from the tips of his fingers all the way to his elbows.
Alert: 6% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 9%
Callan grinned, swung a moment, then pulled himself higher. Even with Mountainform, the chain still cut into his palms, leaving spots of red as he climbed. Ignoring it, he pulled himself faster. He knew what was coming next. There it was. The chief waved his arms, and the walls began to drop, sealing him away from the dveorgan audience. Callan couldn¡¯t let that happen. So, while holding the chain, he activated his own Shape Stone ability, forcing a pair of spikes to rise from the floor just inches above his head. The spikes struck the descending wall, and with an ear-splitting shriek, held it back. If just barely. It was all Callan needed. With another mighty heave, he pulled himself up onto the platform. Dveorgans ran screaming in all directions. Several guards were running towards him, their weapons lowered, but Callan simply grabbed the tip of the first spear and spun, hurling both it and its owner into the other guard. Both went down in a jumble. He turned back, saw the chieftain staring at him wide eyed, and grinned. The little creature quaked as Callan stalked forward and seized him by the arm. Good work, mortal. The chieftain will prove a much better hostage than the dveorgan girl. With this we should be able to buy our freedom easily. ¡°He¡¯s not a hostage, Xeph,¡± Callan said, still grinning. Lifting him up, he stared into the chieftain¡¯s eyes. Then flung the dveorg behind him, down into the arena. The dveorgan hit the sand below with hardly a sound. Callan doubted that the fall had injured the chief much, but he just lay there, dazed, as Callan hopped back down to join him. Turning in a slow circle, he made sure he had the audience¡¯s attention. Even with the wall half descended, dveorgans were peeking their heads through to watch. Hundreds of black eyes stared back at him. ¡°You wanted to watch a fight?¡± Callan¡¯s voice echoed through the arena. ¡°Well, best prepare for a good one.¡± He turned and pointed at the chief. ¡°No more proxies. It¡¯s just you and me now. Man to man. Or man to whatever-the-hell you are. Let¡¯s do this.¡± The chieftain began scrambling backwards as Callan advanced. His eyes were wide as saucers, and his whole body quaked with fear. Was he even now remembering what had happened to his son down here? Callan hoped so. Human, are you certain you want to do this? Xeph asked, his voice unusually hushed. However, Callan had never been so certain of anything in his life. According to his head-mate, these dveorgs respected strength more than anything else. If that was the case, it was time to show them just how strong he was. Another step forward, and the chief let out a shriek. He backpedaled further. His hands closed over something. Focused on appearing intimidating, it took Callan a moment to notice. And before he realized it had happened, a velak slime-coated spear was hurtling at him. He didn¡¯t think. Didn¡¯t plan. He simply reacted on pure instinct. In less time than it took to breathe, his Mountainform shifted. Stone flowed down his wrists, across his arms, up his shoulders, and pooled about his chest.
Alert: 16% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 24%
The spear struck, the velak slime letting the tip sink a good half inch into his armor before coming to a stop. It hung there, quivering. Callan glanced down, his nose almost brushing the shaft. Taking a deep breath, he released his hold on Xeph¡¯s power. The spear clattered to the ground as Mountainform flowed back up his arms and solidified on his fists. ¡°Good throw,¡± he said, stepping forward and looming over the chieftain. The dveorgan swallowed nervously. ¡°If that had been anyone else, it might have even worked. Too bad you¡¯re dealing with a god.¡± He formed a stone-encrusted fist and raised it high to swing. ¡°I weak!¡± The chieftain¡¯s shriek tore through the arena. ¡°Please, ug-mun! No more. I sub-mit. You strong, I weak! I weak!!!¡± Muttered whispers rippled through the audience above. The chieftain crawled forward, tears in his eyes, his fingers grasping at the tattered remnants of Callan¡¯s shoes. A single line of snot ran from his nose. ¡°Please. You spare chief, yes? You be hon-or-ed guest of Ish-ka-plet. Ug-mun strong. Ug-mun will be giv-en all he de-sire. Just... spare chief?¡± Callan glanced up from the sniveling chieftain and looked round at the watching audience. Above him, a slow chant was building in volume. ¡°Ug-mun. Ug-mun. Ug-mun!¡± ¡°UG-MUN!!!¡± A smile wormed its way onto his lips. ¡°I think we managed to earn their respect, Xeph.¡± 1-34 — Reunions and Revelations The table before him contained a veritable feast. All of it inedible. Alright, that was being unfair to his dveorgan ¡®hosts¡¯¡ªprobably not the right term, but it was the one that Callan chose to apply¡ªand their efforts at hospitality. They¡¯d brought what he assumed was the best cave-grown food they had to offer, but it all smelled uniformly like the mush he¡¯d been eating for days now. Even the consistency was the same. He bit into vegetables like small, white carrots, only to find them soft and flavorless. The hard roll-looking objects proved equally bland. A salad with a bit of color to it gave him hope, but it had the mouthfeel of wet seaweed. Tentatively, Callan picked at something that he thought might be meat. Pulling it closer, he drew in a breath. The smell was somewhat similar to beef. Certainly better than what most of the table consisted of. His mouth watered. Excellent choice, Xeph noted as Callan cut a piece with a knife and brought it towards his lips. Broachnid steaks are quite delectable when prepared correctly, and only mildly poisonous to non-dveorgans. Callan calmly lowered the piece of meat back to the table. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m not actually that hungry right now.¡± At the far end of the hall, the wall suddenly wavered and melted away. Callan rose from his seat, glad to finally have an excuse to abandon the meal. Besides, every second he wasted sitting around here waiting for the chief was a second the lud children continued to languish in cages. However, it was not the dveorgan chieftain that approached through the opening now, but Krov, flanked on either side by a guard carrying a long pole with a curved blade at the top¡ªCallan was fairly certain it was called a glaive. Before he could even begin to wonder if this was another attack, both of the guards dropped to one knee, laying their weapons in front of themselves. ¡°Ug-mun! Strong-est of ug-mun! We sa-lute you!¡± ¡°Uh... thanks?¡± Callan turned his attention to Krov, who wore an unreadable expression. ¡°Where¡¯s the chieftain?¡± ¡°Fath-er is chief no more. He ad-mit he weak. Beg at your feet. This brings much shame to my blood-line.¡± ¡°Wait, the chief is your father?¡± Callan asked, incredulous. Inside his head, Xeph let out a chuckle. Did you not realize? They look exactly the same! ¡°Seriously Xeph?¡± Callan hissed out of the corner of his mouth. ¡°Every one of these dveorgs looks the same. Wait, is that racist of me? Or would it be speciest?¡± I don¡¯t think either applies here, no. Callan sighed and turned his attention back to Krov. ¡°So, who¡¯s the new chieftain then, his son?¡± ¡°No. You bring shame to all male line. Ish-ka-plet choose me to take chief¡¯s place.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯d forgot about that.¡± He glanced nervously at the guards again, but they remained in their prone position. ¡°You aren¡¯t, ah, mad? About what I did to your dad and brother?¡± Krov blinked at him in surprise. ¡°Fa-ther make bad choice, try to take god as slave. His fall is no less than he de-serve. As for his son, he is no bro-ther of mine. Same fa-ther, but not mo-ther. No blood ties us to each oth-er.¡± ¡°Huh, okay, if you say so.¡± ¡°Come.¡± Krov gestured, and the two guards leapt to their feet. ¡°We have much to speak on. But first, I take you to see pris-on-ers.¡± A pleased smile spread across Callan¡¯s face. ¡°About time. Lead the way.¡± She led him back through the waiting doorway, their two guards following at a respectable distance. Soon enough, the hallway ended at a staircase that wound down in a spiral for several floors. The steps were only about half the size Callan was used to, and he ended up doing a quick little crawling hop that was not in the least bit dignifying. Luckily, neither Krov nor their retinue commented about it. From there, it was only a short walk to reach an open doorway, beyond which lay the city itself. Callan pushed through the doorway and rose to his full height, his back groaning in relief. The place had been impressive from up above, but ground level granted Callan a whole new sense of wonder. Far overhead, the ceiling of the cave was lined with a soft fungus that glowed a pale blue. The same color flickered in lampposts set at regular intervals along the boulevard. Trees grew between them, spindly things with pale white leaves, and a soft, grass-like moss grew beneath in little tufts. There was no cement here, no concrete or steel or glass or anything else that would have been so common back in Seattle¡ªor heck, just about any city on Earth. Instead, it was all one seamless piece of stone, carved into a multitude of dwellings. Even knowing that the dveorg possessed the same Shape Stone ability as Xeph¡¯s orison, it was still intimidating to take in the scope of the place. The tunnels of the temple had been an impressive enough feat already, but this... Krov tugged on his sleeve, and Callan turned his attention towards her. ¡°Once you have your pris-on-ers, you will leave? You will hold no ill will towards the Ish-ka-plet?¡± ¡°Why, do you not want me to hang around any longer?¡± Callan chuckled, then noticed the flat expression on Krov¡¯s face. It might have just been the standard dveorg expression, but... ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got plenty of work to return to in my temple. I promise I¡¯ll speak to the lud and make sure they don¡¯t wander into your territory again.¡± ¡°That is good.¡± The minute dveorg girl nodded and resumed walking. After a minute, Callan asked, ¡°What if I need to get ahold of you again? Would it be alright to send a messenger down here?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Krov took a moment to consider his request. They made their way down a street that was growing busier the further they got from the arena building. Luckily, their two guards were clearing the way ahead of them, because Callan was seriously concerned he might accidentally punt a citizen without noticing. Some of the children barely came up past his ankle. ¡°I think this could be per-mit-ted,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°They may come to room where you were ta-ken. We will keep a guard on watch for vis-i-tors.¡± ¡°That¡¯s appreciated.¡± Already, Callan was thinking about a few areas in the temple that needed repair work. Malfunctioning lights, decaying furniture... not to mention the occasional rampaging golem. ¡°Do you think you and your people would be open to sharing your technology with us? We could use their expertise.¡± ¡°I do not know.¡± Krov frowned as several dveorg tried to approach, only to be shoved away by the guards. A woman held up an infant towards Callan, beseeching him with cries of ¡°Ug-mun! Ug-mun!¡± before she was rudely pushed back. ¡°There is nothing that ug-mun have which is of in-ter-est to Ish-ka-plet. We make all we need right here.¡± ¡°Even so...¡± Callan trailed off as they reached a large doorway set into the side of the cave. Because of the nature of the buildings, it was difficult to tell where the city ended and natural stone began. The guards hurried forward, pushing the doors wide as Krov ushered them inside. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! They found themselves in a tunnel that had a much more natural look to it. Once the door was closed, the guards lit a pair of blue-flamed lamps and led the way deeper inside. As they walked, Callan studied the rough stone walls around them. The look of the place reminded him of where he¡¯d first found himself when he¡¯d been captured by the dveorg. That felt like months ago, though it couldn¡¯t have been more than a few days. His suspicions were soon confirmed. ¡°We kept the pris-on-ers here when they were cap-tur-ed. You were the on-ly one my fa-ther brought to fight. We should reach cage room soon.¡± ¡°Huh, funny. I don¡¯t remember seeing anyone else in cages when I fell down here.¡± Krov glanced at him. ¡°They were cap-tur-ed la-ter, while you fight. We not know what to do with them, so fa-ther leave them here.¡± ¡°Wait, did you say ¡®after¡¯?¡± Callan frowned down at the dveorg girl, but the next moment they rounded a corner and came upon a row of cages sitting in the dark. As the light of the guard¡¯s lamps bathed them in blue, the prisoners sat up and turned in their direction, blinking their eyes to adjust them to the change. One of them he recognized instantly. ¡°Kivi!¡± Callan darted forward, reaching a hand through the bars. Only at the last second did he notice the runes glowing along their surface. Oh great, not ¡ª¡ª¡ª again. ¡ª¡ª¡ª away, mortal! Callan ignored his head-mate¡¯s rumblings. It was only for a few minutes, anyway. ¡°High Priestess, are you alright?¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± The lud girl stared at him a moment, then jumped up. She seized his hand in her own. ¡°Avatar! Is it really you?¡± ¡°In the flesh. What are you doing down here?¡± ¡°We came to rescue you.¡± Kivi released his hand and motioned beside her. Belatedly, Callan noticed the aged priest Paeral huddled in the cage as well. The next one over held two lud he didn¡¯t know, and a third held a face he recognized as belonging to the daisa cook named Sworv. Kivi glanced past Callan at Krov and the guards, who were watching the reunion a short distance away. ¡°Did you... not need to be rescued, Avatar?¡± Callan withdrew his arms and settled them on his hips. He gave Kivi a critical look. ¡°Is that what you thought was going on? That I allowed myself to fall through some hole and be captured? There¡¯s no way I¡¯d ever get taken by such an obvious trap.¡± ¡ª¡ª You ¡ª¡ª¡ª. Don¡¯t lie to our ¡ª¡ª¡ª priestess, mortal. ¡°Oh hey, Xeph, good of you to join us.¡± I only left because you got near those accursed runes again! And tell her the truth. She wouldn¡¯t be here if you hadn¡¯t run off half-cocked in the first place! That sobered up Callan¡¯s mischievous humor in a hurry. He turned back to Kivi. ¡°How did you find me, anyway?¡± Kivi, whose expression had grown paler throughout his mock reprimand, seemed to remember herself. ¡°I simply used the map back in the main chamber. It showed a dot moving about beneath the earth, but not within the confines of the temple. After that it was only a small matter of guesswork to locate the hidden tunnel. Unfortunately, we found ourselves captured and powerless.¡± ¡°Yeah, these cages will do that.¡± Callan turned back to Krov. ¡°Can you release my friends, please?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The dveorg leader approached, leaning in to squint up at Kivi. ¡°These are no ug-mun. Guards not say they lud.¡± Callan blinked. ¡°You know about the lud?¡± ¡°Mmm. Yes. Not good as dveorg, but bet-ter than ug-mun. We trade with lud in the past.¡± The doors to the cage cracked open, and Kivi crawled out, followed shortly thereafter by Paeral. Soon enough, all five lud were gathered around Callan. The two dveorg guards had their weapons gripped tight, as if they feared an attack at any moment on their new chief, but wisely kept their distance. Probably afraid I¡¯ll do to them what I did to the last chieftain¡¯s son, Callan mused to himself. Given the way they had acted on first meeting him, that thought was only half in jest. Once everyone was gathered, he turned his attention back to Krov. ¡°Where are the children?¡± ¡°Ug-mun? I know un-der-stand.¡± ¡°The chil-dren,¡± Callan said, drawing the syllables out. He gestured towards the lud. ¡°That was the whole reason I was down here in the first place. You kidnapped three lud children. I want them back.¡± ¡°I no lie to you, ug-mun,¡± Krov said, puffing out her chest. ¡°None come to Ish-ka-plet land be-fore you fell in our trap¡ª¡± ¡°The avatar did what?¡± Kivi asked. Callan pointedly did not look at her. ¡°¡ªThese all we have. Take lud and go home.¡± She turned to leave. Callan grabbed her by the arm, spinning the little dveorg about. ¡°Wait a minute...¡± Immediately, the room erupted into chaos. The guards leapt forward, weapons pointed in his direction. Callan snatched his hand away and held them up in a show of peace, even as Kivi growled and began manipulating the stone about her. Before the priestess could take any action, more stone sprang up, sealing about her arms and legs. The other lud were quickly trapped as well. A tendril of stone reached for Callan, but he simply activated Mountainform and slapped it away, sending shards flying in all directions. Then he turned to Krov, whose hands froze mid-manipulation. ¡°Listen, I really don¡¯t want any more trouble, but you need to give me those kids back.¡± ¡°I am not my fa-ther, ug-mun,¡± Krov snarled at him. ¡°I am not weak, or fool-ish like his son. I lead Ish-ka-plet with strength. No one shape stone as fast or well as I. Do not test me on this, ug-mun.¡± ¡°Fine, then just give me¡ª¡± Mortal. Xeph¡¯s voice cut Callan off, a sharp note to it making his head ring. Just a moment. Look at the dveorg girl. Callan frowned, then did as Xeph asked. He studied Krov. She stood just a few feet from him, hands at the ready to work her powers further, her entire body quivering with... with... Oh. She¡¯s terrified, Xeph continued. First you destroyed her brother like he was nothing, likely the physically strongest in the entire dveorg city, and then you humiliated her father. Forced him to admit his weakness in front of everyone. Her control over the dveorg hinges on her appearing stronger than either her father or brother, but she has to know how nebulous that is. We can destroy her with a mere thought. A mere word or two. So... choose what you say carefully. ¡°Krov.¡± Callan paused, then sat down, crossing his legs beneath him so he was only towering over the dveorg girl slightly. ¡°I did not mean to offend the mighty leader of the Ish-ka-plet. But I only came to your land because three children of ours have gone missing. Children, Krov, small, innocent children. Can you promise me they aren¡¯t being held here against their will?¡± ¡°Chil-dren?¡± Some of the tension seemed to go out of Krov, and she stood a little straighter. ¡°This I tell you true, ug-mun. We use tun-nel a-bove to watch ug-mun, no more. You catch guard un-a-ware, he run, you fol-low. We drop you in cage. No more. This I swear as chief.¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± Kivi¡¯s voice trembled, but grew stronger as she spoke. ¡°I think she is telling the truth. We could see your location on the map, even when it was outside the temple, but not the children. Wherever they are, they are somewhere that is being intentionally hidden. I do not believe it to be here.¡± Callan frowned, but realized the high priestess was right. He hadn¡¯t been able to locate the children using the map, either. Or the dveorg for that matter, at least not until one of them entered the temple proper. He turned back to Krov and gave a quick bow of his head. ¡°Thank you for your honesty, chieftain. I do not wish to sour future relations between your people and mine so soon after we managed to reach a state of amiable hospitality.¡± It was probably the most diplomatic sentence he¡¯d ever strung together. All Callan could do was hope that Xeph managed to translate at least half as well. Clearly, the god must have managed something, as Krov blinked and bowed back. ¡°We wish no harm to ug-mun and his lud. But dveorg need noth-ing from those who dwell a-bove. We have what we need here.¡± ¡°Surely we can come to some sort of agreement,¡± Callan said, not wanting to let the opportunity pass without at least a single attempt. ¡°There are parts of Xeph¡¯s temple that are of dveorgan design. Your people, or some other dveorgs, must have helped in the past. Is there really nothing I can offer in trade?¡± ¡°Noth-ing from you, ug-mun.¡± Krov paused, then glanced at Kivi. ¡°But lud have things we can take in trade.¡± ¡°Us?¡± Kivi blinked as they both turned their attention towards her. ¡°What would the lud have to offer your people, ah, Chieftain Krov?¡± ¡°Your clothes,¡± the little dveorg said succinctly. ¡°My... clothes?¡± ¡°They come from the tree, yes? Made from bark, and leaves. I can tell, I re-call the feel from when I was a child. Not much left in Ish-ka-plet now.¡± ¡°You mean the pythian tree?¡± Callan asked. The dveorgan chief nodded. He glanced at Kivi. ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys bring a bunch of the pythian products that survived the fire along?¡± ¡°Yes, avatar. And it would be easy enough to gather more. Many of the watchers you left in the village are secure in the upper branches of the tree, in case of a surprise attack. It would be easy enough for them to gather more bark and leaves while they were up there.¡± Callan nodded, then turned back to Krov. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to work out the details. But if you want products from the pythian, we¡¯re happy to give you as much as you need.¡± ¡°This would please me, ug-mun.¡± The dveorg girl nodded, then backed up a step. ¡°Now, I ask you and lud to leave, while way re-mains open. We will build a small path that you may use to speak with us a-gain. But for now, bet-ter if you go, and leave dveorg in peace.¡± That was probably the most words he¡¯d ever heard out of Krov in a single go. Callan nodded, then rose to his feet. He turned to Kivi. ¡°I believe our exit is this way, High Priestess. Shall I lead the way?¡± ¡°If it is all the same to you, avatar, I¡¯d rather if Paeral made certain there are no more traps waiting for us.¡± The older priest started to protest, but snapped his mouth shut at a glare from Kivi. The High Priestess turned back to Callan and held out a hand. ¡°Shall we?¡± ¡°We shall. And on the way you can tell me everything that¡¯s been happening in my absence.¡± ¡°Oh, avatar. I hardly even know where to start.¡± 1-35 — Back to the Circus Nobody spoke until they returned to the temple proper. Soon as they set foot inside, Callan rounded on Kivi. ¡°Alright, so what have you got to tell me?¡± ¡°So many things, Avatar, that I hardly know where to start. First, however...¡± She held out her hand. Inside his head, Xeph let out a gasp. I had hoped when I saw her, but... Quickly, mortal! Take her hand! ¡°We were literally just holding hands, Xeph.¡± He reached out for Kivi. Ah, but not formally, that was more of¡ªAhhhhhh. Now that¡¯s more like it.
You have been awarded 8 additional faith.
Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 80 followers, your God Bond has increased to Talc ¡ª IX. +1 to all stats Apotheosis cost of all bounties now decreased by 45% Conviction rate has increased. Mountainform¡¯s coverage has also slightly increased. Next God Bond threshold: 90 followers.
Callan blinked and swiped the messages away. ¡°Why am I just getting these messages now?¡± Because this faith was gathered by a priest rather than given to you directly. Or would you rather see a message every time a new follower joins the ranks? ¡°I would very much not.¡± He turned his attention back to Kivi. ¡°You found eight additional followers in Aos, I take it?¡± ¡°Correct, Avatar. More than eight, actually, but there are... complications. A subject we must discuss further at length, and soon. I fear the situation in the yeth village grows dire, without our immediate intervention.¡± ¡°That sounds both familiar and incredibly worrisome. Not more problems with Zavastu, is it?¡± From what the lud had told him, the god controlled a large section of the Badlands, but he didn¡¯t know exactly where that influence began and where it ended. ¡°Not Zavastu, no.¡± Kivi looked as if she wanted to say more, then glanced at their retinue a moment before adding, ¡°It is a discussion better held in private. We shall speak more later.¡± ¡°Okay, fine by me. What happened after you returned? I saw you were only a day or so out before my, ah, disappearance.¡± Luckily, Kivi had made no further comment after the accidental reveal that he¡¯d been a prisoner himself. Hopefully he could keep the conversation from steering back that way. And above all else, he had to keep Shamain from learning about it. He¡¯d never hear the end otherwise. ¡°Unfortunately, there is not much I can tell you,¡± Kivi said. ¡°By the time I arrived, your absence had already been noticed and the village was on high alert looking for you.¡± ¡°It was the high priestess who thought to use the temple¡¯s scrying function to locate you,¡± Paeral added. The old lud had dropped back to walk with them now that the danger of the dveorgan tunnels had passed. ¡°That was smart thinking,¡± Callan said. He was glad Kivi had more luck with that function than he had. They discussed a few other minor details. Kivi told him a bit about the journey to and from Aos, but it was mostly uneventful. The Etruscian woman who went with her, Silfia, had been helpful, but was not as familiar with yeth communities as she was with others. Soon the main temple began to draw close enough they could hear the echoing voices of the lud. They sounded like they were in a full-blown panic. Callan wondered how long Kivi and the others had been gone. Long enough to cause an uproar, apparently. He let out a sigh. ¡°Before we wade in and deal with whatever mess is waiting for us, we should post a watch back in the room, just in case Krov sends someone to speak with us.¡± ¡°I can perform this function, Avatar,¡± Paeral said with a bow. ¡°If a surprise attack comes from that door, better one of advanced age be the first to fall.¡± ¡°How wonderfully pragmatic of you,¡± Callan said flatly. All of the lud looked at him curiously, and it occurred to him that term might not exactly translate. He shook his head, and added, ¡°Take your brother with you. Nobody travels these halls alone until the children are found.¡± Paeral nodded and set off in the opposite direction with Sworv in tow. Watching them retreat, Callan couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the priest simply didn¡¯t want to deal with the uproar that was waiting for them. Then something occurred to Callan. He started to call out just as the two lud disappeared around a corner. ¡°Hey, Paeral! Sworv! Wait!¡± ¡°Avatar? What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an idiot, that¡¯s what. What the heck are they going to do if a dveorg does amble along? They don¡¯t speak the same language!¡± He paused. Something was itching in the back of his skull, some detail he¡¯d overlooked, but which he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on. ¡°The dveorg do not speak the same language as us?¡± Kivi asked, a note of confusion in her voice. Just like that, everything clicked. ¡°You!¡± He faced the high priestess. ¡°You were able to speak with Krov down below! How do you know their language?¡± ¡°I do not understand, Avatar. The tiny creatures you call dveorg were speaking Urslang common.¡± Kivi paused, then added, ¡°Weren¡¯t they?¡± I told you before, human, Xeph said, That one of the powers I bestow is that of language. So long as our priests are within a domain over which I have control, this extends to them as well. ¡°Oh, yeah, that makes sense.¡± Quickly, Callan repeated to Kivi what the god had just told him. She frowned throughout but was nodding by the time he finished. ¡°That does explain some of the... inconsistencies with a few of our conversations. I had merely attributed it to your being from... elsewhere.¡± Her eyes darted to the two nameless lud who were still standing nearby. ¡°But knowing now that the god has been an intermediary between us this entire time, it makes far greater sense.¡± ¡°Really? What sort of ¡®inconsistencies have there been?¡± Kivi opened her mouth, then paused. ¡°I think that is a conversation reserved for another occasion. For now, we have kept the rest of the community waiting long enough. Shall we?¡± ¡°I guess. Still have no idea what I¡¯m going to tell Racine and the others, though.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll think of something, Avatar.¡± She reached out and squeezed his hand. ¡°We¡¯ll think of something. Now, come with me. Your followers need to know that you¡¯re alright.¡±
Callan lay on his bed and tried his best to forget the last few hours. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. At first the lud had been overjoyed at his and Kivi¡¯s return. Unfortunately, once it had become apparent that they had not returned with the children, joy had quickly turned to frustration and then to anger. Callan would have thought the fact he had a god inside of him would be enough to keep an angry mother out of his face, but he¡¯d been massively disproven in that regard. Once Racine and the other parents had finished chewing him out, he¡¯d calmly explained that they would continue to search, but without any further leads he was stumped. It had been a difficult admission, but eventually the lud had accepted it. Not that anyone was happy, mind you. At the very least, there had been no further disappearances. With the return of Callan and Kivi¡¯s search party, the only ones missing were the three children. And further good news: Callan was able to assure the parents their children were alive. He¡¯d lost no faith since Tervak¡¯s death. With luck, that would remain the case. So life had resumed around the temple. Search parties were sent out regularly, but there were still meals to cook, laundry to clean, tools to repair, and a hundred other tiny tasks that any self-sufficient society was forced to engage in on a regular basis. Callan could only hope that, now that he¡¯d opened communications with the dveorg, some of those duties might be simplified. Xeph had hinted that they had only brushed upon the technology available in the temple, and even if he couldn¡¯t remember its functions specifically, he recalled enough to know that they were all a far cry from the quality of life that should be available. But until Krov deigned to reach out to them, or a lud braved venturing down into the dveorg city, that avenue was closed. In the meantime, they had more short-term issues to deal with. Lynthia¡¯s hunters had managed to bring in several kills, so meals were more than just biscuits. Kivi had sent word for the watchers at the pythian to begin gathering leaves and bark. Both for trade, and for their own use. Honestly, the idea should have occurred to Callan the second he saw that group of lud trying to rework the priest vestments. So now there was food that would need to be preserved, and raw materials for clothing that would need to be processed. Callan had consulted with a dozen lud about the best places for both these operations, but so far hadn¡¯t found anything ideal. How this temple had once hosted hundreds, if not thousands, he had no idea. There were plenty of rooms with beds and for storage, but not a single room for cooking? For manufacturing? For anything that might have occupied an army of priests a few millennia ago? He couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe that. Anyway, he was exhausted over racking his brain on the subject all day. Now, he just wanted to lay here and think of something, anything else. Which is why he¡¯d brought up his stat screen. Currently, he had eight faith points to spend thanks to Kivi¡¯s recruitment efforts. The question was what he wanted to do with them. ¡°Thoughts, Xeph?¡± Hmm. Callan could feel the god scrutinizing the screen. If Kivi is correct, and there are more faithful waiting for us in the yeth village, there is no reason to stress over a few measly points. But if you truly want my advice, you might continue to build your Fortitude. ¡°Because it¡¯s what is helping to keep me alive?¡± That, and because it is the closest to reaching the next tier. Stats can ¡®tier up¡¯ the same as your bounties, and you will see additional benefits by doing so. Your first tier will be reached at one hundred which, while admittedly still a ways off, the more you work towards it, the better of a position you¡¯ll be to cross the threshold if called to do so in a time of need. Callan smirked. ¡°I thought you told me to avoid overloading my Fortitude before. Now you¡¯re advising me to focus more on it? Which is it, Xeph, buddy-ol-pal?¡± Hmmph. I do not care for that particular moniker. Also, these are two completely different situations! Before we had just received a windfall from an entire village, and I did not want you becoming so disproportionate you are unable to function. But this is a mere eight points. There is little harm whichever direction you choose. ¡°Disproportionate?¡± he asked. ¡°Can that really happen?¡± Yes. Should your stats ever become too uneven, you may suffer physical or mental consequences. You are more prone to it while in the early stages of avatarhood of course, when your body is still ill-prepared for a stat overload, but even more advanced avatars need to be careful they do not ignore one stat in favor of their others. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± He resumed studying his screen with fresh eyes. Still, while Xeph¡¯s advice had sobered him, in the end, he still needed to focus on healing himself. Some risk of consequences was worth it. To that end, he dropped half of the new points into his Fortitude, allocating the remaining four at a point each into his Brawn, Momentum, Influence, and Concentration. As much as he needed more Piety to increase the range of his priests, it would just have to take the short end of the stick for the moment. Callan promised mentally to make it up later. No sooner had he dismissed the last message than there came a knock on his door. By the sound of it, he knew immediately who it was. ¡°Come on in, High Priestess.¡± The door slid open, and Kivi slipped inside, closing it softly behind her. She glanced over, saw Callan reclining on the bed, and her body tensed. Right. He really needed to stop having important meetings in his bedroom. Immediately, Callan sat up, swinging his legs off the edge. ¡°Welcome to my humble abode. I¡¯d offer you a chair, but...¡± He gestured to the austere room. ¡°You didn¡¯t have any furniture brought from another room?¡± ¡°I mean, I guess I could have tried, but the last chair in this temple I sat on crumbled to dust underneath me. Not an experience I intend to repeat.¡± You¡¯ll recall, I did try to warn you about the unsavory look of it, Xeph groused as a hint of a smile crept across Kivi¡¯s face. Giving a shake of her head, she turned and started rummaging in a bag slung over her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll speak to some of the Biiran villagers tomorrow and see about getting furniture constructed, even if materials need to be hauled all the way back from the village. In the meantime, I brought you something from Aos.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Callan watched, curious, as Kivi reached into her bag and withdrew a tiny statue of... well, he wasn¡¯t actually sure. It had sort of a post-modern art look to it. Clay formed into a myriad of shapes, and painted several different shades of dark reds, grays, and brown. He frowned as the lud girl set it into his hands. ¡°Something to help liven the appearance of your chambers. I recall hearing once that humans appreciate art.¡± ¡°I suppose we do.¡± He turned the clay piece in one direction, then another, trying to make sense of it. ¡°Was this made by the yeth?¡± ¡°No.¡± When Callan glanced up he saw a sour expression on Kivi¡¯s face. She shook her head, and the expression melted away. ¡°As a rule, Yeth do not appreciate art, or really anything that doesn¡¯t serve some utilitarian purpose. The merchant I purchased this from was quite relieved to finally be rid of something he deemed to have no value.¡± This time, Callan was watching for it, and he distinctly saw that Kivi¡¯s lips didn¡¯t match up when she said ¡®utilitarian¡¯. Was that even the actual word she used, or just Xeph¡¯s translation? Like when he¡¯d mentioned pragmatism earlier but in reverse. He supposed there was no way to know for certain, and it didn¡¯t really matter anyway. ¡°Well thank you for the gift,¡± he said, setting it on the mattress next to him. ¡°Of course. Though that isn¡¯t the ultimate reason for my visit.¡± ¡°Is it time to finally hear what is happening in Aos?¡± Kivi nodded. ¡°I fear the situation there is... difficult. Perhaps more than we wish to involve ourselves in. However, I promised the village¡¯s mayor that I would request your personal aid on her behalf. It is ultimately up to you whether we accept or not.¡± ¡°Okay...¡± If the problem wasn¡¯t Zavastu, he couldn¡¯t imagine it was anything too dire. ¡°I thought you and Shamain were set on me staying here at the temple where I¡¯d be safe from, how did you put it, ¡®some villager sticking something sharp in me because I said the wrong thing¡¯?¡± ¡°Technically, that was Shamain, not me. And in this case, I believe an exception is warranted given their situation. Aos is beset upon by raiders. Ones who wield the power of an unknown god.¡± Huh. So not that different a situation from the last time, then. ¡°What exactly do they expect us to do about it?¡± he asked. ¡°Destroy their temple? Round up all the priests and ransom them back like we¡¯re doing with Zavastu?¡± ¡°I... do not think this will be a possibility,¡± Kivi said hesitantly. Callan frowned. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because this god, whoever they are, walks amongst the priests.¡± ¡°You mean an avatar,¡± Callan said. The priestess nodded. ¡°I could not confirm, and the mayor would not provide sufficient details, but that appears to be the case. If so, it will be a much more difficult matter than rooting out the cult in my own village.¡± ¡°You can say that again.¡± Why would she repeat herself, mortal? Xeph muttered. Even if you didn¡¯t hear her the first time, I happen to have perfect recall. ¡°Dammit, it¡¯s an expression.¡± He sighed, then said to Kivi. ¡°Let me sleep on the matter and talk it over with Xeph. Taking on another god is a lot, especially when I don¡¯t have more than a couple powers unlocked. Do they even know how powerful this god is?¡± Kivi shook her head. ¡°Not particularly strong, I do not think. They appear to be a newly formed avatar, and their influence is not known outside the Aosan plateau.¡± ¡°Okay, well that¡¯s something.¡± He waited a moment, then asked. ¡°Was there anything else?¡± Kivi glanced at his bed again, then shook her head. ¡°I do not know of anything else, avatar. Though regardless of your current thoughts on the matter, it might be best to wait a few days in case Shamain returns as well. We need not act until we have all facts and potential tools available.¡± ¡°Sure, sounds like a plan.¡± Callan leaned back on his bed. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m going to get some sleep now. This¡¯ll be the first time in a week I¡¯ve slept without my feet hanging off the edge of the bed.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Kivi turned to go. ¡°High Priestess?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back. Place wasn¡¯t the same without your company.¡± A bright smile bloomed on the lud girl¡¯s face, and a bit of pink tinged her cheeks. ¡°I am glad my presence is so appreciated, Avatar. Rest well, and we¡¯ll speak more in the morning.¡± With that, she slipped through the door, and Callan was alone again. Well, not exactly. Never alone, not now. Probably not ever again. Strange, he thought to himself, leaning back into his pillow. There¡¯s a time I would have found that discomforting, sharing my mind with another creature. When exactly did it become normal for me? When exactly did I stop thinking about Xeph as something separate from myself? ¡°Goodnight, Xeph.¡± Good night, mortal. Rest well, we have much to do on the morrow. ¡°Will there ever be such a thing as a quiet day again, long as we¡¯re together?¡± He hadn¡¯t expected an answer, but Xeph gave one anyway. Perhaps, one day, when our followers number in the thousands and we have sufficient trustworthy priests to handle the day-to-day affairs. But such a time is still on a distant horizon. For now, take what rest and relaxation you can, human. Now sleep. Sleep... 1-36 — Bolstering the Ranks With Fresh(ish) Blood Xeph¡¯s words rumbled soothingly through Callan¡¯s skull. Concentrate. Breathe in. Allow your senses to flow through your entire body. ¡°Have you ever heard of the phrase ¡®d¨¦j¨¤ vu¡¯?¡± he asked. I am unfamiliar with that term. The god paused a moment. Actually, I cannot seem to even parse out the exact meaning of the phrase. It does not appear to be part of your Earthling common dialect. ¡°We call it English, and yeah, that isn¡¯t part of it. Apparently, it¡¯s a phrase you can only say in French.¡± Hmm. And what, exactly, is the meaning of this particular phrase? And more importantly, how exactly does it relate to what you are attempting to accomplish at this moment? ¡°That¡¯s just it, Xeph, I¡¯m not accomplishing anything at the moment. Hence the d¨¦j¨¤ vu.¡± I do not understand. Callan shook his head. ¡°Never mind. You were saying?¡± Ah, yes. Seek out that innate sense of your manifestation. Feel its energy flow through your entire being. Now, exhale. Steady breath is key to understanding the course of my power... Callan drew in a breath and tried to let the god¡¯s voice settle into the background. He felt Mountainform¡¯s energy, that ball that existed around his navel, glowing brightly inside him. Slowly, he nudged it forward, up, up, up towards his shoulders. He breathed out and pressed the energy against his skin. His shoulders rippled as his Mountainform manifested on them, just for the briefest of seconds. Callan almost let go of the power in his surprise, but somehow maintained his grip. Breathe in. Breathe out. The stone solidified, thickened, settled into its usual chalky white, pushing at the fabric of his jacket.
Alert: 8% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 8%
He took another deep breath, then studied himself. It looked like he was wearing one of those coats from the eighties with the ridiculously puffy shoulder pads. Still, the Mountainform was staying in place with only a small amount of concentration. He could easily maintain this, though admittedly not while doing anything else. Curious, he released his hold on the power entirely, and the white stone sank back into his skin and disappeared. ¡°I did it,¡± he breathed, still only half believing it himself. Yes, yes. I do not see why you sound so surprised. You¡¯ve managed even more than that before, in the heat of battle, no less. ¡°Yeah, but that was with Mountainform already manifested. This was the first time I¡¯ve managed it from a cold start.¡± He still couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of why using his power like this cost such variable amounts. It had taken double the apotheosis to move his power last time to his chest, so he didn¡¯t get why his shoulders were relatively cheap in comparison. Then again, thanks to reaching Talc IX, his orisons and manifestation were even cheaper than they¡¯d been before. His stats were higher, too. Pulling up his stat sheet, he looked everything over.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 17 Momentum: 14 Fortitude: 35 Concentration: 14 Influence: 14 Piety: 16 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc ¨C IX Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - X) Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - X) -DISPENSATIONS- Perk 1: Wane -DOGMA- Total Followers: 81 Available Faith: 0 Conviction: 5/5 Conviction Rate: 4.5/week Temples: 1/1 Domain: 16 yd APOTHEOSIS: 8/25%
All of his stats had improved impressively from his first days in the Outerworld. Honestly, it boggled his mind how far he¡¯d come, from making his way out of Xeph¡¯s temple into the wider world, to finding followers, to winding right back here... in Xeph¡¯s temple... Hmm. Well, maybe he hadn¡¯t progressed that far. Mortal? Is there a problem? ¡°Oh, just thinking to myself.¡± Still dissatisfied with your development? While I cannot recall my previous incarnations, I feel as if your progress has been more rapid than most. You should be proud of what you¡¯ve managed to accomplish. ¡°Believe me, I¡¯m plenty satisfied, it¡¯s just...¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°I managed to shift Mountainform to my chest during the fight with dveorg chief with hardly a thought, but now trying to replicate that feels like grasping at sand. Manifesting the stone directly to my shoulders was great, but I can¡¯t help but feel like I could do even better if I tried.¡± I wouldn¡¯t be so hasty to rush this particular bit of training if I were you. Especially where your chest is concerned. Or worse, your head. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Only that you were lucky you survived the battle with the dveorg chief as you did. Your subconscious moved Mountainform for you, but had you been unable to release the power, you might have died right where you stood. A cold feeling started to work its way up Callan¡¯s spine. ¡°You care to explain that to the rest of the class?¡± Easier if I show you. Summon Mountainform. Callan did as his head-mate bid. The white stone spread along his arms, all the way past his elbows.
Alert: 5.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 12%
Good. Now move the stone to your neck, the god instructed. Growing increasingly nervous, Callan steadied his breathing, and began the task of tracking down the power inside of him. Once he had a bead on it, shifting it along his arms to his shoulders was a trivial task. From there it only took a bit more concentration and breath work to get it to cover his neck. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. No sooner had he done so than his breathing cut off. Immediately, Callan panicked. Messages flashed past his vision, but winked away again as he flailed about, trying desperately to draw a breath. Somewhere, Xeph was shouting, but the voice was distant, a mere buzz in the back of his head. His hands tore at his throat. Rough stone scratched and scraped his skin away even as he tried more desperately to free himself, to unlock his throat, to fucking breathe, just once! But he couldn¡¯t. Already darkness was encroaching on the edges of his vision. His heart hammered in his chest, and his fists hammered at his throat, and yet his world continued to shrink. Callan! Callan! Xeph¡¯s words managed to penetrate the roar in his ears. Release your hold! You need to relax and... Let... Go! How am I supposed to relax when I can¡¯t breathe? he thought frantically. But not knowing what else to do, he tried to calm his hammering heart. He could feel the power of Mountainform coursing through him, so he took his hold on the power and... loosened it, just a little. Immediately the stone fled from around his throat, crawling all the way down his arms and settling over his hands again. Callan gasped, bending half over as he sucked in one shuddering breath after another. My apologies, mortal. I thought this would be a safe enough example, but I didn¡¯t think... I¡¯m sorry. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Callan managed to wheeze. He slowly stood up again. ¡°What happened?¡± Your powers manifested somewhere that was not ready for them. When you activate Mountainform, it isn¡¯t just your skin that manifests my majesty, but your entire being, down to the very cellular level. For the most part, my presence assists your body in maintaining functions even in this form, but more... complex functions take time and greater levels of skill to manage. ¡°What, you¡¯re saying my throat turned to stone along with my neck?¡± That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying. Now, imagine if the same thing happened to one of your internal organs, like your heart. Or your brain. ¡°Oh.¡± Suddenly that cold feeling was back again. ¡°Yeah, I could see that being really, really bad.¡± An understatement if there ever was one. But I hope now you understand what I meant by how lucky you were in the fight with the dveorg chieftain. And why you should not attempt the same again until you are ready¡ªor in desperate enough circumstances to warrant the risk. ¡°Got it. Keep the manipulation away from sensitive areas except in the direst of circumstances.¡± At least until you¡¯ve had a bit more training. Give it another month or two, and I predict that sliding your armor over your heart will pose little, if any, threat. Your head is another matter, but we¡¯ll get there eventually. ¡°Sure, sure.¡± A wicked smile suddenly crawled onto Callan¡¯s face. ¡°Hey, question. Are all of my organs off-limits? Because I can think of at least one that could benefit from a bit of hardening¡ª¡± ¡°Ahem. Pardon me, Avatar.¡± Callan spun around, and found Kivi standing a few feet away, a bemused smile on her face. Heat rushed up his face. How much had the lud girl heard of his side of the conversation? Quickly, he turned back and gave a quiet cough. ¡°Ah, High Priestess, good to see you. Any news on the whereabouts of the children?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no. Though with no further disappearances and no evidence that the children have come to harm, some are beginning to question the dveorg¡¯s involvement again. Is it possible that a family took them in, without alerting their chieftain?¡± Finally getting his embarrassment under control, Callan turned around, giving a shrug. ¡°You know as much as I do about their culture. Though I suppose it can¡¯t hurt to ask them again in case they¡¯ve learned anything.¡± Kivi nodded, as if she hadn¡¯t expected anything else. ¡°Then it is time that you and I make a decision concerning the matter of Aos.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t it wait a little longer?¡± he asked. ¡°I thought the plan was to speak with Shamain first.¡± ¡°That was three days ago. Her marker on the map shows no sign of departing Seabrest, and even if she did so today, it could easily be a week before she returned. I fear the matter with the yeth cannot wait that long.¡± ¡°Alright, what do you propose we do?¡± ¡°Simple. You and I depart for Aos. With your presence, we can negotiate more easily for the village¡¯s faith in exchange for protection. Once we have a better idea of what this new cult is capable of, we can formulate a plan for the best way to strike at them. And, if need be, we can send back to the temple for reinforcements.¡± I do not like the idea of you accompanying the high priestess with no additional guards, Xeph noted. Without knowing what to expect, it seems too great a risk. Callan was in agreement with the god and told Kivi as much. She nodded in acquiescence. ¡°Very well. Let us take Paeral. He is the more experienced of the two priests available. But we must leave at least one here to speak with Shamain should she return before us and to negotiate with the dveorg.¡± ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t I make an additional priest?¡± Callan asked. ¡°I¡¯d been planning to once my Conviction was high enough, and that way we can have at least one more pair of hands to assist us.¡± Kivi arched an eyebrow, and Callan amended, ¡°Fine, two more pairs of hands to assist. You know what I mean.¡± ¡°Did you have anyone in mind? Or should we ask for volunteers?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got someone but let me ask them first. If they aren¡¯t interested, we can go the volunteer route.¡± They set off through the temple, Callan hoping he remembered the right room. As they walked, he asked, ¡°How soon were you hoping to leave on this little adventure?¡± ¡°Today, if at all possible. We still have plenty of hours of daylight up on the surface and might even be able to make it to the village ruins before dark.¡± ¡°Really? It feels more like late afternoon already.¡± Kivi gave him a demure smile. ¡°I fear your concept of time is growing disconnected with all the days you¡¯ve spent here in the temple. I¡¯ve noticed this with many of the lud as well. Perhaps my recent return from traveling is helping me to keep a better measure.¡± ¡°You could be right. Maybe we should start ringing a bell at regular intervals, so people don¡¯t lose track.¡± They arrived at their destination, and Callan knocked hurriedly. If they truly were planning to leave today, no sense wasting any more time than necessary. Kivi glanced at the door, then back at him. ¡°Avatar, this room is the quarters for the¡ª¡± Before she could finish, the door opened, and Sworv blinked at them blearily. Had the man been sleeping? They really did need to get a bell system going, or everyone was going to end up on different schedules. ¡°Sworv! Just the man I wanted to see!¡± ¡°Yes, Avatar?¡± the lud glanced between him and Kivi, a note of apprehension coming into his eyes. ¡°Am I needed for something? I¡¯d just gotten off my usual shift.¡± ¡°Oh! Sorry about all this, then, but it can¡¯t wait. You want to be a priest?¡± Callan decided that it was best just to put the question forward plainly. Either the man did, or he didn¡¯t. Sworv¡¯s eyes went wide, then squinted in suspicion. ¡°Is this a jest?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°Avatar? May I speak to you a moment?¡± Kivi asked, giving a light tug on his shirt. Callan ignored her. ¡°I¡¯m one hundred percent serious, Sworv. Your brother is already a priest, and we were planning to drag him along on a little adventure. I thought you might want to come along as well.¡± ¡°I...¡± The lud man seemed at a loss for words. He shook his head, and his expression brightened. ¡°Yes. I would be honored to join the ranks of your priests. I... I need a moment to gather my things. Please, just... a moment.¡± He disappeared back into the room. Callan called after him. ¡°If you want, we can come back right before we¡¯re ready to leave. Give you a bit longer to sleep.¡± ¡°Avatar. A moment, please?¡± The tone caught his attention more than the words themselves. He turned and glanced at Kivi, who wore an unreadable expression. ¡°Why did you not tell me that your choice for another priest was a member of the Daisa caste?¡± ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t think it mattered. After all, you were a Daisa, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That is completely different. I¡ª¡± She cut off as Sworv returned. He had a small pack slung over one shoulder. ¡°Thank you for your patience, Avatar, High Priestess. I have gathered my possessions and am ready to go.¡± ¡°What, just like that?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Indeed. I am used to abrupt departures. If it cannot fit it in my traveling bag, I do not consider it worth owning.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Callan stared for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°I guess first things first: I¡¯d better initiate you. Hold out your hand, please.¡± [Would you like to elevate target to class: Priest? Cost = 5 Conviction] He acknowledged the message and felt all of his conviction drain away in a single go. But hey, at least he hadn¡¯t been forced to swallow a bunch of magic rocks, for once. That done, he turned back to Kivi. ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re ready to leave.¡± Something dark passed over Kivi¡¯s face, but it was gone a second later. She looked up at him, her expression all smiles again. ¡°Of course, Avatar. Sworv, would you and Paeral be good enough to gather what food and water bottles can be spared? We¡¯ll need enough for a week but no more, I think.¡± ¡°Of course, my¡ªah, High Priestess.¡± If anything, Sworv nodded deeper than he had before he became a priest before running off. Callan and Kivi watched him go. ¡°I must make preparations as well.¡± Kivi turned away. ¡°Shall we meet at the teleportation circle in an hour?¡± ¡°Sure, High Priestess, assuming I can figure out how long that...¡± He trailed off as Kivi hurried away. Huh. That was odd. What did you do now, mortal? Xeph asked. Why is our High Priestess exuding such a menacing aura of anger and frustration? Tell us you did not fail in some inept courting attempt. ¡°Okay, first of all, you were literally right here during our entire conversation.¡± True, but sometimes your conversations grow dull, and my attention wanders elsewhere. Why, did I miss something of vital importance? Callan pressed his finger to his forehead and sighed. ¡°No, at least I don¡¯t think you did. Whatever she¡¯s mad about is a mystery to me.¡± Hmm. ¡°What?¡± Oh, nothing. Only that I feel that this is a common issue for the males of your species. At least, I seem to recall hearing similar complaints in the past. ¡°Oh sure, you can barely remember how to change a lightbulb in your own temple, but somehow remember your world¡¯s version of gender stereotypes.¡± Callan rolled his eyes. This temple does not use bulbs. Rather light is provided via a series of gas pipes which¡ª ¡°Save it for the long walk,¡± Callan said. He set off in the direction of his room. ¡°Something tells me we¡¯ll have time. Maybe we can get to the bottom of whatever is bothering Kivi, too.¡± A deep chuckle echoed through his skull. Keep telling yourself that, mortal. Just keep telling yourself that. 1-37 — We’ll Burn That Bridge When We Come To It Leaving the Tokash plateau was something else. Callan hadn¡¯t really thought about the fact it was a plateau at all too deeply. The villagers referred to it as such, and he¡¯d seen the sheer cliff just outside his temple¡¯s back door. So it wasn¡¯t as if he was in doubt of the idea. But knowing a thing and seeing it for yourself were two very different matters. They had spent the first night sleeping in a partially-collapsed house back in Tok¡ªor the village formerly known as Tok, Callan still wasn¡¯t too clear on the whole thing¡ªand from there had marched past the pythian tree and out into the plains beyond. The shade from it had lasted them almost until noon, after which they¡¯d been forced to march through the worst of the day¡¯s heat. Despite being several hours removed from the trunk of the pythian, the land remained barren for the most part. Occasionally they passed a bit of green around a spring or watering hole, but otherwise it was mostly brown stalks or sand underfoot. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be more plant life?¡± Callan asked no one in particular. ¡°I could have sworn Xeph told me that it rained too much during the off-season for this to be a desert.¡± While that is true, you must understand the pythian tree¡¯s influence on the landscape as well, Xeph lectured from his cool and comfortable perch inside Callan¡¯s skull. The roots likely run through much of the plateau and tend to discourage other plant growth. Only in places where resources are truly bountiful can life thrive. ¡°There is a reason that my people were able to secure this plateau so easily,¡± Kivi noted as she trudged along at Callan¡¯s side. Despite her diminutive size, she was barely puffing in the heat. Callan by comparison had sweat coming out of just about every pore. ¡°Unless one possesses the resources or natural gifts to make use of it, the disadvantages often outweigh the advantages. For instance, farming is mostly impossible beneath it due to the extensive shade.¡± ¡°What about spirebeans? Those seem to grow well enough.¡± A tight grin spread across Kivi¡¯s face. Or maybe it was a grimace. ¡°That is because spirebeans are not a true bean, but rather a vine that has adapted to growing on the pythian itself. How they managed such a feat, I could not say.¡± It¡¯s because spirebeans have a symbiotic relationship with the pythian. The beans provide food to certain birds and other creatures that keep the tree clean of parasites. At least, that was my understanding during the last age, though study of the pythian trees was never a particularly engaging topic for me. Callan grunted but didn¡¯t respond. He thought he saw a slash of something dark on the horizon. Another village? No, it spread too far in either direction. Unless this Aos was much larger than he¡¯d been told, it had to be something else. Soon they were close enough for him to see that indeed, it was something else. A very much something else. A sheer cliff something else. Stretching in either direction as far as he could see, and easily twice as wide across as the cliff back near the village. Beyond it, he could make out another plateau, one so vibrantly green it almost hurt to look upon. ¡°Well,¡± he said, pausing on a small hillock to take it in, his sweaty clothes momentarily forgotten. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a sight.¡± ¡°Wait until we reach the Aosan plateau,¡± Kivi said. ¡°At least here we have a bridge to cross. There, we¡¯ll need to navigate down to the canyon floor.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the Aosan plateau?¡± he asked. The priestess smirked in response. ¡°Unfortunately, no. That is... Actually, I am unsure of the name of that plateau, as there are no villages on it to provide a central name. Just several small farmholds and hermitages. A few of which have now pledged their faith to Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± Ah, is this where the faith she brought me came from? Xeph asked, preening. That means there is even more waiting for us in this yeth village. ¡°We will need to cross three more plateaus after this one before reaching Aos,¡± Kivi continued. ¡°With luck, we will be there in another two days of travel, barring any delays.¡± She led them down the hillock and across the arid land below. As the edge of the plateau drew closer, Callan spotted something he hadn¡¯t been able to make out before. A rope bridge connected the two, a massive thing with cables as thick around as Callan¡¯s head helping to hold it aloft. Kivi sighed as they reached it and ran a hand lovingly down its side. ¡°Every time I travel this way, I fear this bridge will no longer be standing, forcing me to make the longer journey back down the canyon and up again. I am glad to see it has survived.¡± ¡°High Priestess, you were literally just here less than a week ago. And this thing looks practically brand new. I doubt these cables could have frayed in such a short time.¡± This earned him a strange look from Paeral and Sworv, and a sad one from Kivi. ¡°It isn¡¯t the cables fraying I worry about, Avatar. It¡¯s the ravages of a passing moon. The cult frequently sent us out here to work repairs, and before that our village maintained or replaced it several times a year, at least. Rope woven from a pythian tree can take only so much stress.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. How much stress are we talking? Callan wondered. Then, another thought occurred to him. Did she say a moon? As in more than one? ¡°Come,¡± Kivi said, breaking him from his thoughts. ¡°We should move quickly. I do not wish to be anywhere near a plateau¡¯s edge come this evening. According to the scouts we posted at the village, there is a moonrise expected for tonight. We should prepare ourselves accordingly, if we wish to survive the trip to Aos.¡± Hmmph. Xeph grumbled inside of Callan¡¯s head. Moonrise at the start of the journey. An ill omen, indeed. I still wish we hadn¡¯t been forced to come in the first place. Alas. ¡°Yeah, you and I are going to have a little chat about these moons, later,¡± Callan whispered out of the side of his mouth. They made their way steadily across the bridge, which despite Kivi¡¯s concerns barely creaked under their weight and felt more solid than some stone bridges Callan had been across. In short order they were on the far side and forging a path inward through the nameless plateau. ¡°With luck, the rest of the journey will be as easy as that crossing,¡± Kivi noted as they passed beneath the cool shade of a small grove. ¡°For we shall have tribulations enough once we reach Aos itself, if my suspicions are correct.¡± ¡°High Priestess,¡± Paeral stumbled over the words, then fell to stuttering as Kivi glanced in his direction. ¡°Forgive my impertinence, but can you explain why it is that the avatar himself is accompanying us for this return journey? Surely the three of us are sufficient to handle whatever threat faces the yeth.¡± Kivi and Callan glanced at each other. Neither had yet shared the exact details of this journey with the others, opting to wait until they knew more about the situation themselves. Still, Callan realized he probably needed to give the men something by way of explanation. ¡°You¡¯re new to the priesthood, Paeral,¡± Callan said at last. There was no question in his voice, but Paeral nodded nonetheless. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve never had a chance to use your orisons outside of the temple?¡± ¡°No, Avatar. But per your instructions, I¡¯ve been practicing diligently with Argas¡ª¡± Callan held up a hand, cutting the man off. ¡°Do me a favor. Run a little ways ahead.¡± They stopped walking while Paeral jogged a little ways ahead. He turned around, and Callan made a shooing motion. ¡°A little further.¡± A few more steps. ¡°Further...¡± A few more. ¡°Further...¡± ¡°Okay, that should do. Now, summon Wurmchain.¡± The priest did just that. At least, he attempted to. The shocked look on his face was absolutely priceless. It took all of Callan¡¯s restraint not to laugh. ¡°Alright, come on back here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Paeral said, jogging back. ¡°Outside of the temple, you can only use your powers when you¡¯re close to me. So, unless I go to Aos myself or we establish another temple, you¡¯d be about as much use to the townspeople as a knitted condom.¡± All of the lud stared at him. Even Xeph grumbled. I don¡¯t even know where to begin translating that. ¡°So what did you have me say instead?¡± Callan asked hurriedly, walking ahead and leaving the surprised lud to catch up. Nothing. I just had you make a high-pitched squealing noise. Trust me, the result would have been the same. ¡°Gee, thanks for the moral support there, buddy.¡± A moment later, the lud caught up with him. The two older men were breathing heavily. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand,¡± Paeral said, once he had himself under control again. ¡°Why not simply establish another temple? Why let the avatar risk himself?¡± ¡°Because we need more followers for that,¡± Callan said. ¡°Xeph can¡¯t have more than a single temple until we get more followers. And since neither he nor I know exactly how many that needs to be, it¡¯s me coming along or nothing.¡± ¡°A temple in the future may still be the solution,¡± Kivi added. ¡°Once we better understand the situation. The town¡¯s mayor was reluctant to share details with anyone but the avatar however, which is another reason for his participating in this journey.¡± ¡°That didn¡¯t strike you as suspicious?¡± Sworv asked, surprising Callan. He was pretty sure this was the first time the man had spoken since they left yesterday. ¡°This could be part of some elaborate trap to lure the avatar away. Perhaps the town of Aos is under the control of Zavastu and are seeking to curry her favor after we destroyed her hold in Tok.¡± Callan frowned, suddenly wishing they¡¯d had this conversation before departing the temple. The thought that this might be a trap hadn¡¯t even occurred to him. Not by Zavastu, of course, but perhaps by this other, nameless deity. After all, their knowledge of the situation was limited to what little Kivi had been able to learn, and all of that had been secondhand at least. ¡°I do not believe that to be the case,¡± the high priestess said after a moment of thought. ¡°While yeth are known to be cunning and emotionless, they are not omniscient, no matter what they would like to believe of themselves.¡± Both Sworv and Paeral looked nervously at Callan, and it took him a moment to remember that most of the lud apparently thought he was a yeth. Were they worried about what he might think of being called ¡®cunning and emotionless¡¯? Clearly, they didn¡¯t know him that well yet. Meanwhile, Kivi continued, ¡°Laying such a trap would have required a great deal of foreknowledge to plan and execute, knowledge I do not believe the Aosans could easily possess. Their plateau is difficult to reach, which is why Zavastu has left it alone for so long. Even I struggled to reach it on my first journey. However, we will be cautious in our approach, and be prepared to strike at the first sign of trouble. I do not see how we could do any more than that, short of abandoning the town to its fate entirely.¡± ¡°Perhaps if the avatar were to wait, while we ventured into¡ª¡± Sworv began, but was cut off by a quick hand motion from Kivi. ¡°I have made my decision, Sworv. Unless the avatar himself feels this course of action unsafe, it is how we shall proceed.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Sworv.¡± There was a note of ice in Kivi¡¯s voice. ¡°You may have been elevated to Leadership, but you would do well to remember your place in Xeph¡¯s hierarchy. I am still the high priestess. My word is second to Xeph himself.¡± ¡°Of¡ªof course, High Priestess.¡± The lud stammered and nearly fell over attempting to bow as they walked along. His brother watched on with a tight expression. Inside Callan¡¯s head, Xeph chuckled. Such passion and dedication to her position! I knew there was a reason we chose her. ¡°Yeah, remind me not to get on her bad side,¡± Callan muttered, glancing at the lud girl. ¡°Probably wouldn¡¯t take much for her to break out the whips and chains.¡± I wouldn¡¯t worry too much, mortal. You are my avatar, after all, and she is still a priestess. There will be no whips and chains involved between you. He paused, then added, At least, not outside of foreplay. ¡°Xeph!¡± What? There¡¯s no shame in it. I happen to have had several avatars in the past who enjoyed being¡ª ¡°We are absolutely not having this conversation right now,¡± Callan growled, feeling his cheeks heat up. He almost stuck his fingers in his ears, except part of him knew that would only make things worse. 1-38 — A New Beginning Kivi paused at the flap to the avatar¡¯s tent. Through the thick fabric, she could just make out a muttered conversation between him and their god, the great and mighty Xeph-Zul-Karatl. Likely he thought he was conversing too quietly to be heard, but it seemed the avatar did not appreciate just how loud the larger races tended to be. Several emotions warred inside of Kivi as she hesitated in announcing herself. On the one hand, it was neither proper nor appropriate to eavesdrop, not where gods were concerned¡ªespecially where gods were concerned¡ªbut this was also rare opportunity. While she might not share Shamain¡¯s paranoia when it came to Callan, especially after learning some of the extenuating circumstances surrounding his ascension, it was still prudent to learn what she could from a candid moment. In fact, one might say it was her duty as high priestess to know what subjects the avatar and Xeph communed upon when they thought they were alone. How else was she to know how to best see to the god¡¯s needs? Which was just another way to say she was curious. Cairn take her! What was she turning into? This was all Shamain¡¯s foul influence, she was certain. Especially since the woman was not around to defend herself from such accusations. The avatar¡¯s voice grew louder, drawing her attention again. Kivi leaned in closer and held her breath. ¡°Look, all I¡¯m saying is you could have warned me about the whole moons thing, Xeph.¡± Silence. Then. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare start in with that ¡®compression¡¯ excuse again. Don¡¯t. You. Dare. And clearly you know about them now! How long has it been since it came back to you?¡± Silence. ¡°And you didn¡¯t see fit to mention it?¡± A pause. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this. Every mundane fact is relevant. If you don¡¯t share what you know, I¡¯ll be forced to ask Kivi, and how do you expect me to explain that I didn¡¯t know there was more than a single moon floating around in the goddamn sky! That¡¯s the sort of question that tends to draw attention, don¡¯t you think?¡± Ah. Already her illicit activities had borne fruit. Kivi had long wondered which of the other continents Callan hailed from. Now she knew, it must have been one of the more northern ones. She¡¯d heard tell that the moons¡¯ influence varied in different places around the world, but to live somewhere you didn¡¯t even know of their existence... She honestly wasn¡¯t sure what to feel about that. Slightly jealous, if she was being honest. Meanwhile, the avatar was still arguing¡ªconversing with their god. ¡°Okay, fine, fine! Let¡¯s say I forgive you. We have been slightly occupied with a thousand other fires to deal with lately. A few literal fires, now that I think about it. So how many moons are there, anyway?¡± A pause. ¡°TWELVE?¡± Kivi almost jumped back as the shout echoed out of the tent. Somewhere in the dark an animal let out a surprised snort, followed by the sound of snapping branches as it hastily retreated. She turned back. Callan was saying something else to their god that she only half caught¡ªsomething about cattle excrement¡ªwhen he suddenly paused. ¡°She¡¯s what?¡± Kivi stiffened. A moment later the avatar¡¯s footsteps marched rapidly across the tent, and the flap was pulled from her hands. Light from within streamed out, momentarily blinding her. Kivi winced. ¡°I wasn¡¯t eavesdropping,¡± she said automatically. Heat crept up her cheeks. ¡°Evening, High Priestess. I... never said you were?¡± The avatar sounded more confused than accusatory. He gestured for her to join him inside. A sigh of relief escaped her as she slipped between the flaps. ¡°Sorry about the mess. If I¡¯d known you were coming, I¡¯d have cleaned up a little.¡± He chuckled halfheartedly at his own joke. ¡°Hmm. Does Xeph always know when a follower is nearby?¡± The avatar stared at nothing for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°Xeph says he can only sense when someone¡¯s inside my domain. Which, you know, only extends a bit past the tent.¡± He turned and flopped back onto his sleeping roll. ¡°So what can I do for you?¡± ¡°I was hoping to speak to you about something in private.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± An unmistakable chuckle slipped from the avatar¡¯s lips. Kivi must have let something show on her face, as the avatar glanced at her and laughed a bit more. ¡°Sorry, just tents aren¡¯t the best place for private conversations. As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve now realized.¡± ¡°So you did know I was listening!¡± The avatar waved her protests away. ¡°What did you want to discuss? If it¡¯s about the lost lud kids, I¡¯m worried about them too. Still not sure leaving before they were located was the right choice.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been over this, Avatar. There is nothing to say that your presence would contribute meaningfully in any way to finding them, especially if it hadn¡¯t already. Besides, you said they¡¯re still alive, yes?¡± ¡°Far as I know. Certainly haven¡¯t received any notifications about lost followers.¡± ¡°Then wherever the children are, they must be somewhat taken care of. With access to food and water at the very least.¡± Callan frowned at that, but eventually nodded. ¡°Guess I just don¡¯t like leaving that whole mess unresolved. If they haven¡¯t turned up by the time we get back, that¡¯ll be my top priority.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain the entire community will thank you for your kindness,¡± Kivi said. ¡°However, that isn¡¯t what I¡¯m here to discuss with you.¡± The avatar glanced at her but said nothing, waiting for her to continue. ¡°I...¡± Kivi hesitated. She did not like the idea of speaking against the avatar¡¯s actions, but this had been eating at her for two days now, and she couldn¡¯t bear to keep it inside any longer. ¡°I find myself... concerned about your most recent choice to the priesthood¡¯s ranks.¡± ¡°You mean Sworv.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, but Kivi nodded. ¡°Mind explaining why?¡± ¡°Because...¡± Unfortunately, now that the moment was here, she found it difficult to put into words. This was a touchy subject even amongst her own people. With a complete outsider such as Callan... The silence stretched between them. ¡°Because he was Daisa?¡± the avatar guessed. Kivi nodded in gratitude. ¡°I simply worry what sort of message you may be sending to the rest of the community with your selections. Before, when our ranks included three members of Leadership, none would have dared to speak up. Now, however, two of those members are dead, and both replaced with lower caste. Even that might not be a reason for concern, but now with Sworv...¡± She left the rest unsaid, only hoping that the avatar might be able to infer the rest on his own. There was only so much she could expect from a non-lud, though. And in this case, it was too much, apparently. The avatar¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I noticed you were being exceptionally hard on him earlier today. Is this the reason why?¡± ¡°Was I?¡± Kivi hadn¡¯t really thought about it. ¡°In that case, I shall have to apologize later.¡± ¡°You know, this might actually be a good time to bring up something I¡¯ve been wanting to ask you. Exactly how does this whole caste system work? I¡¯m a little fuzzy on the particulars.¡± ¡°I...¡± The question once again left Kivi at a loss for words. How was she to explain an institution that had been central to her entire life, that infused all of her actions and determined the course of her fate? It was like trying to explain the origin of baking, or marriage rites. The castes simply filled a purpose for their village, one by which everyone knew their place. That was enough. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Or had been enough. Until it wasn¡¯t. She shook her head, pushing down her unpleasant memories before they could fully resurface. ¡°I¡¯m certain Xeph-Zul-Karatl can explain the intricacies far better than myself. They were created by the gods for our benefit, after all.¡± ¡°Uh, no, he can¡¯t,¡± the avatar said, shocking Kivi to silence. ¡°He says he¡¯s never encountered these castes, either.¡± ¡°I... see.¡± Outwardly, Kivi remained calm as she absorbed this revelation, but inside she was anything but. What could that possibly mean? Did the lud on other continents... not follow the dictates laid down by the gods? Had it only been the gods of Urslang that established the caste system? Or was everything she¡¯d been told simply... wrong? Kivi was filled with questions, and also with trepidation as to their possible answers. To think of entire lud societies out in the world, living entire lives without structure or guidance... Kivi wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that. ¡°Then I will endeavor to provide what insight I can,¡± she said, pushing her own concerns aside for the moment. Her avatar had asked her a question, and that took precedence over everything else. ¡°So I think I know some of it. From what I¡¯ve overheard, there seem to be four different groups: Leadership, Etruscian, Biiran, and Daisa. Is that right?¡± ¡°There is a fifth caste also known as Parvux. But for purposes of our discussion, those first four are the only ones you need concern yourself about.¡± The avatar frowned and looked as if he was about to say something, only to shake his head. ¡°Okay, five castes. With you so far.¡± ¡°Leadership is exactly what it sounds like. Those born into it are destined to guide the fate of their communities. It may be as elders, or in less direct roles.¡± ¡°Like a head chef,¡± the avatar said. For some reason he seemed unhappy about that, but Kivi couldn¡¯t even begin to guess why. ¡°Yes, that is a good example. Leadership will direct crop rotations and plan where new housing will be built. Anything that the community requires direction on is the responsibility of the highest caste. That is why those chosen by a god are elevated to it. ¡°Etruscian is the next caste. They are our merchants, scouts, and envoys to the outside world. It is an Etruscian¡¯s job to learn the habits and routines of different cultures, and assist other castes in what to do and not do when interacting with them.¡± She paused, hesitating a moment before continuing, as memories welled up inside her. Of her time with Parias and Mirdelre. The few short years she spent tending their home had been the happiest of her life. She hadn¡¯t thought she would ever find greater joy in this world. At least not until a dying avatar had shown up on her doorstep. She gave a shake of her head, and the memories dissipated. ¡°Biiran are the third caste. They are our craftsmen. Those tasked with learning the specialized trades that will give a lud community what advantages they need to thrive. For our village, Biiran focused mostly on pythian husbandry, but we also had those that focused on smithing, carpentry, and textile production. ¡°Finally, there are Daisa, such as my¡ªmy former self. They are the laborers, not fit for education or apprenticeship. We¡ªthey fill whatever gaps the village required. Some might work as attendants, or even as household servants to the higher castes, but never more than that.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The avatar¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°And you were okay with this?¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± ¡°You were okay with living the rest of your life as someone¡¯s servant? You never thought to, I don¡¯t know, just leave?¡± Kivi didn¡¯t understand the question. Leave? Leave where? ¡°These distinctions exist to keep us safe, Avatar. A community is only as strong as its weakest member. The castes give our life direction. Purpose.¡± ¡°Sounds more like slavery to me.¡± he said, matter-of-factly. ¡°I suppose it might, to an outsider.¡± Kivi struggled for a second, trying to think of what to say. ¡°Perhaps I am the wrong person to ask about all of this, Avatar. Speak with Shamain when we return. Someone who has been educated their entire life is far more equipped to answer such questions. Better than one who was Daisa until just a few short weeks ago.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you were Daisa that you¡¯re the perfect person to ask. Besides, I already talked to Shamain about all of this.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Kivi asked. ¡°Uh huh. And you know what she told me? That women aren¡¯t bound by the caste system. You can move up or down depending on marriage.¡± Kivi nodded. ¡°This is true. And it was partly for this reason that Elder Tervak allowed me to become a priest at all.¡± ¡°Because you weren¡¯t going to be Daisa for much longer anyway.¡± There was a lump in Kivi¡¯s throat as memories surfaced again. Not daring to speak around it, she simply nodded. She was petrified of what he might ask after that, but the avatar merely sighed. ¡°What else should I know? Is your caste hereditary¡ªoutside of marriage anyway? It can¡¯t be. After all, Paeral was Biiran, but Sworv was Daisa, despite them being twins. I still don¡¯t get how that works.¡± ¡°It is because Paeral is the older of the two,¡± Kivi said. When the avatar just stared at her blankly, she continued, ¡°One¡¯s caste is determined by order of birth. A mother¡¯s firstborn child will bear the same caste as herself, and each subsequent child is placed in the next lower down. That helps to ensure adequate numbers at all levels of the community, and also prevents rapid overpopulation.¡± ¡°That¡ª¡± The avatar continued to stare at her with a confused expression. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. So the only reason Sworv is Daisa is because he had the misfortune to be born a few seconds later?¡± ¡°It is the way it always has been.¡± Kivi shrugged, unsure what else to say. ¡°I tell you again, on such a subject as this, one of the others born to Leadership would be the better to speak to. If not Shamain, perhaps elder Ashile or Toulou.¡± ¡°Right, maybe I¡¯ll do that.¡± Callan¡¯s expression grew distant. Whether he was communing with Xeph or simply lost in thought, Kivi couldn¡¯t have said. She gave a bow regardless and made for the exit. ¡°High Priestess?¡± She stopped. For some reason her heart began to pound harder. Unbidden, Shamain¡¯s advice returned to her, as it did every time she found herself in the Avatar¡¯s private chambers. Although she suspected by now that the Avatar saw her as nothing more than another lud, she couldn¡¯t stop her traitorous mind from wandering in directions that it shouldn¡¯t. Wondering how she would refuse if he invited her into his bed. Or if she even would refuse. Bracing herself more against her own mind than the avatar¡¯s impending question, she turned back around. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°One last question. What about this last caste you mentioned? Par... Par...¡± ¡°Parvux.¡± Kivi wasn¡¯t sure whether to feel relieved or not. It might have been better if the avatar had turned to carnal tastes rather than walk down this line of questioning. ¡°Right. That one. I haven¡¯t met any lud from that caste.¡± ¡°No, nor would I expect you to. It is even lower than Daisa.¡± ¡°I thought Shamain said there was nothing lower than Daisa,¡± the avatar said. She grimaced. ¡°We do not speak of it unless we must. Any born to Parvux do not live long. Usually they are left by their mothers outside the village, to be reclaimed by beast and nature.¡± ¡°What?¡± Instantly, the avatar was on his feet. The speed of the movement caught Kivi by surprise. She knew that the avatar had been growing in power since accepting her village¡¯s fealty, but she hadn¡¯t seen such an obvious sign of it until now. She took a step back involuntarily. The avatar matched each of her strides with one of his own that ate up the distance between them. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you leave babies to die out in the wilderness?¡± ¡°Not to die. To be reclaimed by¡ª¡± ¡°You. Leave them. To. Die.¡± Each word was punctuated with another stride, until Callan towered over her. Kivi felt her entire body quake. ¡°Are you telling me that you would have done that too, Kivi? You would have left your own children outside the village? Can you look me in the eye and tell me you honestly would have done such a thing?¡± I would never be so foolish as to end up in such a situation in the first place. The thought was a weak voice inside of her, barely a whisper. She kept it to herself. Callan hovered over her for another moment, glaring down, imperious. Finally, he broke away and stalked back to his bedroll. ¡°Thank you for your insight tonight, High Priestess. I¡¯ve been struggling with a decision for some time now, and you¡¯ve just helped me figure out what I need to do.¡± Kivi nodded dumbly. A voice inside screamed at her to retreat, to seek the safety of their campfire and her fellow priests while she still could. But another part of her, the part that had stood tall when she accepted the role of High Priestess, couldn¡¯t help but ask a question. ¡°And what decision is that?¡± ¡°Your precious little caste system. I¡¯m getting rid of it.¡± ¡°You... what?¡± Kivi stared at him, unsure she had heard correctly. No. She ABSOLUTELY had not heard correctly. ¡°No more Daisa, no more Leadership, and absolutely no more dead fucking babies. You think either Xeph or I will tolerate such a... nightmarish system under our roof? No. It ends, the moment we return.¡± ¡°Avatar.¡± Taking a deep breath, Kivi gathered the right words inside of her. ¡°If you do this, the others won¡¯t approve.¡± That was putting it mildly. She didn¡¯t dare put to voice what she truly thought might happen, because then that would mean admitting this conversation was even taking place. That she had heard the avatar say what she thought he had. ¡°I know. Argas already warned me that some might leave. Let them. If they want to try to survive out here on their own, we¡¯re better off without them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ªthey may do more than leave.¡± Now Kivi¡¯s voice dropped to a whisper. ¡°The elders will not like this. Particularly Shamain.¡± ¡°Pfff, what can that old woman do to me? I¡¯m used to her acid tongue already, dealing with it a bit more won¡¯t be the end of the world.¡± He wasn¡¯t seeing. Blessed Sentinel, he wasn¡¯t seeing. Kivi tried to put it more plainly. ¡°You should not take Shamain so lightly. The others will do as she commands. As the oldest of the Leadership, she holds an incredible amount of sway over the village.¡± ¡°There is no more Leadership caste, Kivi. No more village, either. The second one burned to nothing, and when we get back, I¡¯ll burn the first to nothing as well.¡± The avatar sounded so sure of himself, that for a moment Kivi almost believed he could do it. Could centuries of her people¡¯s traditions be broken so easily? What would Kivi¡¯s world look like if he did? Kivi didn¡¯t have a good answer, so she merely nodded in concession. ¡°We shall have more opportunities to speak on this matter before our journey ends. Perhaps after a good night¡¯s sleep, you will see this matter in a different light¡ª¡± A rumbling, roaring echo shook the entire tent. Kivi swayed first one direction, then the next, then collapsed entirely. The avatar caught her before she hit the floor. She glanced upward, his arms tight and warm around her, and felt her face flushed anew. ¡°Avatar¡ª¡± ¡°What in the ding dong hell was that?¡± The next moment she found herself back on her feet, the avatar pushing the flaps of the tent apart as he strode outside. She hastened after. ¡°Where¡¯s the attack coming from?¡± He called to Sworv and Paeral. The two older lud just looked at him with confusion. ¡°Grab a torch, we¡¯ll keep our backs to each other until we know where the threat is.¡± ¡°Avatar.¡± Kivi¡¯s hand tugged on his shirtsleeve. She pointed skyward. ¡°There¡¯s no threat. Only a Cavalier moon.¡± The avatar¡¯s gaze followed her finger, until he saw the glowing orb that almost filled the night sky above. In its bright reflection, she saw his eyes widen until it seemed as if they might burst from his head. ¡°Oh. Moons. Right.¡± 1-39 — Shamain — End of Book 1 ¡°And these are the resources we currently have on hand from the latest pythian harvest,¡± Argas said, handing a sheet of paper to Shamain. She took it, glanced at it briefly, grimaced in distaste, then tossed it on the pile with the others. What a load of rakshit the avatar had left her to deal with. Shamain shook her head in disgust. Had she really bothered to rush back from the coast for this? Not that she¡¯d known what was waiting, only that she¡¯d wasted enough time as it was. This avatar was still too much of an unknown to leave unattended for long, and after her negotiations with village of Seabrest had dragged out several days, she¡¯d begun to grow nervous. The result had been making her grandchildren-turned-porters run at double time, turning a journey of a week into only four days. The two boys had nearly dropped dead of exhaustion each night, but personally Shamain had thought it worth the extra trouble. Now, staring at the mess of paperwork in front of her, she wasn¡¯t so certain. How could the avatar just run off like this? After she had specifically planted the seeds to keep him close to home where he¡¯d be under constant observation. What was he thinking? More importantly, what was Kivi thinking? Dratted girl had sided with Shamain one moment, only to go rogue the next. This is why you could never trust Daisa with anything that truly mattered. Shamain ground her teeth in frustration. Lacking the girl herself to spend her ire on, she turned to Argas. ¡°What do you expect me to do with this mess, hmm? You think I care a whit about what supplies those fools back at the tree are gathering?¡± ¡°The avatar left instructions to negotiate with the dveorg. I assumed you would want to take over, now that¡ª¡± ¡°You thought wrong. I seem to recall that I left rather clear instructions for you to not let the fool boy out of your sight. Yet what did you do? Sent him off on some madcap adventure with a wave and a pat on the back, I expect. You proud of yourself for that one, Argas?¡± The younger lud frowned. ¡°I was never even consulted by the avatar about his departure. By the time I heard about it, the matter was settled. Besides, Paeral and Sworv¡ª¡± ¡°Fah. An old fool and a slightly less old fool.¡± Plus another Daisa. Shamain did her best not to grind her teeth to dust over that one. At least Daisa caste were easily manipulated. She might be able to turn that to her advantage once they returned. She glowered at Argas again. ¡°You¡¯ve got no spine, lad. No initiative. That¡¯s why you¡¯ve always been my least-favorite nephew.¡± ¡°Technically, I¡¯m your grand-nephew.¡± Argas paused, then added, ¡°Also, that hurts to hear you say, auntie.¡± ¡°Oh, best get over yourself. We have too much important work to be wallowing in self-pity.¡± ¡°I did my best to ingratiate myself with the avatar in your absence, like you asked. I even got him to call me his friend.¡± The boy sounded far too proud of that little fact. Shamain¡¯s glower increased. ¡°And what did you manage to learn, as our avatar¡¯s trusted friend? Did he mention anything about his plans for our future?¡± ¡°Not particularly,¡± Argas said. ¡°Most of our time together was focused on finding the missing children.¡± Yes, that. Another mess for the avatar to have simply dumped in her lap upon her return. While none of the children were Leadership, their absence was still worrying. Shamain already had several avenues of thought to pursue concerning their return. ¡°There was the matter with Sworv,¡± her grand-nephew continued, ¡°But after he spoke to me about it¡ª¡± ¡°He spoke to you about making Sworv a priest?¡± Shamain was ready to throw something at her bubble-headed descendant. How could this fool have been born an Etruscian? Argas must have sensed something in her expression, as he quickly held up his hands. ¡°Not about that! Another matter, concerning the man being allowed to manage our kitchens.¡± Briefly he explained about the incident. Shamain snorted when he was done. ¡°He actually suggested he would get rid of the caste system, did he? I knew yeth were arrogant, but apparently I didn¡¯t know the half of it.¡± ¡°He seemed to give up the idea rather quickly after I explained the situation,¡± Argas noted. ¡°Good. Last thing we need is our avatar getting any delusions of grandeur. Could you imagine?¡± She snorted again and shook her head. ¡°Suppose that was why he ended up making the man a priest. Probably figures he¡¯ll solve everyone¡¯s woes one lud at a time.¡± Well, if that was the worst of their problems, it was one she could deal with. A few conversations on his return, a few prompts from her and the others, and she was certain he¡¯d start seeing the wisdom in choosing further priest candidates from the pool of remaining Leadership. It was a skill that Shamain was well-versed in. But she doubted this was the worst of what was yet to come with their precious avatar. She rose to her feet, bones cracking as they popped back into place. Cairn take her, but it was horrible getting old! What she wouldn¡¯t give for the body she¡¯d had in her youth. ¡°Come. Let us see what we can learn about the missing lud children.¡± ¡°Auntie? Do you want me to schedule a meeting with the dveorgan chief?¡± ¡°Why in the name of our ancestors would I want you to do that? Fah, foolish boy.¡± Shamain made for the door, her grand-nephew falling in behind her, still muttering questions. Well, let him wonder. Argas wasn¡¯t old enough to remember the last time their village had been visited by the dveorg. Shamain herself had been a young girl on the cusp of maidenhood, but she still recalled it well. Her father had been chief elder of the village even then, and had brought her along with him. ¡°Listen and observe, Shamy,¡± he said, still calling her by the pet name she¡¯d carried her entire life, despite her complaints that she was far too old now for such things. ¡°I expect you to tell me what you learned when this is over.¡± She did as her father asked, and together they approached a place outside the village where the earth appeared disturbed. Only upon closer inspection did she see that something had managed to push it outward, like a great beast emerging from the bowels of the Innerworld. She shuddered at the thought. Villagers told stories occasionally of the mighty mungandir, the beasts that sometimes fed on pythian trees, and more often fed upon those who lived beneath its boughs... However, a moment later several small people emerged from the hole, and all thoughts of mungandir were swept from her mind. Her father spoke to them at length in their strange language¡ªa language he would later teach her, as his own father had taught him¡ªbefore the dveorgs retreated to their hole once again. Soon they reemerged, this time carrying a half-dozen small boxes carved out of gray stone. In response, her father called several Daisa forward, who emerged from the village with armloads of cloth, barrels of oil, and several other commodities produced from the tree. The dveorg appeared overjoyed at the sight, and practically scrambled over each other to seize the proffered supplies. Trading complete, the dveorg climbed into their hole, and this time their disappearance was accompanied by a rumbling from beneath. When nothing emerged for several minutes, Shamain screwed up her courage and approached the hole. Inside she found nothing. A short distance below the dirt the ground turned to stone¡ªpure, unbroken stone. No sign of any tunnel or other method for reaching the surface remained. A shadow fell over her, and Shamain turned to find her father watching her. ¡°What did you learn, Shamy?¡± ¡°We trade with the tiny people,¡± she said. Even without understanding their language, she¡¯d grasped that much. ¡°They wanted our pythian supplies. Why?¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Because the dveorg detest sunlight and cannot remain long on the surface. They harvest much from the pythian¡¯s roots, but accessing its bark and leaves are beyond them.¡± The pythian¡¯s roots? Shamain was reminded again of the mungandir, and she shivered despite herself. ¡°You misunderstand though,¡± her father continued. ¡°The dveorg are not people. The gods did not create them, did not elevate them from the common human waste as they did our own ancestors long ago. Such filth is beneath us, which is also why they remain underground, as is proper.¡± ¡°Then why do we trade with them, father?¡± she asked. ¡°Just because someone is beneath us does not mean they cannot be useful, Shamy. Look at our Daisa. They learn no skills, provide no meaningful resources to the village. Their heads are empty of all but the most basic of thoughts. Yet we keep them, feed them, clothe them. Do you know why?¡± He gestured to where a short distance away, the Daisa were working together to haul the heavy stone boxes into the village. Sweat streamed down their faces, and their muscles strained under the weight. Her father turned back to her. ¡°If not for the Daisa caste, we would need to haul our own supplies. Fetch our own water. Cook our own meals. It is because of the Daisa that we have time to enjoy a bit of leisure. That we have time to study, to create art, to write, to make ourselves better. ¡°So yes, the dveorg are filthy, detestable creatures. But even detestable creatures have a use, if you know how manipulate them properly.¡± Her father¡¯s words had stuck with her over the years, as she had grown and come fully into her power as a member of Leadership. Now, entering the sunset years of her life, she wondered what legacy her own life would leave. Her children were fully grown, and her grandchildren at least thought they were, even if they had not quite reached maturity in truth. Had she imparted such important lessons to them properly, as her father had done with her? She could only hope that was the case. Because now the avatar had come, and everything was changing. The reappearance of the dveorg was proof enough of that. So Shamain would need to be careful, and use every tool available to ensure her people¡¯s continued survival. Even if some of those tools were more detestable than others. After all, just because something was detestable didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t useful. To that end, she came to a stop in front of the door to her room. Pulling it open, she turned to Argas. ¡°Wait here.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡± His words cut off as she slammed the door in his face. Shuffling as quickly as her old bones would allow, Shamain made her way across the room. While many of the lud families had taken rooms together, Shamain had opted for privacy. Both due to her status as one of Xeph¡¯s priestess¡¯s, and for other, more selfish reasons. Reaching her bed, she began pushing it aside. The frame let out a groan of protest that could probably be heard through the entire temple, but who cared. Let them all think this simply another one of old Shamain¡¯s eccentricities. She¡¯d worked hard to cultivate the persona of a madwoman, after all. Once the bed was sufficiently moved, she knelt down and felt about until she found the secret alcove. It had been a lucky find on first inspecting the room. Shamain had suspected she¡¯d turn up something of the sort, though. After all, priests had as much reason for secrets as anyone, perhaps more so. She couldn¡¯t be the first who needed to hide items away from prying eyes. The alcove had been empty of all but dust when she found it, but now it contained a few precious items. She took out two of these. A pair of reddish crystals, which glittered prettily in the light of the nearby lamp. The avatar had referred to these as ¡®memory shards¡¯. While Shamain didn¡¯t know exactly what was meant by the name, she had a few reasonable guesses. Guesses for which she hadn¡¯t been able to seek answers to before leaving on her mission. But with both the avatar and Kivi gone from the temple for the foreseeable future, there was no better time. Slipping them in her pocket, she pulled the door open, finding Argas leaning against the wall opposite. She set off down the tunnel, calling over her shoulder, ¡°Quick slacking off. You want to find those children or not?¡± Hurried footsteps followed after her. ¡°Of course, Auntie. It¡¯s just... if we¡¯re not going to speak with the dveorg, where are we bound?¡± ¡°The dveorg don¡¯t have the children,¡± she said, ignoring the rest of the question. ¡°If they did, they wouldn¡¯t have hidden it from us. Those creatures are obsessed with shows of strength. If some tribe member had found one of the children, they¡¯d have been parading them for all the others to see, either to show how strong they were, or how strong the child was.¡± ¡°So then where¡ª¡± ¡°Pay attention, lad! If you tried listening instead of flapping your gums so much, you might actually learn something!¡± Finally, Argas went silent, padding along behind her as they made their way deeper into the temple. Shamain had only been this way once, so she hoped she remembered the correct number of turns. It should be somewhat near the wall of the cliff... There. A pair of lud stood guard in front of a closed door, both standing up straighter at the sight of her. She noted the spear clutched by one, the decrepit sword and shield held by the other. Not as threatening as a quartet of kaiblades might have been, but the village had barely had two complete sets between them even before the cult came and stole everything away. One made do with what they had, she supposed. ¡°You there,¡± she said to the first, a woman from the Etruscian class whose name she couldn¡¯t be bothered to remember. Why was an Etruscian standing guard? This was Daisa work if there were such a thing. ¡°I wish to speak with one of the prisoners.¡± ¡°Priestess? Are you certain?¡± The woman glanced at her partner uncertainly, and for a moment Shamain wondered if the avatar had left any instructions behind. But no, she doubted the boy had given their prisoners a moment¡¯s thought since their arrival at the temple. He seemed the sort. Whereas Shamain had very much given thought to them, and what she was about to do. ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself, girl!¡± she snapped. ¡°I was helping lead this village while your mother was still in her nappies. Now, are you going to open this door or not?¡± ¡°Of course, Priestess!¡± Both the guards hurried to unlock the door, and a moment later it slid open. Shamain started forward, then almost recoiled. The stench of unwashed bodies, stale air, and an unclean latrine... well, she supposed this was what happened when you left a group of prisoners to languish in a sealed room for several weeks. Steeling herself, she strode the rest of the way in. The cultists of Zavastu stared up at her blank expressions. Their room was empty of any and all accommodations, beyond the single lamp that burned on the wall and a small hole in the corner that the avatar had created for them to dump their waste into. Several empty trays sat beside the door, indicating that their mealtime must have been recent. Shamain nudged these out of the way with her foot, then strode forward to stand over Ligo. The former archon stared up at her, enormous eyes dull and unblinking. ¡°You. Come with me.¡± Without another word she strode from the room. ¡°Priestess, are you certain that¡¯s wise?¡± The other guard, a Daisa named Yect¡ªat last, a proper guard for once¡ªasked as she walked by. Shamain shot a glower over her shoulder and the man gulped. There were no further complaints. She only went a short distance down the tunnel to another door. Inside she found what appeared to be more storage, the boxes here containing a noticeable coating of dust. Still, it was unoccupied, and would serve her purposes. Spinning, she stuck out a finger and stopped Argas from following her inside. ¡°Stay out here. Make sure that we aren¡¯t disturbed.¡± ¡°Of course, Aun¡ªah, priestess.¡± Argas shot the forfiliin cultist a dark look as he passed but took up position in the hallway. The door closed with a soft click, and then she was alone with the archon. ¡°Has their been word from my mistress?¡± Ligo asked. There was a note of desperation in his voice that Shamain particularly liked. Desperation meant he¡¯d be more open to negotiating. ¡°Couldn¡¯t say, nobody tells me anything. But I doubt it. Hasn¡¯t been nearly long enough for your caravan to have made it all the way home by now.¡± ¡°I doubt Avina stayed with the caravan. If she remembered her training, she would have made for the nearest¡ª¡± The archon cut off with a strangled cough, then glowered at Shamain as if it was her fault. Whatever. Shamain didn¡¯t care enough to pry such secrets from him. ¡°That¡¯s not what we¡¯re here for. Maybe your goddess decides to trade for you, maybe she doesn¡¯t. What do you think your odds of that happening truly are?¡± ¡°Once my goddess learns of our plight, she will send her finest to free me and our fellow priests.¡± Ligo puffed himself up, his eyes bulging. ¡°Tell your avatar that. If you all value your life, you would be better to free us now. Save yourself all a great deal of pain and suffering.¡± ¡°Maybe we will, maybe we won¡¯t. What did you do with the children?¡± ¡°What?¡± Her words had apparently thrown the forfiliin off, as she¡¯d intended them to. Confusion darkened his expression. ¡°We took no children from your village, only those capable of surviving the journey, and for being useful once they arrived at the journey¡¯s end.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean before. Yours is the only room in this temple that hasn¡¯t been searched six times over. So, tell me, are you hiding them?¡± ¡°You¡¯re... missing children? Here? In this place?¡± Ligo glanced around, then turned back to her. ¡°If you allow myself and my fellow priests some freedom to stretch our legs, we¡¯ll gladly help you search. Perhaps we¡¯ll notice something that you missed.¡± ¡°Never mind about that.¡± She could tell by the tone of his voice, the undercurrent of hope and desperation, that he spoke the truth. So, the cult wasn¡¯t responsible. It had been a long shot, but Shamain had to ask. She moved on to the real reason for this visit. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the memory shards. "Recognize these?¡± ¡°That¡¯s... where did you get those?¡± ¡°One of these I stole from a chest here at the temple,¡± she said, keeping her voice even. Then she added. ¡°The other, I took off the body of the elder you killed.¡± Vividly, she remembered the shock of holding Tervak¡¯s lifeless body in her arms while the avatar had beaten the archon senseless. Watching the last of his life fade away, and then, and then... the crystal had simply appeared on his chest, as if from thin air. Shamain had been so surprised, she¡¯d simply slipped it in her pocket without thinking. Only later had she been glad for her quick reaction. The avatar had never commented about the crystal¡¯s absence, but she¡¯d seen him devouring enough of them to know they were important to him somehow. Now she intended to learn just how important. Ligo glanced at the shards, then back at her. ¡°Why should I tell you anything?¡± ¡°Because I have something you want. We both know that Zavastu isn¡¯t going to bow to the demands of some unknown god fresh from the cradle.¡± She pocketed the stones again. It didn¡¯t escape her notice that the archon¡¯s eyes followed them with a greedy hunger. ¡°You and your fellow priests are never leaving here. Unless someone were to help you escape. So perhaps your question shouldn¡¯t be ¡®why should I tell you anything¡¯, but ¡®why shouldn¡¯t I tell you everything¡¯?¡± She saw a war of emotions cross the forfiliin¡¯s face. He would make a show of resistance, would make further demands of her, try to gain a stronger position. Bluster, all of it. And wasted. She had him by the balls, and they both knew it. Even such a detestable creature as this should be able to recognize that fact. But just because he was detestable didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t useful. ¡°Enough stalling, lad.¡± She leaned back against a crate, resting her weary bones. ¡°Start talking.¡± 2-1 — A Bad Day At The Beach Callan stared up at the night sky, trying to wrap his brain around what he was seeing. The moon hovered overhead, and that he could understand. He just couldn¡¯t quite accept how it was so big. Well, either big or way closer than Earth¡¯s moon. He was honestly unsure which of the two was more terrifying. The moon above him was roughly the same shape and color as the one back home, but easily took up three to four times more space in the sky. It must have been spinning at a faster rate too, because the craters or whatever they were slid across its surface even as he watched. The effect was mesmerizing. After several minutes, he managed to break his gaze away. ¡°And there are twelve of these friggin things? Seriously?¡± In that moment, he couldn¡¯t have cared less if this admission outed him as an extra-terrestrial (or maybe extra-outerworlder? Whatever). He simply didn¡¯t have room inside of him for any other emotions or concerns right now. The moon took them all. Fortunately, Kivi didn¡¯t comment beyond a nodding affirmation. Come to think of it, she also hadn¡¯t brought it up earlier when he¡¯d caught her eavesdropping. Maybe Xeph would have some insight later as to why. ¡°Are any of the others...¡± He couldn¡¯t find the right words, so instead he just gestured skyward. Kivi nodded again. ¡°Most are smaller, or more distant. Only three are larger than the Cavalier. I pray not to see any of them in my lifetime.¡± Huh. So apparently it wasn¡¯t that unusual to not see certain moons. Did they have some sort of irregular elliptical cycle or¡ª Callan shook his head. He was letting himself get distracted. ¡°Are we in any danger? Tervak mentioned once about the danger of traveling on a moonlit night.¡± ¡°That is only in the lower lying areas,¡± Kivi said. ¡°We should be perfectly safe up here.¡± She paused, then added, ¡°I think.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t sugarcoat it or anything,¡± Callan said, rolling his eyes. ¡°Sugarcoat?¡± ¡°What, didn¡¯t you have sugar in your village? I just figured you must refine it from the pythian like everything else.¡± Where did you get a foolish idea like that? Xeph grumbled. How would you get sugar from a tree? ¡°It was a joke, Xeph. Ugh, never mind.¡± And as for danger... The Cavalier always has exerted an unusually strong pull. Perhaps it would not be imprudent to seek higher ground. ¡°Wait. Pull as in... tides?¡± Of course. What other threat would the moons pose? Callan opened his mouth, realized he had nothing to say in response, and shut it again. ¡°I admit, I am mildly worried about that disturbance earlier,¡± Kivi continued, glancing over towards the fire. The two older priests had settled down again, apparently no longer concerned themselves, and had resumed warming their hands over the fire. ¡°But... we¡¯re on a plateau,¡± Callan said, his brain finally catching up with his mouth. ¡°And the ocean is like... a week in the opposite direction.¡± ¡°Which is why we are perfectly safe up here. Come, avatar, return to your tent, and try to get what sleep you¡ª¡± Another rumble echoed through the trees. The ground under Callan¡¯s feet shook so bad he almost lost his footing. ¡°High Priestess, perhaps we should¡ª¡± Sworv began, but whatever he was about to suggest was lost as an immense roar sounded through the camp, and a flood of water rushed in. The shock of suddenly seeing a knee-high wave crashing down on him almost caught Callan off-guard. Likely it was only his now thirty-plus points of Fortitude that let him keep his feet as the current tugged at his legs. Kivi was not nearly so lucky. She yelped as the water pulled her away. Just before she disappeared beneath the dark waters, Callan seized one of her flailing hands and dragged her upward. She spluttered and coughed, then yelped as he flung her over one shoulder. ¡°Avatar! The others!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, on it.¡± Callan searched the night for the two older priests. When the water had rushed in, their campfire had been instantly doused, but the moon overhead still provided ample light. Thanks to that he quickly managed to locate the lud. Sworv clung to the trunk of a nearby tree with all four of his arms. He refused to let go the first time Callan tugged on him, but eventually relented when he saw who it was. Initially Callan thought Paeral was lost, but then caught sight of one of the man¡¯s grasping hands. Wading over, he pulled the man free of the undercurrent. Close to a gallon of black water must have poured from his mouth before he was able to speak again. ¡°Leave me, Avatar, and save yourself! A bigger wave may strike at any moment, and then we¡¯ll all be lost.¡± ¡°Yeah, nah, we¡¯re not leaving anybody behind.¡± Callan set the other two lud down, as the water level had dropped now to around his ankles. While he might have the Brawn to carry all three of them, he couldn¡¯t do it for long. ¡°High Priestess? Thoughts?¡± ¡°I¡ªI do not know, Avatar. I am no Etruscian, trained in wildcraft or survival. Clearly it was arrogant of me not to bring Silfia along, but after we had such an easy journey the first time, I thought..." "Save the regrets for later,¡± Callan said. He glanced at the trees. ¡°Should we try climbing up higher? Not the best place to sleep, but at least they should stay dry.¡± I would not attempt that, Xeph muttered. ¡°Why not?¡± Because these trees are adapted to moonrise conditions. Once they detect the saltwater on their roots, they¡¯ll¡ª Callan yelped as a tree branch almost as wide around as his arm crashed down not two feet away. The air filled with more cracks and snaps, until it sounded as if they were pinned by gunfire. The lud all yelled and ran for the nearest clearing. ¡ªDo that, Xeph finished. I did warn you that beginning a journey on a moonrise was an ill omen. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Yeah, maybe next time try for some actually useful advice!¡± Hmm. In that case, perhaps seeking higher ground would be prudent. It would at least protect us from the smaller waves. Callan grumbled under his breath, his gaze sweeping the dark for anything useful. The forest was rapidly disappearing around them. What had before been reasonably thick foliage was thinning out, leaving branchless trunks rising stark white towards the moonlight. On the flip side, Callan could see all the way to the plateau¡¯s edge. There, waves were crashing against the side, sending sprays of water into the air. A few managed to actually make it over to flood the ground beyond, but none got as close as that first wave. In a moment of epiphany, Callan understood. He¡¯d wondered the first time he¡¯d looked on the canyons why they all had that saltwater smell that reminded him of Puget Sound. Now he knew: because apparently they were regularly flooded with actual ocean water. Somehow, even miles away as they were. Just how powerful was this Cavalier moon? And Kivi claimed there were three that were even bigger? He shuddered at the thought. Another wave broke over the distant plateau, far bigger than the previous ones, sending its water rushing towards them. Callan cursed. ¡°Shit! Time to move!¡± ¡°Avatar? Where are we to go?¡± Callan tore his gaze away from the oncoming wave and looked behind him. He spotted a bulge in the dark. ¡°Higher ground. Move, move, move!¡± They rushed at a madcap pace. Callan was tempted to scoop up the shorter-legged lud and carry them along. The roar behind them grew louder. ¡°Faster, faster!¡± he urged on the others. Sworv and Paeral reached the bulge first, clambering atop it with ease. Kivi glanced over her shoulder and let out a squeak of fright. Not waiting to find out why, Callan scooped her up in a princess-carry and leapt into the air. He just made it in time. Another wave crashed beneath his feet, striking their refuge and flowing around it. Callan landed with a solid bump, feeling rough stone under his feet. He set Kivi down, then began searching for a higher roost. This boulder they clambered on was better than nothing, but it still only bought them another foot or two of additional height. He¡¯d have preferred at least ten times as much at the moment. Unfortunately, there was nothing. The plateau was empty but for the bare matchsticks of trees sticking out at odd intervals. In the dark, they looked like the victims of a horrible forest fire. Even the small spring where they had filled their canteens after making camp was gone. Was it permanently polluted with salt, or did it have a way to purge itself? More questions for another time. ¡°Avatar,¡± Kivi said, tugging at his sleeve. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll be safe here? If an even bigger wave should strike...¡± ¡°Your guess is as good as mine, High Priestess. Is there any chance we could just make for a higher plateau?¡± The lud girl shook her head. ¡°We might make the edge of this one if we ran, but if the canyons are this full of water, the bridge has likely been swept away. We¡¯ll need take the long way down to the bottom tomorrow.¡± She glanced again towards the distance waves cracking against the plateau¡¯s edge. ¡°Assuming we live to see tomorrow.¡± ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s keep up a positive attitude.¡± ¡°Of course, Avatar.¡± Kivi smiled at him, but it was a worried, tight-lipped smile. Glancing down, Callan noticed the water from the latest wave wasn¡¯t retreating. The waves crashing against the plateau¡¯s edge were also declining. Was the water level itself rising? That wouldn¡¯t do. Even if there were no waves, they could still easily be swept away from their perch by a flood. A flood. ¡°Sandbags!¡± Callan said, startling the lud huddling together. They all glanced at him. ¡°On my... where I¡¯m from, when it floods, people pile up bags of sand on top of each other to build a wall. If you do it right, you can stay completely dry on the other side. If you haven¡¯t noticed, mortal, we somewhat lack for either sand or bags at the moment, Xeph noted. ¡°Yeah, but we have something better: Shape Stone!¡± ...Ah. That is a valid point. ¡°It¡¯s worth a try. C¡¯mon!¡± He motioned to the others to join him, then activated his own power. With a little manipulating, he managed to mold the nearest edge of the boulder to form a wall about three inches thick. It didn¡¯t stretch more than about two feet in either direction, but it was a start.
Alert: 2.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 2.75%
Even as he watched, a small wave broke against it, the water flooding around the edges and soaking their feet anew. In the distance came another rumble. ¡°Yeah, nothing like building under pressure,¡± Callan grumbled, beginning to shape another section of the boulder. It wasn¡¯t easy, since he was pulling from the stone under their feet. He just hoped they¡¯d have enough base material to make a difference. Between himself and the others, the wall began to grow, until soon it encircled them entirely. Kivi was particularly helpful, as she seemed to have a knack for stretching limited amounts of stone that Callan still hadn¡¯t grasped. The wall had started about three inches thick at its base but grew progressively thinner as it rose. He left the upper sections to Kivi as much as he could, and just focused on reinforcement. Still, while Kivi¡¯s skill had increased, she could only use Shape Stone a total of four times before exhausting herself. Sworv and Paeral barely managed a single use each, and both of their wall sections had to be reworked by Callan, wasting a use of his ability. At his current level, Callan could use Shape Stone nine times before hitting the Apotheosis limit. He reached it just after smoothing out a section at the back.
Alert: 2.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 24.75%
¡°Think that¡¯ll be enough?¡± he asked, as another crash echoed outside. A salty mist filled the air as the wave broke around their sanctuary, but otherwise they remained dry. Hmm. The wall isn¡¯t as thick as I¡¯d like, but as the nature of Shape Stone retains the work as a single piece rather than many, it likely should not break. I suppose we¡¯ll know if you failed when we are all swept away into one of the canyons. ¡°Gee, thanks, Xeph. That¡¯s just the mental image I wanted right now.¡± If you are that worried, you may always break the threshold and reinforce the wall further. I do not mind being quarantined if it results in the survival of my avatar and priests. Callan considered it as another wave struck, the waters parting to either side as they rushed past. ¡°I think we¡¯ll be okay. Besides, I¡¯d rather keep your powers on the table as long as I can. Getting stuck with you taking a nap for an hour or so really doesn¡¯t sound like my idea of a good time right now.¡± I wouldn¡¯t be napping! We¡¯ve been over this, mortal. He turned back to Kivi. The lud was currently on her tiptoes, peering over the wall and out onto the plateau. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from villagers before about what it is like during a particularly bad moonrise, but... do you think everyone at the temple is alright?¡± Let her know they¡¯re fine, Xeph said. My temple wouldn¡¯t have lasted for as long as it has if there was no way to keep the water out. ¡°Do we have the dveorgs to thank for that?¡± Callan asked. Most likely. Their own cities certainly never seem to suffer ocean incursions, at least none I have witnessed. Callan assured the others that their friends and family would be fine. Then, seeing that some of his power had recharged, he set to work slowly building the wall further. Over the hours, the walls rose higher around them, until even Callan could no longer see outside. When that happened, he fashioned a set of steps into the wall and climbed up for a look. The water had receded, so that there was probably no more than a foot or so around their tower. Waves still crashed against the distant walls of the canyon, but fewer were making it up onto the plateau. It seemed the danger had passed. He dropped back down into their makeshift tower. The moon had moved on, so that only half of it was visible over the rim. Still, there was light enough to see the expressions of his companions. Sworv and Paeral watched him nervously, while Kivi seemed braced for the worst. ¡°Thank you for your quick thinking, Avatar. It was my foolishness and arrogance that got us into this situation. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit.¡± She bowed low. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us could have anticipated that was going to happen,¡± Callan told her. Cavalier moons are exceedingly rare, Xeph noted. At least they were a thousand years ago. I doubt that has changed too much. ¡°Anyway, we have this awesome tower now too. Think how nice it¡¯ll be for anyone traveling this way to know they can take refuge inside here.¡± Kivi¡¯s expression metamorphized into a look of sudden inspiration. ¡°Avatar, you are right. This tower could change everything here on the plateaus.¡± ¡°I mean, I wouldn¡¯t go that far. It¡¯s just one refuge.¡± ¡°For now.¡± Kivi¡¯s grin had taken on a look that Callan didn¡¯t like one bit. ¡°I have, however, just had a wonderful idea.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°It might delay our journey to Aos, but... how do you feel about gaining even more followers?¡± 2-2 — Meeting The Masses At first light next morning, Callan finished crafting a set of steps on the outside of the tower that were close enough even the lud could scramble up and down with little trouble. Between these and the addition of a small parapet around the top, the tower almost had an intentional look about it. He also spent some time working on a drain system into the tower. It wouldn¡¯t do for weary travelers to seek shelter there only to find the inside full of rainwater. Kivi watched him put on the final touches with a critical eye, then finally nodded. ¡°It is a good first attempt. We can work on refining the process with the next one.¡± ¡°Gee, thanks, High Priestess. It isn¡¯t like we built this one under extreme duress or anything.¡± I think it¡¯s impressive that you managed anything at all given your current skill level with Shape Stone, Xeph noted. Perhaps with the additional faith gained from this yeth town, the process will not need to be burdened with hours of waiting. ¡°Here¡¯s to hoping. But that only will do us any good after we get more followers.¡± They traced their way through the now rather bare plateau to where their camp had been. As Callan studied the limbless trees that dotted the landscape, he shook his head. ¡°How in the world did your village survive this on the regular? How does anything on these plateaus manage, for that matter?¡± ¡°What we experienced last night is not a regular occurrence, even for the Badlands, Avatar,¡± Paeral told him. ¡°Besides, this is a much smaller plateau. It would take the Emperor itself to flood the Tokash. Even then, we could always have sought refuge in the boughs of the pythian. There is a reason our village has endured for so many generations.¡± ¡°You should not joke about such things as the Emperor moon,¡± Kivi said, visibly shuddering. ¡°Of course, High Priestess. I was only trying to reassure the avatar. In any case, It is true that life is difficult for most here. I expect other villages on other plateaus have developed methods for staying safe, though I could not say what those might be.¡± ¡°Huh. Guess there¡¯s a reason they call this place the Badlands,¡± Callan said. The lud all nodded somberly. They managed to locate their previous night¡¯s camp due to a surprising windfall. Somehow, against all odds, Callan¡¯s tent had survived the waves and flood. To be fair, it looked like a drowned rat pulled from the river, with the material lying in a flat and soggy mess, but the stakes had held. Callan reached through the flaps and sifted about, coming back with his bedroll. It smelled of seawater and was covered in bits of debris. ¡°We can salvage that,¡± Kivi said over his shoulder. She took it from him and began wringing out a small puddle at their feet. Reaching back inside, Callan came back with his travel sack. The knot at the top was still tightly sealed. Even tighter than before, actually, thanks to the water. He worked the knot for a bit before finally giving up and cutting it loose. Out dumped his extra clothes¡ªsoaked through, of course¡ªseveral waterlogged emergency rations, a canteen, and most importantly, their secret weapon for Aos. ¡°Talk about a welcome sight,¡± he said, holding it up to show Kivi. ¡°Would have sucked major balls if we had to turn around and go all the way back just because we lost this.¡± And you chastised me for openly discussing sexual proclivities yesterday, Xeph grumbled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡ªthat¡¯s not what¡ªdude, are you messing with me, or have you seriously never heard a euphemism before?¡± If you don¡¯t know, I¡¯m certainly not going to tell you. There was a definite note of mischief in the god¡¯s voice. Callan rolled his eyes. While the lud worked at emptying out bits of seaweed and other flotsam from inside his tent, he repacked his bedroll and secured it once again to his pack. The thing probably weighed twice as much as before, but with his elevated Brawn that was no great encumbrance. ¡°We can dry all of it the rest of the way tonight,¡± Kivi said, as she finished packing up the tent. ¡°But if we wish that to happen, we had best move on. I do not think any of us wish to still be on this plateau come tonight¡¯s moonrise.¡± With that sobering statement, they made rapid time towards the plateau¡¯s edge. As Kivi had predicted, they found the remnants of a rope bridge, a few tattered strands still dangling from the far side. ¡°Do you know a way down and over?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Not exactly. But Silfia showed me the signs to look for.¡± It took ten minutes of searching before Sworv managed to turn something up. Cut into the side of the cliff were several pockets that were just big enough to allow someone to clamber down. Callan peered past the cuts to where the canyon floor lay some hundred or so feet below. "If any of these handholds are even mildly slick or filled with crabs, we¡¯re going to die.¡± ¡°Do not be so melodramatic, Avatar, I¡¯m sure between all of us, a bit of quick work with Shape Stone should prevent any major accidents. Besides, I¡¯ve never heard of a crab that could fit into a hole that small.¡± Choosing not to pursue that particularly worrisome statement, Callan watched the lud girl test out the first few rungs before following. The two older priests scrambled after him. The climb was long, stressful, and ultimately uneventful. Soon they reached the floor of the canyon, which was an absolute mess of flotsam, broken tree branches, and pools of saltwater brimming with life. Callan paused to watch a creature that looked like a moon jellyfish but was no bigger than his thumb jet its way from one side of a pool to the other. It eventually hid under a branch that lay half-in, half-out of the water. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe this place can handle tides like that on the regular,¡± he said, more to himself than anyone present. Which was silly. Because there was always at least one other person present. Well, maybe person wasn¡¯t the right word. Ultimately, they can¡¯t, the god said matter-of-factly. Callan frowned as he crossed to the other side of the pool. ¡°Why is that?¡± Tidal shifts like last night are typically rare, though less rare here than they are further to the north. If they remain rare enough, a plateau has time to recover. But if they occur more frequently, the repeated tides will eventually wash away too much of the top-lying soil. The trees will absorb more salt than they can excrete. Then, nothing will be left here but barren rock. Eventually the tides will wash even that away, too. For some reason, the thought filled Callan with sadness. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve lived long enough to see that happen a time or two.¡± Perhaps. The god sounded troubled, and remained silent for some time after that. Finding their path up to the next plateau was a much faster process, and soon the four of them had ascended with little trouble. Callan was greeted once again to lush plant life and shady trees for hiding from the increasing heat. It appeared that this plateau had escaped last night¡¯s tide unscathed. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Soon after, they located the path where it continued on from the remnants of the bridge. Kivi gazed a moment out into the canyon before turning and setting off, Callan and the others following. ¡°We should be able to follow this road for the rest of the morning. I would have liked to have made it to the next plateau before nightfall, but given our new plans, we will need to remain here tonight.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a farming community on this plateau, I take it?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Several, actually, most of which have pledged their support to Xeph¡¯s cause already. None here enjoyed paying tithes every time one of Zavastu¡¯s caravan passed this way.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stop at all of them, then? If nothing else, I¡¯d like to say hello.¡± ¡°Perhaps. But most are deeper inland and are not in need of our... newest service. The last, however, I hope may prove receptive.¡± Leaving it at that, they set off. The sun slowly arced across the sky while Callan and his priesthood followed the road as it wound its way across the plateau. They did indeed stop at several farms along the way. All of them were small affairs, only a half-dozen houses at most, usually built within a wooden palisade and with several fields surrounding. The farmers who made up these holds were an eclectic bunch. One was comprised entirely of veloom, all with the same red-green feather patterns, while another contained three lilish families with differing colors of rubbery shark skin. No yeth or lud, though. That surprised Callan as much as it disappointed him. Given that a lud village lay at one end of this trail and a yeth village at the other, he¡¯d expected the farmsteads to be comprised mostly of those two races. It seemed, however, that these were mostly families who simply fit in nowhere else. ¡°Do different races not live together in this¡ªin Urslang?¡± he asked at one point. The two older priests looked at him curiously, and Callan felt his face flush. Perhaps he should have saved that question to ask Kivi in private, but it had been on his tongue all morning, and managed to slip out shortly after they left the last farm. ¡°I do not know of any explicit rule against it, avatar,¡± Kivi said, after glaring at the two other priests to the point they hurried on ahead to ¡®scout the trail¡¯. Callan almost laughed despite everything. ¡°But it is true that many of the elevated races feel more comfortable with their own kind. I¡¯m sure there are some practical reasons for this, though I can only speak of the more cultural ones. For instance, lud are generally disliked by the other races, which is why we tend to keep to our own communities.¡± You¡¯ll find less homogeny in larger communities, Xeph added. People tend to care less about such things once there are sufficient numbers. Some cities may maintain specific districts for certain races, but even in my time this was rare. ¡°Okay, so then why are so many of these families living out here alone? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to be closer to a town?¡± Callan was thinking of the cult, primarily, but also for more mundane reasons as well. Towns meant sharing resources, divisions of labor, specializations. It took a special kind of person to want to live so far away that they had to handle every little task in their daily life on their own. Hmm. The Badlands have always been a refuge for those who sought solace from the more populous areas of the north. If I had to guess, many of these families consider isolation a fair trade for being in control of their fate. I can only speculate, of course. ¡°I guess that makes sense. Though I don¡¯t know how much control counts for when it comes to setting your own bones or rebuilding after a disaster.¡± ¡°There are other reasons many of these families might choose to dwell apart,¡± Kivi noted. She was following the conversation fairly well for someone who could only hear half of it. ¡°Many may not enjoy the restrictions and requirements placed upon them by those that control those towns.¡± ¡°Speaking about your own village again?¡± The lud girl frowned, but still nodded her head. ¡°It is true that any who wished to join our community would have to submit themselves to living as Daisa, but in this instance I was referring to other communities. Aos, specifically.¡± Callan glanced at her. ¡°Something I need to know about?¡± ¡°No, Avatar. Likely it is better for you to see the situation yourself. Even when my master explained it to me before our first visit, I didn¡¯t fully understand until I spent time there.¡± The conversation stalled after that, and for most of the afternoon they worked their way through the woods in silence. After leaving the main road¡ªan overly generous term, in Callan¡¯s opinion¡ªthey followed a track that was little more than a game trail. Whatever traffic using this route appeared to be minimal. When the sun was about an hour away from the horizon, they emerged from the thicket and found themselves on a small hill overlooking a plain of waving grass. In the distance, smoke rose from the chimney of a farmhouse. Its lower level sat several feet off the ground, the first Callan had seen like that so far. He¡¯d sort of assumed that most of the buildings on this plateau would have similar precautions. Then again, the plateau had been gently sloping downward for some time. Maybe there was just enough of a difference below. Callan also spied a protective wall around the farmstead, though this one had more the appearance of a retention wall than a palisade. Rough stones had been placed atop one another until they reached close to chest height, but there was nothing to stop an animal from simply leaping over it. Perhaps nothing as intimidating as a dvorak lived on this plateau. Still, after the last few farms, Callan couldn¡¯t help but find the appearance curious. As they approached an opening through the wall that led to the farmhouse proper, a rather human-looking man intercepted them. He leaned against the arch, watching them warily. From the house behind a woman emerged, carrying a small babe in her arms. ¡°Greetings, Restaro,¡± Kivi said, once they¡¯d drawn a bit closer. She gave a short bow, which the farmer returned. Callan studied the man, wondering if this was one of the yeth he¡¯d heard so much about. He tried to count his fingers without appearing too obvious about it. It looked as if there were only five, but he did see something else out the ordinary: Restaro appeared to have an extra joint on each of his fingers, which were easily twice the length of Callan¡¯s own. In addition, he was slightly taller, with an overall elven appearance about him. A rutain, Xeph offered helpfully. Callan suspected he¡¯d just uncompressed the memory himself. ¡°Priestess.¡± Restaro didn¡¯t appear overly hostile, but his voice had a flat note to it that wasn¡¯t friendly, either. ¡°To what do we owe the pleasure of a return visit so soon?¡± Callan got the distinct impression that whatever the man was feeling at the moment, it wasn¡¯t pleasure. ¡°We do not mean to intrude upon your hospitality. I am merely escorting Xeph¡¯s avatar to Aos, so he may aid the town in their recent troubles.¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± The rutain woman had come to a stop beside Restaro, but not she stepped forward. Her eyes found Callan¡¯s own. ¡°You are the avatar for lord Xeph-Zul-Karatl?¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me.¡± Callan started to hold out a hand, realized the woman already had her hands occupied, and quickly let it drop. ¡°Xeph wanted to stop by all the farms where people had offered their faith to offer his thanks personally.¡± ¡°The god is too kind.¡± The woman bowed awkwardly. Kivi stepped beside her and rose onto her tiptoes to peer at the babe hiding beneath a mass of blankets. ¡°Your little one has grown since I was last here, Sadie. And is even cuter than before!¡± The rutain woman blushed and murmured some thanks. Callan turned and noticed that the farmer Restaro was watching him with a rather intense expression. Hmm. Interesting. The rutain woman has offered her faith to us, but not her husband. I wonder why? ¡°I imagine that¡¯s what we¡¯re here to resolve,¡± Callan muttered. A little louder, he said. ¡°High Priestess, we don¡¯t want to impose upon these people for too long. Perhaps you wish to tell them about your brilliant idea?¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± Kivi blinked at him a moment before seeming to come back to herself. ¡°Of course, wise as ever. Restaro, we have an offer for you.¡± ¡°I already told you, I¡¯m not interested in offering my faith to your god,¡± the man said gruffly. ¡°And if that is your wish, we shall respect it. However, the avatar wishes to provide your family with a gift. No obligation or service is required in return.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The rutain had a suspicious note in his voice. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± A broad grin broke onto Callan¡¯s face. ¡°Let me ask you this: did you enjoy last night¡¯s moonrise?¡± Restaro¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°It is never easy, but our farmland endures. The water reached my northern field, but the southern lies untouched.¡± ¡°And your family?¡± Kivi asked. ¡°We retreated to the high hills, as we usually do,¡± Sadie said. ¡°My husband has built us a small cabin there.¡± ¡°Why not just live in the hills instead of down at the level where tides can reach you?¡± Callan asked. All eyes turned towards him. ¡°If I had a season to clear away sufficient trees, that might be an option,¡± Restaro said at last. ¡°However, the land down here remains fertile. It would be too much of a risk to move my family elsewhere when our fields here still provide.¡± ¡°Of course, Restaro. We are not questioning your judgement,¡± Kivi said quickly. ¡°After all, one can never predict the tides. May they remain low for many years.¡± ¡°It is what it is, priestess. The Countess gives, and the Countess takes away.¡± ¡°As is her divine right as regent.¡± The words had a distinct ring of formality to them. Restaro gave a grunt but nodded appreciably. ¡°Still,¡± Kivi continued, ¡°There is accepting the tribulations of the moons, and there is taking what measures you can to protect yourselves. What do you intend to do if a moonrise catches you unaware? Or unable to travel?¡± Sadie clutched her babe closer, her face turning pale at the thought. Kivi gave the woman a reassuring smile, then turned back to the farmer. ¡°We have come to offer you a gift: protection from the tides. Something a bit closer to home than your remote cabin.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± For the first time, the farmer¡¯s expression softened. He gave a nod, then turned and walked back under his arch. ¡°Best come inside, then. This sounds like a discussion better held over supper.¡± 2-3 — Best Not To Interfere With Sibling Rivalries ¡°And Xeph is truly willing to gift us one of these ¡®tide towers¡¯?¡± the farmer asked incredulously. He glanced between Callan and Kivi, then back again. The priestess nodded. ¡°That is correct, Restaro.¡± ¡°Forgive me if I don¡¯t quite believe it¡¯s from the goodness of his heart.¡± I don¡¯t have a heart, Xeph grumbled. A smile twitched at the corners of Callan¡¯s mouth, but he kept it under control, lest the farmer and his wife notice. He leaned back and let Kivi argue her case. ¡°It is not just for your benefit. There are also other families here on the lower end of the plateau, are there not? I happen to know that a lilish community lives not a half-hour walk from your farm. You are not the only family that might seek shelter during a particularly bad moonrise.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Restaro eyed Callan for a moment. Honestly, what was this guy¡¯s deal? Callan understood if he didn¡¯t want to offer his faith, but what was he so afraid of otherwise? He had been giving them all the stink-eye since they first sat down to eat. Speaking of which. He turned back to the plate in front of him and helped himself to another spoonful. When they¡¯d first been invited to eat, Callan had worried it might be more spirebeans, but apparently such fare wasn¡¯t known to those who didn¡¯t live under a pythian tray. Their meal had included a variety of vegetables that Callan dimly recognized, along with golden loaves of bread made from a grain the farmer referred to as adle. Callan didn¡¯t know enough about heirloom varieties from Earth to be certain if he should recognize this one or not. Across from him, Sadie gave a demure smile and offered the plate of rolls. Callan took one with a whispered thanks. At least the wife seemed amenable to them. Of course, she¡¯d already sworn an oath. Was that usual in this world, for couples not to share religions? He¡¯d have to ask Kivi later. ¡°How long do you expect the work to take?¡± Restaro was asking, still grilling Kivi about her proposed plan. ¡°If you intend to be the rest of the season about it...¡± ¡°I assure you, the work will not be nearly so long. A day, no more.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The man sounded incredulous. Probably hadn¡¯t seen an avatar work their magic before. Or a priest, for that matter, since Kivi would have been without her powers last time she passed this way. ¡°In that case, you¡¯re welcome to use my barn while you¡¯re at it and join my wife and I at table for supper. I know it¡¯ll please her to have someone new to show off our son to.¡± Sadie let out a little laugh at that. ¡°You assume I¡¯ll let anyone but the high priestess near him! Men¡¯s hands aren¡¯t meant for the handling of delicate things like babes.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve held a baby before,¡± Callan said, swallowing down the rest of his role. To be fair, it was only once, for about thirty seconds at a family reunions while some second cousin hunted in her diaper bag for a fresh packet of wipes. But he hadn¡¯t panicked or accidentally dropped it, so he was willing to count that as a win. The rutain woman gave him another demure smile but said nothing. Kivi scooted closer so she could coo over the babe that was swaddled and resting in a nearby crib. Turning back, she said, ¡°I¡¯m quite happy to monopolize all of this one¡¯s time, if I¡¯m able. Have you picked a name since I was last here?¡± ¡°Not yet. We¡¯re waiting until after the harvest, as is proper.¡± Kivi nodded sagely, as if this made perfect sense. Maybe it did, by this world¡¯s standards. Callan wasn¡¯t going to judge. ¡°Avatar, why don¡¯t you take the other priests to get settled in the barn. I¡¯ll stay here and help Sadie clean up,¡± Kivi said after a few minutes. That sounded like a far better plan than sitting in awkward silence with Restaro staring at him, so Callan nodded and climbed to his feet. Bidding the farmer and his wife good night, he led Paeral and Sworv out into the dark. ¡°Okay, I hope one of you two knows which of these buildings is the barn, because I¡¯m completely stumped,¡± he said once they were outside. Sworv pointed toward a squat building near the far side of the stone wall. ¡°I believe that is it, Avatar, over there. The only other building?¡± ¡°Ah, yep. That makes sense.¡± Are you trying to appear dull-witted to endear yourself to our priests, mortal? Xeph asked. Because I can think of several better ways to go about it. ¡°Geez, Xeph, give a guy a break. It was just a little joke.¡± Rolling his eyes, Callan followed after the two lud. They found the inside of the barn reasonably dry, though the floor had a layer of straw on it that Callan guessed was freshly applied after the last moonrise. On that note, he glanced towards the back of the barn, and was pleased to see a loft, accessible by a rope ladder, leading up to more bales of straw. ¡°At least we won¡¯t have to worry about getting swept away tonight,¡± he said half-jokingly. At least, he hoped it was joking. If there had really been risk of another tide, likely Restaro and his family would have fled to high ground already. ¡°There is little worry of that tonight, Avatar,¡± Sworv said, helping to further chase away his worries. ¡°Already the Cavalier moon is retreating. See?¡± Callan glanced behind him and saw the moon rising again in the distance. Even half-hidden behind the hill, he could tell it was significantly smaller than it had been last night. Did that mean it was further away now? What sort of orbit did these moons have, anyway? ¡°One less thing to worry about. Hey, I call top bunk!¡± He made for the ladder. The two older lud glanced at each other before following. The loft ran most of the length of the barn and was filled with all manner of farming implements, in addition to bundles of straw. Which made sense to Callan, given what he¡¯d learned. You wouldn¡¯t want anything you couldn¡¯t live without getting carried away by the next tide. Still, the way the floor creaked ominously as the others climbed up did worry him a bit. ¡°You think we¡¯ll be okay up here? Seems like this place is bursting at the seams as it is already.¡± Sworv glanced about nervously at this, but Paeral merely shook his head and patted a beam overhead. ¡°You need not worry, Avatar. This Restaro knows his business. The quality of his woodworking here could rival any of my own.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a woodworker?¡± Callan asked, blinking in surprise. In hindsight, he shouldn¡¯t have been so surprised by that. After all, Paeral had until recently been a member of the Biiran caste, and Kivi had just gotten done telling him that those were the craftsmen of lud society. So the man must have possessed one skill or another. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Mostly, he just felt bad that it had never occurred to him to ask. They¡¯d been on this journey for several days, and he hadn¡¯t bothered to learn anything about either of the men. Well, no time like the present to make up for it. Paeral nodded at the question. ¡°That is correct, Avatar. As my father was before me, and my son Ignus will be one day.¡± ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t know you had a son as well. You¡¯ll have to introduce me when we return.¡± Immediately, Callan realized he¡¯d said something he shouldn¡¯t have. Paeral¡¯s face crumpled inward. ¡°Would that I could, Avatar. Unfortunately, he was one of the first taken by Zavastu. I hope to see him returned to us, but until then...¡± He trailed off, and an awkward silence settled over the barn. Callan glanced between both lud, then cleared his throat. ¡°Sworv, what about you? Any children I should know about?¡± ¡°Not I, avatar. I considered it during my youth, but given that any wife I took would only be able to bear a single child, I never saw the point.¡± Callan winced. Right. Stupid baby-murdering caste rules. Somehow he¡¯d managed to stumble right from one embarrassing subject to another without hardly stopping for breath. He grasped for any subject to try and lighten up the mood. He needn¡¯t have bothered. The two brothers managed it for him. ¡°Certainly wasn¡¯t from a lack of trying,¡± Paeral said with a soft snort, glancing at Sworv. ¡°There was a time when it was difficult to find an unmarried woman in the village you hadn¡¯t bedded. A few of the married ones, besides.¡± Sworv glowered. ¡°Not this again. Just because Revak fancied me before she did you isn¡¯t my fault. That one has too much of her mother in her.¡± ¡°You only went after her because you knew I wanted to court her!¡± ¡°After her? She climbed through my window, brother, not the other way around.¡± ¡°Yet now she warms my bed¡ª¡± ¡°Whoa, hold on a minute.¡± Callan stepped between the two men. He was half afraid they were about to come to blows, and half chagrined he¡¯d just heard a grown-ass man use the word ¡®fancied¡¯ with a straight face. ¡°What¡¯s all this about?¡± ¡°Revak. My wife.¡± Paeral said, ignoring Callan to stare daggers at his brother. ¡°He never forgave me for winning her heart. Not that he had any chance. Revak wasn¡¯t about to descend to Daisa caste for a mere dalliance." ¡°And I already told you, it was always her that did the pursuing,¡± Sworv spat back. ¡°You¡¯re just afraid she¡¯s going to go looking the moment you turn your back. Wouldn¡¯t surprise me if she did. Like mother, like daughter, that one.¡± ¡°YOU INSOLENT¡ª¡± Paeral froze as Callan¡¯s hand clamped down on his shoulder. More than the seventeen Brawn flowing through him, his expression drew the other man up short. ¡°Apologies, Avatar. You should not be forced to listen to the bickering of two old men.¡± ¡°Yeah, not exactly disagreeing with you there.¡± He released Paeral, and the two lud retreated to opposite corners where they sat in silence. Hmm. That could certainly have gone better, Xeph noted as Callan¡¯s gaze flicked back and forth. Callan nodded in silent agreement but refrained from saying so out loud. Instead, he tried again to switch to a more neutral topic. ¡°So hey, do either of you two know why Kivi¡ªah, the high priestess¡ªwas lying to Restaro back there?¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± Sworv glanced up from picking idly at a hay bale with a look of confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Just all that nonsense she spewed about building a tower to aid the other families in the area.¡± ¡°You think that was ¡®nonsense¡¯?¡± Paeral asked. He¡¯d also quickly traded in his expression of smoldering rage for a more inquisitive one. ¡°I mean, yeah? If we were really doing this for any of his neighbors, why not pick a more central location? But she wants me to build a tower right here next to this farm. She¡¯s doing this specifically for Restaro, if I had to guess.¡± Paeral shook his head. ¡°The high priestess would not engage in such subterfuge. You must be misunderstanding the situation.¡± ¡°The avatar is not,¡± Kivi said. She pulled herself up into the loft and glanced between Callan and the two older men. ¡°I do have a reason for trying to win Restaro¡¯s favor.¡± Callan frowned. ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°It is a personal reason, between his wife, Sadie, and myself. I ask you to respect their privacy, Avatar, and trust that I know what I am doing.¡± ¡°Sure, I guess I can do that.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Kivi¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Now, it is past time we slept. There is much work to be done tomorrow, and days yet to travel.¡±
Human. Human. CALLAN! ¡°Huh? Whazzit?¡± Callan sat up, bleary eyed, and glanced around. A bit of stray straw tumbled out of his hair and landed in his lap. Oh, good, you¡¯re awake. I was afraid you had nodded off and forgotten your promise. ¡°Promise?¡± *Sigh*. You still need to practice your bounty manipulations. I allowed you to skip yesterday¡ª ¡°Yeah, because were almost drowned by a literal flood,¡± hissed Callan. He glanced around, but none of his companions stirred. ¡ªBut missing two nights is simply unacceptable. There should be sufficient moonlight by now. And since you weren¡¯t sleeping anyway... Callan muttered something impolite under his breath, then crept over to the ladder. He descended silently and made his way out of the barn. Outside, he found Xeph was right. The Cavalier moon was now overhead, and while much smaller than last night, it was still plenty of light to see by. A second moon glowed near the horizon, but it was miniscule, barely a crumb in comparison. The Cairn, Xeph said to his unanswered question. ¡°Wait, is that what people mean when they refer to the Cairn? I just assumed it was like their version of heaven or something.¡± It is. Or at least it was during the last age. The spirits of the dead gather upon the Cairn and await their time to be reborn. Foolish superstition, but it did not interfere with our worship, so my fellow gods and I allowed it. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you remember all of these moons, do you?¡± Callan asked. ¡°I keep meaning to try to wheedle their names out of Kivi.¡± Hmm, let me see... Brigand, Butcher, Cairn, Cavalier, Countess¡ª ¡°Actually, never mind. No way I¡¯m ever going to remember all of those.¡± Just as well. You have work to do, and little remaining moonlight in which to do them. Callan spread his feet and took a deep breath. ¡°More practice with Mountainform?¡± No. I feel you have made sufficient progress with that for the moment. More urgent is for you to master control over your Wurmchain. It will be important in the battles to come with this other avatar. ¡°We don¡¯t even know if we¡¯ll be fighting this other avatar. In fact, if everything goes according to plan, we won¡¯t be fighting at all.¡± Still, Callan summoned his Wurmchain, dismissing the interface message about it before he could even read it. He glared at the weapon. ¡°I haven¡¯t made any headway in moving the tip yet. Which, according to you, is the easier task.¡± True. Callan waited for some sort of follow-up to this statement. When none was forthcoming, he sighed and set to work trying to clear his mind and find the energy of the Wurmchain dwelling within him. Yeah. No matter what Xeph said otherwise, this still felt like mystic mumbo-jumbo. Despite that, he found the weapon¡¯s source after a bit of soul searching. With some further mental straining, he successfully slid the spiked tip of the Wurmchain down, just a few notches. Not much, but it was something.
Alert: 1% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 1%
Opening his eyes, Callan noted that the Cavalier moon had almost reached the opposite horizon. The Cairn had slipped out of sight entirely. It seemed his training session for the night was over. As he made his way back towards the barn, he paused by the wall running alongside it. His fingers ran over the surface, feeling the surface change from rough to smooth as they encountered first one stone and then another. Something on your mind, mortal? ¡°Hmm? Oh, just mulling things over. Hey, I¡¯ve got a question. How far down is it to the bedrock?¡± Technically, quite deep. However, a layer of caprock lies directly beneath us, which I believe is closer to what you are asking about. Xeph went silent for a moment. Interesting. It is rather shallow here. No more than a foot beneath the surface regolith in places. Quite concerning. Callan didn¡¯t know nearly enough geology to be familiar with all of those terms, but he got the general idea. ¡°I suspected as much. If this place gets hit regularly by high tides like we saw on the last plateau, it wouldn¡¯t take much to wash all the dirt away.¡± This is true. But how does it relate to our current task here? ¡°Dunno yet. Maybe it doesn¡¯t.¡± He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s too late to be thinking about it right now, anyway. We¡¯ll talk about it more in the morning.¡± Very well. I¡¯ll assist with any further questions however I am able. ¡°Thanks, Xeph.¡± Callan stepped back inside the barn. ¡°Oh, and one more thing.¡± Yes? ¡°Please don¡¯t even scream in my ear to wake me up again. You¡¯re lucky I didn¡¯t fall out of the loft.¡± You and I both know that¡¯s not a promise I can keep, human. 2-4 — Stalling, In More Ways Than One When Callan next opened his eyes, he found Kivi staring down at him. ¡°Good morning, Avatar. Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Hey, Kivi. I was just having the most wonderful dream about you.¡± He sat up and stretched. ¡°I¡¯m honored you consider me worth appearing in them. However, it is past time we were up and about. I saw Restaro headed for his fields some time ago.¡± Callan glanced around, and noticed the elder twin priests were no longer in the loft at all. Down below, the first rays of dawn were sliding their way through the barn doors. ¡°Sorry, did I sleep overlong?¡± ¡°No longer than I let you. I imagine that Xeph-Zul-Karatl kept you working later than advisable.¡± Hmm, she is an observant one, Xeph noted as Kivi made her way down the ladder. Callan shook out the remaining pieces of straw from his clothes and followed after. It is good to know that our faith in choosing her as our high priestess was not misplaced. ¡°Yeah, you realize hearing you talk about faith is kind of ironic, right?¡± There are many forms of faith. It just happens that some are more... tangible than others. Callan rolled his eyes, then dropped from the loft like a stone. He hit the ground about the same moment as Kivi reached the bottom of the ladder, the force of his landing only sending a minor twinge through his system. Yeah. Thirty-five in Fortitude had its advantages. Outside, they found Sworv and Paeral munching on breakfast, with Sadie watching them nearby, an amused expression on her face and a basket laden with bread slung under one arm. Her little infant blinked at Callan from a carrier on the farmwife¡¯s back. ¡°Morning, Sadie. And you as well, little one.¡± Kivi waved an upper arm in front of the baby¡¯s face, almost standing on tiptoes in order to do it. In response, the rutain woman swung the carrier around and handed it over. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wanting breakfast about now, but would you mind watching him while I take Restaro his meal? He usually likes to get started in the fields before I¡¯m finished.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll take this little one over a full stomach any day,¡± Kivi said, cradling the babe and making faces at him. The baby let out a happy gurgle. Turning, Sadie handed Callan a loaf of warm bread. ¡°Fresh from my oven, especially for you. I do appreciate the effort you all are taking on our accounts.¡± ¡°Is Restaro interested in watching us raise the tidal tower?¡± Kivi asked, having moved to sit alongside the two brother priests. ¡°Somehow I doubt he¡¯ll want to give up the time, we¡¯re still working to recover what we can after that last moonrise. Though he might have an opinion or two about the best place to put it. I¡¯ll bring him back if he wants to oversee it personally.¡± Callan bit into the bread and watched the rutain woman amble her way through the gate and out into the fields. The bread was amazingly delicious, especially after having had almost nothing but emergency rations and spirebeans for weeks now. Though he had managed a few meals of venison before leaving the temple, at least. He hoped it was venison, anyway. The animals looked like deer, but now that he thought about it, he¡¯d never actually heard Lynthia and her hunters refer to them as such. ¡°About this tower,¡± he said, glancing around at the farmyard. Besides the multitude of stones making up the perimeter fence, there wasn¡¯t much beyond dirt and wood to be seen. ¡°Where exactly were you thinking?¡± ¡°About that. It will be a little extra work, but if we can dig down to the foundational level of the plateau, we should have more than enough material to work with. I don¡¯t expect it will take any more time than the last version. Less, given what we learned from that experience.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Interesting, how that idea both parallelled his own, and contrasted to it. Restaro appeared a moment later, followed by his wife. The latter came and collected her child from Kivi, giving her a loaf in exchange. They all turned towards Callan. ¡°As I was just explaining to the Avatar¡ª¡± Kivi began. ¡°Actually, hold on, High Priestess.¡± Callan held up a hand. ¡°Xeph is telling me something.¡± Mortal? I said nothing. ¡°Uh huh. Hmm. Okay. Interesting.¡± What are you doing? Stop that! Callan turned back to Kivi and Restaro. ¡°He says the soil or regolith or whatever here is too deep. We¡¯ll be digging forever.¡± I did NOT. In fact, I explicitly told you the exact opposite. Why, there is a perfect spot just past the barn that¡ª ¡°Ix nay, upid-stay,¡± Callan muttered out of the corner of his mouth. The god cut off mid-rant. What does that mean? Is it more French? ¡°Close but no cigar. Think less baguette and more bacon-y.¡± I don¡¯t even know what half of those words mean. Across from him, Kivi was frowning, while Sadie¡¯s face had turned white. Restaro, however, wore a resigned look, as if he¡¯d been expecting to hear something to this effect. ¡°Thank you for your honesty, Avatar. If you don¡¯t mind, I should return to my work.¡± ¡°Just a moment,¡± Kivi interjected. ¡°Let us not give up on the project entirely. Perhaps we could bring in sufficient stone from elsewhere? With our combined strength, it would not take my fellow priests and I long¡ª¡± ¡°I could not ask such a thing from you, High Priestess. Such a gift could never be repaid in my lifetime.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t as if the project is off the table,¡± Callan said. ¡°We just need to find somewhere close with a sufficiently large stone. Besides, didn¡¯t you say there were neighbors nearby? It would make sense to build the tower somewhere more central.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Kivi shot an angry glare in his direction, though it was gone in the next instant. ¡°While I understand your logic, Avatar, I still think¡ª¡± ¡°That is a better plan,¡± Restaro said, something akin to relief on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to the particulars. Daylight is wasting.¡± With that, he trudged off again in the direction of his fields. Callan turned and found Kivi watching him, her expression cool. She opened her mouth to speak, but he overrode her. ¡°High Priestess, please take Sworv and Paeral to scout the area. Report back when you¡¯ve found a stone of sufficient size somewhere roughly central to all the local farms.¡± ¡°If my Avatar commands it, I shall see it done,¡± she said, the words harsh and accusatory. Callan knew he was likely to get an earful for this later. Hopefully his intuition would prove worth the trouble. ¡°Good. I¡¯m going to stay here and practice with Wurmchain. I need to master it before reaching Aos, or we won¡¯t be of any use there, either.¡± As Kivi led the other two priests away from the farmstead, Xeph rumbled inside Callan¡¯s skull, the sound like a building avalanche. I¡¯m guessing you had a reason for this subterfuge? Though for all the ages I¡¯ve lived, I can¡¯t imagine why. ¡°Not subterfuge, Xeph. Just an educated guess.¡± As to what, exactly? ¡°Restaro. Whatever Kivi is hoping to accomplish, simply building the tower isn¡¯t going to get her there. I recognize pride like that when I see it.¡± Back when Callan had been around twelve, his mother¡¯s cousin had fallen on hard times. Callan¡¯s parents had tried to send him some money to help cover his living expenses, but the cousin refused. In the end, he¡¯d lost his house and ended up homeless for a month rather than accepting charity. The situation wasn¡¯t exactly the same here, but still... that relieved expression on Restaro¡¯s face had told him everything he needed to know. Hmmph. I assume you have an alternative strategy. ¡°Maybe. Like I said last night, I¡¯m still working on it.¡± Just as long as there is some plan. If this amounts to nothing but making the high priestess upset... ¡°Then I¡¯ll apologize profusely and build the tower she wanted. In the meantime, how about we see about the next step to Wurmchain?¡±
Sadie stepped outside, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the noonday sun. She spotted Callan where he was working near the southern curve of the wall and gave a friendly wave. After waving back, Callan closed his eyes and returned his focus to the task at hand. Inside his head, Xeph let out another growl. You aren¡¯t doing as I told you, human! You need to relax more. Spread your feet. Breathe deep and allow yourself to feel my energy flowing through your¡ª ¡°Dammit, Xeph, it isn¡¯t working!¡± He almost threw down his wurmchain in frustration, but doing that would just mean having to summon it again. Listen to my words, mortal. Relax. And breathe. Callan ground his teeth, then tried to force his focus into the weapon in his hand. He could feel Xeph¡¯s energy inside himself, and he could trace that through himself to the chain, but that was where he lost the thread of it. Trying to move the weapon¡¯s tip and alter the weapon itself were two completely different tasks. The tip had been difficult, but merely a matter of control. But grappling with the entire Wurmchain... There was too much information for his brain to make sense of it. It wasn¡¯t about finding the source of the energy, because he could see the energy. It writhed around him like mist, undulating, twisting, forming and reforming. By the time he managed to focus on any one section, it had changed into something completely different. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it like this with Mountainform?¡± he asked. ¡°I can comprehend the flows within me, but the second they¡¯re outside it¡¯s like trying to read a map written in Cantonese. That¡¯s upside down.¡± This is all to be expected. You can read the energies of your body more easily because I am here to help interpret them. I smooth and simplify the flow of information where I can. There is still an adjustment period, of course, but when you look outside yourself, you¡¯re seeing all of the information that the sensate world has to offer, not just your own. There is only so much I can do to help you overcome that. ¡°I¡ªhuh. Okay, I guess that makes sense.¡± Fortunately, this is not a process you will need to overcome on your own. As I continue to remind you, improvement comes through constant practice. Repetition breeds familiarity. However, there are some measures that I can take which may aid you. For instance, you see those lines of power there? Callan kept his eyes closed but felt the tug of Xeph in his mind. The raw power of Wurmchain rose about him, but just outside of it there lay another force. It wasn¡¯t like his own powers, but a small jumble of lines, murky gray where his was pure white. Open your eyes. He did as instructed and found Sadie standing in front of him, a shy smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m not interrupting, am I?¡± ¡°Nothing that doesn¡¯t deserve to be interrupted for a few minutes.¡± I take offense at that statement. Callan ignored the god. Releasing Wurmchain, he let it evaporate into sulphureous smoke. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, I simply wished to bring you your midday meal.¡± ¡°Lunchtime already?¡± He glanced up, and saw the sun was right overhead. ¡°Huh. I swear it was breakfast just a few minutes ago.¡± The rutain woman gave him another shy smile, then began unpacking some food. Unlike with breakfast, there were a myriad of offerings¡ªsandwiches, pickled eggs, dried fruit, and even a small slice of what looked like pumpkin pie. ¡°Is all this for me?¡± Callan watched her carefully as she laid it all out. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t go out of your way just on my account.¡± ¡°It is no trouble. How often will one such as myself have a chance to serve an avatar? Besides, Restaro rarely takes a midday meal, so...¡± She trailed off. Callan picked up a sandwich and took a bite. Chewed. Swallowed. ¡°You swore an oath to Xeph?¡± he asked. The woman nodded. ¡°But your husband didn¡¯t. Seems kind of strange.¡± Sadie didn¡¯t respond. Working his way through a second bite, Callan added, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to pry. Kivi seems to have an understanding of what¡¯s going on here, and that¡¯s good enough for me. Only now I¡¯m worried. Is your husband angry that we¡¯re here? Are we actually making trouble for you with our tide tower project?¡± ¡°No, Avatar, not at all.¡± The woman shook her head vehemently. ¡°Restaro actually sounded pleased when we spoke of it last night. Only after sleeping on it, I think...¡± ¡°He¡¯s afraid we¡¯re going to use it to take advantage of him.¡± Sadie nodded. ¡°You want your husband to swear an oath.¡± Another nod. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°No, Avatar.¡± ¡°And now you¡¯re here with lunch to try and bribe me to get him to, anyway.¡± Callan smirked as the woman looked up in shock. ¡°I was hoping to head off trouble by moving the tower further away, but maybe I¡¯m misunderstanding the situation. Again, not trying to pry. I just want to make sure we¡¯re doing the best we can for one of Xeph¡¯s followers.¡± ¡°I... don¡¯t understand, Avatar.¡± ¡°Being safe during the tides is important, but I imagine you¡¯ve survived alright so far. Plus, Xeph tells me during the rainy season there are torrential downpours and lightning storms, so one of these towers isn¡¯t a guarantee of protection. Not if it makes trouble with your husband.¡± Callan paused and waited until their eyes met. ¡°Is your husband mad at you for joining Xeph¡¯s congregation?¡± ¡°Of course not, Avatar! Restaro¡ª¡± the woman cut off and looked away, biting her lip. ¡°Hey, no worries, I said I wasn¡¯t going to pry. So long as you can promise me that what we¡¯re doing here won¡¯t make trouble for you.¡± ¡°I thank the avatar for his concern, but I am fine.¡± Sadie rose stiffly, then gave a quick bow. ¡°Please enjoy your lunch. I¡¯ve tarried here too long, and my little one is due to wake at any moment.¡± She fled back towards the house. It wasn¡¯t quite a run, but it was too fast for a walk. Callan watched her, trying to piece together what he¡¯d managed to learn. Or if he¡¯d managed to learn anything. ¡°That conversation felt off. Did it feel off to you, Xeph?¡± I¡¯m uncertain how to answer that question, since I don¡¯t know what you were trying to accomplish in the first place. Callan shook his head. ¡°Just attempting to make sense of what¡¯s going on here.¡± He returned to his lunch, finishing up every scrap the farmwife had brought him. Food this good deserved to be savored, but Callan still inhaled it like he was half-starved. Seemed he¡¯d worked up more of an appetite than he¡¯d thought. Hmmph. If nothing else, that meal helped to bring your Apotheosis back under control. Shall we resume our work? ¡°I suppose.¡± Rising, Callan wiped his hands on his pants. ¡°I just wish that I¡¯d been able to learn more from Sadie. At first, I¡¯d just thought Restaro was too proud to accept our help, but now I¡¯m worried there might be more to it. You don¡¯t think she¡¯s in any danger from her husband, do you?¡± Whatever for? ¡°Like, what if he gets angry or abusive because she¡¯s still pushing him to join your church? I didn¡¯t really get that impression from that guy, but if he hates the idea of us being here that much...¡± That¡¯s what¡¯s bothering you? Xeph snorted. I would have thought the answer obvious. ¡°Oh really? Then care to enlighten me, big guy?¡± It¡¯s simple. Restaro is dying. 2-5 — Stubborn As A Mule And Twice As Ugly Restaro is dying. Xeph¡¯s statement hung in the air. Callan stood there, stunned into silence. It was such a random piece of information. And not one he had expected at all. Stubbornness and pride, sure. Maybe even a bit of domestic trouble between husband and wife. But this... ¡°Care to explain that a bit more carefully, oh wise god of pebbles and hills?¡± I should think it obvious, said Xeph, apparently choosing to ignore the dig. He¡¯s showing all the classic signs of rutain separation sickness! While the physical symptoms are minimal, to anyone familiar with the condition it¡¯s as evident as¡ª The god¡¯s words cut off with the finality of a gate clanging shut. Callan stood there a moment, letting the silence build between them. He could practically feel the god squirming uncomfortably inside his skull. Ah, that is¡ª ¡°I want you to think very carefully about exactly what your next words should be, Xeph. Very carefully.¡± Xeph gave a polite cough. Well, as polite as sand blowing off a dune could be, anyway. Ahem... Good news, mortal? I appear to have uncompressed another memory. ¡°Good, Xeph. Very good. Now, why don¡¯t you explain it to me. Use small words.¡± How am I supposed to know what you consider a ¡®small word¡¯, human? The term is extremely arbitrary and particular to the individual¡ª ¡°Focus, Xeph.¡± Hmmph. Separation sickness is a condition unique to the rutain. When the gods created the elevated races in their divine wisdom¡ªstop laughing, mortal!¡ªwe did so with a specific task in mind for each. For the rutain, this was as vessels. Callan blinked, trying to parse out the meaning of that statement. ¡°You mean like... avatars?¡± Exactly. In many ways, rutain are the perfect creatures to host a god¡¯s magnificence. But in others, they were found... lacking. Ultimately, the project was considered a failure, though many gods still prefer rutain hosts as their avatars. Or at least, they did in ancient times. Perhaps the trend has gone out of style while I slept. ¡°Yeah, please refrain from referring to wearing a living creature¡¯s skin as a ¡®style¡¯ in the future, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°So what does this separation anxiety mean for Restaro? Does he need to be made into an avatar?¡± Sickness, not anxiety, human! And no, he does not. My fellow gods were able to alleviate the worst of the separation sickness from the rutain, but most still need to at least pledge their loyalty to a god. Those who do not¡ªor worse, once had a god and then lost their faith¡ªsuffer a slow wasting illness that eventually claims their lives. ¡°Okay, yeah, that definitely sounds bad.¡± Callan let out a shudder. He¡¯d been far too close to that fate himself, and it wasn¡¯t one he wanted to experience again any time soon. What I do not understand is why the rutain would allow himself to remain in such a situation. Especially when we have arrived to provide such a perfect opportunity for salvation. ¡°Actually, I think I get where¡¯s he¡¯s coming from.¡± Callan¡¯s mind went again to his mother¡¯s cousin, a man who¡¯d chosen to start life over from scratch rather than accept what he saw as charity. Or maybe there was more to it than that. Based on the hints Kivi and Sadie had dropped, it seemed this was a rather sensitive issue. Actually, that brought up another question. ¡°Why didn¡¯t Kivi just tell us all this last night?¡± he mused, as much to himself as to Xeph. ¡°Seems like we could have helped with the whole situation a lot easier if we¡¯d known what was going on.¡± Xeph was silent for a moment. It is possible she doesn¡¯t know the particulars herself. Or the farmer¡¯s wife has sworn her to secrecy. Rutain are quite prideful about the condition, and few among the other races are even aware of it or believe it to be anything more than a rumor. ¡°Huh. Prideful is right. Well, I suppose we won¡¯t know without asking.¡± Callan frowned. ¡°Which I don¡¯t know if I want to do. If Kivi thinks I¡¯ve been prying when she asked us not to, she¡¯s gonna be pissed.¡± Such elegant phrases you¡¯ve brought from Earth. Truly your species has gained enlightenment beyond measure in the last few millennia. Does this revelation change your plans at all? Callan thought about that for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°No. If anything, this makes the work I¡¯m doing all the more important. We¡¯ll stick with my original plan. Speaking of which, let¡¯s get back to it. No way to know when Kivi and the others might return.¡±
By the time Kivi and the others did return, Callan had made it all the way to the northern curve of the wall. Thanks to the food from Sadie, his apotheosis was recovering rapidly¡ªhe guessed about three times as quick as normal, though he couldn¡¯t tell for certain without a watch. Unfortunately, his progress with Wurmchain was nonexistent. Xeph continued to offer different advice, kept reminding him that he¡¯d only achieve this through repeated practice and growing more accustomed to the flow of power, but Callan couldn¡¯t feel anything but frustration. They might have been delayed a bit with their stopover here on the plateau, but Aos still lay ahead of them. He worried he wouldn¡¯t get the method of adjusting the chain under control in time to be useful. And of course, his frustration just made further progress impossible. By the time Kivi entered the yard, Callan was dripping with sweat, and about ready to hurl his Wurmchain at the wall. Only the likelihood that it would cut the stones apart and ruin all of Restaro¡¯s hard work stayed his hand. ¡°Avatar, I bring great news. I located a boulder only a fifteen-minute walk from here that should prove large enough to suit the creation of a tower. If you¡¯ll come inspect it, we can begin construction at once.¡± Callan glanced to where the sun was already halfway towards the horizon. ¡°Can it wait until tomorrow, High Priestess? I¡¯d rather do the work when I¡¯m fresh.¡± A frown wavered across Kivi¡¯s face, but it was gone in a flash. Instead, she pressed her lips into a tight smile and bowed. ¡°There are still many hours of daylight left. Are you certain you won¡¯t at least visit to make sure it will meet your standards?¡± ¡°I mean, there¡¯s not much in the way of standards besides ¡®big rock¡¯, but sure, I can manage that much. No more work today though, Xeph has been running me ragged.¡± Am I to always play the accused in your fantasies, mortal? That is twice today you¡¯ve heaped blame at my feet without allowing me to defend myself! Suppressing a grin, Callan followed after Kivi. They passed through the stone arch and out into the surrounding fields. Something that looked suspiciously like wheat but was probably that adle the farmers had mentioned last night grew in abundance. A short distance away, they encountered Restaro, combing through the wheat stalks, a blade in hand helping him cut into the large pods at the top to access the seeds inside. A short distance away, Sworv and Paeral wielded similar weapons. At Callan¡¯s questioning expression, Kivi gestured towards the brothers. ¡°I hope the avatar does not mind, but I offered Restaro the aid of our priests as a way to repay his hospitality.¡± She turned to the rutain, who had paused his work and was watching with one hand resting on his hip. ¡°Restaro, I apologize, but can we inconvenience you for one further night? Our work should be done by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.¡± ¡°Hmm. Shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Especially with these two helping me get the harvest up before any pests have a chance to get to it.¡± Kivi nodded in thanks, and they continued on their way. Several minutes passed in silence. Hmm, I think our high priestess is still angry with us. Well, you. Xeph chuckled. Are you certain you don¡¯t wish to inform her of the situation? It can hardly be considered prying if it was I who informed you as to the facts of the situation, and her advice might prove useful. ¡°Not until I know what she knows for certain,¡± Callan muttered. So ridiculously overcomplicated. But as you wish. They arrived some ten minutes later at a large, flat stone. It wasn¡¯t quite as large as the one they had built the first tide tower from, but Xeph assured Callan there was more than adequate quantities of stone available underneath the dirt. It seemed they had their tower. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°How far away is this from the other farms around here?¡± he asked Kivi. ¡°Still closer to Restaro¡¯s farm, but not by much. The lilish community in that direction is perhaps a half-hour, and there is a small farmstead also an hour or more past that. I cannot speak for certain, as I did not travel out of my way to meet them. It is apparently a single forfiliin who prefers not to be disturbed.¡± ¡°Still, half an hour... are you certain we shouldn¡¯t just go on to this lilish place and build a tower there as well?¡± ¡°I did consider it, which is why I chose this location over several others that were more in-between. This is still easily accessible by Restaro and Sadie, still reachable even if they are caught unawares.¡± Kivi paused, then bit her lip. Callan wasn¡¯t sure if it was an act of frustration, anger, or worry. ¡°Avatar, may I ask... are you certain we cannot build a tower closer? Lud are quite good diggers, it wouldn¡¯t take myself and the others that long to dig down to useable stone¡ª¡± Callan held a hand up to stop her. ¡°High Priestess, last night you asked me to trust you. Know that I do, but I need you to trust me in turn. Can you do that? Can you trust that Xeph and I are doing the best we can for your friends here?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call Sadie a friend, exactly, but...¡± Kivi sighed. ¡°Of course I trust you. I¡¯m sorry for doubting your word before. It is just, I had such hopes of success, and to learn otherwise, it made me feel powerless. I do not like that feeling. After what happened in our village, I never wish to feel that way again.¡± For a moment, Callan memory flashed back to Ligo looming over Ishe, his hand burning bright. The lud boy¡¯s frightened scream, and his eyes begging for Callan to save him. He ground his teeth. ¡°Believe me, I understand that feeling more than most.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain you do. Thank you, Avatar. For trusting me, and for doing what you can to help these people. It is a great deal of effort for little gain...¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Callan placed a hand on Kivi¡¯s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. ¡°We need to get to Aos, but whatever is happening there can hold another day. Besides, this was a great opportunity to work on refining my powers. So it¡¯s not like it was a total loss.¡± When Kivi smiled up at him, it was like the sun breaking from behind a wall of dark clouds. Callan felt his heart swell. ¡°Truly? You¡¯ve achieved a breakthrough?¡± Immediately, Callan¡¯s happy feelings evaporated. ¡°Let¡¯s just say progress was made, and leave it at that.¡± They started back towards the farm. About a minute into the journey, Kivi slipped one of her hands into his own. Callan glanced down. His surprise must have been plain on his face, as Kivi gave him a comforting smile. ¡°Do not read too much into it. Holding hands is a common lud practice. A result of us needing to keep an extra pair occupied, I suppose.¡± ¡°No, no, I figured that out the first day of our journey and saw Sworv and Paeral.¡± Admittedly, seeing the two old twins walking hand-in-hand like a pair of lovers had been a bit of a shock, but Callan was starting to accept some of cultural differences at face value. He continued, ¡°It¡¯s more that you haven¡¯t held my hand since you became high priestess. I was starting to wonder if something about the promotion made it awkward.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I? Hmm.¡± Kivi shrugged. ¡°An omission I¡¯ll just have to correct going forward.¡± They didn¡¯t talk anymore after that, but every time Callan glanced down at the lud girl at his side, she wore a satisfied smile on her face.
Mortal. Mortal! ¡°Blugha?¡± Callan blinked and opened his eyes. Ah, so eloquent. Truly, you have a way with words. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± It took a moment for Callan to get his bearings. In the distance, the sun was just rising over the tree line, leaving the sky overhead stained such a dark purple it was still nearly indistinguishable from black. ¡°I thought I told you not to go waking me like that again.¡± While I do regret the need to break such a recently made promise, one of our followers is approaching and I thought you might wish to make yourself more presentable. As in, not lying in the dirt amid a puddle of your own drool. Callan glanced down but couldn¡¯t find any drool. It seemed he¡¯d nodded off during his work with Xeph last night. Scratch that¡ªhe¡¯d been intentionally napping between bouts of work to let his Apotheosis recover more quickly. At some point he¡¯d simply failed to wake up. And now it was morning. Had he managed to finish his work in time? A quick inspection of the wall showed that yes, he had. Everything that could be done without being obvious, anyway. From out of the nearby barn stepped Paeral. He yawned and stretched, then seemed to notice Callan. The lud¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise. ¡°Avatar! I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be awake so early.¡± ¡°Yeah, well I felt like getting a decent head start on the day for once.¡± No way was he telling the man that he¡¯d technically never gone to bed the night before. ¡°Are the others still asleep?¡± ¡°No, they should be down any¡ª¡± Paeral cut off as Kivi and Sworv stepped outside. The former¡¯s eyes darted back and forth before finally finding Callan. He saw her entire body sagged with relief. ¡°Avatar, there you are! When I couldn¡¯t find you in the loft I grew worried.¡± She studied him for a moment, then added, ¡°Xeph did not overwork you last night, did he? You look more tired than when we went to bed.¡± ¡°No worries there, priestess, I¡¯m rested enough. Well, enough for today¡¯s labor, anyway.¡± ¡°That is good to hear.¡± There was a stern note in Kivi¡¯s voice. Had she been afraid he might try to put off the tower project for another day? Actually, after yesterday, he couldn¡¯t entirely blame her for worrying. It was only a few moments later when Restaro stepped out his front door. As he descended the steps to the yard, he studied all of them curiously. ¡°So eager to help in the fields you couldn¡¯t sleep? Or are you off to build this tower of yours at last?¡± ¡°The second one, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Kivi said, giving a little bow. ¡°Once our work is complete, we¡¯ll be departing. There is much traveling ahead of us today if we wish to reach Aos.¡± ¡°Hmm. While I think little of that yeth community, I won¡¯t fault you your business there.¡± Restaro glanced at Callan, then added, ¡°No offense, of course.¡± ¡°Uh, none taken?¡± Shortly behind Restaro came his wife, once again with a basket of freshly baked bread. It occurred to Callan that she must have been up well before the sun rose in order to make it. Not like there was a local grocery store to run down to and pick up a few loaves for breakfast. The thought made him think of breakfasts back home. Occasionally, on a lucky weekend, he and his dad would ride the light rail to Westlake, then hike up Capitol Hill to Half & Half, their most favorite little donut spot in the whole world. The last time they¡¯d gone was just a few days before Callan¡¯s diagnosis. He hadn¡¯t had much of an appetite after that, a fact he was sorely regretting now. Would he ever get to try one again? Shaking his head to dispel such worries, he accepted a loaf from Sadie, then set out after Kivi and the others for the building site. Their work went about as he expected. Paeral and Sworv quickly finished up using their single burst of Shape Stone, then returned to the farm to aid Restaro¡¯s harvest while he and Kivi continued refinements. Amazingly, Kivi managed to eke out a fifth use of her orison, something which Xeph said was an unheard accomplishment given the short time she¡¯d been practicing. Several hours later, another tide tower stood amid the trees and scrub brush, tall enough that Callan couldn¡¯t see over the top from ground level. ¡°Not bad for half a day¡¯s work,¡± he said, turning to Kivi. ¡°Still hoping to push on and do the same at that lilish community?¡± ¡°If we can manage it. I fear, however, that should we take the time to build another tower today, we will be forced to wait until tomorrow to cross to the next plateau. There are no bridges to Aos, so the trip into the canyon will be lengthy.¡± ¡°Huh. Didn¡¯t realize we were that close.¡± Callan shrugged. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go gather the others. I think we¡¯ve done everything here we can.¡± ¡°You are probably right, Avatar.¡± Still, the way Kivi glanced back at the tower as they made their way through the trees, Callan could tell she didn¡¯t quite feel that to be true. They found both Restaro and the two priests back inside the farmyard, loading grain into barrels. The farmer barely glanced up at their approach. ¡°Done with your work? Suppose you¡¯ll be wanting your workers back, then.¡± ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Kivi said. ¡°Still, I hope their efforts made up for the cost of the food you so generously provided.¡± ¡°Hmm. Suppose we¡¯re about even on that front.¡± The rutain had a satisfied smile. Callan could practically see him weighing an imaginary scale in his mind. Balancing out his perceived debt against their own. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll be taking our leave.¡± ¡°Actually, is Sadie around? I wanted to thank her for the delicious meals,¡± Callan said. All eyes turned to him. ¡°I imagine she¡¯s in with the little one,¡± Kivi said after a moment. ¡°Why don¡¯t you allow me to pass along the message.¡± ¡°Oh. Uh, I was hoping to do it myself?¡± Callan winced at the way it came out more a question than anything. No one else seemed to notice. ¡°If it¡¯s all the same¡ª¡± ¡°No need to concern yourself over me,¡± Sadie announced, stepping out of the house and descending the steps. ¡°I heard you were preparing to leave, so I threw together a little something from the trip.¡± ¡°Sadie.¡± Her husband glanced up, a frown etching the corners of his mouth. ¡°Our guests have their own supplies, I¡¯m certain. And their journey is only taking them across one more plateau.¡± ¡°Oh, none of that, darling of mine.¡± The farmwife laid a hand on her husband¡¯s chest, and his frown withered before it. ¡°The high priestess is a friend, and what are a few gifts among friends?¡± Restaro said nothing, though his face clearly indicated his thoughts on the matter. Turning away, Sadie handed a small basket to Kivi. ¡°Please, enjoy. And feel free to return the basket on your homeward journey.¡± As Kivi murmured thanks, the farmwife turned to Callan. ¡°Did I overhear you wished to thank me?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± Callan rubbed at his neck. He¡¯d been hoping to speak with her privately, but maybe he could manage it on their next visit. ¡°The food was excellent. Best I¡¯ve had since arriving in this¡ªon the plateaus.¡± ¡°Avatar.¡± There was a note of wry humor to Kivi¡¯s voice. ¡°Do not judge my village¡¯s cooking too harshly simply because we lack for ingredients at the moment.¡± ¡°You know what I mean, High Priestess.¡± Callan glanced back at Sadie. ¡°Anyway, thanks. Guess we¡¯ll see you guys whenever we make our way back. Hopefully won¡¯t be too long.¡± ¡°Of course, Avatar. Safe journeys.¡± The woman bowed deeply, giving Callan a brief glimpse of the babe once again strapped to her back before she straightened. So is that it? Xeph asked as Callan turned away and made for the front entry. You are just leaving matters unresolved? What about her husband? We need to claim him as a follower¡ªfor his good as well as our own! ¡°Not every mystery needs resolving, buddy,¡± Callan muttered. Perhaps not, but I dislike leaving this one as it stands. Though I suppose the rutain is unlikely to succumb to separation sickness before our return, but at the very least, we ought to¡ª ¡°Oh, Avatar?¡± He turned and found Sadie hurrying after them. The woman paused by the gate and gave him a shy smile. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Kivi asked, stopping beside Callan. ¡°No, High Priestess. At least, I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Then...?¡± The open question hung in the air. Sadie glanced between them, and Callan thought she looked rather embarrassed. Was she trying to communicate something to Kivi about her husband without the rest of them understanding? ¡°It is just, I thought the avatar was going to explain what he has been up to before departing. When he said nothing, I started to wonder.¡± At Callan and Kivi¡¯s blank expressions, the rutain woman added, ¡°About the wall.¡± Oh. Callan felt his stomach drop out. ¡°Wall?¡± Kivi¡¯s voice made plain her confusion. ¡°Yes. This wall.¡± Turning, Sadie lifted a foot, then slammed it into the stone wall, heel first. It made a dull thunking sound as it struck. Not so much as a single stone in the wall quivered. Almost like they¡¯d been fused together. As they had been fused together. Kivi¡¯s brow knitted inward. She turned towards Callan. ¡°I can explain,¡± he said, quickly raising his hands. 2-6 — Road to Aos ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Restaro came running, a dark expression on his face. He cast his gaze accusingly first towards, Callan, then Kivi, then the two older priests. ¡°I am sorry, husband, I did not mean to draw you away from your work.¡± Sadie looked mildly embarrassed. If Callan had to guess, she probably wanted to avoid informing her husband until she understood the matter herself. Seemed like the cat was out of the bag though. Or, at least in the process of flailing its way towards freedom. ¡°Look, I wasn¡¯t going to make a big deal out of this,¡± he said, trying to head off any trouble before it began. ¡°Xeph and I needed to, ah, practice a bit, that¡¯s all. I promise the wall is perfectly fine.¡± Better than fine, actually. But maybe wiser if he led in that direction gradually. ¡°Avatar?¡± Kivi¡¯s brow was still knitted together in a way he didn¡¯t particularly care for. ¡°What exactly did you do?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just practice. You know how I¡¯ve been practicing with Xeph after you went to sleep, right?¡± ¡°It is more than practice,¡± Sadie said. ¡°You spent all of yesterday morning doing something to our wall, and almost the entirety of last night! I was up with the little one for most of it, he¡¯s begun teething and can¡¯t seem to sleep for more than an hour. You moved from section to section, round the entire perimeter. Whyever for?¡± ¡°You were awake for that?¡± Callan asked. Inside his head, Xeph let out a rumbling laugh. Hah. The ruse is over, mortal. Might as well simply come clean while you still can. Besides, it is better this way. I did not care for all the skulking and scheming. We are god and avatar! An avatar may do what they wish, and the world bends to our will or breaks beneath it. ¡°You know, there¡¯s such a thing as humility, Xeph.¡± Callan muttered, rolling his eyes. Then, seeing the frowns on everyone¡¯s faces, added, ¡°Look, I had an idea for a... side project. It just kind of got away from me, okay? Besides, I started it before I knew about¡ª¡± He managed to change what he had been about to say into a cough. ¡°I just thought since there was such a nice wall here already, maybe... it... could keep the tides out.¡± Kivi blinked. ¡°You mean you changed the entire wall into a solid piece?¡± She turned and studied it. From the outside, you couldn¡¯t even tell. Honestly, Callan was rather proud of that accomplishment. It had taken Xeph a bit of work to show him how to manipulate the inner stone only, but after all their recent adventures, manipulating stone he couldn¡¯t see was starting to become rather routine. ¡°All the way down to the plateau foundation?¡± she went on. It didn¡¯t really sound like a question, so Callan didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he turned to Restaro. ¡°Look, could I talk to you privately?¡± He glanced at Sadie. ¡°Both of you.¡± ¡°Avatar, it would be better if I¡ª¡± Kivi cut off as he placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Kivi. Please.¡± She held his gaze for a long moment. Callan was starting to wonder if she would outright refuse when she finally let out a sigh. ¡°The others and I will wait for you at the tower. Please do not tarry overlong, our journey today is just beginning.¡± He watched the lud trudge between the fields and slip into the distant woods. Once they were well out of sight, he turned back to Restaro. ¡°I know about your condition.¡± The farmer paled visibly. He turned an accusatory glare towards his wife, whose own eyes had gone wide with fright. Before either could speak, Callan hurriedly continued, ¡°Xeph informed me. He¡¯s a god after all, and it¡¯s kind of their job to know things. Besides, he was, like, there when your entire race was made. It probably wasn¡¯t as big a secret then as it is now.¡± This comment seemed to draw the farmer up short. He turned back to stare at Callan in surprise. In the moment¡¯s silence, his wife spoke. ¡°I do not understand. What does this have to do with changing our wall?¡± ¡°So I¡¯m not sure how much my high priestess knows or suspects about this whole situation, but she seemed to have gotten it into her head that we might be able to convert your husband into a follower if we built that tide tower.¡± At Restaro¡¯s frown, Callan chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I saw that was never going to work, either. Clearly you don¡¯t have an interest in pledging yourself to Xeph. I can¡¯t for the life of me fathom why, because if I was dying, I¡¯d do whatever it took to stay alive. Especially if I had a wife and brand-new baby to worry about leaving behind¡ª¡± Mortal. Xeph¡¯s cautionary tone cut into his ramble. Callan coughed. ¡°Look, the point is, you¡¯ve got your reasons, and I¡¯m not going to pry into exactly what they are. But I also didn¡¯t want to leave you and your wife completely undefended against the tides, so while outwardly I made it look like we were comprising our plan into something I thought you could tolerate, I also started my side project.¡± He explained to them briefly what he¡¯d done. The wall connected all the way down to the plateau capstone, so there was no chance of leakage underneath. Its only weak point was the gate. Restaro¡¯s gaze seemed to return to it about the same time as Callan¡¯s. ¡°What about¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, Xeph and I hadn¡¯t quite gotten that far in the plan. I figured when I told your wife about it, I¡¯d ask her opinion as to the best course forward.¡± ¡°Mine?¡± Sadie asked. ¡°Sure. Depending on whether or not you wanted to tell your husband about it. But now that you both know... I guess there¡¯s a couple options. You can sandbag it whenever a tide comes, or I can complete the wall, then make a ramp or something on both sides. Think about it.¡± ¡°Avatar, all this...¡± Restaro shook his head, seemingly at a loss for words. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry I had to get into your personal business over this. That was never Xeph and my intention. You don¡¯t owe us anything, and we don¡¯t want anything.¡± Callan ignored the god¡¯s squawk of protest. ¡°It really was a training exercise as much as anything. But now that you know, at least there are options. Between that and the tide tower, hopefully you won¡¯t have to worry about your wife¡¯s safety after... well, you know.¡± He turned to leave. Actually, every fiber in Callan¡¯s body wanted to book it for all he was worth, but he forced himself to walk at a sedate pace. Dang, but that had been an awkward conversation. ¡°Avatar, wait.¡± Restaro started after him but stopped a few paces away. He looked at the ground awkwardly. ¡°If Xeph told you about my race¡¯s condition, then I¡¯m certain he told you about the side effects.¡± What side effects? Xeph grumbled. Callan shook his head. ¡°Truly? Interesting.¡± The farmer hesitated, then continued, ¡°When a rutain offers a god their faith, often they are... changed. Many of the personality traits of that god become their own. Sometimes for better, but often for worse.¡± Interesting. That was not something that occurred back in my time. Has the rutain race evolved since my slumber? Or perhaps... The god descended into muttering. Callan didn¡¯t respond, instead waiting for Restaro to continue. ¡°I have not always lived in the Badlands. When I was younger, I belonged to a family that had sworn ourselves to Liasa, a goddess of plants and flowers. But in my fifteenth year she fell in battle to another god known as Kvetch.¡± The farmer shuddered. ¡°A god of chaos. When my family swore new oaths to their oppressor, they... it was not immediate, but the family I knew ceased to be that day. I watched as those I loved tore our family bonds apart. Before I was of age to swear my own oath, I fled. It was years before I found my way here. Hard years. But free ones.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I do not wish to die, but I do not wish to become other than I am. My wife knows this, understands this, but...¡± ¡°I also do not wish to lose the man I love,¡± Sadie said, coming up and wrapping an arm around her husband. ¡°You have seen me these past weeks, have you not, my beloved? Am I a different woman than the one you married? Am I less for giving my faith to Xeph, or more?¡± Restaro nodded. They all stood in silence for few minutes. Callan was beginning to wonder if he should go and leave the couple to their privacy when the farmer finally spoke. ¡°Is it true? Did Xeph wish only to aid us out of the kindness of his heart?¡± I keep telling all of you, I do not have a heart, the god rumbled. Callan almost laughed, but stopped himself at the last second. Instead, he gave a quick nod. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Both Xeph and myself. I¡¯m sure you know about the damage that Zavastu has caused across these plateaus. We¡¯re trying to do what we can to fix that. Even if it¡¯s just one family at a time.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The farmer looked at the ground. Sighed. Raised his eyes to Callan¡¯s. ¡°Then I wish to pledge myself to Xeph-Zul-Karatl. If he¡¯ll have me.¡± Yessssss. The sound was a buttery purr in Callan¡¯s ears. At the same time a message appeared in his vision.
You have been awarded 1 additional faith.
¡°Xeph accepts your faith, and thanks you,¡± Callan said. He hesitated, then added, ¡°And for what it¡¯s worth, I hope you don¡¯t change, either. But it seems to me that everything in life changes us in little ways. I¡¯m certainly not the same person I was before meeting Xeph, and I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d want to go back to who I was, even if I could.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind words, Avatar.¡± Something had changed in Restaro¡¯s face. He appeared less strained than he had been before. Or maybe that was just Callan seeing what he wanted to see. ¡°I should get going,¡± he said. The farmer and his wife nodded, so he started walking again¡ªat a sedate pace. At least this time he meant it. He found Kivi and the brothers inspecting the work on the tower. At his approach, the lud clambered down the sides to join him. ¡°Everything alright, Avatar?¡± Kivi asked. ¡°Better than alright, High Priestess. Restaro pledged his faith to Xeph before we left.¡± He¡¯d thought that Kivi would be shocked by that news, or possibly even angry over his perceived meddling. Instead, she gave him a relieved smile. ¡°I am glad whatever plan you have been working on was successful. I like Sadie and did not relish her being alone.¡± ¡°You knew?¡± Callan asked. He realized belatedly that his question could have been pointed toward any number of possible answers. ¡°Oh, Avatar.¡± Kivi grinned at him, leading the way into the forest. ¡°You cannot hide much from me. When you concocted that flimsy excuse to send us away for the day, I suspected you had more up your sleeve.¡± She reached out, and slipped a hand in with one of his own. ¡°You asked me to trust you, and I did. I am just glad to see my trust was not misplaced.¡± Indeed. I too was uncertain as to the wisdom of your plan, mortal, but it proved to be worth the trouble in the end. It is good to show you care for our followers. I only wish it had been for something more significant than a single profession of faith. ¡°Oh, have some patience, Xeph,¡± Callan said, a wide grin on his face. ¡°We¡¯ll get you some more followers yet.¡± Hmph. Hopefully at a little quicker pace. If we continue at the rate you followed here, the sun will have collapsed in on itself and gone dark long before we have a chance to return you to your home world.
Luckily, their next stop was not nearly so involved. The lilish community was happy to see Kivi again, and even more so to receive an offer of a tower. When they left the next morning, Xeph had gained another six followers on top of Restaro¡¯s faith from the day before. Soon they reached the edge of the plateau. From here, Callan could clearly see that the pythian tree he had spotted growing in the distance was located on the Aosan plateau ahead. ¡°Is that where the village is?¡± he asked, indicating the tree. Kivi shook her head. ¡°Aos is located at the far end of the plateau, opposite the pythian.¡± ¡°Huh. I would have figured they¡¯d be taking advantage of its resources the way your own village did.¡± Kivi gave him a smile that Callan suspected had a bit of a superiority complex to it. ¡°I doubt anyone residing in Aos possesses the natural talents required to harvest the tree¡¯s resources.¡± Also, I believe our high priestess said that this is a farming community, yes? Xeph added with a low rumble. Farms, as a general rule, tend to do poorly when near a pythian. ¡°Right, because of the roots or whatever.¡± And the large shadow that the tree itself casts. Tradeoff in all things. What is a boon for a large city is a curse for a small community. One day we will travel to one of the true cradles of civilization on this continent, and then you shall see. Where growing plants are not as important, life beneath a pythian flourishes unlike anywhere else in the outerworld. Somehow, Callan doubted there were many places where plant life wasn¡¯t considered of at least ancillary importance. Even in the heart of Seattle there were parks and other little pockets of green space. It wouldn¡¯t be the Pacific Northwest without something growing in the constantly damp atmosphere. They began their descent to the canyon floor, utilizing a path that was almost identical to the last one. Soon, Callan lost himself in the slow, careful rhythm of the gentle switchbacks, and turned his attention to other matters. He had seven points of faith to spend, and six stats to choose from. Enough that he didn¡¯t want to just dump it all into Fortitude¡ªor, more accurately, he did want to dump it all into Fortitude, but something told him that wouldn¡¯t be the best choice. Instead, he added only four of the points, spreading the remaining three between his lowest stats¡ªMomentum, Concentration, and Influence. It wasn¡¯t a huge difference but did help shore up his abilities a bit more. When he was done, he studied his stat sheet. Slow but steady improvement.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 17 Momentum: 15 Fortitude: 39 Concentration: 15 Influence: 15 Piety: 16 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Talc - IX Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - X) Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - X) -DISPENSATIONS- Perk 1: Wane -DOGMA- Total Followers: 88 Available Faith: 0 Conviction: 4/5 Conviction Rate: 4.5/week Temples: 1/1 Domain: 16 yd APOTHEOSIS: 0/25%
Unfortunately, he doubted slow and steady was going to win him the race. Xeph must have been thinking similar thoughts, because he broke into the middle of Callan musing over his stat sheet. Mortal, I think it¡¯s time you and I speak more at length about what lies ahead of us. ¡°What¡¯s there to talk about, Xeph? We¡¯re going to investigate this other avatar and determine if we can take them or not. If we can, we fight. If we can¡¯t, we get out of there as fast as our legs can carry us.¡± He and Xeph had already formed a plan for analyzing this other avatar¡¯s strength. How soon they¡¯d be able to put it into action was a bigger issue, but one Callan figured they¡¯d solve after negotiations with Aos¡¯s mayor. Yes, and while I can find no issues with that stage of our plan, I wish to discuss what comes after. The ¡®we fight¡¯ portion, as you so eloquently put it. ¡°Okay. What¡¯s up?¡± I have not spoken at length to you about this yet, but it would serve you to know that there is... an etiquette to observe when gods encounter each other on the battlefield. Callan waited. When Xeph didn¡¯t elaborate, he gave the god a mental nudge. ¡°And?¡± And this is a difficult topic for me, human! Give me time to find the right words to speak of it! ¡°Oh.¡± He frowned. ¡°Why is it difficult to talk about?¡± I... don¡¯t know, actually. There was a genuine note of frustration in Xeph¡¯s voice, which was the only thing keeping Callan from calling BS. I remember battles with my fellow deities in ages past, but they were usually friendly things. Or, if not friendly, then at least not antagonistic. We fought over petty matters, and usually just to first blood. ¡°Yeah, something tells me that whatever is going on in Aos, it won¡¯t be like that.¡± I know, I know. There are also memories of other conflicts. Darker ones, where I... where... Hmmph. It is gone. The god let out a loud sigh. This is all irrelevant. What you need to know is this: when two gods both take to the field, they are expected to fight each other, and no one else. Callan frowned. ¡°What does that mean?¡± It means that while you might engage with an enemy god¡¯s priests, once their avatar enters the field you are expected to fight them and only them. Until one of you retreats or is defeated, you may only face each other. You may not render aid to our allies, and you may not strike at enemies, even should the opportunity present itself. ¡°Okay, I can see where that might limit our choices.¡± Indeed. Especially if this god proves infinitely more powerful than us. I doubt this will be the case, as this part of the badlands does not appear to contain sufficient souls to fuel such levels of faith, but... the longer our presence can remain undetected by this other avatar, the longer we may strike at their priests with impunity. Once we are discovered, then direct combat may be the only resource left to us. ¡°I¡¯d just as soon avoid direct combat if possible.¡± Callan hefted his bag. ¡°Anyway, isn¡¯t that why we brought these bad boys?¡± Yes, but as you saw in the lud village, plans have a way of escaping. Better to prepare yourself mentally for the possibility. They crested the far canyon and stepped out onto the Aosan plateau. Other than being slightly higher than its neighbors, Callan couldn¡¯t tell much difference. Well, besides the giant friggin tree, anyway. He¡¯d seen the tree outside of Tok before, of course, but now standing here, maybe a quarter of a mile from this one, he realized the Tokash tree was actually small in comparison. This one¡¯s branches extended out far enough he was almost in shade even all the way over here, and it seemed maybe half again as tall as well. They¡¯d never gotten too close to the pythian back home, with the scouts meeting them in the village before they departed, and now Callan was wondering why. He had a sudden urge to run his hand along the tree¡¯s trunk. Feel the bark beneath his fingers. Stare up at the canopy from right at its base. He was in a world with goddamn giant trees, and he¡¯d been so busy he hadn¡¯t taken the time to fully appreciate that. When he looked back, he noticed Kivi watching him. She gave a half-shy, somewhat knowing smile. ¡°Would you like to go closer? It¡¯s not too far out of our way.¡± ¡°Actually, yeah. That would be nice.¡± They set off in the direction of the tree. Kivi took his right hand in her own and gave it a squeeze. ¡°I¡¯ve spent my whole life in the shadow of a pythian, so it¡¯s easy to forget what effect they often have. I¡¯m sorry I never asked before now, Avatar.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, High Priestess. Been a heck of a month.¡± Or had it been two, already? Callan frowned, trying to remember exactly how long he¡¯d been in the outerworld. Surely no more than two. Maybe. As they got closer, he started to notice the patterns of light the leaves above made on the ground. It occurred to him that it had never seemed particularly dark in the lud village, either. At least, not as much as one would expect with a mountain-sized tree in your backyard. Glancing up, he saw the sunlight forming prisms of color in the treetops. Yeah, it did look as if there was plenty getting through. Just not enough for farming, apparently. Soon enough they arrived at the tree¡¯s enormous base. Here the ground grew rougher, slowing their pace and forcing them to crawl over and under several exposed roots, most of which were the circumference of a mid-sized house. Then they emerged from beneath a particularly thick cluster and found themselves at the tree¡¯s base. Callan stared up in wide-eyed awe. Majestic, aren¡¯t they? Pythian trees are profound things. Even to a god such as myself, they evoke a timelessness that I can only aspire to. ¡°What, you saying you don¡¯t intend to live forever?¡± Callan joked. He reached out a hand and felt the rough bark covering the tree¡¯s surface. As he touched it, a spark leapt from the tree to him, unseen but feeling like someone had goosed him good. He snapped his hand back. ¡°The hell was that?¡± I¡¯m uncertain. It was... that... Hmm. Interesting. ¡°What?¡± Xeph was silent a moment. Then. I believe I have uncompressed... something. 2-7 — The Leaf Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree ¡°¡¯Something¡¯? Like another memory?¡± Not quite. Xeph¡¯s voice had an uneasy note to it. Well, as uneasy as mountain stone ever could be, anyway. It is more complex than that. Less a single memory, and more a bundle of interconnected ideas. It is... difficult to put into words. Or even mentally analyze. I do not think I will be done parsing out this information any time soon. ¡°So... what you¡¯re basically saying is you didn¡¯t actually learn anything new,¡± Callan said. I would not put it so coarsely. I have learned a great deal. It is merely that it is jumbled, and I am unable to pick it apart in an orderly manner without careful study. Imagine if someone suddenly deposited the entirety of a book into your head, out of order. Would you be able to recite the plot at a moment¡¯s notice? ¡°Geez, okay, I get it.¡± Callan retracted his hand, then stared up at the tree again. It was dizzying. This close, he couldn¡¯t even see the top. Just leaves and sunlight, and lilac sky peeking in around the edges. ¡°Avatar? Are you ready to go?¡± Kivi asked. ¡°Yeah, I think we¡¯re done here.¡± Turning, he followed the others back through the maze of roots. The plateau was silent around them, but for the whisper of wind in the leaves overhead. When they reached the outer edges of the roots, Xeph finally roused from his silent introspection. I have learned one detail that might interest you, human. ¡°Really? Shoot.¡± ¡°At what, Avatar?¡± Sworv asked, turning to look at him. Frowning, Callan shooed the priest away. They¡¯d need to have that talk sometime about what conversations to ignore. I was not wrong when I spoke of the sense of timelessness that the pythian evoke, Xeph continued, as if no interruption had even taken place. These trees are ancient. As far as we know, they have always been here. Even before the arrival of the gods in the Outerworld. Callan frowned at that. ¡°I thought you told me that gods couldn¡¯t travel between stars. Or are you saying you came to this planet riding on avatars?¡± His mind filled with visions of spaceships slipping through the vast darkness of the cosmos, of laser battles and screaming tie fighters. He shook his head. Somehow, the idea of adding gods and avatars into space travel just didn¡¯t feel right. Our arrival on this world far predates the coming of mankind. While I cannot say for certain, I believe most humans were drawn here in a similar fashion to how I summoned you, and not by more conventional routes. ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± He¡¯d seen nothing to indicate that level of technology anyway, but then again, the Badlands did seem a bit of a backwater location. ¡°So how did you get here, then?¡± I... don¡¯t know. The exact details are lost to me. Far too many years have passed, to where even uncompressed memories have faded with time. ¡°Makes sense. I can barely remember what I had for dinner a week ago. Can¡¯t imagine how bad that problem gets after a few millennia.¡± It was more than a millennium, or even a few. By your Earthly measurements, it would have been roughly... ten million years ago that my fellow gods and I descended upon this planet. The number stunned Callan to silence. Ten million years? That was a number so big his mind had trouble putting it into perspective. Long enough that humanity hadn¡¯t existed yet, but dinosaurs would have been long gone... what era would that have been for Earth? The Pleistocene? Or maybe one of the ones before that. Still, long enough back that it put what he knew about Xeph in a completely different light. The god was different from him, obviously. But to have lived and experienced such a vast gulf of time... Xeph fell silent after that, and Callan left him to unravel his memories. All ten million years of them. With a glance over his shoulder, he studied the pythian. In light of Xeph¡¯s revelation, it certainly felt like it had a more timeless appearance to it. Or maybe it was all in his head. That brought a chuckle to Callan¡¯s lips. What wasn¡¯t in his head these days? About an hour past the tree, Kivi called a halt for lunch. They settled themselves next to a small spring that was bubbling out from between several large rocks. While the lud cobbled together a meal, Callan set to working with Shape Stone. By the time they were ready to eat, he¡¯d recrafted the rocks to form a smooth bowl for the spring water to collect in. It was already half full. ¡°Something to benefit future travelers,¡± he noted when Kivi came to stand beside him. She nodded in approval. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before everyone knows of the generosity of Xeph-Zul-Karatl. Their numbers shall swell our ranks to bursting.¡± ¡°Hah. I¡¯d like to see that. We¡¯re looking at, what, a few dozen more from Aos? Assuming we¡¯re even that lucky.¡± ¡°More than that, I think. By the mayor¡¯s estimate, her plateau is home to some near fifty yeth.¡± If you are so worried about recruiting efforts, perhaps you shouldn¡¯t spend two days to win the favor of a single rutain, Xeph quipped. ¡°Hey, you and I both agreed that was a worthwhile investment.¡± And my thoughts on the matter remain unchanged. However, it is an unfortunate truth that we will require several magnitudes more to stand against Zavastu, should the need arise. She must be of at least the sixth tier for her to possess the ability to create archons. The comment caught Callan off guard, as it was the first time Xeph had ever hinted about the other god¡¯s potential strength. Another uncompressed memory, perhaps, or a simple omission to spare him further worries? ¡°How many followers are we talking to reach sixth tier?¡± he asked. More than we will find on these sparsely populated plateaus. ¡°Yeah, but what does that mean, exactly? A thousand? Two?¡± I¡¯m not certain exactly, the specifics are still compressed. But I would hazard more than two thousand. Perhaps as many as twenty or more. The number almost bowled Callan over. What would he even do with twenty thousand additional faith? Where would he allocate it all? It seemed today was just the day to consider big numbers. He noticed Sworv waving him over. Shaking away his worries, he moved to join the others. They sat on a soft blanket and enjoyed their lunch, which was mostly a mix of various goods left over from those Sadie had pressed upon them. Not that Callan was in a mood to complain. Eventually he¡¯d be forced to return to eating survival rations back at Xeph¡¯s temple. Then again, one of the dishes he was currently munching on certainly reminded him of the mochi-like survival crackers. It had small bits of fluff mixed in with what appeared to be a variety of dried nuts and berries. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°This is really good,¡± he noted, scooping another handful and popping it into his mouth. Paeral gave a pleased nod. ¡°Thank you, Avatar. A recipe of my wife¡¯s own creation. I took all that she had made before we left on our journey and can only hope she¡¯ll have found the resources to make more before our return.¡± ¡°Ah, so Revak is good at domestics after all.¡± Sworv tossed a handful into his mouth and chewed loudly. ¡°On the Sentinel¡¯s honor, I never would have believed it.¡± ¡°Just because you¡¯ve never kept a woman in your bed long enough to have her prepare a meal or two for you¡ª¡± Paeral began. His brother laughed sharply. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. Revak never offered to make me anything while she was warming my mattress.¡± Paeral opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to remember his audience. His gaze flicked between Callan and Kivi, heat coloring his cheeks. He rose to his feet. ¡°I should refill our canteens.¡± ¡°Yes, you do that, brother.¡± Sworv took another handful of the lud-brand trail mix, grinning broadly. Remind me again, why did we think it was a good idea to make these two priests? Xeph asked. Callan just grimaced. ¡°You know, I¡¯m sure it made sense at the time, but I¡¯ve plumb forgotten already.¡± He noticed Sworv looking at him and waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Avatar stuff. You need to learn to tune that sort of thing out if you want to make it as a priest.¡± The older man¡¯s face paled. ¡°Of course, Avatar. I¡¯ll endeavor to do better.¡± He hesitated, then asked, ¡°How am I to recognize which conversations I should ignore?¡± ¡°If you have to ask, you¡¯ve already¡ª¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± Kivi had risen and was dusting off her dress. She extended a hand. ¡°Shall we set off? These two can catch up with us when they are done cleaning.¡± ¡°Oh, uh, sure, High Priestess.¡± He took her proffered hand in his own, and together they left the brothers behind. No sooner were they out of sight than the sound of bickering resumed. Callan let out a sigh. ¡°I see that you are also growing tired of their antics,¡± Kivi noted, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. ¡°You can say that again. Were they like that before becoming priests?¡± Kivi nodded. ¡°I wish I could say that elevating them both to Leadership made a difference, but they have always been at each other¡¯s throats. At least they seem to rein in their worst impulses when you are around.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Callan glanced over his shoulder. ¡°That was reining it in?¡± ¡°Mmhmm.¡± Perhaps we should send one ahead to scout the way, Xeph suggested. A bit of space and time to clear their heads might serve them both well. ¡°Maybe. But it sounds as if we¡¯re almost to Aos anyway. I think at this point we should just wait and keep them in separate rooms while we¡¯re there. Maybe separate buildings, just to be safe.¡± He turned to Kivi. ¡°Are they really still arguing over Paeral¡¯s wife after all this time? Seems kind of pointless. ¡°Perhaps to you, Avatar. To them, Revak¡¯s decision still rankles, even this many years on.¡± ¡°Because she married Paeral, you mean?¡± ¡°Because she settled for Paeral.¡± Kivi paused, then glanced behind them. There was no sign of the brothers, and Callan suspected they¡¯d hear their arguing long before the two men appeared. Satisfied, Kivi began walking again. ¡°This was all before my time, you understand, but if the rumors I¡¯ve heard are true, Revak truly loved Sworv. Enough that she almost chose him, Daisa caste or no.¡± ¡°So why didn¡¯t she?¡± Callan asked, genuinely curious. After listening to the brothers bicker so much over it, he was starting to wonder what this Revak woman was like. ¡°Because she wanted a warm bed. Too much like her mother in that way.¡± Kivi shook her head, though whether in sorrow or admonition, he wasn¡¯t certain. ¡°Right. Sworv mentioned her mother the other night as well.¡± Sworv had implied the two women were similar, and not in a good way. Callan assumed the man had just meant it as an insult and nothing more, but he wasn¡¯t certain the best way to phrase the question so that it didn¡¯t sound insensitive. ¡°Shamain,¡± Kivi said, apparently reading the question on Callan¡¯s face. ¡°Oh.¡± He nodded absently. Then stopped and looked at Kivi. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Revak is Shamain¡¯s third child. I thought you might wish to know.¡± ¡°Ohhhhhhkaaaaayyyy...¡± Callan wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to do with this information. What exactly was Kivi implying about Shamain? What had Sworv, the other night? ¡°Most lud women will only share a bed with their husbands until they¡¯ve borne a Daisa child,¡± Kivi said, her tone casual, as if she were merely discussing the weather. ¡°Shamain has never been shy about discussing how much she enjoyed her husband¡¯s embrace, something she had to give up after her fourth child. I imagine Revak was much the same. Luckily for her, she and Paeral only ever had the one.¡± Right. Because of the whole baby-killing problem. Callan almost started in on another tirade about the lud caste system, when something else Kivi had said registered in his skull. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that Paeral is related to Shamain. At least by marriage.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The lud girl tilted her head to look at him. ¡°That isn¡¯t so unusual. Most everyone in Tok is related to one another in some way. Even I¡¯m a distant third cousin to Argas.¡± ¡°Is he related to Shamain, too?¡± It occurred to Callan that both Paeral and Argas had been made priests at Shamain¡¯s suggestion. Suddenly he was wondering if that recommendation might have had a bit of nepotism behind it. ¡°She is his aunt, I believe.¡± Kivi paused, then added. ¡°Great aunt, actually. Her late brother Novak married¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t find that a tad suspicious?¡± ¡°Find what suspicious, Avatar?¡± Quickly Callan explained his concerns to Kivi. When the lud professed ignorance as to the term nepotism, Callan gave her a brief synopsis, using some generic examples from his own world. The longer he talked, the more amused Kivi¡¯s expression grew. At last, she broke into the middle of his speech. ¡°Oh, Avatar, are you certain you are not a yeth? Because that sounds like a very yeth thing to worry about.¡± Callan frowned, unsure whether to be offended by this statement or not. He decided to just take it at face value. ¡°It¡¯s a valid concern.¡± ¡°For you, perhaps, but not for lud. We all work towards the common good together. Shamain, for all her eccentricities, would not have recommended either to the priesthood without valid cause. Besides, what would she have stood to gain from this? She was already a member of Leadership. It gives her no additional benefits choosing one member of the village over another simply because of family ties.¡± ¡°Except having someone easier to manipulate,¡± Callan noted. ¡°Someone she can sway to her side.¡± Kivi laughed again, the sound light and airy, and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. ¡°Even if lud stooped to such base motives, do you really think Shamain, of all people, would be among them? The woman who does whatever she wishes, regardless of how others think of her? The only elder in the village who refuses to bear the title, and spurns participating in all but the most important of decisions? Does that sound like the Shamain you know?¡± It really didn¡¯t, Callan had to admit. Perhaps Kivi was right, and he was simply reading into something that was little more than a coincidence. The lud girl gave his hand another comforting squeeze. ¡°Leave such worries to the other elevated races, Avatar. If I know yeth even a little bit, you¡¯ll be burdened by such conspiracies soon enough when we arrive in Aos.¡± A moment later they were rejoined by Paeral and Sworv. The two were no longer arguing, and in fact appeared to be pointedly ignoring each other entirely. Then again, they were holding hands, so Callan assumed they couldn¡¯t be that mad at each other. Still, he¡¯d take what peace he could get. ¡°What do you think, Xeph?¡± He muttered softly, while Kivi chatted amiably with Sworv about some future detail she had planned for the temple. ¡°Am I worrying over nothing?¡± You mean about Shamain and the priests that we selected at her recommendation? Hmm... It is true that the lud in ages past tended to hold a more communal view of life in general than the other races. Although I question whether such was instilled into them during the creation process as many of my siblings believed, or if it was simply learned behavior of a race that found itself falling out of favor as our newer creations took center stage¡ª ¡°Is that a yes or a no?¡± Hmmph. I was getting there, mortal. What I was attempting to say was that, for all they held to a communal view in the past, I do not think it is wise to assume that such still holds true in this present era. You remember the state we found the younger lud brother in back at the temple. Callan¡¯s mind flashed back to a scene of Sworv sitting in his room, face a blotchy yellow color from whatever beating he¡¯d endured. He ground his teeth. Yes, exactly. Our priestess wishes to see the best of her people, but everything we¡¯ve learned about their society shows they value individual placement in the village much more now than they did in the past. ¡°So you think Shamain might be up to something?¡± Despite his earlier worries, it was difficult to imagine the crazy old woman plotting anything beyond how to make herself a nuisance. Clearly Xeph agreed, as he let out a snort like a mountain cracking in half. That one likely just knew her family best and chose accordingly. After all, if one must choose, a known problem is always preferable to an unknown one. ¡°True. Better the devil you know and all that,¡± Callan said, nodding in agreement. You Earth humans have certainly become fond of your idioms in the last few millennia. Or are you an exception to the rest of your species? Callan grimaced. ¡°Gads, I sure hope not. Every village needs its idiom, after all.¡± ...What? ¡°Exactly.¡± I am extremely confused right now. They reached the top of a small rise. Kivi came to a halt, and Callan stopped beside her. A short distance below he could make out large stretches of tilled soil, enough that Restaro could have fit his entire farm here ten times over, easily. Beyond these, the tops of several distant buildings could just barely be seen. ¡°The village of Aos. We have arrived at our destination, Avatar.¡± 2-8 — Getting There Is Half The Battle On Kivi¡¯s advice, they waited until nightfall before approaching Aos. The high priestess explained her reasoning as they all sat together in a small hollow just on the far side of the rise. ¡°When Silfia and I approached the first time, we were an oddity, but little more than that. Now, should the wrong people see me returning so soon to the village, and with additional members, it will be noteworthy enough to remark upon.¡± ¡°Makes sense to me,¡± Callan said, nodding. ¡°I don¡¯t want to draw the wrong kind of attention before we need to. And especially not before we know exactly how strong this threat is.¡± ¡°Indeed. Which is why we shall first make for the home of Belinda, Aos¡¯s mayor. She was quite helpful in advising us as to the situation last time and should be able to tell us if there have been any developments since.¡± ¡°How exactly was she helpful? She literally couldn¡¯t¡ªor wouldn¡¯t¡ªtell you anything useful.¡± Kivi pursed her lips. ¡°That is a complicated question, Avatar. There is more going on in this community than just the current threat. I¡¯m certain once you have spoken with Belinda, all will be made clear.¡± Somehow, I doubt that, Xeph grumbled. Unless much has changed, yeth are likely as guileful and intrigant as ever. There was a common saying amongst my fellow deities during ancient times: a yeth without schemes is like a dress without seams. ¡°You gods really like your rhyming couplets, don¡¯t you?¡± Callan said, smirking. While he¡¯d expected Kivi and the others to have some racial biases against the yeth, it was kind of surprising hearing it from Xeph. It is an excellent form of entertainment. But that does not make the sentiment wrong. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Kivi. ¡°How soon until we leave?¡± ¡°Another half hour, perhaps.¡± She glanced up at the sky. ¡°Certainly no more than that.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯m going to get in a bit more practice with Xeph.¡± ¡°As you wish, Avatar. Just don¡¯t wander so far that we cannot hear you call for help.¡± Callan grinned at the lud girl as he stood. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be the other way around, High Priestess? Pretty sure I¡¯m more than a match for any of the local wildlife.¡± ¡°Oh? I seem to recall that it was only thanks to my rapid intervention that matters with the dvorak didn¡¯t go worse for us all.¡± The girl grinned at him maliciously. ¡°Or am I remembering that battle incorrectly?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Pretty sure I bested that bastard single-handedly.¡± ¡°Of course, Avatar. Keep telling yourself that.¡± Callan chuckled as he moved a little further into the woods. Not too far, just until he found a decent-sized clearing. He needed to be able to hear if Kivi called for help, after all. He and Xeph spent the next half hour or so working through his orison manipulation. First moving the spike on his weapon, a feat that was now¡ªCallan didn¡¯t want to say ¡®easy¡¯, but certainly less cumbersome than before¡ªand then on to more practice with changing the weapon¡¯s length. Here his progress ground to a halt. Everything he thought he¡¯d learned fell to pieces the moment he focused on the energies outside his own body. Just breathe mortal. Just. Breathe. You may not realize it, but you are making progress. Already your reading of the flows of power around you is growing more defined. Soon you will be able to separate out these flows more easily without my assistance, and after that, picking out the individual strands that represent our orison will be a simple matter. ¡°If you say so. It still just looks like a bunch of random chaos to me.¡± Ah, but that is because you are simply seeing the forest for the trees. Callan grinned. ¡°Well, yeah. We are in the middle of the woods right now.¡± Not a literal forest, human! Hmmph. Sometimes I wonder if you even truly wish to master these skills I¡¯m attempting to teach you. ¡°I do, promise. It¡¯s just... tedious, I guess. I¡¯d much rather deal with something simple, like collecting and applying more faith.¡± Of course you would, Xeph said with a snort. But those are only the foundational blocks on which an Avatar¡¯s power is built. It is the same with the way my power can enhance your speed and strength. Simply relying on my gifts will not guarantee you victory against our enemies. You must also train your body, so that it is all the better equipped to take advantage of these enhancements. So too must you do so with your mind. ¡°Okay, okay, you don¡¯t have to keep giving me the same sales pitch. I¡¯ll try harder, I promise.¡± It¡¯s not about trying harder, mortal, you just need to try. Constant practice is the key to improvement, not attempting to cram more effort into a small amount of time. ¡°But I want to skip to the damn training montage already,¡± Callan muttered. He reached out for the waving lines of power about him that represented Wurmchain, but once again they wriggled out of his grasp. With a sigh, he opened his eyes. From within the bushes on the far side of the clearing, he distinctly saw a pair of green eyes staring back at him. He froze. The eyes watching him drew wide with shock. Then they disappeared, followed by the sound of something crashing hurriedly away through the underbrush. ¡°Huh. Did you see that, too?¡± I see everything that you see, mortal. Likely with more acuity as well. Whoever that was, they were not particularly tall. I do not believe it was one of the lud, however. ¡°Yeah, kind of figured that already, unless Sworv is secretly some sort of closet voyeur.¡± Plus, this close to the yeth community, it didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out where the culprit likely originated. ¡°Do you think we need to be worried about that? Might be a spy for the cult.¡± Hmm. Possibly. But I doubt it. Callan did as well, though if pressed he couldn¡¯t have said exactly why. The whole interaction just didn¡¯t have the right feel to it. Still, whoever it was had seen him training with Wurmchain. If they didn¡¯t know he was an avatar already, they¡¯d put it together quick enough. Maybe he should go after them... ¡°Avatar? It is time.¡± Kivi¡¯s voice drifted from behind him, and he turned to find the lud girl watching him curiously. She tilted her head back and met his eyes. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± He glanced over his shoulder again, then shook his head. The watcher, whoever they were, was long gone by now. Likely it had just been some farmhand who wandered too far into the forest to take a leak. There was no need to see a conspiracy under every root and rock. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He followed the priestess back to Paeral and Sworv. Once there, Kivi turned and addressed them all. ¡°We make first for the home of the town mayor. She¡¯ll be who we negotiate with, and who will help us to sway the rest of the village to worship Xeph-Zul-Karatl. I would ask all of you to trust my lead and allow me to handle the majority of the conversation.¡± The two older lud nodded, as if they hadn¡¯t expected anything less, but Callan frowned. He knew he wasn¡¯t the most experienced when it came to recruiting and had mostly made it thus far through a combination of luck and generosity, but that didn¡¯t mean he was totally useless. With Xeph to guide him, surely he could offer at least some convincing arguments. Still, he¡¯d trust the high priestess to know what she was doing until proven otherwise. Kivi must have sensed his thoughts, as she gave him a reassuring smile. ¡°I do, of course, welcome the Avatar¡¯s assistance in the negotiations, but as I have already had dealings with Aos¡¯s mayor, I know best what to expect from her. Once the avatar has a better understanding of the politics at play here, I¡¯m certain your skills and charm will prove more than sufficient.¡± Callan snorted at that. ¡°You don¡¯t have to butter me up, High Priestess. I know I¡¯m only here so we can make a visual demonstration of the security Xeph can provide. Mobile meatsack temple, that¡¯s me.¡± What a... thrilling mental image. If only I had the capacity to vomit. Oh wait. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you dare. I just finished cleaning up after the last time.¡± Kivi waited until his attention returned to her, then shook her head. ¡°You are more than just the powers you wield, Avatar. Besides, I would prefer to not reveal those powers until absolutely necessary. The longer no one realizes you are an avatar, the safer you shall remain.¡± Callan thought back guiltily to the eyes watching him from the forest and said nothing. With the conversation at a close, Kivi led him and the others towards the top of the rise again, and from there down into the fields, where shadows were already beginning to stretch as the sun slipped from sight. The immediate area appeared empty. Though now that Callan thought about it, he hadn¡¯t seen anyone out working in the fields earlier, either. Was the cult at fault? He didn¡¯t want to risk drawing attention by speaking to Kivi or Xeph, and neither was likely to have answers, anyway. Still, the closer they drew to the village, the more uncomfortable he became. It was the same aura that had settled over Tok. Too quiet. Like the whole place was holding its breath, waiting. They skirted around the outer buildings at Aos¡¯s edge, where Callan could see what looked like an actual main street running through the town. The buildings were wooden¡ªor pythian bark, perhaps¡ªand were painted in a variety of patterns. The overall design actually reminded him a bit of Leavenworth, a German-inspired tourist town in the mountains north of Seattle. Every year his parents had taken him up there for the Winter Karneval, and they¡¯d spent a glorious weekend taking in the lights, exploring the shops, and taking a horse-drawn sled ride through the mountains. He hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to go this year because of all his doctor visits and his parents needing to work long hours. The trip¡¯s absence had barely registered at the time, but now, seeing Aos, it hit him like a sledgehammer. Would he ever get a chance to visit there again? Would he ever see his parents? What were they doing right now? Were they still looking for him, or had they long since abandoned hope? Brooding thoughts like that consumed his thoughts as they moved to the far side of the village and approached a large two-story stone house. Kivi glanced backwards before knocking on the door. Her eyes found Paeral and Sworv. ¡°Remember, these may be yeth, but we are still their guests. Treat everyone here you meet like you would Leadership unless I tell you otherwise.¡± ¡°Of course, Priestess.¡± Paeral glanced at Callan and gave a conspiratorial grin. ¡°It must be a good feeling to know you¡¯ll be back amongst your own people for a time, eh, Avatar?¡± ¡°Ah...¡± Before Callan could think of anything further to add, Kivi rapped on the door. Immediately, there was the sound of hurried footsteps approaching, and something heavy sliding away. A bar, perhaps? The door opened a crack, a lone eyeball peering at them suspiciously. It was the same green color as the one he¡¯d seen in the forest, though the face attached to this eye was much too tall to have been his watcher. ¡°I told you not to bother me unless¡ª¡± The voice coming through the crack paused, taking in the sight of Callan and the three lud. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s you. I thought¡ªwell, never mind that. Best come in, quick.¡± The door closed again. There were more scraping sounds, and the door reopened, all the way this time. Standing at the threshold was an older woman. She looked to be in her late sixties, with a shock of white hair that reached nearly to her hips, a face showing just the hint of wrinkles, and a pair of piercing green eyes. Callan braced himself. After everything Kivi and Xeph had hinted about the yeth, Callan wasn¡¯t certain what to expect. While he doubted she¡¯d be as cunning and emotionless as the others seemed to think, he was admittedly wary. The woman¡¯s eyes traveled over the others before finding Callan. Her lips pulled back into a grin. ¡°Cairn preserve us, the lud girl spoke true! When she said that a yeth led their cult, I honestly didn¡¯t quite believe her. Glad to see there are still a few surprises left in the world for an old woman like myself.¡± She held out a hand, and Callan shook it, finding her grip firm and rather animated. He also noted the additional finger that hand bore, making it slightly too wide to be normal. If the mayor noticed his own lacking digit, she made no comment. ¡°Name¡¯s Belinda, though I imagine the lud already filled you in on that detail. Well, come in, come in! We have much to talk about. Ah, but where are my manners? Best get some water boiling for tea!¡± She turned and disappeared inside. Callan frowned, not entirely sure what to make the situation. On the one hand, Belinda seemed far more friendly and, well, human than he¡¯d been expecting. On the other, she¡¯d been almost dismissive of Kivi, and hadn¡¯t acknowledged either of the brothers at all. ¡°Might as well get this over with,¡± he grumbled, trudging further in. Kivi and Sworv followed on his heels, while Paeral closed the door and settled all of the supplies next to it. Down a short hallway, he found a comfortable kitchen, the table and chairs made of unpainted wood, though someone with a moderate amount of skill had carved them all to bear the same decorative patterns as the houses outside. From a nearby stove, Belinda waved a hand at them. ¡°Take a seat wherever you like. I¡¯ll just be moment getting the kettle started. Then I¡¯ll need to inform the others¡ªAh, there you are, Alyssa!¡± Callan turned and found a woman standing next to him. She looked to be in her late twenties, and had the same green eyes as Belinda, though her hair was a much softer blonde color. She blinked, taking in the scene, and finally settling her gaze on Callan. ¡°Guests, mother?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. This is the avatar I told you about, and his accompanying priests. Go, fetch your brother. He¡¯ll want to be part of this conversation, I expect.¡± The young woman nodded, though Belinda had already turned back to the stove and couldn¡¯t see, then slipped into the hallway. Callan returned his attention to the kitchen, finding a seat and sinking into it. Ah, chairs. He hadn¡¯t realized how much he¡¯d missed chairs. ¡°What sort of tea would you like?¡± Belinda asked, as the kettle began to steam. ¡°Whatever you have will be fine, Mayor,¡± Kivi told her. The two brothers nodded as well. Belinda¡¯s gaze turned towards Callan. ¡°I don¡¯t know. What are my options?¡± A mischievous grin played across the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Let¡¯s see, I¡¯ve got... black tea. And black tea. And more black tea, too. Oh! And a little bit of black.¡± Callan rolled his eyes. ¡°Why¡¯d you even bother asking, then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to be polite, don¡¯t I?¡± The woman let out a cackle that reminded him far too much of Shamain. Was this just how old ladies acted in the Outerworld? ¡°Besides, other than lack of variety, it¡¯s still good tea. Cost me a pretty talon from the trading post, let me tell you.¡± ¡°Well in that case, I¡¯ll have a cup.¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± The woman turned back to the stove and began pouring water into a quartet of cups. That done, she began distributing them around the table. The sight helped mollify Callan¡¯s worries. At least she seemed a bit more amicable towards his companions now. ¡°Mayor Belinda,¡± Kivi said, taking her cup for herself. ¡°You may recall from when we last spoke, but¡ª¡± ¡°Now, now. Best wait to discuss business until my children return. Else you¡¯ll just have to say everything twice.¡± The yeth woman pulled a chair up to the table and dropped into it. Her eyes roved over the guests. ¡°That said, I see you¡¯ve returned with a rather different group this time. Where¡¯s the trader woman? I was hoping she might bring along some of those lovely textiles your kind are so good at making.¡± ¡°Silfia was needed elsewhere. And unfortunately, we do not have much pythian product to spare at the moment. Much was lost during the battle with Zavastu¡¯s cult.¡± ¡°Hmmph. Pity.¡± The mayor leaned back and shook her head. ¡°Well, I do hope you¡¯ll remember our little village once your supply lines are restored. I¡¯d given up wearing anything but wool after your village was seized. Continually having my hopes restored and then dashed again is fraying my delicate nerves to pieces.¡± Callan, who suspected any textiles the lud produced would be going to pay the dveorg for some time to come, said nothing. Still, Belinda made an interesting point. Trade was another way to ingratiate themselves with those living on the other plateaus. The sound of the front door opening cut off further conversation. They all turned to see Alyssa return with a man so similar to her in appearance it had to be her brother. The man¡¯s gaze swept the room, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of them sitting there. ¡°Ah, Radavan, so good of you to finally join us. Pull up a seat. The young lad here¡ª¡± ¡°Mother, I thought we had talked about this already.¡± Radavan turned towards Callan. ¡°You are not wanted here. Leave, now.¡± 2-9 — New Faces, New Seams The table was dead quiet. Callan glanced from the Radavan to Kivi to Belinda to Kivi again. No one seemed to know how to break the silence. Finally, Belinda spoke, staring daggers at her son. ¡°You said that you would support my decision.¡± ¡°Yes, concerning what to do about the cult we¡¯re already dealing with, not about adding another into the mix. All this man and his followers will bring is the likelihood this turns into a bloodbath.¡± Both Paeral and Sworv glanced up at the mention of a cult, the former wearing a concerned frown. Kivi gave a quick shake of her head before either could speak. ¡°I did decide what to do about Veritas and his followers, and this man¡ª¡± The mayor pointed at Callan ¡°¡ªis my answer. Now, you can either sit down and behave yourself, or you can be excluded from the conversation. Which is it?¡± ¡°Hmmph. As if you don¡¯t know my answer.¡± Radavan dropped into a seat, shooting daggers around the room. ¡°You may be mayor, mother, but I¡¯d sooner swallow the Emperor than leave you alone to be taken advantage of by... that.¡± His gaze lingered on Callan for a moment. Xeph let out a chuckle. Ah, I see what these yeth are doing. Clever. They are using a classic technique, mortal. In ancient times, it was referred to as ¡®benevolent guardsman, heartless guardsman¡¯. See, one of the pair will¡ª ¡°Yeah, I got it. We have the same thing back on Earth. Good cop, bad cop.¡± Everyone turned and stared at Callan. He flushed. ¡°Just, ah, quick side conversation with Xeph. No need to concern yourself with it.¡± ¡°Is that the name of the god who resides inside you? ¡®Xeph¡¯?¡± Radavan asked, his tone dismissive. Callan bristled, but Kivi responded before he could. ¡°His full name is Xeph-Zul-Karatl, god of stone and mountains. And we are not here to take advantage of anyone, especially the mayor. Our intention is for a long-term relationship with Aos, not short-term gains.¡± ¡°Oh, and what, exactly have you got on offer that you think is worth risking ourselves?¡± Kivi glanced at Belinda. ¡°I think a better understanding of the situation is required first. The mayor was hesitant to share details before we could prove our commitment. After that, we can talk about what Xeph-Zul-Karatl can offer¡ªand at what cost.¡± ¡°Aha!¡± Radavan said, half rising from his chair. ¡°You see, mother? They let their true intentions show through, already. Would you trade the tyranny of one cult for another, just like that?¡± ¡°Oh, sit down, boy. We always knew there would be a price for their aid. It is simply a matter of which tide we can bear the easier.¡± Belinda¡¯s eyes found Callan. ¡°Though now that we may speak, yeth to yeth, I hope you will weigh the gratitude of your kind of an equal measure to that of the measure of your followers.¡± Even without Xeph¡¯s peanut-gallery commentary, Callan could see what the mayor was trying to do. Appealing to their shared race¡ªor what she believed to be their shared race¡ªin the hopes of gaining an upper hand in their dealings. Now he understood why Kivi had asked him to let her lead the negotiations. Leaning back, Callan crossed his arms and affected a wry smile. ¡°It¡¯s not me you¡¯ll need to convince, Mayor, it¡¯s my high priestess. I¡¯m just here as the battery.¡± ¡°Battery?¡± ¡°Ah, never mind.¡± The mayor glanced at Kivi, and Callan drew a not-insignificant amount of schadenfreude from the frustrated expression she now wore. He seriously hoped the woman hadn¡¯t been so cagey during the first visit only because she¡¯d thought negotiating with another yeth would be easier. If so, was she in for a world of surprise. ¡°I think we are getting sidetracked,¡± Kivi said, drawing all eyes back to her. ¡°Mayor, you mentioned a name before, Veritas. Is that the avatar that leads this cult?¡± ¡°No. If their avatar has a name, they¡¯ve never offered it during our few encounters.¡± ¡°Are they not from your village?¡± Belinda frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t believe so, but I can¡¯t say for certain. Both the avatar and their priests wear masks to hide their identity. It¡¯s been part of why rooting them out has proven so difficult.¡± ¡°Then Veritas is their patron deity.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Hmm, Xeph said. Another unfamiliar god. Strange. ¡°What? Is it really that surprising?¡± Callan muttered out of the corner of his mouth. ¡°Aren¡¯t there like, several thousand gods on this continent alone?¡± At the very least, and likely even more on the larger ones, Cainox and Gyviar in particular. Still, there was a time when I knew all of my siblings by name if not by sight. The parties we used to throw every decade were lavish beyond measure and lasted for weeks. Plenty of time to get to know any number of gods from the furthest continents. Callan tried to imagine being forced to attend a weeks-long party just so Xeph could shmooze with a bunch of other incorporeal beings like himself but couldn¡¯t do it. He¡¯d be lucky to last a day before noping out. ¡°Do you happen to know what kind of god they are?¡± he asked, interrupting another argument between Belinda and her son. Seriously, he admired them for sticking to their scripts, but at this rate the conversation was going to take all night. ¡°Sorry, Avatar, but what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Every god seems to have an aspect. Xeph¡¯s is stone, and Zavastu¡¯s was fire. Any clue what this Veritas specializes in?¡± The two yeth glanced at each other but remained silent. The question hung in the air, unanswered, and Kivi looked as if she were about to continue on when a quiet voice said, ¡°Metal.¡± All eyes turned to Alyssa, who turned pink at the sudden attention. Lowering her gaze to the table, she continued, ¡°I saw a priest using their gifts, once. They reshaped a small piece of metal from the forge into a knife. I don¡¯t think they knew I was watching, but...¡± she trailed off. ¡°Well, that settles it,¡± Belinda said. ¡°If anyone here knows metal, it¡¯s our resident blacksmith.¡± Callan nodded, making a mental note to corner Alyssa later and try to squeeze every last detail he could out of her concerning the cult¡¯s various powers. For now though, there were more important details to focus on. On this point, he and Kivi seemed to be of a like mind. The high priestess cleared her throat, and asked, ¡°And what sort of damage has the cult done so far?¡± The three yeth all frowned at her. At last, Belinda spoke. ¡°Begging your pardon, High Priestess, but what is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Last time we spoke, you told me that your town was beset upon by a cult. That they had threatened you and your people. That you feared for your very lives so long as they remained. So how many have they enslaved? How many have been killed? Have they laid claim to your storehouses or raided your homes?¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Her gaze flitted about, taking in the simple but well-supplied kitchen. Callan suspected they both knew the answer to that last question already. Then again, for all he knew, Belinda had a chest or two of gold upstairs that had been carried off by the cult. Though that seemed unlikely, given, you know, the whole being farmers thing. Belinda glanced between Kivi and Callan. Her mouth twitched once. Twice. She started to chuckle, which turned into a snicker, which metamorphosed into a full-bodied laugh. Callan shared a confused glance with the high priestess before she managed to get herself back under control. ¡°Oh, sorry... *hah*... about that. You¡¯ll have to forgive this old woman a moment of levity in what has been an otherwise stressful period. It¡¯s so easy to forget how you other inferior races live, being isolated on this plateau as we are.¡± Kivi bristled visibly at the ¡®inferior races¡¯ comment but appeared to rein herself in before speaking. ¡°Oh? Would you please be so kind as to enlighten me as to what is so amusing about this situation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the situation that amusing so much as what you think the situation is.¡± Belinda glanced up, saw their confused expressions, and almost descended into a fit of laughter once again. ¡°What my mother is trying to say,¡± Radavan said, as the older woman wiped at her eyes with a rough-looking handkerchief, ¡°Is that we have not ¡®lost¡¯ any people, nor have our homes or storehouses been raided. Other elevated races may do such things, but yeth do not.¡± ¡°But... you said you feared for your lives.¡± Kivi¡¯s voice had lost its confident edge. Personally, Callan was right there with her. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The mayor sat up, all traces of humor gone from her face now. ¡°The bastards that have fallen for this god¡¯s honeyed lies are going to tear this town apart! Already, their ideas are spreading amongst the rest of the village. It won¡¯t be long now until I¡¯ll be forced to meet their demands.¡± ¡°And what exactly are those?¡± Belinda shuddered and closed her eyes. ¡°To build a bridge.¡± Silence reigned over the table again. Callan glanced at Kivi. The lud girl met his gaze and gave a confused shrug. He turned back to Belinda. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯d better start at the beginning.¡±
¡°For decades, my village¡¯s greatest strength has been its isolation. Unfortunately, it¡¯s also our weakness. Grain and other exports have to be transported by pully to the bottom of the canyon, then brought back up again on the other side. It¡¯s a time-consuming process, and subject to the whims of moons and seasonal storms.¡± Belinda paused a moment to sip from the cup in front of her, then continued, ¡°Still, the village has always understood that safety outweighs convenience. It was never a problem until recently.¡± ¡°What changed?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Youth, if I had to wager. Too many youngins in the village now, and not enough of the older generation to remind them what it was like, before. My husband used to speak of it at our annual harvest festival, but he¡¯s long since ascended to the Cairn, and I haven¡¯t got half his skill with words.¡± Radavan came up and placed a hand on his mother¡¯s shoulder. Whatever false antagonism they had been affecting before seemed to have been abandoned. She smiled at her son, then turned her attention back to Callan. ¡°There¡¯s always been a few that grumbled over my policy, but before, the threat of Zavastu was enough to keep it at that¡ªjust grumbles. The goddess never sent her priests to our village, despite extracting tithes from farms on all the surrounding plateaus, which seemed proof enough that our policies were sound. ¡°Then Veritas appeared.¡± ¡°They offered your people his protection?¡± Kivi guessed. From her expression, Callan could practically read the girl¡¯s mind: the situation wasn¡¯t entirely dissimilar from his own appearance in Tok. Except that there, the lud had been desperate for a savior. Desperate enough even to trust a stranger who stumbled right into their midst. Suddenly he found himself missing Tervak. The elder had saved them all by taking a chance on Callan and his divine powers. It easily could have gone a different, less pleasant direction. ¡°They offered more than just protection,¡± Radavan said, drawing Callan¡¯s attention back to the conversation. ¡°Veritas wanted to elevate our plateau above all others. With our villagers as their priests and army, they would chase Zavastu from the plateau and make Aos into the greatest metropolis the Badlands has ever seen outside Amon Tul.¡± Belinda snorted. ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m secretly a duchess from the Northern Alliance. Standing against a god with the power that Zavastu wields would be the height of foolishness. Still, it got some of the less content villagers talking. And now...¡± Kivi sat up straighter in her chair. ¡°Is this why you rushed Silfia and I to your home when we first arrived? Because I was speaking of our victory over the cult?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. So far, I¡¯ve managed to keep that little revelation under wraps. Sooner or later, however, someone from one of the other plateaus is going to talk. Which is why we need the problem dealt with. Preferably soon.¡± ¡°Wait. Let me see if I got this,¡± Callan said, raising his hand. All eyes turned towards him. ¡°You want to keep your village isolated, but some of the town disagrees with you. And Veritas has added fuel to the fire by offering to help protect you in exchange for your faith. Is that about right?¡± ¡°Not just our faith, Avatar. He wants each and every one of my citizens to serve in his priesthood. Ridiculous.¡± Belinda shook her head and took another sip of her tea. Ridiculous is right, Xeph noted. Converting every villager here to a priest would take weeks. Not to mention straining his own reserves to the point of breaking. Although... ¡°Yeah?¡± No, never mind. We need more information about this god before I¡¯ll know for certain. ¡°Well, that is something we can offer over this Veritas,¡± Kivi was saying to the mayor. ¡°Xeph would require none of your people to offer themselves to his priesthood. Unless they wished to serve, of course.¡± Belinda shook her head. ¡°No priests. I¡¯ll tell you now that¡¯s not on the table. You¡¯ll take none of my villagers as priests, and you¡¯ll build no temple here. Both are non-negotiable.¡± ¡°Surely, we can come to some accord. What if one of your people wishes to serve?¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll refuse their offer. I won¡¯t budge on this point, High Priestess. Don¡¯t ask again.¡± Kivi¡¯s lips pressed together into two thin lines. ¡°Very well. A higher offering of faith will be required. Or perhaps a larger tithe of your next harvest.¡± ¡°Our crops have been good this year, but not so good we can afford to give away everything we usually reserve for trade.¡± The mayor looked thoughtful. ¡°I could offer you perhaps... one in twenty bushels of our next harvest? I think that¡¯s more than generous.¡± ¡°Make it one in ten,¡± Kivi retorted. ¡°And we want a minimum of forty villagers to pledge themselves to Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± Belinda shook her head. ¡°The best I can do is twenty-five. Ten now, and fifteen when Veritas no longer threatens my village.¡± Then, as if it were an afterthought, she added, ¡°And I can do one in seventeen bushels. Since you¡¯re twisting my arm and all.¡± ¡°Thirty villagers, and no less. Otherwise, the risks here simply outweigh the reward.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know my villagers¡¯ faith are worth twice that of any of the other races. Twenty-seven, and one in fifteen bushels. Better the grain than my people.¡± ¡°All faith is the same in Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡¯s eyes.¡± Kivi crossed her arms. ¡°Thirty-five followers and one in twelve bushels.¡± The mayor spluttered and coughed, her tea spilling across the wooden table. Immediately, Alyssa leapt to her feet, seizing a nearby rag and wiping it away before the liquid had a chance to set in. ¡°Oh, mother, there¡¯s no need to be so melodramatic.¡± ¡°Melodramatic? I¡¯ll show you¡ª¡± The mayor glowered at Kivi. ¡°You don¡¯t go higher again after I¡¯ve dropped the amount. Didn¡¯t anyone teach you how to haggle?¡± ¡°Oh. My apologies, Mayor.¡± Kivi gave a short bow. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s more like it. Now, we can possibly spare¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, I apologize for not properly explaining the situation,¡± the lud continued, cutting the older woman off. ¡°We were never haggling. I was merely setting the price for our god¡¯s assistance based on what I felt you could bear. Now, I have determined it. You can either accept these terms, or we can leave. Thirty-five followers, and one in twelve bushels. Take it. Or leave it.¡± ¡°What? Arrogant little mudrat¡ª¡± ¡°The price is now forty followers. Do you wish me to raise it again?¡± ¡°You¡ªTch. Suppose I deserved that.¡± The two women stared at each other, the mayor¡¯s eyes narrowed, the high priestess relaxed and confident. Radavan¡¯s gaze flicked between them. ¡°Mother, you can¡¯t seriously be considering this... this robbery! It¡¯s indecent! It¡¯ll ruin us!¡± ¡°Quiet, boy. The game is over. Let the adults talk.¡± Belinda¡¯s gaze never left Kivi. ¡°You promise your avatar can help us? And when you¡¯re done, you¡¯ll take your priests and go back to your little temple?¡± ¡°Yes. Provided your people do not abandon their faith and the grain shipment is received before the start of the rainy season.¡± The mayor nodded. ¡°We can handle that. I¡¯m glad we could reach an accord, High Priestess.¡± She held out a hand. ¡°I as well.¡± Kivi raised her own and reached forward. ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on just a dang minute,¡± Callan said. Both women looked at him in confusion. ¡°Ki¡ªah, High Priestess, are we really just agreeing to this already? We don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re signing up for yet.¡± ¡°I thought that obvious, Avatar.¡± Kivi¡¯s voice was flat. ¡°You are to remove the threat of the cult from this plateau.¡± ¡°Yeah... but what does that even entail? It doesn¡¯t even sound like this cult is being violent. Are we really going to attack them unprovoked?¡± ¡°I would prefer it if you didn¡¯t,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Many, if not all, of Veritas¡¯s priests are members of this village, though I know not who specifically. Still, the fewer that must be harmed, the more that will be left to work their fields when this whole unpleasantness is behind us.¡± Callan resisted the urge to throw up his hands. ¡°So what exactly do you expect me to do to help you?¡± ¡°Challenge Veritas, of course. Win this plateau and the surrounding area from him, and he¡¯ll be forced to retreat. His priests will either choose to scurry back to me with their tails between their legs or follow him into exile.¡± Ahh. Of course. ¡°You know what she¡¯s talking about?¡± Callan asked, another rant dying on the tip of his tongue. I do, mortal. The mayor is referring to one of the ancient edicts laid down by my fellow deities and I, one which has been used many times to avoid wars and bloodshed. She¡¯s referring to a ritual duel. 2-10 — Double Déjà Vu Of course, calling it a duel is actually a bit of a misnomer. Duel implies a battle, one which is fought until surrender or death, whereas a ritual duel is often anything but. It may not in fact be a fight at all, but is usually a series of agreed-upon contests¡ª ¡°Yeah, can we maybe have this conversation another time?¡± Callan said, the words little more than a growl from the side of his mouth. Still, Xeph went silent immediately. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was dark throughout the village of Aos now. Alyssa led them down mostly deserted streets, though they occasionally passed a yeth coming the opposite direction. Alyssa would exchange a friendly word or two before ushering her charges onward. Twice, Callan caught the villagers looking back after them curiously, but otherwise their presence elicited little comment. ¡°This shall be your house for the duration of your stay here in the village, Av¡ª¡± the yeth woman bit her tongue just before she could go further. A flush spread up her cheeks. ¡°Callan is fine,¡± he said quickly. She smiled at him in gratitude. ¡°My apologies. Until we can determine who is to be trusted, it is best to keep a low profile.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll hear no complaints from me.¡± He turned to Kivi and gestured to the front door. ¡°After you.¡± ¡°Actually, we have separate accommodations for the lud at the edge of the village,¡± Alyssa said hastily. ¡°It would appear unusual if we kept them in the same building as a yeth refugee, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Oh. Uh, sure.¡± Callan watched as the woman led Kivi and the brothers away into the dark. When they disappeared from sight, he turned back to the building. The ruse that Belinda had suggested was a simple one. Officially, Callan was a yeth survivor of some war to the north who had fled to the Badlands for safety. He had met the lud Etruscian traders, who had led him to Aos. It would help explain their arriving at the same time, as well as any passing camaraderie witnessed by the villagers. Honestly, Callan thought it was all overkill, but he¡¯d had too much else on his mind to bother arguing the point with the mayor. ¡°Alright, begin again from the top,¡± he said as he closed the door. It was dark inside. A bit of fumbling around revealed a bed in one corner and a small table by the window, but no lamp or other source of light. With nothing better to do, he flopped onto the bed. Belinda wishes you to challenge Veritas to a ritual duel for possession of the plateau. Typically, this is done as a trio of challenges¡ªone chosen by yourself, one by the opposing avatar, and one by a neutral party. Although I suspect finding anyone who counts as neutral in this community may prove difficult. ¡°Three challenges? You sure it¡¯s not just two? I could have sworn you said it was only two.¡± What? Where did you get a ridiculous notion like that? Callan grinned. ¡°Well, you do keep saying it¡¯s a dual.¡± There was silence for a moment. Then, Let us hope that one of the challenges is not a joke-telling contest. Or we will be in great trouble, indeed. ¡°Oh, hah hah. I thought it was hilarious.¡± He turned to the window, where there was a hint of moonlight. The last vestige of the Cavalier moon, probably. Or there was a whole new moon beginning to work its way in their direction. With his luck, it was the latter, and he¡¯d have to deal with flooded streets along with an angry avatar. What is bothering you, mortal? And do not try and tell me it is nothing. Even if I couldn¡¯t sense your surface emotions, you only tell terrible jokes like that when you¡¯re trying to distract yourself. ¡°I¡¯m that easy to read to read, am I?¡± When I live in your head, yes. ¡°It¡¯s just... didn¡¯t that feel a bit rushed back there?¡± Callan sat up, letting his feet swing back to the floor. ¡°Kivi and the mayor were shaking hands before we even knew the full extent of the situation.¡± Hmm. So you would have refused to render aid until all facts were known? Xeph asked. ¡°I mean, I guess not. But¡ª¡± Tell me, is there anything you could have heard from the yeth woman that would have changed your mind from its course? Anything that would have forced you to gather our priests and flee across the plateau? Callan frowned. ¡°No, but¡ª¡± Then is it our high priestess you doubt? Do you mistrust her ability to negotiate, even when all factors are yet unrevealed? Should we have demanded that she withhold engaging with Aos until you felt more certain that our plan was viable, that success was all but guaranteed? ¡°No. I trust Kivi¡¯s judgement.¡± He glanced over. In the dark his bag was little more than a shadowy lump. ¡°And I still think it¡¯s a solid plan. Without knowing anything about this Veritas beforehand, it¡¯s still our best chance.¡± Then our path was already set, even before negotiations began. Besides, even should this god prove several tiers above us in strength¡ªwhich, given the limited population to draw upon here, seems doubtful¡ªwe are still not without options for defeating them. A ritual duel presents further opportunities as well. Assuming... ¡°Yes?¡± Duels were often used to settle disputes in the past, primarily because whatever victory terms the two of you agree upon are binding to both gods. A useful tool to force a being that is otherwise above the law to obey another¡¯s will. Should we get this Veritas to agree, they will have no choice but to leave the plateau upon their defeat. However, only the agreed upon terms are binding, not the offer of a duel itself. Meaning that the challenged god can simply refuse to participate. And because their varied nature tends to level the playing field between stronger and weaker gods, if for some reason this Veritas is much more powerful than we suspect, there is a every chance they will simply refuse to duel us outright. In which case, more... barbaric methods may be required. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to hope he isn¡¯t too powerful, then,¡± Callan said. Indeed. Another reason it is prudent to keep our true identity hidden for as long as possible. Until we are in a position to land a strike which guarantees us victory, we are vulnerable. You must tread carefully here, mortal. ¡°When don¡¯t I?¡± Rolling over, Callan closed his eyes. From within his head, Xeph let out a deep chuckle that he chose to pointedly ignore.
Daylight through the window woke Callan well after sunrise, but still earlier than he¡¯d have liked. Still, if he was going to pretend to be a migrant looking for a place to call home, he couldn¡¯t very well lie in bed all day. He scrubbed himself clean in a washbasin he found on the table, then proceeded to get dressed in the cleanest clothes he had on him¡ªmore of the purple not-priest robes he¡¯d found in his predecessor¡¯s room. With luck, no one in the village would think him any more than an oddity from up north, if he understood the part he was playing correctly. Shortly after he finished, there was a knock at the door. Kivi stood waiting outside, the two lud brothers standing a short distance away. The girl peered past him into the room, and her eyebrows rose appreciably. ¡°Hmm. Much larger than the accommodations set aside for visiting lud. Though I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. It seems being half as tall means half the breathing room as well.¡± ¡°Morning High¡ª¡± Callan caught himself, coughed to cover his slip, then continued, ¡°Kivi. I take it your rooms weren¡¯t to your liking?¡± ¡°In truth, they were more than sufficient on my first visit.¡± She glanced quickly behind her. ¡°I think my current company may have colored my opinion this time around.¡± Callan glanced past her, to where Sworv was currently muttering something too low to make out to his brother. Based on his expression, however, he doubted it was anything polite. ¡°It¡¯s getting worse, is it?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it He nodded, wondering idly what the best solution was. It wouldn¡¯t do to have the brothers jeopardize the mission, but separating them came with its own set of issues. Fortunately, he was spared the difficulty of making a decision by Alyssa¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°Ah, good morning.¡± Kivi gave a polite bow. The woman nodded nervously in return. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she and Belinda looked so similar, Callan would never have known they were related. The two couldn¡¯t have been more different in personality. ¡°Mayor Belinda sends her regrets that she¡¯ll be unable to meet with you this morning. Unfortunately, Widow Ulfa has come down ill, and my mother was forced to take her place as our creche schoolteacher. She requests both of you join her for dinner this evening instead.¡± ¡°That is most unfortunate indeed,¡± Kivi said. ¡°I had hoped we might be able to discuss our... business with the village in greater detail. There was much still to cover when we parted last night.¡± ¡°I understand your frustration, but do not worry. There is still plenty of time left before you need concern yourself with... certain matters.¡± ¡°You mean like Veritas showing up?¡± Callan asked. Alyssa winced visibly and glanced at several of the nearby houses. They all appeared quiet, but she still lowered her voice before she continued. ¡°Yes, exactly. He last spoke in the village square two days ago, so it is likely to be several more before he returns. That has been his pattern so far.¡± ¡°Very well. In that case I think I will take some time to wander the village,¡± Kivi said. A quiet smirk played across her face. ¡°All the better to know what goods we might return with to sell.¡± ¡°Should I go out and help in the field, or something?¡± Callan asked Alyssa. The yeth woman shook her head. ¡°No. My brother has already spread word of your arrival, and that you have been hired to assist him with the harvest, but that you are exhausted from your harried journey south. No one will question your idling about the village today.¡± ¡°Huh. In that case, I might as well get the lay of the land, too. Kivi, shall we?¡± ¡°Actually, I was thinking it might be best to explore separately.¡± The lud girl gestured around them. ¡°Easier to cover more ground, yes?¡± Before Callan could respond, she added, ¡°And why don¡¯t you take Sworv with you, for... protection. He has grown so fond of you over the course of our journey.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± He caught the gleam in Kivi¡¯s eye and stopped himself from what he¡¯d been about to say. Instead, ¡°Of course. I appreciate the bodyguard. Sworv, I guess you¡¯re with me.¡± ¡°Very good. I¡¯ll see you at supper this evening, Callan.¡± There was a smirk on Kivi¡¯s face, but it disappeared so quick it might have only been his imagination. Turning, she set off towards the village center, Paeral on her heels. Callan watched her for a moment before turning back to his remaining companion. ¡°Shall we?¡± ¡°Of course, my¡ªah, that is, most esteemed¡ªhonored, um, yeth. I go where you go.¡± It took all of Callan¡¯s effort not to sigh.
Since Kivi had headed into the village center, Callan skirted its edges instead. Not that there was much to skirt. There were maybe twenty houses total in the whole of Aos. And he¡¯d thought the lud village had been rather small. Though everything he¡¯d seen of Outerworld civilization so far was by Earth standards. Even Othello had been bigger. Which was saying something, considering he was pretty sure cows outnumbered people in Othello. Past the village itself were its fields, and as he walked Callan occasionally caught a glimpse of someone working their way through them, weeding or tilling or whatever the hell it was farmers did once their crops were nearly full grown. Honestly, he had no idea. A few people noticed him and Sworv, stopping their work to watch as he passed. Callan waved at them, but the yeth never returned the gesture. Maybe waving wasn¡¯t a thing in the Outerworld? He thought about asking Xeph but didn¡¯t feel comfortable doing so with Sworv lurking in his shadow. Speaking of the lud, Callan turned and glanced down at his faux bodyguard. ¡°You don¡¯t have to walk behind me, you know. The yeth probably think that looks odd. Just walk next to me.¡± ¡°Forgive me, Ava¡ªhonored yeth. But I think many would think it presumptuous for a lud to walk beside you. Especially being Daisa, as I am.¡± ¡°But you aren¡¯t Daisa anymore, Sworv.¡± ¡°Ah, but they do not know that.¡± Callan resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. ¡°They don¡¯t know you were originally Daisa, either. If anything, they probably think you¡¯re Etruscian, traveling out here as you are. Wouldn¡¯t that be an acceptable caste to walk beside a yeth with whom you have business?¡± There was a moment¡¯s silence from Sworv. Then, ¡°Yes, I suppose that makes sense.¡± He moved alongside Callan. Together they walked in silence past the fields. Callan glanced at a pair of yeth working nearby, wishing he¡¯d asked Alyssa what the proper etiquette here was. Would they think it strange if he approached them and asked a few questions? If their somber attitude towards his waving was any indication, that seemed likely. Still, how else was he supposed to try and gather information? It felt like a wasted opportunity. ¡°Avatar?¡± Sworv¡¯s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. ¡°May I ask you something?¡± ¡°You can always ask. But call me Callan, at least as long as we¡¯re in the village, alright?¡± Sworv¡¯s eyes went wide at his slip. Callan waved it away¡ªit wasn¡¯t like any of the villagers were that close. ¡°You needed something?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. It is just... I found myself rather surprised by last night¡¯s revelation. Of all the reasons to travel to the Aosan plateau, I was not expecting the presence of another avatar.¡± Callan paused, glancing at the lud out of the corner of his eye. It didn¡¯t look as if Sworv was angry, but then again, he was constantly relearning what he thought he knew about people in this world. ¡°Listen, Sworv...¡± Already he had an explanation prepared. About how he and Kivi hadn¡¯t wanted to worry them unduly until they understood the situation themselves. That at least was the partial truth. Telling the older lud they¡¯d been afraid that he and Paeral might run off before they reached Aos probably wouldn¡¯t go over as well. ¡°It is not my place to judge, of course,¡± Sworv went on, ¡°But if you were worried I would mention it to my brother, your fears were groundless. I am not so tactless as to do something so foolish.¡± ¡°Yeah, I knew that¡ªwait. What about Paeral?¡± Now Callan was utterly confused. ¡°It was wise of you to keep our true purpose from my brother, unreliable as he is.¡± The lud didn¡¯t appear to notice Callan¡¯s confusion. ¡°I just wanted you to know that I am aware of his failings. You can trust such secrets to me.¡± ¡°Oh. Um. Right. I¡¯ll remember that. For the future. For future... secrets.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure what else to say, but his response seemed to satisfy Sworv. The lud nodded, then settled in to walk alongside. They made their way to the edge of the last field, with a thicket of overgrown trees lying just beyond. ¡°What is our plan now?¡± Sworv glanced back the way they had come. ¡°Should we attempt to speak with some of the villagers?¡± ¡°I dunno. None of them exactly gave me ¡®it¡¯s totally okay to approach me during work hours¡¯ vibes back there.¡± Sworv nodded. ¡°It seems the stories I have been told about the yeth my entire life are truer than I expected.¡± His eyes darted to Callan, and he gave a quick cough. ¡°Of course, I am glad that you appear to be the exception. Our community is in good hands, thanks to¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to butter me up, Sworv. I¡¯m aware I¡¯m different.¡± Callan shook his head. He was starting to worry about the low-key racism going on between the lud and yeth. Far as he could tell, neither seemed that different from humans to him. Then again, humanity back on Earth hadn¡¯t exactly been a bastion of tolerance and acceptance, either. He knew that from personal experience well enough. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll bother any of them right now,¡± he continued. ¡°Besides, I owe Xeph some more training. Let¡¯s go find a quiet spot removed from the village so I can practice. You mind playing lookout?¡± ¡°It would be my honor,¡± Sworv said with a bow. Looking over him, Callan saw a small yeth boy watching them. He grimaced. ¡°Yeah, maybe save the bowing for when we¡¯re out of sight of the village.¡± They ducked into the trees, fighting back the undergrowth while Callan looked for a relatively clear place to work. Instead, after a few minutes they emerged again at the edge of a small lake. ¡°Huh. Wasn¡¯t expecting to see that.¡± Callan stared at the water, which lapped quietly at the mossy bank. A short ways out, he spotted a few boats, the yeth inside casting lines into the water. So, a big enough lake to support fish, at least. Not what he¡¯d expected to see on a plateau, but hardly the strangest sight he¡¯d encountered this week. He and Sworv followed the lake¡¯s edge until the way forward was blocked by a rushing river, too deep to attempt to cross. Glancing back, Callan could no longer see the boats. ¡°This is as good a place to practice as any,¡± he said, leading them a short distance back into the trees, far enough that they¡¯d still be hidden from view if a villager happened to drift this direction. Finding a relatively secluded but still open spot, he set to work. First, Xeph led him through his usual breathing activities, followed by some light Mountainform manipulation. Callan was steadily growing more confident, and even attempted walking back and forth as he shifted the stone coating his arms. He still needed his eyes closed, though, which limited the skill¡¯s usefulness. Still, Xeph seemed pleased by the continued progress. Next, they moved on to Wurmchain. Callan successfully transferred the spike all the way from the top of the chain to the bottom and back again, but that was where his progress stopped. Just like every time before, the power rising around him like mist refused to obey his commands. He could see it, he could feel it, but try as he might, he couldn¡¯t control it. Calm yourself, mortal. You¡¯re trying to force something that cannot be forced. Study the power, come to understand it fully, and only then will you be able to manipulate it as you wish. ¡°I know, I know.¡± Callan did his best to relax. He watched through closed eyes as glowing strands of power rose about him, some undulating, some so still he would have thought them little more than tricks his mind was playing on him. Even just watching them made him feel slightly off. Before he grew too nauseous, he focused his attention elsewhere. There, at his feet in front of him, lay a ball of condensed energy¡ªWurmchain¡¯s spike. Above that, his own powers floated like tiny orbs of white light inside him, condensed and glowing brightly. And off to one side, several other balls hovered where Sworv stood guard, their light slightly dimmer than his own. ¡°Hey, Xeph, what¡¯s up with the¡ª¡± Something flickered in his non-vision. Callan shifted his attention and noticed another glow several feet in front of himself. Not balls of light like his own, but a jumbled mass of confusing lines all woven together. They gave off a dim gray light, barely noticeable. He opened his eyes. Where he¡¯d detected the gray mass before, all he saw was a pair of trees, grown so close together they¡¯d long since intertwined their branches until it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. And from behind them, a flicker of movement. ¡°Hello?¡± Callan called. Immediately, Sworv spun in his direction, hands raised. No one responded. Callan took a step forward. ¡°Is someone there?¡± From behind the tree, a small figure burst forward. Callan instinctively raised the Wurmchain he was holding, but the figure didn¡¯t charge at him, instead rushing off in the other direction. They slipped through the trees and were gone. Callan lowered Wurmchain. ¡°Huh. Talk about d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Two watchers in as many days. Got to be some sort of record.¡± I still don¡¯t grasp exactly what that term means, Xeph grumbled. ¡°Avatar? Should I go after them?¡± Sworv asked. Like Callan, he was now clutching his own Wurmchain. ¡°No offense, Sworv, but are you in any shape to even catch them?¡± Callan couldn¡¯t help but grin, remembering the older lud huffing and puffing his way through most of the journey to Aos. ¡°I¡ª¡± From a short distance away, there came a sudden scream, followed by a splash. A moment later, more screams followed. ¡°Never mind,¡± Callan said with a sigh. ¡°Seems we¡¯d better follow them after all.¡± 2-11 — Making Friends Callan broke through the underbrush and stumbled to a halt at the river¡¯s bank. Mossy stones lined the sides here, easy enough to slip on if you weren¡¯t careful. Which is probably what happened to the yeth boy currently flailing about in the water. ¡°Hold on!¡± Callan yelled. The figure didn¡¯t respond, just continued struggling futilely against the current, which was sweeping steadily away from the lake and deeper into the woods. Belatedly, he realized he recognized the yeth. It was the same young boy who had been watching him right before Callan and Sworv ducked into the woods. He didn¡¯t look much older than twelve. The boy disappeared momentarily beneath the waters before sputtering back to the surface. Callan shook himself out of his stupor and started running along the bank after. Unfortunately, the boy was too far in to reach with a branch, even if Callan had the time to stop and break one off an overhanging tree. He eyed the water as he ran. It didn¡¯t look deep, but it was apparently over the kid¡¯s head. Simply jumping in after him would probably be a bad idea. From somewhere behind came Sworv¡¯s voice. ¡°Callan!¡± ¡°Over here!¡± he shouted back, maintaining a brisk jog to keep pace with the river. Again, the boy slipped beneath the surface again, only to come thrashing back up. Callan leapt over a fallen log, then skidded to a halt. Turning, he grabbed the log and heaved it upward. It tore away from the moss growing over it with a dull ripping noise, bits of dirt and wood chips raining down on the forest floor. ¡°Here!¡± With all his might, Callan heaved the log into the river. For a brief moment, he thought his aim was off and he¡¯d crushed the boy with his makeshift lifeboat. The log hit the water with a resounding splash, water spraying in all directions and momentarily hiding the yeth boy from sight. Then the mist cleared, and Callan saw him clinging to the log for dear life. Alright, that solved the most immediate problem. Now he just needed to¡ª Mortal! Look up ahead! Callan craned his neck, and what he saw sent his heart plummeting into his stomach. Up ahead, just barely visible in the distance, the river simply ended. In fact, the entire landscape ended, and Callan saw nothing but open air beyond. They had almost reached the edge of the plateau. ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± he yelled to the kid, who had at the very least stopped screaming. ¡°I¡¯m going to¡ªjust keep holding on!¡± With a burst of speed, Callan tore off ahead, trying to gain as much distance on the boy as possible. The forest passed by in a blur, bushes occasionally snagging on his clothes for a brief second before he tore himself loose, or branches cracking in half as they struck him in the face. Callan ignored all of this, pushing himself to the limit. Then the cliff was suddenly in front of him, and he skidded to a halt, arms pinwheeling. The roar of the river as it poured over the edge to plummet towards the canyon floor below was deafening. If the kid went over the edge... He glanced back the way he¡¯d come. The yeth was still clinging to the log, which bobbed along in the current merrily, oblivious to its impending fate. Past that, Callan could see Sworv puffing along, hands holding the tails of his robes high to avoid getting caught on the undergrowth. Even so, the man was never going to make it in time to be of any help. It was up to Callan. Bringing his hands together, he activated Shape Stone, immediately feeling the familiar sensation of grasping something that wasn¡¯t there between his fingers. Directing the little orb of light into the river, he pulled upward with all his might. A shelf of rock burst from the water like a jagged tooth, perhaps two feet across at its tip. Callan hurriedly smoothed it out, then set to raising another next to it.
Alert: 2.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 9%
Alert: 2.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 11.75%
Alert: 2.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 14.5%
Soon Callan had a row of blunted spikes stretching across the river. Water coursed between them, but already several branches had begun to stick in places where the gaps weren¡¯t wide enough to permit them past. Callan raised his hands to create another spike, but at that moment the boy and his log reached the teeth. The log struck Callan¡¯s barrier with a gut-wrenching thud, and for a moment the breath caught in his throat as he thought it might simply tumble over them and be gone. But it held¡ªif just barely. Leaving the boy trapped in the river. ¡°Shit.¡± Callan glanced about, wondering if there was something he could throw, but there was nothing. Just plenty of rocks. Maybe if he shaped them into a long pole, he could¡ª He realized what he was overlooking the same moment that Xeph spoke. Use Wurmchain, mortal. It is your best chance of pulling him free before the river¡¯s pressure sends that log tumbling. Right. He already had a rope, didn¡¯t he?
Alert: 2.75% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 17.25%
The chain pooled at Callan¡¯s feet. Gripping the handle tight, he started forward. Now, human, simply snag the end of the log and¡ªwhat are you doing?!? Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Callan leapt into the river. At the same moment, he swung Wurmchain behind him, burying the tip into the solid rock of the bank. He hit the water with a splash, immediately feeling it tug him towards the edge. Then Wurmchain went taught, swinging him along in a wide arc. He reached the log in seconds. From atop it, the boy stared at him in wide-eyed panic. They were the same green color as Belinda and Alyssa¡¯s, though the boy had a mop of brown hair atop his head, still an unruly mess despite multiple dunkings in the river. Callan reached out a hand to him. ¡°Grab hold!¡± When the boy hesitated, he stretched out to his absolute limit. ¡°Come on, you really want to go over the edge that badly? Take my hand!¡± That seemed to snap the boy out of his shock. He lunged forward, seizing ahold of Callan¡¯s hand. From there, he clambered onto his back, hands wrapping tight around Callan¡¯s throat. Mortal... At Xeph¡¯s tone, Callan turned in time to see the log pitch over the teeth and plummet down into the canyon. With the barrier gone, the water began pulling on Callan even more insistently. The teeth drew closer with alarming speed. ¡°Hold tight!¡± he called, as he twisted about and reached higher on the chain. Mountainform sealed around his hands with barely a thought.
Alert: 5.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 22.75%
Pain seared into his palms as Wurmchain cut into him deep. Callan gritted his teeth and hauled himself further. He could feel his toes dangling over the waterfall¡¯s edge, and kicked about, trying to hook one of the teeth to no avail. Behind him, the boy let out a terrified scream and thrashed about. ¡°Yeah, yeah! I¡¯m¡ªoof¡ªtrying to concentrate here!¡± Callan hollered over the roar of the river. Slowly, painfully slowly, he pulled himself along the chain. As he passed over the rings, a few of them rubbed against his chest, slicing the skin with ease. He cursed, then gritted his teeth and pulled faster. The edge of the river appeared after what felt like an hour of pure torture. Sworv stood on the bank, arms outstretched towards him. ¡°Avatar!¡± ¡°Take the kid!¡± A moment later the pressure on Callan¡¯s back lifted, and he let out a sigh of relief. Pulling himself the last few rungs, he flopped onto the bank, breath heaving, blood running in rivulets down his chest. ¡°Are... are you alright?¡± He finally managed to wheeze out. When there was no answer, he sat up and found Sworv kneeling beside the soaking yeth boy, who had a sizeable puddle of water growing around him. No blood mixed in though, thank goodness for that. ¡°Hey, kid.¡± The boy¡¯s eyes snapped up at Callan¡¯s voice, eyes so wide almost all he could see was white. ¡°Anything broken? Any cuts or bruises?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell my father,¡± the boy responded, the words whip quick. Callan and Sworv glanced at each other a moment before returning their attention to the boy. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything about this if you don¡¯t,¡± Callan said at last. ¡°In fact, I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t mention what you¡¯d seen back there before your impromptu swim. Think you can do that?¡± The boy nodded hastily, then clambered to his feet. Callan rose as well, then almost stumbled. It seemed he hadn¡¯t recovered from his own dunking as much as he¡¯d thought. ¡°I need to go. They¡¯ll be wondering why I¡¯m not in the fields.¡± The boy glanced between them, then gave a short bow. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡± With that, he turned and dove into the forest, the sound of snapping branches and crackling leaves fading into the distance. Callan strained his ears, but when no sounds of splashing or further distress reached him, turned back to the older lud. ¡°I guess our work here is done.¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose it is Av¡ªCallan.¡± The priest coughed, then glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Should we be worried about the boy speaking of what he saw?¡± ¡°Nah, I think he was more scared of what might happen to him than anything else. Even if he does, there¡¯s no reason to think anyone will believe him.¡± Callan almost couldn¡¯t hear the lie in his own words, but in the end, there wasn¡¯t much he could do. Either their secret was out or it wasn¡¯t. And the mission still remained the same. They set off again following the river upstream, Callan not trusting his own senses to lead him through the forest the way the boy¡¯s had. Soon enough they reached the edge of the lake. ¡°I think we¡¯re done training for today,¡± he said, stretching his arms out and feeling the still damp clothes tugging at him uncomfortably. ¡°That alright with you, Xeph?¡± Yes, yes. It is not the progress I hoped to see, but the day is getting on, and we should return early enough not to risk missing our evening meeting with the mayor. ¡°Good point.¡± They circled the lake, taking a moment to watch the fishermen lazily working their way from one side to the next, then cut across the nearest field, heading for the inner streets of Aos that they had bypassed earlier. There, Callan came upon a pleasant surprise. At the center of the village was a small courtyard, cobbled with round, fist-sized stones that gave it a look not unlike some medieval market square. He¡¯d thought this place looked like Leavenworth, but maybe it was more accurate to say Leavenworth looked like Aos. In the center of the square stood a large block of stone perhaps twenty feet high, cut so that it had a sharp, pentagonal look to it. There at the top was a weathervane made to look like an arrow piercing a sphere. It was easily the size of a lud, or perhaps larger still, though it was difficult to tell for certain from this angle. The metal of it was almost completely rusted over, yet it still twisted noiselessly in the breeze. ¡°How in the world did they ever manage to drag a stone that big all the way here?¡± Callan muttered to himself. He stopped near the base of the pillar and stared upward. ¡°Would you believe it was here when my parents founded the village?¡± a voice from beside him said. Callan nearly leapt out of his skin. A scream bubbled in his throat, but died as soft giggles filled the air. Alyssa stood nearly doubled over, a hand pressed against her mouth to stifle the worst of her laughter. ¡°Sorry, sorry! If I¡¯d realized you were so lost in our town¡¯s monument, I¡¯d have left you be.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. The fault¡¯s not yours.¡± Callan glowered in mock fury at Sworv. ¡°Someone is supposed to be on guard for that sort of thing.¡± ¡°I was?¡± Sworv¡¯s look of shock was so profound that it took all of Callan¡¯s efforts not to start laughing as well. Alyssa apparently had no such reservations, hugging her sides as her shoulders shook with mirth. ¡°So, what brings you to the town square, Callan?¡± she asked, once her laughter was finally under control. ¡°Hoping to peruse our wide selection of exotic goods? Or maybe you thought to take in the theater? I hear they¡¯re putting on a performance of ¡®The Kinsman¡¯s Daughter¡¯ this season.¡± ¡°You guys have a theater?¡± The yeth woman gave him a bemused look, then shook her head. ¡°Nor much in the way of exotic goods, I¡¯m afraid. Though my uncle does keep a wider selection than you might expect at his trading post over there.¡± She indicated one of the nearby buildings. ¡°Beyond that, I¡¯m afraid there is little to do in Aos beyond watch the crops grow.¡± She turned and walked away without further preamble. Somewhat caught off guard, Callan glanced at Sworv, who gave a confused shrug. Turning back, he hurried after the yeth woman. ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit, you¡¯re different than I initially thought,¡± he said as he fell in alongside. Alyssa glanced over, a muted smile on her lips. ¡°Oh? And how did you find me before?¡± ¡°Quiet. Reserved.¡± He almost said timid but stopped himself in time. The way her smile widened, he thought she suspected what had been on his mind. ¡°Simply because I chose not to participate in my family¡¯s little farce last night does not mean I am without things to say,¡± she finally told him. They arrived at the door to a large open-air smithy. Alyssa took an apron hanging on a peg near the entrance and slipped it on. ¡°Yeah, your mom and brother do seem to enjoy their good cop, bad cop routine, don¡¯t they,¡± Callan said, rubbing the back of his neck. Alyssa turned and stared at him quizzically. You¡¯re lucky you have me, mortal, Xeph groused. Otherwise, you¡¯d never make any sense to the people of this world with all of your strange human phrases and mannerisms. Fortunately for you, I corrected your word choice just in time. ¡°Forgive my ignorance.¡± Alyssa had settled a hand on hip. ¡°But what, exactly, does ¡®benevolent guardsman, heartless guardsman¡¯ mean?¡± Callan burst out laughing, while Xeph spluttered inside his head. ¡°Sorry, my, ah, partner sometimes contributes to the conversation in ways that make sense only to him.¡± It was a common saying during the last age! Xeph said defensively. ¡°Anyway, I hope that doesn¡¯t mean you resent our presence here the way your brother is pretending to.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not entirely an act; it never is with him. But no, I take no issue with your presence here. If it leads to a quicker resolution to this whole mess, then all the better.¡± She started sifting through a pile of nearby metal lumps, lifting one up to the light, considering it, then tossing it aside in favor of another. Callan watched her for minute, but it seemed the woman had all but forgotten his presence. ¡°I should probably go,¡± he said at last. ¡°Enjoy the rest of your exploration, Callan. I will see you again at dinner.¡± He turned and started walking away. Paused. His gaze drifted up to the enormous weathervane as it shifted slightly first one direction, then another. Turning around, he marched back inside. Alyssa was still sorting through her metal. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Are you the one who made the weathervane?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course. Can¡¯t you tell?¡± She gestured to everything around her. ¡°You don¡¯t think making artwork is a useless endeavor?¡± Callan recalled what Kivi had told him when she¡¯d gifted him the statue from her first visit. Alyssa turned and considered him. ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± For the first time, he saw a genuine smile creep onto her face. ¡°In that case, it¡¯s not artwork if it serves a purpose.¡± Huh. ¡°Of course. Sorry to bother you.¡± ¡°Not a problem, Callan. Talk to you this evening.¡± 2-12 — Receiving One’s Due ¡°Can you pass some more mashed potatoes, please?¡± Callan asked, gesturing to a bowl several seats down. The woman sitting on his right glanced at it and arched an eyebrow. ¡°You mean the boiled linbains?¡± ¡°Uh, sure. Those.¡± He took the bowl as she handed it to him and gave her his most charming smile. ¡°Thanks, miss...?¡± ¡°Call me Millica, Avatar.¡± The woman, who was probably of an age with Callan¡¯s mother, blushed a little and turned away again. Callan proceeded to heap an enormous pile of the apparently-not-potatoes onto his plate. Are you sure you want to consume that much? Xeph quipped. ¡°Absolutely.¡± Callan paused and frowned down at his plate. ¡°Why? You aren¡¯t going to tell me these are mildly poisonous too, are you?¡± Not that I¡¯m aware of. Linbains are a staple in most arid climes. No, I only wish to ensure you haven¡¯t forgotten our ultimate purpose for being here. ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t. But being an avatar is hard work, and you can¡¯t expect me to match wits with Belinda on an empty stomach.¡± Out of the corner of his eye, Callan caught Millica glancing at him. He shot her another wide smile and was rewarded with the sight of her cheeks dimpling. ¡°Pardon me, Avatar.¡± The grandfatherly man on Callan¡¯s left said, dabbing at his mouth with a rough cloth napkin. At least Callan assumed the things were meant to be napkins. They were placed where a napkin would usually go but had the feel and absorbency of a piece of canvas. ¡°Have you visited any of the other nearby communities? There has been so little word from outside of Aos, and I wonder how they are taking the news of Zavastu¡¯s fall. Did it seem as if many would be open to trade?¡± ¡°Falchion, you blundering oaf.¡± Millica glowered at the man from the other side of the table. ¡°Twenty years now, and you still have the tact of a dvorak in heat. If you want to ask about the trading situation, you could at least try working up to it.¡± Callan watched Falchion¡¯s face puff up and turn red. ¡°That¡¯s rich, coming from a woman that¡¯s been fluttering her eyes at a man half her age all evening. Or maybe you think your ridiculous attempts at flirting actually qualify as tact? I¡¯m surprised the poor boy hasn¡¯t fled the table already.¡± ¡°At least I have the decency to be polite.¡± ¡°Is that what you call this embarrassing display? Politeness? I¡¯ve met braying mules with friendlier dispositions. You¡¯re practically fawning all over the boy.¡± ¡°I actually haven¡¯t been to any other nearby communities,¡± Callan interjected, hoping to break up... whatever the hell this was. ¡°Unless you count the few farms we stopped at along the way. But the biggest of those only had twelve people, maybe.¡± ¡°Ah, you mean Clowperch?¡± When Callan blinked, the man added. ¡°The lilish community that lies one plateau over, just past the pythian.¡± ¡°Oh, that one! Yeah.¡± ¡°I know it well. Tell me, how did their harvest fair after that last moonrise¡ª?¡± ¡°There you go again.¡± Millica let out a braying laugh, hiding her mouth behind her hand. ¡°Can¡¯t keep your eyes on anything but the prize, can you? It¡¯s a wonder you haven¡¯t run that little store of ours into the ground with the way you talk.¡± ¡°Yet I won you over, didn¡¯t I?¡± Falchion smirked at the woman. ¡°Kept my eyes on the prize that time. Much to my ultimate regret.¡± ¡°You only managed to ¡®claim¡¯ that prize because I saw an investment opportunity for my inheritance. Though I suppose the wind has yet to tell which way that will blow. Unlike your mouth.¡± The yeth man¡¯s face darkened, and he started to speak, but the sound of someone clearing their throat silenced the entire table. Callan turned to see Belinda watching from the opposite end, Kivi seated beside her. ¡°Beg your pardon, Avatar. My brother-in-law and his wife aren¡¯t bothering you, are they? One would think a couple who makes their living trading would know when to speak and when it was better to hold their tongues.¡± She looked pointedly between the apparent couple as she said this. Neither met her gaze, looking away with embarrassment. Callan, for his own part, was rather surprised. While Millica looked to be in her late thirties, Falchion had to be at least twice that. He was aware that couples often had differing ages¡ªhis own parents were evidence of that¡ªbut this seemed rather extreme. Like when a geriatric millionaire married a supermodel back in his world. ...Okay, maybe not quite that extreme. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder, was it a situation unique to these two, a trait of village life, or just part of yeth culture? He¡¯d have to ask Kivi later if he got an opportunity. ¡°So are you and Millica sisters?¡± he asked, hoping to defuse some of the tension in the room. After all, Xeph was right; they did have important matters to attend to, and the sooner the better. A thin smile spread across Belinda¡¯s lips about the same moment as Millica snorted. ¡°That one? Sister? With those hips? We don¡¯t look anything alike!¡± Belinda¡¯s smile disappeared. ¡°Falchion is my late husband¡¯s brother. The three of us were the original founders of Aos. The only one whose been on this plateau longer is the pythian itself, isn¡¯t that right, Falchion?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, we¡¯re a couple of right moldering fossils.¡± Falchion¡¯s eyes twinkled as he said this, and he flexed his arms. His wife rolled her eyes. The dinner continued on. Callan finished his not-potatoes and took time to study the rest of the table. Besides himself, there was Kivi and the two lud brothers, Belinda, her daughter Alyssa, Falchion and Millica, and another middle-aged couple whose names he hadn¡¯t caught yet. No sign of Radavan tonight. Callan wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or not yet. At last, Kivi pushed her plate away. The sound was minute, but conversations around the table quieted at the sight. ¡°Thank you for the lovely meal, Mayor, but I think it is time we moved on to the business at hand.¡± About time, Xeph grumbled. Callan could practically feel him rubbing his metaphorical hands together like two miniature tectonic plates. All this potential faith on offer, and none of it being served... I was promised a feast and would like to partake. ¡°You really need to work on your metaphors,¡± Called whispered out of the corner of his mouth. ¡°Or... whatever the hell that was supposed to be.¡± ¡°Yes, quite right, High Priestess.¡± Belinda turned to her daughter. ¡°Fetch us some tea, wouldn¡¯t you, Alyssa dear? I have a feeling we¡¯ll all need the extra energy before long.¡± Turning back, she asked. ¡°Where would you like to start?¡± Kivi started to speak, hesitated, then glanced around the table. ¡°You trust everyone present?¡± ¡°Much as I trust anyone that I¡¯ve spent half my life around. All of us here are ready to pledge our allegiance to Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡ª¡± Yessss.... ¡°¡ªOnce the Avatar has fulfilled his obligations.¡± No! Callan chuckled silently to himself as Kivi shook her head. ¡°I would feel more comfortable discussing matters if those present were known to be supporters absolutely. An oath to Xeph-Zul-Karatl would go a long way to ease my mind.¡± ¡°How so, exactly, High Priestess?¡± ¡°Because if any in this room are already serving Veritas, they will be unwilling or unable to offer their faith to another god. It serves as the perfect test of loyalty.¡± Belinda gave another tight-lipped smile, and it occurred to Callan this idea must have already come to her. Why else have so many guests over for a dinner party? The brother-in-law, he understood, but the other random couple only made sense as a bargaining chip. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°I see the logic in your words. Very well. As we draw more villagers into our confidence, we¡¯ll request they swear an oath to Xeph. That should prove an easy way to know who¡¯s with us and who¡¯s against us, hmm?¡± ¡°What about your son?¡± Callan asked. ¡°He¡¯s already in on the secret. Shouldn¡¯t he be one of the first to swear?¡± The expression on the mayor¡¯s face soured for the briefest of moments before her smile reasserted itself. ¡°Unfortunately, my son continues to resist the idea of utilizing your... services. He and his family will come around, but until they do, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t count on securing his support. But no matter. I know my son. He might fight me on certain issues, but he¡¯s still loyal to this family. You need not fear him revealing our secrets before the time is ripe.¡± Huh. It seemed Alyssa was right, the little good-cop, bad-cop routine they¡¯d pulled the other night hadn¡¯t all been just for show. ¡°Does that change anything with your plans for me? Am I still helping Radvan in his fields tomorrow?¡± ¡°Why, hoping to get out of an honest day¡¯s work that easily, Avatar?¡± Belinda let out a mirthful cackle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if my son wanted you dead in a ditch, free labor is free labor. He won¡¯t turn that down, not if it means securing our adle harvest.¡± ¡°Returning to the matter at hand,¡± Kivi said, drawing attention back to her. ¡°How many can we expect of your promised forty before Veritas is removed as a threat?¡± ¡°Hard to say. Guess it¡¯ll come down to how the avatar¡¯s plans for a duel go, and if we need to take the time to root out any cultists hiding in the village. For now. I can promise you... let¡¯s say, ten additional followers? The six of us tonight, and four more over the next few days should I locate anyone trustworthy enough.¡± Kivi nodded, but at Xeph¡¯s urging Callan piped up. ¡°Let¡¯s make it twelve, if we can.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The mayor looked at him shrewdly. ¡°Something particular about that number, or are you just the kind of man that always needs to haggle?¡± ¡°A little of both, I guess.¡± Callan shrugged. According to his head-mate, twelve would see him past the limits of Talc and onto the next tier. While he didn¡¯t know entirely what that would entail, it meant more power, and with a rival god to face down, more power was never a bad thing. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll see what I can do, but no promises,¡± Belinda said. Kivi gave a grateful nod. ¡°That is more than acceptable. Now, let us commence, so we can begin discussion of everything you know about the cult. The more information we have, the better we can plan how the avatar will conduct his challenge.¡± As the three priests made their way around the table, collecting pledges of undying loyalty and faith, Callan sat back to watch. Inside his skull, Xeph vibrated happily. We are close to the threshold, human. The next tier awaits. Do you know what this means? ¡°Upgrading my orisons, I assume,¡± he guessed. Yes, that, though likely not for some time. It will take a week at least for your expanded conviction pool to fill enough to allow for even one upgrade, assuming you do not commit it to other purposes in the interim. Then, another two weeks after that to fill it again, unless our follower ranks manage to swell beyond anything we¡¯ve achieved so far... ¡°You never know, Shamain might return from that coastal village with the power of a thousand shiny faithful. Maybe she¡¯ll convert all the crabs along the beach, and the seagulls, too.¡± I¡¯ve told you already, mortal, only humans and the elevated races can provide faith! The god let out a gravelly huff. Besides, crabs would make abysmal followers. They have their own gods already, terrible things that feed upon little beyond blood and fear. I do not wish to be associated with such a macabre pantheon. Callan sat up. ¡°Wait, really? Crabs have their own religion in this world?¡± Before Xeph could reply, Kivi tapped Callan on the shoulder. ¡°The gathering is complete, Avatar. May we continue?¡± With a start, Callan realized he had a pair of messages blinking in the corner of his vision.
You have been awarded 6 additional faith.
Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 90 followers, your God Bond has increased to Talc ¡ª X. +1 to all stats Apotheosis cost of all bounties now decreased by 50% Conviction rate has increased. Mountainform¡¯s coverage has also slightly increased. Next God Bond threshold: 100 followers.
Nice. He checked his interface and saw that their total follower count now sat at ninety-four. Just another six followers and we can see what this next ¡®tier¡¯ that Xeph so ominously keeps referring to is all about. While it would have been nice if the god wasn¡¯t so obtuse about the whole process, Callan suspected he either didn¡¯t know part or all the details, thanks to his little decompression problem. Well, they¡¯d get the answers directly soon enough. ¡°Now that the matter of secrecy is settled, let us return to the conversation at hand.¡± Kivi sat and folded her hands in front of her, leveling a piercing stare at Belinda. ¡°Last night set the terms of our contract, but details have been few and far between. What can you tell us about this cult?¡± ¡°Not really sure where to begin on that front.¡± Belinda shrugged. ¡°They wear masks, like I said, which also seems to do something to their voices. Between that and their long robes, I couldn¡¯t begin to tell you who¡¯s behind them.¡± ¡°Surely you must have some idea. You¡¯ve known most of your citizens their entire lives.¡± ¡°True. Probably why they¡¯re going to such lengths to hide from me. I¡¯ve got a few suspicions just based on who has and hasn¡¯t been present during my arguments with Veritas, but nothing definitive. Plenty of times he only brings a single priest along, and most of the village doesn¡¯t bother showing up but half the time now. Maybe if I¡¯d thought to do a headcount the first few visits, but... well, can¡¯t regret what¡¯s already past and done.¡± ¡°Do you at least have an idea of their numbers?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Even if we can¡¯t determine individuals, a count might give us an idea of their sway here in the village.¡± Plus, it might tell them how many he¡¯d need to fight if plans for the duel turned sour, but he refrained from saying that out loud. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy enough.¡± Belinda considered for a moment. ¡°I¡¯d say at least six, but no more than eight. Unless this god has really been holding back their numbers when they visited, which I doubt. Got to show me that more and more are coming over to their side, don¡¯t they?¡± Callan and Kivi glanced at each other. That was several fewer than they¡¯d faced with the cult back in Tok, but then again, they hadn¡¯t had another avatar to deal with, either. This fight could very well be even worse than the last. Here¡¯s to hoping it doesn¡¯t come to that. He turned back to the mayor. ¡°Xeph has explained to me how these duels work. Veritas will be bound by whatever victory conditions we stipulate, but he isn¡¯t obligated to fight us in the first place. We need to come up with a way to force or trick him into it.¡± ¡°I have an idea in that regard,¡± Kivi said slowly. ¡°If we can identify any villagers who have become priests of Veritas, we can hold them as hostages. If Veritas thinks we mean his people harm, he might be more amenable to an offered challenge.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told you I don¡¯t want any harm coming to my people,¡± Belinda said sharply. ¡°You can¡¯t simply torture them to force this other god¡¯s hand.¡± Kivi held her hands up. ¡°I promise we will not harm your people unprovoked. However, Veritas does not know that. He need only think we mean them harm.¡± ¡°Huh. That just might work. I¡¯ll admit, High Priestess, I didn¡¯t think you had it in you. Might be there¡¯s a little yeth in your ancestry.¡± Belinda let out a laugh. ¡°Good. Then we need only begin identifying those who are potential priests, and once we¡¯ve made certain, remove them from Veritas¡¯s influence. Is there a place we can keep them? One that is secure enough they cannot escape?¡± ¡°You can use my basement, if you wish,¡± the middle-aged man who¡¯s name Callan still hadn¡¯t learned yet piped up. ¡°It¡¯s a little ways out of town, so it should be far enough that Veritas won¡¯t hear their shouts.¡± Not to mention being out of domain range, Xeph noted. Until we get a look at this other god, we won¡¯t know for certain, but I doubt he¡¯ll have a range that can cover more than half the village. Just in case, the further away the better. Callan repeated the god¡¯s words to the others. The mayor nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Barnum¡¯s home should be far enough, it¡¯s a good ten-minute walk once you pass the edge of the village. Now all that¡¯s left is figuring out who might be a cultists. Any ideas?¡± She glanced around the table, but nobody spoke. Callan cleared his throat. ¡°Why not start by investigating those who have expressed interest in building a bridge? Seems like they¡¯re the most likely candidates.¡± ¡°Hah, must be close to half the village by now.¡± Belinda looked thoughtful. ¡°I suppose once we rule out children and such, that¡¯s only about twenty or so folk. I¡¯ll start drawing up a list, and tomorrow I can¡ª¡± ¡°I might know someone,¡± Alyssa said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. Once again Callan was struck just how different this woman seemed to the one he¡¯d talked with by the weathervane earlier that afternoon. ¡°Oh? Well don¡¯t hold your tongue, daughter. Out with it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just...¡± The yeth woman flushed at all the attention. ¡°I overheard old Dosoti complaining the other night. He was drinking with a few others behind my smithy. Probably didn¡¯t think anyone could hear them back there, but I... He mentioned something about a meeting. It might be nothing, but I can¡¯t imagine...¡± ¡°No, I think you have the right of it. Dosoti always has been a vocal critic of my policies.¡± The mayor glanced at Callan. ¡°This works out for us. Dosoti is one of my son¡¯s fieldhands. You can keep an eye on him tomorrow. Though I doubt he¡¯ll open up to a complete stranger, might be you¡¯ll overhear something.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± At least that finally justified his time working in the fields. ¡°Very well. Then let¡¯s consider this meeting adjourned. I¡¯ll continue working on my list of potentials and see if I can¡¯t rustle up a few more people to bring into our inner circle.¡± Belinda grinned at Callan. ¡°And you best go get some sleep, young man. If I know my son, he¡¯ll be banging on your door far sooner than you¡¯d care for. Lots to do tomorrow, for all of us.¡± I think that meeting went rather well, Xeph noted as Callan shuffled out into the dark with the others. We have our primary plan laid out, and should that fail, there is always the backup. Though I¡¯m surprised that our high priestess did not mention anything about it. ¡°Gotta keep some secrets, Xeph.¡± Hmmph. How very yeth of you. Callan glanced back at the house, where Belinda stood, silhouetted in the light of the doorway. Alyssa stood behind, glancing over her shoulder. Briefly, her and Callan¡¯s eyes met. ¡°Sure. Whatever.¡± 2-13 — The First Day At A New Job Is Always Awkward The sun hadn¡¯t even risen when loud rapping awoke Callan. He stared around bleary-eyed until he finally remembered where he was, then slid out bed, hunting for his pants in the dark. The rapping at the door continued, more insistent. ¡°Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on!¡± Why would they¡ª ¡°It¡¯s. An. Expression,¡± Callan said through gritted teeth. What time even was it? He could have sworn he¡¯d just fallen asleep a few minutes ago. If only he¡¯d remembered to wear his watch to the hospital, he could¡¯ve¡ª Actually, never mind. He was probably better off not knowing. It would only make things worse. The rapping grew louder. Callan slipped on his shoes, then stalked over to the door and wrenched it open. ¡°Alright, you made your point you arrogant son of a¡ª¡± A small, lanky boy blinked back at him with an expression that was a mixture of surprise and mounting horror. For his own part, Callan stared right back, his sleep-deprived brain trying to piece together why he looked so familiar, when... ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± he said, pointing. ¡°From the river!¡± The boy glanced nervously over his shoulder, and Callan realized his voice had been a bit louder than he¡¯d intended. More softly, he said, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°My... my father sent me to fetch you.¡± When Callan just stared at him blankly, the boy continued, ¡°To work? In the fields?¡± ¡°Oh. Ohhhh! You¡¯re Radavan¡¯s son?¡± The boy bobbed his head, then turned away. ¡°If you¡¯ll follow me. Please?¡± He took off at a pace that was a little too fast to be called a walk. Luckily, even without his god-enhanced Momentum Callan had never exactly been slow. It was the work of a moment to catch back up. ¡°I¡¯m Callan, by the way,¡± he said, when the boy glanced back. ¡°I don¡¯t remember if I ever got a chance to mention that yesterday.¡± ¡°Lisson,¡± the boy offered back. ¡°Nice to meet you, Lisson. Glad to see you¡¯ve recovered from your swim.¡± He remembered something else from the day before, and added. ¡°So you¡¯re Radavan¡¯s son, huh? No wonder you didn¡¯t want me to mention anything about what happened.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t, are you? Going to tell him?¡± The boy¡¯s eyes had gone wide with terror. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m no narc. Your secret is safe with me.¡± Please stop using words that I have to scramble to think of an appropriate translation for, Xeph grumbled. ¡®Tattletale¡¯ was a perfectly acceptable word to use in this situation. ¡°Sorry, Xeph. I¡¯ll try to keep your inconveniences to a minimum.¡± Callan rolled his eyes, knowing full well the god couldn¡¯t see him doing it. Noticing Lisson watching him again, he said. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. Just conversing with the god currently wedged into my cranium.¡± Human! You did it again! ¡°So it¡¯s true, you are an avatar?¡± Lisson asked. There was a note of adoration to his voice. ¡°Yep. I imagine your dad let that little secret slip?¡± The boy nodded. ¡°Plus, I saw you practicing in the woods before you came to the village.¡± ¡°That was you?¡± Callan shook his head. Managing that twice in as many days felt like some kind of record. ¡°Yes. Sorry for spying.¡± The boy looked at the ground with a guilty expression. ¡°Hey, not your fault. You couldn¡¯t have known I was going to be out there.¡± ¡°Oh, not then. I meant yesterday. I was working the field, and when I saw you walk by, I knew you had to be the avatar I¡¯d overheard father telling mother about. So I snuck after you, hoping to see you work more of your magic.¡± ¡°Technically, it¡¯s not magic. They¡¯re called bounties¡ªextensions of Xeph¡¯s power. That¡¯s the god in my head, Xeph-Zul-Karatl, god of stones and mountains.¡± ¡°What can you do?¡± The boy asked eagerly. ¡°That whip you made yesterday looked spooky, but it wasn¡¯t particularly impressive.¡± Hmmph. Boy went from fawning to judgmental far too fast for my liking. That¡¯s a yeth for you: always practical. Callan glanced around. They had left the village itself now and were picking their way along the edge of a field, presumably headed towards whichever one Radavan managed. Reaching down, he picked up a nearby stone. He pressed it between his hands and activated his orison.
Alert: 2.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 2.5%
¡°Just a second... and there!¡± He handed Lisson his handiwork. The boy lifted it up and studied it appreciatively in the early morning light. The previously round rock had been transformed into a somewhat crude dagger, rounded at one end and flat at the other, with an edge not really suited for anything, but which looked dangerous enough. ¡°I could probably refine it into something usable with enough time,¡± Callan said. ¡°Bring it by later and I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°Thank you, Callan!¡± The boy slipped the stone dagger into a pocket of his overalls. With that, they continued on through the fields. Soon enough Callan spotted Radavan, along with four others. The yeth waved them onward. ¡°About time you got back, boy. What took you so long?¡± ¡°Sorry, father, I hurried as fast as I¡ª¡± ¡°My fault,¡± Callan said. The yeth man turned on him. ¡°Do you have any idea how hard it is to wake up at dark o¡¯clock like this? I¡¯m half tempted to crawl into the nearest ditch and take a nap.¡± Not exactly true, but he wasn¡¯t going to stand there and let Radavan vent his frustration against Callan on his own son. ¡°Bah. Typical northern city-dwellers. Never started work at an honest hour in your life.¡± Radavan turned away and spat. Callan almost corrected the man before remembering that was the story they had concocted with Belinda. Besides, he was, technically, a city dweller. Seattle might be many things, but a small farming community it was not. ¡°So what are we doing out here today?¡± he asked by way of changing the subject. ¡°Harvesting adle. What else?¡± Radavan shoved a sack and knife into Callan¡¯s hands. ¡°How much do you know about adle harvests?¡± ¡°Pretend I know nothing,¡± Callan said, his grin wide. ¡°Completely unfamiliar with the plant.¡± ¡°I suppose, if that is how you want to play it...¡± The farmer went on to demonstrate how to cut into an adle pod, allowing the seed inside to flow into the waiting sack. ¡°And that is all there is to it. Try not to allow it all to spill on the ground, and keep an eye out for weevil infestations. Damn creatures like to crawl inside a pod, eat all the grain, and leave their eggs behind in its place. Lost a few fields over the years that way, and I¡¯m determined not to let it happen again.¡± Nodding, Callan slung his sack over his shoulder. Radavan turned and gestured to the other assembled lud. ¡°You¡¯ve already met my boy, Lisson. Over here is Rictee, Mund, Dosoti, and my brother, Rym.¡± Callan tore his eyes away from Dosoti, a black haired yeth of middling age and with a sizeable gut, to stare at the last worker. By comparison Rym was lanky, almost bordering on emaciated, and had dark rings around both his eyes like they¡¯d suffered recent injury. He gave a weak smile, showing yellowed and missing teeth. ¡°You have a brother? Belinda didn¡¯t mention anything about him before.¡± ¡°No, she wouldn¡¯t.¡± Rym¡¯s smile disappeared, and he looked away. Radavan stepped closer. He spoke in a whisper. ¡°My mother and Rym are no longer on speaking terms. I¡¯m not sure she even knows he¡¯s working for me, so I¡¯d appreciate if you kept his name off your lips in her presence.¡± There was a stern note to his voice, but a pleading look in his eyes. After a moment, Callan nodded. ¡°Sure. Not my place to get involved in family squabbles.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Thank you, Callan. I appreciate that.¡± Radavan stepped back and clapped his hands. ¡°Alright, let''s get to work on the northwest field today. Rictee, you¡¯re with Dosoti. Mund, you¡¯re with me. Callan, you can work with Rym and Lisson. They¡¯ll let you know if you¡¯re overlooking anything.¡± Before Callan could respond, the farmer turned and set off towards a distant field, the others trailing behind him. Callan sighed. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll get a chance to talk with Dosoti at lunch or something.¡± That¡¯s assuming they even take a lunch, Xeph noted. Which, given they¡¯re yeth, I would assume is ¡®no¡¯. ¡°Great,¡± Callan said. ¡°Just great.¡±
It turned out that harvesting adle was not, in fact, as simple as it looked. The pods were leathery tough and resisted the blade unless Callan put all of his effort into it. Half the time, the knife just slipped to one side, nearly cutting whatever hand was holding the stalk in place. ¡°You need to apply enough force, but not too much,¡± Lisson lectured him. ¡°Even if you avoid cutting your hand, you risk damaging the seed inside. Try to pick the flattest spot on the pod and put your muscle into it. But not all your muscle.¡± Callan tried another pod, and succeeded in punching a hole through both sides, letting half the grain escape. Great. Even with an eighteen in Brawn, he was apparently still worse at this than a literal child. Lisson patted his arm. ¡°You¡¯ll get the hang of it soon enough. Even my father can¡¯t expect you to be perfect at this the first time.¡± ¡°If you believe that nephew, you clearly don¡¯t know my brother,¡± Rym said from where he lay amid several clusters of stalks. The thin yeth had harvested a half-dozen or so stalks before collapsing. ¡°If you¡¯re worried, you could always help, uncle.¡± ¡°I would, but... y¡¯know.¡± He waved a hand in a general sort of way in the air. ¡°If either of you need me, I¡¯m just going to close my eyes for a few minutes.¡± A few seconds later, the unmistakable sound of snoring emerged from the adle stalks. ¡°So what¡¯s up with him?¡± Callan asked as he attempted to harvest another stalk. This one practically exploded as he jabbed it, sending grain everywhere. Inside his head, Xeph snickered. ¡°My uncle?¡± Lisson glanced back at the two legs sticking out from the cluster. ¡°He¡¯s always been like that, long as I can remember. Father provides food in exchange for a bit of help, but I think it¡¯s mostly to keep an eye on him. He says if we don¡¯t, uncle will just get himself into trouble.¡± ¡°Just weird your grandmother didn¡¯t mention him, I guess.¡± Even if they were on outs with each other, the man was another potential faithful. Most likely she feels he isn¡¯t trustworthy, Xeph said. Callan paused mid-swipe. ¡°Like she suspects him of supporting the pro-bridge faction?¡± That would go a long way to explaining why the two weren¡¯t apparently speaking. Then another thought occurred to him. ¡°You don¡¯t think he¡¯s... you know, with the cult.¡± He hissed this last part. Possible. But I meant because the man is clearly an addict. He shows all the signs of late-stage flux dependence. Callan straightened. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out a sigh. ¡°Let me guess: you just uncompressed this little tidbit of information?¡± No, I noticed the moment the yeth began speaking. The teeth give it away, if nothing else. His head-mate paused, then added, Ah. That is right, flux is not a known narcotic on your world, is it? ¡°No, but we invented a few in recent centuries that are probably similar.¡± Somehow, I doubt that. Flux is a chronodissociative¡ªits users experience vivid hallucinations that feel as if they last for hours or days during the few seconds the drug is active. If used sparingly, it can allow a person to enjoy several lifetimes of living¡ªalbeit much of which is spent in an illusion. A convincing illusion, but an illusion, nonetheless. ¡°Huh. I guess I could see why that would be rather addictive.¡± Callan glanced back at the sleeping yeth before returning to his harvesting. Even more so than you think. But flux¡¯s greatest danger isn¡¯t the allure of its visions¡ªthough those can be harmful for many reasons, sleep deprivation being the most common side-effect¡ªit is how its users leave more and more of themselves behind in their hallucinations with each use. Until a day comes that they do not return at all. Callan frowned. ¡°How do you know all this, anyway? Shouldn¡¯t these memories be locked up?¡± Maybe this Rym had the drug on him, and Callan hadn¡¯t noticed? There must have been some external stimuli to set Xeph off like this. Not all my memories are compressed. Xeph went silent a moment, as Callan fumbled catching another stream of grain pouring from an adle pod. At least he felt like he was getting better, two out of three, maybe. Finally, the god continued. Memories of my former avatars remain the most vivid. Those were the least compressed, if at all, because they are tied intrinsically in with who I am. Centuries ago, I had an avatar that was a flux addict. ¡°Oh.¡± Callan wasn¡¯t sure what else to say about that. Luckily, it didn¡¯t seem as if Xeph was looking for commentary. It was not so bad at first. But more and more often, my avatar did not return to himself. I was left trapped for days at a time in a body that was still breathing, but functionally dead. Eventually I was forced to abandon him during one of his rare lucid periods. He transferred me to another of my priests, returned to his room, and... simply never woke up again. ¡°I¡¯m... sorry to hear that, Xeph.¡± It is alright, it was a long time in the past. I only hope that he experienced a lifetime of happiness before his body succumbed to malnutrition. ¡°How do you think he¡¯s even getting this flux?¡± Callan asked, hoping for a change of subject. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like the sort of thing a small farming community would have in abundance.¡± That I do not know. Though that yeth Falchion mentioned he runs a trading post, so perhaps such substances come through with the occasional traveling merchant. A place like the Badlands likely has more than a few souls that rely on flux to help them deal with inner turmoil. ¡°Callan? Are you ready for me to empty your bag?¡± Lisson appeared at his elbow, his own sack now bulging with grain. Callan glanced down at his own, and seeing that it was only half full, gave a shake of his head. ¡°Thanks for the offer, but I¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t get a bit more, first.¡± The boy nodded, then took off running through the fields. Callan watched him disappear from sight before returning to his own work. Learning about Rym had been informative, but ultimately useless. Callan needed to get closer to Dosoti, plus anyone else who might be a potential priest. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t likely to happen with the man some two or three fields distant. With a sigh, Callan returned to his work. One hour down, only like ten or twelve more to go until dinner. He almost cried at the thought.
When the sun began to finally set that evening, Radavan called a halt to the day¡¯s work. They¡¯d managed to harvest several barrels of grain¡ªCallan¡¯s contribution being less than a third of what anyone else brought in, even Lisson¡ªbut apparently, these were only a handful of some twenty-five fields that needed to be harvested in the coming days. The mere thought brought a shudder down Callan¡¯s spine. If he needed any incentive to get this business with Veritas done and dealt with as quickly as possible, there it was. As he handed back his bag and knife, Callan spotted Dosoti walking towards town. He shoved his equipment into Radavan¡¯s hands, and ignoring his grunt of annoyance ran after the older yeth man. ¡°Hey, you''re Dosoti, right? I¡¯m Callan. Thought it would be good to get to know everyone I¡¯m working with. How long have you¡ª?¡± ¡°Not interested,¡± the man snapped, then hurried off without a backwards glance. Callan slowed to a halt and frowned after him. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to get to know you, Callan,¡± another yeth said, stopping next to him. ¡°I¡¯m Rictee. My father brought my mother here to Aos when I was just a baby, and I¡¯ve lived here ever since¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, uh, that¡¯s great. Maybe another time.¡± Callan waved the farmhand off and started back towards town. It seemed as if Dosoti wasn¡¯t going to make approaching him easy. Either Callan needed to find out how to get on his good side, or needed to follow him without being noticed. Unfortunately, he made it all the way back to Aos without seeing the yeth again. Well, whatever, it wasn¡¯t realistic to get this whole matter settled in a single day. Would have been nice. But not realistic. Shadows lengthening around him, he made for the town guest house¡ªonly to stop a short distance away. The door to the house already stood open, swaying slightly in the wind. On full alert, he cautiously snuck forward. When nothing jumped out at him, he nudged the door open and slipped inside. ¡°Welcome back, Callan.¡± The woman seated at his table rose to her feet and gave a slight nod of her head. ¡°Alyssa? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Bringing you your dinner.¡± She indicated a plate set on the table, with what appeared to contain a small loaf of bread and some cooked vegetables. ¡°It is not much, I¡¯m afraid, but my mother and I cannot cook a feast like last night¡¯s for every supper.¡± ¡°No, no, this is fine, believe me.¡± As if for emphasis, Callan¡¯s stomach rumbled. He stepped forward, picked up the bread and tore a chunk off. It was soft and chewy and saltier than he expected. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said around a mouthful. Alyssa gave a small giggle and nodded. ¡°Glad you¡¯re enjoying it.¡± She dropped down onto the bed, her arms angled behind to support her. She was wearing a rather frilly yellow dress, quite removed from the pants and leathers he¡¯d seen her wearing on basically every other occasion they¡¯d encountered each other. Since she¡¯d vacated the chair, Callan claimed it for himself. ¡°Any luck with Dosoti?¡± Alyssa asked, watching Callan shove the rest of the bread in his mouth in one go. A single eyebrow crept up her forehead. ¡°What?¡± he said. ¡°I was hungry.¡± ¡°Apparently. Just don¡¯t swallow the plate too while you¡¯re at it. My mother will want that returned.¡± Callan turned back to the table and started shoveling in vegetables. ¡°No promises.¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll see about packing something for you to take to the fields tomorrow. Wouldn¡¯t do to have our town defender collapsing from hunger.¡± ¡°Thanks, that would be appreciated.¡± He finished the vegetables, and still feeling mildly hungry, handed the plate to Alyssa. The yeth woman glanced at it curiously, then set it on the floor beside her. She looked up at Callan, a questioning expression on her face. ¡°What?¡± Mortal, ask her about our additional followers. The mayor promised us another six, and I wish to know when they¡¯ll be delivered. Sighing, Callan repeated Xeph¡¯s question. Alyssa was still watching him with that curious expression, but she gave a relaxed shrug. ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t say. Likely this evening was the first chance she¡¯s had to speak to my brother, so perhaps tomorrow? Certainly no more than another few days. If it¡¯s important, he always bows to my mother¡¯s wishes eventually.¡± A FEW DAYS? Of all the... Xeph descended into muttering, while Callan did his best not to laugh. One track mind, his head-mate. ¡°Just remind her that the more faithful we have, the more of a threat I¡¯ll be to Veritas.¡± It occurred to him that the rival god should be returning to Aos soon. He opened his mouth to ask about any further news on that front, but Alyssa spoke first. ¡°Are you not planning on joining me?¡± She patted a spot on the bed next to her. ¡°No?¡± Maybe it was just because he was exhausted from working in the fields all day, but Callan couldn¡¯t think of why they¡¯d want to talk while sitting side by side. Actually, on that note... ¡°If there¡¯s no further news about Veritas, or anything else that needs my attention, would you mind clearing out? I¡¯m totally exhausted, and I imagine your brother won¡¯t be starting any later tomorrow than he did today.¡± ¡°What, are you telling me that even with all your god-given stamina, a little fieldwork managed to wear you out?¡± Maybe when I have more than just forty Fortitude, he thought to himself wryly. Out loud, he said, ¡°Gotta keep up appearances. Besides, a full night¡¯s sleep never did anyone any harm.¡± ¡°So you want me to just... go.¡± Alyssa frowned. The way she spoke made it sound less a question than a statement, but Callan nodded anyway. ¡°And if you happen to see Kivi or the mayor, please let them know that I¡¯m still working on getting close to Dosoti. Might take a while, though.¡± Alyssa rose and stepped aside, and only then did Callan collapse into the bed. He still needed to take his shoes off, but darn it if he wasn¡¯t tired to the bone. Human, before you sleep tonight, we need to discuss¡ª Out of the corner of his eye, Callan noticed Alyssa was still standing at his bedside. ¡°Need something, Alyssa?¡± ¡°Of course. I should have realized it before.¡± At her words, Callan rolled onto his side and glanced at her. She wore a victorious expression on her face. ¡°I¡¯ve figured it out.¡± ¡°Figured out what?¡± ¡°Your secret. I know what you¡¯ve been hiding from us.¡± 2-14 — Veni Vidi Veritas Callan froze. His mind turned Alyssa¡¯s words over, trying to think of what she might be referring to. He had plenty of secrets, but none that he thought he was hiding from Aos, or her in particular. In the end, he remained silent and waited. ¡°I know that you¡¯re not yeth,¡± Alyssa continued finally, when the silence had stretched overlong. ¡°Oh, that.¡± Callan sat up on the bed into a cross-legged position. ¡°Was it the hands that gave it away?¡± He wriggled his fingers at her. Alyssa stared at them wide-eyed. ¡°No, though now that you point it out, I feel foolish I hadn¡¯t noticed earlier.¡± ¡°Why? I mean, unless hands are some sort of beauty standard in yeth culture, I can¡¯t imagine why you would have been checking them out.¡± He hesitated. ¡°They... aren¡¯t, are they?¡± Are you asking me? They certainly weren¡¯t during the last age, but who can say what ridiculous notions their race may have entertained in the intervening centuries. ¡°What, you didn¡¯t breed it into them, or something? Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t have put it past you.¡± Hmmph. Despite what you might think of us, mortal, my kind tried to meddle only when there was a genuine need. I fail to see what sort of advantage a finger fetish would provide. Callan paused. ¡°Fetish, really? Do you actually have that word here, or is that just an approximation for my benefit¡ª?¡± The clearing of a throat drew his attention back to Alyssa. She was watching with a rather wry expression on her face. ¡°Does that happen often?¡± ¡°What? Getting into arguments with him?¡± Callan rapped on the side of his head, and Xeph let out a squawk. Since he hadn¡¯t actually suffered any damage, Callan ignored him. ¡°It¡¯s better some days than others. But sorry, we got off-topic, didn¡¯t we. How did you know I wasn¡¯t a yeth?¡± ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see.¡± Alyssa tapped her chin. ¡°First, you were rather open during negotiations with my mother. Either you¡¯re a better actor than I think, or you really weren¡¯t hiding some secret agenda.¡± ¡°Wait, so you thought my secret was that I wasn¡¯t hiding secrets well enough?¡± ¡°Second,¡± she said, not even bothering to acknowledge his comment, ¡°You¡¯ve been allowing that lud girl to dictate the terms and conditions of the fight here in our village. At first, I assumed you were using her as some sort of diversionary tactic¡ªand I¡¯m sure my mother still thinks that. But after hearing the two of you interact yesterday, I realized something else was going on. ¡°Then, finally, there was this evening.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Callan frowned at her. He glanced over at the empty plate, and then back. Had there been some sort of cultural faux pas he¡¯d committed with the food? He honestly couldn¡¯t think of anything else. ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡± ¡°Yes. I gathered as much.¡± Alyssa waved a hand, gesturing to herself. When Callan just continued to stare at her blankly, she sighed. ¡°Any red-blooded yeth man finding me waiting in his room dressed like this would have had me unclothed and in his bed before I even had a chance to sit down.¡± ¡°Oh. Ohhhhhh.¡± Callan felt heat creeping up his cheeks. ¡°I, ah, didn¡¯t realize you felt that way about me.¡± ¡°What do feelings have to do with anything?¡± Alyssa asked, frowning at him. ¡°My mother ordered me to offer myself in the hopes she might gain some leverage against you, so here I am.¡± Any embarrassment Callan was feeling drained away instantly. A cold feeling in his gut replaced it. ¡°So, now that you know, do you want to...?¡± Alyssa started to slip her dress from one shoulder. Callan quickly held up a hand to forestall her. ¡°I meant what I said earlier about being tired. Besides, I¡¯m not exactly a fan of sleeping with a girl who is only doing it because she was ordered to. That just sounds like a bad idea all around.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kind to say that, Callan, but I¡¯m hardly a girl. I¡¯ve been around long enough to know what I¡¯m doing.¡± She stared at him, her frown deepening. ¡°You¡¯re serious.¡± ¡°I really am.¡± ¡°Well, if that didn¡¯t prove you aren¡¯t a yeth...¡± Alyssa shook her head. ¡°So what are you, then? Certainly not a rutain, and your eyes are too small to be a moonie... a tuciville, maybe? I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re supposed to be short like the lud, but maybe that was just a story my uncle made up.¡± A tuciville? How ridiculous... you don¡¯t even have the correct number of eyes! ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re going to revisit that topic later,¡± Callan told his head-mate. To Alyssa, he said, ¡°Look, does it really matter? Your village needed an avatar to help you, and now you¡¯ve got one. Unless the mayor is going to refuse to deal with me since I¡¯m not a yeth or something.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. I won¡¯t mention it to her if you don¡¯t want me to.¡± Alyssa gave a mischievous grin that told Callan there was definitely more to that statement than she was saying. ¡°Uh, thanks, I guess? If you don¡¯t mind my asking though... Why? Didn¡¯t you just get done telling me you were planning to seduce me to learn all of my secrets?¡± The grin on Alyssa¡¯s face vanished, like it had never even been. ¡°My mother ordered me into your bed, and I obeyed, because she¡¯s our mayor and matriarch, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m her loyal servant. I have my own reasons for being here, my own agenda.¡± ¡°Uh huh. And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The yeth woman smirked, then started towards the door again. At the doorway she stopped and looked back. ¡°Oh, by the way, my mother also wanted me to deliver a message. Veritas is returning tomorrow for another debate. Best prepare yourself.¡± Then she slipped outside, and the door closed quietly behind her. Callan stared after her for several moments. ¡°Did she just¡ª?¡± Yes. ¡°And she tried to¡ª?¡± Yes. ¡°And I¡ª?¡± Yes, yes. Note that I did try to warn you. Perhaps not about this specific circumstance, but... Yeth were designed by the gods to serve as our notaries and bookkeepers, so their minds were enhanced to be more logical and given to calculation. Unfortunately, the side-effect was that they tend to hoard more secrets and schemes than a shriker does treasure. ¡°Huh.¡± Callan sat back, chewing on his lip. ¡°And here I thought that you and Kivi were just being racist. So there really is a difference in the way they act from the other races?¡± That¡¯s what I just told you, isn¡¯t it? And besides¡ªwait, what do you mean you thought I was being racist? I am a god! We are above such petty matters. ¡°So did the gods modify the minds of any of the other races?¡± he asked, ignoring his head-mate¡¯s little outburst. God though he might be, Callan knew for a fact that no thinking creature was above having biases and prejudices against others. Hmmph. Let me see... The tuciville were made highly inquisitive, and their cranial capacities were increased overall... The gorgmith were designed to be hyper violent and the mjolk submissive, though due to a mix-up in the formulas both were written off as utter failures in the end... Then the zartouna¡ª ¡°Seriously?¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°And you don¡¯t see any problem with that?¡± Such as what? ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know, maybe unintended consequences? You guys modified the rutain to be better hosts and look how that turned out: guys like Restaro get trapped in a damned-if-I-do, damned-if-I-don¡¯t situation. Now you¡¯re telling me you tried tinkering with an elevated race¡¯s mind not once, but like five times, and despite failing again and again, you kept at it? What happened to only meddling when there¡¯s a ¡®genuine need¡¯?¡± When there was no response, he continued, ¡°Our minds are what make us who we are, Xeph. You start taking them apart piece by piece, and what¡¯s left of us? It¡¯s no wonder so many of your experiments ended in failure.¡± Mortal, I think you misunderstand¡ª ¡°Whatever. We have more important matters to worry about right now, anyway.¡± Callan could feel his anger inside simmering like a pot in danger of overflowing, so he forced his attention elsewhere. ¡°We still going with the original plan for Veritas tomorrow?¡± I suppose. There have been no reasons I can see to deviate from it. But¡ª ¡°Good enough. Then I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± With that, Callan rolled over and closed his eyes. He knew it didn¡¯t matter, that Xeph could tell if he was asleep or not, but for once the god chose to hold his proverbial tongue. Which was good. Callan had heard enough from him for one evening. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
The next morning dawned gray and cool, a hazy rain falling over the village. Callan kept conversation with Xeph to minimum as he pulled his clothes on in the dark. While a good night¡¯s sleep had given him time to realize it wasn¡¯t Xeph he was mad at, but rather the whole situation in general, he certainly wasn¡¯t about to tell his head-mate that. Especially if it bought him a little more alone time. He stepped outside just as Lisson turned the corner on his way to wake him. Together, they made their way out to the fields. Upon arrival, they found several workers already busy, Dosoti included, his hunched form just visible through the haze. Without a good excuse to approach the man out of the blue, Callan set off again with Lisson. ¡°What about your uncle?¡± he asked as they set to work cutting into the soggy pods. Callan would have thought the water would be detrimental to the seeds inside, but apparently that wasn¡¯t a concern. ¡°He¡¯s having one of his off days,¡± Lisson said, pointing to where a figure could just be seen sitting nearby on a rock pile. Rym¡¯s mouth hung open and he appeared to be staring at nothing at all, not even reacting as Rictee gave a friendly wave. Rain dripped from his nose and chin, making him look like the world¡¯s palest gargoyle. He must have gotten ahold of more flux last night, Xeph noted, the first words he¡¯d uttered since leaving the house. I recognize that stare. He¡¯s close to the end of his time. Soon he¡¯ll drift away inside his own head and not return. There was a note of profound sadness to the god¡¯s voice. Callan shuddered at the thought. What must it be like, to lose oneself in their own mind, to not even perceive the passage of time? Not how he¡¯d want to go, that was for sure. Work on harvesting the adle seed continued through the morning. Finally, when the sun was close to fully overhead, Radavan called a halt for the day. ¡°You all know about today¡¯s debate, I¡¯m certain. If you want to attend, now¡¯s your chance¡ªby order of the mayor.¡± ¡°Are we required to attend?¡± Rictee asked, raising a hand like they were in a classroom. ¡°We¡¯re all free men and women in this village. My mo¡ªah, that is, the mayor, has simply ordered that I give you the opportunity. What you choose to do with your free time this afternoon is up to you.¡± ¡°Well count me out,¡± Dosoti grumbled. He dropped his bag next to several others and stretched his back. ¡°Nice afternoon like this, I¡¯d rather be at home. I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow.¡± He set off across the fields, cutting a line slightly away from the village center. Callan stared after him, debating. I¡¯m sure we¡¯re of a like mind on this, mortal, Xeph said. Follow him now and determine if he means to join the other priests. There should be time enough after to find a suitable position to watch the debate. Nodding, Callan started after the yeth. A shout brought him up short. ¡°Just a moment, ah, Callan. I need to speak with you about...¡± Radavan glanced after the other yeth workers who were stowing their tools before setting off for town. Soon, only Lisson and Rym remained, the former helping to slowly lead his uncle away. Once they were out of earshot, Radavan continued, ¡°My mother¡ª¡± ¡°You mean the mayor?¡± Callan said with a wide grin. ¡°Hmmph. Yes. She has impressed upon me the need for... unity during this trying time. Hence, though I still question the necessity of your presence here in Aos, I have agreed that my family and I shall offer you our faith.¡± Callan waited, but when no notification appeared, he turned back with a frown. ¡°I take it you aren¡¯t actually doing so right now.¡± ¡°No. Come to our house tonight, meet my wife and family, and then we shall pledge our loyalty to this Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± I suppose a promise of faith to come will just have to suffice. Xeph sounded less pleased about that than his words implied. Personally, Callan was just glad things were advancing forward at last. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to do that. Before dinner or after? Actually, let¡¯s plan on after. Wouldn¡¯t want to impose on you too much.¡± Before Radavan could respond he turned and hurried away. If he was lucky, Dosoti would still be somewhere nearby. He might just be able to follow him. Unfortunately, the yeth man was NOT anywhere on hand. Callan jogged all the way to the village without catching sight of him. ¡°Drat. Would make this whole job a lot easier if we could identify at least one of the priests.¡± Do not despair. It is not as if you will be challenging Veritas today, merely observing. There will be further opportunities for subterfuge with the yeth. Nodding, though still a little disappointed, Callan headed for his guest house. Once there, he fetched the items they had carried all the way from the temple just for this occasion and made his way to the village square. A sizeable crowd had already gathered. Rather than join them, Callan slipped through the open door to Alyssa¡¯s forge. He found the interior warm and unoccupied. Perfect. Glancing back to make sure no one could see what he was up to, he removed the bracelets from his bag. They looked identical to the ones that the dveorg had placed on him during his imprisonment, right down to the glowing blue runes adorning their surface. These, however, Callan knew how to both put on and remove again with only a little difficulty. Krov had spent a fair bit of time explaining the process in that curt manner of hers, so he felt rather comfortable with the process. He put them on now. No sooner had he done so than he felt Xeph¡¯s presence recede. It didn¡¯t disappear entirely like it had in the cage, but his attempts to summon Wurmchain were met with resistance, the chain stubbornly refusing to appear. ¡°Xeph, you still with me?¡± I am, mortal. ¡°And you¡¯re certain these chains will suppress our domain enough to keep this other avatar from noticing us?¡± As certain as we can be without any actual field testing. Given the tests we performed before leaving, there is no reason to believe that this won¡¯t succeed. The day before departing, they¡¯d taken Kivi out into the prairie above the temple, beyond the range of its domain. There, while wearing the bracelets, they¡¯d found that Kivi was unable to tap into her own bounties unless she was within a foot or two of Callan. It might not eliminate his domain entirely, but it should be enough to hide his presence from Veritas, provided he kept his distance. There is one other matter to consider, Xeph said as Callan crept closer and peeked out the door. Belinda was now standing next to the stone pillar, tapping her foot impatiently. No sign of Veritas or their priesthood, yet. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s that?¡± We are likely safe from detection, but you should still do your best not to draw the avatar¡¯s attention. If they notice you, they should be able to scan you¡ªand then you¡¯ll be revealed, no matter what cloaking device we wear. So... best keep your distance. Callan hadn¡¯t been planning to leave the smithy anyway, but that cemented his decision. ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll stick to the shadows.¡± At that moment, a murmur ran through the crowd outside. Callan peeked his head around the opening again and got his first glimpse of Veritas. Belinda had been right¡ªbetween the long robes and mask, Callan couldn¡¯t tell whether the avatar was even a man or a woman, let alone what their identity might be. Not that he knew enough of the villagers to make an identification, and the mayor had thought this avatar wasn¡¯t from Aos, anyway, but still the point was rendered rather moot. All of the approaching priests¡ªCallan counted four besides the avatar¡ªwere dressed in deep purple robes with masks of a deep bronze color, shaped like faces showing laughter, or fear, or anger. They kind of reminded him of Kabuki theater. But the avatar at their center was something else entirely. His robes were a much richer fabric, lined with silver thread that caught and held the sunlight. Callan wondered idly where the material was coming from. It didn¡¯t look like something a simple farming community could produce. And the mask... It was stylized after a snarling wolf head. Even from here, staring at it too long gave Callan chills. Veritas separated from his priests as they approached the pillar, the crowd parting before them. They stopped before the mayor, the two staring eye-to-sightless-eye. ¡°So, you came crawling back,¡± Belinda said at last. ¡°Finally decided to admit defeat? My people are growing tired of your constant interruptions.¡± ¡°If they tire of hearing my truths, they need only vote to have me leave.¡± Veritas¡¯s voice was a deep rumble inside the mask. It definitely sounded masculine, but that could have just been a trick of its design, meant to further obfuscate its wearer. ¡°And I¡¯ve already told you, that isn¡¯t how things work here. I¡¯m the mayor of Aos, and I¡¯m the one who makes decisions. So does that mean if I tell you to go, you¡¯ll go?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I do not recognize your authority.¡± The voice was toneless, but Callan got the distinct impression the avatar was smirking. ¡°Then we¡¯re at an impasse.¡± ¡°Indeed. So long as you hold these good people in voiceless servitude, nothing will change.¡± Veritas turned towards the crowd. ¡°I have asked this of you before, and I shall ask again now: cast off the yoke of this tyrant. Decide for yourself what future you wish to embrace. Even if it is not to serve as the arms and hands of my temple, free yourself from this woman¡¯s influence once and for all. You owe that much to yourself!¡± Mortal. Xeph¡¯s voice snapped Callan back to reality. He¡¯d gotten distracted watching the exchange. It is time. Focus on the avatar and will his information to appear. Callan nodded and focused. While Belinda and Veritas continued arguing, sometimes directly at each other, sometimes addressing the crowd, he studied the avatar. After a moment, words bloomed in his vision.
Name: Veritas (5th Sphere) Avatar: *Hidden* -STATISTICS- Brawn: 103 Momentum: 22 Fortitude: 29 Concentration: 28 Influence: 35 Piety: 36 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: *Hidden* Manifestation: Steelform Orison slot 1: Shape Metal (Bronze - II) Orison Slot 2: Velak Gaze (Copper - IV) Orison slot 3: Sword Dance (Bronze - I) -DISPENSATIONS- *Hidden* -DOGMA- Total Followers: *Hidden* Available Faith: *Hidden* Conviction: *Hidden* Conviction Rate: *Hidden* Temples : *Hidden* Domain Range: *Hidden* APOTHEOSIS: *Hidden*
Hmmmm. Xeph was silent a moment. Then, Do you want the good news or the bad news? ¡°Um, let¡¯s start with the good.¡± He is not so powerful that a straight fight would be entirely impossible. That said... do you see that Brawn rating? It has passed into the second tier. Between that and their bounty rankings, I would place this avatar somewhere in the lower rungs of the second tier. Two to three hundred followers, easily. Callan found himself trying to swallow and failing. ¡°That¡¯s way more faith than we have at the moment.¡± True. ¡°...I¡¯m waiting for a ¡®but¡¯ here, Xeph.¡± There isn¡¯t one, unfortunately. This avatar is significantly more powerful than us. As we stand now, still at the tail end of the first tier, they would crush us utterly. Should we manage to rise to the second tier before facing them... I would give our odds of success as one in five. Maybe less. ¡°But that¡¯s in a straight fight, right? We still have the duel option.¡± Yes... Xeph trailed off. His tone didn¡¯t exactly leave a lot to feel optimistic about. Before Callan could ask further questions, the conversation outside suddenly cut off. Veritas had turned away from Belinda mid-rant and was looking around, head twisting first one direction, then the next. On a hunch, Callan ducked fully back behind the doorway. ¡°What is it?¡± Belinda¡¯s voice carried easily on the wind to his hiding place. ¡°I thought I sensed... No. No matter. This argument is futile. Until either you or your people see reason, there can be no advancing. I will return in three days and hope that at least some of you will have come to your senses.¡± There were shuffling noises outside. Risking detection, Callan peeked out in time to see Veritas sweeping away down the street, his priests in tow. Already the crowd was dispersing back to their homes. Ducking back, Callan leaned against the smithy wall. Inside his head, Xeph¡¯s voice was a quiet rumble. What are you thinking, mortal? Reaching down, Callan released the bracelets from his wrists, breathing a sigh of relief as power flooded through him again. ¡°I¡¯m thinking that if we want any chance of getting these things on Veritas¡¯s wrists, we¡¯re going to need more power. And soon.¡± Agreed. Luckily, it seems that problem will be resolving itself this evening. Callan remained silent, but inside he felt troubled. They had their plan for a duel, and the bracelets for backup. A day ago, that had felt like enough. Now, as Callan studied the other avatar¡¯s stat sheet, he wondered if he¡¯d been a bit too hasty his optimism. 2-15 — Second Tier, Maybe The door opened, and an unfamiliar woman blinked at Callan. A moment later her face curled into an overly friendly smile. ¡°Evening! You must be the av¡ª¡± She cut off, glancing nervously at the house across the street. ¡°Er, you must be my husband¡¯s new worker. Please, come in, come in!¡± Callan glanced over his shoulder, in time to see someone let a curtain drop back into place, hiding them from view. Right. Secrets and schemes. If it weren¡¯t for Veritas, he¡¯d have found all this cloak and dagger nonsense hilarious. As it was, it just left his stomach twisting in knots. Still, he tried not to let that show on his face. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs...?¡± ¡°Call me Pivale, please.¡± That hyper smile was back on her face again. For the first time, it occurred to Callan that nobody here in Aos seemed to have a last name. It was the same with the lud, though Kivi had told him that her people often used their caste status in place of a family name, so they must at least be familiar with the concept. Maybe Xeph could offer some insight later. Speaking of the lud girl, he stepped aside. ¡°Kivi, after you, please.¡± ¡°Why thank you, Callan.¡± The priestess stepped inside and bowed to their hostess. ¡°And thank you for welcoming us into your home.¡± Pivale¡¯s smile had tightened, Callan noticed. ¡°Oh? I wasn¡¯t aware that you were bringing company with you. You are...¡± Her eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°...A merchant?¡± ¡°My cult,¡± Callan said, closing the door behind him. With the outside world shut away, he didn¡¯t see a need for further subterfuge. ¡°Pivale, allow me to introduce Kivi, high priestess to Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± ¡°High¡ª?¡± The woman gaped, then seemed to recover herself. ¡°Of course. All are welcome in our home, even... please, come in, the family is waiting!¡± As they made their way down a short hallway, Xeph chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Callan asked from the corner of his mouth. Oh, nothing, nothing. That was very elegantly done, mortal. There might be hope for you yet. Callan rolled his eyes over the backhanded compliment and followed after Kivi. Pivale led them into a living room of sorts¡ªat least, Callan assumed this was the yeth idea of a living room. There were several wooden benches set against the walls, and a sizeable table dominating much of the center space. Shelves lined the walls, containing several potted plants and a cluster of books. No artwork that he could see, though that came as little surprise. Then again, the benches here were carved with the same patterns as the ones in Belinda¡¯s kitchen. Maybe chairs fell under the whole ¡®it¡¯s not artwork if it serves a purpose¡¯ argument that Alyssa had made. As he and Kivi took their seats on a bench, Radavan entered from a doorway opposite. ¡°Dearest, since we have an unexpected number of guests, I need to put on more water for tea.¡± Pivale rested a hand on her husband¡¯s shoulder as she passed from the room. ¡°I¡¯ll be just a moment.¡± ¡°Kind of glad we didn¡¯t bring Sworv and Paeral along, too,¡± Callan whispered. Kivi gave a conspiratorial nod, while Xeph chuckled again. Turning back, Radavan¡¯s face was impassive. He looked as if he was trying his hardest not to frown. ¡°Welcome, Avatar. High Priestess. I see you¡¯ve already met my wife, so allow me to introduce you to the rest of my family.¡± Four girls followed in their father¡¯s wake, all of them somewhere in their mid-teens to early twenties, if Callan had to guess. ¡°This is Loxie, and Lem, and Bellatina, and finally our youngest, Tammy.¡± The girls all murmured hellos as their father introduced them. Callan tried to return the greetings as best he could, while Kivi merely inclined her head at each. The last, Tammy, caught Callan¡¯s eye as she was introduced, a playful smile creeping onto her face, followed by a wink when her father turned away. Callan felt his face heat up, and the girl giggled, stifling the noise immediately as her father turned back to look at her. Was... was she flirting with me? Callan wondered. The girl looked almost identical to her aunt, sans a decade or two, but that just brought Callan back to memories of the previous evening. Even if she was, I don¡¯t know if I could trust that she wasn¡¯t being set up by her grandmother. Whatever, I¡¯m here for business, not to find a girlfriend. Remember, human, we¡¯re here for their faith, not to make one of them a concubine, Xeph said, echoing Callan¡¯s own thoughts. He ground his teeth. ¡°Seriously?¡± he muttered out of the side of his mouth. ¡°Who uses the word concubine in this day and age? It¡¯s archaic.¡± And I¡¯ve likely been alive longer than that word has existed, the god reminded him. Callan had no retort for that, so he let the matter drop. Following the girls was Lisson, and finally Callan was able to return a genuine smile. At least there was one person in this family he thought he could count as an ally. Once they were all gathered, Radavan seemed to lose much of his confidence. He glanced between Callan and Kivi nervously. ¡°So, how do we, er, do this?¡± ¡°It is quite simple,¡± Kivi said, rising to her feet. ¡°You simply profess verbally to offer your faith to Xeph-Zul-Karatl, to honor him above all others, and to never betray his cult or temple, lest the wrath of mountains descend upon you.¡± Elegant, though unnecessary, Xeph noted. A simple profession of faith is enough to ensure transference. ¡°I¡¯m sure the high priestess has her reasons,¡± Callan said. For his own part, he thought he understood Kivi¡¯s reasoning. After doing his best to play devil¡¯s advocate for his mother, it wasn¡¯t the worst idea to make sure they covered all their bases with Radavan. Besides, it was the least of what he deserved. Though admittedly, that might have just been his sore muscles talking. After spending a day and a half working the fields, he felt like he was getting a repetitive motion injury. ¡°Very well.¡± Radavan echoed most of Kivi¡¯s oath, swearing never to betray Xeph or his cult. He left out the part about honoring above all other gods, but given that the town¡¯s only other real option for worship was Veritas, Callan thought it was sufficient. Apparently, so did Xeph, because a moment later he received a notification.
You have been awarded 1 additional faith.
Yessssss. More... The words from Xeph were almost euphoric. Callan repressed the urge to snort. Instead, he muttered, ¡°Careful, or you¡¯ll end up an addict as much as poor Rym.¡± He must have spoken louder than he¡¯d thought, as Radavan glanced at him with a frown. Callan shot the man a reassuring smile while Xeph muttered inside his skull. It is hardly an addiction. Gathering faith is integral to my very survival. Yours as well, while we¡¯re on the subject. ¡°Pretty sure every addict professes the same argument, Xeph.¡± Hmmph. Forgive me from taking what little enjoyment I can from this cruel and unforgiving world. I have so few sources of pleasure left to me, I must seek out what opportunities present themselves. Now Callan did roll his eyes. ¡°Oh, come off it, you feel everything I do. I¡¯d hardly say you¡¯re lacking for pleasant experiences.¡± Have you seen our circumstances? We are living in a forgotten hole in the ground, with barely enough followers to fill the front pews of our temple! Perhaps one day when we are enjoying plush cushions in a golden palace, I will agree with you. Until then... let me have my moment. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Callan almost needled the god further, but... well, truthfully he was rather looking forward to this faith himself. It would be somewhat hypocritical to push his head-mate when he was equally eager to reach his next tier. ¡°Girls, you all go next,¡± Radavan said, oblivious to the ongoing inner debate. When Lisson stepped forward with his sisters, the man clamped a hand down on the boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Not you.¡± ¡°But I want to offer my faith!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you want.¡± Radavan stared daggers at his son. ¡°You¡¯ll do as you¡¯re told. Sit down.¡± ¡°Does it really matter?¡± Callan asked. The yeth man glowered at him. ¡°My boy is far too young to be part of a cult. Even someone from a backwater village like myself knows that much, Avatar.¡± It is true, Xeph said in agreement. A god typically will not accept someone¡¯s faith until they reach thirteen years of age. That is why none of the children back in the lud village swore their loyalty to us, either. Callan frowned at that, mostly because none of the lud kids had looked older than, like, five. Lisson had to be at least twice that. If he wasn¡¯t thirteen already, he must have been darn close. But they had only come for six additional faith tonight, which between Radavan¡¯s daughters, his wife, and the man himself, they were getting. No sense creating more animosity where it wasn¡¯t necessary. When he settled back without further argument, Radavan relaxed visibly. His son sat in a nearby chair looking petulant, but he didn¡¯t argue with his father further. One by one, the daughters offered their faith to Xeph. Slowly, Callan¡¯s total faith ticked upward.
You have been awarded 4 additional faith.
Only one more to go until tier two. Callan didn¡¯t know exactly what that would entail, but he¡¯d have been lying if he said he wasn¡¯t excited. Would reaching the second tier give him more powers? A boost of strength? The ability to phase through walls? He kind of doubted that last one, but still, the suspense was killing him. Plus, now he¡¯d have twelve points to spend. On Xeph¡¯s advice he¡¯d held off using the faith he received at the dinner the other night, since the god hinted there might be new uses for it once he reached tier two. So he¡¯d been sitting on extra faith now for days, and it was eating him up inside not to put it somewhere. Oaths complete, the girls sat back down on the bench. Tammy kept trying to catch Callan¡¯s eye again, but he had no attention left to spare, focused on the door as he was. Never thought he¡¯d be picking a mother over her daughter, but here he was. The sound of Pivale busying herself in the kitchen drifted through the room in the accompanying silence. What is taking the woman so long??? Xeph muttered. He could practically feel the god bouncing around inside his skull. Xeph¡¯s impatience was infectious, in that Callan could feel it raging through him like a tangible thing. ¡°Hold the line... hold the line...¡± he said, as much to himself as to Xeph. Finally, Pivale emerged, carrying a tray filled with steaming cups. ¡°Drinks are ready, Avatar. I hope you enjoy...¡± she trailed off, noticing everyone watching her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It is time to make your profession of faith, dear,¡± Radavan said, his voice sounding like he¡¯d just informed his wife she was due on the gallows. Pivale set down the cups on the table and wrung her hands on her dress. ¡°Are you certain it is necessary? I thought your mother assured us she could find others in the village to step forward.¡± ¡°The mayor said she would try. And at the end of the day, it doesn¡¯t matter what she said. She¡¯s ordered us to offer our faith, so we shall.¡± ¡°But...¡± The woman bit at her lip. ¡°What is the matter, dear? You told me this morning¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, well, a woman is allowed to change her mind.¡± Pivale cast a glance back at Callan and Kivi. ¡°Seriously, she¡¯s getting cold feet now?¡± Callan muttered. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? Not like it costs her anything.¡± I think I understand the problem. ¡°Oh yeah? You want to explain it to me?¡± You will see for yourself in a moment. Callan glanced up. Kivi had risen to her feet and approached the arguing couple. The two lud went silent. ¡°Pivale, while Xeph-Zul-Karatl would never force another to worship him, the fact remains that this community has promised their devotion in exchange for our services. Belinda, your mayor, has placed her faith in our god, both literally and figuratively. Are you so untrusting of your mayor¡¯s leadership that you would sabotage the very work she is doing to try and protect you all?¡± It was a good speech, even if it was mostly bullshit. Belinda was clearly more concerned with protecting the status quo than her people, but Callan decided now wasn¡¯t the time to correct such misconceptions. ¡°Sabotage? What do you think I am you little mudrat¡ª¡± Pivale cut off mid-rant, but it seemed the damage had been done. Kivi¡¯s expression hardened, and several of Pivale¡¯s daughters let out audible gasps. Even Lisson¡¯s eyes went wide. Callan wasn¡¯t exactly certain what sort of faux pas had just been committed, but it felt like a big one. ¡°I would never dream of opposing our mayor,¡± Pivale said, enunciating each word as if she was picking them as she went. ¡°If she requires me to place my faith in a¡ªin your god, then I shall.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Kivi¡¯s smile was strained. ¡°Then repeat after me: on my honor as a yeth, I shall serve Xeph-Zul-Karatl, now and forever. I shall worship no god before him, and will honor his priesthood as I would the god himself.¡± Pivale had gone pale as a sheet, but she nodded. Turning to Callan, she said, ¡°I Pivale, on my honor as a yeth¡ª¡±
Followers lost. Available faith decreased by 1.
¡°What?¡± Both Callan and Xeph¡¯s shouts overlapped each other to the point that he couldn¡¯t even tell which was which. Everyone in the room including Kivi jumped. ¡°Ah, sorry about that everyone, I... just a minute.¡± Callan dashed out into the hallway. He could hear murmured conversation behind him, but his mind was too focused elsewhere to pay much attention. Once he was away from the others, he started pacing back and forth. ¡°What the hell, Xeph? What. The. Hell???¡± I do not believe that was due to the yeth¡¯s profusion of faith, mortal. It was merely an unusual coincidence that¡ª ¡°Yeah, yeah, I got that. More importantly, what does that mean?¡± A thought occurred to Callan, and he felt the blood drain from his face. They¡¯d just lost a follower somewhere out there in the world. That meant... ¡°You don¡¯t think it was one of the missing children, do you?¡± Several weeks had passed by now since Ziln first disappeared. Though this could also be one of the other children. Or one of the elderly lud. Or a dozen other possibilities. There is no way to be certain, Xeph noted, confirming his suspicions. Either we will receive word of one of our follower¡¯s deaths, or it will remain a mystery. Best prepare yourself for such. No mortal can live forever. For that matter, it may not have been a death at all, he added, almost as an afterthought. ¡°What do you mean?¡± We can lose faith for many reasons, not the least of which is death. But followers also sometimes abandon their faith in favor of other gods, or simply because they feel underserved by their current deity. Do not waste too much time dwelling on the particulars. Not when there is still faith to harvest in the next room. ¡°Yeah, but now I¡¯m not going to reach tier two, am I?¡± Callan tensed, knowing the answer, but still needing to hear it. You will not. I¡¯m sorry, mortal. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s fine. Everything is fine.¡± Callan¡¯s mind was already considering what their next move should be. Challenging Veritas would be all the more difficult at their current tier, but it was still doable. Maybe. Right now, though, he needed to march back into that living room and apologize for his sudden departure. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the doorway. ¡°Sorry about that, everyone. Emergency god stuff I needed to deal with.¡± ¡°It is alright, Avatar,¡± Kivi said, nodding. ¡°I already explained the situation and have gathered Pivale¡¯s faith. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± She gave the woman a wicked smile. Pivale, for her part, looked as if she might vomit. With another nod of satisfaction, the high priestess clasped Callan¡¯s hand, passing the last bit of faith to him, leaving him at only a single point away from tier two. Woo. Then she dropped back on the bench, selected a teacup from the tray, and set about sipping it. ¡°Oh, you are right, this tea is excellent.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we get going?¡± Callan asked. ¡°I mean, we got what we came for.¡± ¡°What, and let perfectly good tea go to waste? Sit, Avatar. There¡¯s no need to be rude to our hosts.¡± Glancing at the others, Callan sat down and selected a cup. The others did so as well, some taking sips, others like Pivale just clutching the drink in her hands. Lisson sniffed his suspiciously, made a face, and set it on the floor next to his chair. After about five minutes of silence, Kivi drained the last of her drink and returned the cup to the tray. ¡°That was wonderful. Radavan, Pivale, thank you for so graciously welcoming us into your home. I believe we¡¯ll be departing now.¡± ¡°Very good, High Priestess,¡± Pivale muttered. Radavan glowered at the lud girl, then turned his attention to Callan. ¡°See you in the fields tomorrow?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Callan said in surprise. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hmmph.¡± The farmer said nothing further, so Callan just left it at that. They stepped out into the dark of the night, with nothing more than starlight to guide their way. No sooner had the door closed behind him than Callan rounded on Kivi. ¡°What, exactly, did you say to¡ª¡± ¡°Shh.¡± One of Kivi¡¯s hands slipped into his own. ¡°Not here. Walk me back to the lud barracks, please, Callan?¡± Together they made their way through the dark streets until they reached the outskirts of Aos, what little of it there was. Kivi led him towards a shadowy lump in the distance that was probably the guest house the village maintained for Etruscian merchants. Though it could have just been a medium-sized boulder. Callan suspected he wouldn¡¯t know until he stubbed his toe on it. ¡°Alright,¡± he said finally. ¡°Care to tell me what you did to that poor woman while I was out of the room? I thought she¡¯d break her teacup she was shaking so bad.¡± It was hardly that bad, Xeph muttered. She seemed more perturbed than scared. ¡°Thank you, Xeph, it¡¯s called exaggeration for dramatic effect.¡± Callan rolled his eyes. ¡°I will be happy to explain, Avatar,¡± Kivi said, ignoring the side conversation. ¡°But first I wish to know what distressed you so badly you needed to flee the room in the first place.¡± Right. For a brief moment, Callan had forgotten about that. He came to a halt and turned towards Kivi. ¡°Let¡¯s wait and discuss that with Paeral and Sworv. I have some potentially bad news about back home.¡± 2-16 — Divine Compliance Check ¡°Okay, explain what happened again,¡± Callan said as he made his way across the field. He slashed at another pod, catching almost all of the grain this time. Not bad for a born-and-raised city boy. Last night Pivale called Kivi a ¡®mudrat¡¯. An insult that dates back to the previous age, almost to the moment of the lud¡¯s creation, in fact. Amazing that it has survived for so long intact. ¡°So it¡¯s a slur, then.¡± In a manner of speaking. It points to the lud¡¯s humble origins, reminds them that they were the gods¡¯ first creations, less refined than those who came later. A way to diminish their accomplishments, to make them feel inferior. A system of control, in other words. ¡°So a slur.¡± Callan repeated, shaking his head. ¡°I guess I understand why Kivi would have been angry over that. Didn¡¯t the mayor call her that, too?¡± Indeed. And you may recall that she exacted a heavy price through the negotiations in retaliation. ¡°But what did she extract out of Pivale, then? The whole family seemed a bit shook up when I came back.¡± Hmm. Xeph shifted inside Callan¡¯s skull as he thought. Nearby, Lisson glanced over, likely confused at only hearing half the conversation. A bit further on, his uncle Rym was harvesting even slower than Callan was, but at least he was making progress today. If Callan hadn¡¯t seen him in his drug-induced stupor, he might have thought the yeth perfectly ordinary. I cannot say for certain, but I suspect she may have threatened them with conscription should they prove dishonorable in their vows, the god said at last. ¡°Conscription? Like into the army?¡± They share similarities, but no. Conscription in this sense is when a god takes non-followers to serve in some capacity. Anything from domestic tasks to hard labor, depending on a god¡¯s needs and whims. In the past it was also employed occasionally when a particular follower proved... troublesome. Callan frowned. ¡°That sounds an awful lot like what Zavastu did to Kivi¡¯s people. I can¡¯t imagine Kivi would condone doing the same to others.¡± Condone? Perhaps not. But using it as a threat to both ensure compliance and terrify a woman that had spoken out of turn to her? Even you cannot tell me you find fault in doing so. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t.¡± He frowned in thought. While he didn¡¯t exactly relish making further enemies in the village, Kivi¡¯s heavy-handedness seemed warranted in this case. Besides, Radavan and his family weren¡¯t exactly their staunchest allies to begin with. Of greater concern was the conversation that had taken place last night after they¡¯d returned to the Etruscian guest house. Callan had been expecting Kivi to be worried about the situation back home, perhaps even demanding they return to investigate, but she¡¯d been surprisingly nonchalant about the lost faith. ¡°It is only a single follower, yes?¡± ¡°So far. But that could change. If it is Ziln or one of the other kids¡ª¡± The priestess held up a hand to forestall him. ¡°If there were more casualties, I might assume so, but wherever Ziln ended up, the other children likely are as well. No, I do not think this was caused by one of them¡ªor any of the lud, for that matter.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Callan asked. ¡°I mean, that a death seems unlikely, barring some accident while hunting or harvesting the pythian. All of our elders were still in relatively robust shape, likely with many years ahead of them. There was no sickness, and those injured during the battle against Zavastu were all on their way to recovery. No, I should think the answer lies closer to us than you suspect.¡± Callan started to ask another question, then simply closed his mouth, waiting for Kivi to continue. ¡°I had feared we might encounter... duplicity from some of the yeth converts. That some might choose to proffer faith, only to recant once we were out of sight. Before we worry about the situation back at home, it is worth investigating that those who have already sworn are still loyal to Xeph. If we find that one of them is not...¡± She spread her hands. ¡°I guess we can do that. Xeph, you have the ability to detect followers?¡± Of course. Provided they are inside your domain, it is a simple enough task. ¡°Then all we need to do is pay a visit to everyone who pledged to us so far.¡± Callan tapped at his chin. ¡°We can probably exclude Belinda and Alyssa. Radavan too, maybe? I mean, we were literally collecting from his family when it happened.¡± He thought for a second, then said, ¡°We¡¯d better check Radavan, just in case. Still, that just leaves him and the two couples from the dinner party.¡± ¡°An excellent plan, Avatar.¡± Kivi gave a satisfied nod. ¡°I have no doubt that this issue will be resolved quickly so we may put this whole unpleasant matter behind us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty to celebrate, high priestess. Assuming you¡¯re right, we¡¯ve got another problem¡ªa big one.¡± ¡°Oh? And what is that?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason for any of the yeth to abandon their faith when it costs them nothing¡ªunless it doesn¡¯t. If one of those who pledged already has made a deal with Veritas, we could very well have a traitor and spy in our midst.¡± ¡°I think you give the yeth¡¯s love of duplicity too little weight, Avatar, but I do admit that is a concern. However, until you have actually found the one responsible, it is a non-issue. Let us hear them out first, and then we can decide what judgement to pass.¡± Callan shook his head as the memory dissipated. He¡¯d need to make some time after work today to perform their inspection. Hopefully nobody would mind him showing up on their doorstep at sunset, covered in sweat and dirt. Someone tugged on his shirt, and he glanced down to see Lisson standing beside him. ¡°Excuse me, Avatar? Do you need any water?¡± ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m good, Lisson. Also, you really shouldn¡¯t call me that. Out here, I¡¯m just Callan.¡± Lisson shrugged. ¡°Not like anybody¡¯s close enough to matter. My father¡ª¡± He practically spat the word. ¡°¡ªis busy dealing with a weevil infestation on the other side of town. The only person in earshot is Uncle Rym, and nobody would believe him anyway.¡± ¡°Still, it never pays to be careful. At least for another three days. Then, one way or another, it probably won¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Yeah, about that.¡± Lisson glanced around. Not seeing anyone but Rym humming tunelessly some distance away, he dropped down into a squat and motioned for Callan to join him. Callan crouched down, so that he was almost completely hidden from view by the waving adle stalks. The yeth boy leaned in close. ¡°Last night, you seemed real eager to get our faith. It¡¯s important? To helping the village?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Callan nodded for emphasis. ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s important.¡± ¡°Then I want to offer my faith to Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± Callan froze. Somewhere inside of him a little flame of excitement began to spread. Maybe he¡¯d be seeing that second tier sooner than he¡¯d thought. Then his excitement cooled. ¡°What about your father? He said he didn¡¯t want you swearing an oath until you were older.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell him. Are you?¡± Lisson¡¯s face cracked into a mischievous grin. Callan¡¯s own expression quickly mirrored his. ¡°Of course not. In that case, repeat after me: I, Lisson¡ª¡± Mortal. ¡°Dangit, Xeph, what is it? We¡¯re doing a whole thing here.¡± We can¡¯t accept this boy¡¯s faith. It isn¡¯t just his father¡¯s edict. I have my own standards, and I won¡¯t allow a child that hasn¡¯t come of age to swear themselves to my congregation. Callan groaned. ¡°Seriously?¡± Quite. Other gods may have less compunctions about following tradition, but I am a god of mountains, and mountains are nothing if not slow to change. ¡°Fine, fine. Wouldn¡¯t want to risk your damn compunctions when death is on the line or anything.¡± Callan turned back to Lisson. ¡°Sorry, but Xeph says no. Maybe in another year or two, hey?¡± For a moment, it looked as if the boy was going to argue, but at last he simply nodded and rose to his feet. Callan followed. ¡°We were this close to getting the next tier, Xeph,¡± he said as Lisson moved dejectedly after his uncle. ¡°You know that, right?¡± I understand your frustration, mortal, but the needed faith will come in time. Who knows, if we can manage to locate the apostate who betrayed us already¡ª ¡°That¡¯s a shot in the dark, and we both know it.¡± He let out a sigh. ¡ªAnd even if we don¡¯t, there is always our reward for defeating Veritas. With the rest of the village swearing their oaths to us, a single faith will mean little. ¡°You¡¯re assuming we beat Veritas, though. Going to be difficult to do with them so much more powerful than us.¡± A thought occurred to Callan. ¡°How is it that Veritas is so powerful, anyway? Didn¡¯t you say it would be impossible for him to gather many faithful here in the badlands? Unless he¡¯s also been traveling to a bunch of villages...¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I do not believe that to be the case. Rather, I suspect that much of the faith Veritas possesses they already had accumulated long before arriving in Aos. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± You recall how many mistake us for a god and avatar that fled trouble in the north. I suspect this Veritas is one in truth. That is likely why he also felt confident declaring open rebellion against Zavastu¡ªbecause he still maintains a cult somewhere else on the continent, one he continues to draw support from, however minor that might be in the grand scheme of things. ¡°Huh. Minor for the north maybe, but it sure makes a difference here.¡± Indeed. It may be I¡¯m misinterpreting the situation, but I cannot conceive of another method by which they would have built such a reserve. Still, this could be to our advantage. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Callan was willing to grasp at any silver lining that presented itself at this point. If Veritas does still have a cult in the world, a place that they can, eventually, return to, they may be more willing to entertain our challenge. It is a slim hope, but better than if we face a god who knows certain destruction will await them if they fail here. That insight did go a long way towards cheering Callan up¡ªeven though they¡¯d hit a few stumbling blocks, their plan was still moving forward. He just needed to be patient and see it through. After that, the rest of the day passed uneventfully. Callan managed to collect a bit more grain than he had the day before¡ªthough that wasn¡¯t saying much, considering how they¡¯d stopped at noon to hear the debate. Still, Radavan said nothing beyond a grunt of acknowledgement when Callan returned his equipment. That one still maintains his faith, Xeph confirmed as they walked away. Callan nodded. One down, only four more to go. As he headed towards town, he caught sight of Dosoti taking a leak against a tree. Perfect, just the opportunity he¡¯d been waiting for. He moved closer until he was standing right behind the man. Dosoti gave a last shake, pulled his britches closed, then turned around. He leapt back at the sight of Callan, clutching his chest. ¡°Brigand¡¯s piss, boy, you trying to kill me?¡± ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t want¡ª¡± I didn¡¯t want you to go running off again. ¡°¡ªyou to think I wasn¡¯t being friendly by not introducing myself.¡± He stuck out a hand. ¡°I¡¯m Callan.¡± ¡°I know, Radavan mentioned.¡± The older yeth eyed the proffered hand warily. ¡°You did, too, the other day. Thought I told you I wasn¡¯t interested.¡± ¡°Interested? In what?¡± ¡°Whatever it is you¡¯re selling. Yeth from the north like you are always trying some scam or other. You¡¯ll try to recruit me to your new ¡®business enterprise¡¯ or some nonsense. Fell for that once, how I ended up living here. Won¡¯t happen again.¡± Callan held out his hands in front of him. ¡°I swear, it¡¯s nothing like that. Just trying to get to know everyone.¡± ¡°Hmmph.¡± Dosoti glowered and crossed his arms. As he did, an idea struck. ¡°Maybe you can help me,¡± Callan said. ¡°I wanted to talk with... ah... Barnum¡¯s... wife?¡± It occurred to him that he¡¯d never actually caught the woman¡¯s name at dinner the other night. Whoops. ¡°What do you want Moas for?¡± Suddenly Dosoti looked downright suspicious. It occurred to Callan that asking about another man¡¯s wife might have problematic connotations here. Or maybe he was just extra jumpy after his encounter with Alyssa the other night. No time to course correct now, though. He pushed on. ¡°Oh, I wanted to thank her for the food she made me the other night. I didn¡¯t exactly bring my own supplies, and there¡¯s nowhere to cook in the guesthouse anyway, so...¡± Dosoti¡¯s suspicious look had faded, so that seemed to have worked. Now all he needed to do was get the man to lead him to the remote farmhouse. And while they walked, they could chat, get to know each other better. Maybe even open up and share some secrets about a certain masked avatar¡ª ¡°I know where Barnum¡¯s farm is! I¡¯ll even take you there myself!¡± a voice said from behind. Callan turned and found Rictee standing behind him, a wide grin on his face. Inwardly, he groaned. ¡°Well, sounds like that¡¯s settled.¡± Dosoti turned and started stumping off. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to make friends. Me? I just want my warm bed.¡± ¡°Wait, you could still¡ª¡± Aaaaaaaaaand he was gone. Great. It took all of Callan¡¯s willpower not to glower at the yeth man beside him. ¡°Shall we go?¡± Rictee asked blithely. Callan let out a sigh. ¡°Sure, lead the way.¡± They headed down the road that ran alongside the fields. A few people still working glanced up at their approach. Rictee waved at them each time, a big smile on his face. Perhaps Callan¡¯s experience the other day when he was out exploring had been an outlier, and the villagers were simply wary around outsiders. Then again, only one in five returned Rictee¡¯s gesture, and even then rather hesitantly. Seemed the only outlier here was Rictee himself. ¡°So what brings you to the village?¡± he asked, turning away from waving at a farmer that looked to be shooting the both of them a death glare. ¡°Oh, you know, the usual. War in the north, having my home burned to the ground and my family enslaved. That sort of thing.¡± Callan waved a hand casually, like these were everyday occurrences. Hell, maybe they were. What did he even know about the north, really? Rictee nodded. ¡°But why here? What led you to Aos in particular?¡± ¡°Honestly? The lud I¡¯m with. They were all, ¡®a yeth! I know where you need to go¡¯. So I followed them, and now I¡¯m here.¡± The lie came easily to Callan¡¯s lips. Maybe he was getting better at this cloak and dagger stuff. ¡°And they¡¯re really Etruscian traders? From Tok?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Callan paused, then realizing his slip, added, ¡°I think? They never mentioned their specific village.¡± ¡°Hmm. My own parents fled here from Aglibor when it fell to the Southern Reach. Still, I hear things are pretty stable up there now. Better than here with Zavastu breathing down everyone¡¯s necks.¡± ¡°Seems like this village is doing alright,¡± Callan said, pretending to glance around. ¡°We¡¯ve managed to avoid her predations so far,¡± the yeth agreed. ¡°I just worry about how much longer that can last. With Aglibor and Kempf gone, the Reach will be turning its attention this way soon enough, you know?¡± Callan, who didn¡¯t, nodded sagely. He needed to pivot this conversation before his lack of actual knowledge became apparent. ¡°How do you know so much about what¡¯s going on up north, anyway? Seems you guys are rather cut off living here, even more so than a lot of the other villages in the Badlands.¡± ¡°We may be cut off, but we still trade plenty with the surrounding plateaus. What do you think we grow all this grain for?¡± Rictee gestured around them. ¡°It takes a bit longer, but word eventually reaches us. Plus, the mayor teaches geography to all of us at the creche. She knows plenty about the world outside our little village!¡± ¡°Does she now.¡± Callan wondered idly if there was a way to pick Belinda¡¯s brain before they left that wouldn¡¯t arouse suspicion. Or maybe by that point it wouldn¡¯t matter. Let the woman know of his own ignorance, if it helped them fill in some of the gaps on the map back at the temple. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here,¡± Rictee said, gesturing to a small farmhouse in the distance. ¡°It was good talking with you, Callan. We should be friends. Always good to have more friends.¡± ¡°Uh, sure.¡± He waved goodbye as the yeth man walked away, then set out for the farmhouse. Well, that was enlightening, Xeph said as Callan approached the front door. ¡°You mean the geography lesson? Yeah, we¡¯ll need to ask Belinda later for more¡ª¡± Not that. The way he subtly teased information out of you. It seems that even that one is not immune to playing yeth games. I¡¯d initially taken him to be too simple-minded for such things, but he cultivates that persona well. ¡°Really?¡± Callan asked. ¡°But I hardly told him anything!¡± True, but the way you answered, or didn¡¯t answer, likely told him as much as your words themselves. ¡°Dangit, I¡¯m getting sick of this crap. Is it so much to ask to meet a single yeth that hasn¡¯t got some sort of secret agenda?¡± The god let out a gravelly laugh. A yeth without schemes¡ª ¡°Yeah, yeah, I got that. What do you think he was even trying to...¡± He trailed off as the door opened and Barnum looked out, his gaze finally settling on Callan. Another faithful, Xeph noted. Callan mentally ticked him off the list. ¡°Hey, sorry to bother you at home like this. Can I speak with you and your wife for a moment?¡± ¡°Of course Av¡ª¡± The man coughed, seemed to struggle over an alternative title for a moment, then finally gestured inside. ¡°Come in, please.¡± Callan followed the man to their kitchen, where he encountered a pleasant surprise. Across from Moas sat Millica, sipping at a cup of tea. ¡°Avatar!¡± The merchant¡¯s wife rose and gave a slight bow. Her cheeks were tinged with pink, though that could have just been from the warm drink. ¡°Such a pleasant surprise. What have Barnum and Moas done to deserve such an honor?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing much. Just checking in on all our new followers. Making sure everyone¡¯s... ah...¡± He didn¡¯t want to say, still loyal, so instead he went with, ¡°...Ready for Veritas¡¯s next visit. I¡¯m hoping it won¡¯t come to bloodshed, but wanted everyone to prepare themselves for the possibility.¡± Both Millica and Moas blanched at that, while Barnum muttered darkly under his breath. These women are also still faithful, Xeph confirmed while Callan shifted uncomfortably, wondering what to say next. Relief swept through him. ¡°Okay, well news delivered, I¡¯ll just be on my way... Hey, Millica, is your husband visiting here, too? I should probably also let him know.¡± The yeth woman blinked in surprise. ¡°Falchion? He never comes along when I visit Moas. Probably back manning the trading post in case anyone needs supplies for supper. Not that we ever seem to sell much when I¡¯m not around. Tch. Useless man.¡± She shook her head, then added, ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to deliver the message to him when I get home.¡± ¡°Oh, no worries, I¡¯ve been meaning to stop by and see this trading post, anyway. I¡¯ll let him know.¡± ¡°Alright, Avatar. If you¡¯re certain.¡± She sat down again, taking up her teacup. After receiving directions about where the trading post was¡ªright next to the smithy, apparently¡ªCallan set off again. The sky was already well into twilight, but the way ahead was clear. In the distance, a moon had risen over the horizon, but it was either small or very distant, and so not really a major concern at the moment. He hoped. The trading post lay right where Millica said it would be, a wide two-story building bearing the same painted designs as the rest of the village. There was no sign to indicate it was anything more than a largish house. ¡°Hello?¡± Callan knocked on the door, then gave it a gentle nudge. It opened on silent hinges. ¡°Huh. Nobody¡¯s here.¡± Oh, there¡¯s someone there, alright. I can detect two followers in the back of the building. ¡°Really? Two?¡± Was Belinda visiting her former brother-in-law? Or some of Radavan¡¯s family, maybe? More importantly, why weren¡¯t they answering? He stepped inside. Rather than the hallway that seemed typical in most yeth homes, this one opened into a large living room. That was also a trading post, apparently. Chairs and benches lined the walls similar to Radavan¡¯s home, but the shelves here contained everything from bags of dried goods to rolls of cloth. It was... a weird mix. ¡°Seems like an inefficient use of space,¡± Callan muttered as he studied several unlabeled bottles on a shelf. I¡¯m sure the yeth have their reasons. Maybe there is a more social aspect to trade here in Aos. ¡°What, you don¡¯t know?¡± No, I do not, Xeph grumbled. Not everything is a trait bred into the elevated races. Individuals and societies do eventually develop their own culture, especially after thousands of years. The lud caste system is evidence enough of that. ¡°Okay, okay, no need to bite my head off.¡± Callan glanced around, wondering where Falchion and this other unknown faithful could be hiding. He called out again. No answer. Upstairs, Xeph said, sensing the direction of Callan¡¯s thoughts. After a minute of searching, he turned up a staircase in the back of the house past the kitchen. The stairs creaked a bit on his way up, lending an unneeded air of spookiness to this whole situation. A sudden thought occurred to him. ¡°You don¡¯t think they¡¯re up to anything nefarious up there, do you? Meeting with the cult behind our backs, maybe?¡± Possible, but unlikely. If it were our traitorous faithful, perhaps, but then I wouldn¡¯t be able to sense them. This must be something else. Callan nodded. He was probably on edge after Xeph¡¯s revelation about his conversation with Rictee. Not everything was a scheme. Still, he tried to step quietly on the last few steps, then tiptoed his way across the landing. There were only two doors on the second floor, both closed. Inside there, Xeph noted, nudging him towards the furthest door. Callan approached it, then hesitated. Should he just... knock? Would they think it strange he¡¯d climbed all the way up to the second floor like this? He could always claim he was here to buy something, but seeking out Falchion in his obviously private quarters did seem a little bit overzealous in hindsight. Before he could decide what to do, he caught a voice through the door. Not words. Just a single, drawn-out moan. Immediately, Callan¡¯s face grew hot. He started slowly¡ªand quietly¡ªbacking up. Mortal? What¡¯s wrong? ¡°Sorry Xeph, but we really misunderstood the situation,¡± he hissed. ¡°We need to get out of here before¡ª¡± The door swung open, light spilling out into the hallway. Callan squinted in the sudden glare. Through half-closed lids could just barely make out Falchion standing there, frowning at him. Even worse, the man was completely naked. Well, at least I confirmed that the extra finger is the only noticeable difference between us, Callan thought, trying to keep his eyes from involuntarily flicking downward again. Then he saw who was sitting on the bed behind the old man, and any thoughts about yeth anatomy immediately fled his skull. 2-17 — Sweet Home Alabama ¡°Alyssa?¡± Even though he hadn¡¯t meant to speak, the name slipped out of Callan¡¯s mouth involuntarily. In response, the naked woman on the bed smirked at him from where she lay swathed in blankets. ¡°I did warn you avatar. Any red-blooded yeth man would have me undressed and into their bed before I had a chance to sit down.¡± She gestured to where her yellow dress lay pooled on the floor. Falchion turned back to her, glowering for a moment, before returning his attention to Callan. ¡°Avatar, I would appreciate it if you wouldn¡¯t mention this to anyone. My difficult relationship with my wife is well known to the village, but if it came out that I¡¯d taken a lover¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, save your blustering, Fal. I know for a fact that Callan isn¡¯t the sort to speak of such things. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Alyssa rose from the bed. She held a sheet to her chest, but the material wasn¡¯t exactly thick, and Callan could definitely see the outline of her¡ª No, no, no, don¡¯t think about it! Focus on something else. Anything else! His eyes drifted back to Falchion¡ªtoo low, dammit! He turned his gaze up to the ceiling. Inside his head, Xeph¡¯s laughter was the low rumble of an approaching storm in his ears. What are you so embarrassed about, mortal? You only intruded upon two yeths¡¯ most intimate moment, unannounced and uninvited. Surely you¡¯re not uncomfortable over such a little social blunder, are you? ¡°Not helping, Xeph,¡± Callan muttered. He could still feel his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Dangit, when he¡¯d first heard noises coming from the bedroom, he¡¯d assumed it was someone like Belinda in there. Her daughter, though? Alyssa was definitely younger than Millica, and he¡¯d already thought the age difference between her and her husband was extreme. But this... Wait. He was letting his shock from this whole situation overrule the bigger issue here. Forcing his eyes back to Alyssa¡¯s face¡ªjust her face, dangit!¡ªand said, ¡°Did I misunderstand Belinda the other night? I thought Falchion was your uncle.¡± ¡°He is,¡± Alyssa tilted her head and looked at Callan curiously, while Falchion¡¯s frown deepened. Neither seemed at all embarrassed by admission. ¡°Okay, right. I should, ah, I should go.¡± Callan took a step backwards, feeling for the stairway with his foot. ¡°What were you doing upstairs in my house, anyway?¡± Falchion asked. Callan¡¯s foot froze. ¡°I actually came to...¡± In a spur of the moment decision, he decided to abandon his previous lie. It didn¡¯t feel quite so believable under the current circumstances. ¡°...To browse the store downstairs. When I heard noises upstairs, I was worried maybe there was trouble.¡± He glanced away, and didn¡¯t need to fake the heat that returned to his cheeks. ¡°In hindsight, that was a dumb decision.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, in that case, allow me to get dressed and I will be happy to show you my wares. It is... the least I can do.¡± Callan nodded, then without looking at the man, rushed back down to the main floor. He considered continuing on and just fleeing into the night, but decided that it might be better to not arouse any suspicion in the couple upstairs. At least not until he understood the situation better. ¡°So what in the ding-dong Alabama hell was that about?¡± he asked as soon as he thought they were out of earshot. Mortal? ¡°Alyssa and her uncle. Is that... normal here?¡± Are you seriously asking me? I have no idea what sort of cultural quirks the yeth have developed in the last dozen centuries. Though I doubt infidelity is limited simply to familial relationships, yeth or otherwise. ¡°That¡¯s not¡ªI mean, she¡¯s his niece! That¡¯s kind of the bigger issue here. Isn¡¯t that a bit, I don¡¯t know, incestuous?¡± Oh, is that the cause of your consternation? After all this time without trueborn humans in the overworld, I had forgotten about that particular little taboo your kind holds. Callan frowned. ¡°It¡¯s a bit more than a taboo, Xeph.¡± The god continued on like he hadn¡¯t spoken. For the elevated races, incest hasn¡¯t been a problem in millennia. After all, if we were going to improve our human stock, why would we leave such an obvious defect in your design? It makes more sense to remove it. Breeding programs are much easier to develop that way. ¡°Xeph, I swear to you, if I hear the word ¡®breeding program¡¯ from your mouth again, I¡¯m gonna¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, is today one of those that¡¯s worse than others?¡± Alyssa asked as she and Falchion entered the room. The yeth woman still wore the same smirk from upstairs. ¡°Huh?¡± Then Callan remembered their conversation from the other night. ¡°Oh, right, him. Naw, he¡¯s just being his usual arrogant self.¡± Human! Alyssa turned to Falchion. ¡°Now, about what we agreed upon.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The old man reached up onto a shelf, removing a small white package wrapped with twine. ¡°Here, it¡¯s all I was able to bring in. Shipments should be improving now with Zavastu gone, but until word spreads¡ª¡± ¡°This should be sufficient,¡± Alyssa said, hefting the package. Tucking it under her arm she started towards the door. As she passed Callan, she reached out and gave his arm a squeeze. ¡°I do hope you won¡¯t think less of me for this, Avatar. As I told you, I have my own agenda, and there¡¯s nothing I won¡¯t do to see it accomplished.¡± She cast a glance back at her uncle. ¡°Nothing.¡± With that, she pulled the door open and slipped out into the night. Callan shook his head, then turned his attention back to Falchion. The old man was watching him, expression unreadable. Was he still worried Callan might talk, or simply eager for a potential customer? Probably a bit of both, if Callan had to guess. ¡°So, what can I interest you in?¡± the yeth asked at last. Callan considered what to say. ¡°When my high priestess visited before, she purchased a piece of art¡ªa statue. Do you have anything more like that?¡± Falchion blinked in surprise, but only for a second before a knowing smile spread across his face. ¡°Ah, looking to buy something to please your lud pet, are you?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my ¡®pet¡¯,¡± Callan said with a frown. The yeth man didn¡¯t appear to notice. ¡°I don¡¯t have any more of those particular oddities, but I do have something else a lilish trader brought in a few months back. Not much use to anyone in the village, but perhaps a lud would have an interest in such a thing.¡± Reaching into a cabinet, he came back with a small necklace of golden chain, with a red gem set at the bottom. Callan¡¯s eyebrows rose appreciably. ¡°That¡¯s a nice ruby necklace, alright.¡± Ruby??? Xeph half-coughed, half-spat the word out. That¡¯s a spinel, mortal. Can¡¯t your eyes tell the difference? ¡°Uh, Obviously not, Xeph. I¡¯m not the freaking god of gemstones.¡± Callan turned back to Falchion. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Wonderful, Avatar! Will you be paying with talons?¡± Callan had no idea what those were but guessed some local currency. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°I see. Alliance iron, then? I have a bit I can use to make change.¡± A grin began to spread across Callan¡¯s face. ¡°Nope again.¡± ¡°With... scrip?¡± Falchion frowned. ¡°How much exactly is Radavan paying you, anyway?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then... what do you expect to pay with?¡± Callan leaned close, until his nose was just inches away from Falchion¡¯s. ¡°With my silence.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The yeth swallowed visibly. ¡°Of course. But I thought Alyssa said you wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Falchion, you incipient oaf, you left the door ajar again and¡ª¡± Millica cut off at the sight her husband and Callan staring at each other. ¡°Oh, Avatar! I didn¡¯t expect you to still be here.¡± ¡°Just on my way out.¡± Callan snatched the necklace from the old yeth¡¯s hands. ¡°Thanks for the trade, Falchion, I¡¯ll get out of your hair now. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d like to enjoy some quiet time with your wife. Millica, good to see you again.¡± ¡°And you as well.¡± The woman stared at him in confusion as he walked past her and out the door. Callan shut it behind himself, the light inside cutting off with the finality of a tomb, leaving him in pitch blackness. Was it really necessary to treat one of our followers in such a manner? Xeph asked as they walked back to the guesthouse. The question only partly registered, as Callan was too busy idly wondering if he should have demanded some sort of payment from Radavan for working his fields. After all, their original agreement with the village hadn¡¯t included him sweating in the sun all day long. Then again, even he acknowledged he wasn¡¯t contributing much to the overall harvest, so maybe better not to poke that particular bear. Turning his attention back to Xeph¡¯s question, he said. ¡°I was originally planning to haggle, but then he went and called Kivi a ¡®pet¡¯, and I figured, fuck him.¡± Please do not. I think the yeth has had enough fucking for one day without adding you to the mix as well. Callan froze midstep. ¡°Did you just... Was that a...?¡± Silence hung for several heartbeats, and then¡ªHe wasn¡¯t sure who snorted first, him or Xeph, but the next moment they were both laughing, the sound rolling down the empty street. Lights appeared in windows around him as villagers peeked out in curiosity. Callan waved at them with one hand while wiping tears away with the other. Let them think the new yeth in town was absolutely crazy. It wouldn¡¯t matter in another few days, and he¡¯d needed the cheering up. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go get some sleep.¡± He set off for the guest house again. Oh, and mortal? ¡°Yes, Xeph?¡± Both the old yeth and his young lover still maintain their faith to us. Whoever this potential traitor is, it isn¡¯t one of them. ¡°Good to know.¡±
¡°Callan.¡± He glanced up, blade halfway through sawing into another pod, and saw Kivi waving to him from the edge of the field. Making sure no one was watching¡ªonly Lisson was working this particular field with him, with Rym once again sitting in a stupor near the road¡ªhe jogged over to join the high priestess. ¡°Kivi. What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I brought you some lunch.¡± She held a small wooden box up to him, similar to the ones he¡¯d been receiving from Alyssa. As if reading his mind, Kivi said, ¡°I spoke with Belinda and her daughter this morning, and she asked me to deliver this to you. Apparently she forgot to bring it over last night, but work at the forge is keeping her busy.¡± Right. Callan had returned home to find his dinner waiting for him, but no sign of the one who delivered it. He took the box from Kivi¡¯s hands. ¡°You sure she isn¡¯t just trying to avoid me?¡± ¡°No? I do not think so.¡± Kivi tilted her head and gave him a curious look. ¡°Ah, never mind.¡± Most likely Alyssa hadn¡¯t given the events of last night a second thought. Only Callan himself was still dwelling on them. He switched subjects. ¡°Hey, do you mind if I drop by later tonight? I¡¯ve got a little gift for you.¡± ¡°You honor me, Callan, but I am but a humble Etruscian trader. I need no gifts. Besides, what sort of gift would a yeth¡ª¡± ¡°Enough with the act, High Priestess. There¡¯s no one around to hear us, anyway.¡± Kivi glanced over to where Rym sat, not twenty feet from them. Callan shook his head. ¡°Yeah, that one is dead to the world, trust me. And Lisson is cool.¡± He waved at the yeth boy, who waved back before returning to work. When Callan turned back, he found Kivi studying him curiously. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. You do have a habit of making interesting friends, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about a habit,¡± Callan said. Inside his head, Xeph snorted. ¡°Quiet, you.¡± ¡°Hmm. In any case, I do not think we will have much opportunity to speak tonight. But just in case, I will await your appearance.¡± The lud girl smiled at him before setting off back towards town. Callan watched her go. His stomach let out a growl. ¡°Well, nothing like impeccable timing.¡± He moved over and sat down next to Rym. ¡°Guess it¡¯s lunchtime.¡± Lifting the lid from the wooden lunchbox, he encountered an unexpected surprise. Nestled between several vegetables was a rolled-up piece of paper. He set down the box and unfurled it. Avatar, this is Belinda. I have made a list of several individuals who warrant further investigation. Ask my son for the locations of their homes and see what you can observe. Do not forget, Veritas returns tomorrow at noon. After that was a list of six individuals. Callan glowered down at the names. ¡°Does she expect me to go on some sort of stakeout tonight? And on all six? How is that supposed to even work?¡± Perhaps we could enlist our priests to assist as well, Xeph noted. It would not cover all the individuals, but it is at least a start. ¡°Oh joy, so instead of just me, Kivi and the others can spend the night outside watching nothing happen.¡± He sighed, almost crumpled the note in frustration, then thought better of it. Slipping it into a pocket, he headed back into the field. Lisson glanced up at his approach. ¡°Done with your... lunch already?¡± He spoke the word like it didn¡¯t fit right on his tongue. ¡°Lost my appetite, actually. Hey, Lisson, you said you wanted to help Xeph and me, right?¡± The boy nodded eagerly, so Callan showed him the note. ¡°Know where any of these people live?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The boy pointed towards a distant house set a little apart from the rest of town. ¡°Joshu lives there, and as for the others¡ª¡± ¡°Great. Think I can impose on you a little further? Run this note to Kivi at the guesthouse after work and ask her and the others to keep an eye on them? I¡¯ll watch Joshu tonight.¡± ¡°It would be my honor,¡± Lisson said earnestly. He slipped the note inside his pocket, then resumed work. Picking up his own bag and knife, Callan joined him.
When work ended for the day, Callan dropped off his gear and left without further fanfare. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Dosoti watching him warily, but he just ignored the man and headed for home. Once there, he ate the meal he found waiting for him, then napped until the sun fully set. It wouldn¡¯t do to be observed by a half-dozen nosy yeth sneaking up on Joshu¡¯s property. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan if we can¡¯t manage to find a priest to kidnap by tomorrow?¡± he asked, tearing off a piece of bread. The stuff reminded him of the sprouted grain his dad liked to buy from Whole Foods. Decent, but could have been vastly improved by a little butter. The same as before. We still attempt to negotiate with Veritas, and threaten consequences if they don¡¯t agree to a duel. Keep it vague. If they believe we intend to kidnap their priests, they may take action against us before the duel commences. Otherwise, there is little recourse remaining to us. ¡°I really don¡¯t like being on the reactive end to a situation,¡± Callan grumbled. ¡°This smacks too much of Kivi¡¯s village all over again. If push comes to shove, I¡¯m not going to remain idle this time, even if the alternative is fighting a much more powerful avatar.¡± And I will not attempt to stop you. Which is why we must gain as much leverage as possible to ensure we are the ones in the position of power during negotiations. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Guess I¡¯d better get on that. Time for more cloak and dagger shit.¡± You Earthlings and your strange sayings. Callan eased the door to the guest house open, then peeked out into the dark street. All appeared quiet outside, so he slipped out the door and made his way through the village. While he wouldn¡¯t have said it was easy, he felt like he was getting better at stumbling around Aos in the dark. ¡°What I wouldn¡¯t give for some night vision goggles right about now,¡± he muttered to himself. Of course, muttering to himself wasn¡¯t quite the same experience it had once been. Had you taken Dveorgeye when it was offered, this would not be a problem. ¡°Wait, really?¡± In spite of the need for quiet, Callan couldn¡¯t help raising his voice. ¡°I thought that orison only detected gems or something.¡± It does many things. It also heightens your sight distance, allowing far away objects to appear much closer than they are. ¡°Well, damn. If I¡¯d known all that, I might have just picked that ability after all.¡± Then again, it certainly wouldn¡¯t have been much help back during the battle for Tok. Curse the conditions that forced him to make short-term decisions rather than fully evaluate his choices for future needs. Oh well. He still liked Wurmchain, for all that he was regretting the choice in this specific moment. They reached the edge of town, and began skirting the houses, moving steadily towards the one Lisson had indicated earlier. At this distance, it was little more than a lump in the dark. ¡°What does Belinda expect us to learn, really?¡± he grumbled. ¡°All the shutters are closed, and this Joshu is probably asleep. Or I¡¯m going to end up camped below a window to an unoccupied room. Just you wait and see¡ª¡± He cut off his complaints as the door to the distant house swung open, light shining out. Without thinking, Callan dove into the nearest field, the adle crunching as he landed it, his view cutting off. You were saying? Xeph asked. ¡°Shh.¡± Callan slowly lifted his head. It¡¯s not as if they can hear me... Xeph muttered. But he did indeed lower his voice inside Callan¡¯s head. A figure stood outlined in the doorway. As Callan watched, they scanned in all directions, then pulled the door closed behind them. The light cut off, leaving only a faint imprint of the yeth visible. They set off trudging towards the fields. ¡°Joshu, you think?¡± Callan asked. Most likely. Why are they heading away from the village? There are no houses in that direction. It was true. Only Radavan¡¯s fields lay that way, plus several others, but beyond that there was nothing but forest. It was definitely odd. ¡°Guess we got our first lead.¡± Rising to his feet, Callan set off after the figure, who was only just visible under the feeble light of the stars. 2-18 — I Better Get Overtime For This Clandestine Meeting ¡°Geez, how far out is this guy planning to go?¡± Callan asked after about thirty minutes of skulking after Joshu. They were past the fields and well into the forest now. ¡°I¡¯m going to feel real stupid if we followed him out here just to watch him pick moon mushrooms or something.¡± I do not believe such a species of moonlight growing mushroom exists. At least, it did not when¡ª ¡°Xeph, I¡¯m being hyperbolic.¡± He paused, then added, ¡°Though with everything I¡¯ve seen about your world so far, it honestly wouldn¡¯t surprise me. This place is kooky-dooks.¡± Yes, I can see how it would appear so. But you must remember that Earth and the Outerworld have experienced vastly different environmental conditions during their long history, which must needs predicate that flora and fauna would develop along different pathways. Take something as simple as our moons. It never failed to astound me that your world could manage with only a single satellite¡ª Ahead of him, Joshu slipped between some foliage and disappeared from sight. While this wasn¡¯t the first time that had happened, each time it was getting harder to find the yeth again. Callan growled and hastened forward. He needed to catch up, but not too quickly. Wouldn¡¯t do to be noticed now. A hand landed on his shoulder, wrenching him to a stop. ¡°Gah!¡± Callan hissed and flailed at his attacker, who released him immediately. He spun around, stone already forming on his fists. Just as quickly he let them drop. ¡°Rym?¡± ¡°Hello.¡± The emaciated yeth waved at him shyly, as if they¡¯d just had an embarrassing run-in at the supermarket. Callan frowned and dismissed his Mountainform. With luck, the dark had hidden it from view. ¡°What are you doing way out here?¡± ¡°This is where I live.¡± Rym motioned behind him, and for the first time Callan noticed a small tent set between the trees. The glowing embers of a dying fire lay in a pit to one side. The yeth turned back to him. ¡°But what are you doing here, on such a dark night?¡± ¡°I, ah...¡± ¡°Oh! Never mind. You must be looking for the others.¡± Rym nodded to himself, then moved back towards his dying fire. ¡°Come, sit with me a moment. I¡¯ll take you to join the rest after.¡± ¡°Uh, sure.¡± Callan sat down on a log opposite. Others? Does he know where the cult is located? Turning, Rym lifted what appeared to be a small pipe off the log next to him. He inserted it between his lips and took a long, slow pull. His eyes glazed over, and his arms fell limp to his side. ¡°Um...¡± Callan stared at the yeth, but for all intents he appeared dead to the world. Flux, Xeph said. He is currently traveling worlds beyond the imagination. Once the drug runs its course, he should¡ªah, yes. There. Rym blinked. He took the pipe from his mouth and glanced around, seeming surprised to find Callan sitting across from him. ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡± ¡°I literally just sat down.¡± ¡°Oh, of course.¡± The yeth shook his head. He glanced down at the pipe. ¡°Of course.¡± Chronodissociative. For us, several seconds have passed. For him... days. Perhaps weeks. ¡°Yeah, thanks, I got that,¡± Callan muttered. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± ¡°Would you like to try?¡± Rym held the pipe out to him. Callan stared at it. ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks,¡± he said at last. Rym pulled the pipe back into his lap. ¡°Just as well. Flux doesn¡¯t work for most yeth, anyway. Just us lucky few.¡± He gave an ironic chuckle. ¡°So... you live out here?¡± ¡°Yes, for the last year or so now. When my mother¡ªah, that is, the mayor¡ªlearned of my... deficiency... she banished me from the village. It¡¯s not so bad, though. Out here I have all the space I want, and my siblings make sure I don¡¯t lack for anything. Food, water... supplies.¡± He reached down and lifted a small, white package onto the log next to him. Callan squinted, and realized he recognized it. Xeph, apparently, had much the same thought. That is the same package we saw Alyssa receive from her geriatric lover. Callan, who for his part hoped he never had to hear the words ¡®geriatric¡¯ and ¡®lover¡¯ in the same sentence again for as long as he lived, watched as Rym ladled a small amount of substance from the package and into his pipe. As the yeth went to lift it to his lips again, he cleared his throat. ¡°Rym?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You said you would show me the way?¡± ¡°I... yes, of course.¡± Rym laid down the pipe again and rose to his feet. ¡°It¡¯s this way.¡± They set off into the forest, with only the occasional scattering of starlight breaking through the trees to light their way. Despite this, Rym seemed sure-footed, easily avoiding the roots that previously had assaulted Callan and attempted to give away his position. Then, ahead of them, he caught a distant flicker of light. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to make the rest of the journey yourself.¡± Rym gestured towards the light. He glanced back towards his camp. ¡°I need... I need to... take care of yourself, Callan.¡± ¡°Uh, sure. You too, Rym.¡± But if the yeth even heard him at all, he gave no indication, merely trudging back through the woods. He was lost to sight in seconds. What a tragic waste, Xeph muttered. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but he¡¯s not our problem right now.¡± Callan jerked a thumb towards the light. ¡°That is.¡± He crept forward, searching the forest floor with his hands for any leaves or twigs that might give away his presence. A few minutes later he was crouched at the edge of the trees, gazing into a small clearing that lay beyond. Part of Callan wondered if this was the same clearing he had practiced in before arriving in Aos, the one where he had first encountered Lisson. It sure looked the same. What wasn¡¯t the same were the current occupants. There were ten yeth gathered in a semicircle near the middle, shuffling about uneasily and talking in hushed voices. A small fire burned at their center. Most of the gathered crowd were unknown to Callan. He couldn¡¯t even tell which one was Joshu. Only two of them were familiar faces. One was Dosoti, standing apart from the rest of the group and leaning against a tree, glowering. The other was Radavan. As Callan watched, the latter raised his hands, and a hush fell over the gathered farmers. ¡°Greeting, friends. I welcome you to another meeting of the Bridge Builder¡¯s Brigade. What is our first order of business?¡± ¡°I thought we were calling ourselves the Progressive Collective?¡± one member called. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it the Anti-Mayor Task Force?¡± Another yelled. Arguments broke out around the clearing, and no one seemed to be able to agree to anything, much less a name. Which worked for Callan. The noise covered up the groan that slipped past his lips. ¡°Seriously? Of all the people to lead the pro-bridge movement, it¡¯s the mayor¡¯s friggin son???¡± I think ¡®leader¡¯ is too strong a term for whatever the yeth is attempting here, but yes. Xeph¡¯s voice was like two millstone¡¯s grinding together. Instead of finding a cabal of cultists, we have stumbled our way into a meeting of the opposition. Mortal, what is our next move? Do we interrupt the gathering, or continue observing it? Both may potentially yield a trove of information. ¡°I¡¯m not going out there, Radavan knows I¡¯m an avatar, Xeph!¡± Callan hissed. Yes, but if he intended to reveal that fact, he will already have done so with his co-conspirators. Revealing yourself now will let him know you are privy to his secret and give you some leverage over his actions. Or we could simply report him back to the mayor and let her deal with the matter. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Honestly, that seemed like the best move. If he left now and hoofed it back to Aos, he might even be able to bring Belinda back here to interrupt this little gathering in person. Before he could move, though, Radavan raised his hands and silence fell. ¡°Alright, alright, so we are all agreed that a vote will occur next meeting concerning this organization¡¯s name, and in the interim we shall simply refer to ourselves as the bridge committee.¡± ¡°Does it have to be a committee? I personally think¡ª¡± The yeth clammed up at an angry glare from Radavan. ¡°If I may continue...¡± The farmer stepped aside and gestured to the shadows behind him. A figure stepped forward, and Callan¡¯s hands curled into fists at the sight. It was a cultist, draped in robes of deep purple and wearing a mask showing a laughing face. The cultist gave a small bow to the assembled crowd. ¡°One of Veritas¡¯s representatives wishes to speak further with us tonight, concerning our plans for Aos¡¯s future,¡± Radavan said, stepping close to the fire again. ¡°I know that we all disagree on the proper methods, but let us not forget that our committee and the cult are still aligned in our ultimate goals. Please give full consideration to this representative¡¯s words.¡± ¡°Thank you, Radavan.¡± The voice booming from inside the mask modulated from high to low and back again, making it impossible to tell its owner, or even if it was a man or woman. ¡°I know that some of you wish nothing to do with my master, but I beseech you to heed my words¡ªchange is coming, whether you wish it to or not. Already, your mayor is making moves against you, preparing for a preemptive strike to end your efforts at progress before they even begin.¡± Uh oh. I don¡¯t like where this is going, Callan thought. Without taking his eyes from the cultist, he summoned Mountainform. ¡°You are all aware of the lud that arrived in town a few days ago,¡± the cultist said. Callan tensed. ¡°We have learned that these lud are in fact from the village of Tok, a village which has freed itself from Zavastu¡¯s fiery yoke.¡± ¡°You mean the Badlands are free?¡± someone shouted. The cultist turned their frozen face in the speaker¡¯s direction. ¡°Not free, no. Tok merely expelled the cult from their village. And they did not do it alone. They had help. From an avatar.¡± There were gasps in the crowd. Of more interest to Callan was the look of surprise that flashed across Radavan¡¯s face. It seemed he wasn¡¯t the one that had shared this secret with the cult. So how had they found out about him? ¡°What does that mean?¡± a yeth asked. ¡°It means that the inferior lud have already learned the secret to ensuring everlasting safety¡ªallying themselves with a god! If your village intends to survive the trouble that awaits you upon opening yourselves to the outside world, you need to do the same. So declares my master, the great and wise god, Veritas.¡± ¡°What about these lud merchants? What do they want?¡± Callan couldn¡¯t be certain, but he thought the question came from the same yeth as before. Did the cult have a plant in the audience, feeding questions? If not, they were apparently asking exactly what the cultist wanted to hear. A booming laugh echoed from inside the mask. ¡°These lud are no merchants. They are cultists to the god that now rules them. And they are here at your mayor¡¯s behest to stop you from getting your way.¡± Angry rumbles rippled through the crowd. The cultist waited until the noise died down before speaking again. ¡°Yes, it is as you feared. Your mayor cares not for what her people want, only what she wants. If you do not stand up to her, as Veritas has warned, she will move against you, and then your only recourse will be to flee¡ªor wear her chains.¡± Now the yeth roared in anger, and the cultist raised their hands, yelling over the noise. ¡°I have come here tonight to give you the truth, and I have done so. I will leave you now to decide amongst yourselves what you intend to do with that truth!¡± With that, they turned and strode away into the forest. ¡°Shit!¡± Callan wasted a few precious moments watching the arguing yeth warily, but when it became apparent that they weren¡¯t going anywhere, started crawling his way around the clearing after the cultist. He wasn¡¯t nearly as careful this time and cracked several sticks under his feet, but the farmers were arguing so loudly he could have tromped through the forest at full speed and they likely wouldn¡¯t have heard him. Once the sounds of arguing faded a bit behind him, he took off running. He broke from the trees and caught a glimpse of the cultist in the distance, heading towards town. I found that quite the interesting revelation. Did you find it interesting? ¡°Which... part... Xeph?¡± Callan panted. He was pumping at full speed now, the landscape passing at a blur. Ahead the cultist walked along at a casual pace, apparently unconcerned about followers. Seemed he was in for quite the surprise. The cultist revealed that the lud are our priests but made no mention of us being here as well, Xeph continued, free to talk to his heart¡¯s content, unhindered by such minor inconveniences as breathing. I wonder, are they withholding the information, or do they simply not know about our presence? ¡°Guess... we¡¯ll know... soon!¡± Callan leapt into the air just as the cultist turned around. His stone-encrusted fist smashed into the mask with a resounding crunch. The cultist collapsed backwards under the force of the attack, his mask bending inward, leaving the laughing face looking more like it had just taken a bite of a lemon. Callan shook out his fist. That had been a harder punch than he¡¯d intended. Hopefully the cultist¡¯s brain wasn¡¯t scrambled in there. Apparently not. A moment later they scrambled to their feet. ¡°Who dares attack one of the chosen of Veritas?¡± The modulation of their mask skipped as they spoke, and for a moment Callan thought he recognized the voice... but there would be time for that later. ¡°I guess I dare. Name¡¯s Callan. Maybe we¡¯ve met, maybe not. But either way, you¡¯re coming with me. Mayor wants to talk with you.¡± ¡°The... farmhand?¡± Yep, Callan definitely recognized that voice. If only he could place it. The cultist glanced down at his stone-encrusted hands. ¡°You¡¯re a priest?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± Lifting his fists up in front of him, Callan took a menacing step forward. ¡°I won¡¯t ask again. Chosen or no, you¡¯re coming with me.¡± ¡°Stay back!¡± The cultist took a step back. ¡°Don¡¯t make me resort to violence!¡± ¡°Save the threats. You and I both know you don¡¯t have any power without your avatar nearby.¡± Callan started walking forward. Maybe another good blow to the head would keep them from trying anything funny. Before he got a half-dozen steps, two blades of glowing metal appeared in the cultist¡¯s hands. Callan wasn¡¯t sure which of them were more surprised by the weapons¡¯ sudden appearance, but he was the first to react, leaping backwards out of range. Holding out his hand, he summoned Wurmchain, dismissing the usual message in his vision without reading it. ¡°Xeph? Care to explain?¡± I am unsure, mortal. Unless... it is possible that Veritas has a temple somewhere nearby. If so, it could be providing this cultist with the domain they need to operate. Oh, great. They had all been working under the assumption these cultists would be powerless without their avatar nearby. It seemed Callan would need to reorder his list of priorities. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you one chance to surrender,¡± he said, pointing with his chain, the end pooling on the ground. ¡°After that, I¡¯m going to start taking pieces out of you until you¡¯re no longer a threat. Understand?¡± The cultist quivered visibly but shook their head. Callan sighed. ¡°Alright then.¡± He launched forward, his chain swinging for the cultist¡¯s legs. He had the range advantage, so all he needed to do was keep leaving nicks and scratches, and the battle would be over before it began. Wurmchain swung towards the cultists leg¡ªonly to come up short. Callan reared back in surprise and discovered a thin line of silver wrapped around his hand, pushing the chain away. He tried to shake it off, but to no success. It moved with him, restricting his movements. Then the cultist was beside him, blades swinging downward for the kill. Only a hasty block managed to push the blades aside, sparks flying as they skidded off the stone skin of his arm. Callan grunted, releasing Wurmchain and allowing it to puff away to sulphureous smoke, then summoned it again in the other hand. He swung. The chain connected awkwardly with the cultist¡¯s shoulder, tearing away fabric, skin, and a bit of the mask as well. The cultist let out a howl of pain. Callan¡¯s main hand became free again as the metal retreated, flowing back into the cultist¡¯s sleeve. Right, metal shaping. Alyssa warned me about that. Callan eyed his opponent warily. No telling how much metal he¡¯s got hiding on his person. I can¡¯t let him get the drop on me again. They eyed each other warily. Callan cracked his fingers, waiting to see who would make the first move. Mortal¡ª ¡°Not now, Xeph.¡± Callan tensed, watching the cultist. Any moment... There! A lance of metal launched out of the priest¡¯s robes at the same moment Callan dove to one side. He swung his chain as he fell, but the length of the weapon worked against him now, flopping uselessly through the air, missing the cultist by nearly a foot or more. He landed with a grunt, rolled over, and leapt to his feet. His Wurmchain swung behind, already moving in for another strike, but that was as far as he got. Callan strained, but his arm refused to move. Turning, he realized that a spiral of silver now encircled him from wrist to shoulder. The metal dug painfully into his skin wherever it wasn¡¯t protected by Mountainform. Slowly, his arm began twisting towards his chest, moving Wurmchain towards his throat. Callan let the weapon puff away. Before he could summon it again, his other arm tightened. Another band of metal had snaked its way around him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this,¡± the cultist said, walking towards him. Callan twisted first one direction, then the other, trying to free himself. ¡°You just stay put here until... just stay.¡± He stopped in front of Callan and extended his hands. Two more bands of metal slipped from his robes, curling around Callan¡¯s legs and pulling them tight. The cultist turned away. ¡°I¡¯ll return as soon as I can.¡± ¡°Like Hell you will.¡± Callan¡¯s arms might have been restrained, but his hands weren¡¯t. He activated Shape Stone. The ground around the cultist¡¯s feet burst apart as stone rose up to grasp him. The priest let out a yelp of surprise. He almost fell over as the stone sealed around his legs. ¡°Seems like neither of us is going anywhere,¡± Callan said with a smirk. ¡°Why you¡ªif that¡¯s how you want to do it.¡± The metal bands around Callan began to grow tighter. His legs and upper arms screamed in protest. ¡°Shit! Shit!¡± No matter how he struggled, the metal wouldn¡¯t give. Every time he strained against it, the bands holding him just turned liquid and settled in a new place. Callan! Listen! Xeph¡¯s voice broke through his panic. You have your dispensation, yes? Use it! Oh. Right. Callan had forgotten about the ability he¡¯d earned after recruiting Kivi¡¯s village. ¡°How do I¡ª?¡± Just concentrate on the enemy priest! Despite the pain spreading through him, Callan narrowed his eyes and stared at the masked cultist. After a moment, a message appeared.
Dispensation: Wane activated! Cost = 1 Conviction per use Please select one or more of the following bounties: 1. Shape Metal 2. Velak Gaze 3. Sword Dance
While he didn¡¯t know what power the last two granted, Callan had a pretty good suspicion about the first one. He selected Shape Metal. Immediately, the pressure on his arms and legs cut off. A surprised gasp slipped from within the cultist¡¯s mask, but Callan ignored it. Without the priest actively using his orison, the bands were now little more than ordinary metal. And while they might be wrapped around his arms, they were thin and brittle. And he was an avatar with a good eighteen Brawn. With a flex that would have made Arnold Schwarzenegger proud, he cracked the metal on his arms, the pieces dropping to the ground around him with soft thuds. Arms free, he reached down and tore away the bands around his legs. ¡°But... how?¡± the cultist asked incredulously. ¡°Take a friggin guess.¡± Callan socked him in the side of the head. The mask, already damaged by his first punch, broke apart as its occupant crumpled to the ground in a boneless heap. From the dim light of the stars above, Callan could just barely make out the face of Rictee lying at his feet. He was surprised by that revelation, but only mildly. ¡°What now?¡± Now, we get this priest somewhere secure¡ªand hopefully outside of their temple¡¯s range. A sigh of resignation slipped from Callan¡¯s lips as he hoisted Rictee¡¯s comatose form onto his shoulder. ¡°Farmhouse jail it is, then.¡± 2-19 — Temple In Our Own Backyard Barnum¡¯s eyes went wide as he opened the door and saw Callan standing there, an unconscious Rictee over his shoulder. ¡°Honored yeth?¡± ¡°Enough with the act, Barnum. You said we could use your basement to store cultists. I¡¯m calling in that offer.¡± ¡°You mean¡ª?¡± The middle-aged yeth stepped aside to allow Callan entry, glancing at Rictee curiously as they passed. ¡°I¡ªI was friends with his father when we were children! Octar was always one of the mayor¡¯s most loyal supporters! What could have happened to turn his son against us?¡± ¡°Times change, I guess.¡± Callan glanced around, wondering where the entrance to this basement was, and if it had stairs. He didn¡¯t think Rictee could handle being dropped to the bottom if a ladder was involved. ¡°This way, Avatar, please.¡± Barnum motioned him forward. His wife poked her head from a nearby doorway, and he turned and made a shooing motion. ¡°Back to bed, Moas. Actually, no. Get dressed and fetch the mayor. I imagine she¡¯ll want to speak with our new guest.¡± ¡°Not until I¡¯ve had a turn with him,¡± Callan said darkly. The yeth glanced at him nervously, but he remained silent. Let the man draw what conclusions from that statement he wanted. The basement did, indeed, have a short flight of stairs. It was also little more than a hollowed-out hole in the ground, with a tiny window in one corner too small to climb through, and several jars upon a shelf cut into the dirt. ¡°Best get those out of here,¡± Callan said, indicating the jars. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want anything to get broken.¡± Barnum nodded. Gathering up the jars, he began to retreat, only stopping as Callan called after him, ¡°Oh, and leave the lantern.¡± Setting it on the ground, the middle-aged yeth retreated, leaving Callan alone with his prisoner. He stared down at Rictee, who was still out cold. ¡°Guess we know why he was questioning us the other day, huh?¡± Indeed. It seems he wished to confirm the rumors his god had been told about our priests. The only question that remains now is, by who? ¡°I¡¯d like to know the answer to that question, too. Anyone who¡¯s in on the secret about Kivi should know about me as well.¡± Yet Rictee had seemed genuinely surprised by what Callan could do tonight. That didn¡¯t strike him as an act. For whatever reason, his presence in the village remained a secret. Barnum returned, staggering under the weight of a metal bucket. ¡°I brought some water. Thought it might help rouse our... guest.¡± He refused to look at Rictee as he handed over the bucket. Callan hefted it with one hand, then glanced at the man. ¡°You want to be here for the interrogation?¡± The middle-aged yeth shuddered at the word ¡®interrogation¡¯. ¡°Not particularly.¡± ¡°Then best scamper off. Go keep an eye out for the mayor.¡± Once Barnum had retreated, the basement door clicking closed behind him, Callan unceremoniously overturned the bucket above Rictee¡¯s head. The cultist sat up, spluttering. ¡°Wha¡ª?¡± Before he had a chance to get anymore out, Callan activated his dispensation. This time he burned three Conviction to shut down all of the priest¡¯s powers. That only left him with a single point to use in an emergency, but better not to give Rictee any sense of false hope. ¡°Don¡¯t try using your bounties, they¡¯re useless to you now.¡± ¡°I¡ªI know. They shouldn¡¯t have worked in the first¡ª¡± The cultist glanced at Callan, seemed to realize who he was talking to, and immediately clammed up. Callan gave him a tight grin. ¡°Alright, start talking. Where is Veritas hiding? Who else in this village is a priest? Where¡¯s your temple?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ªI¡¯m not going to tell you anything.¡± Rictee crossed his arms, his look of defiance was only slightly ruined by the sudden quiver that ran through him. What happened to the overly chatty yeth back in the fields? Callan was getting a little tired of all this duplicity. ¡°I think you will,¡± he said, summoning Mountainform. Rictee shifted backwards a bit but didn¡¯t retreat further. ¡°You don¡¯t scare me. That might work on the lesser races, but yeth don¡¯t go around hurting each other.¡± Callan leaned in close, then held up a stone encrusted hand. He wriggled his fingers¡ªall five of them. ¡°Good thing I¡¯m not a yeth, then.¡± The man¡¯s eyes went wide. He opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Well, that is an interesting bit of information to learn.¡± Belinda said as she descended the steps, Radavan a step or two above her. Somehow Callan hadn¡¯t even heard the door above open. ¡°Though I suppose it does explain an inconsistency or two.¡± ¡°Mayor. Nice of you to join us.¡± Callan grabbed Rictee by the head. The yeth let out a shriek of terror. ¡°My coworker and I were just having a friendly chat. You were about to tell me all of your dirty little secrets, weren¡¯t you, Rictee?¡± ¡°How very droll. Release the cultist, Avatar.¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Callan said. He gave Rictee a little squeeze, just enough to make his point. The yeth whimpered. ¡°All this bullshit about being better than the other races isn¡¯t getting you anywhere. I think it¡¯s time we try a different approach.¡± ¡°Avatar. Your high priestess promised you would only use the threat of violence, not actual violence. You promised.¡± ¡°Yeah, well a promise built on fucking lies doesn¡¯t count for much.¡± Callan maintained eye contact with Rictee. He could see each individual bead of sweat dripping down the man¡¯s brow. ¡°Lies? What are you talking about?¡± Now Callan did face the mayor. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know, Belinda. Maybe we start with your son? Did you know that he¡¯s the leader of the very opposition you¡¯re trying to stamp out around here? I caught him and his little bridge buddies out in the woods, meeting with one of Veritas¡¯s croneys. This one.¡± He gave Rictee a shake. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Belinda paused, then started again. ¡°Of course I knew. Who do you think instructed him to infiltrate their little committee? It was the best way to keep an eye on their movements and make sure they didn¡¯t get up to any trouble.¡± She¡¯s lying, Xeph grumbled. Look at her face. She was as surprised by that revelation as we were. Callan didn¡¯t respond, not wanting to give anything away, but he¡¯d already figured out as much. If the mayor had known about the after-hours meetings in the woods, she¡¯d have mentioned it. Especially if they were meeting with cultists on the regular. Either Belinda was playing him in some even more complicated plot, or she simply hadn¡¯t known her own son had turned against her. ¡°Please.¡± Rictee¡¯s voice cut into Callan¡¯s musings. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything! I¡¯ve never seen one of my fellow priests without their mask, and we always meet in a different location. I¡¯ve never even gotten to see our temple, if one even exists! Please, believe me!¡± ¡°Give me one reason I should,¡± Callan said. He lifted Rictee up until the man was dangling by his toes. ¡°I swear! I don¡¯t know anything! Please!!!¡± ¡°Avatar, could I speak with you privately?¡± Belinda crossed her arms. ¡°Upstairs?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Callan let Rictee drop to the floor. The cultist let out a groan as he landed but seemed otherwise unharmed. He followed the mayor and her son upstairs. Barnum and his wife were sitting around their kitchen table. Belinda flicked a finger at them. ¡°Outside. Now.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s the middle of the night¡ª¡± Moas began, then cut off as the mayor turned on her. Without another word, the couple scurried out into the dark, closing the door behind them with a soft click. Belinda rounded on Callan. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever try something like that with one of my people again.¡± ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, I wasn¡¯t actually going to hurt him. He just needed a little fear to get him talking.¡± ¡°And how was I to know you weren¡¯t actually going to hurt him? It seems we¡¯re not the only ones with secrets. So, if you¡¯re not yeth, then what are you?¡± Callan glowered at her. ¡°That¡¯s hardly the main issue right now. You asked me to capture cultists, so that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing¡ªcapturing cultists. Isn¡¯t that what you wanted when you sent your little list over?¡± ¡°I wanted you to do as promised. Remove this other avatar from my plateau. Not threaten my people. Leave questioning Rictee up to me. I¡¯ve known the boy his entire life. His father, too. If he has any secrets to be pried out of him, I¡¯ll get to the bottom of it.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Oh, and how do you intend to go about that? By staring him to death?¡± Callan threw up his hands. ¡°My methods are my own concern. You simply focus on the task ahead of you. Go back to the guest house. Get some sleep. Tomorrow is what matters, not...¡± Belinda gestured toward the basement door. ¡°...This.¡± They stared at each other for a moment, the tension in the room thick as syrup. Finally, Callan turned away. ¡°Whatever. So long as you honor your agreement, I guess we can do things your way, Mayor.¡± He marched out the back door, slamming it behind him. Outside, Barnum and Moas were milling about aimlessly. They rushed over at his appearance. ¡°Is it safe to return inside?¡± In response, Callan held a finger up to his lips. He moved over to the nearest window. It had its shutters up, but he managed to insert a finger and pull them aside, allowing the light from within to spill out into the yard. Belinda¡¯s voice came from inside, clearly audible now. ¡°Of all the foolish¡ªwhat were you thinking, boy?¡± ¡°Our future,¡± Radavan replied. ¡°My future, and my son¡¯s. You won¡¯t be alive forever, mother. Who will protect us when we¡¯re gone?¡± ¡°You... be glad I was already planning to pass the reins to your sister when my time comes, because you certainly would have been out of the running now! Butcher¡¯s bloody backside, first Rym, and now this. I seem to be cursed by useless children.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean that, mother. I¡¯ve only been doing what I thought was right for everyone.¡± Radavan sighed, then let out a snort. ¡°And seriously, Alyssa? Let¡¯s not make jokes we can¡¯t take back. I love my sister, but she¡¯s as timid as a townmouse. The village would eat her alive as mayor.¡± ¡°You may be right on that front, boy, but what choice do you leave me? It seems I can¡¯t even trust my own flesh and blood anymore!¡± Callan let the shutter drop back in place. He doubted the occupants inside noticed, and at this point he didn¡¯t really care if they did. Turning to the awaiting couple, he nodded. ¡°Alright, you can probably go back in now.¡± As they hurried past him, he set off trudging through the dark. This evening had taken several unexpected turns, but at least they had some leverage against Veritas now. He couldn¡¯t say it had been a total waste of time. Just most of one. Human? There is something you should know. Callan sighed. He really couldn¡¯t take any more surprises tonight. Yet he forced himself to ask anyway. ¡°And what¡¯s that, Xeph?¡± Belinda. I noticed while we were in there that she is no longer amongst our faithful. It appears we found our traitor. ¡°Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake.¡±
It took all of his willpower not to march back there and kick in Barnum¡¯s front door. To give the mayor a piece of his mind, especially after all her talk about keeping promises. But on some level, he recognized he was growing too close to the problem. He needed to focus on what was important, and in that matter, Belinda had the right of it. Dealing with Veritas tomorrow took precedence, even over him finally reaching the second tier. In the morning he would speak with Kivi, and let her handle the errant mayor. He would have his hands full enough as it was trying to track down that temple. Amazingly, sleep came easily, even with everything currently occupying his brain. When he awoke the next morning to sunlight streaming through his window, it took a moment for his groggy brain to realize the implications of that. ¡°Crap!¡± He flung his blankets away and sat up. ¡°Do you always awake with such colorful epithets?¡± Kivi asked. She took a sip from a mug and set it on the table next to a waiting breakfast. Callan blinked at her. ¡°High Priestess?¡± ¡°As far as I know, yes. Unless Xeph has seen fit to strip me of the title.¡± ¡°No, I meant¡ª¡± He shook his head. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Watching you sleep, mostly. After that yeth boy attempted twice to wake you, I felt it prudent to stand guard personally. You¡¯ll need your rest for today, after all.¡± He sat up. ¡°I will, but probably not for the reasons you¡¯re thinking. After all, I¡¯m only going to be talking with Veritas, not fighting them.¡± ¡°Do not be so sure. If experience has taught me anything, it is that our plans rarely turn out how we wish them to.¡± Callan couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that. When Kivi looked at him in confusion, he waved her concern away. ¡°I¡¯ll explain in a minute. Pass me that plate, would you? I¡¯m famished.¡± In between bites of food, he recounted everything that had happened since they last talked. At first Kivi merely listened, but when he revealed what Xeph had told him about Belinda, her face darkened. ¡°I knew that yeth woman was hiding something. Everything about our negotiations went far too easily.¡± ¡°Yeah, but what I want to know is: why? What does she gain by not maintaining her faith to Xeph?¡± ¡°That is precisely what I intend to find out.¡± Kivi rose from her seat. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, Avatar, I intend to find the mayor and get to the bottom of this matter. Really, that woman! While her son¡¯s duplicitousness doesn¡¯t surprise me, this... Hmmph.¡± With that, the high priestess marched out into the village, leaving the door open behind her. Callan continued to work on his breakfast, taking his time and drawing what enjoyment from the experience he could. They¡¯d have work enough to deal with soon. On that note... ¡°Hey, Xeph, any ideas about where we should start looking for this temple?¡± Hmm. It will be somewhere near where we fought the yeth last night. While the domain range can vary based upon what choices went into the temple¡¯s development, it would be unusual for it to have a reach larger than one hundred yards prior to being upgraded. Which is not possible until the fourth tier. ¡°Okay, so something out in the fields or in one of the houses near the edge of town.¡± He tapped at his chin a moment. ¡°Probably the houses. If it was out in the open, I think someone would have noticed.¡± ¡°Noticed what?¡± Callan glanced up and saw Lisson standing in the doorway. He smiled and waved the yeth boy inside. ¡°Sorry, just ruminating with my head-mate about today¡¯s planned activities.¡± Human... how am I even supposed to go about translating ¡®head-mate¡¯??? Ignoring the god¡¯s squawking, he asked, ¡°So what brings you here?¡± ¡°Well, at first, I came to wake you up, but when nobody responded I returned to the fields. My father told me not to bother you today, that you needed to ¡®prepare¡¯, whatever that means. So obviously I came back to see if I could help.¡± The boy¡¯s earnestness brought a smile to Callan¡¯s face. ¡°As much as I¡¯d love some help, this is probably something Xeph and I need to do ourselves. Unless you happen to know where some mysterious hidden temple might be in the village.¡± He chuckled to himself, only to stop when he noticed Lisson¡¯s expression. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I... actually do know where a temple is hidden in the village.¡± The boy looked to one side, as if embarrassed. ¡°Wait, really?¡± It couldn¡¯t be that easy, could it? ¡°Please don¡¯t tell my father!¡± the boy blurted out. Then, seeming to realize the ridiculousness of what he''d just said, a blush shot up his face. "It''s just... I was exploring around, and I found something. I didn¡¯t know what it was, exactly. I guess I still don¡¯t. Might be it¡¯s not a temple after all. But if you¡¯re looking for something hidden in the village, I can take you to it.¡± Hmm. Seems as good a lead as any, Xeph mused. And it is certainly a better option than forcing our way into villagers¡¯ homes. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯d definitely get in trouble for doing that. Alright, Lisson, lead on.¡± They headed out the door, the yeth boy taking him in the direction of the village square. As they walked, Callan asked, ¡°So what did this place look like?¡± ¡°Well, it was a big room, and it had a table in it filled with jars. Ooh, and the table has a cloth covered in magic symbols! That sounds like it could be an altar, right?¡± It sounds like it could be someone¡¯s canning room, Xeph noted dryly. Callan suppressed an urge to laugh, lest the yeth boy get the wrong idea. ¡°And you really never mentioned it to anyone?¡± ¡°Nope?¡± ¡°How come?¡± Lisson stopped and turned to look at Callan. ¡°If you found a mysterious secret room in your village, would you tell anyone?¡± ¡°Good point,¡± Callan said with a grin. They started walking again. The boy led them through the village square, past the smithy, and to the back of the trading post. He stopped at a set of shuttered doors set into the ground near the building¡¯s back. ¡°Here it is. Let me just...¡± He stuck an arm through a small crack in the foundation, felt around a moment, and pulled back as something clattered inside. Callan tried one of the doors and found it opened easily. A small wooden bar lay on the inside. ¡°Is there another entrance to this place?¡± he asked. Why else would there be a bar on the inside? ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You¡¯ll see for yourself in a moment.¡± Lisson padded down the stairs into the darkness below. Callan hesitated a moment before following. He could feel not only his own uncertainties, but Xeph¡¯s as well. Mortal, I am unsure about this. We are much too far away for any temple to have reached the priest last night. ¡°Well, maybe your estimate was just wrong, Xeph.¡± Steeling himself, Callan ducked under a low hanging beam, then stepped into the room beyond. Perhaps... The god, however, did not sound particularly certain. Callan didn¡¯t pay his partner much mind, though, as his attention was drawn to their immediate surroundings. The basement room was just barely visible from the light leaking in behind them, showing a murky space no more than twenty feet across in any direction. Just as Lisson had said, there were no other entrances. Not even windows. ¡°Geez, why didn¡¯t Falchion volunteer this place as a prison? The atmosphere is more fitting.¡± Probably because it is too close to the town center. Any priests down here would feel their avatar¡¯s presence easily. ¡°Yeah, I got that. Just making an amusing quip.¡± Seriously, why did he bother wasting his best material like that? He shook his head in self-recrimination. By now, Callan¡¯s eyes had begun to adjust to the murk. It was then he saw it. ¡°Okay, yeah, that¡¯s definitely an altar.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lisson asked. ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°You just get a feel for these things when you¡¯re an avatar.¡± You¡¯ve seen one other altar in your time as my avatar. How does that in any way let you get a feel for sensing another? ¡°Quiet, Xeph.¡± Callan stepped forward. That said, you are right, this is an altar. Together, they stared down at the table, covered in a piece of blue cloth. Callan rubbed it between his fingertips, feeling how soft it was. Veloomian silk, Xeph confirmed. Besides the cloth, which were covered in symbols that he couldn¡¯t make sense of, there were also several unlit candles, and perhaps a half-dozen jars, just like Lisson had said. Still, even with Xeph¡¯s assurances, there was one surefire way to confirm his suspicions. Callan set a hand on the table¡¯s surface.
Alert: Foreign temple detected. Beginning desecration...
Conviction: 1/5 Conviction: 0/5
Error: Insufficient Conviction to fully corrupt this temple. Please restore Conviction and attempt again.
Dangit, I¡¯m starting to regret wasting all that Conviction on Rictee. It had seemed prudent at the time, but now, staring at the message in front of him, it felt like an extravagant waste. They didn¡¯t have the week it would take him to regenerate his supply, not with Veritas arriving in only a few hours! Mortal, look there. Do you see what I see? Callan turned, and at first, he didn¡¯t. After all, there was no way he was that damn lucky. Not in a million years. He had better odds of his cancer miraculously curing itself and winning the lotto in the same day. Because next to the altar was a sack absolutely overflowing with memory shards. He scooped up a handful and tossed them down his throat. Immediately a message appeared in his vision, confirming the restoration of his Conviction. ¡°Alright, time for corruption round two.¡± He rolled up his sleeves. With Lisson watching excitedly, he started lowering his hand towards the altar. ¡°STOP!!! You¡¯ll kill us all, you fool!¡± The cry from behind them froze Callan in place. Turning, he glanced over his shoulder. Silhouetted in the sunlight outside stood Belinda, hands on her hips, glowering down at them. Ah, Xeph said. 2-20 — Another Secret Revealed Quickly, Mortal! Prepare for battle! ¡°What?¡± Belinda. The mayor. She¡¯s a priest of Veritas! Why else would she have abandoned our faith? I¡¯ve suspected ever since last night, but here is our proof! ¡°I¡¯m not sure this really proves¡ª¡± Callan cut off. Now wasn¡¯t the time to be arguing with his head-mate. Raising his fists, he summoned Mountainform.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 5%
¡°Calm down, Avatar, there¡¯s no need for that.¡± Belinda made her way gingerly down the stairs. She glanced at Lisson. ¡°Grandson. How long have you known about this place?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡ªI wasn¡¯t¡ªPlease don¡¯t tell¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, calm down, boy. You¡¯re not in trouble.¡± She glanced at Callan. ¡°So, please tell us, how long have you known about this place?¡± ¡°Um... four years, maybe?¡± Four years? Xeph sounded as surprised as Callan felt. Had Veritas really been plaguing the village for that long? As if sensing his unspoken question, Belinda asked, ¡°And when did Veritas first appear in our village, do you recall?¡± ¡°At the start of planting season, I think?¡± The boy looked thoughtful, then nodded. ¡°I remember, I¡¯d just finished seeding the northeast field. My father sent me to town to get¡ª¡± He cut off as his grandmother held up a hand. ¡°Thank you, boy, that should suffice.¡± She looked at Callan. ¡°So, you see, Avatar, this altar cannot belong to Veritas. You have no reason to corrupt it.¡± ¡°How do you know I was corrupting it?¡± Callan asked, only to realize that was hardly the most important question at the moment. He opened his mouth to start over, but Belinda beat him to it. ¡°That is a conversation better held back in the privacy of my home.¡± Belinda glanced around. ¡°Better chairs, and better tea, too. Would you grant an old woman that much curtesy, before you start in with your hundred questions?¡± Callan crossed his arms. ¡°Maybe. Xeph?¡± Hmm. It may be worth humoring the yeth, if it leads to the answers we seek. But let her know that she is walking a dangerous line! She has roused the ire of a stone god, and if she isn¡¯t careful, we shall bring the full weight of mountains to bear upon her! ¡°Yeah, alright. He¡¯s cool with moving this conversation elsewhere.¡± That isn¡¯t what I said! As they trudged out of the basement, Callan turned to Lisson. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯d known about this place for years?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was important,¡± the boy said. At least he had the decency to look embarrassed. ¡°Don¡¯t go blaming my grandson. He can¡¯t have understood what that would mean.¡± Belinda glanced back at them. ¡°I imagine you¡¯ve got an inkling though, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I have a few working theories.¡± ¡°Hmm. Lisson.¡± The boy tensed as his grandmother spoke his name. ¡°Go collect the avatar¡¯s priests, if you would. No sense having this conversation more than once. Then perhaps tell your father what has happened. You needn¡¯t let him know your part in it,¡± she added, seeing the look of horror on Lisson¡¯s face. ¡°Now, go.¡± The boy ran off as fast as his legs would carry him. Callan turned and followed Belinda back to her house. The sun was moving steadily across the village, but there were hours still until Veritas¡¯s arrival. Lucky, that. He had a feeling they¡¯d need every one of them. Once inside Belinda¡¯s house, she busied herself in the kitchen while Callan sat with his arms crossed, watching her. One by one, Kivi and the two lud brothers arrived, followed by Radavan and Alyssa. ¡°Good. You¡¯re all here.¡± The mayor surveyed the room, a look of resignation on her face. Her gaze settled on Callan. ¡°So, you found my altar.¡± ¡°Your what?¡± Kivi said, sitting up straighter, almost spilling the tea in her hands. She hurriedly set it aside. ¡°Avatar, what is the mayor talking about?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to figure out myself, High Priestess.¡± Briefly, he explained about finding the room beneath the trading post. When he finished, Radavan let out a laugh. ¡°I told you that secret wouldn¡¯t last, mother. Honestly, it¡¯s amazing some village urchin didn¡¯t stumble across it before now.¡± Callan snorted, turning it into a rough cough as the yeth man looked at him. He asked, ¡°So you knew already?¡± His gaze darted between both Radavan and Alyssa. ¡°You both knew.¡± ¡°Of course. I have no secrets from my children.¡± Belinda¡¯s gaze landed on her son. ¡°No matter what secrets they keep from me.¡± Somehow I doubt that, Xeph grumbled. Callan grimaced in silent agreement. ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is this,¡± Kivi said. ¡°The altar down in the basement, whose is it? Not Veritas, surely?¡± ¡°No, of course not,¡± Belinda said with a shudder. ¡°It belongs to the wind goddess Athakolu.¡± There was silence around the table as Callan and Kivi glanced at each other. At last, the high priestess spoke. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive our ignorance, but... who?¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t expect a couple of Badlanders to recognize the name of some fourth sphere goddess from the north. Just wanted you to know the temple didn¡¯t belong to Veritas.¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry. We¡¯re going to need more of an explanation than that,¡± Callan said. ¡°Hmmph. Figured you would, but nobody can give an old lady the decency to let her work up to something anymore.¡± ¡°Perhaps if our time weren¡¯t of such a limited nature,¡± Kivi pointed out. ¡°If, perhaps, you had chosen to share this revelation with us before the day of the avatar¡¯s confrontation, we might be better prepared to take the information at a gradual pace.¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to butter it up, High Priestess. Only reason I didn¡¯t tell you before was because I didn¡¯t think it would be relevant. Not like my former deity should be of any importance to the current conflict.¡± ¡°Sorry, did you just say ¡®former¡¯ deity?¡± Belinda took a deep breath. ¡°Let me start at the beginning. You know how this village was founded by me, my husband, and Falchion?¡± They nodded. ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t just set out one day to found a village. We were led to this place. By Veritas.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°But I thought you just said¡ª¡± The mayor held up a hand for silence. ¡°I¡¯m getting to it. We came here, under orders from our goddess to finish the fight that Veritas had started up north. You see, these two deities had been at war with each other for, oh, five years or so at that point. I was just a newly initiated priestess at the time, but I and three dozen others followed Athakolu into the Badlands after Veritas¡¯s main temple was broken in Kipsing. ¡°It took weeks, but we eventually tracked them and their remaining priests down to this plateau. After a pitched battle, with all of their priests dead at her feet, our goddess struck a fatal blow to the enemy avatar. Unfortunately, at the last moment they managed to slip away. We searched and searched, but never found any trace of where Veritas went to ground, or where their last temple was hidden, either.¡± ¡°So is that why you remained here?¡± Kivi asked. ¡°Because your goddess never found her quarry?¡± Belinda nodded. ¡°With Veritas¡¯s cult broken, we knew they would have no power, would pose little threat, yet Athakolu would not allow the possibility of her enemy rising again. One of her archon¡¯s volunteered to remain behind, to watch for any sign of Veritas¡¯s return. That was the man who eventually became my husband. Perhaps a dozen of us stayed in total.¡± She looked down at the table. ¡°Now there¡¯s just me and Falchion left.¡± Glancing up, her eyes moved from first her children, then Kivi, and finally to Callan. ¡°My husband established the temple you discovered, and Falchion and I maintained it after he departed for the Cairn. I thought I¡¯d be able to continue to do so after accepting Xeph as my new god, but...¡± Ah, now it makes sense, Xeph said, his voice a rumbling purr. Without a tie to her goddess, she would not have been able to interact with the altar. It must have been quite the shock. Callan repeated Xeph¡¯s words to the others. When he was done, Belinda nodded. ¡°I admit, I panicked when that happened. My first thought was to abandon Xeph, refill the temple¡¯s reserves, and then swear my loyalty again without any of you becoming the wiser, but as you clearly know, it didn¡¯t work out that way.¡± No, it wouldn¡¯t. Once the bond was broken, she would need to visit her goddess in person to reestablish it again. That temple is now useless. It will continue draining its remaining conviction, and once it runs out it will fade away. When Callan repeated this last tidbit, the mayor hung her head. ¡°I suspected as much. Hoped otherwise, but still suspected.¡± ¡°But why did you say that my corrupting the temple would kill us all?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Honestly, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re using it for much anymore.¡± ¡°Because that temple is the only thing that¡¯s kept Veritas¡¯s own from covering the entire village in its domain. Unless you want that prisoner of ours to simply melt his way free or have the cult be able to strike even without Veritas present. We¡¯re at enough of a disadvantage as it is. Don¡¯t need to go adding more fuel to the fire.¡± This also explains why the mayor was so opposed to us establishing our own temple, Xeph mused. The domains would have fought each other, allowing Veritas¡¯s temple to overwhelm them both. ¡°I thought you said these temples wouldn¡¯t have a range of more than a hundred yards?¡± Callan asked. Only if it is a first-tier temple. If Veritas was here before, likely the temple they established still persists. Meaning it could be significantly more powerful¡ªwith an amplified range to match. ¡°Okay, fine. So the wind goddess temple stays.¡± ¡°Not for long, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Belinda sighed. ¡°It only had enough power to maintain itself for another week. Less now, if you managed to drain any away. My own fault for not powering it up again sooner.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I think we need to return to the more important matter at hand,¡± Kivi said. ¡°Mayor, you told us that you and your husband remained behind to watch for Veritas¡¯s return. The god has done so. Does this mean your former goddess, this Athakolu is coming here?¡± The mayor shook her head. ¡°Perhaps if I¡¯d sent a message when Veritas first appeared, priests might have arrived from the Reach by now, but I was arrogant. I thought we could handle this problem ourselves. Now I¡¯ve been cut off from all temple functions, and it¡¯s too late to send a message over land. Either your avatar defeats Veritas in a duel, or this plateau will soon be the next epicenter for their expanding kingdom.¡± ¡°Bullshit,¡± Callan muttered. Everyone glanced at him, and he realized the exclamation must have come out louder than he¡¯d thought. Whatever. He leaned into it. ¡°Total bullshit, Belinda. I bet you were just afraid this wind goddess of yours would sweep in here and ruin everything you¡¯ve worked to build over the last half-century or so.¡± ¡°Avatar? Why would you think that?¡± Kivi asked. She glanced at Belinda. ¡°That cannot be true, can it?¡± ¡°Hmmph.¡± The mayor crossed her arms. She and Callan locked eyes for a minute, but when they broke it was her who looked away. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s true. I¡¯ve done everything I can to shelter this town from the outside world. Can you imagine dozens of foreign priests showing up, bringing with them stories of what life is like up north? I¡¯d lose half the youngest generation, easily. If we¡¯re lucky, maybe a quarter of them would manage to make their way back once they also experienced the less glamourous side of living in civilization.¡± She stood up and moved towards a window. Glancing back, her eyes found Radavan¡¯s. ¡°I know you resent me for keeping the outside world at a distance, for limiting our trade prospects and our growth, but everything is so much better that way, don¡¯t you understand? Empires like the Reach can only grow by consuming what¡¯s around them, whether that be other nations or their own citizens, using them up and tossing them aside like so much chaff. There was a reason I chose to stay here, to work with your father at making a better life. For us, and for our children, and for our children¡¯s children.¡± ¡°Pretty words, mother,¡± Radavan said, his expression unreadable. ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s not your choice to make. Not anymore.¡± ¡°No, I suppose it isn¡¯t.¡± Sighing, she turned back to Callan. ¡°Well, now you know the whole truth. I never meant to keep anything from you, except to make sure the situation wasn¡¯t overcomplicated. Guess that could have gone better.¡± ¡°Yeah, it could have.¡± He cracked his knuckles. ¡°Alright, time to talk about what happens next.¡± ¡°I figured there would be consequences to this.¡± Belinda took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m ready, Avatar. Name your price.¡± Callan held up a finger. ¡°First, all those memory shards in that basement belong to me now. They¡¯re not going to do you any good anyway and might just make a difference in the coming fight.¡± Belinda opened her mouth to protest, then seemed to think better of it. As she closed it again, Callan held up a second finger. ¡°Next, whenever your wind goddess temple does fall, we¡¯re establishing one for Xeph in its place. At least for so long as we¡¯re here. It gives my priests an advantage in defending Aos and will help keep Veritas¡¯s domain from spreading.¡± ¡°Hmmph. Suppose that makes sense. Fine.¡± ¡°Third, you¡¯re going to tell me everything you remember about Veritas back when you first encountered them. No more trying to pass information through your daughter.¡± At Alyssa¡¯s surprised expression, Callan grinned. ¡°Yeah, I should have realized something about that whole story seemed off. Why would a priest have been practicing metal shaping behind your forge, and how would they have done so without Veritas present? In hindsight, it doesn¡¯t add up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what little I remember, but it isn¡¯t much,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Veritas was defeated fifty-seven years ago, and I was only sixteen at the time. Not much of my memory that far back is particularly clear anymore.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take whatever we can get. Finally¡ª¡± Callan held up a fourth finger. ¡°¡ªYou¡¯re going to swear your loyalty to Xeph again. Right here, right now.¡± ¡°Oh, that one¡¯s easy. I already did that. With her.¡± Belinda jerked a thumb towards Kivi. ¡°Wait, really?¡± ¡°Yes, my apologies, Avatar. When I confronted Belinda earlier this morning, she told me there had been an ¡®accident¡¯¡ª¡± She glowered in the mayor¡¯s direction. ¡°¡ªAnd that she never meant to sever her faith to Xeph. I merely forgot to pass it on to you amidst all of the revelations.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t be stingy, High Priestess. Let¡¯s do this thing.¡± Callan held out his hand. ¡°Is it really that important, Avatar?¡± Belinda asked as Kivi made her way around the table. ¡°After all, it is one mere faith. Can¡¯t count for that much.¡± This yeth has no idea... Xeph grumbled. Callan resisted the urge to chuckle. When Kivi reached him, she clasped his hand in her own. An involuntary gasp broke from Callan¡¯s lips. There was a jolt that ran through his body, one of pure, distilled energy like he hadn¡¯t felt since... well, ever, really. Ah, and there it is, Xeph said.
You have been awarded 1 additional faith.
Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 100 followers, your God Bond has increased to Gypsum ¡ª I. +1 to all stats. Quarantine threshold increased from base by 2.5% Conviction rate has increased. Mountainform¡¯s coverage has also slightly increased. Next God Bond threshold: 200 followers.
Congratulations! You have reached Gypsum tier! Number of available temples has increased to: 2 Maximum conviction has increased to: 10 Additional orison slot is now available.
Xeph¡¯s voice rumbled all around Callan, redolent with victory. Welcome to the second tier, mortal. Welcome to Gypsum. 2-21 — Gypsum
Congratulations! Due to crossing the required threshold of 100 followers, your God Bond has increased to Gypsum ¡ª I.
Callan stared at the message hovering in front of him. After so long, after so much struggle, he¡¯d finally reached the second tier. Arguably, this would put him on the same level as Veritas. But... He glanced at the lower half of the message.
Next God Bond threshold: 200 followers.
Two hundred followers to the next level. Two hundred. Double what he possessed right now. That was an incredible leap from talc¡¯s ten followers each. He needed to talk this over with Xeph, pronto. Preferably somewhere private. Pushing back his chair, Callan stood. ¡°Well, this has all been a fascinating series of revelations, but you were right about one thing, Mayor¡ªit doesn¡¯t really help with our current situation. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to go do what I can to prepare for Veritas¡¯s arrival.¡± ¡°Of course, Avatar.¡± The older yeth woman gave a nod. ¡°I¡¯m here whenever you want to discuss my past.¡± ¡°Yeah, that is definitely a conversation we¡¯ll be having soon.¡± Callan turned to leave before a thought occurred to him. He looked back. ¡°By the way, you probably want to send a message to your goddess as quick as you can.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Belinda stared at him. ¡°I thought I told you¡ª¡± ¡°I know, but there are a few facts you¡¯re unaware of that complicate matters. See, I scanned Veritas the last time they appeared, and by Xeph¡¯s estimate they have over two hundred and fifty followers.¡± The mayor paled. ¡°How? Our village doesn¡¯t have a quarter of that!¡± ¡°If I had to guess, your former goddess wasn¡¯t as thorough at rooting out their enemy¡¯s cult as she thought. Probably want to let her know to do a bit of housekeeping.¡± ¡°That¡¯s... Of course. I¡¯ll send someone immediately. It may take them a few weeks to get there, though. Won¡¯t be much help to us in the coming conflict.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Alyssa said quickly. Everyone looked at her. ¡°I¡¯ve studied your maps, mother. I know the way to the Southern Reach. I can find Athakolu and deliver the message.¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t be absurd, girl, you¡¯d be eaten alive before you ever escaped the Badlands. I¡¯ll send your uncle. Falchion might be old, but at least he should remember the way to Athakolu¡¯s main temple well enough.¡± ¡°Then let me go with him.¡± There was a pleading note in Alyssa¡¯s voice. Callan glanced at her. Whatever it was she wanted out of this conversation, it was apparently enough to let her mask slip. There was more fire in her voice than he¡¯d ever heard her use around her mother. Belinda clearly noticed as well. Her eyebrows rose as she studied her daughter. ¡°You that worried about letting your lover out of your sight, daughter?¡± Radavan, who¡¯d been in the process of taking a drink of tea, spat it across the table. Callan barely managed to leap out of the way in time. ¡°What?¡± The yeth farmer looked at his sister in shock. ¡°Alyssa, tell me you didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you dare judge me, Rad. Not after you¡¯ve been meeting with the enemy in secret for weeks without telling us!¡± ¡°You told her about that?¡± Radavan shot daggers at his mother. A hand gently slipped into Callan¡¯s own. Kivi looked up at him, then tugged him gently towards the door. ¡°Come, Avatar. Let us leave the family to work out their issues.¡± ¡°High Priestess.¡± Callan glanced back at the table, where Alyssa and Radavan were now nose-to-nose, practically screaming in each other¡¯s faces. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s.¡±
Callan leaned back on his bed in the guest house and tried to get comfortable. Inside his head, Xeph shifted restlessly. Shall we begin? ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just... just let me take a moment to savor this.¡± He drew in a deep breath, then pulled up his stat sheet.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 19 Momentum: 17 Fortitude: 41 Concentration: 17 Influence: 17 Piety: 18 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Gypsum ¨C I Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc ¨C X) Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - X) Orison slot 3: *Locked* -DISPENSATIONS- Perk 1: Wane -DOGMA- Total Followers: 100 Available Faith: 12 Conviction: 5/10 Conviction Rate: 5.5/week Temples: 1/2 Domain: 18 yd APOTHEOSIS: 0/27.5%
¡°...Huh.¡± Xeph let out a loud sigh. What is the matter, mortal? I thought you¡¯d be more excited. ¡°Oh, I am, just... I guess not much has changed? Didn¡¯t you tell me once that the next tier is usually associated with a big jump in power?¡± So far, it seemed like most of his improvements had been the same as normal. +1 to each of his stats, a slight improvement to his conviction rate. Though his entire conviction pool was double its previous size now, so that was kind of nice. Also, his Apotheosis had gone from 25% to 27.5%. Not huge, but even just being able to use Shape Stone one more time before it ran out might make the difference one day. I told you before that your orisons would increase in power once they were raised to the next tier. I said nothing about yourself. Though it is true, once one of your stats passes the first hundred threshold, there should be a noticeable difference. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Okay, I guess that makes sense.¡± His eyes drifted to his bounties. For some reason, all three were listed in an angry red color. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up with the color change? I understand why the new slot would be red, but the other two are unlocked already, aren¡¯t they?¡± Ah, but they are not unlocked for the second tier, remember? Callan did remember. He¡¯d tried unlocking one of them weeks ago, only to encounter an error about needing more conviction¡ªten, specifically¡ªto open it. ¡°Should I do that now? I¡¯ll need to get eating more memory shards then.¡± Perhaps, once the mayor has her supply brought to us. For the moment though, you possess sufficient conviction to unlock your new slot. Let us focus our attention there, first. Right, a new slot would also mean a new ability. Possibly something that could make the difference in fighting Veritas. Plus it would be one more ability for all of his priests to wield.
Would you like to open this slot? Cost = 5 Conviction
With a thought, he confirmed. The text for his new orison slot changed from *Locked* to *Awaiting Selection*, and a new window appeared in his vision.
Alert: You may choose one of the following Orisons:
  1. Caltrops
  2. Dveorgeye
  3. Rock Sling
  4. Heat Stone
¡°Wait, I still get to pick from my previous choices?¡± Callan was honestly surprised. He¡¯d totally figured that when he¡¯d passed on Caltrops and Dveorgeye before he¡¯d never see the choices again. Of course you can! What would be the point of only making them available once? You will always have a chance to learn an orison at a later time. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not complaining. Just surprised, that¡¯s all.¡± Callan focused his attention on the two new options. Rock Sling and Heat Stone. Both intriguing names, but were they any better than the choices he¡¯d had before?
Orison: Rock Sling Creates a small stone next to the user and immediately launches it in the direction of their choosing. Travels a total of 10 feet. Apotheosis cost = 20%
Orison: Heat Stone Increases the temperature of a natural stone until it is hot to the touch. May affect any stone within 3 feet of the user. Apotheosis cost = 15% per cubic foot of stone affected
¡°Don¡¯t the apotheosis costs for those abilities seem high?¡± They are in proportion to what an avatar of the second tier is expected to be able to handle. Besides, don¡¯t forget that your actual apotheosis cost will only be half what is shown thanks to our bond. Xeph made a good point, but still... even 10% just to fling a rock at someone seemed expensive. Especially since he could do that just as easily by just picking up a rock and hurling it himself. Heck, with his increased Brawn, he could easily get even a decent sized rock further than ten feet. But he also had to remind himself that these abilities would get better as he invested points into them. It was just a matter of what he thought might be useful, both right now and in the future. And honestly, after Xeph¡¯s revelation about Dveorgeye¡¯s additional uses, he was tempted to pick that. Being able to see in the dark had so many applications. Caltrops too. They could make barricades around town, keep Veritas and their priests from getting in except through narrow kill zones... He was getting ahead of himself, though. Noticing something about the wording for Heat Stone, he asked Xeph, ¡°What¡¯s up with the ¡®natural stone¡¯ part? I saw that before on Shape Stone¡¯s description.¡± Ah, yes. That actually relates nicely to the other new orison you were offered. Notice how it mentions ¡®creating¡¯ a stone? ¡°Yeah?¡± Such a stone would be considered ¡®unnatural¡¯ in terms of how it is affected by your orisons. So if you chose Rock Sling, you would be unable to use Shape Stone to reshape the rocks it created, nor would you be able to heat them if you chose the other orison later. That said, there are other abilities that can lessen or negate the limitations concerning natural stone, so do not let that be an impediment to choosing. ¡°Alright, I guess I can do that.¡± Callan studied the list some more and shook his head. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not sure either of these new orisons is doing it for me. How hot would this heated stone get, exactly? Hot enough to burn? Because I can¡¯t really see it being much use. Maybe against these cultists, but against Zavastu? Not so much.¡± Hmmph. Not every orison is centered around combat, human! In fact, in the past Heat Stone¡¯s primary use was for the cooking and reheating of food. It is a valuable tool to have, especially when one spends long periods underground without proper ventilation for a traditional cookfire. ¡°Wait a minute, is this why there were no kitchens in your temple?¡± Callan slapped at his face. ¡°Oh, it all makes sense now.¡± So which ability are you leaning towards? ¡°I really have no idea.¡± Callan closed the various windows in front of him, returning to his main interface. ¡°I should probably discuss it with Kivi before making a choice. After all, whatever I pick will affect her and the other priests as much as me.¡± That is a very logical decision. ¡°Yeah, well I¡¯m capable of those every once in a while.¡± Yes, yes. On that note, I must say, mortal, I was pleasantly surprised at how you acted earlier with the mayor. Callan blinked. ¡°Oh? How so, Xeph?¡± Just that you took the news of Belinda¡¯s past rather calmly. No yelling or accusations, no smoldering anger. After that little display with the prisoner last night, I was expecting more theatrics. Instead, you comported yourself as one who is the avatar of stone and mountains should. Perhaps there is hope for you yet. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t give me too much credit. I sure wanted to scream at Belinda for outright lying to us, not to mention withholding critical information that could make the difference between victory and defeat here.¡± So why didn¡¯t you? A bemused smile crept up Callan¡¯s face. ¡°I mean, you and Kivi have been warning me time and time again about how duplicitous yeth are. Getting mad at Belinda for hiding secrets is like seeing a ¡®beware of dog¡¯ sign, then getting upset because you were bit trying to pet it.¡± Are... signs like these common in your world? Why would the owners simply not train their dogs not to bite? ¡°That¡¯s not the point, Xeph.¡± Callan sighed and slid his feet off the bed. ¡°I should be expecting everyone in this village to be hiding something from me at this point, so why should the mayor be any different? Matching wits with someone when I only have half the facts just comes with the territory.¡± Perhaps, Xeph said. He trailed off, and Callan thought he was done. Just as he stood up, the god added, I do worry that the high priestess and I may have given you a... unbalanced view of yeth culture. Most do not trade in such volume of secrets as this village does, nor of such severe consequences. I hope our experiences here will not color your future interactions with the yeth race. ¡°You can relax, Xeph. I¡¯m not so petty as to judge an entire race just by the actions of a few people. Believe me, I saw firsthand the kind of trouble that sort of narrow-minded thinking caused back in my own world.¡± As an afterthought, he added, ¡°Besides, everyone is entitled to their secrets. A few little white lies are probably the only thing that keep a lot of friendships from imploding. Like when I tell you that your snoring doesn¡¯t really keep me up at night.¡± My¡ªI do not snore, mortal! I do not even possess the proper organs to replicate such a noise! A grin spread across Callan¡¯s face. ¡°But you¡¯re going to wonder now every time you sleep, aren¡¯t you? No real way to know for certain.¡± Of all the... why do I put up with your nonsense? ¡°Because your options were between having me or a broachnid for a host.¡± Callan turned around, only to find himself almost face-to-face with Alyssa. The yeth woman gave him a mischievous smile as he jumped back. ¡°How long have you been standing there?¡± he asked, once he¡¯d managed to get his heartrate under control. ¡°Hmm. Long enough.¡± Alyssa¡¯s smile took on a softer edge. ¡°So, everyone is entitled to their secrets? Even me?¡± ¡°Is there a reason you shouldn¡¯t be?¡± The woman shrugged noncommittally. ¡°Just at the rate you¡¯re going, there won¡¯t be any stone in the village left unturned before the end of the harvest season. Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with that, I suppose. My affair with Falchion was bound to come out sooner or later. Good thing my mother is sending him away, because it sounds like Millica won¡¯t even let him back into the house now.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t bothered by that?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Not particularly. Falchion knew what this was when it started.¡± Alyssa stretched and moved towards the door. ¡°So are there any other secrets I should know about?¡± Callan called after her. ¡°I mean, anything that affects my work here opposing Veritas?¡± Alyssa glanced over her shoulder at him, and though she was smiling, there was a sad note to it. She looked on the verge of saying something, only to change her mind at the last moment. ¡°My mother wanted me to come collect you. Veritas has been sighted. They should be arriving in the town square at any moment.¡± She slipped outside. From within his head, Xeph let out a chuckle. It appears consulting with the high priestess will have to wait. 2-22 — Meeting Face to Not-Face Callan stood beneath the shadow of the town weathervane, Belinda to one side, Rictee on his other. The bound cultist stared at the ground and refused to respond whenever Callan attempted to engage him in conversation. ¡°Dang, you really did a number on him,¡± he finally said to Belinda. ¡°What exactly happened after I left the basement?¡± The mayor gave a victorious little smirk. ¡°I told you, Callan, I know my people. There is little that I can¡¯t get my way on, given enough time.¡± ¡°Is that why you weren¡¯t particularly bothered that your son straight-up turned against you?¡± The words slipped from Callan¡¯s mouth before he could call them back. In his head, Xeph muttered darkly. ¡°Indeed.¡± Belinda held her smirk, though its edges tightened ever so slightly. ¡°That boy has always been headstrong. It would have made him a good mayor one day, if he weren¡¯t also so rebellious. Luckily, I just about have Alyssa trained for the position, assuming she ever learns to find her confidence.¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t worry too much on that front.¡± When the mayor looked at him curiously, Callan covered his smile with a cough. ¡°So did Rictee here tell you anything useful?¡± ¡°No, unfortunately. It seems he spoke the truth about being kept in the dark. This latest avatar of Veritas¡¯s is clever, whoever they are.¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been thinking about that,¡± Callan said. ¡°Is there any chance it¡¯s the same avatar that your goddess failed to kill? I mean, you¡¯re still alive and kicking after fifty-something years. Why wouldn¡¯t they be?¡± Belinda glanced nervously at the gathered yeth around them. Most were keeping their distance, clearly sensing a different mood to the proceedings with Rictee bound and tied. Lowering her voice, she said, ¡°Possible, but I doubt that. Still, it doesn¡¯t particularly matter.¡± ¡°No, I suppose it doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°By the way, Callan, I owe you my thanks.¡± The mayor shifted uncomfortably as she said this. ¡°You could have packed up and left after you learned about my... my past. Yet you¡¯re still here. Don¡¯t think I¡¯m unappreciative of that fact.¡± ¡°Hey, last I checked we still had an agreement. You hiding information makes the job more difficult, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that the job needs doing.¡± Callan ignored the sharp look Belinda gave him, instead staring into the distance. Did he see a figure approaching from the edge of town? It could just be a last-minute straggler, but it could be Veritas, too. Darn it, maybe he should pick Dveorgeye. There were so many useful applications to that orison. ¡°Anyway, wouldn¡¯t Veritas just steamroll you if we up and left? After all, it was the implicit threat of your wind powers that was keeping him from using a direct assault before.¡± From the shocked expression on the mayor¡¯s face, Callan assumed he¡¯d guessed directly. Xeph let out a laugh like a cascading landslide. Of course, I should have realized. With her temple powering her orisons, the yeth could have held her own against Veritas¡ªassuming the god was as weak as we originally thought. I fear it would not have gone as she planned had it actually come to blows. Callan silently agreed. The mayor had been blustering against the god because she¡¯d assumed they were on even footing. So far that had worked, keeping the conflict to mostly civil conversations, but it was a dangerous game to play long-term. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± the mayor confirmed. ¡°It was a gamble having both Falchion and I pledge ourselves to Xeph. Please do not let me regret that decision.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± The figure in the distance had drawn closer now, and yep, that was definitely Veritas, resplendent in their signature wolf-headed mask. As they walked down the street, cultists slid silently from between houses and joined them. Five in all. So with Rictee here, that meant at least six priests. Belinda had said she thought no more than eight. Could be there was still a priest or two hiding in the community. Hopefully it wouldn¡¯t matter soon. Veritas came to a halt several feet from Belinda. Their mask traced over Callan with hardly a pause, coming to rest on Rictee a moment before snapping back to the mayor. ¡°Belinda. What is the meaning of this? Why have you subjugated one of your own citizens? Did they attempt to exercise their right to freedom?¡± ¡°The only thing this one has done is make the mistake of siding with you.¡± Belinda turned to the gathered yeth crowd. ¡°Rictee here admitted to joining Veritas¡¯s cult. Know this¡ªI¡¯m well aware of the bridge committee my son is leading. You are all welcome to have your little opposition parties. In fact, I welcome the discourse. But the moment you actively side with that thing¡ª¡± she pointed at Veritas. ¡°¡ªYou invite exile from the village. Consider these words to be your final warning. Anyone want to step forward and beg forgiveness? Well?¡± Her eyes trailed over the crowd, then lingered on each of the masked priests clustered around Veritas. None moved or spoke. ¡°Technically, you son isn¡¯t our leader,¡± a voice in the crowd piped up. ¡°He¡¯s more like our spokesperson to the rest of the community. But we¡¯re having a vote next week to¡ª¡± The yeth, who Callan suspected was the same pedant who¡¯d complained about the committee name the other night, cut off immediately as Belinda turned a glower in his direction. Once she was satisfied, she turned back to Veritas. ¡°So, you know that this one now belongs to me.¡± Though their voice held no hint of emotion, Callan thought he caught a slight pause, like Veritas was weighing each word as they said it. ¡°Very well, name your price for his return.¡± ¡°Oh, you think he¡¯s a prisoner, do you?¡± Belinda said. ¡°That¡¯s not how we do things in a yeth community, Veritas. If he¡¯s yours, he¡¯s yours.¡± Moving over to Rictee, she tugged at his bindings. The rope holding him in place tumbled to his feet. Rictee stared about him in shock, rubbing absentmindedly at his wrists as Belinda stepped away. ¡°Well, Rictee? You¡¯re free now.¡± Belinda gestured at Veritas. The cultist glanced between Veritas and the mayor. He took a hesitant step forward. ¡°Just remember what I said, Rictee. This is your final warning. You go with them, you¡¯re exiled, you understand?¡± Rictee paused. He glanced again at Veritas, who stood like a statue, staring at nothing. Then without warning he turned towards Belinda and fell on his knees. ¡°Please, Mayor, forgive me! I forsake Veritas and deny his cult! Please don¡¯t make me leave the village!¡± ¡°There, there.¡± Belinda held out a hand and helped Rictee to his feet. She turned towards the crowd. ¡°You see? Rictee realizes there is no future with Veritas. He¡¯s seen the light, the wisdom of trusting in my wisdom. Are there any others here who wish to do the same?¡± ¡°Clever. I wonder what you said to poor Rictee to scare him bad enough to forsake a sacred vow. Yet, no matter.¡± Veritas turned towards the crowd. ¡°As I have told you all before¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not done yet. Your time of preaching to my people is at the end. I have some new friends I¡¯d like you to meet, Veritas.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. You mean these lud priests you have been hosting, hoping I wouldn¡¯t notice their stench?¡± Veritas tilted their head. ¡°I noticed.¡± ¡°Then I will not keep you waiting any longer.¡± Kivi stepped out the smithy where she¡¯d been waiting, flanked on either side by Paeral and Sworv. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kivi, high priestess to the god Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°High Priestess?¡± There was a note of surprise in Veritas¡¯s voice as Kivi joined Belinda. ¡°Your god thought me so much of a threat to their territory that they sent their high priestess themselves to deal with me? I¡¯m not certain whether to be amused or touched.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Kivi studied the assembled cultists. ¡°Is it not proper for two high priests to introduce themselves when they come face to face? Who amongst your inner circle stands at the head of your church?¡± ¡°That would be I,¡± one of the masked priests said, stepping forward. ¡°Greetings. I am Kivi, of Leadership caste, but this you already know. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?¡± The other priest remained silent. Veritas let out an echoing laugh. ¡°Did you honestly expect that to work? You¡¯ll not pry our secrets from us that easily.¡± ¡°According to protocol, when two avatars meet¡ª¡± ¡°Do not quote divine protocol to me, girl,¡± Veritas growled. ¡°I was there when it was written.¡± Somehow, I doubt that, Xeph muttered. ¡°Besides, you are wasting your time. There are no other avatars here, just you and your ill-advised attempt to aid this bully of a mayor. What do you expect to do without even a temple to aid you? This is all a foolish waste of¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong,¡± Callan said. The masked avatar turned and truly looked at him for the first time. ¡°There is another avatar here.¡± ¡°Veritas, allow me to introduce you to Callan Whitlocke, avatar to the god Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± The smug expression on Kivi¡¯s face was worth its weight in gold. It took all of Callan¡¯s willpower not to laugh. ¡°This¡ª¡± Veritas froze, staring at Callan. A shiver ran down his spine, and he knew intrinsically that the other avatar was scanning him, reviewing the limited information about his interface that was available. After a moment, Veritas gave a shudder and shook his head. ¡°I... see. It appears that I was mistaken.¡± They seemed genuinely shocked. Callan knew he¡¯d never have a better moment to strike. Metaphorically speaking, of course. ¡°I¡¯ve come to depose you, Veritas.¡± He drew in a deep breath, and when he spoke next, Xeph spoke with him, the words infused with the god¡¯s power. ¡°I, Xeph-Zul-Karatl, do hereby challenge you to a ritual duel for the right to this plateau. Refuse now at your own peril.¡± ¡°A duel?¡± The god stared at him sightlessly. ¡°Very well. Name your terms.¡± Huh. That had been easier than Callan thought it would be. He scrambled to remember the next part. ¡°If we win, you leave this plateau forever. You will never return, in this avatar or any other. If any of your followers wish to depart with you, they may do so without ill will or harm, but they too are never to return. You will also seek no sanctuary in any plateau between here and Tokash, the seat of Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡¯s power. These are our terms.¡± ¡°I find these terms... acceptable.¡± Veritas appeared lost in thought for a moment. At last, they spoke. ¡°If I should win, then Belinda and all of her direct descendants go into exile. They, too, may never again set foot on this plateau or any other territory to which I lay claim. These are my terms.¡± ¡°Um.¡± The proclamation caught Callan off-guard. They¡¯d been expecting the other avatar to demand that Xeph be exiled, not the mayor. He glanced at Belinda, who gave a brief nod. ¡°We accept.¡± ¡°Very well. I also ask this¡ªallow me five days to prepare. After that, I shall return here for our duel.¡± Hmm. If that is a stalling tactic, it is a rather short-sighted one, Xeph noted. ¡°So is that a yes or a no?¡± Callan muttered out of the corner of his mouth. I cannot see what benefit they hope to gain from a mere five days. We should allow it. ¡°That¡¯s fine with Xeph.¡± Veritas nodded. ¡°Then we shall determine our first challenge at that time.¡± They turned to leave, robes sweeping the ground around them. A half-dozen paces away and they turned around. ¡°I do hope you know what you are doing, avatar of Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go counting on your victory before we¡¯ve even begun, Veritas. I think you¡¯ll find me more than a formidable opponent.¡± ¡°Hmm, perhaps. That, however, was not what I meant.¡± For a brief moment, the avatar stared at Belinda. Then they turned and marched away, cultists scurrying after them. Callan stood there, frowning to himself. That had... happened faster than he¡¯d expected. He still hadn¡¯t had time to process everything, but it appeared their plan had worked, at least. They had their duel. Now all he had to do was win. ¡°Is it true, mayor?¡± someone in the crowd shouted. ¡°Is this another avatar?¡± ¡°You heard what Veritas said. What reason would we have to lie about something like that?¡± Belinda responded testily. A ripple of mutters ran through the crowd. At last, someone else spoke up. ¡°And is it true you promised we would have to pledge ourselves to this Xeph-Zul-Karatl?¡± ¡°Who told you that?¡± Belinda looked shocked. She quickly composed herself, but not before half the crowd noticed. ¡°There are certain... stipulations we as a community will be forced to meet to repay the avatar for his services, but no one who truly protests will be forced to swear an oath.¡± The mayor had better be careful, Xeph muttered. If too many take her up on that offer, she¡¯ll find she¡¯s forcing some of them just to meet our quota, no matter what she¡¯s promised. Indeed, Belinda¡¯s confirmation had shifted the mood of the crowd noticeably. Now there were small pockets of conversation everywhere, and Callan caught more than a few dark looks being shot in his direction. ¡°Come,¡± Belinda took him by the arm. ¡°Let¡¯s return to my house to discuss this whole matter further. There¡¯s nothing to be gained staying and enduring this lot¡¯s complaints.¡± She tugged Callan through the streets, Kivi following in their wake. Soon enough they were back at the mayor¡¯s home. They stepped through the backdoor and into her well-lit kitchen. ¡°Finally, a little breathing space.¡± Belinda collapsed into a chair. She looked up at Callan. ¡°First things first. How do you feel that went?¡± ¡°...Well, I think?¡± Too well, Xeph added. ¡°Too well,¡± Belinda echoed. ¡°Veritas almost certainly has something planned. Why did you go and let them run off for five days? Damn foolish, that was.¡± Callan ignored Xeph¡¯s squawking and crossed his arms. ¡°Because it was the honorable thing to do, that¡¯s why.¡± ¡°Hmmph. Suppose I should have expected something of the sort from you. Just don¡¯t let this other god take advantage of you so much you end up losing sight of our goal¡ªor just plain losing.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to lose,¡± Kivi said. She glanced at Callan. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Right, High Priestess. Xeph and I have a plan.¡± Plus a few backup ones, but no reason for the mayor to know about those. The fewer weak links, the better. Belinda opened her mouth to speak, but at just that moment the back door opened, and Radavan stepped inside, followed by his sister. ¡°We haven¡¯t missed anything important, I hope.¡± ¡°No, just getting the avatar¡¯s feel for situation and¡ªwhat in the blazes happened to you, girl?¡± Alyssa shrunk beneath her mother¡¯s attention. From where he sat, Callan could just barely make out a dark ring around one of the girl¡¯s eyes. Already the skin was getting puffy and swollen. ¡°Was that from Falchion?¡± he asked, an unexpected flare of anger running through him. Alyssa¡¯s eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anyone! Just a little accident around the forge, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Besides, Falchion left already for the north,¡± Belinda said matter-of-factly. Her daughter started, then rounded on her. ¡°Already? When?¡± ¡°Shortly after his wife threw him out of the house. I sent him off with what few supplies we had around here. Truth be told, I think he was glad to be going.¡± Alyssa turned and made for the door. ¡°If I hurry, perhaps I can catch him before he leaves the plateau.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll do no such thing, girl.¡± Even though Belinda didn¡¯t raise her voice, it cut through the room like ice. Her daughter froze, hand resting on the door handle. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, mother. Falchion promised¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what promises he whispered in your ear while you were beneath him. He¡¯s gone. If he¡¯s smart, he won¡¯t bother to come back. The old fool can spend his remaining days living in one of Athakolu¡¯s hermitages.¡± Belinda let out a snort. ¡°Honestly, might do the man some good. Now, sit down.¡± Glowering, Alyssa returned to the table and dropped into a chair. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve settled that matter, let us return to the more important issue.¡± Belinda turned to Callan. ¡°Veritas may be planning something, they may not. We shouldn¡¯t remain idle either way. You¡¯ve been given five days to prepare for this duel, so I suggest you do just that. No need to maintain the farmhand charade any longer.¡± Radavan made a strangled noise and looked like he was going to complain, then seemed to think better of it. After glancing briefly at her son, Belinda continued, ¡°You should also do what you can to determine who the remaining priests are. The more of them I can pin down for a little ¡®chat¡¯ the more we might get to defect away from Veritas. If they¡¯re stripped of their priests, it¡¯s possible we can defang this avatar before the duel even begins.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it,¡± Callan said. ¡°Based on our analysis, Veritas would be a powerhouse in a straight fight, even without their priests. But Xeph and I will do what we can to try and root out a few others.¡± ¡°Good. Just let me know if you need anything from the village.¡± ¡°There is another matter,¡± Kivi said. All eyes turned to her. ¡°We should consider building some fortifications around town. I did not suggest it before as it would have drawn undue attention, but now that there is no need to hide any longer, it might be prudent to be prepared, should a direct confrontation become unavoidable.¡± ¡°Hmm, fortifications, eh? We¡¯re farmers, High Priestess, not soldiers, but I imagine we might be able to come up with a few ideas. I¡¯ll ask around for volunteers that can spare time away from the fields.¡± The lud girl gave Belinda a sly smile. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Mayor. Xeph¡¯s priests should be more than up to handling the task ourselves. It will only require some time, something that we have in plenty, it seems.¡± ¡°Alright, if you say so.¡± Belinda stood up. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to go see what I can do about quieting the mutters of rebellion that today¡¯s little show most likely stirred up. Best of luck in your preparations, Avatar.¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± Callan watched Belinda leave, then turned to Kivi. ¡°High Priestess, would you mind accompanying me to the guest house?¡± ¡°Of course not, Avatar. Is there something you need help with?¡± ¡°Kind of. It¡¯s time the two of us make a bit of a group decision about the direction our clergy will be taking.¡± 2-23 — Eeny, Meeny, Miny ¡°I should think your choice obvious, Avatar.¡± Callan blinked at Kivi. She stared back at him, expression unreadable. Finally, he said, ¡°I would counter it¡¯s not, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be asking you in the first place.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Kivi considered him for a moment. ¡°You say you were offered four choices¡ªthe same two previous orisons, along with this Rock Fling¡ª¡± ¡°Sling.¡± ¡°¡ªRock Sling, yes. And Heat Stone. So yes, the choice is obvious.¡± Callan resisted the urge to scrub his face with the palm of his hand. ¡°Do you want to try that a third time? A little slower, maybe?¡± ¡°You should take Rock Sling.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you. That explains everything in a nice, succinct package.¡± What are you talking about, Mortal??? That doesn¡¯t explain anything! ¡°I know that, Xeph!¡± Callan threw up his hands and started pacing back and forth across the small guest house while Kivi watched him from the bed. ¡°I was being sarcastic! You know what sarcasm is, I know you do, I¡¯ve heard you use it before.¡± Hmmph. Maybe if you enunciated the tone of your voice properly¡ª Callan turned back to Kivi. ¡°Explain your reasoning, High Priestess. Because honestly, Dveorgvision feels like the solid choice.¡± ¡°Dveorgvision offers us no significant advantage against Veritas.¡± ¡°Yeah, and we won¡¯t be fighting Veritas forever. I¡¯m trying to think in terms of long term here.¡± ¡°True, but we will also be fighting Zavastu again, eventually.¡± Kivi stated it like such a known fact that Callan couldn¡¯t bring himself to argue. Honestly, even on his more optimistic days he felt like a fight with the fire goddess would be inevitable. No way someone that powerful just took what he¡¯d done to her priests lying down. And if the wind god Athakolu was willing to follow Veritas all the way to some remote plateau in the Badlands just to finish the job, he didn¡¯t doubt for a second that a temperamental fire goddess would do the same. Luckily, that was a problem for a much, much later worry. He turned his attention back to Kivi. ¡°Alright, so Dveorgvision is lacking in combat applications. There¡¯s still Heat Stone.¡± ¡°For which the future combat applications are unknown. Even Xeph admits he doesn¡¯t know how much work it would take for you to make it combat-feasible.¡± Technically, all I said is that I was unaware of which tier it advanced past the melting point of stone, Xeph grumbled. I imagine it will have combat applications well before then. ¡°Yeah, good point, Xeph.¡± Callan grinned at Kivi. ¡°See? Xeph agrees with me. Also, Heat Stone would give more than combat flexibility. There are also its uses around the temple.¡± ¡°Except we are already retrofitting the temple to allow for more conventional cooking, and whatever source heats the water for bathing appears to still be functioning. I do not see us gaining any advantage with that particular orison in the short term.¡± Right. Curse the longevity of dveorgan construction. ¡°Furthermore, even Xeph acknowledged that any improvements to Heat Stone would apply only to you. Priests such as I would be stuck with the most basic version of the orison, at least for the next several years. I do not think we have that long until Zavastu retaliates.¡± She¡¯s mostly right, Xeph noted. Should you tier up the orison sufficiently, certain benefits will flow to our priests regardless. But it is highly dependent on significant increases to our follower counts. Which I don¡¯t foresee in the near future, not with the limited population of the badlands as it is. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be hitting the next tier any time soon, either.¡± Callan still hadn¡¯t forgotten about the massive increase to follower counts required by his Gypsum tier. Another hundred followers just to reach the second level? It was insane. ¡°So that rules out two of the orisons,¡± Kivi said matter-of-factly. ¡°Okay, fine. But what about Caltrops? That could be useful for fortifications, both here and around the temple.¡± ¡°Yes, this is true.¡± Kivi paused a moment before adding, ¡°But I fear it would be mostly useless against Zavastu¡¯s more elite troops. Do you recall the Flameform her archon possessed?¡± ¡°Sure. Hard to forget a set of friggin flame wings,¡± Callan noted dryly. Then it clicked. ¡°Oh, right. They¡¯d just fly over them.¡± ¡°Exactly. But with Rock Sling, even the most untrained of priests immediately has an applicable weapon for taking them down. Or just an attack that can be used from a distance. We already possess multiple tools with close-range applications. Rock Sling is the only orison that expands those options.¡± Callan held up his hands in defeat. ¡°Okay, okay, I get it, High Priestess. You know you could have just told us all of that in the first place, right?¡± ¡°Yes, well, as I said, I thought the answer obvious.¡± ¡°Of course you did.¡± Sighing, Callan pulled up his interface again and found the menu for his new orison. He selected Rock Sling. That left him with eleven points of faith to spend. As Kivi watched with an amused expression on her face, Callan continued pacing, discussing his next move with Xeph. ¡°I kind of feel like it might be good to raise my new orison a few levels, but I¡¯m guessing if I do that, I won¡¯t be able to bring either of the other two up to Gypsum tier.¡± Correct. With each tier, there is an additional cost to all things, be they your stats, bounties, or other gifts. Both in conviction and in faith. ¡°Yeah, I knew about the conviction already.¡± Callan recalled the first time he¡¯d tried raising his orisons to the next tier. No paying in installments. ¡°But what about faith? How much is that going to set me back?¡± Why not see for yourself. You have the means and resources now to unlock the second tier for Shape Stone and Wurmchain, even if we lack the faith to actually utilize both of them. Callan glanced over at the sack of memory shards that Belinda had sent over. With his conviction pool completely drained at the moment, he¡¯d need to eat twenty of the prickly things to unlock both orisons. Despite his efforts, a sigh escaped his lips. Mortal? ¡°Just... steeling myself, is all.¡± He picked up a handful of stones. What a strange expression. Is the act of turning yourself to metal a figurative gesture, or...? Rolling his eyes, Callan didn¡¯t answer, instead swallowing down one handful of memory shards after another. That finally brought his pool up to a full ten points. With that, he summoned his first orison and confirmed an unlock. His conviction all drained away.
The orison: Shape Stone has now been unlocked at the Gypsum tier!
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Would you like to improve the orison: Shape Stone? Cost = 10 Faith
Yep. It was just as Callan had suspected. Just reaching the next level of Gypsum required ten times as many followers, so why wouldn¡¯t upgrades? ¡°Please tell me that stat upgrades also don¡¯t go up that much,¡± he said, trying to keep the strain out of his voice. Xeph chuckled. Would you like me to lie, or...? ¡°Xeph.¡± Do not fear, human. While there is an increase in stat costs at each tier, it follows a different progression than your orisons. After all, as I¡¯ve said before, the intention is to have an avatar focus on improving their physical traits, so they are better prepared for wielding the powers that come with the later tiers. That mollified Callan somewhat. He turned his attention back to his orisons. ¡°Which one should I raise to Gypsum?¡± If you wish my opinion, I recommend Shape Stone. You are not quite prepared to handle the additional strain of Wurmchain. Once you have mastered adjusting the chain length, then it will be a viable improvement. ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± Callan confirmed the message. It winked away, to be replaced by another.
You have improved the orison: Shape Stone to Gypsum ¡ª I Apotheosis cost adjusted to 10% per eight cubic foot of stone. Range improved to 25 feet. Total cost = 10 Faith
That faith cost made Callan wince, but dang if that wasn¡¯t a significant power improvement just like Xeph had promised. From one cubic foot to eight¡ªhe did some quick math, and realized it was now a 2x2x2 foot cube. Plus the improvement to range, too. Nice. That left a single point of faith. He flicked it into raising his newest orison another level, just to see what the effect would be.
You have improved the orison: Rock Sling to Talc ¡ª II Range improved to 11 feet. Total cost = 1 Faith
Okay, that was about what he¡¯d expected. A little improvement in utility, but not much. He¡¯d probably have been better off dropping the point into Fortitude, but that might have just been his cynicism talking. Stretching, he turned towards Kivi. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± She rose from the bed. ¡°Come. Let us go see what this new orison is capable of.¡± ¡°What, like, right now?¡± Kivi glanced at him curiously. ¡°Of course. Unless you¡¯re urgently needed for work in the fields?¡± Realization dawned on Callan. A grin spread across his face. ¡°I guess not.¡± ¡°Then we shall collect Paeral and Sworv and see about mastering our latest ability.¡±
¡°Watch, brother. I can easily beat that pathetic toss of yours.¡± Sworv scrunched up his face in concentration. A moment later, a rock roughly the size of Callan¡¯s fist appeared, hovering beside Sworv¡¯s shoulder for a moment before zipping off. It dropped to the ground some ten feet away, right next to Paeral¡¯s stone. ¡°You were saying?¡± There was a definite note of laughter in Paeral¡¯s voice. His brother let out a harumph. ¡°Need I remind both of you that this is a test of your new ability, and not a contest?¡± Kivi said, frustration obvious in her voice. Both brothers shrunk in embarrassment. Sighing, Kivi took aim, then released a stone of her own. It was slightly smaller than the one created by either brother, but it still flew just as fast, landing between theirs with a soft thunk. ¡°Nice, High Priestess.¡± Callan raised his hands and sought out the new ball of glowing light inside of himself, finding it, he watched as a circle expanded outward, showing the range to which he could fire. The edge of the circle ended just a foot past the stones of the priests. ¡°Hurray for upgrades, I guess,¡± he muttered, then activated the orison. At the same time the circle disappeared, a stone materialized beside his shoulder before blasting away.
Alert: 10% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 10%
¡°Excellent work, Avatar,¡± Paeral said appreciatively as the stone landed past all of the others. ¡°Yeah, well, there are advantages to being an avatar, I guess.¡± Callan tried to sound nonchalant, but it was hard to keep the grin out of his voice. Not only did his stone go farther, but it was easily the biggest of all four of theirs. Though he suspected that was more an aspect of his own innate strength than from upgrading the ability. Unfortunately, his grin didn¡¯t last long. As he¡¯d known already, he could only fire the stone twice without risking apotheosis. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, after all the two brothers could only fire one stone before requiring time to rest, but Kivi... Dangit if the high priestess couldn¡¯t manage three stones. ¡°Why?¡± he asked Xeph, while the two older lud jabbered excitedly about this discovery. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I wield the most power as the avatar? I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m happy for Kivi, but...¡± You wield more power, but spread across many areas. It is not just your orisons I have gifted you with, but also your manifestation, your dispensations, not to mention the increase to your physical attributes. Would you trade all of that for the ability to fire a stone one more time? ¡°No, I suppose not.¡± Do not dwell upon this discovery overlong, mortal. The high priestess possesses a great innate strength, yes, but she does not have nearly so far to climb to reach the heights of her power. With practice and devotion, she might fire a fist-sized stone another one or two more times, but it shall never become more powerful, not until you and I gift her with the potential to do so. Callan didn¡¯t argue further, half because he acknowledged what Xeph was saying, and half because he realized that more than that, they needed whatever advantages they could get. If Kivi could fire three stones, all that meant was another tool in their belt. ¡°Ah, Avatar?¡± He glanced over and found Paeral looking up at him. Kivi and Sworv had both moved some distance away and were currently engrossed in examining the leftover stones. Kivi¡¯s face was screwed up in concentration, likely trying¡ªand failing¡ªto manipulate one with Shape Stone, while Sworv was banging two of them together. To what purpose Callan could only guess. Turning his attention back to Paeral, he said, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Apologies, we haven¡¯t had much opportunity to speak since coming to Aos.¡± Callan blinked. ¡°Did we need to?¡± Immediately, he felt bad about saying that. After all, it wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t want to get to know Xeph¡¯s priests better¡ªif only to avoid any future issues with family clashes and such. Still, with everything going on in Aos right now, he kind of needed his focus. His worries were ameliorated as Paeral waved a dismissive hand. ¡°No, no, I suppose not. It not your duty to worry about one as insignificant as I.¡± ¡°Uh, sure. So, was there something you wanted to talk about?¡± Paeral bobbed his head. ¡°It is just... I was initially concerned about this whole matter with the other avatar. The fact that you did not share this information with us until after our arrival. Almost as if you were afraid that we might turn tail and run.¡± Callan shifted uncomfortably. That had been the reason, or at least one of them. Before he could say anything, Paeral continued, ¡°However, after much introspection, I realized the truth behind why you remained silent, and I wish you to know that I understand, and bear no ill will towards you or the high priestess. In fact, I commend the wisdom of your decision.¡± Oh no. Callan suspected he knew where this was heading. Still, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking, ¡°And why is that, do you think?¡± ¡°Well, the answer is obvious. Though somewhat groundless. I am not such a fool that I would have revealed your true plans to my brother. A fact which I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve learned over the course of our journey.¡± As he said this, he cast a scowl back at Sworv over his shoulder. Callan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Inside his head, Xeph¡¯s laughter was like a rumbling echo through a subterranean cave. Is this that d¨¦j¨¤ vu you speak of, mortal? I feel I am beginning to understand the term. ¡°Yeah, for once you¡¯re actually catching on, Xeph.¡± Indeed, I¡ªwait, what do you mean, ¡®for once¡¯? Callan turned back to Paeral. ¡°So you think your brother would have turned tail and run back home?¡± ¡°Of course?¡± ¡°Funny, he said the same thing about you.¡± The words were past Callan¡¯s lips before realized he had spoken. Paeral¡¯s face immediately ballooned with anger. ¡°He did, did he?¡± Before there was a chance to try and patch the situation up, the lud turned away from Callan and stormed over to his brother. ¡°Sworv!¡± ¡°What is it now, brother?¡± ¡°You arrogant Daisa! How dare you speak of me as if I were a... were a...¡± the lud appeared so overcome with rage that he was unable to speak further. Sworv immediately filled in the gap. ¡°Daisa, am I? Need you forget, brother, I am now Leadership, same as yourself! So be careful where you go casting such accusations, lest I call you before the council of elders for slander. What would your precious wife think of that? Or her mother? Hmm?¡± ¡°You leave Revak out of this!¡± ¡°I try to, but you seem intent on forcing her into every conversation we have. And while we¡¯re on the subject of lower caste, need I remind you that your wife is still a lowly Bii¡ª¡± Paeral growled and raised a hand. His Wurmchain formed inside it. Mortal! ¡°Already on it!¡± Callan lunged forward, seizing Paeral by the wrist. The lud stared at him in shock, though whether it was for Callan or himself was hard to tell. The chain dissipated into sulphureous smoke. ¡°Avatar! I didn¡¯t¡ªI never meant¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, I think we all know what you meant.¡± Callan glowered at both the brothers in turn. ¡°I¡¯ve had it up to here with your bickering¡ªit¡¯s an expression, Xeph, not a literal measurement. Don¡¯t even start!¡± He shook his head. ¡°Listen, I was waiting until we returned home to announce this, but I think it¡¯s time we all had a little talk about this caste system of yours.¡± ¡°Avatar...¡± Kivi said warningly. ¡°Your objections are noted, Kivi. And dismissed.¡± He locked eyes with the brothers. ¡°Listen, Xeph and I have decided¡ª¡± ¡°Avatar!¡± Lisson came running towards them, skidding to a halt a few feet away, hands pressed to knees as he heaved for breath. A moment of sucking at air later and he glanced up again. ¡°You need to come with me right away!¡± ¡°Why, what¡¯s going on?¡± Callan asked. ¡°It¡¯s Rictee! He¡¯s been murdered!¡± 2-24 — First Strike Kivi picked up a hand, lifted it, then released. It hit the floor with a dull thump. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s a dead body, alright,¡± Callan quipped. ¡°Thank you, Avatar. I think that much was obvious already.¡± ¡°If so, why¡¯d you bother checking?¡± The high priestess gave him a flat look. ¡°I was trying to determine exactly how long ago he was killed. There is always a chance that the killer is still lurking about nearby.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Callan nodded sheepishly. ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s a good reason.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pointless one,¡± Belinda said with a sniff. She gave Rictee¡¯s body a kick with her boot. ¡°What are you hoping for, a set of muddy tracks leading to the killer¡¯s door? There¡¯s nothing but dust outside, and a half-dozen houses they could be hiding in!¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t have any idea as to who could have done this, Mayor?¡± Belinda smirked. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m certain it was another one of Veritas¡¯s cultists. Probably hoping to ingratiate themselves with their master by punishing Rictee for his betrayal.¡± She shook her head in disgust. ¡°This is an unmitigated disaster,¡± Radavan moaned from where he stood off to one side. He was pointedly not looking at the body, which was an impressive feat, considering that one part or another of Rictee decorated most of the small home. ¡°Oh, pull yourself together, boy. This loss is a blow against us, but Rictee already served his most important purpose¡ªsowing the seeds of doubts about Veritas¡¯s power. So long as I give this the proper spin when I announce his death to the village, it should go a long way towards cementing my authority¡ª¡± ¡°Not everything is about maintaining your grip on power, mother. I meant the loss of my best worker! How am I supposed to finish the harvest now before the next shipment is due? I¡¯ll have to negotiate with the other families for a portion of their own.¡± ¡°Quit your bellyaching. I expect you¡¯ll manage. You always do. Why not call on the support of that precious bridge brigade of yours, or whatever nonsense they¡¯re calling themselves now?¡± Radavan glowered at his mother. ¡°We¡¯re the bridge committee, mother. You¡¯ll recall that they spurned the original name I came up with. Hmmph. Even with me organizing the damn resistance in the first place, they still don¡¯t fully trust me. I have your influence to thank for that.¡± ¡°You have me to thank for a lot more than you know. Why, if I hadn¡¯t¡ª¡± Callan cleared his throat. The two yeth turned and scowled at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Need I remind you both that a man is dead here?¡± Callan gestured to Rictee¡¯s body. Radavan didn¡¯t so much as glance down, but Belinda¡¯s eyes flicked towards it for a moment before returning to stare at Callan. He ground his teeth. ¡°Rictee is dead. Yet you¡¯re both more concerned about what that means for your own damn problems. Don¡¯t you have any shame?¡± Mother and son glanced at each other. Finally, Belinda said, ¡°We¡¯re yeth, avatar. Were you one of us, you¡¯d understand.¡± ¡°Well, then thanks be to Xeph that I¡¯m not.¡± Callan rolled his eyes. What do I have to do with this conversation? Xeph grumbled. Unless you¡¯re worried I¡¯m going to try changing you to one of the elevated races as well? In that case, rest your fears, human, for they are unneeded. I would never dare tinker with a mortal while residing inside of them, and even if I were to attempt such insanity, I would not change you to one of the current elevated races, not when there are so many other more specific adjustments we could make to your genetic structure. To start¡ª ¡°Xeph. I swear, now is not the time.¡± Then why did you invoke my name? ¡°It was¡ªgah!¡± Callan threw his hands into the air. ¡°If we could return this conversation to its proper course,¡± Kivi said, her words soft. ¡°While it pains me to say this, Avatar, the mayor is correct. Controlling damage should be our priority right now. Honoring the dead must wait.¡± Callan frowned. ¡°Damage? What damage?¡± ¡°None yet¡ªI hope. But I do not doubt that Veritas and their followers will use this incident to sow seeds of rebellion amongst the village. Without a culprit apprehended, fingers may point towards us. After all.¡± She glanced at Belinda, her lips pulling tight. ¡°A yeth would not stoop so low as to kill another yeth, would they?¡± ¡°Of course not, we¡¯re better than¡ªah, I see the problem.¡± Belinda winced. ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯d best be off.¡± The mayor headed for the door. ¡°I¡¯m sure a few neighbors have been peeking in at us this entire time, so I can¡¯t stop the rumor mill entirely. But I¡¯ll try to redirect the river that¡¯s turning it, so to speak.¡± Kivi nodded and watched as the woman slipped from the building. She turned back towards Callan. ¡°Ready to explain a bit better?¡± he asked. ¡°It is quite simple, Avatar. If the yeth believe their fellow villagers incapable of committing murder, however foolish that notion may actually be¡ª¡± Radavan started to speak, but Kivi simply talked over him. ¡°¡ªThen they will, logically, turn their anger towards those they believe are capable of such heinous acts.¡± Understanding hit Callan like a thunderclap. A moment later, Xeph confirmed his conclusions. They mean us. Well, the lud, specifically. ¡°Yeah, I figured that part out, Xeph. Last thing we need is an angry mob breaking out the torches and pitchforks.¡± ¡°I doubt they would turn to such extreme measures,¡± Kivi said. She smirked. ¡°After all, yeth are above such actions, isn¡¯t that right?¡± She stared at Radavan. The yeth blinked, realized he was suddenly the center of attention, and drew himself up. ¡°That¡¯s correct, they¡¯d likely just run you out of the village, which while better than death, would¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªWould be exactly what Veritas and their followers want.¡± Kivi shook her head. She headed for the door, Callan following after her. ¡°It seems we must be more proactive than I anticipated. The next few days will be as important as the duel itself, Avatar. I suggest you and Xeph do everything you can to prepare for that.¡± ¡°And what do you intend to do, High Priestess?¡± Kivi smiled sideways at him, but the expression was thin-lipped and grim. ¡°Everything else that the two of you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Radavan called from behind them. ¡°What about the body? Rictee didn¡¯t have any other family left to bury him.¡± Callan paused in the doorway and glanced back at the yeth farmer. ¡°Guess that duty falls on you then.¡± ¡°What? But I can¡¯t be bothered¡ª¡± ¡°You can and you will,¡± Callan said firmly, the tone in his voice causing the yeth to snap his own mouth shut with an audible clack. ¡°Rictee might have betrayed this town, but he was still one of your farmhands, and you owe him at least a decent burial, or a bonfire, or whatever it is you yeth do to honor your dead. I expect you can handle that much at least, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I... I suppose.¡± Radavan glanced down at the body, shuddered, then turned away. He looked at Callan imploringly. ¡°Can you help, at least?¡± ¡°Sorry. Important avatar business to attend to. You know how it is.¡± Callan stepped outside, closing the door behind him. He marched away from the house without looking back. Just in case Radavan was watching after him, he kept his face impassive, but that was okay. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Xeph¡¯s laughter rippling through his mind was enough for them both.
¡°Alright, just a bit more, and... there!¡± Callan clapped his hands together in satisfaction before stepping back to admire his work. ¡°Not a bad little fortification, if I say so myself.¡± Hmm. ¡°What, you don¡¯t agree?¡± They had been at it for close to three hours now, trying to make the small village more defensible while also making a show of the avatar¡¯s presence for whatever onlookers were watching from behind their curtains or peeking out of doorways. Mostly it had been a series of walls, but Callan had also managed to construct several cleverly concealed pits, perfect for dropping an unsuspecting cultist into once they trod over them. At the moment, he¡¯d also just finished a rather nice pill box-styled shelter near the village¡¯s main entrance. Perfect for a priest to snipe stones out of while remaining relatively safe from returning fire. It isn¡¯t the building itself that I draw issue with, Xeph said, as they circled around the structure. Rather, I question the need for the adornments you¡¯ve added. It feels like a waste of our remaining resources. ¡°Oh, a little decoration never hurt anybody. ¡®Sides, there¡¯s something to be said for the psychological effect. Striking fear into the hearts of our enemies and all that.¡± And... those are supposed to inspire fear? ¡°What? You don¡¯t think so?¡± Callan studied the line of skulls that wreathed the pill box¡¯s window. He¡¯d gotten the idea from that game his buddy Lyle was so obsessed with, the one with the ridiculously expensive models that didn¡¯t even come assembled, let alone pre-painted. He¡¯d always given Lyle grief over that, but admittedly had really liked the grimdark ascetic. ¡°Skulls are very intimidating,¡± he added. ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m descended from a long line of conquerors. We know this sort of thing." If you say so, Mortal... just tell me, what sort of degenerative disease did these particular individuals suffer to make their skulls so misshapen? ¡°Hey, screw you, I did the best I could. Not like I¡¯m an artist or anything.¡± Hmm. Of that, we are in agreement. Callan resisted the urge to roll his eyes, then remembered that Xeph couldn¡¯t see him do it anyway. ¡°Look, I¡¯m going to have a quick snack, so it¡¯s not like those decorations will set us back more than a minute or two. Satisfied?¡± The god didn¡¯t answer, which Callan took as close enough to acceptance for his purposes. He turned and headed for the town center. Once there, he paused to study the changes. The town¡¯s weathervane was gone, its rock converted into a watchtower similar to the ones that Callan and the others had been constructing on the other plateaus. Unlike those, however, this one was not meant to be shelter from moonrises, but rather a bastion of last resort should any potential battle turn against them. There was space enough inside for the entire town to shelter, along with supplies to keep them fed for a week or more. The tower itself was twice the height of any other he¡¯d constructed, and its battlements were more than mere window dressing, true protection against projectiles, shelter from whatever Veritas¡¯s cultists might bring against them. Despite how sturdy it looked, Callan hoped it wouldn¡¯t have to see use. A prolonged fight against the other avatar would only end one way. But he couldn¡¯t deny the need for it in the short term. Most of the villagers who¡¯d gathered to hear Belinda¡¯s announcement about Rictee¡¯s death had been casting him rather dirty looks, at least until he started shifting the very earth around them. As the massive stone had been reshaped, looks of anger had quickly been replaced by doubt, fear, and¡ªhe hoped¡ªa bit of wonder. Honestly, it had been a little scary how quickly the tower had come together. With his upgraded orison, he could work at twice the pace of his priests, and while they expended their power after a use or two, a quick snack got Callan back working after half an hour. On that note, he crossed the town square and stepped through the doors of the forge. The air here was noticeably warmer, but not so hot as he¡¯d found it earlier. Alyssa must have finished work for the day. The yeth woman in question was leaning against a barrel nearby. She turned and smiled at him as he entered, then turned and scooped a cup of water from the barrel. ¡°Thirsty, Avatar?¡± He accepted the water and took a big gulp. ¡°Thanks. Has your mom had any more food delivered since I was last in here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s on the bench behind you.¡± Alyssa arched an eyebrow. ¡°I must say, you¡¯re rather trusting. You didn¡¯t even flinch when I gave you the same water I use for cooling my iron.¡± Callan coughed, spilling water onto the floor. ¡°What? Isn¡¯t this the same water you¡¯ve been giving me all afternoon?¡± ¡°Hence why I said you¡¯re rather trusting.¡± The woman giggled. Do not worry, mortal. Even if the water was contaminated with byproduct, my gifts are more than enough to clear your system before any lasting damage might occur. ¡°Gee, thanks, Xeph. Because contaminants were totally my primary concern right now.¡± Happy to put your mind at ease. The god had a preening note to his voice, and once again Callan found himself resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He returned the cup to Alyssa, who giggled again. ¡°I¡¯m kidding, Callan. That is the water I keep on hand for myself while I¡¯m at work. The only contaminants in it were an indirect kiss or two.¡± Choosing to pointedly ignore that comment, Callan turned¡ªand found Lisson shuffling his feet awkwardly beside the table. ¡°Oh, hey. How¡¯s it going?¡± The boy looked away, shrugging noncommittally. Callan frowned. This was hardly the overexcited Lisson he¡¯d gotten to know in the last few days. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind him. He¡¯s just hiding from his father,¡± Alyssa said matter-of-factly. ¡°Seems that burial detail got left up to Rad, and now he¡¯s trying to drag his son into it.¡± ¡°Is, ah, that so.¡± Callan felt a minor tug of guilt, knowing he¡¯d left Radavan alone with that mess¡ªit hadn¡¯t even occurred to him that shit might roll downhill. ¡°That¡¯s not it at all!¡± Lisson exclaimed, drawing all attention back to him. ¡°He¡¯s just been in a foul mood all day, ever since he learned I was the one who led the avatar to the altar. And gramma promised to stay quiet about it, too!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s definitely not my fault this time.¡± Callan realized what he¡¯d said as Alyssa arched an eyebrow and quickly continued, ¡°But why does he care, anyway? He seemed rather relieved that the secret was out at the time.¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± the yeth boy kicked at the ground in frustration and glowered. ¡°Parent-children relationships amongst the yeth are fraught with such things,¡± Alyssa said. ¡°Sentinel knows my own mother and I have had our share of arguments about little or nothing over the years. Even now, she¡¯s the main reason I¡ª¡± She snapped her mouth shut and glanced away. Callan watched her for a moment. He recalled a time not too long ago when this very yeth woman claimed her own mother had ordered her into his bed. He shifted uncomfortably at the thought. ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me what this secret agenda of yours is, you know,¡± he said. A wry smile spread across Alyssa¡¯s face, ¡°And at this rate, I never will.¡± ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon aunty Alyssa!¡± Lisson said, ¡°It isn¡¯t like it¡¯s a big secret. Most anyone in town could have told him the details already.¡± ¡°I know, nephew, and the fact it hasn¡¯t occurred to the avatar to ask around tells me more than anything that he really isn¡¯t a yeth.¡± ¡°Excuse me,¡± Callan said. ¡°The ¡®not-yeth¡¯ is standing right here. Care to tell me what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Alyssa¡¯s smile widened. Instead of answering, she said, ¡°Perhaps. But you still haven¡¯t told us, either, you know. If you¡¯re not a yeth, what are you? Some new creation of the gods?¡± ¡°Trueborn human,¡± Callan said without even hesitating. Alyssa laughed. ¡°Fine, if you don¡¯t want to tell us, don¡¯t. But such a ridiculous lie isn¡¯t going to fool anyone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lying!¡± The yeth woman rolled her eyes and turned to Lisson. ¡°You see, nephew? With whom else in the village could I possibly have this much fun? Other than you and my mother I¡¯m practically an outcast.¡± ¡°You should tell him, auntie. The avatar is nice!¡± ¡°I suppose you are right.¡± Giving her nephew a comforting smile, she turned back to Callan. ¡°If you had thought to simply ask the other villagers, Callan, like a true yeth would have, you¡¯d have learned that I¡¯ve been trying to get out of this village for nearly two decades.¡± ¡°Really? Why?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Alyssa shrugged. ¡°All I¡¯ve ever known is this plateau. I want to go into the wider world, to see places where more than a few dozen people scratch out an existence. Cities, mountains, the ocean. There¡¯s so much more to the world, and I want a chance to see it all before I¡¯m called up the Cairn.¡± Callan nodded at this. ¡°I¡¯m guessing your mother doesn¡¯t hold to the idea?¡± ¡°What, you mean the woman that¡¯s kept this village in forced isolation for nearly six decades? The same woman that lies to everyone about our village¡¯s origin and purpose? The same woman that¡¯s so delusional she¡¯ll ignore her own son¡¯s treason? Is that who we¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, I guess.¡± Alyssa ground her teeth. ¡°When I was seventeen, I tried to leave. Set out on my own. Almost made it to the edge of the plateau before the search party my mother had made of the entire village found me and hauled me back. Ever since then I¡¯ve played the dutiful daughter, letting her think that I intend to spend the rest of my life here. But I¡¯ve never forgotten my dream. And one day, when my mother is old and weak and thinks it is time to pass the reins of the village on to me...¡± Her lips pulled back into a rictus smile. ¡°Then I intend to laugh in her face and walk out of this village a free woman at last.¡± ¡°Seems like a long time to wait for petty revenge,¡± Callan noted. ¡°Why not just leave again now? Between the trouble with Veritas and your brother¡¯s rebellion, I doubt your mother would notice in time to drag you back again.¡± ¡°I have considered it, believe me.¡± Alyssa looked out the door at nothing in particular. An awkward silence hung in the air. Finally, the woman shook her head. ¡°But I cannot. Too many other obligations hold me here for the moment.¡± ¡°Such as Rym?¡± Callan guessed. Alyssa gave a start. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re the one providing him with his flux. Isn¡¯t that why you and Falchion were¡ª¡± Callan remembered Lisson¡¯s presence at the last second and gave a quick cough. ¡°Well, you know.¡± ¡°Hmm. You are more perceptive than I gave you credit, Avatar. For a non-yeth, anyway.¡± ¡°Uh, thanks... I think.¡± Callan took another drink of water, handed the cup back to Alyssa and shot Lisson a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you both later. Lots still to do in order to get this place battle ready. Though let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t come to that.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± Alyssa nodded after him, then turned back to her forge. Callan¡¯s attention swiveled back to Lisson. ¡°Listen, don¡¯t worry about your dad. I¡¯m sure he cares about you, even if he is a bit gruff.¡± ¡°Th-thanks, Avatar.¡± ¡°Callan. You can still call me Callan, you know.¡± The boy nodded. As he turned away, Xeph¡¯s voice rang in Callan¡¯s head. That was nice of you to lie to the yeth boy like that. ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡ªit wasn¡¯t an intentional lie, Xeph.¡± Hmm. Regardless, it seems we have learned even more about this village¡¯s inhabitants. Though sometimes I wish we would not. Every new revelations makes me worry more for our long-term prospects in bringing these yeth into the fold. Callan chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Leave it to you to always keep your eye on the prize.¡± I don¡¯t have eyes, mortal. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± 2-25 — Laying Down Root Cellars The next morning, Callan was awoken by a loud rapping on his door. He leapt up, scrambled around a moment to find his pants, then hopped his way across the room as he pulled them on. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked, nearly falling over as he flung the door open. Already his mind was filling with images of worst-case scenarios: cultists attacking the village, the mayor murdered in her bed, Kivi kidnapped and held for ransom until Callan gave in to Veritas¡¯s demands. Any one of a hundred things that could go wrong between now and the duel. He let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Kivi standing there, one worry eased in his mind, at least. Then he saw the expression on her face. ¡°Apologies for waking you at this hour Avatar, but... it has happened. The temple to Athakolu has fallen.¡± ¡°Oh, is that all?¡± Callan set off walking at a brisk pace, Kivi practically jogging to keep up. ¡°You had me worried that this was a *real* emergency or something.¡± Kivi frowned at him. ¡°Perhaps it is not the most dire turn of events, but it still requires haste. Had Belinda not been in attendance at the temple already, it might have been hours until it was discovered, hours during which Veritas¡¯s domain would have continued to spread¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, yes. You don¡¯t have to explain it to me, High Priestess, I know what¡¯s at stake here. Hey, Xeph!¡± Zzz-zt! Gruh? ¡°Good of you to finally join us. We¡¯ve a situation on our hands.¡± By the time they reached the cellar doors behind Falchion¡¯s, Callan had the god caught up. He stepped aside to let Kivi down the stairs first. And you have sufficient memory stone on hand? ¡°Yep, never leave home without it.¡± Callan patted one of his pockets, which bulged slightly with the reddish crystals. ¡°Besides, I made sure to top off last night before I went to sleep, so we should be more than adequately supplied. Besides, doesn¡¯t it only cost five Conviction to establish one of these things?¡± Yes, but there are other concerns as well. Before Xeph could elaborate, they reached the bottom of the steps, and found Belinda waiting for them, wringing her hands in an uncharacteristic display of nervousness. Her expression turned to a mixture of relief and glowering at the sight of Callan. ¡°About time you got here! I could feel Veritas¡¯s taint slipping in through the walls as we speak.¡± ¡°Xeph says it won¡¯t expand nearly that fast. Also, phrasing.¡± Stepping past the mayor, he approached the altar¡ªor, former altar, now. Belinda had cleared away the jars containing ¡®wind essence¡¯, or so she¡¯d claimed, but the elegant tablecloth remained. Along with several unlit candles. Callan collected those and handed them to Belinda. ¡°We won¡¯t be needing these, thanks. High Priestess, are you ready?¡± ¡°Whenever you are, Avatar.¡± She took Callan¡¯s hands in two of her own. As soon as she did so, a message appeared in his vision.
Would you like to create a temple? Cost = 5 Conviction
Technically, you do not both need to be present for this, Xeph noted dryly. It was only a condition of the first temple. Now, either of you might independently create a new one, though for the High Priestess to do so on her own would require a supply of¡ª ¡°Yeah, yeah. Save the exposition for later, Xeph. We¡¯re on the clock here.¡± Squinting, Callan concentrated on accepting. The message winked away.
Temple has been established. Generating interface, please wait...
Generation complete.
Temple Designation: *Unassigned* Temple Class: Basic Temple -STATISTICS- Nave: 0 Aumbrey: 0 Narthex: 0 Scarsella: 0 -CONSECRATIONS- Teleport Scry Commune Tintinnabulation -DOGMA- Annexes: 0/3 Domain: 50 yards Conviction: 0/10 Conviction cost: 1/week
¡°Nice to be able to finally look at one of these without getting a bunch of error messages in my head,¡± Callan noted. Kivi gave a thoughtful nod of agreement. Scanning the sheet over, one detail immediately caught his eye. ¡°Hey Xeph, the Commune function, it¡¯s¡ª¡± Yes, I know, mortal. Leave it for the moment. We have more important matters first. Such as refilling the temple¡¯s conviction reserves¡ªunless you wish it to collapse in upon itself in the next few minutes. ¡°Oh, good point.¡± Placing his hand back on the table, Callan channeled his remaining five Conviction into the temple, filling half of its own available reserves. ¡°That good?¡± For the moment. Now, if you would please draw your attention to the Statistics section, I think it is time we discussed these in more detail. ¡°Oh? Are you finally going to reveal all the secrets you¡¯ve been withholding from me, Sensei?¡± I withheld nothing, human, the information was compressed! There is a difference! Xeph paused a moment, then added, What is a sensei? ¡°Never mind. You were about to tell me some valuable information, right? I admit, I have been curious.¡± Callan took a moment to look over the statistics. Only four of them, and all were at zero, the same as his own had been when he first blended with Xeph. However, it was the names themselves that had truly vexed him. ¡°What¡¯s up with these titles? I feel like I¡¯ve heard the term narthex somewhere before, but the others are complete unknowns.¡± Do not read too deeply into the names. They are simply drawn from human cultural archetypes buried deep in your subconscious. If you¡¯d rather, I can change them to something more familiar to put you at ease... ¡°No, no, I guess it¡¯s not that big of a deal. So what are they for, exactly?¡± Each one represents a different branch of this temple, its strengths and weaknesses. More weaknesses than strength at the moment, if we¡¯re being honest, but with time¡ª "Focus, Xeph.¡± Hmmph! I was getting there, mortal! The god paused to affect an irritated cough, then continued, Nave represents the overall strength and utility of temple consecrations. Aumbrey does the same, but specifically for any annexes. Narthex aids in passive recovery of followers while within these walls. And finally, Scarsella determines the upper limit to which our domain can spread. Callan repeated all of this to Kivi, who had been waiting patiently as she sat through his half of the conversation. When he was done, she glanced at their shared screen with a frown. ¡°Most of those make sense to me, Avatar¡ªat least as much as any of this makes sense¡ªbut what does Xeph mean by ¡®Annex¡¯? I see that we are apparently limited to three of them, but I know not what purpose they serve.¡± ¡°Huh, good point. Xeph, is this another one of those cultural appropriation words you mentioned before?¡± No, mortal! Human cultural archetypes! We appropriated nothing! The god let out a long sigh. Annexes are simple¡ªthey are additional rooms that can be either created or drawn into the temple, enhancing overall functionality. Callan frowned. ¡°Yeah, okay, you¡¯re going to need to explain that further, because I didn¡¯t get anything from what you just said.¡± It is easier to simply show you. Concentrate on Annexes if you would, please. When Callan did as instructed, another menu appeared. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Please select one of the following options:
  1. Basic Living Quarters ¡ª 5 Conviction
  2. Basic Library ¡ª 5 Conviction
  3. Basic Storeroom ¡ª 5 Conviction
Available Conviction: 5/10
More advanced options become available as Aumbrey is raised, Xeph added. Callan nodded absently. ¡°Should I actually select one? I¡¯m not sure any of those are of particular use right now.¡± They are not, but it could not hurt to experiment. Just remember to refill the temple¡¯s conviction reserves afterwards. ¡°What are you seeing?¡± Kivi asked, bringing Callan¡¯s focus back to the present and reminding him that the high priestess couldn¡¯t view the same sub-windows that he did. ¡°Hold on a moment, High Priestess. I just need to... there!¡± The temple¡¯s conviction drained away as he selected ¡®Basic Storeroom¡¯. At the same moment, the wall behind Belinda began to quake. She gave a shout and leapt away. ¡°What in the name of the Cairn are you trying to pull, boy? I¡¯m too old for my heart to be jumping out of my chest like that!¡± Callan ignored her. As he watched, the wall continued to shake, and the dirt and rock comprising its center simply... faded away. ¡°Is this some sort of stone god thing?¡± Belinda asked. Hardly, Xeph scoffed. While the formation of annexes take different forms depending on the patron deity, they are also dependent upon the space the temple occupies. If we were in a large, open building, it might have simply partitioned some of the space rather than creating it from scratch. ¡°Is that what happened back at Zavastu¡¯s temple?¡± Callan asked, remembering the layout of the former lud storehouse. ¡°I always wondered how they got that giant cage in there.¡± Hmm, yes. That was likely grown as part of the temple rather than brought with them. It says much about this goddess Zavastu that she felt the need to include such an option for her satellite temples, and none of what it says is good. Do not expect to receive similar offerings from me. ¡°Believe me, buddy, I wouldn¡¯t want them.¡± Callan ducked inside the storeroom after Kivi, with Belinda peeking her head through the doorway, like she didn¡¯t entirely trust the space not to swallow her whole. He glanced around, taking in the new space. There wasn¡¯t much to it. Plain dirt walls and a few crates in a corner. Approaching the latter of these, he pulled the lid off one and peered inside. ¡°Huh. Empty.¡± Were you expecting them to be otherwise? Given that we have not invested any points into Aumbrey yet, I¡¯m amazed this room generated anything at all. Callan turned back towards the door to find Belinda still looking around, eyes narrowed suspiciously. ¡°Seems like a lot of wasted effort. My husband never felt the need to generate extra space like this back when it was our temple.¡± ¡°Probably didn¡¯t think it was worth the memory shards.¡± Personally, Callan was in agreement. A neat feature, but ultimately useless for them here. Though at least now he better understood why there were so many empty rooms back home. Just how powerful had Xeph¡¯s main temple been at one time to fill all those tunnels and chambers? Approaching the altar again, he tossed a few memory shards into his mouth, swallowing them with a slight grimace. Once his reserves were full, he dumped all of them back into the temple. ¡°There. Should help keep the lights on for the rest of the time we¡¯re here. At least, I hope so. Better not take more than two and a half months to sort this little conflict out.¡± Careful, human. Don¡¯t utter such phrases unless you wish to inadvertently give them life, Xeph warned. Now, if you feel as if you have a grasp upon how Narthexes function, we should move on to the next matter at hand. "Yeah, I think I got it. Pick a room, add a room. It''s like playing the sims, but with less choices and woohooing." ...What? Callan sighed. ¡°Never mind. What do you need?¡± Draw your focus to the temple¡¯s statistics. Doing as directed, Callan watched that section of the interface expand. A new message appeared alongside it.
This temple currently has (1) unassigned point available. Would you like to assign it?
Temples do not function by the rules as avatars do, Xeph intoned. They do not gather faith, but rather increase their functions by the slow conversion of divine energy over time. Each week, a point of Conviction is consumed by the temple, and another point becomes available to assign to its various statistics. ¡°Really? One measly point per week? Seems like it could take forever to grow a temple.¡± Not as long as you might think. First tier temples max out their growth of each statistic at ten, so this one would be fully upgraded before a year is out. However, both the upper limit and the rate of growth can be increased by raising this place to the next tier. ¡°Something we can¡¯t do until we¡¯re significantly more powerful ourselves,¡± Callan noted. True. ¡°So where should I put this point then? Scarsella? That¡¯ll increase the range, which is kind of what we need right now.¡± Also true. However, the growth rate will not increase by a significant enough amount to matter greatly. I advise placing the point into Nave, so that the temple¡¯s consecrations can be better utilized instead. ¡°What benefit could that possibly provide¡ªoh.¡± Realized settled on Callan even as he spoke. Oh indeed. There was a smirking note to the god¡¯s voice¡ªlike a rock tumbling down a hillside. ¡°Okay, so I just need to¡ª¡± ¡°As much as I love to stand around and listen to a man talk to himself all day,¡± Belinda interrupted, ¡°Some of us have real work to attend to. If you don¡¯t mind, Avatar, I¡¯d like to get back to the business of keeping my little town from tearing itself apart.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Good to see you too, Mayor.¡± Callan waved absentmindedly, only half paying attention to the footsteps tramping up the stairs as he assigned the temple¡¯s sole point to Nave. ¡°If you do not have any further need of me, Avatar, I shall take my leave as well,¡± Kivi said. ¡°Actually, High Priestess, you should probably stick around for a few more minutes.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The lud girl stepped up beside him, frowning at the main temple screen. Callan grinned as he finished navigating submenus to the one that he wanted. With a mental flick, he selected ¡®Commune¡¯.
Please select from the following temples: Main Temple (Tier 3) ¡ª 1 conviction
¡°Choices, choices, so many damn choices,¡± he muttered. Kivi glanced at him curiously, but he just waved her away. Instead, he selected the sole option available, then waited as both his submenus and the main temple interface disappeared. ¡°So hey, Xeph, how long does this take? Like, should I go grab a cup of coffee or¡ªoh, never mind.¡± A hazy image had appeared in the air in front of them, centered above the table. Kivi gave a slight jump at its appearance, but upon glancing at Callan took a moment to straighten her dress and compose herself. The image continued to clear, albeit slowly. Callan thought he could see someone on the other side but couldn¡¯t quite make out who. A voice rang out, surprisingly clear. ¡°Hello? Who goes there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± A heartbeat later, Callan added, ¡°Callan, avatar of Xeph-Zul-whatever. Also High Priestess Kivi.¡± ¡°Avatar!?!¡± The image stabilized, and Callan found himself staring right into Argas¡¯s face. The young lud immediately bowed his head, fuzzing the image. ¡°And the high priestess as well! It is an honor to receive a vision of you both!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a vision, Argas, just a little temple-to-temple communication.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± Rising, Argas studied them both. ¡°So you have been successful in establishing relationships with Aos? Does that mean you shall be returning soon?¡± Callan hesitated. He hadn¡¯t actually gotten as far as thinking about what to say to Argas. ¡°Actually, about that¡ª¡± ¡°One moment, Avatar.¡± Argas glanced behind him, then back. ¡°I should summon Shamain. She will be angry if she doesn¡¯t speak with you herself.¡± ¡°Oh, Shamain¡¯s back? When did she¡ªaaaand he¡¯s gone.¡± Callan sighed at the now-empty screen. He turned to Kivi. ¡°I guess while we¡¯re waiting... what exactly do we want to tell them?¡± Kivi frowned. ¡°We need to inform them of the situation here in Aos at the very least. It might even be prudent to discuss the matter of reinforcements.¡± ¡°You really think that¡¯s a good idea at this point? I haven¡¯t even had my first duel with Veritas. For all we know, I might win handily.¡± ¡°While I wish to only remain optimistic about such prospects, Avatar, the fact remains that¡ª¡± Suddenly, Shamain¡¯s image ballooned in front of them, her weathered face leaning so close the image began to fuzz again. ¡°Hmmph. The fool was right. It seems you¡¯ve been successful on your little adventure after all, Avatar.¡± ¡°Hello to you too, Shamain.¡± A mischievous grin started working its way onto Callan¡¯s face. His mouth spoke before the rest of him could stop it. ¡°How was your vacation to the beach? Did the fresh air help improve your mood, or just leave you saltier than before?¡± ¡°Hah, you¡¯d like that, wouldn¡¯t you, lad? But I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll take more than a few days away to bend this old woman¡¯s habits that I spent a lifetime building.¡± Shamain shot him a gormless smile. Ah, Callan had to admit, he¡¯d missed Shamain¡¯s acid wit. At least with her, you knew you were getting the truth. Clearing his throat, he moved on to business. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°What, with Seabrest? As successful as one could hope, I suppose. They almost unanimously voted to throw their support behind the avatar.¡± From the back of his mind, Callan felt Xeph slither to the fore. They did? How many new followers are we referring to? Callan repeated the question. Shamain¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Eager for a little more strength, are you? Can¡¯t say I blame you, or that god in your head. By my count, we¡¯re looking at thirty-five new followers.¡± ¡°Thirty-five.¡± Callan¡¯s mouth was suddenly dry. He reached a hand towards the old lud¡¯s image. ¡°Well, what are we waiting for, then? Send them on over!¡± Mortal, I hate to be the bearer of ill tidings, but faith cannot be passed through a remote connection like that, Xeph noted dryly. We shall have to wait until our return to the main temple. ¡°What? That¡¯s utter bullshit and you know it, Xeph. Why do we need physical contact, anyway? Aren¡¯t you already receiving the faith anyway?¡± That isn¡¯t how the relationship between god and faithful works. There must be an element of touch to form the proper bonds on the metaphysical level. Callan pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. ¡°Metaphysical, really? Is that actually your word for it, or just a close approximation that you¡¯re pulling from my brain?¡± The second one. The actual term implies connections formed on at least three layers, all of which are of a transcendental and preternatural nature. If you wish, I can try to lay it out in terms that you might comprehend, but be warned that many of the nuances will be lost in translation¡ª ¡°Ahem.¡± The sound drew Callan¡¯s attention back to the wavering image. Shamain¡¯s expression had cooled to a mere smirk. ¡°I assume you had a reason for contacting us, Avatar? Is everything well in Aos?¡± ¡°Uh, actually about that...¡± As briefly as he could, Callan explained the situation. The longer he talked, the more any trace of a smile faded from Shamain¡¯s face. By the end, she was practically glowering, though whether it was directed at him or just the situation in general, Callan didn¡¯t know. ¡°Of all the foolish messes... and now you say you are bound into this duel, lad? No chance that you could scarper off and leave the yeth to deal with their own mess?¡± ¡°I mean, we could leave,¡± Callan said. ¡°But what would be the point? We¡¯d lose access to all that faith we¡¯ve accumulated so far, plus what¡¯s promised in the future.¡± ¡°Hmmph. Not much of a promise if it came from a yeth. Still, what¡¯s done is done. We¡¯ll just have to make the best of it.¡± Shamain shook her head. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the other reason for this call. The high priestess and I thought it might be prudent to discuss the matter of potential reinforcements. Just in case something goes wrong with the whole duel plan.¡± Callan hoped he wasn¡¯t jinxing himself by saying that out loud. ¡°Oh. Well that¡¯s an easy discussion to have,¡± Shamain said matter-of-factly. Callan blinked in surprise. ¡°It is?¡± ¡°Indeed. Because the answer is no. I won¡¯t send so much as a runner to help you until the mess with this other avatar is dealt with.¡± 2-26 — Kicking Rocks Silence reigned. Only the crackle and pop of the communication screen filled the cramped basement space. Finally, Callan stuck a finger in his ear, wriggled it back and forth, then pulled it out with a satisfying pop. ¡°Sorry, Shamain, I think I had something crazy stuck in my ear. I was certain for a moment you just told us to fuck off.¡± ¡°What the avatar is¡ªpolitely¡ªtrying to say,¡± Kivi added, shooting Callan a look, ¡°Is that your tone of defiance is not appreciated in this particular circumstance. This is a nuanced issue that requires discussion between all three of us.¡± ¡°Oh, save your buttery words for the yeth, girl. Xeph-Zul-Karatl didn¡¯t choose me so that I could play the part of some simpering sycophant¡ªI warned him as much before they made me a priestess, you might recall. If something needs to be stated bluntly before you and the lad get more foolish notions into your skulls that put us all into danger, I intend to speak it.¡± ¡°Perhaps. But you could at least try to¡ª¡± Shamain pointedly turned back to Callan. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in your ears, crazy or otherwise. But I¡¯m not letting you get me or anyone else I care about killed.¡± ¡°We never said you needed to come yourself,¡± Callan noted dryly. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯d prefer if you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Cute, lad. But now isn¡¯t the time for cute. Still, tell me then¡ªwhat did you have in mind? Should I send Argas? Would you have me as the sole priest available at the temple should something go wrong? What if those prisoners of ours escaped? Even you can¡¯t expect me to hunt them down all by my lonesome.¡± In all honestly, Callan had forgotten about Ligo and the other priests of Zavastu until that moment. He gave a quick cough to cover his embarrassment, but he could tell by Shamain¡¯s expression that had been a failed effort. ¡°Fine. What about sending a few new potential priests? I¡¯ve got more than enough resources available now to fill out our ranks.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Shamain looked thoughtful. ¡°I suppose I do know a grandchild or two that might be interested.¡± Right. Shamain and all of her family connections in the village. Callan started to make a comment about that¡ªexactly what, he wasn¡¯t certain yet¡ªbut before he could, the lud woman gave a shake of her head. ¡°However, creating more priests will have to wait until you return. If sending me or Argas to the Aosan plateau was a stupid idea, sending several powerless villagers would be ten times more foolish.¡± ¡°So you keep saying, Shamain.¡± There was a frustrated note to Kivi¡¯s voice, but she kept her expression genial. ¡°You still haven¡¯t explained why you are refusing direct orders from your avatar.¡± ¡°Ah, but the lad hasn¡¯t actually ordered me to do so yet, now, has he?¡± Shamain cackled maniacally. ¡°If Xeph-Zul-Karatl demands it, I¡¯ll gather a bunch of sacrificial lambs and send them on their way. But I¡¯m guessing he won¡¯t want that.¡± ¡°And why not?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Hmm. Tell me, avatar, how long did this Veritas ask for before your first duel?¡± ¡°Five days. Why?¡± ¡°And how long did your journey to Aos take?¡± Callan spent a moment remembering. It felt like forever ago they¡¯d arrived. ¡°About four days, but only because we got sidetracked. Could have easily done it in three, maybe less if we hadn¡¯t stayed the night at...¡± He trailed off. Inside his head, Xeph shifted about in agitation. I think I see what the lud is getting at. ¡°Yeah, no shit, Sherlock.¡± Quickly, Callan shook his head. ¡°No, don¡¯t even ask, I¡¯m not going to bother to explain that one.¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± Kivi asked. ¡°High Priestess, as much as it pains me to say this.¡± Callan glanced at the smirking image hovering before him. ¡°Shamain is right. We can¡¯t call for reinforcements.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what Veritas wants us to do. It¡¯s why they asked for so much time in the first place.¡± Shamain nodded. ¡°Probably hoping to either get the jump on whoever you sent, or on the whole gathering when they returned. Prisoners aplenty to bargain with then.¡± Veritas must have their temple located somewhere near the pythian tree, Xeph noted. With easy access to watch any of the incoming routes. The only way to avoid being seen would be to travel the long way around and come up from one of the plateaus behind us. ¡°That¡¯s a good point, Xeph.¡± Callan snapped his fingers. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just have some of our people loop around to a further plateau?¡± ¡°That might work,¡± Shamain said grudgingly. ¡°Perfect! Then send your grandsons or whatever to loop around and come up the back side. Whoop, phrasing.¡± Callan turned to Kivi. ¡°Would that Etruscian lady who led you here know an alternate route?¡± ¡°Silfia? Perhaps. Shamain will have to speak with her and ascertain what knowledge she possesses of the more remote plateaus.¡± Callan nodded. ¡°Shamain, can you do that?¡± ¡°Wait just a moment there, lad. How do we know that this Veritas isn¡¯t watching the further plateaus as well?¡± That immediately dampened Callan¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°We don¡¯t.¡± ¡°In fact, I think it more likely they are watching the plateau past the falls than the one by which we arrived,¡± Kivi added. ¡°Why do you say that, High Priestess?¡± ¡°Because when I spoke with Belinda, she mentioned that is the path which leads most directly north. It is also how Falchion departed on his way to seek the wind god¡¯s assistance.¡± ¡°So we can¡¯t promise that Veritas won¡¯t notice a group of approaching lud.¡± Callan sighed, then thought for a moment. ¡°I think we can still do this. Shamain, send out a reinforcement party, but tell them to wait on the far plateau until we signal them. If we have Sworv or Paeral go out to meet them during the first duel, there¡¯s little to no chance the enemy cultists will be able to stop them.¡± ¡°Huh. Sneak in right under their nose during the duel. Clever.¡± Shamain nodded. ¡°Not saying all the pieces will come together, but I¡¯ll do what I can. Contact me again tomorrow and I¡¯ll have a more concrete answer for you.¡± ¡°Can do. And Shamain?¡± He waited until he was sure he had her attention. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again. Temple wasn¡¯t the same without you.¡± ¡°Yes, well, I¡¯d like to say the same, but frankly it¡¯s been a lot quieter here without your usual nonsense.¡± The older lud hesitated for a moment, then added, ¡°Just so we¡¯re clear, I still don¡¯t approve of this plan. It seems a dangerous risk to our people just to aid a bunch of yeth. Still, I can understand the desire to help your own, though I honestly didn¡¯t know any yeth had it in them. So I¡¯m placing my faith in you, lad, you understand? Don¡¯t go proving that decision ill-advised.¡± ¡°Hey now, Shamain, when have I ever let you down before?¡± Callan pushed on before the lud could have a chance to offer some witty barb. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not me you need to have faith in, it¡¯s Xeph. I¡¯m just the vessel.¡± How humble of you, mortal. Though I suppose it is better than the alternative. From her expression, Shamain appeared to agree with the god¡¯s sentiment, even if she couldn¡¯t hear it. ¡°Consider my faith placed in both of you then. Go on, now. I¡¯ll see to it that matters here keep running smoothly. You just don¡¯t get yourself killed in the meantime.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± With that, the image cut off. Callan wasn¡¯t certain if Xeph had ended the connection somehow, or if they¡¯d simply hit the time limit for this particular consecration. Either way, it seemed they had what they needed. Help would shortly be on its way. He followed Kivi back up the stairs and into the morning sunlight. Intertwining his fingers, he stretched his arms over his head. ¡°So Kivi, what are you off to next?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The lud girl tapped her chin. ¡°There is still more training with Rock Sling to accomplish. I should also speak with Belinda about possible routes for reaching the further plateaus. And just minding Sworv and Paeral still feels like a full-time commitment.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Callan winced. ¡°At least we won¡¯t have to worry about their bickering interrupting the duel if one of them is off playing at cloak and dagger stuff.¡± I still haven¡¯t parsed out the exact meaning of that phrase, Xeph grumbled. Also, are you ready to explain to me who or what this ¡®Sherlock¡¯ is? ¡°Nope. Just because Shamain isn¡¯t listening anymore to throw shade at me for saying something weird doesn¡¯t mean...¡± He trailed off as a thought occurred to him. ¡°Oh, dangit! We didn¡¯t ask Shamain about what¡¯s been going on at the temple! I was so wrapped up in our own problems it didn¡¯t even occur to me.¡± ¡°We can ask when we speak with her tomorrow,¡± Kivi reminded him. ¡°Besides, I doubt anything of real note has occurred, or she likely would have mentioned it without our prompting.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Good point. Besides, what¡¯s the worst Shamain¡¯s going to get up to in our absence besides driving everybody nuts with her old lady theatrics?¡± Callan chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Perhaps she¡¯ll have some good news for us. Like developments about the missing children.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.¡± Callan shoved his hands in his pockets and set off down the road, waving at Kivi as she set off in the opposite direction. When she passed from view entirely, he turned his attention back to the town. ¡°Alright, Xeph, shall we get back to work on our fortifications?¡± If you insist, human. Only, could you refrain from adding any more skulls and other embellishments? I worry what sort of long-term impression we might be giving these yeth. ¡°No promises, old buddy, no promises.¡±
Days passed. Shamain did indeed return bearing news of six lud that she had dispatched to await their signal on the day of the duel. While Xeph expressed grumbling doubts that his metaphysical lattice¡ªwhatever the heck that meant¡ªcould support adding so many new priests at once, at least it meant they would have options. Callan couldn¡¯t help feeling optimistic. The rest of their time was surprisingly busy. Kivi was often away when Callan checked in on the guest house, out trying to soothe relationships with the villagers or meeting with Belinda and Alyssa to discuss strategy. What little time he had with the lud was mostly spent training. And when he wasn¡¯t with Kivi and the others, he was building fortifications, or trying to investigate potential cultists¡ªa task rendered nearly impossible after his outing as an avatar¡ªand of course... more training. Sigh. Honestly, he wouldn¡¯t have minded the focus after days spent being busy elsewhere, but making progress with Xeph just remained so slow. After three days of practice, he could finally shift Mountainform along his arms without closing his eyes. But only his arms. If he tried creeping past his shoulder blades the manifestation just fell to literal pieces around him. With Wurmchain, he remained completely stymied. Oh, he could slide the barb along the chain like a pro, but even Xeph admitted that was of limited real-world application. What he really needed to figure out was shortening the chain. His battle with Rictee had driven that lesson home rather solidly. But try as he might, the mist continued to elude him, slipping through his fingers like... well, mist. So, on the morning of his duel with Veritas, Xeph had finally, finally allowed him to move on to another of his orisons...
Breathe, mortal. Just¡ª ¡°You don¡¯t have to recite that every time, you know.¡± Callan kept his eyes closed, trying to spot any mist around him. Without his orison active, though, the field in which they stood was dark and empty. Hmmph. We have not practiced since that first day in the forest. I cannot reasonably expect you to remember every nuanced step to reach the appropriate mindset for manipulating our amazing powers. ¡°You can totally expect me to remember some basic instructions like ¡®breathe¡¯ and ¡®keep your back straight¡¯. This is basically the mystical version of Pilates.¡± ...Are Pilates a well-respected art in your world? Callan grinned. ¡°Let me put it this way. Pilates is basically yoga for people that think actual yoga is cultural appropriation. Still better than Tai Chi, though don¡¯t tell my mom I said that.¡± Hmmph. How would I do that? I¡¯ve never met the woman. Who I also imagine is still back on your planet, several galaxies away from here. The god grumbled a bit more, then added, Enough stalling! Finish your breathing exercises and activate your orison! Who knows how much longer we have until Veritas arrives? ¡°Okay, okay...¡± Callan let out a sigh, then tried to fall into the resting stance that Xeph had taught him. After a moment, he said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready.¡± Good. Now, activate Rock Sling. And be ready. Resisting the urge to make a quip, instead he did as the god directed and activated the orison.
Alert: 10% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 10%
Now, human! Now! As the rock manifested itself over his shoulder, Callan clearly saw the swirling mist that comprised it. Reaching out with his mind, he seized hold. Amazingly, it didn¡¯t slip through his fingers. Instead, he felt the solidity of it, though on a more spiritual level than a physical one. The rock surged against his fingers, wanting to rocket away into the distance, but he held it steady. It was like holding on to the world¡¯s heaviest sparrow. Alright, that¡¯s long enough. ¡°You sure? Because I... could probably... hold on a... bit...¡± With a sudden rush, the rock slipped from Callan¡¯s grasp and shot away. And with it went the sudden tension he hadn¡¯t even felt building up inside him. His whole body sagged in relief, and he dropped onto his backside in the dirt.
Alert: 2% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 12%
¡°Whoa.¡± He opened his eyes and watched as the rock landed amid a pile of natural stones a short distance away. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that to be so... exhausting.¡± Yes, yes. You were exerting your will against my own, which is a draining prospect for any mortal. ¡°Okay, sure, that makes sense. But why isn¡¯t it like that with my other orisons? Or my manifestation?¡± Hmm. An interesting question, and one that I don¡¯t have an answer to. ¡°Because it¡¯s suppressed?¡± Callan couldn¡¯t keep a smirk from crawling on his face. Compressed! And I do not know. It may be I have simply never considered the philosophical implications of what makes one orison different from another. Though if I¡¯m forced to speculate¡ª ¡°Pretty sure nobody¡¯s twisting your metaphorical arm here, Xeph.¡± ¡ªThen I would hypothesize that it has to do with potential versus kinetic energy. Your Mountainform is static, inert, while the stone you just created is anything but. ¡°Huh.¡± Callan shrugged. ¡°As good an explanation as any.¡± I am thrilled that you are satisfied. Shall we try again? While you seem to have grasped the basic concept quickly enough, becoming comfortable with altering your Rock Sling now will make it easier to do so in the midst of combat. Callan rose to his feet, dusting what dirt he could from his pants. He could say this for Veloomian silk: it certainly seemed to stay cleaner than good ol¡¯ denim did. ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to a little practice, but do you really think this has many combat applications? Or application at all? What¡¯s the point of delaying my attack?¡± Admittedly it may require some unique planning on your part, but there are certain to be occasions when this technique will prove useful. Only time will tell. Closing his eyes, Callan allowed his mind to relax again, and when he was ready, activated Rock Sling.
Alert: 10% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 21%
This time, when he seized ahold of the stone with his mind, he tried to pay attention to how it made the rest of him feel. There was a noticeable difference almost immediately, as he hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the first attempt. Every time the stone strained against his will, he shivered all over, feeling the fatigue of it all the way down to his toes. He wasn¡¯t certain how long he managed to hold on this time, but not long enough for Xeph to say anything. One moment he held the stone, the next, it was gone and away, flying across the field.
Alert: 2% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 23%
¡°Try to be more careful, Callan. I almost didn¡¯t manage to avoid that.¡± The voice startled Callan so badly he actually leapt a step back. Opening his eyes, he found Alyssa standing before him, a wry smile on her face as she leaned slightly to one side. ¡°Oh, um, sorry?¡± he rubbed his neck. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you there.¡± ¡°No, I imagine that you wouldn¡¯t, what with your eyes closed and everything.¡± Her smile curled up a bit at that, but a moment later it faded. ¡°My mother sent me to fetch you. Veritas has been spotted making their way towards the village.¡± ¡°Oh! Well in that case lead the way.¡± As they walked away from the field, Callan glanced back at the rocks. He frowned at them. Inside his head, Xeph shifted about. What is it, mortal? I can feel your confusion. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re getting nervous about the duel now that the moment is at hand. Callan shook his head. ¡°It isn¡¯t that. Why couldn¡¯t I see her back there when she approached?¡± You mean the yeth woman? Callan¡¯s gaze shifted to Alyssa, and Xeph continued, There is a very simple explanation for that. You see, the graticules of her soul do not contain sufficient transcendent conduits to¡ª ¡°Simple, riiiiiiiiiiiiiight. You know what, this feels like exactly the sort of conversation to not have minutes before a big fight.¡± Hmmph. Need I remind you, human, that you were the one who asked. ¡°And now I¡¯m wishing I hadn¡¯t.¡± Callan glanced up and saw Alyssa watching him with a wisp of a smile on her face. ¡°Sorry, we were doing the thing again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Callan. I imagine you and Xeph-Zul-Karatl have much to discuss.¡± Callan didn¡¯t bother to correct her assumption. They resumed walking, Xeph muttering unintelligible words in the back of Callan¡¯s head while he chewed on a piece of bread, trying to speed up his Apotheosis recovery before it was needed again. The town of Aos drew steadily closer in the distance. ¡°Avatar?¡± Alyssa turned to look at him suddenly. He thought she might be about to make another joke at his expense, but seeing the somber expression on her face immediately dismissed the notion. ¡°Can I ask¡ªhave you seen Rym lately?¡± ¡°Rym?¡± The question caught Callan off-guard. He thought for a moment. ¡°Not since I stopped working in Radavan¡¯s fields.¡± Alyssa pursed her lips and nodded. She glanced away, looking thoughtful. ¡°I am worried about him. He has not been spotted for over five days now. Normally I would assume he is just avoiding our mother¡¯s attention, but given his declining state...¡± Right. The yeth man hadn¡¯t exactly seemed all-together the last time Callan and Xeph encountered him, when he¡¯d led them to the bridge brigade meeting. ¡°Do you think... the flux, maybe?¡± ¡°I fear so.¡± Alyssa let out a sigh. ¡°I have known the end was coming for some time, yet the idea of him simply passing away quietly out there in the woods, alone, fills me with a great feeling of regret. I knew my mother would never forgive him, not before the end, and yet I¡¯d hoped...¡± She trailed off. Callan was at a loss for what to say. Eventually, he tried something comforting. ¡°It could be nothing, you know. It¡¯s not like he can exactly waltz into town whenever your mom calls one of her meetings.¡± ¡°Except he often does,¡± Alyssa countered. ¡°He¡¯s mentioned the debates between Veritas and my mother before, so he must be watching them from somewhere nearby.¡± Again, Callan didn¡¯t bother to correct Alyssa. While he didn¡¯t know for certain that Rym wasn¡¯t watching somewhere, he¡¯d been to several of these meetings now, and he¡¯d never seen the lud anywhere, near or far. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bringing this up.¡± Alyssa gave him an apologetic grin. ¡°You have enough on your mind at the moment before your duel.¡± ¡°No worries. Sorry I couldn¡¯t be more help.¡± They had reached the first buildings in town now, and here they stopped. Alyssa turned to him. ¡°I must go find Radavan as well. Good luck in your duel with Veritas, Callan.¡± The yeth woman turned and made her way back towards the fields. Callan watched her go for a moment before turning for the town center. It is a tragedy about that yeth, Xeph noted, as the square approached. I am reminded of my own former avatar whenever we see him. Flux is not a fate I would wish upon any of the races, advanced or otherwise. ¡°Yeah, Rym¡¯s situation sucks. Especially with him being out of town most of the time where nobody can keep an eye on him. Maybe when this first duel is over, we can go check¡ª¡± Callan stopped. A horrible idea had just begun building in the back of his mind. The crowd gathering in the square milled about ahead of him, but no one was paying him any mind. Needing a moment to think, he dove into the space between two buildings. Mortal? What is it? ¡°Xeph... I just had a terrible thought.¡± Everything that Alyssa had said started running through Callan¡¯s head again. A cold sensation settled into him as the idea solidified. "I think... I think I know who Veritas¡¯s avatar might be.¡± 2-27 — A Battle Of Wits This Ain’t ¡°Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit!¡± I hardly see what about this situation qualifies for such language. Also, there¡¯s nothing particularly deific about your feces compared with non-avatars. Believe me, it was one of the first matters my siblings I and investigated. Callan paused his manic pacing. ¡°Really? Why in the world would you¡ª¡± He cut himself off with a shake of his head. ¡°Never mind. That¡¯s not important right now.¡± Indeed. Now, I believe you were about to tell me about whatever revelation has occurred to you. Right. ¡°It¡¯s Rym. I¡¯m certain that he¡¯s the other avatar!¡± ...The addict? There was a hesitant note in Xeph¡¯s voice. Callan ignored it, lost to the fervor of his discovery as he was. ¡°Exactly! He¡¯s the last person anyone would suspect. I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t see it before now!¡± And how, exactly, did you come to this particular... revelation? The words tumbled from Callan¡¯s mouth, their speed matching his feet as he paced up and down the narrow alleyway. Windows to either side were shuttered, for which he was grateful¡ªhe didn¡¯t want anyone overhearing this before he was ready to reveal the information himself. ¡°Think about it. Rym is the only one to never attend the arguments between Belinda and Veritas¡ªhow could they, since his own mother exiled him from the village? It¡¯s the perfect cover story!¡± I think you¡¯re forgetting¡ª ¡°And what about their camp out in the woods? Rym knew exactly where the bridge brigade was meeting. With one of the god¡¯s own priests, no less!¡± That¡¯s a small leap in¡ª ¡°Plus, what about Veritas¡¯s clear dislike for the mayor? It makes more sense that this is about Rym getting revenge against his mother for throwing him out! Seriously, Xeph, it¡¯s almost embarrassing that we didn¡¯t put it together before now.¡± Hmm. The god was silent a moment, long enough for Callan¡¯s energy to burn away somewhat and his pacing to slow. Mortal. I can tell from the tone of your voice and the increased beating of your heart that you feel strongly about this. So rather than dismissing your theory out of hand, allow me to explain to you exactly why everything you have said is incorrect. ¡°Aww, gee, Xeph, don¡¯t butter it up or anything.¡± Callan rolled his eyes, for his own gratification if nothing else. ¡°You really don¡¯t think Rym is the avatar?¡± I do not. For several reasons, but primarily for what I have already stated¡ªthe yeth is a flux addict. He cannot also be the avatar. ¡°Why not?¡± Xeph sighed. I have told you about my own experience with an avatar that was addicted to flux, yes? When my avatar was locked in the throes of chronostasis, I found myself sealed away as well, unable to communicate with the outside world. I was still able to exert my powers, but I had no more freedom than when I inhabited that statue. Less, even, for at least in the statue I was still able to speak. Inside a host whose mind had abandoned him, I could not even accomplish that much. ¡°Okay, I see what you¡¯re getting at. Whenever Rym is under the side-effects of flux, he wouldn¡¯t be available to play the part of avatar. And there¡¯s no chance that Veritas is controlling the body themselves somehow?¡± No, none. They would be unable to do anything beyond flex a few of their more basic powers. Callan thought for a moment. ¡°What if Rym is faking? All we really have is the village¡¯s word that he¡¯s an addict. Might all be an act.¡± I considered that as well, Xeph acknowledged. However, we have seen their vacant expression for ourselves while working in the field. There is no way this yeth can fake the... emptiness I sensed in them. It is no act. ¡°Damn.¡± He felt his excitement deflating, leaving him quicker than it had arrived. ¡°And I was so certain I had cracked the answer, too.¡± Do not feel sad, mortal. It was a good theory, but simply one built on incomplete information. Stepping from the alley, Callan started marching towards the gathered crowd. A few glanced over their shoulders at his approach. You might well be on the right track, though, Xeph noted as he reached the crowd. Yeth villagers stepped aside to let Callan past, some of them watching him with neutral expressions, others looking openly hostile but saying nothing. No smiles that he could see. Had their reputation really deteriorated that much since Rictee¡¯s death? ¡°Oh yeah? What¡¯s that?¡± he muttered, keeping his voice low. Veritas is almost certainly inhabiting someone in this yeth village. And the sooner we learn who that is, the better armed we¡¯ll be to stand against them. ¡°Easier said than done, Xeph. We still haven¡¯t even found all their priests.¡± Ahead of Callan, the last of the villagers parted, and he saw Belinda waiting for him in a circle of empty space. And Veritas was with her. The mayor gave Callan a look that would have curdled milk, but he kept his eyes locked on the opposing avatar. After a drawn-out moment, Veritas spoke. ¡°Ahh... he arrives at last. The mayor and I were just... speculating about reasons for your absence.¡± It was impossible to tell from behind the frozen wolf-faced mask, but Callan knew for a fact that Veritas was grinning at him. Probably wolfishly. No pun intended. ¡°Yeah, sorry, I had to use the can first.¡± The other avatar tilted their head, but Callan just blazed on. ¡°I¡¯m here now, though. So how are we doing this? We have three challenges, correct? One that you pick, one I pick, one that¡¯s chosen by a neutral party. Which goes first?¡± ¡°Ah. Normally the challenged avatar is given the choice of first or second contest.¡± Veritas paused dramatically, then continued, ¡°And I wish to wait. What challenge have you prepared for us, Avatar Callan?¡± Hearing his name used in such a formal manner sent a weird chill down Callan¡¯s spine. He brushed it off. ¡°About that. We have a challenge selected, but I¡¯m waiting for my high priestess to verify it is prepared. Ah, speaking of...¡± The crowd parted again, this time to allow Kivi entry, Sworv and Paeral trailing after her. Her entourage came to a stop several steps away, allowing the high priestess to continue the rest of the way alone. Kivi leaned into a graceful bow. ¡°My utmost apologies for my tardiness, avatars. I was only just informed¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Veritas interrupted. ¡°Tardiness appears to be a trait all the members of your clergy share. But no matter, I''m sure your talents simply lie in... other areas.¡± Again, Callan could hear the wolfish smile in the voice¡ªeven if it was modulated. Inside his head, Xeph let out a rumbling growl, while behind them the crowd muttered. This was not off to a great start. ¡°Well, we¡¯re all here now,¡± he said, clapping his hands. ¡°High Priestess, would you lead the way?¡± ¡°Of course, Avatar.¡± Kivi set off walking, with Callan and Veritas following close behind, then Belinda and her brood, and finally the rest of town, trailing after like a swarm of little ducklings. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Together they passed the edge of town, moving towards a section of fields on the opposite side of town from the one Callan had been practicing his Rock Sling¡ªand a good thing, too. He wouldn¡¯t want any ¡®unnatural stone¡¯ ending up near what they were planning. ¡°So, I notice you don¡¯t have your usual priesthood with you today,¡± Callan noted as the field drew steadily closer. ¡°Decided it would be better to have them watch from within the crowd?¡± ¡°And why would I need them, Avatar Callan?¡± Veritas turned their mask towards him. ¡°Per the Accords of Divinity, I am extended the guestrite by you and yours for the duration of this duel, and you the same by mine. Only a fool would dare risk the wrath of the entire north by breaking such an agreement.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, of course.¡± Callan had never heard even mention of these ¡®Accords of Divinity¡¯ before, but made a mental note to ask Xeph about it the first chance he got. ¡°Besides, my priests are free to do as they wish. Can you say the same for your own followers, Avatar Callan?¡± ¡°I really wish you¡¯d stop calling me that. It¡¯s just Callan.¡± ¡°Hmm. I will consider it, Avatar Callan.¡± It took all of Callan¡¯s mental fortitude not to let out a sigh. From within his mind, Xeph muttered, Do not let them provoke you. What does it matter what name they use for us, so long as they abide by the terms of the duel? ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it.¡± Callan muttered as they stopped at the edge of a field. Several steps ahead, Kivi spun around. ¡°This shall be the site for the first challenge between the gods Veritas and Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± She gestured to the empty field behind her, which was strewn with rocks, ranging in size from pebbles to boulders half as tall as Callan. Several still bore traces of dirt from when they¡¯d been excavated from the earth. It was a task that had kept Paeral and Sworv busy from dawn until dusk the last few days. But that had been time not spent arguing, which was a win in Callan¡¯s opinion. ¡°I see. And what is the nature of this challenge?¡± Veritas asked, surveying the field. Kivi¡¯s face broke into a grin. ¡°It is quite simple, honored avatar. This first challenge is to be a rock-stacking contest.¡± There was utter silence. Even the crowd behind them held back their whispers, waiting to hear more. Finally, Veritas spoke again. ¡°A... rock-stacking contest.¡± ¡°Correct. Whoever can stack the tallest pile before time runs out will be declared the winner.¡± Kivi gave the other avatar a hard stare. ¡°Is this contest acceptable?¡± ¡°It matters not. If this is Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡¯s choice for contest, then by their will, we shall comply.¡± Veritas gave a short bow. Then they glanced back at Callan, though their sightless mask was fixed upon the crowd. ¡°Is this to be a contest of our powers, or no powers?¡± ¡°No powers,¡± Callan said automatically. He and Xeph had planned for this part as well. ¡°Hmm. Interesting. Given the... nature of this particular challenge, I would have thought you and that weakling god of yours would wish to utilize every little advantage available to you.¡± ¡°Just trying to even the odds a bit,¡± Callan said, smiling with all of his teeth. He strode out into the field. ¡°On my mark, the contest shall begin,¡± Kivi said. ¡°The mayor and I will mark time. When five minutes have elapsed, we will declare a winner.¡± Veritas nodded but said nothing further. With a final glance at Callan, Kivi raised her arms. ¡°Avatars... begin!¡±
Callan immediately faced a dilemma. It wasn¡¯t a matter of whether or not he and Xeph would cheat¡ªthat had already been decided well beforehand. The chances of being caught were minimal, and Veritas was right, they did need every advantage they could get. So really, it was simply a matter of how much they intended to cheat at rock stacking. For instance, Callan couldn¡¯t simply start reshaping the rocks to suit his fancy, making a pillar or totem pole similar to how he¡¯d shaped the tidal towers, because that would definitely get them caught. So instead he simply manipulated the rocks a little bit. Picking up a rock about the size of his head with ease, he carried it over to the one he¡¯d chosen to be his base and set it atop. The rock wobbled a little, but he wasn¡¯t too worried about them falling at this point. He wasn¡¯t that unskilled. But just to be certain, as he moved his hands away he manipulated his fingers, just a few deft twitches hidden from the crowd. The two rocks sealed together, their seam also likewise hidden.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 5%
Well done, mortal, Xeph noted. However, do not rely on that too often, or we will exhaust our apotheosis before our stack grows high enough. ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, Xeph, you really think Veritas is going to outdo us that easily?¡± Callan chuckled and glanced over his shoulder to see how the other avatar was faring. His smile fell away. As Xeph had expounded upon prior to the battle, there were two schools of thought when it came to stacking rocks¡ªthe safe pyramid, and the riskier tower. A pyramid benefited from a stable base, making it far less likely to topple over, but what it provided in safety it cost in time and additional materials. Veritas had opted for the tower approach, just like Callan. And while he did not have the benefit of a stone god¡¯s powers to keep those rocks from tumbling down, he did have another advantage. An absolutely ridiculous amount of Brawn. As Callan watched, he selected the second-largest boulder in the field¡ªone so large that Callan could not have even wrapped his arms all the way around it¡ªand proceeded to set it atop the largest boulder in the field. The boulder wobbled a moment before settling into place. Satisfied, Veritas moved in the direction of the third-largest boulder. Already their tower was three times the size of Callan¡¯s own, and the damn avatar wasn¡¯t even cheating! Don¡¯t just stand there, mortal! Get to work! Xeph¡¯s words barked in his ear. Callan leapt up and moved for another rock. ¡°Okay, so maybe this won¡¯t be as easy a win as I¡¯d hoped,¡± he admitted, selecting another stone and moving back to his stack. ¡°Still, you weren¡¯t kidding about tiering up being a sizeable increase. Just thinking about moving a rock that size makes my back hurt.¡± He placed several more stones on top of his tower, using Shape Stone once more to make sure they didn¡¯t come toppling down. While still mildly wobbly, he was confident in its strength. ¡°It¡¯s a pity I have to waste a whole use of my orison every time,¡± he noted under his breath, adding a sixth rock to his stack. ¡°We¡¯re barely even working with a tenth of the maximum.¡± Unless you can think of an alternative use for Shape Stone, it is the only trick we have. Now, why don¡¯t we try that oblong piece of shale over there? It should provide a bit more stability as we stretch further up. Callan, however, had stopped listening. He glanced over at Veritas again, where the god had finished maneuvering a fourth boulder onto his pile and was attempting a fifth. However, the god had been slowed down by a small but obvious problem: it didn¡¯t matter how strong you were, if you couldn¡¯t reach the top of a stack, you couldn¡¯t place your enormous boulder there. Callan snickered as he watched the avatar stare at his tower. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking behind the mask, but maybe there was a chance that he and Xeph could catch up after all¡ª Without warning, the god leapt into the air, still holding the boulder. They rose a solid five, six feet in the air before slowing, just giving enough time for them to gently deposit the next boulder onto their pile. Landing with a soft plume of dust, they turned and regarded Callan with their expressionless mask. Behind them, the pile wobbled but held. ¡°Hey, Xeph.¡± Yes, human? ¡°We¡¯re not going to be able to beat that, are we?¡± Callan glanced back at his own stack, which was now about the height of Veritas¡¯s first two boulders. ...I do not believe so, no. ¡°Then it¡¯s time to think outside the box.¡± Callan resumed working on his tower, but didn¡¯t bother gluing any more rocks to it, just placed them as carefully as he could. Xeph was right, the shale did prove the perfect piece to build on. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Veritas. The next time the god leapt for his pile, he was ready. As the avatar placed the boulder atop the stack, Callan twisted his hands about, using his Shape Stone orison. Not on his own pile, though. As the rock settled gently atop, the whole pile shuddered. It pitched to one side, and as Veritas landed, most of it came crashing down, leaving only the first two boulders remaining. The other avatar spun and looked at Callan. ¡°Oooh, bad luck there.¡± Callan tried to keep his expression neutral. He resumed working on his own tower, whistling tunelessly under to himself. Behind him, he heard Veritas begin scraping his rocks about. Once, there was a pause, likely when they found the rock with the now misshapen side, but a moment later they resumed their stacking. ¡°Two minutes remaining,¡± Kivi¡¯s voice echoed across the field. Callan glanced over, and saw Veritas bend their legs, preparing to once again deposit their fifth stone atop their tower. He flexed his fingers as he activated Shape Stone. Up into the air went Veritas. Down came the stone onto the pile, gentle as a five-hundred-pound feather. The entire tower quivered. And held. ¡°The hell?¡± Callan flexed his fingers and activated Shape Stone again.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 24%
Nothing like cutting it close, he thought ruefully, slicing a large chunk from the bottom rock and pushing it to the sides. It¡¯d be a little more obvious than before, but not so much Veritas could cry foul. Still, this ought to do the trick. Now I just need to add another rock or two to my own and... The rock tower swayed, and then went still again. This time at a slight angle, like it was a naturalistic version of the Tower of Pisa. Callan gaped. ¡°How in the ding dong¡ª¡± Down near the bottom of Veritas¡¯s tower he spotted his answer. A glint of metal showed beneath the rock, propping it up and holding it steady. Now that he looked, Callan saw the glint of iron between the other rocks, though it was difficult to be certain about near the top. Veritas had used metal to replicate their own trick. And with more proficiency, too! The god watched them for a moment, then seemingly satisfied, stalked off for another stone. Inside his head, Xeph rumbled with anger. ¡°One minute,¡± Kivi announced. What is the plan now, mortal? ¡°I... I don¡¯t know,¡± Callan admitted. He glanced back at his own pile. It was barely two boulders high. Not nearly enough to win. ¡°I really don¡¯t know. Well think of something! And do it quickly! But Callan was out of Apotheosis, and out of tricks. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do, Xeph. ¡°We¡¯ve lost.¡± 2-28 — There Are Many Ups And Downs On The Road Of Life No. Xeph¡¯s voice was flat. Emotionless. Even more so than usual for the stone god. I refuse to accept that. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Xeph.¡± Callan watched as Veritas launched into the air and deposited another rock onto their tower. It didn¡¯t even wobble this time. ¡°It¡¯s only the first of three contests. If we win the second¡ª¡± You mean the contest that Veritas will choose? I think not. We will win this contest. Now, think! There must be a way! Callan glanced about, picked up a smaller rock, and set it on his pile. He admittedly had to strain a bit, and his rock pile was almost as tall as three of Veritas¡¯s stones, but it still wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°What would you have me do, Xeph? My apotheosis is maxed out.¡± Not completely. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Then realization hit him. ¡°Hold on, you aren¡¯t suggesting¡ªwhat good am I even going to accomplish with one more use of shape stone? I can¡¯t make my tower tall enough, even if I had enough stones.¡± Not your tower, Xeph said. And not Shape Stone. Use Rock Fling. Take down the other avatar¡¯s tower. Despite the urgent situation, Callan rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, right. And I¡¯m sure no one in the crowd will even notice a giant stone forming next to my head! How¡¯s that supposed to work?¡± ¡°Time is almost up,¡± Kivi Called. If you are careful, you can form it behind your tower, quickly. Then hold it in place until you are sufficiently removed from it. No one can hold you accountable if you are already away! ¡°I¡ªfine.¡± Callan stepped to one side. He waited. Finally, Kivi¡¯s voice called out, ¡°Time is up.¡± All eyes turned to Kivi, at least for a brief glance. But a brief glance was all Callan needed. He activated Rock Sling.
Alert: 10% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 34%
Apotheosis has exceeded current threshold. Five minutes until quarantine protocols engaged.
Well, no backing out now. Even as the stone formed over his shoulder, Callan seized ahold of it with his mind. At the same time, he forced his feet forward, moving towards where Kivi stood, Veritas already halfway to her. Immediately, the strain of holding back the stone hit him like a slap to the face. He¡¯d never actually practiced moving and holding the stone¡ªhadn¡¯t even had the time to attempt it with his eyes open. But he did both of those things now, forcing his legs forward even as it felt like an immense weight had settled onto his spine. ¡°Avatar, are you alright?¡± Kivi asked, a concerned look on her face. The yeth villagers turned to look at him, so Callan forced his feet forward more. Just a little further... ¡°I¡¯m... fine... High Priestess,¡± he said through gritted teeth. ¡°Who... won...?¡± ¡°I think it obvious,¡± Veritas said, and even through the modulation of their mask, the voice was smug. ¡°Yes, unfortunately,¡± Kivi said, bobbing her head. ¡°It is with much regret that I declare the winner of this contest to be¡ª¡± With an almighty release of mental pressure, Callan let go of the stone. Behind him there was a hissing sound as it cut through the air, followed by a loud thud.
Alert: 4% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 38%
¡°What was that?¡± Veritas asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± Callan turned, just in time to see the other avatar¡¯s tower wobble, first one direction, then the next. Before it pitched entirely to one side, he noticed a notch down at the bottom¡ªit appeared that his stone had clipped the metal bracing the entire tower, moving it just enough to unseat the entire thing. ¡°Lucky, that,¡± he muttered, too quiet for anyone to hear. Anyone but his head-mate, at least. Hardly luck. I directed the stone to exactly where I thought it would do the most damage. A choice which appears to have been a wise one. The entire field shook as Veritas¡¯s tower¡ªstill held together by its metal joints¡ªstruck the ground. A plume of dust went up around its edges, leaving the villagers coughing and waving their hands in front of their faces. Once the dust settled, silence blanketed over the crowd. At last, Kivi gave another, polite cough. ¡°As I was saying, the winner is obvious. Avatar Callan¡¯s tower is the only one that remains standing. Thus, they are the winner.¡± Veritas stood there, staring at Callan. At first, it seemed as if they were going to challenge the ruling, but instead they simply turned and stalked off. Before they got more than a dozen steps, Callan called after them. ¡°We¡¯ll see you tomorrow for the next challenge, Veritas!¡± No way he was letting the other avatar weasel a few more days out of him. They were finishing this. Pausing at the edge of the field, Veritas stared away into the distance. Then they turned and glanced at Callan over their shoulder, wolf mask leering at him. ¡°Yes, we shall. And then all will see how you and that god of yours handle a contest for which cheating will not be possible.¡± ¡°Cheating? Only cheater I see here is you.¡± Callan gestured to the fallen tower, still in a perfect line upon the ground. Several villagers muttered angrily in agreement, the sound rippling through the crowd behind him. ¡°Hmm.¡± With that, the other avatar set off across the field, and a few moments later they were lost amongst the trees. Callan turned back to Belinda and Kivi. ¡°Well, I think that went well, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It was a victory, Avatar. That is enough,¡± Kivi said. Belinda nodded, though her expression said otherwise. Callan imagined she wasn¡¯t exactly pleased with how close the contest had come. Still, the mayor was yeth enough to at least keep up appearances. She turned to the crowd and raised her hands. ¡°Avatar Callan was victorious in the first contest, just as I knew they would be. Now, I¡¯m sure we all have plenty of work to get back to. I¡¯ll see all of you in the town square again tomorrow!¡± That elicited a mixture of mutters and chatter from the gathered crowd, who immediately began breaking up and drifting away. As Callan watched them go, Xeph spoke in his head. I am pleased that we were able to triumph. Had we lost this first contest, too much would have been up to chance. Despite their words, I suspect this Veritas may have something underhanded planned for their own challenge. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll learn soon enough. Anyway, thanks for that, Xeph. Sorry it means you¡¯ll be taking a nap for a while.¡± It is not a ¡®nap¡¯, mortal, simply a state of reduced consciousness so that I may repair any damage caused by straining our bond. I will be back before morning, most likely. ¡°What, you don¡¯t know?¡± Callan chuckled at that. I have not taken the time to do the exact calculations, but I imagine it will not be too long. With your increased apotheosis threshold, certainly no more than¡ª
Quarantine protocols deployed. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Time until quarantine lifted = 10:00:00
¡°Aaaaaand there he goes, ladies and gentlemen.¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to make the best of the situation for the rest of the evening. No little gremlin making comments from the peanut gallery to my every decision. Oh, woe is me, how will I ever manage to survive.¡± He suppressed a maniacal laugh, imaging Xeph inside his skull right now fuming, hearing every word but unable to respond. Probably he¡¯d get a lecture or two afterwords, but... it was worth it at the moment. ¡°Avatar.¡± Kivi appeared beside him. ¡°I do not wish to alarm you, but... I cannot access my godgifts.¡± She held her hands out, straining the muscles in all four arms as if in evidence of her woes. Callan. ¡°What has happened?¡± There was a rising note of panic in her voice. ¡°Oh, sorry about that, High Priestess. During the contest with Xeph I had to...¡± He trailed off as the implications of what Kivi was saying finally settled in. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have access to your orisons, either? Like at all?¡± ¡°No, I do not. What do you mean, either?¡± Briefly, Callan explained about how his apotheosis threshold worked. It occurred to him that this was the first time he¡¯d really had to discuss it with anyone else. Last time he¡¯d crossed the threshold he¡¯d been so focused on rescuing Kivi that all of the quarantine ramifications hadn¡¯t really settled in. Kivi was silent for a time after he finished speaking. They were well and truly alone in the field now, with even Belinda having long since returned to town. Callan waited as the lud girl processed what he¡¯d told her. ¡°If I understand all of this correctly, Avatar, then because you have exceeded the limits that Xeph imposes upon you, myself and all other members of the clergy are without our powers until the remaining ten hours have elapsed?¡± ¡°Yeah, that seems to be the case. Would have been nice if someone had fully explained that to me beforehand.¡± Callan jabbed at his head, hoping that Xeph was conscious enough to appreciate his frustration. ¡°Hmm. Is that also true within the temple¡¯s domain, or simply within the one that is typically generated by yourself?¡± ¡°I... don¡¯t honestly know,¡± Callan admitted. ¡°It¡¯s something worth checking out, I guess. For curiosity¡¯s sake, if nothing else.¡± ¡°For more than just curiosity, Avatar.¡± The lud¡¯s tone was downright grave. ¡°Why, what am I missing here, High Priestess?¡± ¡°Nothing, at least, nothing immediately of concern. But think, Avatar. What happens in the future, after our congregation has grown, if you enter apotheosis again? What happens to all of the priests suddenly bereft of Xeph¡¯s gifts? How many of them might simply forsake our god, believing their favor to have been withdrawn? If it is only a few hours, perhaps none, but if it were to stretch to days, or even weeks...¡± She left the rest unsaid. Even so, a chill spread down Callan¡¯s spine at the implications. ¡°You¡¯re saying it¡¯s not just me that needs to be worried. That any time quarantine is imposed, the entire priesthood is going to suffer.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, but Kivi still nodded in response. ¡°And there will be those that resent the withdrawal of that power. Even now, it could be causing distress back at the main temple with Argas and Shamain. Or with Sworv and Paeral at the satellite temple, if they¡¯ve completed their mission by now.¡± ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve made your point, High Priestess. We were headed in that direction after the fight anyway, so let¡¯s go check with Paeral and see... Actually, never mind. Here he comes now.¡± In the distance, he could see Paeral hustling as fast as his aged legs would carry him in their direction. Callan had to admit he was impressed. Even he hadn¡¯t noticed the exact moment when the two lud brothers had slipped away from the crowd to go meet Shamain¡¯s reinforcements. All of them were supposed to be holed up in the temple right about now, though, so what was he doing out here? The answer became apparent as Paeral drew closer, and Callan finally noticed the blood streaming down his forehead. ¡°Avatar!¡± The older lud nearly fell at Callan¡¯s feet as he stumbled to a halt. ¡°Thank goodness! It was a disaster, a complete and unmitigated disaster!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You mean meeting our reinforcements?¡± Callan frowned. ¡°Where¡¯s Sworv?¡± ¡°Back at the temple, resting.¡± Paeral waved a hand behind him, and Callan let out a sigh of relief. He¡¯d been afraid there for a moment, but... no, no sense even giving form to those particular thoughts. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± He started striding back towards town. Kivi, who had been fussing over the cut on Paeral¡¯s head, hastened after. ¡°Paeral, you can tell us what happened on the way. Seems like we¡¯ve got our share of problems today.¡±
They found Sworv seated on a crate in the main temple room, his arm wrapped close to his chest with a piece of cloth. He leapt to his feet as Callan descended the stairs. ¡°My apologies, Avatar! We were unable to¡ª¡± Callan waved a hand. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Sworv, your brother already filled us in on the details.¡± ¡°Did he now?¡± Sworv cast a hard look at Paeral as he followed Kivi inside. ¡°Did he also explain how it was his own ineptitude that led to our failure?¡± ¡°My ineptitude?¡± Paeral bristled at the accusation. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t let go of the rope, we might still have been able to at least get Uton across!¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t let go of the rope, you would have more than a mere cut, brother.¡± Paeral snorted. ¡°I am made of sterner stuff than that. You always have been too easily panicked.¡± ¡°Oh, my sincerest apologies. Next time a dagger is flying towards your head, I¡¯ll be certain to ignore it. Might solve a few problems.¡± ¡°You¡¯d like that, wouldn¡¯t you?!?¡± The two brothers were in each other¡¯s face¡¯s now, and Callan was poised to leap in at the first sign of a Wurmchain. Fortunately, neither escalated the situation any further, but merely continued glowering at the other. ¡°Okay, I amend my earlier statement,¡± Callan said at last. ¡°I think you¡¯d better walk us through what happened again¡ªboth of you.¡± Sworv and Paeral began talking over each other at once. After a bit of shouting and several demands from Callan to repeat a piece of missed information, the entire story began to come together. It seemed the brothers had reached the cliffs without incident, set off the signal, and watched a half-dozen lud approach the cliff edge from the other side. They had descended along a path, but without a matching one on the other side, were unable to join the brothers. Luckily, the mayor had warned of this issue and provided a workaround. The meeting spot was one of the various depots where grain was lowered to the canyon floor, to be ported up the path on the other side and off to its final destination. A pully system was rigged to the cliff¡¯s edge, so Sworv had merely to lower a rope down to the awaiting lud and help them ascend. It was during the first lud¡¯s ascension that disaster struck. Four or five masked priests had appeared behind Paeral and Sworv and set to attacking them, hurling daggers and other summoned weapons. Given their numbers and the surprise nature of the attack, it was a wonder that neither brother hadn¡¯t been injured worse. As it was, they were forced to retreat, leaving the lud to climb back up the other plateau and seek shelter before the cultists could reign further attacks down on them. ¡°And that is all there is to tell,¡± Paeral said at last. He shot another look at his brother, as if daring him to contradict that statement, but Sworv said nothing. ¡°Okay, so that¡¯s... not great, I¡¯ll admit.¡± Callan glanced at Kivi. ¡°Should we try to get a message to them? Or maybe gather a larger protective force to bring to the canyon next time?¡± ¡°I do not think the first would be wise, considering what has just happened, Avatar. As for the second, it is a possibility, though it means bringing the townsfolk fully into our circle of trust.¡± Callan shrugged. ¡°Not like that really matters anymore. Cat¡¯s sort of out of the bag as it is.¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± ¡°Never mind,¡± he said, waving away her question. ¡°I just mean that keeping our reinforcements secret isn''t an option anymore. Speaking of which, how do you think Veritas found out? Could there be a spy in our midst?¡± Kivi considered that a moment, then shook her head. ¡°Possible, but I do not believe so. Veritas likely suspected we would attempt something during the contest and left their followers to watch for unusual activity. It would not have been difficult to spot Sworv and Paeral making their way to the cliff.¡± ¡°Okay. In that case, you go find Belinda. Tell her what happened and find out if we can organize an escort for our friends trapped across the canyon.¡± ¡°Of course, Avatar.¡± Kivi nodded and headed outside. After a moment¡¯s thought, Callan dispatched Paeral to help her. They might not be able to do much without powers at the moment, but at least there was a little safety in numbers. ¡°What would you like me to do, Avatar?¡± Sworv said, rising unsteadily to his feet. ¡°For now, just rest up.¡± Callan cracked his knuckles as he approached the altar. ¡°I need to figure out just how screwed we are at the moment.¡±
It was full dark by the time Callan collapsed back on his bed in the guest house. He was mentally and physically exhausted¡ªhad been since the first contest with Veritas ended, really, and it had only gotten worse from there. In terms of how screwed they were, the answer was ¡®very¡¯. At least in the short term. Callan checked the timer in his vision again, the only part of his system he could access.
Time until quarantine lifted = 00:30:46...
Only a little over thirty minutes remained until Xeph was back. Which was good, because it turned out that while quarantine was still active, not only was his own domain unusable, so were the temples¡¯ as well. No orisons, no interface, and worst of all, no communication system. Kivi was currently stationed at the temple altar, waiting for quarantine to lift so that she could contact Shamain, but she had insisted on Callan getting some rest. There was another duel to face tomorrow, after all. With luck, she¡¯d have some good news for Callan in the morning. Because they¡¯d had nothing but bad since the contest ended. Not only was their search party of yeth villagers unable to find the lud reinforcements on the other plateau, there had been signs of other yeth getting there before them. So there was a good chance that their reinforcements were in Veritas¡¯s clutches already. In other words, they were in a worse state than when they¡¯d started this morning. Sighing, Callan kicked his shoes off without looking. His arms and legs ached from climbing up and down the canyon walls, even despite him still having access to his improved stats. Though his improved Brawn and Fortitude were probably the only things that were still keeping him moving at the moment. But now at last he could rest. He closed his eyes. The sound of someone clearing their throat made him open them again. ¡°Whoever it is, I¡¯m not interested,¡± he said without looking. ¡°Unless the town is literally on fire, it can wait until the morning.¡± ¡°Now, that¡¯s not very polite.¡± The voice was familiar, but it took Callan a second to place it. He sat up. ¡°And after I¡¯ve been waiting all day for you to come home, too.¡± Alyssa stood in the doorway, leaning slightly against the frame. A mischievous smile played across her face. ¡°Oh, hey Alyssa. Did your mom send you?¡± Callan flopped back onto the mattress. ¡°No, not this time.¡± The sound of Alyssa¡¯s footsteps drew closer until she was in his line of sight again. The yeth woman studied him for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m here entirely for my own reasons.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Callan rolled over and propped and arm under his head so he could talk to her more easily. For the first time, he noticed that Alyssa was wearing that yellow dress of hers again. Callan arched an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s with the dress? I hope you¡¯re not planning to seduce me.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m so tired I don¡¯t think I could move right now if I wanted to.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m well aware that this dress doesn¡¯t have any effect on you.¡± Reaching up, Alyssa unsnapped something, and let the dress fall to the floor. ¡°So I thought I¡¯d just skip over the usual foreplay and get to the fun part.¡± She was naked underneath, and this time wasn¡¯t even making a halfhearted effort to hide herself with a sheet. Callan gaped, off-guard and rendered momentarily speechless. Alyssa took a step forward and leaned her face close into his own. ¡°And as for not being able to move... why not leave that to me?¡± 2-29 — No Spicy Scene, Sorry Somehow, against all odds, Callan found his voice again. ¡°Alyssa, I¡ª¡± ¡°Shh. No more talking. From either of you.¡± Then her lips were pressed against his own. ¡°Mmph.¡± Callan tried to speak again, but only succeeded in opening his mouth enough for Alyssa to slide her tongue in. She darted it back and forth, like she was checking his molars for cavities or something. It was... more off-putting than sexy, if he was being honest. At least until she started climbing on top of him. ¡°Whoa, whoa, stop. Stop!¡± He grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to push her off, but Alyssa just giggled, grabbed him right back and pulled him along with her. He found himself hovering only inches over her, hands clasped around her wrists. Alyssa gave him a coquettish smile. ¡°Seems you found some energy to move after all.¡± ¡°What are you doing, Alyssa?¡± She started wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him closer, so Callan released one hand in order to pry her off. That was a mistake, as Alyssa used the opportunity to reach up and pull his face down to hers. ¡°Can we just talk for a¡ªmmph!¡± After another awkward kiss, Alyssa released him. ¡°I told you, Callan, no more talking. Tell that god to take a nap or something. Let the adults have a bit of time to themselves.¡± ¡°I mean, technically I¡¯m only seventeen, that barely qualifies as an adult,¡± Callan pointed out. Then it occurred to him that the age of consent probably wasn¡¯t a thing on this planet. Or consent at all, from the way she was acting. I need to defuse this situation before it gets any worse. ¡°Listen¡ªI don¡¯t think¡ªgah!¡± Alyssa came in for another lip-lock, so Callan turned his head away just in time, which resulted in getting his ear nibbled on painfully instead. ¡°Oh, enough ¡®think this¡¯ and ¡®think that¡¯. Don¡¯t you dare go turning into a yeth on me now!¡± Alyssa sat up, placing her hands on her hips, giving Callan a perfect view of her swaying¡ªno, no. Don¡¯t think about that. Anything but that. He focused on her belly button. That was currently the safest distance between two otherwise dangerous points. Or would have been, if only he didn¡¯t have a thing for girls with flat stomachs and rock-hard abs. Damn her and all those hours spent in the smithy! Meanwhile, Alyssa kept talking, oblivious to his internal battle. ¡°You know what I like about you, Callan? How completely un-yeth you are. When I talk with you, there¡¯s no need to analyze every conversation, to wonder what angle you¡¯re playing, or what you might secretly be trying to get out of me. You¡¯re straightforward and honest. It¡¯s... refreshing. Something I didn¡¯t even realize my life was missing until I met you.¡± She sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what it must be like to live with the other races. Life must be so simple and uncomplicated.¡± ¡°You really have no idea, if you think¡ª¡± Callan began. Alyssa locked eyes with him. ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t have any idea. All I know is this village, this tiny slice of ¡®perfection¡¯ that my mother has forced on me. You¡¯re the first real thing from outside the plateau I¡¯ve ever gotten to experience. So, let me experience you, at least this once.¡± She grabbed his hands and started guiding them towards her. Realizing what she intended, Callan pulled out of her grip and seized her by the shoulders instead. Gently as he could, he pried her off of him. ¡°Alyssa, I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t interested¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, I could tell you were interested,¡± she interrupted with another giggle. ¡°Believe, me, I more than felt exactly how interesting you found me.¡± ¡°¡ªBut,¡± he continued, undaunted, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I might feel about this situation. Like I told you the last time, I can¡¯t have sex with someone who isn¡¯t truly interested in me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ªwhat are you talking about, Callan?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re not here because you want to be.¡± Callan turned away from her until his feet slid off the bed. Unfortunately, this made his ¡®interest¡¯ all the more obvious, so he quickly pulled his knees back up against his chest. ¡°It might be that you¡¯re here for your own reasons instead of the mayor¡¯s, but it¡¯s still to serve a purpose. Some end.¡± Alyssa was silent for a minute. There was a soft rustling, and when Callan glanced at her she had pulled her own knees up to her chest, her eyes just poking over them. ¡°I see. Is that what Xeph is telling you right now?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s... he¡¯s letting me sort this out on my own. But I¡¯ve spent enough time around yeth to know. I¡¯ve spent enough time around you, Alyssa. So why don¡¯t you just tell me¡ªwhat is it you want?¡± ¡°And what if it is you that I want? What if you¡¯re my end?¡± Callan just stared at her until the woman shrugged. ¡°What? It¡¯s true. I wanted to be with you. Want to be with you.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that long ago you wanted to be with Falchion,¡± Callan pointed out. ¡°That was different! Our relationship was purely transactional. I thought maybe... maybe with you I could have something that lasts. Then, when you and your cult left...¡± ¡°...I¡¯d take you with us,¡± Callan finished. Alyssa nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not so bad, is it? Just take me along. Stand against my mother, stand by my side, and I¡¯ll stay by yours. For as long as you¡¯ll have me.¡± She wriggled her eyebrows at him. ¡°So what do you say? Not such a bad deal, is it?¡± There was a war waging itself within Callan. On the one hand, he knew this was manipulation on multiple levels, that there was no real emotion behind Alyssa¡¯s words, even of the variety that passed for emotion amongst the yeth. But on the other hand, it was a naked girl, in his bed... Callan quickly slammed the door on that thought. No. He knew what the right decision to make here was. Even if every fiber of his being was yelling at him to say otherwise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t take that deal.¡± When Alyssa visibly wilted, Callan hastened to add, ¡°But I will fight with Belinda on your behalf. If you really want out of here that badly, I can make it a new condition of our temple¡¯s help, or something. Favors don¡¯t always have to be transactional. Sometimes we just help people because it¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± ¡°That is... very un-yeth of you, Callan.¡± Alyssa smiled at him. ¡°But thank you, anyways. I guess I should appreciate what I can get.¡± Quickly, she rose and began gathering her clothing. Callan barely caught more than a glimpse of her bare back before the dress slid up it and was secured in place. Alyssa turned around. Her smile this time had a tinge of sadness to it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t who you¡¯re waiting for. They must be special, for you to be able to resist all of this this.¡± She ran a hand down her side and winked at him. ¡°That¡¯s not¡ªthere isn¡¯t¡ª¡± Before he could say any more Alyssa giggled and waved away his protests. ¡°Still too easy. I hope you never change, Callan. I really do.¡± Reaching out, she patted him on the cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve kept you up long enough. Get some sleep, and I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡± She turned and made her way towards the door. Pausing in the entryway she looked back at him. Callan waited for her parting jab, but instead she simply turned away and was gone. Callan collapsed back on his bed. ¡°Right. As if I could sleep a wink after this.¡± And yet, I would still advise you to try. For tomorrow Veritas will care little how long you were awake or how much time you wasted on these bizarre mating rituals of yours. ¡°Xeph!¡± He sat up in surprise. With all the commotion surrounding Alyssa he hadn¡¯t noticed the counter had reached zero. ¡°You¡¯re back! That¡¯s¡ªwait. You saw all of that, didn¡¯t you.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Of course, mortal. Even in my reduced state, I still monitor most of your interactions. Even ones whose details I would prefer not to. Callan felt his face heat up. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a mating ritual you know.¡± Hmm. ¡°It wasn¡¯t! She basically assaulted me!¡± Clearly you are just unfamiliar with yeth mating rituals. Xeph chuckled to himself. Joking aside, you were wise to put her off. Whatever fun you might have enjoyed, the price would have been too high. Laying back down again, Callan tucked his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes. ¡°I know that, Xeph. It might take me a while, but I do learn, eventually.¡± Xeph¡¯s chuckle was like a stone bouncing into a ravine. Have I ever claimed you didn¡¯t? If anything, much of the blame for all this lies at my feet. Had I access to my full breadth of memories, I might have been better prepared to predict such a move on the woman¡¯s part. In hindsight, it seems like the obvious choice for a yeth in her position to make. ¡°That could have been helpful, yeah.¡± For now, rest easy knowing that you handled a difficult situation as best you could, Xeph continued. Though I am not entirely comfortable with the idea of endangering our agreement with this village just to aid a single yeth. Still, if it is your desire to help her, then we will do what is in our power to do. ¡°Thanks, buddy. Good to know you¡¯ve got my back.¡± And your front, and most of your sides. I tower over all of you, both physically and mentally. Callan snorted and didn¡¯t rise to the bait. Instead he let his mind relax, and with nothing left to occupy it, drifted off to sleep.
¡°You know, I¡¯m still not entirely pleased that you hid the whole ¡®powers are off the table for everybody¡¯ part of the quarantine deal from me in the first place.¡± It wasn¡¯t my intention to hide anything from you, human. There was simply no time for such banalities the first time it occurred, and we have been rather occupied since then! Callan snorted, then took another bite of his breakfast. Across from him, Kivi arched an eyebrow. He waved away her unspoken question. ¡°I feel like you could have fit it in there somewhere. Maybe when we were languishing with nothing else to do in that dveorg prison. Maybe on the long walk here. I dunno. Just a suggestion.¡± Hmmph. My sincerest apologies. I¡¯ll endeavor to fill your head with my constant chatter from now on whenever you attempt a moment of silence for yourself. ¡°See, now you¡¯re just being petulant. I¡¯m only pointing out that there have been opportunities.¡± ¡°If I may interrupt, Avatar,¡± Kivi said, picking up a piece of toast and munching on it. ¡°The fact of the matter is that while we may have been uninformed before, nothing drastic occurred as a result.¡± Callan nodded to concede the point. Then he rebutted, ¡°But it easily could have gone south on us. What if we¡¯d engaged Veritas and their followers in a full-on battle? We¡¯d have been slaughtered!¡± ¡°I think that particular outcome unlikely,¡± Kivi noted. ¡°When Veritas spoke of these ¡®Accords of Divinity¡¯, they seemed certain that they provided ample protection for you both.¡± ¡°Yeah, but not to our followers apparently. Those accords didn¡¯t do much good for Sworv¡¯s poor arm.¡± What does a cardinal direction have to do with engaging this other avatar in battle? ¡°Focus, Xeph, focus.¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°Hey, what are these Accords of Divinity, anyway? You haven¡¯t mentioned them before.¡± ¡°Nor am I familiar with the term,¡± Kivi added. Unfortunately, I am ignorant as well, Xeph admitted. It must be some cultural taboos associated with duels that were adapted after my time. Veritas mentioned the north when they spoke of it. Isn¡¯t there supposed to be a great nation in that direction? Callan repeated the god¡¯s words, and Kivi nodded. ¡°The Northern Alliance. Though I know even less about it than the Southern Reach, which is scant as it is.¡± ¡°Huh. Maybe I can pick Belinda¡¯s brain about these accords and the north, both. She¡¯s mentioned that Alliance at least once before.¡± The high priestess frowned at that. ¡°Just be careful, Avatar. Do not leave us anymore indebted to that woman than we absolutely must be. She will be looking for any way to wriggle out of our original arrangement that she can find, the closer we get to victory over Veritas.¡± Kivi¡¯s words reminded Callan of his conversation with Alyssa the night before. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something I need to talk to you about on that front.¡± First south, now front. Your Earthling anachronisms will be the end of me, mortal. ¡°Xeph, can you just... not, for five minutes?¡± Callan turned back to find Kivi waiting. ¡°So, after I left the temple, I ran into Alyssa.¡± Kivi¡¯s expression immediately darkened. When she spoke, her tone was so flat it was almost monotone. ¡°I see. And what did Alyssa need from you?¡± The way she said the yeth woman¡¯s name made it sound like an insult. There was clearly more going on there than Callan realized. He hesitated before speaking further. ¡°Oh, are we talking about me this morning?¡± Alyssa appeared in the doorway, head tilted in curiosity. Callan was both relieved and a little disappointed to see she was once again wearing her work leathers. ¡°Morning, Alyssa. I was just telling the high priestess...¡± He trailed off, suddenly unsure if he wanted to continue that particular line of conversation until he understood the look Kivi had been wearing a moment before. A look that had converted to all smiles now that the subject matter herself had appeared. He cleared his throat. ¡°Is there something you needed?¡± ¡°Actually, yes. My mother requests your presence immediately. She wants to go over the plan for today¡¯s contest once more before Veritas arrives.¡± Callan groaned. ¡°Again? We¡¯ve discussed it like three times already. And anyways, it¡¯s all just an educated guess. Who knows what the god will actually chose for their contest.¡± ¡°Still.¡± Alyssa shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s waiting at her home. Shall I let her know you¡¯ll be along shortly?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Callan waved the yeth woman away. Once she disappeared, he turned back to Kivi. ¡°I guess we should get going. If nothing else, we need to tell them about your conversation with Shamain.¡± ¡°Very well, Avatar.¡± Kivi shoved a final piece of toast into her mouth and rose from her seat. Together they made their way in the direction of the mayor¡¯s house. ¡°So what were you trying to tell me before?¡± Kivi asked as they walked. ¡°Oh. Um, before that, I was actually wondering what that expression you made was all about. Did something happen between you and Alyssa?¡± ¡°Expression?¡± A bit of pink tinged Kivi¡¯s cheeks, though it was difficult to tell with her dark-olive skin. Callan only caught it because he¡¯d spent enough time with the lud girl to know what to watch for. She gave a polite cough. ¡°The two of us have had very little reason to converse. If not for her being the mayor¡¯s daughter, I doubt we would have spoken at all.¡± Then, she continued, ¡°However, I have noticed her speaking with you on multiple occasions. In fact, it seems as if she is going out of her way to gain your attention. I worry that her interests are not... entirely pure, Avatar.¡± Callan blinked. ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t jealous of Alyssa, are you?¡± ¡°Jealous? What would I have to be jealous of?¡± ¡°You¡ªnever mind. Anyway, I can¡¯t entirely say you¡¯re wrong about Alyssa¡¯s interests,¡± he admitted. ¡°I knew it!¡± Kivi looked towards him, her eyes full of concern. ¡°Be careful, Avatar. Bargaining with a yeth can be dangerous at the best of times, but with a desperate yeth... there is no predicting what she might do to get her way.¡± Callan¡¯s mind flashed back to the previous evening again. Now it was his turn to blush. ¡°Believe me, I¡¯m aware.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Kivi looked at him in curiosity, but before he could think of a response, they arrived at the mayor¡¯s house. The door swung open at their arrival. ¡°There you are. Come in, come in.¡± Belinda ushered them into the kitchen, where Alyssa and Radavan were already waiting. ¡°So, before that upstart godling arrives, I thought we should discuss today¡¯s plan once more.¡± ¡°Actually, before that, Mayor, I should inform you of what I learned from our main temple.¡± Kivi went on to relate her conversation with Shamain, of which she¡¯d already given Callan the highlights over breakfast. It seemed that when Shamain had dispatched her grandsons to join Callan and the others, she¡¯d given them explicit directions to turn around and hurry back if anything unusual happened in the slightest. The attack by Veritas¡¯s priests certainly qualified, so there was every chance that the lud were now several plateaus away, hurrying towards home. ¡°Interesting,¡± Belinda said as Kivi finished. ¡°But utterly useless information. Whether they¡¯ve gone back home or were captured, it doesn¡¯t do us much good, does it?¡± ¡°It makes all the difference,¡± Kivi countered, ¡°On whether or not we need negotiate with Veritas for their return, or if this other avatar now has collateral to use against us.¡± ¡°Hmm. Maybe so, but I doubt it¡¯ll come up before the duel is finished. That¡¯s what we should be focusing our attention on right now.¡± The mayor turned towards Callan. ¡°You feel confident you can handle today¡¯s challenge?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Callan glanced at Alyssa, who gave her usual shy smile. ¡°Scratch that, I know so. Your daughter is a good teacher. She made sure I can handle the basics.¡± While they might not know exactly what Veritas had planned for the day, the god was one of metal, so it was likely to be something involving that. After much discussion, Callan and the others had decided a weapon or tool-making contest was likely, so Alyssa had spent several hours teaching him the basics behind blacksmithing. While he knew it wouldn¡¯t be enough to win against Veritas, that wasn¡¯t the point of this particular challenge. Indeed, Belinda commented as much, casting her daughter a level expression. ¡°It isn¡¯t the basics I¡¯m concerned about, Avatar. Did you learn enough to at least keep from looking the utter fool out there?¡± ¡°The avatar will perform masterfully,¡± Kivi said. Then she added, ¡°Or at least well enough to show the villagers he is taking the contest seriously.¡± ¡°Good. Because ensuring that the opinion of my people does not shift anymore in Veritas¡¯s favor is almost as important as this contest itself.¡± ¡°Believe us, Mayor, we know what is at stake.¡± It wouldn¡¯t do to be victorious in battle, only to lose the war and have the villagers side with Veritas anyway. Callan had already seen how easily opinion could shift during yesterday¡¯s contest. ¡°Good.¡± The mayor gave a nod of satisfaction. ¡°Because while I am fully prepared to continue running this town from exile if the avatar loses this duel, it will be considerably harder to do so if no one here listens to me any longer. Now, we should discuss the particulars concerning¡ª¡± The back door burst open, and Lisson stumbled through. Everyone stared as the boy panted heavily, fighting to regain his breath enough to speak. Finally, he managed to eke out a few words. ¡°Veritas. Spotted. Approaching village.¡± ¡°What?¡± Belinda leapt to her feet. ¡°They¡¯re hours early! This is... this is...¡± ¡°This is nothing more than a maneuver to put us on the defensive,¡± Kivi finished. She also rose to her feet. ¡°Come, Avatar. It seems the second challenge has come sooner than expected.¡± 2-30 — Terms Of Engagement They arrived at the town square before Veritas, but just barely. Callan only had a moment to quickly straighten his outfit before the other avatar was striding towards them. ¡°Mayor. Avatar Callan. I am... pleasantly surprised to see you already here. I hope I didn¡¯t keep you waiting.¡± There was an echo of laughter from behind the wolf mask. ¡°I bet you are,¡± Callan muttered quietly to himself. Not quietly enough, apparently. Veritas turned in his direction. ¡°What was that, Avatar Callan?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± Switching to offense, Callan added, ¡°So, that eager to be exiled from the village, Veritas? Any ideas what you and your little cult will do after you¡¯ve been kicked off the plateau?¡± Inside his head, Xeph¡¯s chuckle was like a low aftershock. Veritas glanced about a moment, seeming to debate their answer. As they did, more and more villagers began drifting in, apparently drawn by the noise and commotion¡ªor maybe Belinda had some other way of summoning them. Callan had never found out for certain. At last, Veritas spoke. ¡°I fear you will not find me so easily defeated, Avatar Callan. I could ask you the same¡ªwhat will you do when you no longer have the precious mayor¡¯s protection?¡± ¡°The avatar is not¡ª¡± Kivi began, but Callan interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m not worried. At least I have a home to return to, unlike some.¡± He¡¯d expected this to needle the other avatar, but instead Veritas merely assumed a relaxed position. They stared at Callan in silence. What his words did elicit, unfortunately, was a ripple of grumbling in the crowd. That was an unwise choice of words, Xeph counseled. Callan frowned in confusion. What did I do wrong now? Luckily, Kivi leapt in. ¡°What the avatar means is that my own people still support him, as he supported us in our time of need, and continues to support us even now.¡± She scanned the crowd as she said this last part. ¡°Neither the avatar nor his priesthood will abandon Aos, no matter how this duel should end. Xeph-Zul-Karatl is a god of stone and mountains, and mountains are nothing if not dependable. Right, Avatar?¡± ¡°Right, High Priestess.¡± Callan crossed his arms and smirked at Veritas. ¡°Dependable. Except during landslides,¡± the other avatar quipped. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Enough of this,¡± Veritas cut him off, turning to the crowd. ¡°Today¡¯s contest is my own choice, and so I name it now: the challenge shall be held here, and all powers shall permissible, so that there can be no accusations of cheating.¡± They held Callan¡¯s gaze, eyes boring into him from inside their mask. ¡°From either side.¡± ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve laid out the terms. But what is the actual contest?¡± Callan asked. He flexed his fingers, his gaze drifting over to the nearby forge. Smoke was already rising overhead, as Alyssa likely rushed through last-minute preparations. ¡°It is to be an art contest,¡± Veritas said simply. Callan nodded absently. ¡°Okay, so should we have everyone move over to the¡ª¡± He paused. The other avatar¡¯s words had entered his ears but were currently bouncing around his skull like an overexcited kitten. It took Xeph¡¯s intercession before they finally settled enough for him to register what had actually been said. Human, you are losing the moment! Focus! Callan blinked. He glanced at the other avatar. ¡°Did you say, ¡®art contest¡¯?¡± Veritas nodded. ¡°Unlike some who lean upon their god¡¯s chosen specialization, I wish to keep this contest neutral. Prove to all present that I am the greater power here. That to side with the god Veritas is to place your faith in more than strength of arms. Even in an esoteric field such as this, I am more than confident I shall emerge victorious.¡± They¡¯d begun turning while speaking, so by the time Veritas was done they fully faced the crowd, their back to Callan. While he seethed, Xeph¡¯s voice was a distant rumble in his mind. This is a minor setback, mortal, but not necessarily a bad one. Remember, we did not expect to win today¡¯s contest, but rather use it as a way to rally the support of the villagers. So do that. Use this... whatever it is, against Veritas. Strike now, and then we shall worry about how best to comport ourselves in such a contest. Right. Xeph made a good point. The battle didn¡¯t matter so long as they won the war. Callan stepped in front of Veritas, cutting them off mid-rant. ¡°Are you certain that¡¯s a wise choice, Veritas? The yeth don¡¯t create art.¡± ¡°Ah, but you are not yeth. Correct?¡± ¡°Yeah, okay, but what about¡ª?¡± Callan cut off before he could say you. Instead, he waved in the crowd¡¯s direction. ¡°¡ªI think the good people of Aos would prefer something... how did you put it? Less esoteric.¡± ¡°Oh? Perhaps you think we should race to harvest the most plants, or see who could catch the most fish.¡± Veritas turned to the crowd. ¡°See how little this avatar thinks of you? He does not consider your worth on the grander stage. To him, you would forever be farmers from a backwater village. But with I, Veritas, you could be so much more!¡± A few people whispered amongst themselves, but the crowd was by and largely silent. Callan fought to keep a grin off his face. ¡°You about done with your grandstanding yet? Because if so, let¡¯s get this contest started. Unless you would rather change to something else? I warn you, I¡¯m a deft hand at harvesting adle now.¡± He made a faux swiping motion with his hand, then pretended to stumble catching the seeds. Laughter rippled through the crowd, and Callan¡¯s smile widened. Team Xeph, one. Veritas, zero. The other avatar stared at him without giving away their thoughts. ¡°I am certain of my choice of contest. Now, let us select our judges.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess we would need those,¡± Callan conceded. Quieter, he muttered, ¡°How do we go about doing that, Xeph?¡± Typically, they would be chosen from available observers, with both avatars verifying that the individuals are sufficiently neutral. ¡°Where the heck are we going to find someone who qualifies as neutral?¡± Callan wondered. Beside him, Kivi stepped forward. ¡°I am happy to stand as one of the judges, honored avatars. Perhaps Veritas¡¯s own high priest would like to do the same?¡± She glanced around, as if expecting another masked priest to materialize. However, just like the day before, they were nowhere to be seen. At least today Callan didn¡¯t have to worry about them sabotaging their plans¡ªor at least he hoped he didn¡¯t. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Unfortunately, High Priestess, you are ineligible to serve as a judge, given your position in Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡¯s cult. As are my own priests.¡± Veritas glanced around as the gathered townsfolk. ¡°Are there any here who feel they can judge a contest between two avatars without bias or prejudice?¡± ¡°I can,¡± a middle-aged man said, stepping forward. Callan saw Belinda¡¯s eyes bulge. ¡°Higarth?¡± She let out a noise that was half-choke, half-growl. ¡°You? Of all people?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, Belinda.¡± Higath bowed towards Callan and Veritas. ¡°Avatars. It would be my honor to stand as a neutral party for this contest. I have spent most of my life avoiding town politics, and my skills lie in pottery, not farming, so I stand to lose or gain little from this conflict. As our mayor can attest, I may not have ever been her closest ally, but neither have I directly opposed her decisions.¡± Callan glanced at the mayor, who appeared to now be grinding her teeth to dust. ¡°You lying son of a snake! All those times I tried to draw you in to my inner circle, and you told me you had no interest¡ªHow long have you been serving Veritas? Since the town was built? Before? Answer me, dammit, or so help me I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Kivi placed a hand on the mayor¡¯s hip. ¡°At peace, Mayor. What is done is done.¡± ¡°Hmmph.¡± Belinda glowered at Higarth. ¡°There¡¯ll be a reckoning for this, I promise.¡± The yeth smiled but said nothing. Callan¡¯s gaze flicked between the two, brow knitting together. Luckily, Xeph responded to his unspoken question. The yeth man is clearly one of Veritas¡¯s priests. Likely their high priest. This is how they intend to win¡ªby stacking the field against us. ¡°What?¡± Callan hissed. ¡°I thought they just got done telling us priests couldn¡¯t be judges.¡± Ah, but Veritas has never acknowledged this one as a priest, have they? What¡¯s more, we cannot even oppose their choice, as without proof of the yeth¡¯s tainted loyalties we are just as likely to turn the town against us as to see them removed. Dangit. Callan wanted to argue with that logic, but he had a feeling Xeph was right. Besides, Veritas was already scanning the crowd, looking for the next judge. ¡°I have heard much of this bridge crew, and how they stand apart from the mayor¡¯s authoritarian control over your town. Perhaps a member chosen from their numbers would be willing to keep a neutral perspective.¡± Quickly, mortal, they are hunting for another of their priests! At least we know where Veritas¡¯s followers are today. A bright curve to every darkened coin, it seems. ¡°Yeah, not really seeing the silver lining here, Xeph.¡± Callan scanned the crowd, and a name burst from his lips before his mind could register what it was doing. ¡°Dosoti!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The older yeth had been lounging near the edge of the crowd, and now looked about in confusion as all eyes turned towards him. Callan nodded, warming to the idea. ¡°Dosoti is a perfect neutral choice. You don¡¯t like me, do you, Dosoti?¡± ¡°Not particularly,¡± the older yeth admitted. He didn¡¯t seem bothered in the least stating that fact to the entire town. Jerking a thumb at Veritas, he said. ¡°Don¡¯t particularly care for that one, either. Talks too much.¡± ¡°Perfect! You¡¯ll be our second judge.¡± Dosoti blinked. ¡°Wait, what? I didn¡¯t agree to that.¡± ¡°Too bad.¡± Belinda appeared to have regained her confidence after the surprise of the last judge. ¡°This is an order as your mayor, Dosoti. Judge the contest.¡± She glared at him, as if daring the man to counter her command. The lud simply jammed hands into his pockets and grumbled something unintelligible. Callan turned, grinning at Veritas. While he wasn¡¯t actually certain that Dosoti was a wise choice, it still had to be better than whoever the other avatar had in mind. ¡°We just need one more, right?¡± ¡°Hmm. Yes. Though I suppose if there are no further volunteers...¡± ¡°I will do it.¡± The words were barely a whisper, so Callan was surprised when everyone turned to look at Alyssa. She shrank back a moment, then forced herself to stand tall and raise her voice. ¡°I am the only one in town with anything approaching art experience. Also, you all know that I have had conflicts with my mother, that I am more than a mere extension of her will. I am my own person and can stand as neutral in my decision.¡± Hmm, interesting argument, Xeph mused. Veritas is certain to reject her, but if we can get the town¡¯s support behind the yeth woman, we will have a powerful ally in this contest. Callan nodded in agreement. Alyssa might not favor her mother, but he knew he could count on her support in the judging. That would only leave Dosoti as the wildcard. Not a guaranteed win, but probably the closest chance they¡¯d get. He turned to the townsfolk. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it said that your mayor intends to pass on her title to Alyssa when her own time comes to an end.¡± A wave of gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd. Across from him, Belinda¡¯s eyes bulged. She took a step forward. ¡°Wait a minute, I never¡ª¡± Callan talked over her. ¡°Think of this as a chance to judge Alyssa¡¯s skills and confidence while she herself passes judgment on this contest. Witness your future leader in action and decide for yourselves if she¡¯s who you want to take the reins of the town.¡± ¡°Avatar!¡± Belinda hissed. She yanked at his shirtsleeve with all of her might¡ªnot that it counted for much. Against Callan¡¯s nineteen Brawn, she did little more than force him to set his feet. ¡°Whatever game you¡¯re playing at, Alyssa is not prepared for this. I don¡¯t know how you convinced her to speak up in front of an entire crowd, but I won¡¯t let you¡ª¡± Gently as he could, Callan tugged his sleeve free. Belinda almost fell over. ¡°I¡¯m not playing at any games, Mayor. Not a yeth, remember? Besides, you should give your own daughter a little more credit than that.¡± He shot Alyssa a smile and gave her a thumbs up. Just for a moment, the yeth girl¡¯s face quirked into that mischievous smile Callan been graced with on far too few occasions. Then the meek expression returned as she lowered her head. Veritas glanced between them and the crowd. ¡°While the Avatar¡¯s flowery words are well-intentioned, I cannot permit a judge who is so obviously corrupted. Her loyalty to her family will¡ª¡± ¡°Let her judge!¡± someone in the crowd yelled. Veritas cut off immediately. ¡°Yeah!¡± Another called, ¡°I¡¯ve known Alyssa for years! She¡¯s the fairest, nicest person in the village. She¡¯ll do a good job! ¡°Plus, her mother is kind of a bitch to her,¡± another grumbled. Belinda¡¯s head snapped about. ¡°Who said that? WHO???¡± ¡°I think the people have spoken, Veritas,¡± Callan said, unable to suppress his grin. ¡°Let Alyssa be a judge.¡± The other avatar turned and studied him. Finally, he said, ¡°Hmm. Well planned, Avatar Callan. Perhaps you are a yeth, after all, if only in spirit.¡± ¡°How could I possibly have planned for this? I didn¡¯t even know what today¡¯s contest would be.¡± ¡°Oh? Just as you didn¡¯t plan for a blacksmithing competition?¡± The other avatar turned away before Callan could respond. They raised their hands. ¡°Very well. I accent to Alyssa being a judge, if Avatar Callan assents to the villager Higarth being one as well. Is that suitable?¡± They glanced back at Callan, who merely nodded. His brain was still busy mulling over what else Veritas had just said. How did they know we were expecting a smithing contest? Before he had time to dwell or commune with Xeph, the other avatar continued, ¡°Then let the contest begin. The time allotted to each of us shall be one hour, and no more. At the end of which, these judges will decide whose art they prefer. No other restrictions or constraints are imposed.¡± Well, that last sentence isn¡¯t ominous or anything, Xeph muttered. Callan silently agreed, but he couldn¡¯t really see how Veritas might use it to their advantage. ¡°Then let us begin.¡± With that, Veritas strode away from the square. Callan blinked in surprise. ¡°Hey,¡± he called, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Where else, Avatar Callan? To get my art supplies, of course.¡± With that, Veritas slipped between two buildings and disappeared. Definitely ominous. ¡°Yeah, no duh.¡± Callan cracked his neck to one side, then the next. ¡°So, any ideas what we should do?¡± Hmm. Xeph took a moment before responding. Something that does not involve skulls, I think. Whatever art skills you possess, they do not lie in that arena. ¡°Hey, screw you, I thought my additions were on point.¡± Callan waved a hand towards the tower squatting in the middle of the square. While not quite as decorated as the bunkers around the village¡¯s edges, he¡¯d added more than a few of his own flourishes during the last few days. ¡°But okay. If not skulls, then what?¡± I do not know. Consider what might win over our judges, perhaps? ¡°Judge, you mean. Dosoti¡¯s the only one that really matters.¡± The three judges were currently standing apart from the rest of the crowd, periodically glancing in Callan¡¯s direction, as Veritas had yet to reappear. In that case, what might appeal to the yeth man? You have spent some time with him in the fields. Surely that gives you a few clues. Callan snorted. ¡°Clues from what? Being ignored and brushed aside at every opportunity? I know that Dosoti enjoys not working and being left alone... maybe if I made a gazebo or something? It could be a place for villagers to retreat to when the weather gets hot.¡± Xeph shifted about in his mind. Is a gazebo really art, though? ¡°No, I suppose not,¡± Callan admitted. ¡°No more than my tower, decorations notwithstanding. What I really need is something like the weathervane that was here before. Art that appeals to the practical nature of the yeth.¡± So do that, then. ¡°Uh, that might be difficult, Xeph. You know, on account of turning the rock it was sitting on into a friggin...¡± Callan trailed off. He looked at the tower again. With noon approaching, it was only casting a small shadow, from within which Belinda stood apart from the rest of her people. She glowered at him on noticing his attention but said nothing. Callan ignored her. ¡°Actually, I think I might have an idea.¡± Approaching the bottom steps of the tower, he started to climb. 2-31 — Art Is A Lie That Makes Us Realize Truth Callan was halfway up the tower when the first bolt struck. It just barely missed catching him on the shoulder, instead pinging off the tower¡¯s smooth side and clattering away to the ground. ¡°The hell?¡± Callan glanced down, seeing the small wooden shaft lying in the dirt. It looked like an arrow, only it was too short and too thick. The tip had a small, rounded knob made of some silvery metal that caught and reflected the sunlight. A crossbow bolt, Xeph confirmed, right as the second one struck Callan on the back of the leg. ¡°Augh!¡± Callan just barely managed to grab ahold of the step above him to keep from tumbling from the tower as his leg crumpled. With all his strength, he hauled himself back up again. ¡°Avatar, is everything alright up there?¡± A voice called from below. Callan glanced down and saw Higarth looking up at him curiously. ¡°I¡¯ve been shot!¡± Another bolt struck somewhere near his ear, and he yelped. ¡°Correction: I¡¯m being shot at!¡± ¡°Oh dear. Are you seriously injured?¡± ¡°I¡ªno, I don¡¯t think so.¡± His leg stung like the dickens, but didn¡¯t feel broken or anything. The arrow hadn¡¯t even pierced his skin, just bounced off like the ones hitting the walls. Hurray for forty-one Fortitude, he supposed. ¡°If you aren¡¯t seriously injured, then the contest shall continue,¡± Higarth said. Callan could swear he could hear a malicious grin in the man¡¯s voice, though his actual expression remained neutral. ¡°But please note that since you climbed that tower of your own will, should you fall, any injury you sustain will not be grounds for cancelling the contest.¡± ¡°Hey, Xeph, what is he babbling on about¡ªGah!¡± Another bolt struck just below his left foot. Entirely done with the situation, Callan scurried the rest of the way up the tower and dove behind one of the battlements. The yeth is referring to the rules governing avatar duels, Xeph said as Callan peeked out, looking for the mystery shooter. All he saw was the crowd below. If I had to guess, Veritas coached his priest on what to say. So long as neither of you seriously injure each other, either directly or via your followers, then the contest is required to continue. Clever. It seems Veritas was more prepared for today than we expected. ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re impressed they¡¯re trying to kill us?¡± Callan scanned the crowd again, looking for the other avatar, but couldn¡¯t spot them. Still, they had to be nearby. I doubt they are trying to kill you, or even injure you, since as I just noted, that would end this contest in our favor. But if they keep you distracted and unable to work on your own artwork? There is nothing against doing so in the rules. ¡°Dangit, this is why that bastard said there were no other restrictions, didn¡¯t they? This is how they¡¯re getting us back for cheating at the tower building.¡± Perhaps, or perhaps they would have done this, regardless. We¡¯ll have to make the best of it and evade or strike back as we can. ¡°Oh, sure, Xeph, I¡¯ll be sure to strike back without causing serious injury. Which of my abilities do you recommend? The one that hurls big-ass stones, or the whip that literally cuts through metal?¡± Hmmph. No need to get irate, mortal, I¡¯m merely letting you know the conditions we find ourselves in. ¡°Duly¡ªack!¡ªnoted.¡± Callan dove back as another crossbow bolt nearly hit him in the face. ¡°Never mind the rules, you¡¯d think Veritas wouldn¡¯t want to affect his image with the villagers like this. After all, don¡¯t the yeth supposedly abhor violence?¡± Conditionally, yes. He must be doing it in such a way as to remove suspicion against him. Though I¡¯m uncertain how... ¡°You dwell on that,¡± Callan said. ¡°I¡¯m going to try and put a stop to this.¡± Pitching his voice, he yelled, ¡°Veritas is shooting at me! How am I supposed to work under hostile conditions like this?¡± ¡°Would you care to elaborate, Avatar Callan?¡± The unmistakable rumble of Veritas¡¯s mask came from below. ¡°For I wish to know exactly how I am ¡®attacking¡¯ you from all the way down below. Please, enlighten us.¡± Grimacing, Callan peered over the edge, and saw that Veritas was standing next to Belinda, hands hidden beneath the folds of their robes. The wolf-head mask stared back up at him. ¡°C¡¯mon, Veritas, I know this is your doing.¡± Another bolt whizzed by Callan¡¯s head, and he did his best not to flinch. ¡°If not you, then one of your priests is hiding nearby.¡± ¡°I can assure you and all present that I have no priests ¡®hiding nearby¡¯, as Avatar Callan so eloquently put it. Feel free to look yourselves.¡± Several of the gathered yeth peered about, as if they might see a masked priest hiding in an alleyway. Veritas laughed. ¡°You know what I think? I think Avatar Callan is doing this himself, as a way to create sympathy. After all, what yeth would willingly fire a weapon at another? Do you see what he accuses you all of?¡± More muttering from the crowd. Callan ground his teeth. Where was Kivi? She could help with crowd control, since the mayor seemed unwilling or unable to take action. He leaned out a bit further. Where had Kivi been before? Callan was sure he had seen¡ª Another bolt connected with him, right in the stomach. Callan doubled over and nearly pitched off the edge of the tower. Only a burst of quick reflexes saved him as he scrabbled at a crenellation, managing to pull himself to safety. And teetering there on the edge, that¡¯s when he saw it. The roofs of the surrounding buildings were absolutely littered with crossbows. Some were small, only slightly bigger than his hand. Others were large enough he doubted many of the yeth villagers would have been able to lift them, let alone wield them. They were pointed in all manner of directions, most not anywhere close to his location. ¡°Well, I guess, that answers that,¡± he noted, right as one of the crossbows shivered and turned in his direction. ¡°Oh crappity crap!¡± He heaved himself back behind the battlements, and a heartbeat later heard the bolt twang off the side of the tower. ¡°I guess we know why Veritas is keeping his hands hidden.¡± Indeed. On a happier note, it is unlikely that they will be able to strike us so long as we remain hidden in the tower. Attacks have only come when we are visible. As if to immediately disprove Xeph¡¯s theory, the sound of another crossbow bolt striking the tower echoed just on the other side of the battlement. Hmm. Xeph didn¡¯t comment further. ¡°Hey, while we were leaning out, you didn¡¯t happen to see Kivi, did you?¡± No, our high priestess was nowhere nearby. With luck, she and the others have already begun to search for the source of these attacks, though with those weapons so high, it is unlikely they will be able to provide much assistance. Perhaps if you were to let the mayor know, she could relay the information. ¡°I dunno, I got the impression that Belinda isn¡¯t exactly happy with us at the moment.¡± Callan frowned. ¡°Not sure why, though.¡± If I had to guess, it is likely something to do with how you favored her daughter earlier in your speech, while also casting her own actions into a less than favorable light. That is only a guess, however. Callan winced. ¡°Well gee, when you put it that way...¡± For the moment, we must consider ourselves on our own. Xeph paused, then continued, If possible, you should begin whatever project you planned for up here. Every second wasted is simply another small victory for Veritas. ¡°I mean, I would, except the second I stand up I¡¯m going to turn into a pincushion. Though I suppose I could start shaping from here. The angle might be a bit weird, but¡ª¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. He paused. Thought for a moment. Shook his head. ¡°Actually, I just had a better idea.¡± Turning, he activated Shape Stone and set to work.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 5%
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 10%
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 15%
Within a few minutes, the battlements around Callan had lost their shape and become something entirely less useful¡ªand also more. Almost all the gaps were sealed shut, and the remaining stone had risen skyward, forming a near dome around him, with a hole about six feet across at the top to let in the light. Thin as it now was, the modified battlements would never stand up to a true attack, but Callan suspected it would still be more than enough to repel the bolts. Or at the very least, slow them down. This was confirmed a moment later when Callan heard another plinking noise outside¡ªon the completely opposite side from where he stood. Callan grinned. ¡°Not such a good shot without line of sight, are you, bitch?¡± Who are you talking to? ¡°You, Xeph, clearly.¡± He rolled his eyes and surveyed his setup. They were protected now, with plenty of light to work by. Perfect. He made his way to one of the few openings he¡¯d left. Cupping his hands, he asked, ¡°How long do I have left?¡± ¡°A little over forty-five minutes, Avatar Callan,¡± Higarth called back. ¡°Though I must say, whatever you¡¯re doing, it is highly unorthodox. How are we judges supposed to monitor you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re only judging my finished project. What I get up to in the meantime is my business. Is the mayor around?¡± ¡°Can you not tell yourself?¡± There was a smirk in Higarth¡¯s voice. Callan ignored it. ¡°Hey, Mayor, if you see my high priestess, remind her that nobody ever thinks to look up. She¡¯ll know what it means.¡± He¡¯d just have to hope that Belinda was listening, and also inclined to help him. Regardless of any resentment, she was still on his side¡ªif she wanted him to win, she needed to put her own pettiness aside for a bit. Task accomplished, he sat down and leaned back against the battlement-turned-dome wall. Reaching into his pocket, he took out some of the adle bread he¡¯d snagged from Belinda¡¯s kitchen table and bit a chunk off. Mortal? Why aren¡¯t you starting? ¡°Can¡¯t think on an empty stomach, Xeph. Besides, I need to bring down my Apotheosis. There should be enough time to accomplish what I want to do, but no sense taking any chances.¡± That is... a reasonable position. Xeph settled back down in his mind, and Callan resumed eating. His apotheosis ticked steadily downward. Soon as it was almost zero again, he stood up. ¡°Okay, time to see if the climb up here was utterly pointless or not.¡± He began working with Shape Stone, first building out four beams to connect in the center of the tower, then gradually siding more material along them to bulk up the middle. It was slow work, and he had to pause twice more to eat and let his apotheosis recover. At first, Xeph pestered him with questions about what he was trying to do, but eventually the god fell silent and simply observed. By the time he was almost complete, the tower walls had grown paper thin in a few places, enough that an errant bolt could probably punch through if it hit the right spot. Fortunately, most were now concentrated to the few openings he¡¯d left near his feet. A small pile of them was currently growing on the floor at the bottom of the tower. ¡°Geez, how many of those things did Veritas leave up there?¡± Shaking his head, Callan moved to an opening. He knelt and waited for the next bolt to pass through, then ducked his head out. ¡°What¡¯s my remaining time?¡± ¡°About ten minutes, honored avatar. Will you be joining us down here any time soon?¡± ¡°That depends on my high priestess¡ª¡± Callan¡¯s words were interrupted by a loud crash from across the square. He glanced over and felt his heart surge. Kivi was standing on the roof of the trading post, laying into the crossbows arrayed there with her Wurmchain. Metal clanged and groaned as it was rent apart, or simply set skittering off the edge. From the other side of the tower came similar noises. Callan imagined it was Paeral and Sworv performing a similar service. Down below, Veritas gave a grunt, robes shifting as they manipulated their hands beneath their robes but found their weapons unresponsive. Beside them, Higarth glanced around. ¡°What is that noise?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s unrelated to the contest.¡± Callan squeezed through the opening and onto the first step down. ¡°Actually, I think I will join you all now. My work here is basically done.¡± There were no errant bolts on the way down, and by the time Callan reached the bottom, he could see Kivi stepping out from between several buildings to make her way over. She gave a small nod as their eyes met that Callan returned. ¡°And where have you been, High Priestess?¡± Veritas asked as Kivi stopped next to Belinda. ¡°Do you care so little for your avatar that you cannot even stand witness to his defeat?¡± ¡°Come on, man, even for you that was pretty weak sauce,¡± Callan said. When the avatar looked at him he gave a gormless smile. ¡°Five minutes remaining, Avatars,¡± Higarth noted. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m all done with my work, so it¡¯s just a matter of if Veritas needs more time...?¡± ¡°I too am done,¡± the other avatar conceded. ¡°Great. In that case, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± ¡°If that is what you both wish.¡± Higarth waited until he got a confirming nod from his master before clearing his throat. ¡°The art contest is now complete. Judges step forward.¡± Alyssa and Dosoti drew closer, the latter grumbling and scowling at everyone. Once they¡¯d made their way over, Higarth turned back to Callan. ¡°Who would like to present their... artwork first?¡± Callan glanced at Veritas. ¡°It¡¯s your contest.¡± ¡°Indeed. Very well. I present for the judges¡¯ consideration... my creation.¡± They pulled back their robes. Underneath, they were holding a small statue of molded clay¡ªCallan was so surprised by the fact that it wasn¡¯t made of metal that it took him a moment before realized that he recognized it. So, apparently, did Xeph. Isn¡¯t that similar to the art piece you have back at the temple? The one the high priestess returned with from her first visit to this village? ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯re right,¡± Callan muttered as he stared at the object in Veritas¡¯s hands. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just similar, Callan would have bet good money that it was identical to the one that he owned, down to the shades of red it was painted with. Had... had his own art piece originally come from Veritas? The implications were uncomfortable, to say the least. Callan realized the judges were staring at him. It took a moment to realize why. ¡°Oh, right, you want to see my creation.¡± ¡°Indeed, Avatar Callan. Unless the modification to the tower is your artwork...?¡± ¡°Nope, not a chance. Um... Just a minute.¡± Callan raised his hands and activated Shape Stone.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 12%
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 17%
Originally, Callan had been hoping to peel back the dome in a single dramatic gesture, but the quantity of stone and his own limited view from below prevented that. Instead, he did it piecemeal, jogging around the tower, pulling back the proverbial curtain, then repeating the process a little further on.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 22%
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 27%
It left his Apotheosis completely maxed out, but he managed it. Finishing with the final layer, he turned to the watching crowd and gestured skyward. ¡°Behold, Xeph and my creation!¡± Such a flair for the dramatic, Xeph quipped as the last section of the dome fell away. Though it would have been more inspiring if the yeth hadn¡¯t already been able to see most of it. ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s not like I planned this out or anything.¡± Callan stepped back to stand alongside Kivi, and together with everyone else they stared at the top of the tower. Without the dome to hide it, Callan¡¯s creation was plain for all to see. A stone sphere, with a single arrow piercing through its center. ¡°It¡¯s a replacement for the weathervane you had in this spot before,¡± Callan noted. ¡°I know stone isn¡¯t usually the preferred medium, but Xeph and I tried to make it as hollow as we could to reduce the weight. Still, at some point you might want to replace it with the original, wherever it¡¯s gotten to. In the meantime... I thought it might remind Aos of who you were¡ªand who you are. Veritas wants to change everything about you all, but... I¡¯m happy leaving this village the way it is, to decide its future for itself.¡± He realized he was babbling and snapped his mouth shut. Around him the crowd had begun to murmur, but most of it sounded like pleased murmuring. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t just the crowd he needed to convince. Callan turned towards the judges. Higarth was the first to speak. ¡°Eloquent words, Avatar Callan. Unfortunately, it isn¡¯t your words that needed to be eloquent, it was your art. And I find Veritas¡¯s creation to be the more compelling of the two. It... speaks to me.¡± Of course it does, Xeph groused. Callan ignored his head-mate. They¡¯d never expected to succeed with Higarth. Instead, he watched Dosoti carefully. After a moment, the older lud grunted. ¡°It¡¯s a waste of time and effort in both cases, but I do agree with the avatar Callan. I always liked that weathervane, and was sad to see it go. This is almost as good. I choose that, and wash my hands of any further participation in this whole ridiculous business..¡± And without further ado, he stormed off through the crowd. Callan smirked at Veritas. The contest was won. Veritas merely crossed his arms and stared sightlessly at Alyssa. What is this? Callan wondered. We¡¯ve won. So why is it that I suddenly have this sinking feeling in my stomach? His eyes darted towards Alyssa. Their eyes met, and for a moment her face wore that same sad smile she¡¯d had last night. Then she stepped back, stopping beside Veritas. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Callan, but I told you before. It¡¯s not art if it serves a purpose.¡± Taking the other avatar¡¯s hand, she lifted it into the air. ¡°Veritas wins the contest.¡± 2-32 — The Final Secret The square erupted into chaos. Yeth jabbered loudly back and forth, while a wild energy seemed to course through the crowd, leaving everyone moving without purpose. Belinda had begun screaming at her daughter, but most of the words were lost over the cacophony. Callan noticed Radavan raising his hands, trying to calm the crowd, but he might as well have been yelling into the void for all the good it did him. Then Sworv and Paeral summoned their wurmchains, and things really went crazy. Half the crowd surged away from them, while the other half pushed even closer, causing a dozen arguments and minor scuffles to break out. Meanwhile a pair of swords had materialized in Higarth¡¯s hands¡ªfinally confirming his identity as a priest, if a bit too late to matter¡ªand he was now standing protectively between Callan¡¯s priests and his own avatar. Inside Callan¡¯s head Xeph was trying to say something, but the words were no more audible from within than Radavan¡¯s had been from without. It seemed like every person around him was trying to outdo each other in volume. Paeral took an aggressive step forward, and Callan realized he couldn¡¯t wait for the situation to calm down on its own. He had to act. Fortunately, whatever Xeph had been trying to say appeared to align with his own thoughts. When Callan¡¯s voice bellowed out, it was filled with the stone god¡¯s strength as well as his own. ¡°SILENCE!!!¡± Amazingly, the crowd responded, and the noises around him cut off like a blade had torn them apart. Callan turned towards his priests. Whatever the expression on his face was, it must have been intense. Paeral stepped back, and Sworv dropped his weapon entirely, allowing it to puff away into smoke. ¡°Both of you, withdraw, now.¡± He didn¡¯t wait to see if his order was obeyed, instead turning to Veritas. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you are keeping a cool head about this, Avatar Callan,¡± the masked figure quipped. ¡°And here I was worried you might do something rash and risk the punitive might of the Accords dropping on your head.¡± ¡°Pound sand, Veritas.¡± Callan¡¯s eyes found those of the yeth woman still holding onto the other avatar¡¯s arm. She wore that sad smile of hers, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to feel anything about it right now. ¡°Alyssa. Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that complicated, Callan. This all simply came down to which avatar I thought would finally get me out of this miserable little village.¡± For a moment, Alyssa cast her eyes to the ground. ¡°I do wish you had taken me up on my offer last night. We could have made a few good memories to remember each other by. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be getting another chance.¡± ¡°Yes, it does seem like your time as my informant has come to an end,¡± Veritas noted dryly. They let out a sigh. ¡°And I had so hoped to eke out a bit more from this partnership, too. But no, the avatar just had to introduce that wildcard Dosoti into the judging.¡± From the far end of the square came the sound of a distant rumble. Veritas glanced over their shoulder, then back. ¡°It appears our ride is here. Avatar Callan, I do thank you for being such a good host. Until our next contest.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, you¡¯re not going anywhere until we¡¯ve set a time. Tomorrow, we¡ª¡± ¡°Sorry, but it doesn¡¯t work like that,¡± the other avatar interrupted. ¡°Until you procure an individual we can both agree is neutral enough to decide the third contest, it appears this duel will be put on hold. Come, Alyssa. Time to go.¡± Veritas spun, their robes billowing out behind them, and strode from the square, Alyssa following behind. Higarth took a moment longer to bow to the Mayor. ¡°My apologies, Belinda, but I think it¡¯s time I also took my leave of this village. Consider myself as having gone into voluntary exile, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± He turned and scurried off after the others. Belinda blinked. Then her face turned red in fury. ¡°Wait just a damn moment!¡± She tore off across the square. Callan hesitated, then shook his head and took off after her. He only made it as far as the square¡¯s edge before bumping into the mayor. On the other side of her, he found Veritas, Alyssa, and Higarth¡ªalong with two other masked priests. Only these two were astride a pair of enormous beasts that Callan instantly recognized. So did Xeph. Oh, dvoraks, the god casually noted, as Callan¡¯s mind worked to process the sight. And properly war-trained ones by the look of it. See how they twitch? Trying to keep a dvorak standing still is a lot like holding back a hurricane. I imagine these two were raised¡ª ¡°Not the time, buddy.¡± Callan grabbed Belinda¡¯s arm before she could start forward again. The mayor struggled against him but couldn¡¯t break free. ¡°Why?¡± she shouted after her daughter. ¡°Tell me why! Everything I¡¯ve done has been for your sake, daughter, so tell me, why do this to me? To your family? To the whole village?¡± ¡°If you have to ask that, mother, then you haven¡¯t been paying attention. I honestly wonder if you ever did.¡± Alyssa climbed up behind Veritas onto one of the beasts. When she turned back, her gaze found Callan. She opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Alyssa,¡± Veritas said. The word was soft, but utterly commanding. The yeth woman closed her eyes. ¡°Of course, Veritas.¡±
Followers lost. Available faith decreased by 1.
Negative faith detected. Minor Debt Penalty applied.
That... that BITCH! Xeph¡¯s voice rumbled like a volcano. It was loud enough that Callan winced. ¡°Apologies, Avatar Callan, but I can¡¯t have you tracking a former follower to our destination,¡± Veritas noted, his modulated voice dripping with smugness. ¡°Bad form, and all that. Still, I do look forward to hearing from you soon about that neutral party.¡± They kicked their heels, and the dvorak shot forward. Yeth dove out of the way as the two beasts charged out of town, and in seconds they were little more than specks raising a cloud of dust in the distance. Callan watched until even that faded away to nothing. ¡°Well, shit. This day certainly could have gone better,¡± he mused to no one but himself. Of course, it was never just himself listening these days. Yes, the yeth¡¯s betrayal was a bit of a blow to our efforts here. It remains to be seen what effect this will have on the town¡¯s opinion of us. Xeph¡¯s words rang ominous in his ears. Then the god¡¯s tone lightened. There is, however, a bright side to all of this. ¡°Really?¡± Callan perked up at that. Indeed. We¡¯ve solved the mystery of that dvorak on the lud plateau at last. If Veritas is training the beasts, it¡¯s highly likely one escaped and made its way there. I had been so curious about that, the poor creature seemed completely out of its element. ¡°You¡ªare you for real right now, Xeph?¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Why would I not be? the god asked. Callan opened his mouth to retort, flapped it uselessly a few times, then gave up. Only then did he notice he still had a hold on Belinda¡¯s arm. He released his grip. ¡°Hmmph. About time.¡± She glared at him as she massaged her arm, then turned to look at the crowd. Any sign of shock and anguish was gone off her face like it had never been there in the first place. ¡°Everyone, I know this is a blow to our community.¡± Her voice echoed across the square. ¡°To lose both our potter and our blacksmith on the same day will mean difficult times for all of us. But do not lose heart! We still have one more contest, and once the avatar has proven himself the stronger, Veritas will depart this plateau along with all who support them. New potters and new smiths will settle here, you will see. Trade will resume. Life will improve. You need only trust in me, as you always have, since the beginning. I promise I¡¯ll see you through this, on my honor as your mayor.¡± Callan gaped at the woman. She couldn¡¯t be serious... could she? Inside his head, Xeph chuckled. Ah, never underestimate a yeth¡¯s sense of priorities. Notice how quickly her own daughter simply becomes ¡®the blacksmith¡¯. By tomorrow she¡¯ll act like Alyssa never existed at all. For better or worse, it seemed most of the town shared Callan¡¯s sentiment. Belinda¡¯s speech met a wall of blank stares. Someone coughed in the back, and then the crowd began to break up and drift away. Belinda¡¯s head darted one direction and the next. ¡°Wait, I still have more to¡ªwe can¡¯t lose hope over¡ªcome back here! I order you as your mayor!¡± No one listened, and in a few minutes there was no one left besides Callan, Kivi, and the lud brothers. Even Radavan departed, though he at least cast a pitying look back at his mother before slipping away. The mayor stood in the empty street, arms still half-raised, looking for all the world as if she¡¯d been frozen in place. She jumped when Callan¡¯s hand landed on her shoulder. ¡°C¡¯mon, Mayor, I think we¡¯d better go talk about our next move.¡± ¡°I¡ªyes, of course. That would be wise.¡± She glanced at him. ¡°You¡¯re not¡ªwe can still defeat Veritas. This isn¡¯t over yet.¡± ¡°Nobody said it was.¡± Over her shoulder, Callan shared a concerned look with Kivi. Maybe the situation was still salvageable, but at the moment he couldn¡¯t quite see how. ¡°Let¡¯s return to my house. I¡¯ll make us some tea.¡± Belinda started to turn away, only to glance back at Callan. ¡°By the way, what was that nonsense Veritas was spouting about the Accords?¡± ¡°Honestly, I was hoping you could tell me.¡±
Callan collapsed into a seat while Belinda set to busying herself around the kitchen. The stiffness in her shoulders made it plain she wasn¡¯t ready to speak yet, so Callan let her be. Instead, he focused inward and pulled up his stat sheet.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 19 Momentum: 17 Fortitude: 41 Concentration: 17 Influence: 17 Piety: 18 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Gypsum ¨C I Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Gypsum - I) Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - X) Orison slot 3: Rock Sling (Talc - II) -DISPENSATIONS- Perk 1: Wane -DOGMA- Total Followers: 99 Available Faith: -1 (Minor Debt Penalty) Conviction: 10/10 Conviction Rate: 5.5/week Temples: 2/2 Domain: 18 yd APOTHEOSIS: 18/27.5%
His eyes were immediately drawn to the words ¡®minor debt penalty¡¯ practically flashing in his vision. The last time that had happened to him was during the fight against Ligo, and with all the chaos, he hadn¡¯t really had a chance to investigate it before all the additional villager faith washed it away. He focused on it now.
Minor Debt Penalty While this penalty is active, apotheosis will accrue 25% faster and will decline 50% slower.
Callan winced. Yeah, that¡¯s going to be a problem long-term. Alyssa really did a number on us today. Thinking the yeth woman¡¯s name sent a spike of pain through him, like someone clutching at his heart. He hadn¡¯t really been attracted to her, had found her advances more off-putting than anything, but he couldn¡¯t deny that he¡¯d thought they were at least friends. This betrayal was hitting him harder than he would have expected. You should eat something, mortal, Xeph said, interrupting his introspection. With that penalty in effect, maintaining a higher cooldown rate will be more important than ever. Let us just be glad that it is only a minor one. ¡°How does that work, exactly, anyway? You never really explained the first time.¡± Only because we were in the midst of combat, and I felt there were more important matters on your mind! Xeph paused, then continued, There are four levels of penalty¡ªminor, medium, major, and severe. Try to avoid that last one. It is not quite as dire as reaching the limit of your apotheosis, but it is a close second. Callan frowned. ¡°No offense, but I kind of feel like avoiding it is sort of out of my control. It happens when we lose followers, right?¡± Essentially, yes. There are steps you can take to mitigate it, however. For instance, most avatars will begin to maintain a reserve of available faith rather than spending it all upon receiving it. Having a buffer can ease the risk if there should suddenly be a crisis of faith. There are also some tactical advantages, he continued, Such as being able to apply additional faith during combat to gain a sudden edge against your opponent. Though that has limited applications and shouldn¡¯t be relied on to turn the tide. ¡°What about¡ª¡± Callan began, only to pause as a teacup slid in front of him. Across the table, Belinda settled into her own chair. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this sorted out. First and foremost, Avatar¡ªdo you have a plan for our next move? How do we force the final contest with Veritas?¡± Dismissing his interface, Callan considered the idea. Finally, he said, ¡°I have no idea. There¡¯s nobody left in the village who can be trusted by both Veritas and myself, and even if we could get someone back from our own temple, they¡¯re no more neutral than your own villagers.¡± ¡°What about someone from another village?¡± Kivi asked. ¡°From one of the nearby plateaus?¡± ¡°Hmm. Possible.¡± Belinda considered. ¡°It would have to be one that you¡¯ve had no contact with, so that Veritas can¡¯t claim they¡¯re secretly a follower or some such nonsense. Only two places north of here I can think of, and one south. South is the easier to reach, but...¡± ¡°But it goes right by where we think Veritas might be,¡± Callan finished. They all sat in silence, digesting that. ¡°What about these Accords Of Divinity?¡± Callan finally asked. ¡°Veritas mentioned them at our first meeting, but neither Xeph nor I are familiar with them.¡± ¡°Really? Interesting.¡± Belinda gave him an appraising look. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Avatar, are you possibly not from this continent?¡± The question caught him off-guard. He took a moment before answering. ¡°In a manner of speaking.¡± ¡°Hmm. That does go a long way to explain some things about you. After all, any god native to Urslang would be intimately familiar with them.¡± ¡°Can you explain to us what they are, Mayor?¡± Kivi asked. ¡°I have also neither heard of them, nor has anyone back at our temple. Yet you act as if they are common knowledge.¡± Belinda shook her head. ¡°Not common, no, but... well, all cards on the table, I¡¯ve never actually read the Accords myself, but my husband had. He spoke of them on occasion.¡± ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain what they are.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I was getting there. The Accords of Divinity are a set of codified laws established by the gods of the Northern Alliance. They take the much older established divine traditions and add to them. All the gods of the Northern Alliance tend to enforce them rather zealously.¡± ¡°So they¡¯re more rules about duels.¡± Callan tried not to grin over his little rhyme. No one else appeared to notice. ¡°Not just duels, Avatar, but everything pertaining to the gods and how they are to engage with one another.¡± ¡°And these Accords apply here to the Badlands as well?¡± Kivi asked. ¡°Well, now, that¡¯s an interesting question.¡± Belinda sucked at her lips. ¡°You see, they are a product of the north, and as such they are enforced wherever the gods of the Alliance hold sway. That includes all of the territories in the Southern Reach as well these days, but down here... I would be hard pressed to believe they care enough to ever impose them in the Badlands.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Because if they did, then Zavastu would have been hauled away in chains decades ago. That bitch of a goddess had been violating a dozen of the Accords since coming here¡ªand those are only the general ones I¡¯m familiar with. Your village is a prime example, High Priestess.¡± Kivi blinked in surprise. ¡°It is?¡± ¡°Indeed. One of the primary rules of the accords prohibits the enslavement of people unassociated with any god. Were we living anywhere else on Urslang, Zavastu would never have been allowed to dominate your village, let alone take away your people for her own purposes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s...¡± Kivi trailed off. She seemed shocked beyond words by this revelation, and Callan couldn¡¯t blame her. He wondered idly if they could have used this knowledge of the Accords back in her village. Perhaps they could have simply negotiated for its freedom rather than fighting. That thought led him to another. ¡°So, these Accords don¡¯t really apply here, but Veritas seems to think they do. Could we use that to our advantage?¡± ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t know.¡± The mayor looked thoughtful. ¡°My husband kept a copy of the Accords somewhere. I¡¯ll start looking for it right away. Perhaps I¡¯ll learn something useful.¡± ¡°Then that seems like the best path forward.¡± Kivi rose to her feet. ¡°In the meantime, the avatar and I will speak with our home temple and see what other avenues might be open to us.¡± ¡°Just a minute,¡± Callan said, holding up a hand. ¡°There¡¯s one more matter we need to deal with.¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± Leaning forward, Callan made sure he had both of the women¡¯s attention. He drew in a deep breath. ¡°I need another follower.¡± 2-33 — Seams Unraveling ¡°Grik, open up!¡± Belinda pounded on the door again. Behind her and several steps down, Callan glanced nervously around. ¡°You sure you want to be making that kind of ruckus right now, Mayor?¡± At least three pairs of eyes were watching from nearby houses. Another pair of yeth watched openly from alongside a line of washing a short ways down the street. He turned back in time to see the door open a crack, and a mousy yeth with a goatee glance out at them. ¡°...Yes, Mayor?¡± ¡°Grik, I need you to pledge yourself to the avatar.¡± Belinda gestured behind her. ¡°Oh... you mean right now?¡± ¡°Yes, now.¡± The yeth woman said, and Callan could practically hear her teeth grinding together. ¡°But didn¡¯t you say it would be our choice? And only after all this business with Veritas was resolved?¡± The mayor had said that. Apparently, she didn¡¯t like being reminded of the fact. ¡°Listen here, Grik. You owe me for clearing up that mess you made with the miller¡¯s daughter a few years back. Well, I¡¯m calling in the debt. Now, are you going to open that door, or do I need to have the avatar here kick it down?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to go quite that far¡ª¡± Callan began, but Belinda waved him to silence and continued to squabble at the young yeth cowering behind the door. Inside his head, Xeph let out a sigh. While I am pleased that the mayor has taken the matter of our current disadvantage seriously, I also worry for what sort of long-term damage her exuberance might do to our relationship here. Callan silently agreed. After all, winning the village¡¯s favor was just as important as the duel, especially since Rictee died. But it appeared as if the day¡¯s events had set Belinda on the warpath. ¡°You open that door all the way right now, Grik, or so help me...¡± ¡°You¡¯ll what, Mayor?¡± The man stood up a little straighter, though he didn¡¯t open the door any further. ¡°You¡¯ll have me killed, too? I think I¡¯d prefer that to being made a slave.¡± ¡°No one is getting killed!¡± the mayor thundered, while Callan contemplated simply sneaking off while she wasn¡¯t looking. Apparently the effects of Rictee¡¯s murder were still echoing through the little community. He could already tell what direction this argument was bound. Sure enough, before he could so much as tiptoe backward, the yeth simply slammed the door in the mayor¡¯s face. A moment later, there was the sound of a lock setting, and something being dragged in front of the door for good measure. ¡°Grik! Grik! You open up this instant!!!¡± The mayor pounded on the door. She spun as Callan¡¯s hand landed on her shoulder. He tried to give her a reassuring smile. ¡°I think you might be better off spending your efforts elsewhere, mayor.¡± He jerked his head in the direction of the watchers. Immediately, Belinda¡¯s face sobered. She drew herself up. ¡°You¡¯re right, of course, Avatar. I¡¯ll speak with several other of my contacts. I should have an acceptable new follower for you by the end of the day.¡± Assuming she hasn¡¯t scared away everyone else left in town, Xeph groused. Callan¡¯s smile tightened. ¡°I look forward to any good news. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ve got plenty to discuss with my high priestess. You know where to find us.¡± With that, he beat a hasty retreat. Behind him, he heard the mayor pounding on another door, but he didn¡¯t stick around to hear what she had to say. This situation is deteriorating rapidly, Xeph noted as they walked back toward the town square. I can¡¯t help but feel like you may have sold Alyssa¡¯s qualities to the villagers too well during your speech, mortal. Her betrayal is turning them all against us. ¡°Hey, screw you. I only gave that speech on your advice, remember?¡± Ah, but if you hadn¡¯t grown so close to the yeth woman in the first place, we might have been able to see her treachery before it had time to take root. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Callan caught himself before he could say anything further. Shaking his head, he changed topics, ¡°We¡¯re not accomplishing anything by arguing amongst ourselves, Xeph. We need to focus on the solution, not the problem.¡± True. In that case, what do you propose? ¡°Let¡¯s talk with Kivi and the others. Maybe they¡¯ve had some insight.¡± They found Kivi and the two lud brothers at the temple, the former just finishing a conversation with Shamain. As the contact ended, the lud girl turned to him, expression grave. ¡°I spoke with Shamain concerning potential neutral judges. Her thoughts on the matter were... less than helpful.¡± Kivi glowered back at the altar, as if her ire might somehow still make it back to older lud woman. ¡°She once again advised we quit this plateau and make for home. Cut our losses and focus on less hostile communities.¡± ¡°She has to know we can¡¯t do that,¡± Callan said. ¡°We¡¯re in too deep. If we packed up and left, word would almost certainly get out, and what would that do to Xeph¡¯s reputation in the Badlands?¡± Nothing good, but I have weathered worse, the god noted. Of greater harm is remaining trapped here for the foreseeable future. That might do greater harm to our growth than a damaged reputation. I agree with the old priestess. ¡°No, we¡¯re not leaving,¡± Callan said to both Xeph and Kivi, the latter of whom had been about to open their mouth. ¡°Listen, I know this looks bad, but we just need to drag back somebody from a nearby plateau, have them pick a contest, and complete it. Win or lose, we¡¯ll be out of here afterwards.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I doubt it will be that simple, Avatar. The longer we remain, the more obligations bind us here ever further. Still, if that is your wish.¡± And what about my wish? Xeph grumbled. Callan patted the side of his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be back to growing your faith before you know it.¡± Hmm. We shall see. ¡°Did Shamain have any other advice?¡± he asked. ¡°Actually, yes. When I mentioned the village to the south, Shamain was unenthusiastic about our prospects. Apparently Tok had some dealings with them in the past and found them to be highly anti-lud¡ªwhich goes a long way towards explaining why Silfia didn¡¯t guide me to them on our first visit.¡± Callan frowned. ¡°So, more bad news then.¡± ¡°Not entirely. She did go on to¡ªgrudgingly¡ªmention a hermit that also lives on that plateau. Assuming we can find their abode, we might be able to entice them to settle this dispute. Though Shamain warned that they are... challenging to work with.¡± ¡°Oh, great, another Dosoti. Just what this place needs.¡± ¡°I imagine that those who choose the hermit life do not typically do so because they enjoy the company of others,¡± Kivi said with a wry grin. ¡°Regardless, they have proven fair in their dealings with my village in the past and are the best lead we currently possess.¡± ¡°Well, what are we waiting for, let¡¯s get a move on!¡± Callan was halfway to the door before he noticed no one else had moved. He frowned back at them. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Avatar... if all of us suddenly depart the plateau, what sort of reaction do you expect this might cause amongst the villagers? Even if we tell them our intentions and promise to return, there are certain to be a vocal minority that don¡¯t believe us.¡± That made an uncomfortable amount of sense the more Callan thought about it. ¡°Probably more than a minority at this point. Did you see all the nasty looks we¡¯ve been getting? We¡¯re not much in favor right now.¡± ¡°Indeed. So at the least, I would caution against either you or I departing. With our constant presence here, it will not only reassure the villagers of our commitment, but also allow us to keep Veritas from making any further moves against us.¡± ¡°Not sure how you expect to do that when one of their followers could literally be anyone,¡± Callan grumbled. All the more reason to leave a heavy presence here while our interests remain. Besides, we should not risk opening ourselves to an ambush. Leaving the safety of the village risks Veritas striking against us directly. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we have the same problem if we tried fleeing? Not as if Veritas and their followers can tell the difference.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I actually think that one is a non-problem, at least for me. Veritas made it clear that these Accords say fighting directly is a no-no.¡± He turned to Kivi. ¡°There it is, then. I should be the one to find this hermit. Veritas will let me pass unmolested. Anyone else might be a target.¡± ¡°But, Avatar, what of the villagers? Do not forget about them.¡± Damn. For a moment Callan had let that particular issue slip his mind. He shook his head. ¡°I still think¡ª¡± ¡°Please, allow me to go in your stead, Avatar,¡± Paeral said, stepping forward. ¡°It would be an honor to risk my life in the service of Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡¯s goals.¡± ¡°Always the martyr, brother,¡± Sworv quipped, sidling up to the altar. ¡°Yet never the martyred. What would that wife of yours say if you never returned to her? No, I should be the one to go.¡± Paeral snorted. ¡°You? And how do you intend to convince this hermit to lend their aid? With your winning personality?¡± ¡°Mine is better than yours. It¡¯s served me well enough in the past.¡± ¡°In talking inexperienced girls into your bed, perhaps, but these are serious matters. Something you have little familiarity with.¡± ¡°You think I dealt with no serious matters as Daisa?¡± Sworv asked, expression darkening. ¡°I know for a fact you did not. Daisa do not think for themselves, or what is even the purpose of Leadership?¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯ve often pondered that very same question myself.¡± Now it was Paeral¡¯s turn to grow angry, his face swelling with barely constrained rage. ¡°Careful what you say, brother. Your new caste only protects you so much.¡± ¡°Guys, do you really need to do this right now?¡± Callan said, trying to place himself between the two lud. ¡°I feel like we¡¯ve got bigger issues at the moment.¡± Paeral ignored him, twisting to one side to snarl at his brother. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m even surprised by your treachery. Elevating you to Leadership can¡¯t erase a lifetime of taint.¡± ¡°And what of your own taint?¡± Sworv retorted. ¡°You were little better than I, former Biiran. Don¡¯t go getting all lofty as if you suddenly know the ways of Leadership.¡± ¡°Listen, can everyone¡ª¡± Callan almost stumbled as Paeral pushed him aside with a pair of arms. His other pair jabbed fingers into his brother¡¯s face. ¡°Is that what this is about? Do you think, perhaps, that completing this mission for the avatar will somehow prove you better than the rest of us? Greater, in the avatar¡¯s eyes? All it is likely to accomplish is see you dead in a ditch.¡± ¡°In that case, why did you volunteer first, if you think the mission so unlikely to succeed?¡± Sworv asked, his arms crossed defiantly. ¡°Do you have some unspoken death wish? Or perhaps you care not if you leave Revak in tears.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you would be swift to comfort her,¡± Paeral snarled. ¡°I would.¡± Sworv smirked at the shocked expression on his brother¡¯s face, then continued, ¡°As custom dictates a brother should comfort his late sibling¡¯s widow.¡± ¡°That tradition is for the higher castes¡ª!¡± ¡°Which is what I am. Leadership.¡± Sworv¡¯s smirk grew. ¡°Same as you, brother.¡± ¡°You spit in the face of our traditions!¡± ¡°Traditions you were yourself not privy to until just recently.¡± he retorted. ¡°What foolishness. You never cared about caste law until you stood to benefit from it. Now you grow angry at me for exercising the same right?¡± ¡°Not while I still breathe, you won¡¯t,¡± Paeral hissed. ¡°Indeed. So let me be the one to go.¡± The other lud¡¯s expression softened. ¡°After all, there is no one waiting back at the temple for my return. Do not leave Revak heartbroken, brother. I would rather my own death than cause her such pain.¡± Paeral¡¯s mouth flapped open, but no words came out. Callan used the opportunity to try and break in again. ¡°As of now, nobody is going anywhere, not until we have a way to send them safely. Is that understood?¡± The two lud muttered their agreement, though neither would meet his eyes. Good enough. He turned back to Kivi. ¡°The mayor is having trouble finding a replacement for Alyssa¡¯s faith. Until she does, my abilities are even more limited than normal. We need to be careful not instigate anything with the cult.¡± ¡°Understood, Avatar. Should I go and aid the mayor in her efforts?¡± Callan considered that. ¡°It probably couldn¡¯t hurt, at least until she calms down a bit. I got the impression that being betrayed by her daughter isn¡¯t really helping her maintain her usual cool, no matter how much she tries to play it off.¡± ¡°I understand. Then allow me to do what I can to rebuild trust with the villagers.¡± Kivi made for the stairs. ¡°Great. As for you two...¡± Callan glanced back at the brothers. He was worried they might start fighting again the moment he left. Based on their expressions, that¡¯s certainly what was on their minds. He sighed. ¡°Paeral, you come with me?¡± ¡°Avatar? Of course!¡± The older lud hastened to follow after him. He stumbled up the stairs and into the daylight. ¡°Where are we bound?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, a patrol or something.¡± Anything to give those two a little breathing room. As if Callan didn¡¯t have enough to worry about at the moment. Actually, mortal, there is something else that you should focus on. Oh no. Callan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can find something to keep busy with, Xeph. More fortifications, maybe, or hunting down cult members¡ª¡± Those tasks can wait. Your training, however, cannot. ¡°That¡¯s¡ªfine.¡± Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad. After all, Callan still hadn¡¯t mastered using Rock Fling. It had been kind of fun, albeit exhausting, to practice holding the stone back. He could handle a bit more of that. We shall focus more on Wurmchain today and keep at it until you have it perfect. Dammit. 2-34 — Of Reactions And Liquefactions Good. Move through the steps one more time. Xeph¡¯s voice was a rumbling purr in Callan¡¯s ear. Up, then down. Repeat. Feel my power inside you. ¡°Dangit, Xeph, phrasing!¡± Steadying his breath, Callan slid Mountainform up his arms, until it came to rest on his shoulder blades.
Alert: 1.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 7.5%
Breathing out, he let the armor slide back into place. His shoulders tingled slightly from where the stone had encrusted them, but otherwise he felt fine. Still, only after thoroughly checking over everything did Callan give a fist pump of victory. ¡°Alright, shoulder achievement unlocked!¡± It¡¯s hardly a matter of ¡®unlocking¡¯. These are techniques, not memories. ¡°Hey, can you at least be a little happy for me? I¡¯ve been working on that all morning.¡± He affected a pout that Xeph totally couldn¡¯t see but made him feel better anyway. Then, just to verify it wasn¡¯t a fluke, he repeated the process.
Alert: 1.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 8.5%
Yes, it does appear you have pushed your range to a new limit. Now you should be prepared in case someone drops an axe on your shoulder. Callan dismissed Mountainform, flexing his fingers and enjoying the stone-free feeling of them after several hours of practice. ¡°I don¡¯t really see that happening around here, barring a freak wood chopping incident. Veritas strikes me as more of a sword user than an axe.¡± Fine, sword to the shoulder, then. Either way, I will rest easier knowing that your reach with Mountainform is all the closer to being able to cover the more important bits of you. ¡°I¡¯d personally feel better just getting the dang manifestation upgraded so it covers everything in the first place.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll take what I can get.¡± They were currently out in their favorite practice field, one still well within view of the village. After all of the fallout with Alyssa yesterday, Xeph had made him practice with Wurmchain until he was ready to collapse, to little gain. Manipulating the length had continued to elude Callan, and with every hour that passed, and no progress made, his frustration had mounted. Hence why he was practicing his other skills today. Already Callan was feeling satisfaction over that decision. He might never master Wurmchain, but at least his other skills would all be well developed. ¡°What¡¯s next, Rock Fling?¡± he asked. I think not today. With your apotheosis still penalized by our debt, you would exhaust your training too quickly to be of much use. We are already suffering the effects of waiting longer for you to recover. ¡°Soooooooooo... Shape Stone, then?¡± Indeed. Callan blinked. He honestly hadn¡¯t been expecting that. Every time he¡¯d asked about training Shape Stone, Xeph had put him off. But only a bit of provisional training, the god amended. Much like with initially learning Wurmchain¡¯s advanced techniques, what I will teach you next will be of little practical use but will form the base toward more potent applications. ¡°Okay, I can get on board with that.¡± Activating his orison, Callan began manipulating the familiar glow of his power towards a nearby rock. When you utilize Shape Stone¡¯s power, it causes... modulations in the inherent properties of the stone¡¯s physical structure. Its viscosity. You are familiar with that word? ¡°Yeah. It refers to the thickness of a liquid, I think.¡± Or a stone, in this case. Which made sense, in a weird woo-woo way. After all, when he used his orison, he couldn¡¯t exactly cause the stone to reshape itself while it was still in a solid state. Logically it had to become a liquid on some level. He totally got the basic principle, at least in theory. He just didn¡¯t get what it had to do with today¡¯s lesson. That is not the definition I would choose, but it works well enough for our purposes. Today you will be activating Shape Stone and focus on maintaining that... less viscous form. It took Callan a moment to realize what the god was implying. ¡°We¡¯re going to liquify stone.¡± An inelegant description, but yes. ¡°That¡¯s... why would you think that wouldn¡¯t have practical applications? I can come up with at least a dozen uses for that on the fly. Probably more if you give me a bit of time to think.¡± Xeph huffed, which was akin to lightning striking a mountainside. I do not think you will find it as versatile as you are imagining, but I have been proven wrong in that regard before. We shall see. Now, concentrate on that rock over there. Directing the glow where Xeph had indicated, Callan metaphorically seized the stone, feeling the usual sudden resistance under his fingers.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 13.75%
Good. Now, rather than trying to physically reshape the stone, impose your will upon it. ¡°Right.¡± Callan held the stone, thinking. Finally, he said, ¡°...And I do that how?¡± Xeph sighed. Must I do everything, mortal? ¡°When it comes to explaining extremely esoteric instructions? You¡¯re damn right you do.¡± Very well. I will do my best, though like with many aspects of our relationship, it is a complicated matter to which much nuance is lost in translation. To start, when you reach inside yourself to access your transcendental nature... Callan waited for the god to run out of steam. Eventually, he got around to the actual application. ¡°So basically, I just try to interact with the stone the same way I access my powers?¡± That is a gross oversimplification! But... yes. ¡°While also not releasing my hold on said powers. Metaphysically speaking.¡± Yes. Callan nodded. ¡°I actually think I¡¯ve got this.¡± Closing his eyes, he reached out mentally and prodded at the stone. It was a strange sensation. He could sense the stone some eight feet or so away, but it was also between his fingers at the same time. And then, like it had been summoned by his intentions, he saw a thin string snap into place between the two of them. It had the same gauzy quality as the mist that made up Wurmchain in his mind, but unlike his other orison, this one didn¡¯t present in a confused jumble. Instead it was just the one string, albeit one made of metaphysical smoke and mirrors. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it So in the most woo-woo way possible, he tugged on the proverbial string. There was immediate resistance. The stone wasn¡¯t a part of him, but it wasn¡¯t separate in the way one of his Rock Fling-created stones would be, either. It was almost like he was tugging on the stone physically as much as he was mentally. He half-expected to see it wobble. Good. However, you need to exert your will against it, not drag its own will towards you. ¡°How the heck can a rock have a will?¡± Callan muttered through gritted teeth. He released the string, and it immediately sprang back into place between the two points. ¡°And don¡¯t give me any bullshit about ¡®everything having a soul¡¯ or something. I¡¯m about at my limit for this nonsense as it is.¡± So judgmental, mortal. I¡¯m merely trying to impart my immense well of knowledge upon you, undeserving human that you are. Though I suppose it is true that ¡®will¡¯ is not the best choice of words. It is difficult to locate an adequate term in your language. Crux? Anima? Elan Vital? ¡°Just so long as we don¡¯t get into a long philosophical debate about whether the rock is alive, I''m good. Also, I recognize those words, but they mean nothing to me.¡± Callan grinned even as he strained forward, trying to impose his will. It basically involved grabbing the mist string connecting the rock to its metaphysical self and... pushing. Pushing a string. It was a difficult concept to wrap his mind around. Hmmph. I simply work within the limits of what language your mind offers me. Perhaps if you had studied a bit more before departing your world, my available repertoire would be a little more... robust. ¡°Oh, my apologies. If I¡¯d known being well-read was a pre-requisite to getting kidnapped, hurled across the galaxy, and then possessed, I¡¯d have read more philosophy and watched less Chainsaw Man.¡± That comment brought to mind memories of his own family, and of Lyle. Was anyone still missing him back home? Had they all given up on ever seeing him again? Somehow, he doubted either his parents or Lyle would ever entirely lose hope, but they had to be feeling pretty desperate about now. It would be nice if he could at least send them a message, if only to let them know he was doing okay, but he doubted the temple¡¯s commune function was designed to reach that far. Callan realized he¡¯d let his attention slip and returned to trying to impose his will. He sent his mental force down string, and amazingly, the rock he was gripping responded.
Alert: 3.1% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 16.85%
At first it manifested as a series of cracks. Callan was so surprised he almost eased back the pressure, but at a reprimand from Xeph he redoubled his efforts. Sweat was starting to drip down the sides of his face, but he pressed onward. Then, all at once the rock simply fell apart. ¡°Did... did it work?¡± Callan asked, releasing his grip¡ªwhich was no longer sensing resistance anyway. He walked forward. Where the rock had sat a moment before, now there was nothing except what looked like a small pile of sand. Reaching down, he rubbed a bit between his fingers. It sure felt like sand. ¡°Yo, Xeph, what gives? I thought you said this would liquify the stone.¡± Callan wiped a hand on his shirt. ¡°Gritify, is more like it.¡± You still need practice with the technique, but this is progress. Being able to fundamentally weaken the stone¡¯s inherent structure is but the first step. It will be a simple matter of practice to reach the desired result of true liquefaction. ¡°I thought you said the liquefaction itself was the first step.¡± I said that it was the base for a more advanced technique. There can be multiple steps to a base! ¡°Okay, okay, I get it.¡± He raised his hands in surrender, then continued, ¡°So what exactly is the end result?¡± You should be able to parse that particular detail out for yourself, human. There was a smug note to the god¡¯s voice. ¡°Hmm.¡± He scratched at his chin a moment before an idea slid into place. ¡°If we¡¯re working to weaken the stone¡¯s inherent structure as a base technique, does that mean the advanced version...¡± Yes? Callan hesitated, then pushed on. If he was wrong, he was wrong, and there was no harm in a wild guess. ¡°Are we working to make the stone stronger?¡± Correct. That is the ultimate technique for any avatar of a stone god. ¡°Okay, that does sound cool, I¡¯ll admit,¡± Callan said. Being able to strengthen the walls and structures he created would not only make for better fortifications, it would theoretically mean he could do more with less material. But what did that mean, exactly, to strengthen the stone? Did it change its inherent structure, or was the power more supernatural than that? Another thought occurred to him. ¡°You know, you¡¯ve mentioned other stone gods on multiple occasions now. How many of you are there, anyway?¡± Oh, who can say? Even at the last convocation I attended, there were at least several hundred other deities of stone and mountains in attendance, but that can hardly have been all of us. While we are not as numerous as gods of water or order, we are easily one of the most powerful forms. After all, are mountains not mighty as well as magnificent? Why, to wield the power of the very earth itself is to truly¡ª ¡°How many other types of gods are there?¡± Callan tried to remember if they¡¯d ever spoken about it before, but couldn¡¯t recall. It felt like the sort of thing he should have checked before now, but then again, other gods were a far away problem compared to everything else they were dealing with. Dozens. Gods typically latch on to a broad concept and reform their lattices to accommodate its aspects within themselves. Fire. Chaos. Stone. Some chose to specialize to certain degree¡ªflowers instead of all plants is a popular example¡ªbut that always struck me as foolish. Specialization limits the choice of powers a god may offer, with little offset in additional strength. ¡°So, the broader the better, then.¡± Indeed. That was interesting. Callan had sort of just assumed the gods of the Overworld covered everything he could conceptualize, but it didn¡¯t sound like that was the case. Of course, his preconceptions were probably being influenced by his own life experiences. Whenever he¡¯d visited the province where his mother¡¯s family lived, it seemed like just about every river and mountain had its own personal god. Though applying Earth logic to anything in Xeph¡¯s world usually felt like a fool¡¯s errand. Before he could ask anything further, he noticed Paeral making his way across the field. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± he said as the older lud stopped a short distance away. Paeral bowed deeply before answering. He¡¯d been like that ever since that last fight with his brother. Kivi must have given him quite the talking-to. As if in response to Callan¡¯s thoughts, Paeral asked, ¡°By any chance have you seen Sworv today, Avatar?¡± ¡°Sworv?¡± After thinking about it for a moment, Callan shook his head. ¡°Not that I remember. Why, is something wrong?¡± Frankly, at this point he¡¯d feel better if the brothers weren¡¯t seeking each other out. Keeping them as far apart from each other seemed the wisest course in the short term. ¡°Oh, likely it is nothing. Only that his bed was empty this morning when I awoke. At first, I assumed he was assisting either you or the high priestess, but if neither of you have seen him today...¡± Paeral shook his head. ¡°As I said, it is likely nothing.¡± A worried feeling was starting to build inside Callan. ¡°This is too small a village for Sworv going missing to be ¡®nothing¡¯. Come on, follow me.¡± He set off across the field towards town. Paeral hustled after him, falling into step a stride or two behind. ¡°Avatar? Where are we bound?¡± ¡°The temple. I think it might help us get to the bottom of this matter.¡± Callan really hoped his suspicion was wrong, but until he knew one way or another, he dared not even give voice to it. Descending the steps to the basement temple, they found Kivi already there, standing before the altar. She turned at Callan¡¯s approach. ¡°Avatar. I was just attempting to reach Shamain, but neither she nor Argas are responding. It seems the main chamber is unoccupied at the moment.¡± ¡°Talk about terrible timing.¡± He gave Kivi a critical look. ¡°Trying to find out about Sworv?¡± Kivi blinked. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°A lucky guess. Also lucky that the main temple isn¡¯t the only one with a Scry function.¡± Stepping past the lud priestess, he placed his hands on the altar. Immediately a screen bloomed in his vision.
Temple Designation: Aosan Temple Temple Class: Basic Temple -STATISTICS- Nave: 2 Aumbrey: 0 Narthex: 0 Scarsella: 0 -CONSECRATIONS- Teleport Scry Commune Tintinnabulation -DOGMA- Annexes: 1/3 Domain: 50 yards Conviction: 8/10 Conviction cost: 1/week
Immediately, he noticed the change in the temple stats. He glanced back at Kivi. ¡°Did you apply another point to Nave?¡± Kivi nodded. ¡°I saw it was available, and was hoping that it might aid in reaching Shamain. I also took the liberty of assigning a name to this location. Did I... not choose correctly?¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s probably fine.¡± Better than fine, Xeph added. If you intend to use the Scry function with any amount of expediency, we can use all of the Nave we can get. Nodding, Callan selected the ability.
Consecration: Scry Display of maps and other information related to temple functions. May also utilize conviction to perform external surveys. Cost and time required to gather information is dependent on distance and interference from opposing domains.
Would you like to Scry for follower locations? Cost = 5 Conviction
It was funny. Not too long ago five conviction had seemed like a ridiculous cost. Now, between his higher regeneration rate and the bag of stones from Belinda, he didn¡¯t even pause before accepting. Immediately, a map of the temple appeared in front of him. All two rooms of it. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not going to help. Obviously Sworv isn¡¯t here.¡± Callan swiped it away to reveal the same map of the continent he¡¯d seen back at the main temple. Reaching out, he zoomed in on the Aosan plateau. So far, the little scry circle had not spread beyond the first few houses. He sighed and stepped back. ¡°This is going to take a while.¡± ¡°Avatar, perhaps you and Paeral should perform a manual search of the surrounding area. I can remain here to watch, or be on hand should Sworv return on his own.¡± Callan nodded. ¡°Okay, High Priestess, we¡¯ll do that. Follow me, Paeral, and we¡¯ll see if we can¡¯t turn up that prodigal brother of yours.¡± ¡°My... what, Avatar?¡± Human. Xeph¡¯s voice was a grinding mutter. Why do you continue to use obscure words that force me to hurriedly search through your memories for the proper definition? I can tell there is some sort of historical significance attached to that phrase, but I have not the time to determine what it might be. ¡°Really? Weren¡¯t you just complaining that my vocabulary wasn¡¯t robust enough as it was?¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°What word did you use, then?¡± The best I came up with was a lud term that translates closer to ¡®flatulent¡¯, but I¡ª Pinching his nose between his fingers, he gave Paeral a chagrined look. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s just get going, shall we?¡± 2-35 — White Oak, Red Moon By the time Callan and Paeral returned, Kivi had located their errant priest. ¡°Just what I was afraid of,¡± Callan said as Kivi showed him the map of the plateau, which now had the scry circle covering nearly two-thirds of it. At the very edge of the circle, a single white dot flickered brightly. Dangit. And Callan had been so hoping he was wrong, too, and they¡¯d turn up the priest sleeping in a barn somewhere. Paeral glanced between the two of them. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Your brother decided to go rogue and seek out that hermit on his own.¡± Callan glanced at Kivi. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you were already suspecting that to be the case?¡± The high priestess nodded absently, her attention still on the map. ¡°I do not understand,¡± Paeral said. ¡°Avatar, if you suspected my brother of having gone against your wishes, why did we not set out after them immediately? Or send me to collect him?¡± ¡°Because the avatar knew that if he or I left the village, it would cause an uproar,¡± Kivi said. She frowned, her focus still elsewhere. ¡°Sending you by yourself would have only made the situation worse, Paeral. For many reasons.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re implying, High Priestess, but I¡ª¡± ¡°Avatar, what do you make of this?¡± Kivi said, cutting the older lud off. She gestured to the map. Callan came to stand by her and watched. At first, he didn¡¯t see anything. Then, Sworv¡¯s light flickered and disappeared. A moment later, it briefly returned. Then it flickered out and was gone again. Interesting, Xeph rumbled. ¡°You know what¡¯s going on?¡± Perhaps. If it is what I suspect, the scry will reveal it in a moment. The circle expanded slightly, and Sworv¡¯s dot returned. Almost as quickly as it appeared, it winked out again. Only this time, Callan noticed something else. ¡°The circle! It contracted!¡± He pointed at the map as Kivi glanced at him. ¡°It grew, and then it... shrunk? No, that¡¯s not quite right.¡± Indeed, the circle wasn¡¯t shrinking so much as it was deforming. He watched as its sides bulged in places and depressed in others. Most of its northern line wavered in one direction, then another. Sworv¡¯s dot did not return. It is as I suspected. The scry function is encountering another god¡¯s domain and is losing coherency. I suspect we both know the one responsible. ¡°Yeah, I suppose we were aware Veritas was hiding somewhere to the north.¡± Quickly, Callan explained what Xeph had told him to the others. Then he returned to studying the map. ¡°You don¡¯t suppose we could use their domain to find where their temple is hiding, do you?¡± Unlikely. A temple¡¯s domain is not a perfect circle itself and is subject to many different fluctuations that can vary its shape and range at any time. ¡°Still, the temple would be roughly at the center, right?¡± Not necessarily so. Besides, we will not be able to determine enough of Veritas¡¯s domain solely based on interference to the Scry function. If our own domain were to ever extend over the entire plateau, perhaps, but until then... ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Callan lifted his hands in surrender. ¡°It was at least worth considering. But hey, we know where Sworv is. That¡¯s got to count for something.¡± Perhaps. ¡°You like to say that word a lot, you know that?¡± We all have our little mannerisms. Shall I recite a list of yours, and see how the both of us compare? ¡°Avatar,¡± Kivi interrupted. ¡°If I may, we know the cause of Sworv¡¯s disappearance now. And while his insubordination will have to be attended to upon his return, at the moment, there is little else to be done about the matter. May I return to using the altar? I still wish to contact Shamain on other matters.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. Probably about time I tracked down some dinner.¡± Since Alyssa was no longer present to deliver food, Callan figured he¡¯d need to get it directly from Belinda. Maybe she¡¯d have some good news on the follower front for him, too. ¡°I¡¯ll talk with you later, High Priestess.¡± ¡°Mmm. Have a good evening, Avatar.¡± The last Callan saw before he exited the basement, Kivi was once again opening a line of communication with the main temple.
Sunset was approaching by the time Callan stumbled back into the guest house and collapsed into bed. He let out a dull groan, face half-smothered by his pillow. Yes, that was a rather long-winded conversation, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°That¡¯s putting it mildly.¡± Callan groaned again. The mayor had been at her home when Callan arrived, and while she had not yet found a replacement for Alyssa¡¯s faith, what she did have was an overabundance of ideas for their next course of action. Which she wanted to discuss with him. In detail. So. Much. Detail. He rolled over. ¡°How the hell has Kivi been dealing with that woman by herself all this time? If I¡¯d known she was going to talk my ear off, I¡¯d have just stayed here and gone hungry.¡± I imagine the high priestess utilizes all of her diplomatic skills for dealing with the situation. Much as she does for you. ¡°Oh, ha ha.¡± Regardless, perhaps next time you could focus the yeth woman¡¯s attentions elsewhere? Ask her for that history lesson on the northern lands. It should do to occupy her attention, as well as provide some context that our own knowledge is sorely lacking. ¡°I don¡¯t know. After thinking about it, Kivi is probably right. Anything more we ask of the mayor is just ammunition she can use to negotiate with us. And I¡¯d just as soon avoid doing that until Veritas is dealt with.¡± Hmm. And how soon do you expect that to be? ¡°With Sworv making his way toward that hermitage? Hopefully only a couple more days. One way or another, we¡¯re headed home after that.¡± Callan smirked at the thought. When had that horrible hole in the ground become a home for him? I wish I could share your optimism, but the likelihood of this hermit even listening, let alone accompanying our priest... Xeph trailed off. Human, what is that? ¡°Huh?¡± Callan glanced over but couldn¡¯t see anything from where he was laying. He sat up. There was a small white stone on the middle of the table, just visible in the dimming light. Something lay beneath it. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Climbing to his feet, Callan approached warily. His wariness only increased as he lifted the stone away. A small slip of paper, folded in on itself, lay beneath. He picked it up and moved over to the window. Unfolding it, he held it over his head, letting the last rays of sunlight illuminate the words written inside. To Avatar Callan and Xeph-Zul-Karatl, god of stone and mountains, I have your priest. He is being held per the strictures on enemy combatants in paragraph forty-seven of the Accords. If you wish to ransom his return, meet me at sunset beside the white oak tree on the far side of the lake. Come alone, or not at all. Veritas, god of metalworking ¡°Shit. Shit!¡± Dropping the letter back on the table, Callan ran for the door. A moment later he was outside and moving in the direction of the lake as fast as his legs would carry him. Mortal? What are you doing??? ¡°You saw what that letter said, right, Xeph?¡± He didn¡¯t wait for an answer. ¡°Veritas has Sworv. I don¡¯t know if they captured him on the way to the hermit or if they¡¯ve had him all along, but the meeting time is...¡± he glanced at the sliver of remaining sunlight. ¡°...like, five minutes ago.¡± Still, that is no reason to go running into an obvious trap! At the very least, take precautions! Fetch an army of villagers! Bring our high priestess, or the mayor, or someone! Going alone is the height of foolishness!!! ¡°You read the same letter as me, Xeph. This other god expects us to come alone. Probably some rule in the Accords or whatever. We show up with an army, Sworv is as good as dead.¡± Still, Callan slowed his feet. Turning, he ran back towards the guest house. We don¡¯t know that, mortal! A quick consultation with the mayor might help us make a more informed decision. We could... could... what are you doing now? ¡°Hey, you were the one who just told me to take precautions.¡± Darting inside, Callan moved towards his bag and rifled through it. A moment later he came back with the dveorg bracelets. He slipped them into a pocket before turning to run outside again. His feet ate up the ground as he made for the lake. All he could do was hope he¡¯d get there in time.
Not long after the last of the sunlight slipped away, a moon rose bright and angry in front of him. The light it cast had a reddish hue, painting everything in bloody strokes. A moonrise at the start of a journey, Xeph noted sourly. And the Butcher at that. A very ill¡ª ¡°¡ªIll... omen. I got it... Xeph.¡± Not bothering to waste anymore energy on words, Callan picked up his pace. He¡¯d reached the lake now and was running along its northern shore. All he could do was hope he¡¯d recognize this white oak tree when he saw it. Unfortunately, his head-mate wasn¡¯t restricted by such minor details as lungs or their capacity to process air while moving at a moderate sprint. I don¡¯t suppose you need me to tell you why the Butcher is considered a particularly bad moon? Callan gritted his teeth but managed to squeeze out a single word. ¡°...Tides?¡± No, fortunately for you the Butcher¡¯s influence over tides is relatively minor. Something about whatever gives it that unique color also causes it to have less of an influence. Several of my siblings found it a highly interesting course of study, but as travel beyond the planet is difficult for my kind, the research never amounted to anything, and eventually we simply¡ª ¡°Xeph...¡± Callan bit off the word as he leapt over a fallen log. Even with the moonlight it was difficult to make out where he was going. The odds of another branch or rock sending him tumbling into the lake was a very real prospect. Despite this, he didn¡¯t slow down. Very well, mortal, your point is taken. No, it is not the moon¡¯s influence on the tides, but rather the general disposition of the Overworld¡¯s inhabitants that you need concern yourself. Thieves and smugglers may travel beneath the light of a Brigand moon, but the only sort of people that wander by the bloody light of the Butcher are those going to bloody business themselves. You should prepare yourself as best you can. ¡°Duly... Noted...¡± Up ahead, Callan noticed a tree standing by itself a short distance from the water¡¯s edge. Unlike the others circling the lake, it bore no leaves, instead standing stark and defiant, bare branches reaching towards the sky. Under normal light, he guessed it would have been pale white, but tonight it almost blazed against his night vision, a red so intense it was almost pink. The waving branches were like the flames of a blazing bonfire. Callan slowed his pace enough to recover his voice. ¡°Think that¡¯s the tree?¡± Possibly. I have never been much of a botanist. It is certainly white¡ªor would be under normal circumstances. But whether that makes it a white oak, I do not know. ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± Callan cupped his hands to his mouth. ¡°Veritas! Come out and face me!¡± ¡°You make it sound as if this is a challenge of combat, Avatar Callan,¡± a voice said, and Veritas stepped out from behind the tree. ¡°I promise you, this is very much not anything of the sort. Quite the opposite, in fact.¡± Reaching to one side, the other avatar dragged Sworv into view. ¡°Ah, ah,¡± they said, waiving a dagger in Callan¡¯s direction as he took an involuntary step forward. ¡°No sudden movements, please. We wouldn¡¯t want there to be any misunderstandings of intent, now would we?¡± ¡°What do you want, Veritas?¡± Callan took another step forward, but slowly this time. And then another. The distance between them gradually diminished. ¡°I thought my letter clear enough. Per the terms laid out in the Accords of Divinity, I offer you the opportunity to ransom back this priest. A simple matter, with a simple outcome. Either yes... or no.¡± Callan frowned, taking another step closer. He was only about ten or fifteen feet away now. This close, he could make out the gag stuffed in Sworv¡¯s mouth and see that his eyes were wide with fear. All four of the lud¡¯s arms were pinched together behind him, either tied or held in place by the other avatar. ¡°Of course I want him back. So hand him over.¡± ¡°Ah, but you haven¡¯t heard my terms yet, Avatar Callan.¡± Veritas pulled Sworv closer to them and ran the dagger down his cheek. ¡°And I would hate to see anything happen to this one. They¡¯re so loyal to you, after all. In fact, I¡¯m certain it was their loyalty that drove them to run away from you in the first place.¡± With their mask, it was impossible to see the other avatar¡¯s expression, but Callan knew they must be sneering beneath. It was all he could do to keep his anger in check. ¡°What do you know about anything, Veritas? I was the one who sent him out of the plateau.¡± ¡°Oh? A strategic retreat, perhaps? Send your priests to prepare the way for you?¡± ¡°It was for your benefit, actually.¡± Callan relished the flicker of hesitation that came over Veritas, then continued, ¡°You were the one who said we needed a neutral party for the next contest. My priest was off to find one.¡± ¡°How very noble of you, Avatar Callan. I could almost think that you actually believe this farce of a contest to be anything but. Almost.¡± Callan frowned. ¡°What are you talking about? Xeph? What¡¯s he talking about?¡± I¡¯m certain I have no idea, mortal. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t act so coy.¡± Veritas pressed the dagger deeper into Sworv¡¯s neck. A line of blood ran towards his collar, barely visible under the light of the moon. ¡°No, really, Veritas. Neither Xeph nor I know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Veritas paused. They studied Callan for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re serious.¡± ¡°I mean, yeah?¡± ¡°This contest between us is nothing more than a stalling tactic. I don¡¯t know what Athakolu offered for you to make the long journey here, but you will not find her so generous once the goddess¡¯s armies descend upon us both with their full might. She will turn on you, as she once did myself.¡± Callan gaped. ¡°That¡¯s what this is about? You think I¡¯m working for Athakolu?¡± ¡°So you deny it?¡± ¡°Of course I deny it! Because it isn¡¯t true!¡± He threw up his hands. ¡°Not only have I never met this Athakolu, I¡¯ve never even been to the north of the Badlands.¡± Be careful, human, do not give too much away, Xeph hissed the warning in his ear. Callan ignored him. ¡°That¡ªdo you speak truth?¡± Veritas seemed momentarily stymied by the revelation. Callan used the opportunity to creep a little closer. All he needed was an opening. Get the avatar away from Sworv, the dagger from his neck... Veritas shook their head. ¡°It matters not. Knowing or unknowing, you will not interfere in my work here, not when I¡¯m so close to victory.¡± ¡°If you really think Athakolu is on their way here, why stick around?¡± Callan considered his options. Wurmchain was out, obviously. Shape Stone wouldn¡¯t stop the dagger in time. Maybe a well-placed Stone Fling? ¡°I do not need to explain myself to you. Still, if the goddess does not yet know of my return, there is a chance... perhaps I still have time enough to...¡± ¡°Oh, she knows about you now,¡± Callan said. ¡°We sent along Falchion to¡ª¡± He snapped his mouth shut, but it was too late. Mortal! Xeph roared inside his skull. Outside, Veritas tilted their head. ¡°I see. It appears this bargaining is of even more importance than I thought. Very well, let us begin. You wish your priest returned, yes?¡± ¡°I already told you that I do, Veritas.¡± ¡°Then here are my terms.¡± Veritas hauled Sworv so close his cheek almost rubbed against the avatar¡¯s mask. ¡°Depart this plateau and never return. Declare yourself the loser of our little contest, and I¡¯ll allow you and your priests free passage away. Take the mayor with you. Her son and his family can remain, as I doubt they¡¯ll pose much opposition to me now. But you and the mayor must depart immediately.¡± Callan stared at the other avatar, stupefied. His mouth flapped open and closed. Finally, he managed to speak. ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Is the life of one priest is worth so little to you?¡± The dagger dug in deeper, and Sworv let out a muffled moan. ¡°There are other followers in this world. Seek elsewhere. Forget this worthless little town. I promise you¡¯ll be happier for it.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s so worthless, why don¡¯t you leave? Seriously, what in the Hell is even keeping you here?¡± ¡°That is my business. Final chance, Avatar Callan. Give me your word that you will leave, or this one¡¯s life is forfeit.¡± Callan could tell the argument was pointless. He was only about five feet away now, maybe less. A quick enough lunge might close the distance in time. ¡°Surely we can make some other deal¡ª¡± he began, already reaching for Stone Fling¡¯s power inside him. He¡¯d have to be fast, faster than he¡¯d ever been in his life. ¡°No. We shall not.¡± And without further warning or preamble, Veritas slammed the dagger home into Sworv¡¯s neck. 2-36 — Mountain’s Wrath ¡°NO!¡± Callan leapt forward and caught Sworv as he fell. The knife in his neck wisped away as soon as Veritas released it. With nothing holding it back, blood poured out in rivulets, soaking through Callan¡¯s shirt in an instant. It was almost black under the light of the moon. Gasping, trying to speak but failing, Sworv¡¯s arms reached towards Callan. One pair patted his shoulders, while another softly caressed his hair. A smile lifted the edges of the old lud¡¯s mouth. Then the arms fell away, limp. Sworv¡¯s expression grew distant. His breath stilled.
Followers lost. Available faith decreased by 1.
Callan couldn¡¯t believe it. He was just... gone. Like Tervak, another lud had died in his arms. ¡°I am sorry it came to this, Avatar Callan,¡± Veritas said, their voice rumbling smugness behind their mask. Slowly, Callan lowered Sworv¡¯s body to the ground. ¡°However, under the terms of the Accords, I was well within my rights to dispatch a prisoner I had¡ªAck!¡± The avatar¡¯s speech cut off as Callan¡¯s Stone Fling caught them full in the face. A message flicked across Callan¡¯s vision, but just as quickly he dismissed it. Xeph¡¯s voice echoed in his ears, but this too was only a distraction, easily ignored as he leapt across the short space and landed atop Veritas. ¡°Oof! You¡ªunhand me, Avatar Callan! Or else you dare risk¡ª¡± Once again the other avatar¡¯s words cut short. This time from a fist to their face. ¡°AAAH!¡± Callan shook his hand, which pulsed in pain from the strike. Stone formed between his fingertips as he called Mountainform to him, then resumed pummeling the other god.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 18.75%
¡°You. Think. I. Give. Two. Shits. About. Your. Precious. Accords???¡± Each word was punctuated with a strike to the mask. Already the wolf¡¯s protruding snout had begun to cave inward, its face distorting under Callan¡¯s onslaught. With both hands he grabbed the mask and squeezed. ¡°Let¡¯s see who¡¯s under that mask before I crush the life out of you,¡± Callan growled. He tightened his grip. Human, you would be wise to show caution¡ª Xeph¡¯s words cut off as Veritas backhanded Callan. Stars filled his vision, and he was dimly aware of forest and sky alternating rapidly through the background. Then he hit the ground, sliding a short distance through the dirt before coming to rest with his head against the roots of the oak tree. He let out a dull groan. I tried to warn you. Veritas is too powerful to take in a straight fight. Their Brawn alone outstrips any effort you can put forward. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to even out the fight.¡± Callan climbed to his feet. Wiping a line of blood from his chin, he stalked forward. Veritas had regained their own feet as well and stood watching imperiously. ¡°Such arrogance.¡± Their voice modulation hiccupped momentarily before resuming. ¡°You would risk everything over a worthless lud? I will ignore this outburst, but should it happen again I¡¯ll be forced to¡ªgah!¡± The avatar collapsed over backwards again as Callan barreled into them. Pinning their arms, he leaned forward until his nose almost touched the flattened wolf mask. ¡°You can fuck right off with that Accords noise. The only thing I want is you, Veritas. Preferably in a body bag.¡± What kind of bag? Xeph asked, at the same moment Veritas said, ¡°What?¡± Callan didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he snapped the dveorg bracelets over the other avatar¡¯s wrists. Not a moment too soon. Veritas broke free and swung at his face again, a move Callan just barely managed to dodge. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t nearly so successful dodging the kick that followed. Stars flashed, the ground spun, and Callan found himself once again nestled up against the oak tree. If this kept happening to them, people were going to start talking. Mortal! Xeph¡¯s words rang in his ears, bringing him back to his senses. Callan leapt to his feet. ¡°Did it work?¡± I believe so, but there is only one way to be certain. Nodding, Callan focused on the other avatar, who was currently engrossed in staring at their own wrists. Veritas gave one of the bracelets an experimental shake.
Name: Veritas (5th Sphere) Avatar: *Hidden* -STATISTICS- Brawn: 83 (-20 modifier) Momentum: 2 (-20 modifier) Fortitude: 9 (-20 modifier) Concentration: 8 (-20 modifier) Influence: 15 (-20 modifier) Piety: 16 (-20 modifier) -BOUNTIES- God Bond: *Hidden* Manifestation: (Error ¡ª Locked) Orison slot 1: (Error ¡ª Locked) Orison Slot 2: (Error ¡ª Locked) Orison slot 3: (Error ¡ª Locked) -DISPENSATIONS- *Hidden* -DOGMA- Total Followers: *Hidden* Available Faith: *Hidden* Conviction: *Hidden* Conviction Rate: *Hidden* Temples : *Hidden* Domain Range: *Hidden* APOTHEOSIS: *Hidden*
Negative twenty. That¡¯s more than I was affected when I wore those. Did Krov give me a stronger pair, or... Callan shook his head. That wasn¡¯t important right now. Their powers are down. Should make this a more even fight. Though by how much remained to be seen. Their Brawn was still over twice Callan¡¯s Fortitude. He¡¯d just have to try to avoid another direct hit. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Veritas asked, turning their gaze toward Callan. They shook the bracelet again. ¡°What kind of metal is this? I cannot work my powers upon it.¡± ¡°Sucks, don¡¯t it? I know the pain.¡± Callan activated Shape Stone, and the ground beneath Veritas¡¯s feet rose up to embrace them.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 24%
The other avatar tugged at one foot, then another, to little avail. Callan smirked. Careful, mortal, Xeph warned. Your reserves are almost depleted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xeph. I only need one more trick to finish this.¡± Holding out his hand, Callan summoned Wurmchain.
Alert: 3.1% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is now 27.1% If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
The chain formed in thick coils at Callan¡¯s feet. Raising his arm, he swung the weapon at the trapped avatar. Only for the weapon to stutter to a halt. ¡°The hey?¡± Callan glanced down and found a thin metal band encircling his stone-encrusted wrist. It pulled further back, dragging his arm with it. Hooking a finger underneath, he easily pulled the metal apart. A growl slipped his throat. ¡°Dangit, we¡¯ve seen this trick before. It wasn¡¯t funny the first time.¡± No sooner did Callan have the band off than another one launched itself at his other arm. He swatted it away. Classic ambush tactic, Xeph noted as a third metal band rose from the ground and wrapped around Callan¡¯s leg. When it started squeezing, he let out a grunt of pain. Veritas must have a priest hiding nearby. One with whom you cannot engage so long as the enemy avatar stands against you. Callan whipped his head around, looking for anyone hiding in the crimson murk. However, if a priest was there, they were well hidden. He didn¡¯t spot anyone. Meanwhile, Veritas had managed to free themselves, breaking the stone away with their bare hands. Callan looked up in time to see them rushing towards him. ¡°Crap!¡± He swung his weapon, but the band of metal on his leg twisted to one side, sending his attack careening uselessly out of the way By the time Callan snapped the weapon back, Veritas was on top of him. ¡°So, we are done with these pointless games.¡± A fist swung for Callan, who tried to move out of the way, but again their leg betrayed them, dragging them forward instead. The fist sank into Callan¡¯s stomach, emptying his lungs in a rush. ¡°Truthfully, it is better this way. I tired of all the arguing, the endless charades and posturing. Of trying to do things the yeth way.¡± Their fist hammered into Callan¡¯s stomach again. And again. And Again. ¡°Now we shall do things my way.¡± The next hit sent Callan tumbling over backwards. Xeph¡¯s voice roared in his head, but he was too focused on holding onto Wurmchain to pay much attention. For the third time that evening he landed at the roots of the white oak. In his flickering vision, the bark seemed to pulse, each thrum reflecting the bloody hue of the landscape. The branches writhed overhead like pink snakes. Human! You have to get up! Xeph¡¯s words finally broke through. ¡°Trying, Xeph, trying.¡± He forced himself onto his knees. Everything inside of him throbbed in time into the oak tree, though it didn¡¯t hurt as bad as he¡¯d feared it might, and nothing felt broken. He climbed to his feet. The metal on his leg gave a squeeze, reminding him of its presence. With as much finesse as he could manage, he sliced it apart with Wurmchain. Despite being careful, the weapon¡¯s scales still cut through to his skin. Callan sucked at his teeth. There was the pain he¡¯d been expecting. Damnit. He looked up in time to see Veritas stalking forward. As they approached, a pair of short swords appeared in their hands. ¡°Oh.¡± Callan managed. He raised Wurmchain. Oh, indeed. It seems that Veritas still possesses access to their orisons. ¡°But how?¡± Callan managed to get out before the other avatar was upon them, weapons swinging. Callan caught one against his elbow, the other with the palm of his hand. Sparks lit up the night as metal ground upon stone. Guess it doesn¡¯t matter. At least I don¡¯t have to worry about a priest lurking nearby. The jury was still out as to whether that was an improvement over fighting a fully powered avatar in close quarters. He decided he didn¡¯t want to find out. Shoving Veritas away, he leapt back. Or tried to. His leg, freed of its binding but now unknowingly wrapped in one of Wurmchain¡¯s long loops, found out the hard way that brute force was the wrong choice as the weapon shredded through his pants and tore away the skin beneath. Callan yelped, flailed, and fell over. The pain in his leg abated somewhat as Wurmchain puffed away to smoke. Rolling onto his back, Callan saw Veritas watching him. The wolf mask leered, for all that it was somewhat askew and heavily crushed inward. ¡°In your final moments, I hope you remember that it was you who chose the warrior¡¯s path, Avatar Callan.¡± Veritas raised their hands. A cylinder of metal as thick as Callan¡¯s thumb launched forward. It struck him in the neck, immediately curling itself around his throat and constricting tight. Callan¡¯s fingers scrabbled at the band, trying to pull it away to little effect. His mouth opened and closed, seeking air that simply wouldn¡¯t come. The metal tightened further, and spots filled Callan¡¯s vision, turning his entire world into smears of black and red. Human! You need to move Mountainform to your neck! It¡¯s your only chance! Xeph¡¯s words howled in his ears, temporarily drowning out the roar filling them, but they were useless. Even if Callan could have cleared his head enough to direct the stone off his arms, odds were good that he¡¯d just seal up his throat again like last time. Trading one choking death for another didn¡¯t make much sense. Yet what choice did he have? It was still a chance at life. If only a small one. He closed his eyes. Tried to force his mind to relax, to exhale all his negative emotions even if he couldn¡¯t exhale real air. And then, amazingly, the pressure around his neck released. Callan¡¯s eyes snapped open. Had he managed it already? No. There was no message in his vision, and Mountainform remained on his arms. So what... Across from him, Veritas reeled back, a hand clutching at their head. They lowered it just in time for a stone to catch them on the chin. ¡°Huh?¡± Callan turned and saw a diminutive figure striding out of the dark. A second later, it resolved itself into Kivi. ¡°Avatar. I do wish you¡¯d stop running headfirst into trouble without me.¡± The lud girl smiled, then turned her attention back to Veritas. She held her arms raised, ready to strike. ¡°High Priestess. How did you¡ª?¡± Oh, of course. She must have found the note in his room. He started over. ¡°They told me to come alone. I¡ª¡± He stopped again. In hindsight, that now seemed a rather stupid decision. But at the time, it had felt like every second had counted. Sworv¡¯s life was hanging in the balance. Sworv... No. He could second-guess his decisions later all he wanted. For now, there were more pressing issues. He clambered to his feet. ¡°Give it up, Veritas.¡± Pulling the metal band away from his throat, he pointed at the other avatar. ¡°You¡¯re outnumbered and outmatched.¡± ¡°Is that what you think, Avatar Callan? I doubt your precious high priestess has much power left to draw on, and you must be near your limit. The odds are very much in my favor.¡± Another stone struck Veritas on the head, snapping off one of the mask¡¯s wolf ears. Kivi growled. ¡°I have power left enough to deal with you, and stones aplenty. Do you truly wish to test your odds?¡± ¡°Foolish creatures.¡± Veritas began backing away into the night. ¡°You do not realize what your actions here have started. My priests were only held back from bloodshed on my command. But now, this precious little town will tear itself apart. And you have only yourselves to blame.¡± Turning, they sped away into the dark. Callan started after them, only to stop from a touch on his arm. ¡°Stay, Avatar. The battle is over. Besides, Veritas was not incorrect. I am out of stones, and getting in close enough to utilize my other powers would have not ended well. Let us take this moment for the victory it is.¡± ¡°But they...¡± Callan realized she was right, even if he didn¡¯t want to admit it. He couldn¡¯t even re-summon Wurmchain right now without invoking Apotheosis. Veritas might be close to their limit as well, but still held the advantage in absolute strength. ¡°Fine. Thank you for the save, I guess.¡± He grinned. ¡°Not that I needed it, of course. I had the situation completely under control.¡± Really, human? What part, exactly, was under control? You were moments away from having your neck snapped! ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, Xeph. I¡¯m sure I would have suffocated long before...¡± Callan didn¡¯t manage to get the rest of his quip out before his legs wobbled and collapsed underneath him. Kivi let out a cry of dismay and rushed to his side. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really.¡± Callan tried waving her concern away, even as he groaned in pain. ¡°Veritas just roughed me up a bit. A few bruises to the chest, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m bleeding anywhere.¡± He glanced down at his leg, which was shredded in at least two dozen places. ¡°Well, except for that.¡± ¡°Oh, Avatar.¡± With a little effort, Kivi managed to get him back to his feet. She was too small for him to lean on her shoulder, so he settled for a steadying hand in his own. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t arrived when I did...¡± He braced for the scolding he knew he deserved, but it never came. Kivi simply shook her head, and together they hobbled their way over to Sworv¡¯s body. The lud lay with his arms crossed. Under the crimson light, Callan could almost have thought the older lud was simply sleeping. Regret and anger broiled in equal measures just underneath his skin. ¡°We¡¯ll send the villagers to collect him,¡± Kivi said after a moment. ¡°Then we can take him home to be buried. Paeral should know what his wishes were.¡± Callan nodded numbly. A glint of something on the ground next to Sworv caught his eye. Groaning, he reached down to pick it up. It was a small reddish crystal. And though it was difficult to tell under the light of the Butcher moon, he thought it might be red in truth. A memory shard. But why did Sworv have one of these with him? He glanced at the body, but of course it provided no answers. In the end, he slipped the shard in his pocket. There were too many mysteries already from this evening for him to worry about another one just yet. Kivi led the way back towards the village, setting a slow pace to accommodate Callan¡¯s aching and bleeding leg. While the priestess had done what she could to staunch the flow of blood, he¡¯d need something more permanent before he could finally rest. The desire to simply crawl into his bed and sleep was overwhelming, but Callan knew there was plenty he¡¯d need to accomplish before that could happen. The mayor had to be apprised of the changing situation, for one. Also the town needed to be rallied, prepared for any immediate counterattack by the cult. And more immediately than that, he wanted to have a conversation with Xeph. ¡°What was that back there? How was Veritas using their powers?¡± Callan remembered what it had been like wearing the bracelets himself. Surely Veritas wasn¡¯t so much more powerful than him that they could simply ignore the suppression effect. Kivi glanced at him in curiosity, but he wasn¡¯t ready to explain everything in detail, not if he¡¯d just have to do it all over again with the mayor. I do not know, Xeph said at last, his words slow and pondering. It is curious. The interface was explicit that their powers were suppressed, and yet... I do not know, mortal. Clearly there is more to this situation than we have yet learned. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, Xeph. First there was Rictee being able to use his powers without a domain, and now this. Why is it that Veritas seems to be able to break all of the rules? We¡¯re at a disadvantage enough already against them. This is just... beating a horse while its already down.¡± Actually, I have a theory concerning the yeth priest. When we fought them, we assumed we were alone in that field, but what if that wasn¡¯t the case? It could very well have been that Veritas themselves lay hiding nearby. Callan blinked. ¡°You really think Veritas¡¯s avatar was just... taking a nap in a random field? The same one where our fight broke out? That seems like long odds to me.¡± Actually, it is more likely that Veritas was also in attendance at the Bridge Brigade¡¯s meeting and simply followed their priest¡ªand us by extension¡ªuntil the fight broke out. ¡°But if that was the case, why didn¡¯t they join in?¡± Out of fear of discovery, perhaps? I couldn¡¯t say, but it is the only explanation that makes sense. ¡°Except for one problem,¡± Callan noted. ¡°When we officially met Veritas, they seemed shocked to discover we were an avatar. I don¡¯t think that was an act. How could they have seen us using our powers before, and not realize who we were?¡± Hmm. That is a valid point. I will have to dwell on this further. ¡°You do that. In the meantime, I need to figure out what we¡¯re going to tell Belinda about...¡± Callan trailed off. For the last few minutes, the moon¡¯s light had been growing steadily brighter. Now it finally dawned on him that he wasn¡¯t seeing the light of the moon at all. Instead, the glow was coming from ahead of them. From Aos. Kivi gave a worried nod when he pointed it out. ¡°Can you move any faster, Avatar? I fear time may not be on our side.¡± ¡°No promises, but I¡¯ll try.¡± He started hobbling forward as quickly as he dared. Even that put a painful strain on his leg, but he ignored it as best he could, his need to see what was happening greater than any pain. Xeph surely must have felt it as well but made no comment. Then they passed out of the trees and into one of the fields surrounding Aos. And Callan saw where the light was coming from. Aos was on fire. Not all of it, but several buildings on the outskirts were burning, including the mayor¡¯s home and the lud guest house. Another fire burned further in, which he suspected was probably his own place. They both stopped and stared in shock. In the distance came shouts, and Callan could see yeth rushing about, hauling water in an attempt to douse what flames they could. A dozen worked on the mayor¡¯s house alone, even though he could already tell from the roaring flames that it was a lost cause. ¡°It appears that Veritas has struck their first blow already,¡± Kivi noted. Callan simply nodded in silence. So. It was to be war after all. 2-37 — Damage Control For The Living, Absolution For The Dead Morning found Callan still awake, covered in soot and grime and generally wrung out like an old rag. Kivi wasn¡¯t in much better shape. ¡°I think this fire is finally out, Avatar,¡± she said, setting down a bucket. She rubbed at her hands, which Callan could see sported a few new blisters. His own throbbed in sympathy. At least the fires here were not as severe as the ones in the lud village, Xeph noted. ¡°Yeah, if this place had burned the way Tok had, we¡¯d probably have to move all these yeth to the temple, too.¡± Don¡¯t even joke about that. Their duplicitousness is difficult enough to deal with here in their home territory. I do not think I could tolerate them corrupting the sanctity of my temple as well. Callan chuckled as he surveyed the mostly intact town. ¡°Luckily, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need to worry about that.¡± Hmm, yes. Quite lucky indeed, considering everything. It turned out that stone powers weren¡¯t super useful for putting out fires. Callan had already learned that to some degree during the fire in Kivi¡¯s village, but he¡¯d thought maybe their new increase in strength might make a difference. Nope. The best Callan managed was to build a few hasty walls to keep the fires from spreading, but even that had been the utter limit of what his powers could accomplish. Between his fight with Veritas and his slow apotheosis recovery thanks to his debt, his time had been better spent hauling water. Which, thanks to his increased Brawn and Fortitude, far outstripped what even the lud could accomplish. Though at no small cost to his hands. In the end, they lost only one other home besides the mayor¡¯s and the guest houses. And that had simply been because Callan was too slow to raise walls in time rather than any intentional maliciousness. Even better, no one had died, or even been seriously hurt by the flames. A few burns thanks to pulling furniture and what other keepsakes could be saved from the mayor¡¯s home, most of which were now piled up in the town square. It could certainly have been worse. A fact that not only Callan, but every villager in Aos was painfully aware. Which he guessed had been Veritas¡¯s intent. With the fires out, they returned to the town square. As he followed the high priestess, Callan noted with relief that the trading post still stood. Even with the temple underneath, hopefully the building itself was too valuable to the town for the cult to make such a blunt move as burning it to the ground. Still, with Alyssa¡¯s betrayal there was no way that Veritas wasn¡¯t aware of the temple¡¯s existence. Callan should have posted Sworv or Paeral as a permanent guard right after the last contest. Right. Sworv. It was all Callan could do not to wince. In the chaos of the fires, he hadn¡¯t found a chance to speak with Paeral about his brother yet. That was not a conversation he was looking forward to. But it was a concern for later. There were more immediate matters to deal with. Belinda stood in the center of her remaining possessions, sorting a pile of books from a table to a desk, then back again. A pair of yeth boys approached, and she gestured them forward. ¡°Be careful not to drop my desk like you did my chair! I can stand if I have to, but if I have nowhere to write I¡¯ll bend you both over and use your backs for my purposes.¡± The two boys grunted in acknowledgment, but didn¡¯t seem nearly as chastised as the yeth usually looked. Callan wasn¡¯t sure if that was further evidence of rebellion, fatigue from fighting fires all night, or simply how the boys always acted. Moving the book pile again, this time to a dresser showing a few scorch marks, the mayor nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Callan. ¡°Thank you for the assistance last night, avatar. I know this must seem bleak, but we¡¯ve been through worse. Why, in our third year here, a fire started in a newly built barn, and we thought for sure we were going to lose everything. My husband and I ended up hosting three families for the next season until their homes were rebuilt.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re so optimistic.¡± Callan glanced around, then frowned as he saw the two yeth boys hoisting the desk up the steps of the tower. He glanced at Belinda. ¡°You aren¡¯t moving in with Radavan?¡± ¡°Tch, no. Can¡¯t trust that boy to tie his own belt at the moment. And until we¡¯re certain who else in the town can be trusted, I¡¯ll not sleep under an unfamiliar roof. The tower will serve for the moment, and help remind everyone that I¡¯m central to this town, burnt home or no.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Callan hesitated, gathering his thoughts. ¡°We need to talk. The fires weren¡¯t the only developments last night.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Yeah. Before that, I had a run-in with¡ª¡± Mortal, Xeph interrupted. Might I advise you to continue this conversation somewhere a bit more private? Callan paused, noticing the gathered yeth villagers for the first time. It seemed as if everyone lift in town was here in the square, though most were hovering near the edges, tending to small burns or passing out a cold breakfast of bread and fruit. Now, though, they started to draw closer as if by some unspoken signal. ¡°Mayor, we¡¯d like to talk to you,¡± a middle-aged yeth man said, separating himself from the crowd. ¡°And who is ¡®we¡¯, Torveld? Hmm?¡± Belinda¡¯s eyes roved the crowd. A few people muttered and looked at the ground, but no one backed away. Callan suddenly had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. ¡°We¡¯ve been discussing this all morning,¡± Torveld continued, and though his voice quivered, he stood up straighter, looking the mayor in the eye. ¡°We want to call a vote for a new mayor. Things just ain¡¯t playing out right with this whole avatar business. It¡¯s time someone else looked into the matter.¡± ¡°You keep using the word ¡®we¡¯, Torveld, when everyone knows you mean ¡®me¡¯.¡± The mayor snorted. ¡°You want to try for my position that badly, do you?¡± ¡°Now, hold on, Mayor. I ain¡¯t suggesting that it be me who replaces you¡ª¡± Belinda held up a hand, and Torveld immediately went silent. Her eyes took in the entire crowd, seeming to hold them all at once. ¡°Listen, all of you, and listen well. There¡¯ll be no talk whatsoever about electing a new mayor¡ªuntil this business with Veritas is dealt with!¡± she added, her voice rising to a shout, drowning out the new wave of mutters that were spreading through the crowd. ¡°And why not?¡± someone in the back asked. Belinda locked onto them. ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked that, Pyle. Because there are still traitors hiding in our midst, that¡¯s why. Until the sickness that Veritas has spread is rooted out, I won¡¯t risk one of their priests assuming their reins over the village. I¡¯m sure you can all see why that would be a bad idea.¡± A few people nodded at this, but just as many were scowling. It felt like the crowd¡¯s mood could shift directions at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Once Veritas is dealt with¡ªonce Avatar Callan here has sent the cult packing¡ªthen I will happily open up consideration for an election. If anyone at that time feels that the matter with these avatars wasn¡¯t handled to perfection, they are free to try their hand at running this town in my stead. Assuming they can get enough votes.¡± ¡°You swear it, Mayor?¡± Torveld asked. ¡°You¡¯ll hold an election, just like that?¡± ¡°Of course. I welcome open discourse¡ªso long as it doesn¡¯t risk tearing this town apart.¡± Belinda¡¯s expression softened. ¡°After all, I only want what¡¯s best for all of you. That¡¯s all I or my husband ever have. Why we worked so hard to build this town in the first place. For all of you. And your children. And their children.¡± More people were nodding now. A few people drifted off, apparently considering the matter concluded. Even Torveld was smiling. Callan let himself breathe a bit easier. That was a close one, Xeph said, echoing his own thoughts. This town is one wrong word away from open rebellion. If the mayor were to lose her calm again like she did after her daughter¡¯s betrayal, there may be no saving it. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Yeah, well then maybe we should let someone else deliver the bad news about Veritas,¡± Callan muttered as the mayor turned to him. ¡°Avatar, let us speak up in the tower. I would have the opinions of you and your high priestess if I could.¡± Nodding, Callan and Kivi followed her up the steps and into the top chamber of the tower. Inside they found the other half of the mayor¡¯s furniture placed haphazardly about. The two boys from before were leaning against the desk, talking and laughing over some joke or other. Belinda growled at the sight of them. ¡°Really? Do you find it entertaining to waste both your own time and my own?¡± When the boys began muttering half-hearted apologies the mayor¡¯s glower deepened. ¡°Just go home, then. Bother your own parents for a change. Hmmph!¡± The two boys scurried past Callan and down the steps of the tower. ¡°Avatar, would you be so kind as to seal the entrance?¡± the mayor asked, collapsing into a chair. It wobbled dangerously but didn¡¯t collapse. ¡°Sure.¡± Activating his orison, he reworked the stone over the entrance, sealing it entirely. He also melted away the first few steps outside as well, to deter anyone listening in. Couldn¡¯t be too careful these days. Geez, look at me. I¡¯m getting as paranoid as a yeth. The thought immediately bothered him. He still didn¡¯t like the whole racial profiling thing that seemed to be going on with the elevated races, but with as often as it had been proved right with the yeth lately, he couldn¡¯t deny that it was starting to affect the way he thought about them. The mayor clasped her hands in her lap. She stared at the hole in the ceiling for a moment before turning to them. Callan would need to seal that for her, lest she wake up to a thunderstorm in the middle of a night flooding her bed. ¡°As you can see, the situation is getting grim. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but I¡¯m losing my grip on my people out there. We need to do something to bolster the village¡¯s confidence in both me and yourselves, if we¡¯re to hold things together long enough to force this last contest with Veritas.¡± ¡°Actually, Mayor, that contest probably isn¡¯t going to be a concern anymore.¡± Briefly, Callan explained about his confrontation with the other avatar out near the lake. He expected Belinda to blow up on him, but she merely nodded along. ¡°That does complicate matters a bit,¡± she said once he¡¯d finished, ¡°However, as I see it, what doesn¡¯t change is our immediate goal, only makes it all the more important.¡± ¡°And what is that, Mayor?¡± Kivi said. ¡°Finding those priests still hiding amongst us. Long as we¡¯ve got a snake in the grass, it¡¯s not safe for us to walk in any direction. We either find out who has already pledged themselves, or this fire is going to be the least of our worries.¡± She turned and leveled her gaze at Callan. ¡°Avatar, I know I¡¯ve asked a lot from you, but I have to insist¡ªfind those priests. Once you root them out and I take them to task before the other villagers, that should go a long way to restoring order. Veritas will be out of support in the village, and we¡¯ll have ourselves some bargaining chips.¡± Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think it will be quite as simple as the mayor thinks, Xeph said, shifting about inside Callan¡¯s skull. Too many have already lost their confidence in her leadership. Even if we root out the priests, she is likely facing an impending rebellion, or at the least, a shift in the distribution of power amongst this community. Callan repeated the god¡¯s words. Belinda frowned, but didn¡¯t disagree. ¡°Leave me to handle my people, avatar. You just take care of what we agreed to. Find Veritas¡¯s people, use them to force the last contest, then win. Once the god leaves, everyone will calm down, and I should be able to rebuild the pieces of what we once had here.¡± Confident, isn¡¯t she? Xeph muttered. ¡°Probably a little too much so,¡± Callan agreed. When the mayor glanced at him, he gave her his best smile. ¡°I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll figure anything out about the cultists that I haven¡¯t already, but Xeph and I will see what we can do.¡± ¡°Good. Start by investigating Torveld. I never would have thought he¡¯d speak up against me, but then again, I never suspected Higarth of being a priest, either. Or of¡ª¡± She caught herself, gave a small cough, then continued, ¡°Just do what you can. And do it quickly. I fear we may not have much time left.¡±
When Callan stopped at the temple later to pick up his lunch, he found Kivi with her arms wrapped around Paeral consolingly. The latter¡¯s shoulders shook with sobs. ¡°High Priestess.¡± Callan paused in the doorway, unsure how to proceed. Finally, he said, ¡°Did you tell him¡ª¡± ¡°About his brother? Yes. I did not feel it would be polite to put it off any longer, and we need to retrieve his body before animals set upon it.¡± This last comment elicited even louder sobs from Paeral. Callan¡¯s heart went out to the older lud. He glanced at Kivi. ¡°How come you didn¡¯t wait for me? Given the circumstances...¡± He didn¡¯t finish the sentence. How were you supposed to put, because I got his brother killed in any way that didn¡¯t come out sounding horrible? Then again, maybe that was the point. While most of the blame fell upon Veritas, Callan also knew he bore no small part himself. So many choices he could have made differently. Not bringing the brothers to this accursed town in the first place, for starters. ¡°Avatar, I mean no offense when I say this, but you are not a lud.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, but Callan nodded. Kivi continued, ¡°This is a matter best dealt with by those who know our culture best.¡± Callan had no idea what that could possibly mean. It wasn¡¯t like the differences between the elevated races really mattered when it came to getting a dagger in the throat. However, he kept his mouth shut and nodded again. ¡°I never told him,¡± Paeral mumbled. He was so quiet that Callan wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d heard him correctly. ¡°I never told him,¡± he repeated. ¡°Shh, it¡¯s alright,¡± Kivi said. ¡°Sworv is in the Cairn now. He no longer suffers from the burden of the pains and desires he carried in life. Whatever regrets you have, they can pass to him now without judgement.¡± The older lud nodded and drew a shaky breath. ¡°I have always been jealous of him. Of his confidence. The way he made friends with everyone, even the higher castes. His ease in speaking with women. I... I treated him poorly, disparaged him at every turn, because in truth I wanted what he had. He never knew. No one did, not even my wife.¡± The lud does know that this was obvious to anyone with eyes and ears and half a brain, does he not? Xeph muttered. Callan agreed with his head-mate but was smart enough not to say it out loud. Instead, he came over and sat on Paeral¡¯s other side. ¡°Even as a Daisa, he was the best of us. I was older than him by three minutes, yet I felt like I was always behind him most of my life. The only real accomplishments I¡¯ve ever been proud of were Revak and my son. And even that...¡± He lapsed into silence. Then, ¡°I never realized my brother hated his caste. I always assumed he never married or had a child because he preferred the free lifestyle. Now I find myself questioning every conversation we ever had, every argument. I find myself questioning if he wasn¡¯t correct after all.¡± Kivi shot Callan a warning glance. It took him a moment to translate it. She¡¯s afraid you¡¯re going to start up again trying to dissolve the caste system, Xeph noted, once again the master of stating the obvious. While it is not an entirely bad idea, doing so at this moment would be in rather poor taste. I suggest saving such a discussion for after his brother is returned home and buried. Callan rolled his eyes and muttered something that the god should have been grateful was unintelligible. He turned to Paeral. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been where you are before. About three years ago my grandfather passed away¡ª¡± ¡°Avatar,¡± Kivi said, cutting in. ¡°I¡¯m certain there are better uses for your time. Let me focus on my duties as High Priestess to my people as well as to our god. You should reserve your energy for what matters most.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, Avatar.¡± Paeral gave a hiccup and wiped at his face. ¡°You should not trouble yourself over something so insignificant.¡± ¡°Insig¡ªPaeral, your brother died.¡± Callan swallowed, then forced himself to continue. ¡°He died because of me. That¡¯s not insignificant. If I can¡¯t at least show a little compassion and remorse, what kind of monster would I be?¡± The other two stared at him, speechless. Callan sighed, then took Paeral¡¯s hand in his own. ¡°Listen, I know there¡¯s nothing I can do to bring your brother back. If you me for his death, I¡¯ll understand. But I want you to know that I¡¯m going to make this up to you. On that, I can promise. Even if it takes the rest of my life.¡± Blinking tears out of his eyes, Paeral smiled at him. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, Avatar. How could I? You saved our people once before. We all would have been dead or worse if not for you. Sworv chose to go into a dangerous situation, and he paid the price.¡± As the words left his mouth, a shocked expression settled on the older lud¡¯s face. Kivi patted him on the shoulder. ¡°There. Those too are regrets you needed to send to the Cairn. Keep working them out of you.¡± She glanced at Callan. ¡°Avatar, a word in private?¡± He nodded and followed her up the stairs, then into the alley behind the trading post. Kivi moved a dozen strides away from the entrance before turning to him. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± he asked. ¡°I just wanted him to know it was okay. Even if I saved you all before, that doesn¡¯t excuse what happened last night.¡± Kivi shook her head. ¡°No, that isn¡¯t what I wanted to talk about. I owe you an apology, Avatar.¡± ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Indeed. You see, I found myself once again forgetting that you are not a yeth. Even though your appearance is so similar, it always becomes obvious in moments like this.¡± Callan frowned. Then realization hit him. ¡°You thought I was going to be all emotionless about the situation.¡± That kind of hurt. After all, like Kivi said, she had seen him in enough situations now to know that was the last thing he was likely to be. Out by the lake a few hours earlier was a prime example. ¡°I simply worried you might say the wrong thing. Foolish of me, I know, but I am without sleep and not at my best.¡± Kivi gave an apologetic shrug. ¡°I should have known better, yes. You are not Belinda, praise the Sentinel.¡± Her words left Callan feeling unsettled. They reminded him too closely of his own thoughts from earlier. Kivi had always been biased against the yeth, but for her to even be snapping at him, the situation in Aos must really be wearing on her. Clearly this was affecting them all more than he¡¯d thought, lack of sleep or no. He felt as if he should have some rebuttal to her comment, but for the moment his own brain was little more than wool and fog. So rather than let the conversation go further, he simply disengaged. ¡°Alright, good talk. I should... I should get going.¡± He stepped out of the alley and began walking away. Behind him, he heard Kivi start to follow. ¡°Avatar.¡± ¡°Go back to Paeral, High Priestess. You aren¡¯t wrong that he needs someone to help him right now, and you also aren¡¯t wrong that I have other tasks to focus on. Much as it pains me to admit.¡± ¡°I¡ªvery well.¡± A moment later her footsteps retreated back down the alley. Is everything alright, mortal? Xeph asked. ¡°Yeah. Maybe. I don¡¯t know.¡± Callan didn¡¯t want to get into it, even with his head-mate. Hmm. The god was silent a moment, then, Where are we bound now? ¡°Well, we still have several priests to find, so... probably that.¡± He began walking again, but only made it a few steps before Xeph spoke again. Human? ¡°Yeah?¡± You never ate your lunch. ¡°...Dammit.¡± 2-38 — Strong Convictions Precede Great Actions Four days passed without further attacks by the cult.
¡°Aha!¡± Callan muttered under his breath. He peeked between the stalks from where he lay ensconced and watched as Torveld glanced around furtively before pulling open the doors to his basement. ¡°I knew the bastard was hiding something down there.¡± You did? Then why have we wasted the last several days observing instead of simply kicking the doors down? The irritation in Xeph¡¯s voice could have ground a boulder to dust. ¡°Uh, maybe because we needed a little something called ¡®probable cause¡¯? Just because the mayor thinks this guy is a cultist doesn¡¯t give us the right to go snooping inside his house.¡± As opposed to watching the house from outside, like we¡¯ve been doing, Xeph noted dryly. Then he added, Also, what is this ¡®probable cause¡¯ you speak of? ¡°Look, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ve been watching just this guy,¡± Callan said, ignoring the god¡¯s question. ¡°Heck, I bet half the reason it took this long to catch him in the act was because we kept getting pulled away to investigate somebody else.¡± He ground his teeth in frustration. The last four days had been an utter waste. At least when it came to spying on the townsfolk. Still, it¡¯s not as if¡ª ¡°Shh, he¡¯s coming back out!¡± The yeth can¡¯t hear me, mortal, only your incessant chatter¡ª ¡°SHH!¡± *Sigh* But at least Xeph stopped talking after that, which Callan counted as a win. Together they watched Torveld exit his cellar, glance around again to ensure he was unobserved, then close the doors behind him. He secured a lock into place before setting off towards the fields. Callan didn¡¯t move until the yeth was several minutes gone from view. Then he stood up and started stalking over to the house as casually as he could. Would you just walk normal? Xeph groused. You aren¡¯t some villain in a two-bit play. If the village doesn¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to already, they will after hearing you break that lock. ¡°Good thing for both you and them that I¡¯m not intending to break it at all.¡± He walked past the basement door and around the corner. Here he stopped. At his feet was a boulder, mostly submerged in the dirt. It was close enough that it pressed against the foundation and¡ªCallan hoped¡ªextended down to the basement level. Only one way to find out. He activated Shape Stone.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 6.25%
Temporarily liquified stone flowed in either direction, forming two small humps at his feet. The piles kept building until light shone out of the hole. Callan got on his hands and knees and peered inside. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s a basement, alright. Luckily it doesn¡¯t appear to be of the torture dungeon variety.¡± What? ¡°Never mind.¡± The hole he had didn¡¯t give him much of a view yet, just a pile of old farm tools and the wall behind them, so he used a second Shape Stone to enlarge the hole enough to get his head fully inside. Most of the basement was what he would have expected: farming equipment, a few crates and sacks presumably filled with foodstuffs, and a shelf containing earthenware jars. But in the corner by the door there was something else¡ªa small cage, with a lantern set beside it. The lantern light flickered irregularly, leading Callan to thinking it might be filled with those same wispflies he and the others had once used for their nighttime training. And inside the cage, a small lump twitched. It was roughly the size of a child. ¡°Uh, Xeph? Ideas?¡± I have none, mortal. Though it appears that whatever the yeth is up to in their basement, it does not relate to the cult. We should seal it up and move on. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not quite ready to make that call just yet. Besides, if we ignore another potential problem in favor of dealing with Veritas, what kind of person would we be?¡± The kind that does not let distractions keep them from their goals. ¡°Damn, Xeph, that¡¯s cold. What if that¡¯s somebody¡¯s kid?¡± He raised his voice. ¡°Hello? Can you hear me? If so, say something.¡± The lump in the cage stirred again but made no further movements or attempted to respond. Callan sighed. ¡°Fine. Be difficult, why don¡¯t you.¡± Another application of Shape Stone later and he was squeezing inside the basement, loose dirt raining down on the floor. So much for the perfect crime, but maybe he could sweep it up again before leaving. He edged cautiously over to the cage and peered inside. His heart hammered in his chest. Then he saw what was inside. His apprehension melted away. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be friggin kidding me.¡± He pressed a palm to his forehead. ¡°Xeph, could you not tell that it was a rabbit in the cage from back there?¡± He stared down at the most adorable bun-bun he¡¯d ever seen. It blinked its eyes at him, which were about half again as large as those on a terrestrial bunny. Its ears were also a bit too wide, but it had the white fur and fluffy tail of every Easter-gift-gone-wrong he¡¯d ever seen. Two reasons, mortal. First, because watching you wriggle through that hole was the highlight of my day. And second of all, that isn¡¯t a rabbit. It¡¯s a jackran. ¡°Rabbit, jackrabbit, same difference.¡± Callan peered closer. Was this thing wild? Would it freak out if he reached through the bars and tried to pet it? Given that Torveld was keeping it as a pet, he assumed it was at least somewhat used to human contact. Did I say jackrabbit? Xeph muttered as Callan reached a hand inside. The last time he¡¯d pet a rabbit was at Tiffany Gleeson¡¯s tenth birthday party. It was still the highlight of his entire fourth grade experience. I¡¯m familiar with your earthly rabbits. They¡¯re small herbivorous mammals, yes? Jackrans are¡ª ¡°WHAT THE FUCK???¡± Callan fell over backward, his hand scraping painfully against the sides of the cage as he yanked it back. A line of blood ran down his arm, but he barely noticed it. Inside the cage, the rabbit¡¯s stomach had exploded at his touch. Coils of intestines decorated the straw-lined floor, writhing like snakes as the rabbit twitched in its death throes. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡ªthat wasn¡¯t¡ªwhat in the holy ding dong heck happened? I barely touched it!¡± Ah, yes, that would have been more than sufficient. Human, if you would be so kind, take about three steps back, please? Still a little shell-shocked over having spontaneously blown up Thumper, Callan nodded and backed up until his legs encountered a grain sack. He collapsed on top of it. Good, Xeph purred. Now, please wait. ¡°What for¡ª?¡± Shhh. Callan frowned. ¡°Are you seriously¡ª¡± Human. S. H. H. H. How the hell did he make a staccato shushing noise? Callan wondered to himself, but he obeyed his head-mate and sat silently. After two minutes, maybe three, the rabbit shuddered again. Callan thought it might have finally died, which just made him feel worse. Then the rabbit¡¯s intestines simply... retracted back inside. The rabbit twitched, sat up, and resumed hopping about its enclosure as if nothing had happened. Callan stared until his eyes hurt. ¡°Okay, Xeph...?¡± I told you, mortal, that isn¡¯t a rabbit. We call them jackrans. They¡¯re insectivores, and while they bear a remarkable resemblance to your rabbits from Earth, they vary in a few small details. ¡°Oh, right. Small details.¡± Callan nodded. For instance, their eyes and ears are designed for picking up certain low-level frequencies. They have sharper curved claws, less for digging and more for climbing trees and cliffsides. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Mmm hmm.¡± Also, they can disgorge their internal organs when threatened as a means of escaping a predator. Callan put his palm to his face. ¡°You said small differences, Xeph. Small differences. How is that in any way small???¡± Is it really that unusual? I seem to recall hearing that you had a similar creature on Earth. ¡°Oh, sure, in the ocean. Everything is weird there!¡± Why is this bothering you so much? This is excessive, even for you, mortal. Sighing, Callan rested his head on his knees. ¡°I know, it¡¯s just... I thought we really had something here, Xeph! Finally, a clue about the remaining cult members. Instead, we just find out that a villager¡¯s big secret is a fondness for really creepy pets. I¡¯m at my wit¡¯s end here.¡± There are still avenues we haven¡¯t explored yet. This town holds many villagers, any of whom¡ª ¡°Oh, believe me, I know. We¡¯ve spent the last four days watching. I¡¯ve sat and observed every man, woman, and goddamn eligible-to-make-an-oath child there is here. The only person I haven¡¯t watched is that Ulfa lady¡ªand that¡¯s only because she¡¯s too old and sick to even get out of bed!¡± Rising from the sack, Callan started pacing. The jackran twitched every time he approached, but luckily it didn¡¯t explode again. ¡°At this point, half the villagers know what I¡¯m up to. Even if I wanted to root out the cult, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to slip up knowing that I¡¯m out here. We need a different approach.¡± Very well. What do you suggest? ¡°Believe me, if I knew, I¡¯d have done it already.¡± Sighing, Callan crossed the basement back to his hole. Suddenly he found that he didn¡¯t care anymore if Torveld knew about his trespassing. Leaving the spilled dirt where it was, he squeezed through, sealed the rock in place, and stalked away. From there, they wandered the village aimlessly. Not that there was much of it to wander, he could circle the entire place in about ten minutes. But the movement helped clear his head and made him feel as if he was accomplishing something. At least until Xeph spoke again. If you have given up on finding the enemy priests, perhaps it is time for another search of Veritas¡¯s whereabouts. If we could locate their temple, it might help¡ª ¡°I¡¯m not tromping around in the woods anymore. That was a waste of three hours of my life I can¡¯t get back.¡± Then it seems to me the only avenue left to us is¡ª ¡°Why would that jackran disgorge its guts like that, anyway?¡± Callan said, forcibly changing the subject. ¡°Like, what possible evolutionary advantage could that even provide?¡± The god sighed, but still answered his question. It is to protect them from weskers, I believe. Though after this many millennia, I imagine the relationship has become more symbiotic than anything. ¡°Do I even want to know what a wesker is?¡± Callan asked. You¡¯ve seen them before, mortal. Even eaten one on several occasions, I believe. ¡°Really? Because I feel like I¡¯d remember eating anything that¡¯s associated with¡ª¡± Callan cut off mid-rant and dove between two buildings. He pressed himself to the wall. Mortal? What did you see? He could feel Xeph craning his own perception inside his skull. After a moment, the god said, There is no one present but the mayor. Do you fear an attack upon them is imminent? ¡°The mayor is what I¡¯m fearful of!¡± Callan hissed, just as Belinda passed by his hiding spot. He tensed, but she never so much as glanced in his direction, just continued marching past at a brisk pace. Once she was out of sight, Callan relaxed. ¡°That was close.¡± Human, why are we hiding from the yeth mayor? ¡°Because I really don¡¯t want to have to give a status update right now, Xeph. What are we supposed to tell her? She¡¯s either going to be angry, or she¡¯ll start crying again about how we¡¯re going to leave her to face Veritas alone.¡± That had been a particularly awkward dinner the other evening. Callan wasn¡¯t sure if the tears pouring down Belinda¡¯s face had been authentic or just another act, but either way, watching her sob into her soup while Kivi did her best to reassure her had been something of an appetite killer. He set off walking in the opposite direction as the mayor. ¡°I need some good news before we talk again. Things are getting desperate around here.¡± So tell me again why we aren¡¯t simply leaving and washing our hands of this entire mess? I am certain that Veritas would still allow us to depart unmolested. ¡°Two reasons. First, because they killed Sworv.¡± Callan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I¡¯d never be able to look Paeral in the eye again, knowing his brother¡¯s killer is still out there unpunished. We¡¯re invested in this mess by blood now, like it or not.¡± Hmm. And the second reason? ¡°Veritas is too dangerous to leave alive.¡± Callan reached the edge of town and kept walking. Maybe he would search the woods for the enemy temple after all. It would keep him busy, if nothing else. ¡°Eventually, they¡¯ll expand off this plateau, and then we¡¯ll be right back to fighting him for followers, only now it¡¯ll be worse because they¡¯ll have a foothold. No, we need to finish this or give up on the Badlands entirely.¡± The Badlands are far too large for either of you to rule them all, Xeph noted. Still, I take your point. In which case, might I suggest our next course of action? A sudden sinking feeling curled through Callan¡¯s stomach. ¡°I actually changed my mind. A search through the woods for Veritas feels like just what I need right now.¡± Human... ¡°Come on, Xeph, don¡¯t say it.¡± I think it¡¯s time. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say it you son of a¡ª¡± It is time to resume your lessons on Wurmchain. Callan groaned. He¡¯d been hoping to avoid this subject at least a little longer. ¡°Come on, Xeph, you and I both know that¡¯s even more a waste of time than wandering in the woods.¡± And yet, it is a skill that you must master if you wish to overcome this other avatar. ¡°I know, I know.¡± He really did. Mastering Wurmchain wasn¡¯t quite as important as finding the remaining cult members, but it was a close second. And it had been on Callan¡¯s mind ever since his last fight. Dying because you tripped over your own weapon was not what Callan wanted on his tombstone. Also, I think you also want to improve your skill with the weapon, even if you won¡¯t admit it to yourself, Xeph added. ¡°Huh?¡± Callan frowned. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Look where we are. Callan glanced around, and realized he was standing in his usual training field. Oddly shaped rocks lay all around him, ones that had been melted and re-melted as he perfected Shape Stone¡¯s variation. He grinned to himself, despite everything. ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± Shall I walk you through the breathing exercises? ¡°No, no. I think I have them down well enough by now.¡± Exhaling, Callan emptied his mind. He activated Wurmchain.
Alert: 3.1% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 11.85%
Behind his closed eyes, white mist began to pool around him. Some of it glowed brighter than the rest, a difference that would have been imperceptible to him weeks ago, but which now he recognized as the physical segments of Wurmchain. Unfortunately, manipulating his weapon required more than simply seeing the concrete parts of it. He reached out with his mind and tried to seize a strand of mist. Just as it had every time before, it slipped through his fingers. ¡°Dammit! This isn¡¯t working!¡± You¡¯ve only just started. Getting frustrated will not make this easier, Human. Relax. Allow my power to flow through you, feel it spreading at your feet, then simply reach out and harness it! Just as you have done with your other orisons. ¡°But my other orisons aren¡¯t like that! Even Shape Stone is just straightforward. Close my eyes and¡ªboom!¡ªthere¡¯s a line connecting things. But this?¡± He waved his hands about. ¡°This is chaos.¡± Yet imagine how chaotic it would appear were I not filtering the information for you. Every time you attempt to manipulate Wurmchain, you get better at it. So breathe. And try again. ¡°I¡ªfine. I¡¯ll try.¡± Callan took a deep breath, then let his shoulders drop. The mist undulated about him, occasionally rising up high enough it almost reached his hip. He waited until a tendril did so, then reached out. Not to seize it, but to at least run his metaphorical hands over it. Get a feel for it the way he had Shape Stone¡¯s string. His senses touched lightly upon the mist, and the mist didn¡¯t pull away.
Alert: 1% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 12.85%
¡°Hey, I did it! I¡ªwhoop, wait. It¡¯s gone again.¡± The mist slipped through his grasp even as he tried desperately to recreate the feeling he¡¯d just had a moment before. Callan ground his teeth. He was so close! Again, mortal. ¡°Okay.¡± This time he¡¯d have it, he was certain. He felt a surge of confidence like he hadn¡¯t felt in weeks. Nothing could spoil this moment, now that he was on the verge¡ª ¡°Pardon my interruption, Avatar.¡± To Callan¡¯s open senses, the voice came from a swirling mass of white light off to one side. Beside it, a confused jumble of gray wriggled and writhed. Callan opened his eyes, and saw Kivi watching him, which he¡¯d expected. Lisson stood beside her, which he had not. He frowned at them both. Kivi, apparently taking his expression as admonishment, gave a deep bow. ¡°I do apologize, Avatar, I know your time is precious. But the mayor is... insistent that we go and speak with her. Immediately.¡± ¡°I can only imagine why,¡± Callan said flatly. ¡°She¡¯s going crazy!¡± Lisson said, his eyes wide. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her like this before. When I went into the tower to visit she was actually pulling out her hair! Is there anything you can do to help?¡± ¡°Yes, I too hope you have had better luck than I in rooting out the cult,¡± Kivi said. She gave him a hard look. ¡°Otherwise, it will be time to discuss... alternative options.¡± ¡°Wish that I did, High Priestess, but Xeph and I struck out.¡± Callan sighed. Whatever moment of clarity he¡¯d experienced before with Wurmchain had fled already. He let his weapon dissolve. ¡°Lead the way.¡± So this is how it ends, Xeph muttered darkly as they headed for the town square. Callan felt his guts twisting again. He tried to focus his mind elsewhere. There¡¯d be time soon enough to dwell on their failures. ¡°What was up with those different colored swirls back there?¡± he asked. ¡°Why is it I can see someone like Kivi, or even Lisson, but I couldn¡¯t see Alyssa? You never did explain that properly.¡± If you recall, I tried. But you were the one who told me to stop. ¡°Xeph, you started spouting all sorts of pseudo-magical terms right before our big fight with Veritas. I had a few other things on my mind.¡± And you¡¯re honestly telling me that you do not now? Callan glanced over at Kivi, who was casting her eyes at the houses around them as she bit her lip. Her worry was writ large on her face. He looked away. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I could use the distraction.¡± Very well. The reason you can see our high priestess is simple. Because I am providing a visual representation of her transcendental conduits for you. ¡°Wait, you gave me this speech before. I remember...¡± Callan wracked his brain a moment. ¡°Yeah, it has to do with how I access my orisons, right?¡± Correct. You have these same conduits inside of you. It was one of the primary reasons you were drawn to my call in the first place. Only those with sufficient transcendental nature can serve as vessels for a god. ¡°But... I can see Lisson, too. And he¡¯s not a priest.¡± Ah, but he was still born with these same conduits. Amongst the other elevated races, only a small percentage of them are. Somewhere around half to one percent, I would estimate, though that could have changed over the centuries. Regardless, the yeth boy possesses the potential inside himself to be an avatar one day. He would be an ideal choice for a priest when he comes of age. A god¡¯s inner circle must always have a few such individuals ready to take on the mantle should disaster strike the current avatar. Callan frowned as he tried to process this new information. ¡°Okay, I guess I follow all that. You¡¯re saying that Kivi has these ¡®conduits¡¯ or whatever, but Paeral doesn¡¯t? I remember he was just a bunch of tiny floating lights when I looked at him.¡± Indeed. While the old lud may use my gifts, they may never serve as an avatar, nor will my gifts ever be as strong. Their only conduits are the ones I created for them. ¡°And for some reason I can see these conduits when I¡¯m trying to sense Wurmchain.¡± Yes, it is an interesting side effect, to be certain, but ultimately useless. I can already detect the presence of our own priests when they are close by. ¡°True, but you can¡¯t detect people who aren¡¯t our followers.¡± Then a thought occurred to Callan. He felt his heart skip a beat. ¡°Can I see the conduits of anyone that¡¯s serving a god, or just our own?¡± Hmmm. I suppose you should be able to sense anyone who has had conduits formed, so seeing another god¡¯s priests is not entirely outside the realm of¡ª The god went silent. Callan stopped in the middle of the street, ignoring the curious expressions that Kivi and Lisson were giving him. He waited. Finally. Mortal... I believe I have just uncompressed something. ¡°Yeah, no shit.¡± A wide grin cracked Callan¡¯s face, the first real one he¡¯d had in days. He turned to Kivi. ¡°Change of plans. Get the mayor to gather everyone in the town square. We might not be completely screwed after all.¡± 2-39 — Laying Loyalties Bare Callan found himself bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation as more and more yeth filled the square. His whole body crackled with barely contained energy. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯ve had the answer under our nose this entire time,¡± he muttered to nobody in particular. ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.¡± What tunnel is this? the nobody in particular asked. ¡°Never mind, it¡¯s a figure of speech. You know what those are, don¡¯t you?¡± Before Xeph could respond, Callan continued, ¡°Don¡¯t answer that.¡± Hmmph. I see your mood has rapidly improved from earlier. ¡°Of course it has. More importantly, why aren¡¯t you excited? Finally remembering something that¡¯s actually useful for once¡ª¡± My memories are compressed, human! You know that! And plenty of the information I have relayed to you has been useful! ¡°¡ªBut now we¡¯re probably only a solid negotiation or two away from getting the heck out of this place. If I were you, I¡¯d be metaphorically jumping for joy. The only reason I¡¯m not actually doing it right now is so I don¡¯t scare any of the cultists off.¡± Fine, that is an acceptable reason to be in a joyous mood, Xeph conceded. ¡°Thank you.¡± ...Assuming it works, the god added casually, almost as an afterthought. Callan blinked. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Alright, that should be everyone,¡± Belinda said, emerging from the crowd. She cast a glance behind her, eyes narrowed, then turned back to Callan. ¡°Had to threaten and cajole about half of them to show up, but I managed it. Whatever this is about, Avatar, it had better be important. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to get everyone to assemble this quick again without a good reason.¡± ¡°You¡¯re certain it¡¯s everyone?¡± he asked. ¡°Certain as a rising tide. Every man, woman, and child is gathered here in the square. Except for old Ulfa, of course, but she couldn¡¯t get out of bed if she wanted to right now. So, you ready to tell us what this is all about?¡± ¡°Yeah, just... just a second.¡± Callan turned away, ignoring the mayor¡¯s squawk of indignation. ¡°So heyyyyyyyy, Xeph? You remember earlier when you were certain this would work? What happened?¡± Arrogant human! I never promised this would work, in fact, I said that it should merely be in the realm of possibility. It is not as if I have prior experience ever attempting something like this. ¡°You mean you haven¡¯t unlocked the memories yet?¡± I mean that it would have been unusual for the priests of a god to hide themselves in the past, so there would have been little reason to root them out. Still, the theory is sound. I give it two out of three odds of success. Callan resisted the urge to slap his face. Sixty-six percent odds really weren¡¯t what he wanted to be hearing right now. ¡°Avatar?¡± Kivi reached out a hand and laid it on his own. Behind her, Paeral and the mayor waited, each wearing different expressions¡ªPaeral distraught but hopeful, the mayor exuding optimism but wearing a look of desperation about her. This has to work, Callan thought. Not just for him, but for everyone. No. It would work. Damn Xeph and his odds. He wouldn¡¯t let all of their efforts, their suffering, count for nothing. ¡°Everyone!¡± he said, raising his voice. ¡°The god Xeph has an important task he needs assistance with. I¡¯m going to choose several of you at random, after which the rest can return to your homes.¡± A few villagers piped up with questions, but Callan ignored them. He closed his eyes. Fake it until you make it, right? Keeping his hands low, he activated Wurmchain.
Alert: 3.1% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 3.1%
Breathe. Just let the power flow. You aren¡¯t trying to control it right now. So. Just. Breathe. Still, it was hard not to tense up. Nothing appeared in front of him, which made Callan just worse with anxiety. It took several breaths before he could finally relax, finally let his shoulders drop and his muscles go loose. And then, only then, did lights bloom around him. He saw Kivi and Paeral out of the corner of his not-vision, white specks of familiar power. And also in the crowd, a tumbling mass of gray that had to be Lisson, standing with his parents. No one else in the village seemed to possess the natural conduits Xeph had spoken of, which tracked with the whole ¡®only half a percent¡¯ part. But it didn¡¯t matter. Callan only had eyes for the five spots of red filling his vision. It was just like Paeral. Only the colors were different. Keeping his eyes closed, Callan turned to the first set of floating crimson orbs and pointed. ¡°You, step forward.¡± He repeated the process again, and again, until all five had been identified. Only then did he open his eyes. All except one of the yeth were unfamiliar to him, a mousy-faced yeth who looked to be in his early thirties. Callan couldn¡¯t place where he¡¯d seen him before until Belinda let out a snort. ¡°Pyle? You sure know how to pick them.¡± She made a dismissive gesture as the yeth man shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the next. ¡°Whatever help you¡¯re hoping to get from this lot, Avatar, might I suggest you choose another? Pyle can¡¯t be relied on at the best of times.¡± Right. Callan recalled seeing the man speak up when Torveld had first led the charge to hold an election. Otherwise, he¡¯d only ever noticed him hovering at the edge of the crowd, a distant voice and little more. It was the same with the other four. Two of them were young girls¡ªa pair of sisters if Callan had to guess¡ªonly a year or two older than him. Another was a farmer he¡¯d seen from a distance, and the last was an older man of about fifty. Callan returned his attention to Belinda. Forcing his expression into a tight-lipped smile, he whispered out the side of his mouth. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t be insulting your citizens right now, Mayor? Just a friendly suggestion.¡± I mean, okay, the guy was working for the enemy, but given the powder keg that was the village, there was no reason to make a bad situation worse. Indeed, quite a few of the remaining townspeople were starting to grumble. Callan raised both his hands and his voice. ¡°I trust in the strength and capabilities of everyone living in Aos. Now, the rest of you can go back to your usual business. Thanks for your time.¡± ¡°That was it?¡± Someone shouted. ¡°I banked a freshly kindled fire to be here!¡± ¡°Yeah, and I gave up working my furthest field!¡± Another yelled. ¡°That field is nothing but rocks and roots, and you know it, Gast,¡± the mayor retorted. There was more grumbling. Callan resisted the urge to sigh. Kivi took up the task of dispersing the crowd. ¡°Please. I promise you all, the need for assistance is urgent. You have done a great service by answering our request to gather, and may now return to your business. The cult of Xeph-Zul-Karatl thanks you for showing what true hospitality means to a lesser creature such as myself.¡± That seemed to curb most of the crowd¡¯s frustration, and they began to drift away. One figure remained behind, however. Torveld. ¡°Mayor, whatever it is that is happening, I would request to be included. As the current representative of¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what new little faction you and your friends have thought up.¡± Belinda glowered at him as she spoke. ¡°You aren¡¯t the mayor, and thus have no right to be included in such business. Return to your home already. The avatar has his volunteers.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°If Torveld wishes to take my place, he may, Mayor,¡± Pyle said. ¡°After all, I¡¯m not much use to anyone, just like you said.¡± Belinda glanced at Callan, who quickly shook his head. ¡°You heard the avatar. Beat it, Torveld.¡± The yeth man frowned. ¡°I do not appreciate the disrespect, Mayor. I¡¯m only trying to help.¡± ¡°Well help somewhere else. Now beat it.¡± Once the man had departed, shooting dark looks behind him the entire time, Belinda turned to Callan. ¡°So? What is all of this about?¡± ¡°And will this take long?¡± one of the girls asked. ¡°I promised to help my mother with winnowing our adle harvest.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s all move somewhere more private to discuss,¡± Callan said. He made a show of looking around. ¡°Barnum and Moas have offered their basement for use. We¡¯ll talk there.¡± Immediately, Belinda was on high alert. ¡°Their basement? You mean¡ª¡± Callan shot her a warning look, and the mayor snapped her mouth shut. She gave a curt nod. As they walked in the direction of Barnum¡¯s house, Kivi fell in alongside him. ¡°I hope my speech was appropriate, Avatar. Given that I was not warned of your plans ahead of time.¡± There was an accusing note in her voice, but Callan ignored it. The risk of being overheard had simply been too great. He was only getting one shot at this and had to make it count. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll make it up to you,¡± he said instead. The lud gave a satisfactory nod and said nothing further. Human, Xeph said, drawing Callan¡¯s attention. Do not let your attention drift. Right. He returned to watching the cultists. While none of them had given any indication they realized what was happening, he had his dispensation at the ready to shut them down at the first sign of trouble. Callan had learned that lesson well enough from his fight with Rictee. However, nothing happened, and some ten minutes later they arrived at Barnum and Moas¡¯s home without incident. The elder couple was just arriving home from the meeting themselves and looked up in surprise as the crowd shuffled towards their front door. ¡°Avatar?¡± Barnum asked. ¡°Just need to make use of your basement again. No need to worry about it.¡± ¡°Our basement? You mean these are more¡ªoof!¡± the yeth cut off as Kivi elbowed him in the stomach. While she apologized for her ¡®clumsiness¡¯, Callan led the others inside. ¡°There you go, straight down the hall. First door on your right.¡± He followed after them, the mayor dogging his heels like an overexcited puppy. Down below, he found the basement much as it had been before, though now sporting a dark stain on the dirt floor near the window. Had Rictee done that during an escape attempt? Or maybe Moas had simply dropped a jar of preserves. ¡°Alright, Avatar,¡± Pyle said, glancing about the basement with distaste. ¡°Care to tell us all what this important task you have for us is?¡± Callan had been considering this moment for a while now. Would it be better to simply expose them all for what they were, or try to keep up the illusion that this really was some secret task of Xeph¡¯s? He was fairly certain no one in this room knew the identities of their fellow cultists¡ªVeritas¡¯s paranoia and layers of secrecy would have guaranteed that¡ªbut all it took was one wrong word from either him or the prisoners for it all to come crashing down. But telling them immediately would put them on the defensive, and he really wanted to try and gather some information first. He decided to maintain the ruse for now. ¡°To start, Xeph wants you all to tell him a bit about yourselves. That way we can better assign¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, get on with it, already!¡± The mayor turned and glowered at the assembled crowd. ¡°We know who you are. The first one to confess receives clemency. The rest of you get exile. So¡ªwho is it going to be?¡± Callan gaped at the yeth woman, while inside his head Xeph let out a rumbling chuckle. So much for the subtle approach. ¡°Mayor,¡± Kivi said. ¡°While I understand and empathize with your attempts to begin amending this situation, the fact of the matter is that we cannot simply let any of these prisoner¡¯s leave while Veritas remains. This is no longer a matter of chosen sides¡ªone or more of them are responsible for burning your town.¡± ¡°Hmm. Fair enough. Alright, new offer¡ªthe first one to tell us where that bastard¡¯s camp is gets clemency. After the avatar here throws them off the plateau.¡± What happened to simply running Veritas off? Xeph grumbled. ¡°Mayor, perhaps we ought to¡ª¡± Kivi began, when the cultist Pyle spoke over her. ¡°What¡¯s all this nonsense about clemency and exile? I know Torveld challenged your position, but resorting to random threats seems a little much.¡± ¡°Oh, knock off the act, you great buffoon. We know who you are and who you¡¯ve sworn to serve.¡± Pyle started to speak again, but it was the older yeth in the back who beat him to it. ¡°They know.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± Pyle turned at looked at the man in confusion. His eyes went wide. ¡°Wait, you mean¡ªyou¡¯re one, too, Yolt?¡± The older yeth, Yolt, nodded. Pyle turned around, his face stormy. ¡°In that case, guess there ain¡¯t no more reason to play around.¡± He dropped his hands and started manipulating the air in front of him. ¡°Been looking forward to this moment a real long time!¡± Callan tensed, already bringing up the submenu for Wane. Only to pause when nothing happened. Pyle continued manipulating the air, his face growing red with concentration, no power activated. ¡°It won¡¯t work here, idiot,¡± Yolt said, stifling a yawn. He leaned against the wall, his shoulders slumped. ¡°Not without Veritas. Idiot.¡± ¡°But, but...¡± Meanwhile, across from them the two yeth girls had grabbed each other¡¯s hands and were babbling excitedly. ¡°Leshi!!!¡± ¡°Ianthe, why didn¡¯t you tell me????¡± ¡°I tried, but you never seemed to get my hints. Remember when we were down by the river, talking?¡± ¡°Oh, moons, that¡¯s what you meant? When you said you had some big secret, I thought it was just that you¡¯d found yourself another sweetheart.¡± ¡°Oh, Leshi.¡± The other girl laughed, then added. ¡°Though I was warming Rictee¡¯s bed before he died. Hey, he was a priest, too! That jerk never told me...¡± The mayor cleared her throat, and the room fell silent. Her glare captured each and every one of the cultists simultaneously. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve cleared up any misunderstandings, who here would like to be the first to accept my offer?¡± Silence blanketed the basement. Finally, Yolt spoke up. ¡°Beggin¡¯ forgiveness, Mayor, but... none of us here are going to be doing that. Veritas would skin us alive¡ªand that¡¯s if we¡¯re lucky. Look what happened to Rictee.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± Belinda spat. ¡°Rictee realized quick enough that he had far better odds of surviving by staying in my good graces instead of with Veritas. Speaking of, does anyone want to confess to that little murder? I¡¯ll not hold it against you, times have been strange around here.¡± Again, the mayor was met with silence. Callan jumped in, hoping to try and salvage something of the conversation. ¡°Look, all we really need is for one of you to tell us where Veritas is. They never have to know who it was. I¡¯ll deal with the problem¡ª¡± Assuming we can take their avatar down before they overwhelm us, Xeph noted unhelpfully. ¡°¡ªAnd this can all be over. Look, I know it sucks. You picked a side, and now you¡¯ve lost. But it doesn¡¯t have to be the end for you. Help me end this and life can more or less go back to normal. Right, Mayor?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, yes, yes.¡± Belinda waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Our town can¡¯t afford anymore division. You¡¯ve all brought a great deal of trouble down on us, but I¡¯m willing to overlook it if you help resolve the situation. However, if you stubbornly persist in supporting a lost cause...¡± ¡°Mayor.¡± Yolt pushed off the wall and stepped forward. He looked from one cultist to the next. ¡°I think I speak for all of us when I say, we will not abandon the god Veritas. Perhaps a few weeks ago, I might have been swayed, but you are no longer the mayor I remember growing up. I originally joined Veritas because he promised a brighter future, and I see now that can never happen under your rule.¡± ¡°Yeah, we might have ¡®lost¡¯, as you put it,¡± Pyle added, glowering at Callan, ¡°But for how long? There ain¡¯t hardly anybody left in town that¡¯ll support you. Maybe you ought to surrender while you still can.¡± ¡°Impudent little¡ª¡± The mayor moved towards Pyle like she was going to hit him but caught herself at the last moment. She stepped back, hands self-consciously smoothing her clothes. ¡°This town only exists because of me. You and everyone else would do well to remember that I was here first. I basically am this town.¡± ¡°Yet some day, one way or another, you¡¯ll be gone, and Aos will carry on without you,¡± Yolt said softly. ¡°That¡¯s simply a fact. It¡¯s time you accepted it.¡± ¡°You...¡± The mayor¡¯s face was darkening into something dangerous. Callan set his hands on her shoulders before the situation could devolve further. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we give all of you time to think over the mayor¡¯s offer. We¡¯ll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy...¡± He waved hand. ¡°...All of this. It¡¯s better than the Ritz-Carlton down here.¡± ¡°This was met by blank stares and a sigh from Xeph. Again, I don¡¯t even know where to begin translating that. ¡°Ah, never mind. C¡¯mon, Mayor.¡± Just as they reached the stairs, one of the girls¡ªhe thought it might have been Ianthe¡ªspoke. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us could help you even if we wanted to. I never knew where Veritas was. Any time they needed us, a priest would come and tell me where to meet. I never saw any faces, and the location was different each time.¡± Callan nodded absently. That was more or less what they had learned from Rictee. Well, it¡¯s not like he¡¯d really expected this avenue to yield any results. ¡°Let us know if you remember anything else.¡± With that, he followed the mayor upstairs. They found Paeral waiting with Barnum and Moas in the kitchen. The tiny space filled to bursting as the rest of them filed in. ¡°It must have been Higarth that coordinated their movements,¡± Kivi began as they settled around the table. ¡°Mayor, you said once that there were as many as eight cultists, yes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then we have them all contained. Five here. Rictee and Higarth make seven, and Alyssa¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªMakes eight,¡± Callan finished. ¡°So that should be everyone.¡± ¡°Indeed. I only wonder, how exactly shall we get a message to Veritas to tell them we¡¯ve captured their people? We do not know their location, and every priest is either imprisoned or in exile.¡± ¡°A problem for tomorrow,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We have what we need for victory now. Without the cultists threatening the peace of the town, I can begin working to turn the rest of my citizens back to the proper path. You¡¯ve done good work, Avatar.¡± We mustn¡¯t celebrate victory just yet, Xeph cautioned. These cultists could still pose a threat. If Veritas attempts to rescue them, or even moves close enough to give them access to their powers... Callan nodded. ¡°We need to leave a guard behind to keep an eye on things.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Kivi said. ¡°If we work in shifts, that should prevent any lapse in coverage.¡± The logistics of the situation were starting to make Callan¡¯s head hurt. Should they involve the rest of the town, now that the priests had been removed? Or was it better to keep the number of people involved lower to prevent further treachery? Just because someone wasn¡¯t a priest didn¡¯t mean they hadn¡¯t shifted to Veritas¡¯s side... Before Callan could come to any solid conclusion, the front door burst open and feet pounded down the hallway. Lisson slid to a halt, almost knocking into his grandmother. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, boy?¡± Belinda spluttered as her grandson heaved for breath. ¡°You can¡¯t just go bursting into people¡¯s home unannounced.¡± Lisson shook his head but didn¡¯t apologize. ¡°Veritas. Here. Town square.¡± What??? Xeph¡¯s voice was a squawk even as Callan leapt to his feet. The rest of the room was going crazy as everyone attempted to talk at the same time. He ignored all that and headed for the front door. There is no way that Veritas could have learned of his priests capture already! This must be over another matter. Still, the timing is rather suspicious. ¡°Yeah, suspicious is an understatement.¡± He turned, verifying that Kivi and Belinda were on his heels. ¡°Paeral, stay here and keep an eye on that basement. Don¡¯t let anyone in or out, you understand?¡± ¡°Of course, Avatar. On my life.¡± The older man nodded from the kitchen. ¡°Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t come to that.¡± With that, Callan swept through the front door. 2-40 — Let’s Not Bicker About Who Killed Who ¡°So, we¡¯re in agreement? These are the thirty-five pillars on which we will build our platform against the mayor?¡± Torveld tapped the list in front of him as he frowned down at it. He was certain he was forgetting something, but they¡¯d been at this for hours. If he¡¯d missed anything, they would just have to release an amended platform later. ¡°I still say number six and seven are redundant,¡± Joshu said. ¡°However, I¡¯ll trust to your opinion on the matter, Torv. So long as the bridge committee¡¯s primary and secondary demands are met, I can promise our full support, regardless of the platform.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure with you as vice-mayor, there¡¯ll be no need to worry about the bridge committee being overlooked,¡± Cartha noted, not bothering to glance up from her notetaking. Her quill flew across the parchment, recording even her own words as she spoke them. Torveld winced at the casual use of such valuable material, but Cartha had assured him that it was a necessary expense, that future generations would offer thanks for their foresightedness. Somehow Torveld doubted their descendants would care overly much about such banal matters as policy settlement, but perhaps that was the wrong way to think. If he truly desired to become the new mayor, adjustments like this would become unfortunate necessities. Joshu smirked across the table, an expression that was wasted on Cartha, lost in her writing as she was. ¡°Do you really think such a small village as our own requires a vice-mayor? Or a secretary, for that matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Torveld¡¯s wife. I¡¯ll be his secretary whether it¡¯s official or not,¡± Cartha said matter-of-factly. Her quill darted out for ink, then resumed its constant scratching. ¡°You¡¯re his betrothed,¡± ¡°That¡¯s almost his wife. Just a small matter of the official ceremony. Like my being the secretary. Or Torveld becoming mayor.¡± Torveld cleared his throat. ¡°There¡¯ll be a little more than a ceremony to it. First I have to win the election¡ª¡± ¡°Which you will, dearest mine. The mayor¡¯s influence is waning with every passing day. She cannot hope to cling to the tattered remains of her husband¡¯s legacy for much longer. It is time for a new husband¡¯s legacy. My husband.¡± She smiled and batted her eyes at Torveld. He felt his knees go weak, and was thankful for the chair beneath him. Joshu gave a polite cough. ¡°Yes, well that is all well and good, but I for one¡ª¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± Cartha held up a hand. ¡°This page is filled in. Let me get a fresh one. Do not speak on any official policy matters until I return.¡± ¡°Hmmph.¡± Joshu watched the woman slip from the room, then turned back to Torveld. ¡°If she insists on taking notes for every little incidental, your administration will bankrupt the town before its first year is complete.¡± ¡°Oh, come now.¡± Torveld attempted to use one of the smiles he was cultivating for speaking in front of crowds. He still didn¡¯t quite have the corners of his mouth right. ¡°The trading post¡¯s prices are hardly that high. Besides, let Cartha have her little victories. My father always told me that if one bowed to their wife on small matters, when it came to large ones they would¡ª¡± He was interrupted by a crashing noise, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. Cartha burst back into the room, her face panicked. ¡°Torveld!¡± ¡°What is it, my love?¡± He was on his feet now as well. ¡°It is my mother!¡± For a moment, she appeared at a loss for words, the look in her eyes one unknown to him. He stared in confusion a moment, and then... ¡°Has she... passed on?¡± He felt a little flutter of excitement at the prospect. Widow Ulfa had been a constant fixture in their lives ever since Torveld first started courting her daughter. The sickly woman could barely sit up in bed, yet her lungs still worked perfectly, a fact for which Torveld was reminded of any time her bellows echoed through their home. She wanted soup. She needed a new blanket, or a new bedpan, or a...¡± *shudder* ¡°...sponge bath. Sometimes he wondered if she kept on living just to annoy him. If he hadn¡¯t truly loved Cartha with all his heart, he would have fled their home months ago. And while he certainly never would have wished for her death, to have her called to the Cairn now, just as he was about to embark on this exciting new chapter of their life was... well, he hated to use the word ¡®fortuitous¡¯, but if the trousers fit... Then Cartha shook her head, shattering any fleeting hopes he had at freedom. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t that?¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Her bed. It¡¯s simply... empty. She¡¯s gone.¡±
As Callan marched towards the center of town, his thoughts turned to what this unexpected meeting with Veritas might entail, and what exactly he should say. Xeph, it seemed, was of a like mind. Remember, human, no mention of the prisoners. We wish to negotiate with Veritas at a time and place of our choosing, and there is no telling what they might do if you spring this news on them unexpectedly. Given what happened last time, they might simply attack us. ¡°They might anyway, Xeph. We didn¡¯t exactly part on the best of terms.¡± I doubt that. This Veritas might be a god, but their avatar is almost certainly yeth, and as such still has a yeth¡¯s preferences. Such as avoiding bloodshed. Callan wasn¡¯t so sure about that, but he decided not to argue the point. He glanced at Lisson, and a sudden thought occurred to him. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not the avatar of Veritas by any chance, are you?¡± ¡°What?¡± Lisson asked, at the same moment that Xeph made a hacking noise like a dying gopher and said, In what world did you ever think THAT was a possibility, mortal? ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I thought it was a possibility, per se, just it seems like every time that something bad involving Veritas happens, it¡¯s Lisson here who delivers the news.¡± Hmmph. Three times is hardly an excuse to be throwing out wild accusations. ¡°You know what they say: two points make a line, three make a pattern. Also, I¡¯m pretty sure it was four times. Which makes even more of a pattern.¡± More Earth nonsense... Mortal, allow me to remind you that we have observed the yeth child¡¯s transcendental conduits, and the god was not present then. ¡°Yeah, but what¡¯s to stop him from shoving the god into a statue like you did for yourself?¡± Of all the... besides the irreparable damage that such a maneuver causes to our metaphysical lattice? Or the requirement to compress most of our memories? Callan felt his cheeks flush. ¡°Uh, sure. Besides those things you just said.¡± Hmm. Then how about the fact that he is far too short by at least two feet to be the avatar?You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°...Platform shoes?¡± Why do I even bother responding... Xeph descended into unintelligible mutters. ¡°Excuse me, ah, Callan?¡± Lisson asked. The casual use of Callan¡¯s name earned him a harsh glare from Kivi. He immediately cringed and snapped his mouth shut. Callan sighed. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°If I could, there¡¯s something I wanted to show you.¡± The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 6.25%
It was only Callan¡¯s quick reaction that kept Kivi from putting a stone through the boy¡¯s head. Instead, the rock ricocheted off Callan¡¯s stone-encrusted wrist, then went tumbling away, barely missing Belinda. She let out a gasp of surprise. ¡°What? What?¡± He ignored the mayor¡¯s outburst in favor of dealing with Kivi. ¡°High Priestess, what was that about?¡± ¡°The boy drew a weapon, Avatar.¡± ¡°Yeah, the weapon *I* made for him.¡± Callan gestured at the stone knife now quivering in the boy¡¯s hands. ¡°Maybe next time don¡¯t shoot first and ask questions later, hey?¡± Turning back to Lisson, he reached out and squeezed his shoulder. ¡°So, you wanted to show me something?¡± ¡°I¡ªah, yes, A¡ªAvatar. I managed to use some tools that my¡ªum, the blacksmith left behind. See?¡± He raised the knife, and Callan noted several rough whorls etched into the side. ¡°Nice work. Is it sharper, too?¡± Lisson nodded nervously, then pocketed the knife as quickly as it had appeared. He glanced at Kivi again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the high priestess won¡¯t bite. Probably.¡± I don¡¯t think you¡¯re helping to ease his concerns, mortal, Xeph noted dryly. ¡°Yeah, well maybe none of us should be at ease right now.¡± Callan glanced in the direction of the village square, then at his stone-encrusted fists. He almost dismissed the manifestation but stopped himself at the last second. Whatever Veritas wanted, maybe it was wiser to go in there already on the offensive. The rest of the walk passed in silence. Soon, the peak of the storm tower came into view. Callan¡¯s eyes drifted from the stone weathervane atop it all the way to the base, where two figures stood waiting. One of them was Higarth, maskless but wearing the metal god¡¯s customary priest robes. The other was Veritas themself. The first thing Callan noted was that the avatar had repaired the damage done to their wolf mask. Or just made a new one, he wasn¡¯t entirely certain. What was certain was its leering expression locked onto him the moment he entered the square. Veritas strode forward to meet him. ¡°Avatar Callan.¡± ¡°Avatar Whoever-The-Hell-You-Are,¡± Callan retorted. ¡°To what do we owe the displeasure of your visit?¡± ¡°Oh my, such hostility.¡± The voice modulation on Veritas¡¯s mask gave the impression of an upward inflection to their words. ¡°Even after it was you who attacked me at our last meeting. Yet have I not tried to remain hospitable at every opportunity? Have I not attempted to settle matters amicably, even when I could easily have turned to violence?¡± Callan didn¡¯t let himself rise to the bait. ¡°What do you want, Veritas?¡± ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ve come to parlay.¡± The other avatar shrugged. ¡°A last chance to end this fight between us. My offer still stands, you know. You can leave this plateau, return from whence you came, and no further harm shall befall your people. Simply take that ill-begotten mayor with you and never return. That is all I ask and no more.¡± While they were talking, a crowd had slowly begun to gather around them, more and more yeth drifting out of homes by the minute. Callan crossed his arms and scowled. Of course they showed up for Veritas but had to be cajoled out at his request not an hour earlier. If that didn¡¯t show the mayor¡¯s waning influence... ¡°Why should I believe a word you have to say?¡± He pitched his voice higher so the whole village could hear. ¡°After you murdered one of my priests in cold blood. You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t tear you apart in retribution.¡± The crowd let out a little gasp at this. Callan wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because of the murder accusation or his own threat of violence. He was past the point of caring either way. ¡°And yet, were you not the first to draw blood?¡± Veritas retorted. They turned to the crowd and raised their arms. ¡°Were you not the one who killed my priest first? Does that not grant me the right to do the same?¡± ¡°I never laid a finger on that priest, and you know it!¡± Inside, Callan felt his confusion mount. He¡¯d expected the avatar to hide behind their precious Accords, not spout nonsense accusations. ¡°Yet who else could have done it, if not a non-yeth?¡± Veritas demanded. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then what does that make you, murderer? Are you not a yeth as well?¡± Veritas hesitated, seemingly at a loss for words. Callan used the moment to press his advantage. ¡°And what reason would we have to kill Rictee? He¡¯d already defected. The only person who had any cause for violence against him was one of yours.¡± This elicited more muttering from the crowd. Veritas glanced around, seeming to notice the shifting mood. He waved a hand dismissively. ¡°This is a distraction from the matter at hand. I have come here today in good faith to offer you a chance to withdraw. Why do you continue to spurn my kindness? Perhaps you don¡¯t actually wish for the people of Aos to be free? Perhaps you want to enslave them under the guise of protection, hmmm?¡± ¡°High Priest Higarth,¡± Kivi spoke up, all eyes turning to her. ¡°Surely you can see that this argument is going nowhere. Let the two of us, as representatives of our faith, sit down and discuss matters together calmly and logically, as a yeth should.¡± Higarth gave a tight-lipped smile. ¡°I am but a humble servant of my god and avatar, High Priestess Kivi. You of all people should know the futility of trying to convince either to choose a course when they¡¯ve already set their mind to another.¡± ¡°But surely your avatar must know that we cannot simply leave this place with unfinished business. And we cannot leave another cult so active close to our own.¡± ¡°And your avatar should know that they are the interlopers here. If promises were made in bad faith, well then it is hardly Veritas¡¯s fault that they cannot be honored any longer. Or is Xeph-Zul-Karatl so arrogant that they cannot leave another god to live in peace? After all, we only wish¡ª¡± Mortal. Xeph¡¯s voice snapped Callan¡¯s attention away from the argument. He let a small growl escape his lips. ¡°What is it, Xeph? Trying to sort out... whatever this is, here.¡± I can see that. However, something is not right. This conversation is going in circles. Callan glanced back at Higarth, who was still rambling on about some point or another¡ªhe¡¯d already entirely lost track of the conversation. Turning away further, he whispered, ¡°So what? They¡¯re yeth, they like long-winded arguments.¡± That¡¯s just it. This isn¡¯t an argument so much as it feels like... ¡°Yeah?¡± The god was silent a moment. Veritas has to know the futility of coming here. Either they are lulling you into a sense of false security before they strike, or... this is not their true purpose. A cold chill ran through Callan at the words. ¡°You think they know about... you know.¡± He didn¡¯t dare mention the captured priests out loud. Not with Veritas so close at hand to possibly overhear. I think it is a distinct possibility. This is nothing more than a distraction. ¡°A distraction from what? If Veritas and their high priest are here, there¡¯s nobody left to rescue their...¡± Callan trailed off. The chill from before ran down his entire spine. Mortal? Ignoring his head-mate, Callan closed his eyes. He summoned Wurmchain.
Alert: 3.1% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 7.35%
Screams erupted from the crowd, and Callan heard the sharp bark of Higarth yelling angrily, but it all faded into the background as he focused on his breathing, finding that Zen state like Xeph had taught him. In, then out. He let his perception stretch outward, sense the mist gathering at his feet, and beyond that... There. Slightly off to one side floated the white bundle that was Kivi, and several orbs of light that could only be Paeral. Across from them hovered another set of orbs, these the same angry red like the cultists had borne. That would be Higarth, of course. But where Veritas stood? Nothing. Callan opened his eyes. His gaze darted to the other avatar¡¯s wrists, noting immediately the bracelets were absent. Perhaps Veritas had simply discovered a way to remove them, but... He strode forward. Higarth yelled a warning to stay back, but Callan ignored him. He could be wrong, but something told him the priest was powerless at the moment, his words were nothing more than that¡ªmere words. And this moment called for something stronger than words. Veritas tried to flee, but Callan was faster. Working his fingers, he manipulated the stones at the avatar¡¯s feet to reach up and seize them.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 13.6%
¡°What is the meaning of this, Avatar Callan?¡± Veritas glanced at Higarth, who hadn¡¯t taken so much as a step forward to come to their god¡¯s aid. They turned back. ¡°Release me at once!¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, Veritas. I¡¯ve seen you break free of better traps than that.¡± Callan moved forward until they were almost nose-to-metal-nose. ¡°Or is there a reason you¡¯re not flexing that crazy strength of yours?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± His hand shot out and yanked the wolf mask away. The crowd let out another gasp of surprise, even as they edged closer for a better look. Callan just stared, his expression blank. He couldn¡¯t even find the energy to be surprised. Maskless now, Alyssa gave an embarrassed smile. ¡°...Did you miss me?¡± 2-41 — I Guess Those Skulls Came In Handy After All Callan gaped at the woman. He¡¯d already half suspected, but seeing her again here so soon... Shaking his head, he glowered at Alyssa. ¡°What are you doing here? Where¡¯s Veritas?¡± ¡°Sorry, Callan, but I¡¯m not qualified to answer that. Oh dear, missed.¡± Alyssa shrugged, and there was a sound of crashing stone behind. Turning, Callan saw Kivi lowering her arms, a frustrated look on her face. Higarth was nowhere to be seen. ¡°He managed to slip through the crowd,¡± Kivi said to Callan¡¯s unanswered question. ¡°By the time I noticed, he was near the edge of the square. I tried to catch him with Rock Sling, but the distance¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, High Priestess. I know where he¡¯s going anyway,¡± Callan said. ¡°You do?¡± she asked, at the same moment Xeph rumbled, How can you possibly know, mortal? ¡°Because there¡¯s only one place to go,¡± he said to both their questions. Turning, Callan eyed Alyssa critically. She hadn¡¯t even tried to break free. ¡°Veritas knows we have their priests. They¡¯ll be breaking them out even as we speak. The question is, how? How did the god know, Alyssa? We had only captured them a short time before your arrival.¡± ¡°Is that really what you should be concerned with right now, Callan?¡± The yeth woman gave him a coy look. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more concerned with how Veritas is going to retaliate for this insult? Why, if I were them, I¡¯d be seeking to break what little hold you have left in this town.¡± She grinned at Callan but said nothing further. ¡°Shit.¡± That could mean any number of possibilities. At the very least, the cult almost certainly had Paeral in their grasp, and Callan would be damned if he allowed another priest to die under his watch. Callan looked to the mayor. ¡°We need to try and stop Veritas before he can cause any more trouble. Otherwise, it might not just be a few buildings that end up destroyed.¡± ¡°I agree. The hour for subtleties is past.¡± Turning, Belinda raised her hands. ¡°Attention, everyone! It is time to bring the god Veritas and their followers to task! Unless you wish to see more blood spilled in our streets like with poor Rictee, we need to move quickly and keep them from any mischief. Follow me!¡± The mayor strode through the crowd, and even made it a dozen steps before she realized no one was following. Callan tensed. He¡¯d been afraid of this for a while. And now it was happening at the worst possible time. A figure stepped forward that he recognized. The creepy bun-bun owner, Torveld. ¡°Let me see if I¡¯ve got this straight, Mayor. You¡¯re asking us¡ªpeaceful, civilized folk that we are¡ªto follow you into battle? To assist with this grudge match that you¡¯ve got going on with the god Veritas?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t a grudge match, you insipient fool!¡± The mayor ground her teeth so loud Callan could hear it on the opposite side of the gathering. ¡°They are threatening the safety of our entire town! If we don¡¯t aid Avatar Callan and their god¡ª¡± Torveld glanced around. ¡°Seems to me the only thing they¡¯re threatening right now is you, Mayor. Care to explain to all of us why we should involve ourselves in a matter like that? Why should we turn to violence on your behalf?¡± There were nods and grumbles of agreement from the gathered crowd. A few cast suspicious looks back at Callan. The mayor continued to rage, but Callan ignored her. They were running out of time. Mortal! Xeph said, his tone urgent. You must say something! Now is the moment when you serve your ultimate purpose as the head of my congregation. Use those skills I know you possess and unite these people together against our common enemy. I know you have the power within you! Did he? Callan considered that for a moment, wasting precious seconds as Belinda and Torveld argued. Honestly, it seemed like a lost cause. Veritas had slowly but surely poisoned the town against them, and a few carefully chosen words weren¡¯t going to suddenly change people¡¯s minds once they were entrenched. He¡¯d seen that at home often enough to know it was true. Even now, the mayor was making the situation worse with every word, shouting demands and orders at her citizens. Despite the fact she should have realized by now that what they wanted most was... Ah. And just like that, he knew what to say. ¡°Listen!¡± he raised his hands, cutting off Belinda mid-rant. ¡°You all know what Veritas wants of you, and what he intends to do to this town. So does your mayor. And while she might not be going about it the right way, she does have your town¡¯s best interests at heart.¡± A pleasantly surprised expression came over Belinda¡¯s face. Callan almost winced, knowing what he was about to say next. He bulled onwards anyway. ¡°Unfortunately, you are all absolutely right to resist her. Both she and I have gone about this whole mess entirely the wrong way. Instead of treating you all like children, we should have involved you from the outset. Maybe if there hadn¡¯t been so much secrecy, the situation wouldn¡¯t have become this dire.¡± Or maybe Veritas and his cult would have just slaughtered you all in your sleep, Xeph noted in a grumbling tone. Callan had several arguments against that theory, but now wasn¡¯t the time. He continued speaking to the crowd. ¡°We can¡¯t undo the damage that¡¯s already done, but we can be better going forward. And to that note, I¡¯ll offer you all a choice, right now: either stay and fight, if you truly believe your mayor¡¯s cause a worthy one, or return to your homes and wait there until it¡¯s all over.¡± The assembled yeth glanced at each other in confusion, a few hushed whispers discussing Callan¡¯s offer. After a moment, Torveld spoke up. ¡°And what of Veritas?¡± ¡°You were correct when you said this grudge was between them and the mayor. Neither Veritas nor their cult will harm you, of that I¡¯m certain. And neither will Xeph or his followers,¡± he added. No point leaving an implied threat hanging in the air. The crowd was silent. Inside his head, Xeph let out a grunt. That was... not exactly the rousing speech I had in mind. ¡°But it¡¯s the one they needed to hear,¡± Callan noted quietly. ¡°Look at them. These people have had enough. They deserve the right to make their own choices. Even if they¡¯re the wrong ones for us.¡± He watched and waited. Torveld glanced around him at the villagers whispering back and forth. He screwed up his face, then turned towards Callan. ¡°Avatar, I think I speak for everyone when I say¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡± All eyes turned towards another yeth standing slightly behind Torveld. It took Callan a moment to recognize him as Joshu, one of the first that they¡¯d suspected of being a priest. ¡°The bridge committee may not exactly see eye to eye with Veritas, but we share more common goals than opposed ones. I¡¯ll not involve myself in this fight.¡± Turning, he marched away. Within moments, he was followed by first one, then another, then the remaining crowd streaming away. A few looked back with almost embarrassed or apologetic expressions, but they left all the same. Out of the departing crowd stepped a familiar figure. Callan looked over and felt a small nugget of victory swell in his chest. Dosoti gave him a casual smile and slapped him on the shoulder. ¡°When you¡¯re dead, can I have those boots? They look nice.¡± ¡°What?¡± Callan glanced down at his sneakers, then back up. ¡°Uh, sure?¡± ¡°Great. Best of luck to you, then.¡± And with that, the grizzled farmhand stalked off. Callan stared after him for a moment, while any elation he had felt a moment before crumbled to ash. His head-mate chuckled. Did you seriously think that one would come to our aid? ¡°Maybe? No. Shut up.¡± He turned back and found Torveld waiting. The yeth man cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Avatar. We yeth are honorable people, but we are not fighters. Such base activities are better left to the lower races. I do hope you¡¯ll understand.¡± When Callan didn¡¯t respond, the man gave a quick bob of his head, then retreated. ¡°Well, you certainly know how to make a situation worse, don¡¯t you, boy?¡± The mayor let out a sigh. Callan glanced at her for a moment. At last he shrugged. ¡°It is what it is. Besides, isn¡¯t this the whole reason you hired us? At the end of the day, this is my and Xeph¡¯s mess to deal with.¡± ¡°Mine as well,¡± Kivi said, stepping forward. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, and Callan smiled down at her. Then his expression hardened. There were still a fair number of people gathered around them. Radavan, his wife and children, and the trading post owner, Millica. Counting himself and Kivi, that left a total of eleven¡ªten if he excluded Lisson. Hardly an army.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. But it would have to do. ¡°Time for plan B,¡± he said to Kivi. ¡°I doubt we have more than a few minutes until Veritas arrives. You ready?¡± ¡°I hope so, Avatar, but can we really do this without Paeral?¡± The lud girl looked worried. ¡°I think so. I¡¯m more worried about what¡¯s happening to him right now.¡± He didn¡¯t think that Veritas would hurt or kill Paeral outright, but what if the cult tried to use him as a hostage again? Callan wasn¡¯t entirely sure what he would do in that situation. He shook his head. No, they couldn¡¯t afford to waste time on what-ifs. There were more immediate matters to consider. He turned to Kivi. How are your powers right now?¡± ¡°Everything but Rock Sling is at full capacity.¡± Kivi frowned. ¡°Unfortunately, I only have the one shot remaining.¡± Callan nodded. He took quick mental stock of his own reserves. While his apotheosis had come down a bit during the chaos following Alyssa¡¯s reveal, he was still at just over ten percent thanks to the minor debt penalty. He really needed to get rid of that, and soon. Speaking of Alyssa. He glanced over, and saw she was still pinned where he¡¯d left her. She tugged at her foot again as he watched, then noticing his attention smirked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you have somewhere more important to be?¡± He ignored her. ¡°Mayor, you¡¯d best get everyone up into the tower. It¡¯ll be safest for you. Kivi and I will do our best to stop Veritas before they enter town, but if we can¡¯t, we¡¯ll make our stand here.¡± The mayor nodded and began hurrying her family up the tower steps. Putting them out of his mind, Callan started marching in the direction he knew Veritas would be coming from, Kivi hurrying along after him. It was usually about a ten-minute walk from the farmstead where they¡¯d left the prisoners to here, so they should still have some time, but... Callan increased his walking pace, leaving Kivi to almost run to catch up. When he reached the bunker at the edge of town, the fields outside were still quiet. The sun had begun to curve its way towards the horizon. Not anywhere near evening yet, but he didn¡¯t doubt that it would be dark before they finished this. Remind me once more what plan B is? Xeph said as they entered the bunker. Its window took up the entire wall facing out of town, though it was only barely wide enough to fire a stone through. ¡°It¡¯s the honeypot plan.¡± Ah, yes yes, of course. The honeypot... And what is that, again? Callan sighed, but before he could answer, movement on the horizon caught his attention. A cloud of dust rose into the air, growing rapidly closer with every passing moment. Callan tensed. ¡°Remember, Avatar, leave the work to me unless absolutely necessary,¡± Kivi reminded him. ¡°You need to conserve what power you have remaining.¡± Yes, and don¡¯t forget about the rules of engagement, Xeph purred in his ear. So long as you can¡¯t identify Veritas amidst the combatants, we are free to strike as we wish¡ªour dispensation would be the best choice for deterrent¡ªbut once the opposing avatar reveals themselves, you must face them and them alone. ¡°Still stupid you¡¯re enforcing this ancient rule on us,¡± Callan muttered, too quiet for Kivi to hear. ¡°You didn¡¯t have a problem with breaking the Accords. So why this?¡± Because this is different. ¡°...How?¡± I don¡¯t know exactly. The god shifted awkwardly about inside his mind. I only know that this rule must be obeyed. It is something encoded inside of us, but as to the why... that still remains compressed inside me, I suspect. Callan nodded. The cloud had grown closer, and he could see now what was causing it: an enormous dvorak was racing towards them, several figures on its back. He braced himself for an attack. However, the attack never came. Within moments, the riders resolved themselves into Paeral, with Barnum and Moas clutching tightly to the elder lud¡¯s robes. A wave of relief passed through Callan as he watched them slide off the beast¡¯s back. ¡°Paeral, you escaped!¡± He followed Kivi outside, who immediately clasped the priest¡¯s hands as if afraid they might not really be there. The old lud grinned. ¡°It was a close thing, I admit. Luckily, Veritas did not seem interested in harming us, only in getting to their people. Once they knocked me aside and went downstairs, I gathered up the yeth here and fled.¡± He glanced behind him at the dvorak, which was pawing the dirt impatiently. ¡°Also lucky that the cult¡¯s mounts were outside. We took one and fled, but I doubt the cult will be far behind.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s our assumption as well. Veritas isn¡¯t going to be too happy we finally rooted out their priests.¡± Callan sighed, then turned to Barnum and Moas. ¡°Go join the others in the storm tower. It¡¯s the safest place for one of Xeph¡¯s followers to be right now. Even if you won¡¯t fight, it¡¯s better than trying to hide out in a house somewhere.¡± The yeth couple nodded before remounting the dvorak¡¯s back. Callan watched as they rode away at a quick trot towards the village center. He shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t believe how comfortable you all are around those things.¡± They are large and intimidating, true, but they¡¯re still domesticated animals, Xeph noted. Would you be afraid to ride a horse? Or a chulapp? ¡°Pretty sure we don¡¯t have chulapp on Earth, Xeph.¡± Callan noticed another dust cloud approaching, larger and faster this time. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve got incoming. Places, people!¡± Soon enough, the cloud grew steadily closer, until Callan could make out a trio of dvorak charging the village, with several figures on each of their backs. The rest of the cult had arrived. ¡°Steady... steady...¡± He raised a hand. ¡°...Annnnnnnd now!¡± Kivi and Paeral moved their hands in unison just as the dvorak reached the edge of town. The two thin slabs of stone also moved in unison, sliding apart in time for a pair of the beasts to stumble headfirst into them. High-pitched squeals filled the air as the dvorak flailed, their back ends sticking into the air and their riders unceremoniously ejected onto the surrounding soil. A wave of relief rolled through Callan. Excavating those pits without attracting the attention of the village hadn¡¯t been easy, but it was totally proving worth it. Even if the dvorak weren¡¯t killed, or even seriously harmed, it at least took them out of commission in the short term. However, that was only two. One of the great beasts remained, and its rider drove it forward, deftly maneuvering through its distressed comrades, making a beeline straight for the bunker. ¡°Stones, stones!¡± Callan cried. He raised his own hands as well, preparing to fire, before a sharp rebuke from Xeph cut him off. Don¡¯t waste your apotheosis! Focus on hinderance while you have the opportunity. Veritas will reveal themself soon enough. Callan ground his teeth but held back his stone. Meanwhile, Kivi and Paeral let their attacks fly. Paeral missed entirely, but Kivi¡¯s stone struck the dvorak straight on the forehead. It let out a trumpeting scream and turned aside. Its riders leapt from its back as the creature trundled off towards the plains. Two of them were the young girls from the basement¡ªLeshi and Ianthe?¡ªunmasked but once again wearing priest robes. The third was wearing a wolf mask restored to its former glory. Human! There they are! Ver¡ª ¡°Hey, Xeph, remind me again what¡¯s up with the dvorak,¡± Callan said, cutting the god off. Dropping his hands, he activated Shape Stone. Rock formed around Veritas¡¯s feet. ¡°Are they like cattle, or something?¡±
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 14.86%
What? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I already told you, dvorak are mainly used for... The god trailed off, and Callan could practically feel his anger building. Human! I know what you are doing, and it won¡¯t work. ¡°Haven¡¯t got a clue what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Callan said innocently. Leshi hurled a bar of metal at the bunker window, and Callan targeted her with Wane.
Dispensation: Wane For every point of Conviction spent, a target of your choice loses access to a single one of its bounties for the next minute. Other avatars are unaffected by this. Please select one or more of the following bounties: 1. Shape Metal 2. Velak Gaze 3. Sword Dance
That Sword Dance has to be how they¡¯re always pulling knives out of thin air. Callan considered all of this in an instant. Still haven¡¯t seen what Velak Gaze can do, but probably nothing that matters for this fight. That only leaves... He targeted Shape Metal. Immediately, the bar that had been moving towards Kivi with preternatural accuracy dipped suddenly downward, crashing against the side of the bunker and destroying one of Callan¡¯s decorative skulls. A tragedy, but better the bunker than Kivi.
Conviction remaining: 9/10
For good measure, Callan targeted Ianthe as well. He had plenty of conviction stored up, and a pocket full of memory shards besides. Better to waste a few and keep everyone safe while he could. Speaking of which. ¡°Time to fall back!¡± The words were hardly out of his mouth before Kivi and Paeral were running for the door. Ianthe hit the outside of the building, arm outstretched through the window, but without her power nothing happened. A blade formed in her hand which she swiped at Callan ineffectually. He backed up, then ran after the others. More cultists waited outside. A masked pair shot metal rods that seized Kivi by either wrist, but Callan shut them with two more Wanes.
Conviction remaining: 6/10
The metal dropped from Kivi¡¯s wrists, and she ducked beneath the swing of a cultist as they summoned a blade. Paeral was already a good twenty feet ahead. He turned to look back. ¡°Keep going!¡± Callan shouted. He stepped forward, and the cultist raised his blade in a defensive stance. Only to glance down as the blade puffed away to nothing.
Conviction remaining: 5/10
Callan grinned as the cultist looked up just in time for his stone-encrusted fist to slam into their mask, cracking it in two. The cultist dropped like a stone, mask falling away to revealing Pyle beneath, eyes rolling towards the back of his head. One down, Callan thought as he leapt over him. The other cultist lunged forward, their own knife swinging towards him. Callan saved the conviction, simply knocking the weapon aside as he sank a fist into the cultist¡¯s midsection. Then he was past and running. Well done, mortal, Xeph noted. A knife flew from a doorway, but Callan deflected it. He fired off another use of Wane at the shadowed figure hovering inside and was rewarded with an angry curse. His head-mate continued as if nothing had happened, Just don¡¯t expect that trick to work for much longer. ¡°Because... I¡¯m almost... out of conviction?¡± Callan wheezed. He could see the village square ahead, and the tower with it. Well, yes. But also because of that. A figure leapt off a rooftop, slamming into the ground just a few feet ahead of Callan. He skidded to a halt as they rose to their feet. Rune-studded bracelets encircled their wrists, and angry eyes watched through their wolf-head mask. Veritas. The real Veritas. 2-42 — Retribution ¡°Avatar Callan.¡± Veritas¡¯s head twitched to the side, taking in Kivi¡¯s retreating form before turning back. ¡°This is futile. Did you really think you could hold my people captive without consequences?¡± ¡°Big words from the god who had to lure me away before freeing them. Also, catch!¡± Callan tossed a stone from his pocket at the other avatar. Veritas casually batted it away, but the stone¡ªgood old natural stone¡ªrippled and ran up the avatar¡¯s arm, fully encircling it before solidifying again.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 21.1%
Hope you enjoyed a taste of your own medicine, Callan thought, dropping his hands and darting around Veritas. The avatar swung at him, but the extra weight on their arm threw off the move, and Callan easily dodged it. ¡°You think this enough to stop me, Avatar Callan?¡± The sound of breaking stone chased him down the street. ¡°You are only delaying the inevitable!¡± Still worth it. Ahead, another cultist burst from inside a building, trying to cut him off. They raised their blade over their head as they lunged. Callan¡¯s hand shot out, calling on Wane. Nothing happened. I warned you, mortal, Xeph said casually as Callan just barely managed to catch the blade on his palm instead. Once you engage another avatar in battle, you are committed. ¡°Dammit, Xeph, now isn¡¯t the time for a tantrum!¡± The cultist swung again, but this time Callan caught them by the wrist, squeezing until the blade dropped. It puffed away before it reached the ground. This isn¡¯t a matter of a tantrum. Until either you or Veritas surrender or retreats¡ª ¡°The fuck you think I¡¯m doing right now?¡± Callan punctuated each word with a punch to the cultist¡¯s chest. The last one came as an uppercut, striking them on the chin. Their mask went flying as the cultist collapsed in a limp heap. Callan glanced down and saw it was the nameless farmer. That makes two. You may be retreating, but if your enemy follows... Glancing over his shoulder, Callan saw Veritas running after him, legs pumping. He took off himself. The town square was only a dozen yards away now. ¡°Shit!¡± Ahead, he saw Kivi and Paeral engaged in a fight with two more cultists. How did they keep getting ahead of them like that? He waved his arms and shouted, ¡°Go, go, go! To the temple!¡± Kivi swung the cultist she was grappling about and hurled them through a window. A high-pitched shriek came from inside. ¡°Are you certain, Avatar?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± he yelled at the top of his lungs, right before barreling into the cultist fighting Paeral. The cultist fell over with a surprised yelp that turned into a howl of pain as Callan¡¯s foot crunched down on their mask. Then Callan was over them and running again. ¡°We must defend the temple! It¡¯s our only hope!¡± His voice echoed down the street, just as he¡¯d hoped it would, followed by the rapid strike of their feet tearing towards the rear of the trading hall. After them came angry shouts, driving them onward. Callan reached the basement doors first, heaving them open and diving inside. The two lud were fast on his heels, and behind them he could hear the cult closing in¡ªlikely with Veritas leading the charge. ¡°Callan...¡± Kivi wheezed. ¡°Do it.¡± Kivi and Paeral raised their hands, and a wall of stone rose from the floor, blocking the stairway down entirely and cutting off what little light was slipping through. Darkness swallowed the temple. A moment later, a flame flared to life as Kivi lit a torch. She handed it to Paeral before lighting another. The older lud moved towards the altar, lighting the dozen or so candles they had placed on it for this exact purpose. ¡°How long do you think that will keep them at bay, Avatar?¡± Kivi asked, looking towards the now seamless wall. ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Callan said. He winced as something struck the other side, sending a booming reverberation through the basement. ¡°Probably not long.¡± ¡°Then here.¡± The girl handed a small object to Callan. Glancing down, he saw it was a loaf of adle bread. ¡°You need to restore yourself, and quickly. I have one more use of Shape Stone, and Wurmchain as well, of course, but after that...¡± ¡°I too have exhausted my reserves,¡± Paeral added, rejoining them. ¡°Only my chain remains.¡± ¡°Just as well. Not much space down here to hurl rocks around, anyway.¡± Callan tore off a piece of the bread with his teeth. It took him a moment of rolling it around on his tongue before he managed to swallow it. He wondered idly if this was part of the lunch he¡¯d forgotten here the other day. ¡°Will you be ready in time?¡± Kivi asked. She must have seen him using Shape Stone on Veritas, or simply guessed his resources were limited. Callan pulled up his interface and saw that Apotheosis was just a little over twenty percent. As he watched, it ticked down another point. He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready.¡± A second crash came, but this time from further above. Callan glanced up. ¡°Whoop, looks like they got impatient and tried breaking inside.¡± Several shouts followed the crash, along with what distinctly sounded like cursing. Callan grinned. He and the others had spent quite a lot of time ¡®reinforcing¡¯ the inside of the trading post¡ªwith Millica¡¯s blessing, of course. It wasn¡¯t exactly usable for habitation at the moment, but neither would the cult find it easy to access the basement indirectly. Not long after, the pounding on the wall next to Callan resumed, louder than before. If he had to guess, Veritas was venting a good portion of their rage against it right now. And while he didn¡¯t doubt the other avatar would punch through eventually, they wouldn¡¯t be at the top of their game when they did. It wasn¡¯t much of an advantage, but he¡¯d take whatever he could get. He finished the last of his bread just in time. His Apotheosis had ticked down to a mere seventeen percent¡ªthreading the needle of what he needed, to be certain, but it would serve. He hoped. A metallic fist broke through the wall, sending shards of stone in all directions. At first Callan thought Veritas had donned a set of gloves, only to realize the truth. He was finally seeing the other avatar¡¯s Steelform. The fist reached further through the hole, grappling for purchase on the stone for a moment before retreating. More pounding sounded on the other side. ¡°Dammit, we should have laid away a few conventional weapons in here,¡± Callan noted. ¡°Be real nice to have a spear to jab through that right about now.¡± Actually, mortal... Kivi must have had the same epiphany as Xeph. Reaching down, she began working her hands, and the stone of the floor rose up to meet them. In seconds, she held a rather crude but surprisingly sharp-looking stone spear. As it dropped into her hands, the lud girl gave a grunt of effort. She held it out to Callan. ¡°Would you do the honors, Avatar? The stone is a little heavy for me.¡± Even in Callan¡¯s Brawn-enhanced hands the weight was a little unwieldly. He could thrust it, but carrying the thing around for an extended time would not be his idea of a good time. ¡°Remind me when this is over to find myself a conventional weapon to carry around,¡± he said, approaching the opening. Another fist broke through as he spoke, widening it further. ¡°It will need to be of exceptional quality if you are to use it, Avatar,¡± Kivi noted. True. There is a reason my gifts include orisons such as Wurmchain. Once your Brawn reaches third or fourth tier, most conventional weapons might buckle and break under the strain of being wielded. Still, there are certain rare materials we might consider, or we could even try finding you a piece of empowered steel¡ª ¡°Conversation for later there, buddy.¡± Pulling back the spear, Callan thrust it through the opening and was rewarded with a surprised yelp from the other side. Since he doubted a noise like that would come from Veritas, he must have caught a cultist off-guard. He quickly jabbed the weapon a half-dozen more times. The assault upon the wall ceased, but only momentarily. There was a loud snapping noise, and when Callan retracted the spear, it was only half the length it had been before. ¡°So much for that,¡± he said, tossing it aside. ¡°Well, we held them off for as long as we could. Better prepare for the main show.¡± ¡°Remember, defend the altar,¡± Kivi said loudly to Paeral. The old lud nodded, glancing back at it nervously. The high priestess looked at Callan. ¡°Chains now?¡± ¡°Not quite¡ª¡± The wall him shuddered as a large crack spread up its middle. He took a step back and raised his fists. ¡°Never mind. Just try not to hit each other¡ªor me. And let me deal with Veritas.¡± The others nodded, not that they needed any real discouragement on that front. Callan turned to face the crumbling wall. The cracks spidered outward from the center, growing larger as something pressed against it from the other side. With a final, deafening boom, the wall collapsed, shards and even some larger chunks launched into the temple.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. And out of the dust and rubble strode a wolf-masked figure. Callan ignored the other avatar entirely, firing off his Wane in rapid succession. He managed to hit two priests before Xeph shut him down. No more of that, Mortal. It is time to focus on your true opponent. ¡°Fine.¡± With a roar, Callan charged. He didn¡¯t bother summoning his own Wurmchain, as it would just trip him up. So he came in swinging, and caught the other avatar on their masked cheek. The wolf head twisted askew, forcing Veritas to waste precious moments fixing it. Callan took full advantage of the opportunity. Jab. Jab. Cross. Jab. His hits came fast and furious, pummeling the avatar¡¯s chest, neck, arm, anywhere he could reach in the confines of the basement. Veritas lunged forward in retaliation, a curved sword appearing in their hand, leaving Callan to dance back or be cut down. The avatar flicked their weapon back and forth, catching the light of the torches as they darted towards Callan again. He barely caught it with his arm, pushing the blade aside and getting another good strike in with his off hand. With those shackles, Veritas was neither as fast nor as durable, and had started the fight immediately after crashing their way through the wall. For a moment, Callan actually wondered if he had the upper hand. Until he suddenly didn¡¯t. The curved blade came swinging down again, and Callan blocked, only to stumble as the sword puffed away to nothing. Veritas seized ahold of him, and the next thing Callan knew, he was flying. He hit the far wall with a crash, dirt and dust raining down from the ceiling. ¡°Okay, that¡ª¡± *Cough* ¡°¡ªhurt.¡± Callan groaned and rose to his feet. Around him, the sounds of combat rang out. He caught a glimpse of Paeral snapping his chain towards a cultist, and the resulting scream as his attacker retreated. Another immediately lunged forward in their place, taking advantage of Wurmchain¡¯s cumbersome length. Human, focus! Xeph¡¯s voice snapped his attention back. Turning, Callan saw Veritas approaching, another sword already formed and ready. He sighed. ¡°Time for round two, I guess.¡±
Round two went about the same as round one. Round three ended before Callan could get in a strike. ¡°Dangit.¡± He pushed off of the floor with stone-encrusted fists. ¡°Alright, Veritas, I guess it¡¯s time I start taking this seriously¡ª¡± He cut off as the avatar¡¯s Steelform fist slammed into his chest, the air wheezing out of him. Callan crumpled back to the floor. Before he could rise, a band of metal snaked out of the darkness, wrapping around his right wrist. Another found his left. His hands pulled together, and the bands tied themselves in knots, sealing tight. ¡°I wondered at first, Avatar Callan.¡± Veritas loomed over him. ¡°I thought this some trick. Surely you could not have exhausted your powers so quickly. But it seems that raising your hasty defenses around this temple was your undoing.¡± Something landed next to Callan with a pained cry. Kivi. As the lud girl tried to rise, he saw she had a line of blood trickling down one forehead. ¡°I do not wish to hurt you,¡± Veritas continued. ¡°But there must be retribution for your attempt at capturing my people. A price must be paid.¡± Their face turned to regard Kivi a moment, and then Paeral as the older lud was hauled across the basement by a pair of priests and deposited next to Callan. Paeral groaned as he lay there, but he didn¡¯t appear to be seriously injured. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt them,¡± Callan said, trying to keep his voice level. If anyone made a move for either of the priests... ¡°Fear not, Avatar Callan, I have no intention of harming your people. Yet.¡± The god turned away and stalked towards the altar. Their voice grew louder. ¡°If you persist in your futile efforts to aid the village mayor, I may be forced to make an example of them. But for now, I think a more subtle lesson is in order.¡± The avatar stopped before the altar. They glanced back at Callan, locking eyes for a moment. Then their hands dropped to the table¡¯s surface.
Warning: Foreign presence detected! Temple Aosan Temple is being desecrated! Temple conviction remaining: 9/10
¡°Make sure the avatar is watching,¡± Veritas said. Someone grabbed ahold of Callan¡¯s hair. He glanced up, and saw Leshi standing by his right shoulder, and Ianthe by his left. Or maybe it was the other way around? Whatever. Not important right now.
Temple conviction remaining: 8/10
Only the two girls remained to guard Callan. The other cultists crowded around to watch as Veritas¡¯s corruption continued, destroying the temple one Conviction at a time. ¡°I know this sucks for you,¡± Leshi/Ianthe said, grinning down at him. ¡°You picked a side, and now you¡¯ve lost.¡± ¡°And unfortunately, this is the end,¡± Ianthe/Leshi finished. ¡°So best make peace with that.¡±
Temple conviction remaining: 7/10
Callan grinned back at both the girls, then gave a shrug. The metal wrapping around his arms bit into him painfully. He could barely move his hands at all. ¡°You both certain about that?¡±
Temple conviction remaining: 6/10
¡°Your temple is being corrupted.¡± ¡°Your priests are captured.¡± ¡°Veritas will rule this plateau at last.¡± ¡°Victory is assured.¡±
Temple conviction remaining: 5/10
Callan just kept grinning. Slowly the smiles on the girls¡¯ faces fell away. ¡°Why are you acting so happy?¡± one of them asked. ¡°You know, your boss sure seemed excited about corrupting our temple. Xeph and I honestly thought it would be a lot harder to lure them in here.¡±
Temple conviction remaining: 4/10
Leshi/Ianthe frowned, then their eyes went wide as they looked toward the altar. ¡°Veritas, get away from¡ªoof!¡± The girl fell over as Kivi slammed into her. Paeral heaved a stone, and Callan¡¯s other captor collapsed with a screech of agony. Across the room, several cultists turned to see what the commotion was about. Too late.
Temple conviction remaining: 3/10
Callan¡¯s arms were tightly bound, probably enough so that under normal circumstances he couldn¡¯t manipulate Shape Stone. However, either the other avatar hadn¡¯t considered that he might employ other aspects of his powers, or truly did believe Callan to be at the end of his available resources. Callan didn¡¯t know, and he didn¡¯t care, either. He was just glad for the opportunity. As Veritas also glanced back at him, Callan activated Shape Stone¡ªand seized the string of mist that appeared in front of him.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 22.35%
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 27.35%
For a moment, nothing happened. The stone lining the ceiling directly above the other avatar remained solid, and Callan briefly wondered if he hadn¡¯t gone deep enough. At least until all Hell started raining down. For the last four days, Callan and the others had focused on locating the enemy priests, but that didn¡¯t mean they¡¯d been idle otherwise. With fortifications built and the tower completed, Callan had turned to another project¡ªpreparing for the temple¡¯s inevitable fall. It was really a question of when, not if. The metal god had the reason and motive, and with Alyssa¡¯s betrayal, they would have the location finally as well. So Callan knew that it was inevitable the temple would fall, if only as an easy way to strike back at him. Which is why he and the others had prepared a little surprise upstairs. Mostly in the form of an absolutely ridiculous quantity of liquefied stone filling up Millica¡¯s kitchen. The initial wave blasted Veritas and their cultists backwards. More stone poured through the ever-widening hole with each passing second. The last Callan saw of the other avatar, they were pressed against the far wall, flailing uselessly in an effort to fight the tide. Not that Callan stuck around to watch. He grabbed Kivi under one arm, Paeral the other, and dove inside the temple¡¯s storage room. The moment he entered, the teleportation circle on the floor activated. It wasn¡¯t as elaborate as those back at the temple, unfortunately, just a series of scratches in the dirt floor. If Callan¡¯s shoe so much as scuffed it wrong, the whole thing would cease functioning. But it didn¡¯t need to be sturdy. In fact, Callan only needed it to work once. A second later, he found himself standing at the bottom of the storm tower. There was a scuffle above, and he glanced up to see Lisson watching him, eyes wide. ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± the boy asked. ¡°Probably? Just a second and¡ª¡± Callan hurriedly kicked at the teleportation circle¡¯s edge until he was sure it was sufficiently broken. He let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s find out.¡± It turned out that other than the cut on her forehead, Kivi was fine. Paeral had some impressive bruises on his chest but would survive. Even Callan was only a little sore from being tossed around. Veritas really had been pulling their punches back there. He didn¡¯t expect that would happen again. But maybe they didn¡¯t need to worry about that. Soon as he was certain the others were okay, Callan made for the tower¡¯s inner stairs, clambering up them as fast as his legs could move. At the top, he found Belinda and Radavan. ¡°Anything?¡± ¡°Just a noise like the seas themselves were rushing in,¡± the mayor noted. ¡°What in the Cairn did you and your priests do?¡± ¡°Basically, we dropped enough wet cement on their heads to entomb Veritas and their followers for the rest of time. No biggie.¡± ¡°Cement?¡± Mortal, Xeph said, drawing Callan¡¯s attention away. I don¡¯t think you should be celebrating just yet. While liquified stone does retain the weight and crushing force of its more solid form, it is still navigable¡ªespecially by one that possesses the sheer Brawn that Veritas¡¯s avatar does. ¡°Yeah, but at the very least it should slow them down. Plus take out a cultist of two.¡± ¡°Not too many, I would hope.¡± Belinda eyed Callan critically, and he suddenly found himself rather interested in watching the trading post. The building looked completely undisturbed from the outside. ¡°So how long do you think we should wait¡ª¡±
Warning: Foreign presence detected! Temple Aosan Temple is being desecrated! Temple conviction remaining: 2/10
Callan¡¯s good mood evaporated. ¡°Well, damn. Never mind.¡±
Temple conviction remaining: 1/10
Temple conviction remaining: 0/10
Aosan Temple has been lost. Temples Remaining: 1
In the distance, there was an immense shudder. Callan and the others watched as Veritas stumbled out from behind the trading post, their lower torso still coated in wet, gray stone. The mask turned to regard Callan and the others watching from above. One by one, cultists began to gather around their god. Callan counted three¡ªno, four. Most also bore stone coatings, but not all. Clearly Callan hadn¡¯t knocked Pyle and that farmer out as hard as he¡¯d thought. Neither the other avatar nor their followers approached. After a moment, Belinda turned to him. ¡°What are they waiting for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Behind him, the sun had finally reached the far horizon, and already the shadows in Aos were stretching to their limit. It wouldn¡¯t be more than a few minutes before it was more dark than light. ¡°But whatever it is, I don¡¯t think it bodes well for us.¡± ¡°Then we had best prepare.¡± Turning, the mayor started shouting orders. Callan ignored her and continued watching. His eyes once again found Veritas, still staring at them. He waved. Veritas didn¡¯t wave back. 2-43 — Duel In The Dark A rustle of fabric¡ªaccompanied by the softest of grunts¡ªannounced Kivi¡¯s return. Callan could imagine the lud girl pulling herself over the inner edge of the tower after scaling the stairs. However, he didn¡¯t open his eyes to verify. Instead, he drew in another deep breath and allowed his senses to expand. Then he saw Kivi. Or if not saw, at least sensed her. A massive jumble of light against his senses, with Lisson glowing just a short distance away, Paeral¡¯s pinpricks of light beside him. No one else in the tower, but if he allowed his senses to stretch, to go just a little bit further... The bright jumble moved past him to the edge of the tower. Kivi¡¯s voice spoke up. ¡°Any change below?¡± ¡°None, High Priestess,¡± Paeral answered. ¡°But with these old eyes of mine I can barely make out anything in this half-light. They could be at the base of the tower, or a dozen miles away.¡± ¡°They¡¯re still out there,¡± Callan said, still not bothering to open his eyes. It was straining this new ability of his to the limit, but he could just make out the red lights of the enemy below at the edge of the square. Four pinpricks, and one massive jumble of red like an angry, glowing snake. Veritas. Satisfied, Callan opened his eyes. With a thought, his interface appeared. He scanned down to the last line.
Apotheosis: 18/27.5%
¡°You think that¡¯ll be enough?¡± he asked, his voice too soft for anyone to hear. Anyone except his head-mate, that is. It will have to be, as you are so fond of saying. Of course, it all highly depends on whatever plans you managed to formulate in the last few minutes. ¡°I don¡¯t have any plans, Xeph. Kinda of just hoping it¡¯ll all come together in the heat of the moment.¡± Then we are truly doomed. Callan rolled his eyes and climbed unsteadily to his feet. He joined Kivi where she stood alongside the Mayor, looking out into the darkness. ¡°Learn anything useful from the prisoner?¡± he asked, squinting to make out Veritas¡¯s last position. Nothing to see, but his other senses told him the avatar was out there. Waiting. ¡°Oh, loads.¡± The mayor let out a derisive snort. ¡°Including several delightful new euphemisms that I won¡¯t bother to repeat here. And to think that a mouth that foul once nursed at my breast.¡± ¡°Nothing about how Veritas learned we had imprisoned their priests?¡± Kivi shook her head. ¡°Nor about where their temple is located. Perhaps she truly does not know, but even if she did, I doubt she would tell us. I saw the look in her eye when I questioned her, and it is one I know well. That was the look of one who cares nothing for what happens to themselves, only about their revenge.¡± At this, Callan quirked at eyebrow, but either Kivi couldn¡¯t see it in the dark or chose to ignore it. ¡°As for what Veritas is planning next, the prisoner was more than willing to speculate,¡± the mayor said, picking up the thread of the conversation. ¡°I won¡¯t bother repeating any of that, either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Callan said. ¡°I think we can figure that out ourselves easily enough.¡± Yes. If they intended to retreat, they would have done so already. This will either be a protracted siege, or something much shorter than that. Honestly, Callan couldn¡¯t say which he would prefer. Their food supplies were enough to last a few days, maybe longer if they stretched them, but his patience would give long before his hunger did. And he doubted siege warfare was the other god¡¯s style, anyway. ¡°So an assault, then.¡± That seems likely to me as well. Callan nodded. If movies had taught him anything, it would likely happen at first light. He turned to the mayor. ¡°We should set people to watch in shifts, try to have as many of them get some rest while they can. That way we¡¯ll be as ready for possible when an attack comes.¡± ¡°You really think it¡¯ll come to that? A battle?¡± The mayor looked pale in the last waning light, but that could have just been Callan¡¯s imagination. ¡°Just remember, I won¡¯t have you killing my folk. Take out Veritas quickly, and we¡¯ll subdue the others if we must¡ª¡± ¡°Mayor,¡± Callan interrupted. ¡°I mean this with all due respect, but fuck that. Veritas is going to be coming for blood after what we did in the temple. If the only way I¡¯m keeping myself and everyone else in this tower safe is by ending one your ¡®folk¡¯, then I¡¯m not going to hesitate. You shouldn¡¯t, either.¡± The mayor seemed taken aback by his words, struck momentarily speechless. Callan regretted them almost immediately. The woman had to know what was coming, had to realize that there were no good choices. She didn¡¯t need him shoving that fact in her face. ¡°Do you think anyone actually died in the temple?¡± Kivi asked, cutting into his introspection. ¡°I never managed to get an accurate count of how many priests were out there before we lost the light.¡± Closing his eyes, Callan did a quick headcount again, then nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think so. Veritas would have had six priests¡ªHigarth, plus the five from the basement¡ªand I¡¯m only counting four out there now. So either two are dead, or they¡¯re still buried deep enough in the rubble that they might as well be.¡± Seeing the strained look on the mayor¡¯s face, he amended, ¡°But who knows, we might manage to pull a survivor or two out after this is all over.¡± ¡°We should hand out the weapons,¡± Kivi said. ¡°I for one would feel better with something solid to hold, now that I have fully exhausted Xeph¡¯s gifts.¡± The mayor didn¡¯t look happy about this but nodded regardless. She turned to the nearby weapon pile. When Veritas tried their sneak attack during the second trial, they hid dozens of crossbows on various rooftops around the village square. Kivi and the others had destroyed most of them, but six had survived relatively unscathed. These, along with literally hundreds of the blunt-tipped bolts, were now secured here on the top level of the tower. Also secured in the tower were several improvised weapons, mostly pitchforks and hammers taken from the forge. While not ideal for fighting priests armed with swords, they were better than nothing. Belinda handed the first crossbow to Kivi, then doled the remainder out to her family. Callan watched as one of Radavan¡¯s daughters took a weapon with shaking hands. He hated getting them involved in this mess, but without the rest of the town¡¯s support, they were short on options. Soon, everyone except Callan was armed with their available supplies. For his own part, Callan kept Wurmchain activated, and he still had Mountainform covering his arms. He¡¯d sleep with the manifestation active if he had to. After spending a few minutes watching Kivi explain the workings of the crossbows to the nervous yeth¡ªexactly how she knew, Callan didn¡¯t ask¡ªhe turned and descended the inner stairs of the tower. Where are we going? Xeph asked as Callan hopped from step to step. Below, the inside of the tower was a pit of black nothing. No, not nothing. Callan knew exactly what awaited them down there. ¡°Figured I might as well speak with the prisoner, too. Might have better luck.¡± Xeph grunted but kept any further opinion to himself. Reaching the bottom, Callan waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark. When they did, he noticed the small form curled tight against one wall. As he watched, the form stretched and sat up. ¡°Callan.¡± Alyssa¡¯s voice was barely above a whisper. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I wanted to talk.¡± The yeth woman let out a small laugh. ¡°You¡¯re wasting your time. Even if I wanted to tell you anything, Veritas isn¡¯t exactly generous with their secrets.¡± ¡°I figured.¡± Dropping down beside her, Callan sat cross-legged. He stared at where Alyssa¡¯s head would be. In the dark he could just barely make out the glint of her eyes. They were so similar. With other elevated races, Callan could easily see the differences between them, but with the yeth, it was much more difficult. They looked human, other than that weird extra finger of theirs. ¡°So why did you do it?¡± he asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why betray your mother? Why go over to Veritas¡¯s side?¡± ¡°You know why.¡± He couldn¡¯t see her, but he could practically hear the frown on Alyssa¡¯s face. ¡°It was a practical decision. Veritas offered me the best chance to¡ª¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Alyssa went silent. Callan continued, ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re telling yourself. That¡¯s the justification you used to keep the guilt at bay, but I don¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°I do not feel guilt over my choices. I did what I had to do in order to ensure my survival. Staying in this village is a slow death sentence. Everyone but my mother can see that.¡± ¡°And yet...¡± Callan spread his hands. Silence filled the space between them. He let it stretch for a few minutes, then sighed. ¡°And here I thought there actually was something between us, Alyssa. That we could at least be honest with each other. Guess I thought wrong.¡± He climbed to his feet and made for the stairs. Just as he reached them, Alyssa called out. ¡°Callan, wait.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I just... I felt so angry at her. All those years she kept me under her thumb. Never allowed me even a tenth of the freedom my brother¡¯s got to experience. Radavan traveled to other villages to negotiate grain prices. Rym got to visit the Southern Reach with my uncle to bring home needed supplies. But I? My mother kept me close, always under watch. Like she knew that I might flee at the first opportunity.¡± The woman shifted about in the dark. ¡°When Veritas approached me, it was the first true opportunity I¡¯d ever been given. I was their first priest, did you know that? Their high priestess, in fact. Veritas promised me freedom, but more importantly, they promised me revenge. Nothing else mattered.¡± ¡°I can see why you might think that,¡± Callan said. He moved back towards her. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this was before Xeph and I came along?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Once Veritas heard about your priests arriving, they made me foreswear my oaths so that I could ingratiate myself better amongst them. If only I had gotten to know you first, I might... but what does it matter now? I made my choice.¡± Callan looked at her for a moment. He still had Wurmchain in his hands, so he closed his eyes. Still nothing. No power resided in Alyssa. He opened his eyes. ¡°You never renewed your oath?¡± ¡°Veritas wouldn¡¯t let me.¡± Alyssa shifted. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re afraid of where my true loyalties lie. As if I haven¡¯t proved which side I belong to at every turn. That won¡¯t change now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not too late, though.¡± He took another step closer. ¡°You still have a chance to change your mind. Pick the right side.¡± Alyssa laughed, but it was a laugh without any real humor behind it. ¡°Do you know why I didn¡¯t tell Veritas about you, Callan?¡± ¡°No.¡± He had been wondering about that, actually. Xeph had a number of theories, but none that really made sense in light of what they¡¯d learned. ¡°Because I liked you. I almost believed in what you were trying to do here. That earnestness, that honesty that you exuded, it was so infectious... for a time, I thought maybe, just maybe, you might... you might win.¡± The yeth woman leaned forward. ¡°That was foolish of me. You should have seen Veritas after they learned of your existence. I thought for certain they would kill me. Luckily, I merely escaped with a few bruises. But I also learned a valuable lesson that day¡ªVeritas may look and sound like a yeth, in the same ways you look and sound like a yeth, but the two of you are as different as night and day. Where you are trusting to a fault, Veritas trusts no one. And they are utterly ruthless. Utterly uncompromising in getting what they want. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re going to win. That¡¯s why when the cult attacks, they¡¯re going to kill you, your priests, my mother¡ªeveryone. All of you in this tower are going to die.¡± Callan opened his mouth to respond, but at that same moment Xeph shifted about in his head. Mortal, something is happening outside. I can¡¯t tell what, but the air feels... off. Frowning at the interruption, Callan closed his eyes, stretching his mind out. Even with the walls of the tower in the way, he should be able to... to... Huh. The red glow from Veritas and their followers were still out there, but now they appeared to be creeping steadily closer. What were they doing? Surely even the metal god wasn¡¯t stupid enough to assault the tower in the pitch dark. He opened his eyes again. ¡°Sorry, Alyssa, I¡¯ve got to.¡± Before he was more than three or four steps up, Alyssa called after him again. ¡°Callan, I wasn¡¯t kidding. I want revenge against my mother for how she¡¯s ruled and ruined my life. For that I¡¯ll pay any price. Even Veritas¡¯s.¡± Callan didn¡¯t bother looking down. ¡°Goodbye, Alyssa. I¡¯m sorry that you wouldn¡¯t let me save you.¡± Then he hurried up as if wolves were chasing after him. Above, he found the yeth standing idly around, weapons at their sides or leaning against the tower battlements. Radavan¡¯s wife and two of his daughters had lit torches, which they were holding aloft. Callan almost kicked himself for not thinking to craft slots in the walls to place them. A project for later. ¡°Avatar?¡± Kivi rose at his appearance. ¡°Is everything alright? Did she tell you¡ª?¡± ¡°We might have a problem,¡± he said, cutting her off and moving to the edge of the tower. Below, all was darkness. Even the houses around the square were barely visible. ¡°Any sign of movement out there?¡± ¡°No, Avatar,¡± Radavan said. ¡°But with no moon tonight, I doubt they would try...¡± He trailed off as Callan snatched the torch from his wife¡¯s hands and dropped it over the side. The torch tumbled down, spinning slightly through the air. As it fell, it illuminated a figure clinging to the side of the tower. A figure wearing the purple robes of a priest. ¡°Shit. They¡¯re climbing the walls!¡± he yelled. ¡°Crossbows, now!!!¡± Yeth scrambled about, frantically trying to ready their weapons. It was Kivi who stepped forward first, her crossbow aiming into the dark below. ¡°What did you see, Avatar?¡± ¡°Right... there?¡± Callan strained his eyes for movement but couldn¡¯t make anything out. He knew the figure had to still be clinging below, but maybe they had scuttled to the side? Dangit, there could be a half-dozen priests right below his nose and he¡¯d never know it. ¡°How are they managing this in the dark?¡± he growled to himself.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Velak Gaze, most likely, Xeph quipped, his tone making it sound like the answer was obvious. You saw the list of Veritas¡¯s abilities. What else could it be? ¡°Velak Gaze?¡± It took Callan a moment to put it together. ¡°Is that like your Dveorgeye power?¡± I cannot say for certain, but I would assume so. Velak spend their lives underground in the darkness, so they possess an extrasensory method for navigation. This ability likely emulates it to some degree. Callan almost slapped at his face, but he didn¡¯t want to waste time looking away. ¡°And you didn¡¯t think it worth mentioning before?¡± I assumed you knew. We spoke of an imminent assault mere minutes ago! ¡°An assault, sure, but not an imminent one! I thought we had until morning! If I¡¯d realized they all had friggin night goggles...¡± He hissed in frustration. Hmm. Well, do not blame yourself too much, mortal. Such blunders are common for first-time commanders. Why, I once had an avatar that thought it a good idea to assault an enemy position in the rain, but he neglected to consider¡ª Further below at the base of the tower, the torch still cast its light about in a small circle. A figure stepped forward, stopping beside it. Their wolf mask rose to regard Callan for a moment. Then Veritas stamped their foot down, and the torch extinguished, plunging the base of the tower into darkness. ¡°Fuuuuuuuuuck.¡± Callan turned. ¡°Another torch, now!¡± Lisson handed him a torch, already blazing. Callan cast it over the side. As it fell, it showed not one, but two priests slowly clambering up the side of the tower. The first was only about five feet below them now. Veritas was nowhere to be seen. ¡°There!¡± Even as the words left Callan¡¯s mouth, Kivi fired. The higher cultist cried out as the blunted bolt caught them on the shoulder. They spun about, losing their grip, and plummeted into the dark. Kivi reloaded and fired a second bolt in the other priest¡¯s direction, but there was no shout to confirm a hit. Callan turned back to the others. ¡°No,¡± Belinda said, before he could ask. ¡°No more torches, or we¡¯ll be in darkness ourselves before too long.¡± ¡°Then what do you expect us to do?¡± Callan asked, right as a figure clambered over the edge behind the mayor. Weapons glinted in the torchlight as they manifested in the cultist¡¯s hands. Belinda let out a shriek, but Callan was already there. His stone-encrusted fist caught the cultist in the chest as they raised their weapons, and they stumbled back, almost pitching over the edge. Hands pinwheeled for balance. Callan kicked, catching them on the shin. With a scream, they tumbled over backwards. ¡°We can¡¯t let any more up here,¡± he said, turning to the mayor. ¡°Once Veritas reaches the top, you¡¯re going to get overwhelmed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what else we can do about it. Unless you¡¯d rather we just fire blindly and hope for the best.¡± Belinda¡¯s words were punctuated with another crossbow shot from Kivi, accompanied by a frustrated growl. Yes, it is unfortunate that we too do not have an ability to see in the dark, Xeph noted. It seems you were rather prophetic in your desire to select Dveorgeye. Should we survive this encounter, I¡¯ll endeavor to factor situations such as this into future counsel. Callan blinked. ¡°Xeph, you¡¯re a genius!¡± I am? Ah, I mean, of course I am. Continue praising me, and tell me of all my superior aspects, human! Ignoring his head-mate¡¯s further ramblings, Callan closed his eyes. Wurmchain was still in his off-hand, and by his own estimate he thought there was still a good five minutes left on it. Time to take full advantage. Letting his senses expand, he almost shouted for joy as motes of red light burst to life on the sides of the tower around him. He pointed a finger. ¡°There! Fire there!¡± He didn¡¯t open his eyes, but listened as a moment later there was the snap of a bolt firing, followed by a curse and a thump as a cultist took an express trip to the ground. ¡°There. And there. Two over there.¡± Callan kept directing the yeth where to fire. While they didn¡¯t always hit a target on the first or even second try, with six crossbows and an almost endless supply of bolts, it didn¡¯t matter. They overwhelmed the cultists with sheer numbers. Unfortunately, the cultists kept getting back up and climbing. Callan didn¡¯t understand how it was possible. The tower was easily fifty feet tall. A fall from that height would usually be enough to be fatal for a human. Unfortunately, either such logic didn¡¯t apply to yeth, or the cultists were enhancing themselves somehow. Callan didn¡¯t have an opportunity to ask, as he needed to keep his senses tuned for directing the defenders. The battle continued. At some point Wurmchain winked out, and Callan wasted several precious seconds resummoning it. When he did, he found a trio of cultists were almost at the top. ¡°Shit! There, there, and there!¡± Even as he swung to point at locations, he heard a voice cry out. Opening his eyes, Callan saw Radavan fling his crossbow away, the metal undulating like a live snake. As it fell, the crossbow gave one last twist before snapping in two, rendering it utterly useless even if recovered. "Fire! Fire!¡± Of course the cult would use their Shape Metal skill against their stolen weapons. It was a miracle it hadn¡¯t happened before now. Callan closed his eyes again, and the last thing he saw was one of Radavan¡¯s daughters running to his rescue, a pitchfork in hand. An angry scream followed a moment later. Soon they had repelled the assault, but another followed on its heels, and another. More crossbows snapped, and while pitchforks were used in their place to prod at the cultists below, they were no more immune to Shape Metal¡¯s influence. Slowly, the tide turned to the enemy¡¯s advantage. Callan had to fight every instinct to join the battle directly. Somewhere out there, Veritas was biding their own time, waiting for the cultists to wear down Callan¡¯s defenses. He had to be ready when the metal god finally struck. A familiar shout of pain made him open his eyes. At the tower¡¯s edge, Millica struggled, a hammer lying warped and abandoned at her feet, as she struggled with a band of metal attempting to wrap around her throat. Callan surged forward, pulling the metal away and flinging it into the dark. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked. The woman just sank to her knees, shaking her head silently. ¡°Come with me, Auntie.¡± Lisson appeared at her side, and taking Millica¡¯s hand, led her towards the inner stairs. Already Radavan¡¯s wife and two of his daughters had been taken downstairs to treat injuries. Both their weapons and their numbers were growing thin. This is exactly what Veritas wants, Xeph said, echoing Callan¡¯s own thoughts. Soon, when we are too weak to resist, the true attack will come. ¡°You don¡¯t call this a true attack?¡± Callan said, as a cultist pulled themselves over the side of the tower. He instinctively activated Shape Stone.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 17.95%
The cultist let out a yelp of surprise as part of the tower surged upward, wrapping around their feet. Callan kicked out and was rewarded with a loud snap as the cultist¡¯s right leg twisted at an angle it should never go. They pitched over backwards, dangling limply from the side by their sealed, broken limb. Not yet it isn¡¯t. Also, be careful how much power you draw upon! Such frivolous use is what Veritas wants. ¡°It¡¯s not frivolous.¡± Callan snapped. He closed his eyes, pointing to where another cultist was nearing the top. ¡°Throwing these cultist off is only delaying the inevitable. And at the rate we¡¯re losing weapons, inevitable is going to hit soon.¡± Hmmph, fine. Just be mindful of your apotheosis. Veritas is likely waiting for you to push past your limit. Another shout for help came to Callan¡¯s left. Opening his eyes, he ran to help Radavan, who had a band of metal wrapped around his arm that was pulling tight. It broke after a moment¡¯s effort, but by that time the cultist responsible had slipped away. More lightning attacks continued. It seemed the cult had abandoned trying to breach the tower and were content to harry them instead. Even with Callan calling locations, more injuries added up. Soon there were only five of them left protecting the tower¡ªCallan, Kivi, Paeral, Belinda, and Radavan. Only a single crossbow remained. ¡°Watch out!¡± Callan shouted as a dagger flew from the dark and cut through Paeral¡¯s sleeve. Even as the lud yelped and dove aside, another followed, burying itself in the older lud¡¯s leg. Callan activated Shape Stone again, surging the tower outward where he knew the cultist was hiding.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 21.2%
He¡¯d thought about trying this before, but it was difficult to maneuver his power along the sides without being able to see them. This time he got lucky. A girl¡¯s scream cut through the air, and when Callan approached the edge, he found either Leshi or Ianthe dangling in the air, her hands sealed inside the stone jutting away from the tower¡¯s edge. ¡°Hey, how¡¯s it hanging?¡± he said, grinning. Leshi/Ianthe just glared up at him in silence. A loud curse behind brought Callan¡¯s attention around. Kivi cast aside her crossbow, which had begun twisting itself into a sort of mobius loop. It disappeared over the edge, crashing against the ground below. ¡°That was our last crossbow, Avatar.¡± She glanced about, taking in the sorry state of their supplies. Other than a pitchfork whose metal head was now little more than a misshapen lump, there was nothing. Her eyes found his again. ¡°I will fight with my fists if I have to before I let Veritas take this tower.¡± ¡°Maybe I could...¡± Callan started to activate Shape Stone but stopped as Xeph let out a growl. Be mindful of your limitations, mortal. He was right. Callan only had enough apotheosis for one more use of Shape Stone. Even resummoning Wurmchain right now would render him powerless for the next several minutes. As if the mere thought of it had cursed him, Callan¡¯s Wurmchain chose that moment to dissipate in a cloud of sulphureous smoke. He let out a curse. Belinda appeared next to him. ¡°I hate to have to put this so bluntly, Avatar, but we¡¯re lost. Our weapons are gone, our numbers are down to a third of what they were. We can¡¯t even hope to hold out for the next hour, let alone until morning. If you¡¯ve got any more bright ideas, now¡¯s the time to share them.¡± ¡°If Veritas would just show themself, maybe.¡± Callan glanced at the dark. ¡°But they haven¡¯t.¡± Belinda sighed. ¡°You know I¡¯m the last one to admit defeat, but even our torches are near gone. Won¡¯t be able to even see the enemy in a few minutes. Our fate is in the Cairn¡¯s hands now.¡± She cast her gaze skyward. Callan followed it, thinking how convenient it would be for a moon to rise about now. Might not solve all of their problems, but it would sure as heck help. Then he saw what was above them, and a new idea tickled the back of his mind. Letting out a dramatic sigh, he deactivated Moutainform, the stone crumbling away from his fingertips. Kivi turned and looked at him in concern. ¡°Avatar?¡± ¡°It¡¯s over. Everyone else should go below. You and I can wait here for Veritas.¡± ¡°You¡¯re certain, Avatar?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°I am. Get down below. It¡¯ll... it¡¯ll be over soon.¡± Looking uncertain, the mayor moved towards the inner stairs, followed by her son. Kivi watched Callan in silence. Mortal, what are you doing? ¡°You said it yourself earlier, Xeph.¡± Callan closed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t see the mist anymore, or the cultists presence, but he could hear them now that the fighting had stopped. Slowly clambering their way up the tower¡¯s walls. ¡°Veritas will attack the moment I¡¯m too weak to resist.¡± A hand reached over the wall, pulling its owner topside. A cultist. They crouched there at the edge, watching cautiously, but made no move to attack. He heard another one working their way up behind him, but Callan kept his eyes trained on the front of the tower, where the top of the outer stairs lay. And there they were. Veritas stepped up out of the dark, their wolf mask leering. ¡°So, given up at last,¡± they said. Eyes gleamed in triumph through slits in the mask. ¡°Yeah, well what can I say? You played a good hand.¡± Callan scratched at the back of his head. ¡°Only one thing I¡¯m still wondering. How did you know we had your priests captive? That¡¯s the part I can¡¯t figure out.¡± From behind their mask, he thought the other avatar was smiling at him. ¡°And unfortunately, you never will. You cost me dearly this day, Avatar Callan, and I intend to collect what I¡¯m owed. When I¡¯m done with you and your followers, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 26.35%
Veritas never got a chance to finish. With a groan, the supports above Callan¡¯s head melted away. The town weathervane tilted to one side, then toppled forward. Directly onto Veritas. The other avatar had only enough time for a surprised scream before the weathervane¡¯s arrow pierced their mask, cutting through it like butter. The rest of the stone artwork followed, and both it and Veritas disappeared over the tower¡¯s edge. There was a loud crunch as they hit the ground. Then silence. Callan stared. He couldn¡¯t believe that had actually worked. Without being able to look at what he was doing, he hadn¡¯t known which direction the weathervane would actually go, and while he¡¯d tried to encourage it towards the other avatar, in the end it had all come down to luck. Hopefully he hadn¡¯t used up all of his for the rest of time with that little stunt. Turning, he found Kivi staring wide-eyed at where the other avatar had been. ¡°It¡¯s okay, High Priestess. It¡¯s over. Even Veritas couldn¡¯t survive that.¡± ¡°I¡ªof course, Avatar. I was just surprised, is all.¡± She glanced at him. ¡°You have a habit of not informing me of your plans. I worry that one day it might lead to trouble.¡± ¡°Maybe one day, but not today, luckily.¡± He grinned at her. Human. Xeph¡¯s voice broke into Callan¡¯s revelry. We have a problem. Callan glanced at the remaining cultist to his left. They still hadn¡¯t moved. He turned towards the one behind him. ¡°What is it, Xeph?¡± That wasn¡¯t Veritas. Before Callan could finish his turn, something struck him. A piece of metal wrapped around his arms, pulling them tight. Another flowed over his fingers, trapping them. ¡°What¡ª?¡± Kivi let out a surprised shout as the cultist hovering nearby launched forward and tackled her. They rolled away, dangerously near the tower¡¯s edge. Callan couldn¡¯t spare much concern for her, though, as he was too focused on the figure rising behind him. Another wolf-headed cultist, wearing rune-covered bracelets around each wrist. Veritas. ¡°Poor Higarth,¡± they said, striding calmly around the tower¡¯s edge. From inside below came several surprised shouts. Callan couldn¡¯t blame Belinda and the others. He was pretty damn surprised, too. ¡°My high priest knew that this was likely a trap, yet he still volunteered to pose as me. And a good thing he did. Unfortunate, but I¡¯ll have a new high priest by morning. As for you...¡± A pair of swords appeared in the avatar¡¯s hands. ¡°You won¡¯t be surviving to see sunrise.¡± Desperately, Callan strained against his bindings, but he simply didn¡¯t have the strength, or Brawn, or willpower, or whatever to break free. Xeph was yelling inside his head, but he could barely hear it over the rushing beat of his own heart. Step by step, Veritas advanced on him. Dammit, they¡¯re too tight! I can¡¯t even flex my fingers. If he could just activate Shape Stone, he could slow Veritas long enough to... what? Think, think! No. There was only one choice left. ¡°Sorry, Xeph,¡± he whispered. What? Why?
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 32.6%
Apotheosis has exceeded current threshold. Five minutes until quarantine protocols engaged.
All along his arms, stone rose to the surface, pressing the metal away from him by minute degrees. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was enough. Callan balled his hands into fists and strained. ¡°Goodbye, Avatar Callan.¡± Veritas swung their blade down. They met Callan¡¯s arms and slid to the sides. The avatar¡¯s eyes went wide in shock. Heaving again, the metal around his arms snapped. Callan launched forward, grabbing Veritas by the wrists. The blades clattered to the ground, puffing away into mist. For a brief second, Callan had the upper hand, shoving Veritas towards the tower¡¯s edge. Then the world spun, and he found himself on his back, the other avatar looming over him. His hands were pinned above his head. ¡°I planned to make it quick,¡± Veritas growled. His voice modulated up and down rapidly. ¡°But now I don¡¯t think I will. Crushing your neck would be a mercy. I¡¯ll make sure you die one gasping breath at a time!¡± A hand closed around Callan¡¯s throat. Stars filled his vision as Veritas squeezed. What can I do? It was difficult to think as air rapidly fled his brain. He tugged at his hands, but they were currently sealed together in Veritas¡¯s iron grip. Too close to hit with a stone or use Wurmchain. Can I move my hands enough for Shape Stone? I... I don¡¯t... ¡°Callan!¡± Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lisson¡¯s head appear over the edge of the inner tower. The boy¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of Veritas crushing the life out of him. The boy raised his arm and threw something in their direction. The object struck Veritas right in the snout¡ªnot somewhere likely to cause damage, but enough that the avatar snapped their head back in surprise. Callan saw the hilt of the stone knife poking out from the mask. His right hand slipped free of Veritas¡¯s grip. It seized the blade and pulled back. Veritas¡¯s eyes went wide as Callan drove the knife towards their neck. The hand squeezing the life from him released. It caught the stone knife with its palm, the weapon sinking through and bursting from the other side. Veritas bellowed in pain. Callan growled and strained harder, trying to push the knife further. Just two inches from Veritas¡¯s throat... an inch... ¡°Stop!¡± At first Callan ignored the shout, but at movement from the stairs he twisted to look. Veritas did as well. The knife hovered a half inch from their throat but drew no closer. Belinda stumbled up the stairs and almost fell over. Behind her came Alyssa, holding one of her forge hammers. She glared downward at her mother. ¡°Release the avatar, Callan, or the mayor dies.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± Belinda shouted. She didn¡¯t sound entirely certain about that. Callan, however, had no doubt in his mind. He¡¯d seen the look in Alyssa¡¯s eye, had heard her words earlier. There was a deep bruise blossoming on Belinda¡¯s cheek already. Even as he watched, Alyssa raised the hammer to strike again. With a grunt of effort, Callan pulled the knife back, blood coursing down his chest as it left Veritas¡¯s hand with a wet sucking noise. They hissed in pain and leapt to their feet. ¡°Good.¡± Alyssa looked from one to the next. ¡°Now here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. You¡¯re going to take your priests and leave, Callan. This is over. You¡¯ve lost.¡± Callan sat up. ¡°People keep saying that. I¡¯m not sure you all know what the word means.¡± Is now really the time for humor, mortal? Xeph groused. Callan ignored him, keeping his eyes locked on Alyssa. ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Alyssa. Whatever you¡¯re planning, just... don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I told you before, Callan. I wouldn¡¯t let anything stand in the way of my revenge.¡± Turning to Veritas, Alyssa seemed to deflate, then rallied herself. ¡°Promise me Callan and their priests can go free. Then the town is yours.¡± Veritas shook their head. ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that. Several of my priests are dead by this one¡¯s hand. Retribution must be paid.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I want this to be over. My mother is beaten, and this town will fall in line without her influence. You¡¯ve gotten what you wanted, don¡¯t you see that?¡± ¡°All I see is an avatar that hasn¡¯t learned their lesson,¡± Veritas said, looking at Callan. ¡°If I let them go, they¡¯ll only return.¡± ¡°But what it¡ª¡± Alyssa never got a chance to finish. At her feet, Belinda rose up. ¡°Beaten, am I? We¡¯ll see about that!¡± She lunged forward. Alyssa yelped in surprise and swung the hammer down. It hit Belinda¡¯s shoulder with a sickening crunch. The old woman cried out and, whether intentionally or not, shoved her daughter away. For a moment, Alyssa hovered at the tower¡¯s edge, arms flailing to keep herself upright. Her eyes met Callan¡¯s, and something unspoken passed between them. Then she dropped out of sight and was gone. Clambering to his feet, Callan turned to regard Veritas. He raised the knife and beckoned them closer. Veritas looked at him. Several sparks leapt from the broken snout of their mask. They glanced down at their bleeding hand. Then they turned and leapt from the tower. Callan rushed to the edge. He strained into the darkness, trying to see where the other avatar had gone. Nothing. Closing his eyes, he started to summon Wurmchain, only to stop. What was the point? Veritas was gone. In the distance, over the dark horizon, a silver light pierced the sky. Callan glanced at it in confusion, several moments passing before he realized it was a moon. The sentinel, Xeph noted. An auspicious sign. The sentinel is a protector of the just, a watcher of the downtrodden. Seeing it rise after a battle is always considered proof of the victor¡¯s righteousness. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that last part,¡± Callan said, turning. Behind him, Kivi had finished subduing the last cultist, and was currently squatting on their chest, holding them in place. She glanced at Callan and nodded. Moving slowly, Callan made his way around the tower to where Belinda still crouched. She didn¡¯t react to his approach, just continued staring ahead at nothing. Leaning past her, Callan glanced down. Already the moonlight had begun to bring the village below into pale relief. At the base of the tower, he could just make out the crumpled form of Alyssa. Her hammer lay beside her, broken. Well, it appears that not all of Veritas¡¯s followers can land without injury, Xeph noted. Callan winced at the words. ¡°Dammit Xeph, read the friggin room, would you?¡± 2-44 — Mopping Up
Quarantine protocols deployed. Time until quarantine lifted = 05:00:00
Callan hopped off the bottom step of the tower and swiped the message away. Behind him, Kivi held a torch aloft, scanning the town square for any sign of Veritas. Callan could tell it was wasted effort. Without their support network of priests, the other avatar had fled. He just didn¡¯t know why. Even wounded, even with their priests captured, they could still have held their own in a fair fight. Or even an unfair one, if the yeth below joined in. So why hadn¡¯t Veritas pushed for victory? Well, whatever. There were probably factors he wasn¡¯t aware of. Maybe Veritas had also been at the limit of their apotheosis. Maybe they really thought Callan was stronger than he was. Whatever the reason, Callan would take it. Turning, he made his way around the tower. All over town, lights were coming on in buildings as shutters pulled back and yeth emerged into the square, drawing close. Had Radavan already spread the word that the battle was over, or had that many just been watching this entire time? Whichever reason, word had clearly spread quickly. By the time Callan reached the far side of the tower, it looked as if most of the town was in attendance. They trailed behind him like lost sheep. He ignored them and just kept walking. Finally, he reached his destination. He found the mayor sitting on the ground, legs tucked at the knees, a torch sputtering in the dirt beside her. Alyssa¡¯s broken head rested in her lap. Callan stood there in silence. A few people in the crowd behind him whispered to each other, but for the most part the night was quiet. Overhead, the Sentinel shone silver-bright, its light illuminating the rooftops of Aos. Under other circumstances, it would have been beautiful. Unfortunately, these weren¡¯t other circumstances. ¡°How many?¡± the mayor asked at last. She didn¡¯t look up, just kept brushing idly at her daughter¡¯s hair. There was a dark smear on her dress that Callan thought was better left unidentified. ¡°How many dead?¡± ¡°Three that we know of,¡± Kivi answered. ¡°Higarth was indeed crushed under the town weathervane, and Ianthe confirmed her cousin Leshi was killed by falling debris when the temple roof came down. At least one cultist is also still unaccounted for, so there might be others yet buried in the trading post basement. We won¡¯t know until morning.¡± Huh. So that was Ianthe who I left hanging from the side of the tower, Callan mused. The thought felt far away, though, and didn¡¯t feel particularly relevant anymore. At least the girl was still breathing. Unlike some. Belinda nodded, only seeming to half-hear Kivi¡¯s words. She stared down at her daughter¡¯s face, and a sad smile spread across her own. ¡°I almost lost her once, you know. Wandered too close to the cliff edge when she was five. A villager found her clinging to a tree root a dozen feet down. Even hearing the story later nearly Scared me and her father half to death. Since that day, I¡¯ve tried to keep her safe. Thought if she was somewhere I could watch her, she wouldn¡¯t... she could...¡± She trailed off. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes, but her face remained dry. Behind Callan, someone cleared their throat. He turned and saw Torveld standing there. ¡°Begging pardon for the interruption, Mayor, but it¡¯s time we talked about holding that election you promised.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Before anyone else could react, Callan grabbed hold of the yeth by his shirt. He hoisted him up until his feet danced in the air. ¡°Are you fucking kidding me right now? Her daughter is dead. Show some goddamn respect.¡± ¡°I¡ªthat¡ªhurk!¡± Torveld starting turning purple in the face. ¡°Avatar, put him down.¡± The mayor¡¯s words were spoken so emotionlessly, she might have been asking about the weather. Gently shifting her daughter¡¯s head to one side, she brushed off her pants and rose to face the crowd. ¡°Really? You¡¯re serious.¡± Callan shot a look of disgust at the man he was holding, then simply released him. Torveld stumbled back and would have fallen had several people in the crowd not moved to support him. He glared at the avatar. ¡°I know you must think me heartless, Avatar Callan, but the fact of the matter is that the mayor promised when this matter with Veritas was dealt with, we could have an open and fair election. I simply want to make sure that no one will attempt to, ah, reinterpret the agreement.¡± ¡°Well, tough shit for you.¡± Callan sneered back at the man. ¡°Veritas isn¡¯t dead yet. Tomorrow at first light I¡¯ll hunt them down and put them in the dirt, but until then you¡¯d better keep it in your pants. Give the mayor a little time to grieve, why don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s right.¡± Belinda shook her head. ¡°You want your election so bad, Torveld? We¡¯ll hold it right now.¡± Torveld blinked, clearly taken aback. ¡°Now? But... we need to gather the rest of the villagers.¡± ¡°If someone thought staying at home was more important than being here to discuss the fate of our town, that¡¯s their problem. We¡¯ll do this here and now. Are there any other candidates besides you and myself?¡± She waited while the crowd whispered amongst themselves. When no one else stepped forward, she nodded. ¡°Very well, we¡¯ll use a simple show of hands. Who here thinks that I should stay in power?¡± The crowd muttered, and a few hands in the back raised hesitantly, but Callan could tell it wasn¡¯t nearly enough. The mayor looked on the verge of arguing, of saying something contrite, but then simply snapped her mouth shut and nodded. ¡°Fine. And those who favor Torveld as the new mayor?¡± Most of the hands in the crowd rose, though again, hesitantly. These were not people used to democracy, Callan realized. He wondered where they¡¯d even learned the idea. Belinda¡¯s jaw tightened, like it was taking all her willpower not to grind her teeth. Then her whole body relaxed. She turned away. ¡°Bah. Do as you all want. I¡¯ve a daughter to bury.¡± Radavan joined his mother, and together they lifted Alyssa¡¯s broken form and carried it from the square. Callan watched until they were hidden from even the moonlight. When he turned back, he found the crowd beginning to disperse. Even Torveld was a half-dozen steps away. Crossing the distance, he grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder and spun him around. ¡°And where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°Avatar? It is late, and we all need sleep before work begins on the morrow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we all have plenty to do tomorrow. The question I¡¯m wondering right now is what, exactly?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Torveld said. Around him, other yeth had noticed the conversation and turned back. A crowd was rapidly gathering around them. Callan glanced about and smiled. Perfect. ¡°What I mean is, are Xeph and I sticking around? After all, the deal we had before was with your old mayor¡ª¡± he gestured in the direction Belinda had gone. ¡°¡ªAnd not with you. Besides, seems like you might be more receptive to Veritas¡¯s offer. So I ask again¡ªwhat is happening tomorrow? Am I hunting after Veritas, or am I leaving?¡± ¡°It is true that many of Veritas¡¯s proposals aligned with our own,¡± said a yeth standing nearby. Joshu. ¡°However, I for one would like to first discuss with the committee¡ª¡± Torveld waved him to silence. He stared critically at Callan. ¡°What, exactly, were the terms you set with Bel¡ªah, the former mayor?¡± ¡°The faith of forty new followers,¡± Kivi said, stepping forward. ¡°Along with one in twelve bushels of your next harvest.¡± This last part sent a wave of gasps and angry words through the crowd. Torveld paled. Then he straightened. ¡°Well, Avatar Callan, as you already noted, the deal you brokered before was with the previous administration. I¡¯m afraid that we simply cannot honor such... exorbitant terms. Your services are no longer required.¡± ¡°You forget yourself,¡± Kivi said, eyes flashing dangerously. ¡°After all, you are in the presence of the god Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡ª¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She paused as Callan placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay, High Priestess. I expected something like this.¡± ¡°Avatar? Surely you don¡¯t intend to allow this injustice to stand!¡± Kivi expression mirrored Callan¡¯s own thoughts: After everything they had just gone through, everything they had risked in the last fight, leaving now meant it had all been for nothing. This, however, was exactly the result Callan had been hoping for. He stared into Kivi¡¯s eyes, trying to communicate that to her wordlessly. Something must have gotten through. After a moment, the lud girl dropped her gaze. ¡°I apologize, Avatar. If this is Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡¯s desire, then of course I will obey.¡± That was bullshit and they both knew it. Xeph was out of commission for the next few hours and wouldn¡¯t be opining about anything. However, the gathered yeth didn¡¯t need to know that. Callan turned back to Torveld, a wide grin plastered on his face. ¡°Great! Seems like our work here is done, then. We¡¯ll be heading right out. Hope you understand if we don¡¯t stick around, this plateau isn¡¯t exactly going to be safe for us now.¡± ¡°I¡ªyes, of course, Avatar. I appreciate your calm attitude on the matter.¡± Torveld seemed taken aback, but he rallied quick enough. Maybe the guy did have a future as a mayor, after all. ¡°C¡¯mon, High Priestess, Paeral, let¡¯s get going.¡± Callan glanced back at the yeth. ¡°We¡¯ll let you free the surviving priests we left hogtied at the top of the tower. Also, there might be one or two buried under the trading post basement, but I¡¯m sure you can get that sorted out in short order.¡± Torveld frowned. ¡°Wait, what¡ª?¡± ¡°Oh, we should probably bring Belinda along. Also Radavan and his family. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t want to become Veritas¡¯s priests, even if the god let them.¡± Callan tapped his chin in faux thought. ¡°Also Millica, Barnum, and Moas. Not really safe for them to remain, is it?¡± ¡°Avatar, you can¡¯t simply abduct our citizens,¡± Torveld began. Then he blinked. ¡°What did you mean, ¡®become Veritas¡¯s priests¡¯?¡± ¡°What, you hadn¡¯t heard?¡± Callan turned back to look at the new mayor. He could tell his grin had gotten wider. ¡°I¡¯m positive it come up during one of the debates.¡± ¡°Veritas intends to convert everyone in town into a member of their priesthood,¡± Kivi said. ¡°Aos will serve as the center of their new empire.¡± ¡°That...¡± Torveld glanced nervously behind him as a ripple of mutters passed through the crowd. He looked noticeably less confident when he turned back. ¡°That is a decision for each citizen to make on their own. Veritas cannot simply force us to join their priesthood.¡± ¡°They can and they will,¡± Callan said. ¡°Or do you really think you can stop them when they start killing anyone who disobeys? What was it you said to me before? Yeth are honorable, but not fighters? Some nonsense like that.¡± ¡°Veritas never threatened such harm before, I cannot believe they would now!¡± ¡°The only reason they didn¡¯t have you all in chains the first time was because your mayor was keeping them at bay. Not much chance of that happening now,¡± Callan noted. The crowd erupted into yelling at that. ¡°It is true!¡± Kivi shouted. The crowd quieted at her words. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe us, ask her yourselves. Or her son Radavan. Either can confirm that your former mayor was a member of the priesthood that originally broke Veritas¡¯s strength. It was only the powers she wielded that forced the god to behave themselves and attempt to sway you with words.¡± Before the crowd could start up again, Kivi continued, her voice gaining volume. ¡°All Xeph-Zul-Karatl desired from you was your faith. We have always been honest about our intentions here. So has Veritas. They told you about their plans from the beginning, but you were too blinded by your schemes and ambitions. You chose to ignore all but what you wanted to hear. Now you shall bear the consequences of those choices. The god will have you as priests, or as slaves. I hope you all have made peace with that decision.¡± Turning to Callan, she said loudly, ¡°Come, Avatar, let us be away quickly. Veritas is sure to return for their prize with the dawn.¡± Trying not to grin, Callan set off across the square, ignoring the shouts and arguments behind him. He didn¡¯t slow down until he heard Torveld¡¯s voice ring out. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± He turned around and watched the new mayor of Aos jog hurriedly after them. Torveld stopped and scratched at the back of his head. He refused to meet either Callan or Kivi¡¯s eyes. ¡°It seems there is, ah, some reconsideration amongst my people. Would you... possibly... consider honoring your original agreement?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Callan pointedly stuck a finger in his ear and wriggled it around. He pulled it back out. ¡°Sorry, try that again, I don¡¯t think I heard you right.¡± Torveld sighed. ¡°Please, Avatar Callan. You made an oath to save this town. Will you fulfill your promise and rid us of Veritas?¡± Before Callan could open his mouth, Kivi spoke up. ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± The lud girl shook her head. ¡°Even if the agreement wasn¡¯t with the previous mayor, you already dismissed us. The string has been cut. If you wish to contract avatar Callan¡¯s services, you will need to form an entirely new agreement.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± Torveld glanced back at the crowd, who was watching just a short distance away, muttering. He turned back and lowered his voice. ¡°I do not think we can afford to pay any grain. With all the disruptions this conflict has caused¡ª¡± ¡°Fortunately for you, we no longer require any grain,¡± Kivi said. Callan looked at her in surprise. ¡°We don¡¯t?¡± Kivi gave him the same expression he had likely given her a few moments before. Callan snapped his mouth shut. If Xeph had been awake, he¡¯d likely have reminded him that these were exactly the sort of moments he had a high priestess for in the first place. Turning back to Torveld, she said. ¡°We will, however, require your faith. All of it. Every man, woman, and child of eligible age must swear their undying faith to Xeph-Zul-Karatl. Before sunrise.¡± ¡°Surely we can negotiate something a little, ah, less...¡± Torveld seemed at loss for words. Kivi smirked at the yeth. ¡°Oh, I see you¡¯ve made the same mistake as your predecessor, Mayor. You seem to be under the mistaken impression that this is a negotiation. It¡¯s not. Instead, I am simply telling you the price for Xeph-Zul-Karatl¡¯s services. You may take it, or we shall leave. Simple as that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can convince the others¡ª¡± ¡°You must.¡± Kivi peered around the mayor back at the crowd. ¡°Yet somehow, I do not think you will find it too difficult now. Remind them that it is just faith, nothing more. We shall establish no temples, raise no priests, take no slaves. Your people will be free. And all it will cost them is a bit of faith.¡± She smiled at the yeth, and Callan could see that he was wavering. They almost had him. ¡°What of the prisoners?¡± he asked at last. ¡°These enemy priests. Surely you don¡¯t intend to... harm them, do you?¡± ¡°We want their faith, too,¡± Callan said. Both Kivi and Torveld looked at him. ¡°To, you know, ensure there are no hard feelings or whatever. If they break their bonds to Veritas and worship Xeph instead, we¡¯ll just consider everything that happened tonight water under the bridge. Torveld frowned, and looked on the verge of asking further questions, then seemed to think better of it. He nodded. ¡°It shall be done. By first light tomorrow, every villager here, myself included, will have sworn themselves to Xeph-Zul-Karatl.¡± ¡°Very good, Mayor,¡± Kivi said. ¡°You won¡¯t regret that decision.¡± The expression on Torveld¡¯s face said that he already did, but he kept the opinion to himself. Turning, he jogged back to the gathered crowd. Kivi turned towards Callan. ¡°That was a clever move, Avatar. How did you know the town would change their mind so quickly?¡± ¡°A lucky guess, mostly. Back in my home w¡ªcontinent, there were plenty of similar situations. People tend to focus on the short term more than the long. I figured most of these yeth were only supporting Veritas because it helped them take down the mayor. Now that she¡¯s gone, they suddenly found themselves holding a bag they didn¡¯t want anymore. Simple enough to take advantage of that.¡± The lud girl nodded slowly, clearly considering this. Callan took the opportunity to ask his own burning question. ¡°So why did you decide to give up on the grain shipment? Pretty sure we could have squeezed them for whatever we wanted at this point. And they aren¡¯t that far behind on the harvest they couldn¡¯t have afforded it.¡± ¡°Believe me, I did consider the idea, Avatar. Having access to a reserve of grain would take much of the pressure off our hunters, but ultimately we can trade with other communities in the area.¡± Kivi paused, then added, ¡°Also, there was a significant factor influencing my decision.¡± ¡°Oh? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t ever want to come back to this horrid place, even for just a grain shipment. It was worth losing for that alone.¡± Huh. Callan had honestly been expecting a less... petty reason for the decision, but he could at understand where she was coming from, even if he didn¡¯t necessarily agree with it. And Kivi was right: they did have other trading partners. For instance, Restaro and his wife clearly grew more than they could consume. The rutain must have been trading or selling it somewhere. They would have to try and come to some sort of agreement on the way home. Before he could say anything further on the matter, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. A woman stopped a short distance away and gave a nervous bow. Callan thought she looked familiar, then remembered that he¡¯d seen her clinging to Torveld through most of the last few gatherings. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever caught her name, though. ¡°Avatar. High Priestess.¡± The woman bowed again. ¡°I apologize for the interruption, but I was hoping you might be able to assist me?¡± ¡°Uh, maybe?¡± Right now all Callan could think about was crawling under some blankets and getting a few hours of sleep while he waited for Xeph to come back. Still, he figured he could at least hear the woman out. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my mother, Ulfa. She¡¯s disappeared.¡± ¡°Disappeared?¡± Kivi and Callan glanced at each other in confusion. ¡°Do you mean during the battle? Was your house attacked by the cult?¡± The yeth woman shook her head. ¡°No, it was before that. Almost right before the false Veritas appeared in town, in fact. My mother has been bedridden for weeks, you see, and¡ª¡± ¡°Oh yeah, widow Ulfa!¡± Callan remembered now. She was the only one he hadn¡¯t watched before, on account of her being horribly sick and basically never moving. He¡¯d even complained about it to Xeph... A thought started wriggling its way forward from the back of Callan¡¯s brain, a thought he really didn¡¯t like. If Xeph was awake right now, the god probably would have been laughing. Even so, Callan would have appreciated his input. At the very least just to confirm he was being ridiculous. After all, there was just no way. He couldn¡¯t be right. Could he? While he stewed in his own head, Kivi continued speaking with the woman. ¡°There has been much chaos and destruction this evening. You should speak with the new mayor about searching through any wreckage. It is possible she is nearby and simply unresponsive.¡± The woman frowned but nodded. ¡°Somehow, I doubt Torveld will be too concerned with finding her, but I thank you for the concern. Good evening to you both.¡± She hurried off. Kivi turned to Callan. There was a strange expression on her face. ¡°Are you thinking what I am, Avatar?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, mayyyyyyyybe?¡± Callan almost didn¡¯t want to give it words. If he¡¯d overlooked something so stupidly obvious... ¡°It is possible,¡± Kivi said, apparently not seeing his internal struggle. ¡°I think that this widow Ulfa could be¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªVeritas?¡± Callan finished, hating the way the word squeaked out. Kivi nodded. ¡°Her supposed illness would have been the perfect cover. Even the mayor never seemed to give it a second thought.¡± She tapped her chin. ¡°I will speak with Belinda about it further. Regardless, there is nothing to be done tonight. Not until Xeph reawakens.¡± ¡°You noticed that too, huh?¡± The high priestess nodded. ¡°Why not return to Radavan¡¯s and get some sleep? Paeral and I will do the same once we have spoken with his mother. Something tells me we¡¯ll need all the rest we can get before tomorrow.¡± ¡°I have a feeling you¡¯re right about that, too.¡± Callan shook his head, then glanced about. All of the yeth had disappeared, either back into homes or elsewhere for the evening. There was nothing left for them to accomplish tonight. Besides, Callan needed sleep. He had less than five hours until Xeph was back in service, and once that happened... They were going hunting. 2-45 — Back In The Black The first thing to register in Callan¡¯s brain when he opened his eyes was the distant sound of chirping birds. He stared up at the ceiling beams above him, several of them sporting dusty remnants of ancient webs. Not spider webs, of course, since apparently those didn¡¯t exist in this world, but probably the creation of some other bizarre bug-catching creature, if he had to guess. Tiny aardvarks, maybe. He rolled to one side. The light in Radavan¡¯s basement was dim, but still enough for Callan to make out his surroundings, including the two other empty blanket piles nearby. It appeared he was alone for the moment. Raising a hand over his head, he furrowed his brow and concentrated. A moment later, stone oozed out from his pores, spreading all the way to just past his elbows.
Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 6.25%
¡°Back in business,¡± he said to no one in particular. Of course, no one in particular chose that moment to announce themselves. If you wanted to check if I had returned, you could simply ask. Xeph¡¯s voice sounded a little more gravelly than usual. Although I understand the need to witness my power¡¯s awesome might. Nothing quite beats a visual demonstration of stone¡¯s ultimate supremacy. Callan sat up. ¡°Good morning to you too, Xeph. You been out of quarantine long?¡± Several hours now, yes. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me?¡± He glanced at the light from the windows. ¡°Sun¡¯s been up for a while, by the look of it.¡± I leave such trivial matters to our priesthood. Besides, after my lengthy period of forced repose, I thought my time might be better used strategizing, planning for our next move. It was several hours well-spent, I assure you. ¡°Oh? Care to tell me about it?¡± In a moment. First, we should discuss what occurred last night after my quarantine. You managed to renegotiate our contract with the new mayor in only a manner of minutes. That was solid work by you and our high priestess. The praise brought a smile to Callan¡¯s face. ¡°Glad you approve. Though something tells me you¡¯re just happy about the potential increase in faith.¡± Of course I am. After all, I cannot eat grain. What use has a god for such banalities? ¡°I don¡¯t know, keeping your followers alive, maybe?¡± Bah, they have managed this long. Eating spirebeans will not be the death of them. ¡°Tell that to my tastebuds.¡± Callan winced. In truth, he¡¯d probably be missing the adle here in Aos more than he would the people. With luck they¡¯d be able to trade for more. Regardless, the two of you dealt with the situation admirably. Though I dislike abandoning our support for the previous mayor, we are still accomplishing her will by hunting down Veritas, so ultimately I cannot complain. ¡°Good to hear. Don¡¯t suppose you have any ideas where we should start looking in that regard?¡± Actually, I do. There was a smug note to Xeph¡¯s voice. While you languished in slumber, my superior intellect was considering all the possibilities, and thanks to my eons of experience and gathered knowledge, I have come up with a foolproof plan to resolve this conflict¡ª The creaking of boards overhead drew Callan¡¯s attention. A moment later the basement door cracked open and Kivi peered inside. She smiled at seeing him awake. ¡°Avatar.¡± Making her way down the stairs, she knelt beside his blankets. ¡°I was just coming to wake you.¡± See? Xeph noted. Trivial matters. ¡°Oh shush.¡± Callan noticed Kivi¡¯s expression and shot her a reassuring smile. ¡°Sorry, not you.¡± ¡°Yes, I assumed. Xeph-Zul-Karatl has returned to consciousness?¡± ¡°Apparently a few hours ago.¡± He frowned at a sudden thought. ¡°How come you¡¯re only waking me now?¡± Kivi sat back. ¡°There were matters to attend to once the sun rose, and I thought your time was better spent recuperating. You have not missed much. I spoke with Belinda earlier, and she has requested an audience with you before we depart¡ª¡± ¡°Request?¡± It was all Callan could do not to laugh. ¡°Hard to imagine that woman requesting anything. Guess a fall from power changes people.¡± ¡°Indeed. Still, it would be unwise to pass up an opportunity for any last-minute information gathering. No one else in town has been able to provide any useful information concerning Veritas¡¯s avatar. And speaking of the rest of the town...¡± She held out her hand. Callan stared at it a moment. ¡°Oh!¡± he said, his brain finally catching on. Reaching out, he grasped Kivi¡¯s hand in his own.
You have been awarded 32 additional faith.
Callan blinked in surprise. Combined with the eleven he¡¯d netted from the town before, that put them three points ahead of where they would have been under the original agreement. Not a huge difference, but honestly it was more than he¡¯d been expecting. ¡°Is this everyone?¡± Kivi nodded. ¡°Even Veritas¡¯s former priests. It seemed most of their loyalties fell away when they received news of Torveld¡¯s election as mayor. If we had only known how easy matters could be settled earlier...¡± ¡°We still wouldn¡¯t have abandoned Belinda,¡± Callan insisted. After a moment, Kivi nodded her agreement, though she seemed less uncertain of that fact. ¡°I¡¯ll go fetch her. You should go upstairs and eat while you can.¡± Callan nodded, then watched the lud girl make for the stairs. At the base, she looked back at him. ¡°Also, you might like to know that we have now accounted for all of Veritas¡¯s former cultists. Torveld found the one known as Pyle hiding in his home. It seems he fled there after someone delivered a near-fatal blow to him during the battle.¡± She smirked at the avatar, then calmly climbed the stairs without another word. ¡°I guess that wraps up the last of the mysteries from last night,¡± Callan said, pulling his blanket aside. He hunted around a moment looking for his sneakers before remembering he¡¯d left them by the front door. Shaking his head, he made for the stairs. Indeed. All except for the mystery surrounding the avatar of Veritas. ¡°Yeah, but even that I think we have pretty frickin good clue.¡± Yes... I barely recall this Ulfa woman from our few attempts at surveillance, but what we did see did not exactly appear to be particularly noteworthy avatar material. Callan rolled his eyes as he pushed the basement door open. ¡°Pretty sure that was the point, buddy. She fooled everyone, even you.¡± Hmm. Perhaps. The god didn¡¯t comment further. Callan left him to his grousing and went in search of breakfast, which he found in the form of several now-cool loaves along with a jar of pickled radish-like vegetables waiting for him on the table. He dug in while he waited for Kivi and Belinda to return. While he munched his way through the food, he also pulled up his stat screen.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 19 Momentum: 17 Fortitude: 41 Concentration: 17 Influence: 17 Piety: 18 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Gypsum ¨C I Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Gypsum - I) Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - X) Orison slot 3: Rock Sling (Talc - II) -DISPENSATIONS- Perk 1: Wane -DOGMA- Total Followers: 130 Available Faith: 30 Conviction: 5/10 Conviction Rate: 5.5/week Temples: 1/2 Domain: 18 yd APOTHEOSIS: 0/27.5%
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Alright, no more debt penalty!¡± Plus, he still had thirty points left to spend however he wanted. The only question was how exactly to go about it. ¡°Do you think I should hold any points in reserve?¡± he asked. What for? ¡°Oh, gee, I don¡¯t know, maybe in case another follower dies? Or one of these villagers recants the second we leave and I find myself back in debt? I¡¯d really rather not go through that again so soon.¡± Hmm, a valid point. I think holding a reserve of... let¡¯s say two percent of your total pool should be sufficient. Any more will simply be leaving potential advantages against Veritas wasted. Okay, so about three points, then. That still left twenty-seven to spend. Callan considered his options. ¡°Should I boost my stats? Or focus on increasing my orisons? Not sure which will pay bigger dividends in the short term.¡± You need to focus on both long and short-term when planning any future growth, Xeph noted. Callan rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, but at the moment I¡¯m going to prioritize whatever will reduce my odds of dying to a severe case of ¡®one too many stab wounds to the back¡¯. We¡¯re heading out to battle soon, if you recall.¡± Yes, yes, I merely wished to remind you that short-term decisions are equally short-sighted, that is all. ¡°Says the god who didn¡¯t think Dveorgvision was worth taking.¡± Hmmph. Are you ever going to stop throwing that back in my face? Callan grinned. ¡°Nope. Now, about that advice...¡± If we are speaking purely in terms of what will be the most likely to yield benefits fighting Veritas, then increasing your stats will be of little noticeable improvement. ¡°So, orisons then.¡± Yes. Primarily your Rock Sling. That advice brought him up short. ¡°Really? Because currently it¡¯s so expensive to use with little benefit. Those rocks didn¡¯t really do much to Veritas before other than distract him.¡± Never discount the advantages of a distraction, but beyond that, I have two reasons for my advice. First, because until you have mastered altering Wurmchain, increasing its potency remains more of a liability to you than anything. Callan nodded. ¡°Okay. Second reason?¡± You have not truly witnessed what Rock Sling is capable of. Recall the noteworthy gains from Shape Stone when it increased in rank. You will see something similar once Rock Sling reaches the next tier. After considering a moment, he nodded. ¡°Good enough for me.¡± It took eight points to raise Rock Sling up to Talc ¡ª X. After that, he had to pause and fish around in his pocket for enough memory shards to refill his conviction pool. That accomplished, it was the work of a moment to unlock the orison. After that, all he had to do was pay for one more upgrade. However, his finger hovered over the proverbial button, not fully ready to commit to pushing it yet.
Would you like to improve the orison: Rock Sling? Cost = 10 Faith
Mortal? What¡¯s wrong? ¡°It just doesn¡¯t feel right that this costs more than the last eight levels combined.¡± Callan knew he was whining, but he couldn¡¯t help it. Everything about Gypsum tier felt so unfair. There is a marked increase, to be certain, but I promise that the gains will be worth it. ¡°They better be.¡± With a sigh, he mentally accepted.
You have improved the orison: Rock Sling to Gypsum ¡ª I Apotheosis cost adjusted to 25% for a medium stone. Range improved to 40 feet.
Okay, that was a noteworthy improvement. Before the description had simply described the stone as ¡°small¡±. He wasn¡¯t certain exactly how a medium stone varied, exactly, but it was bound to be better. And the range had topped out at nineteen feet after he¡¯d raised it to Talc ¡ª X, so this was over double before. Still... ¡°Are these things going to get more expensive every time I upgrade them?¡± he asked. ¡°Because if so, I¡¯m not going to be able to afford my orisons after the fourth tier or so.¡± No, there isn¡¯t always an increase. Callan breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was one concern off his plate. After that, he had twelve points left, which meant nine to spend on his stats. He could have dipped into his reserve a bit and gone up another level in Shape Stone or Rock Sling, but after all the points he¡¯d sunk into his orisons already, he just didn¡¯t have the stomach for it. So instead, he shored up a few areas he thought might make a difference, no matter what Xeph said. Momentum was Veritas¡¯s weakest stat, so he dropped eight points into his own, bringing it up to twenty-five. That was even higher than what the other avatar possessed, even before Callan tricked them into wearing the bracelets. Tricked her into wearing the bracelets. Ulfa. He really needed to start getting that into his head. Finally, Callan dropped his last free point into Brawn, bringing it up to twenty. Not that he expected that to actually make a difference, but it made him feel better, seeing the number nice and rounded like that. Shortly after he finished, Kivi returned with Belinda in tow. The former mayor looked as if she hadn¡¯t slept last night, dark rings circling her eyes and her face a more pallid color than it had been a day or two before. Still, at the sight of Callan, she stood a little straighter, drawing on whatever remained of her former presence. He could respect that, even if he didn¡¯t know the reason for it. ¡°Avatar. I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me.¡± Callan nodded. ¡°No problem. What¡¯s this about, though? We need to get moving before we lose anymore daylight.¡± ¡°Yes, about that.¡± Belinda took a seat across from him, steepling her fingers in front of her. ¡°I know that I may no longer be mayor of this little town, but I hope that whatever relationship we managed to foster these past few weeks hasn¡¯t been lost entirely. And that you are, at heart, a man of your word.¡± That¡¯s an ominous way to begin any conversation, Xeph noted. Frowning, Callan simply waited for the older yeth woman to continue. ¡°While the original agreement we struck may no longer be valid, I wanted to ask what it might take to still honor it. I may not be mayor anymore, but I care about this community, and Veritas will mean its destruction, whatever that upstart Torveld thinks otherwise.¡± Callan and Kivi glanced at each other, while in his head Xeph let out a booming laugh. At last Callan turned back. ¡°We¡¯ve actually already come to a new agreement with Torveld¡ªah, the mayor about this.¡± This brought Belinda up short. ¡°You mean¡ª¡± ¡°The avatar and I will be departing to finish Veritas off once and for all,¡± Kivi said. Belinda slumped in relief, and she added, ¡°Assuming we can find where she¡¯s hidden, of course.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, that could be a challenge. Even my husband was never able to root out Veritas¡¯s temple...¡± Belinda trailed off, frowning. She glanced at Kivi. ¡°Why did you say ¡®she¡¯?¡± ¡°There were some... developments after you and Radavan departed last night,¡± Kivi said. ¡°Did your son not tell you?¡± ¡°Of course not. I was holding vigil for Alyssa until sunrise, as is proper. You were the first person I ran into on my way back. Rather preferred it that way,¡± she added with a snort. As briefly as possible, Kivi explained about their new agreement with Torveld, as well as the conversation that had followed. The more Kivi talked, the wider Belinda¡¯s eyes grew. When she was finally done, the yeth woman just sat there, shaking her head for several long moments. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be Ulfa. She... it can¡¯t be. I¡¯d have known.¡± ¡°With all respect,¡± Callan said, ¡°You didn¡¯t know about Higarth, either.¡± ¡°That was different! Higarth was a newcomer to our village, relatively speaking. Ulfa was the first one to settle here. She fled to the Badlands after her father tried to marry her to...¡± The yeth woman trailed off. Her face grew more pale, if that was even possible. ¡°...Yeah?¡± Callan prompted after a solid minute had passed. ¡°I... of course.¡± A snarl pulled back Belinda¡¯s lips. ¡°I should have realized from the outset! That girl must have been one of Veritas¡¯s priests who survived the battle. She¡¯s been biding her time all these years, just waiting for a chance to serve again. And my husband and I fell for it! She was our friend! She was godmother to my children! I... I trusted her for years. When she fell sick, all I could think about was losing my dearest ally! And to think she was plotting this the entire time.¡± She lapsed into silence again. Kivi cleared her throat. ¡°While I understand the pain you must be feeling right now, we need to try and gather whatever information you can tell us about this Ulfa.¡± ¡°Not sure I can help you,¡± Belinda said with a twirl of her hand. ¡°Apparently I barely knew her myself!¡± ¡°Can you at least speculate as to why she waited until now?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Like you said, she was here for years. Why wait to resurrect Veritas?¡± Perhaps she simply didn¡¯t know Veritas¡¯s exact location, Xeph speculated. After all, I still have followers out in the world, and none of them managed to locate me in the thousands of years in which I slumbered. ¡°Yeah, but I doubt Veritas was hiding in some filthy hole underneath the earth,¡± Callan muttered under his breath. The god let out a squawk. FILTHY??? ¡°If I had to guess,¡± Belinda said, drawing Callan¡¯s attention back, ¡°It likely had to do with needing the right conditions. For years my own goddess¡¯s eyes were still watchful for Veritas¡¯s return. Then, when enough time had passed, Zavastu had already taken over much of the Badlands. It wasn¡¯t until you chased the priests out of Tok that an opportunity appeared.¡± Hmm. That still doesn¡¯t quite fit. Nor explain why Veritas remained here after her reawakening. Callan repeated this last part to Belinda. She shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have any more answers than you. Perhaps there are other issues we¡¯re unaware of. I¡¯m just an old woman now, and all I can tell you is what I know about the past.¡± She glanced down at the table. ¡°And even that much I¡¯m starting to question.¡± ¡°Ultimately, none of this matters,¡± Kivi said. ¡°If we have the opportunity to question Ulfa when we find her, we will. Until then, the only thing that matters is finding her.¡± Belinda shook her head. ¡°I wish I could help more there. All I can do is thank you¡ªagreement or no, I¡¯ll rest easier knowing this matter is finally settled.¡± She rose from her chair and left without so much as a backwards glance. ¡°Well, that was a waste of time,¡± Callan noted, after she was gone. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say it was a waste,¡± Kivi noted. ¡°Until we have some lead on Ulfa¡¯s whereabouts, there is little chance of us locating her. Paeral did find a dvorak trail leading out of town, but it ended abruptly near the far edge of the fields. We could begin searching there, but...¡± She spread her hands in frustration. Callan ground his teeth. He was starting to regret not going after the other avatar last night. True, stumbling around in the dark chasing after an enemy who knew the terrain was a good way to fall into a trap or worse, but at least it wouldn¡¯t have meant letting the trail go cold. Still, they¡¯d just have to make the best of it now. ¡°Gather Paeral,¡± he said, standing. ¡°We¡¯ll follow this trail and start there. At the very least, we might be able to find where he¡¯s been stashing these roided rhinos of his.¡± Mortal. ¡°Yeah, Xeph?¡± You may not recall, overwhelmed by joy at my return as you were, but I have a plan for where to begin our search. Callan rolled his eyes. ¡°Right, you did say something about your ¡®superior intellect¡¯, didn¡¯t you. Alright, out with it.¡± Xeph told him his plan. Afterwards, Callan just stood there, frowning. ¡°You really think that will work?¡± he said at last. Of course. As I said, it is foolproof. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve seen plenty of plans get derailed by a fool before.¡± Hmmph. Have a little faith. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got that in plenty.¡± Callan stood and stretched, heading for the front door. ¡°What if he just says no, though? What¡¯ll you do then?¡± That¡ª The god paused. It took all of Callan¡¯s willpower not to grin. ¡°Go on,¡± he urged. ¡°I believe you said something about it being foolproof?¡± The yeth will not say no. ¡°You sound certain of that.¡± Now Callan was grinning. ¡°Yet all it takes is one small word, and your entire plan crumbles like a house of cards.¡± Why would you build a house from¡ªNo, never mind. Are you going to speak with them, or not? ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll at least give it a try,¡± Callan said. ¡°I¡¯m just not arrogant enough to think that a ¡®plan¡¯ which consists of a single, easily derailed step constitutes being called foolproof.¡± The god muttered several unintelligible things after that, but didn¡¯t respond. Outside, Callan found the two lud waiting for him. ¡°Change of plans. Follow me.¡± If this surprised either Kivi or Paeral, neither made comment about it. Instead, they hustled after him as he made his way out of town and across the fields. It had been dark the last time Callan went this way, but he thought he knew where to go. Hopefully he was right, or it would be a rather embarrassing walk back to town to ask for directions. Yet it seemed that luck was with him once again. About a half-hour after Aos slipped from sight, Callan emerged into a familiar clearing. A rickety tent sat across from them, and a small fire smoldered in a pit to one side. Callan ignored all of that, however. He had eyes only for the emaciated yeth sitting on a nearby log. The yeth glanced up at his approach, but if he actually saw Callan and the others in front of him, he gave no indication. ¡°Hello, Rym,¡± Callan said. ¡°Good to see you again.¡± 2-46 — A Foolproof Plan Xeph let out a pained sigh as Callan came to a halt in front of Rym. Such a tragic waste of life. Honestly, Callan couldn¡¯t disagree. The yeth man looked even more malnourished and strung out than the last time he¡¯d been here. Dark rings circled his eyes, so large they made him look like a humanoid raccoon, and there was a quiver to his movements, as if the simple act of sitting was difficult for him. Rym continued staring blankly. After waving his hand in front of the yeth¡¯s face, Callan reached down and gave his shoulders a shake. ¡°Rym. Rym! You in there?¡± Chronostasis, Xeph noted. I have not seen a case this bad since my own avatar, near the very end. He... may not return again. ¡°In other words, we¡¯re at another dead end.¡± Callan couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°So much for your ¡®foolproof¡¯ plan. Dead in the water before it even began.¡± Perhaps. We shall have to simply wait and see. ¡°Exactly how long do you expect us all to stay here?¡± Callan gestured at the camp. The tent barely qualified as shelter, and anyway it would only fit one regular person or both Kivi and Paeral if they really snuggled up. If Rym had any food supplies, they were well hidden. ¡°We will investigate the surrounding area,¡± Kivi said, as if reading Callan¡¯s mind. She and Paeral backed into the trees, leaving him alone with the comatose yeth. ¡°Great.¡± Callan dropped onto the log bench beside Rym. The bench jiggled, sending Rym swaying from side to side, but he didn¡¯t fall over. Some internal force in his body apparently managed to keep him upright. A pipe lay on the bench as well, the bag of flux on the ground next to it. There was significantly less of the drug in the bag than there had been the last time. Reaching down, Callan picked up the pipe and inspected it. The pipe was still warm. Don¡¯t even think about it, Xeph said, his voice an angry growl. ¡°I wasn¡¯t! Besides, it probably wouldn¡¯t even work on me.¡± He recalled how Rym had said most yeth were immune to flux¡¯s effects. While their physiology was different from a human¡¯s, Callan doubted it was that different. It would work, actually. ¡°Really?¡± Callan frowned. ¡°How do you know?¡± Summon Wurmchain and tell me what you see. Frowning, Callan did as his head-mate bade. He closed his eyes and watched as the tendrils of Wurmchain¡¯s power formed around him, as elusive as ever. And beside him glowed Rym, a confused mass of gray undulating in on itself. Callan opened his eyes. ¡°He has those transatlantic conduits, or whatever.¡± Transcendental conduits, but yes. Flux utilizes them to create its chronodissociative effects. Without them, the substance is useless. ¡°Really? You don¡¯t find that weird?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Why are these conduits used by both gods and some random-ass powder?¡± There are theories, but it is not anything I ever devoted a particular amount of research to. Though I did make a few inquiries after my avatar... but the answers were unsatisfactory. Ultimately I decided it was an area which I did not care to delve into too deeply. He nodded at that. ¡°Are there any other uses for these conduits?¡± Several, actually, though most are of only a passing interest to us. Possessing the power of a god as you do, I can facilitate most of the functions more easily through your interface that others might struggle their entire lives to master. Still, it may be of interest to you to know that¡ª Whatever it was Xeph thought might or might not interest him would have to wait. Rym chose that moment to return to his senses. The yeth¡¯s eyes lost their haze, and he drew in a deep breath. Turning, he regarded Callan with curiosity. ¡°I... Callan, yes? Sorry, I... have you been here long?¡± ¡°No, not long at all.¡± Callan tried to give him a reassuring grin. The expression seemed to put Rym at ease. ¡°Is something the matter in the village? Did my... my family send you?¡± It occurred to Callan that he should probably inform the man about his sister¡¯s death, but right now he didn¡¯t want to lose any more of Rym¡¯s focus. He pushed the problem to the back of his mind for later. ¡°Actually, I came out here looking for you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Rym tilted his head in curiosity. His eyes unfocused for a moment, then snapped back. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really. I¡ªthat is, we¡ªneed your help.¡±
Thirty Minutes Earlier ¡°Let me get this straight,¡± Callan said. ¡°Your supposedly brilliant, foolproof plan¡ª¡± I never said brilliant. However, if you wish to label it as such... ¡°¡ªYour plan, is to have me find Rym, and just... ask if he knows where Veritas is hiding." Yes? Callan pinched at the bridge of his nose. ¡°Okay. Explain to me why you think that would in any way work. Assuming the guy even knows where Veritas¡¯s temple is located, why would he tell us? His sister worked for the god, and his other brother isn¡¯t exactly opposed to what Veritas is offering. Seems a shaky foundation at best.¡± I did not receive the impression that the yeth was inclined to be sympathetic to Veritas. After all, if that was the case, why was he not in attendance at his brother¡¯s meeting in the woods? He led us straight to it, then departed. ¡°Because he is literally a strung-out addict.¡± Callan said, trying and failing to keep his voice from rising. Bah. He will tell us. I got his measure before. That is a yeth that loves his family. Why remain here, if he wasn¡¯t? Strung out or not, should we invoke his mother¡¯s name, he will aid us. ¡°Assuming he knows.¡± He knows, Xeph said confidently. All the time he spends in the woods, there is no doubt in my mind that he hasn¡¯t witnessed the passing of a priest or two. Or even Veritas. ¡°And assuming he¡¯s alive,¡± Callan finished. ¡°Even his sister wasn¡¯t certain.¡± That... hmm. ¡°So. Foolproof, huh?¡± Oh, just wait, mortal. You¡¯ll see the wisdom of my plan soon enough.
¡°Help?¡± Rym sounded confused, as if the very idea of someone needing his help was completely foreign to him. He swished his tongue across his teeth, as if tasting the word itself. ¡°Yeah, help,¡± Callan said gently, not wanting to lose the yeth¡¯s attention. ¡°We¡¯re looking for something hidden in these woods. I thought maybe you would know where it is?¡± ¡°If this is about finding kolvsh mushrooms, I might know a place...¡± ¡°Actually, I was looking for something else.¡± Callan took a breath, debating how to put this. He hadn¡¯t really come up with a plan of action on the way over. Xeph had suggested invoking Belinda or Alyssa¡¯s name to gain sympathy, but the former still felt like a bad idea, and the latter... well, he wasn¡¯t ready to embark down that road just yet. Whatever. He just went with his gut. ¡°Do you know of any buildings hidden out here? It would probably be pretty old and overgrown. Or maybe you¡¯ve seen some people in robes gathering in the woods? Anything like that?¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He waited why Rym stared at him in confusion. His eyes went unfocused, focused again, unfocused. They stayed that way. Great. So much for that. Callan sighed and stood up. Mortal? What are you doing? ¡°This is a waste of time, Xeph. This poor guy barely knows where he is, never mind anything else. We¡¯re just going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.¡± You mean combing the woods? That could take weeks! ¡°Look, I don¡¯t like the plan anymore than you do, but unless you have a better idea¡ª¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any buildings.¡± Rym¡¯s voice caught Callan off-guard. He snapped his mouth shut and turned back. The yeth still had that unfocused expression, yet he continued speaking. ¡°But I¡¯ve seen plenty of people moving about the woods lately. Would that... be of help?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. I think so.¡± Callan rubbed at the back of his neck. It wasn¡¯t much of a lead, but it was something. ¡°Can you point us in the direction you¡¯ve seen them traveling?¡± ¡°I can do better.¡± Rym rose and dusted himself off. Leaves and bits of forest debris rained down around him. He reminded Callan of those monks in the old stories that sat and meditated for days, until vines literally grew up around them. Except in Rym¡¯s case, there wasn¡¯t much meditation involved. ¡°Follow me.¡± The yeth man turned and started making his way through the forest. He was a bit shaky in his movements at first but seemed to gain confidence with each step. ¡°Just a second.¡± Callan hollered for Kivi and Paeral, and a moment later the two lud materialized out of the forest. If Rym was surprised by their appearance, he gave no indication, but just stood watching. Callan gave a nod. ¡°Okay, ready.¡± They headed further north, in the direction of the pythian tree. Though they were several hours away from it, the effect was already showing on the landscape, as the forest began to grow thinner around them, the trees shorter and with fewer leaves. Meadows began to appear increasingly more often, then simply became the norm. Soon, even the meadows began to fade as the grass grew spindly and irregular. ¡°How much further are we going?¡± Callan asked, after what felt close to an hour. Would Veritas really have set up a camp so far away from the village? ¡°Not much... I think.¡± Rym didn¡¯t glance back. He paused, taking in the sparse surroundings, then turned their path slightly to the left. Mortal, I am beginning to question the wisdom of this plan, Xeph said, as Rym stopped again, frowning at something in the distance for a full minute before setting off once more. His advanced chronodisassociation may strike again at any moment. ¡°Oh, now he worries about the plan,¡± Callan muttered to himself. The next moment, he almost bumped into Rym¡¯s back as the yeth came to another halt. ¡°Are we there?¡± He glanced around, but didn¡¯t see anything noteworthy. There was a small hillock in the distance that could potentially have hidden a camp, but they¡¯d practically have to be on top of it before they¡¯d know for certain. ¡°Almost. Before we get there, I have a request of you.¡± ¡°Uh, okay?¡± Callan suddenly had a bad feeling. ¡°After I show you, I¡¯d like for you to accompany me back to camp.¡± Callan immediately relaxed. Of course, the guy was probably just worried about getting home in one piece in his current condition. ¡°Oh, sure, I can do that¡ª¡± ¡°And stay until I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°...Wait, what?¡± Rym turned, smiling at him shyly. ¡°I know I don¡¯t have long. My... episodes are getting worse. I¡¯ve seen the end coming for a while. Each use of flux is drawing me further away from this world.¡± He stared over Callan¡¯s shoulder into the distance. ¡°When we return, I intend to take what remains of my supply. I¡¯ll travel longer and further than I ever have before. With luck... I simply won¡¯t return.¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking me to watch you kill yourself.¡± Callan felt his stomach twist into knots at the words. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can do that.¡± ¡°Whether you do or not, my time here is almost at an end. I won¡¯t be killing myself so much as living my life to the fullest one last time. But... I¡¯d rather not do it alone.¡± The yeth looked down, his expression clouded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡ª¡± Mortal. Callan resisted the urge to snap at his head-mate. ¡°What, Xeph?¡± I think we should do as the yeth asks. Look at him. A slight breeze could knock him over. So why not grant him this last dignity he is asking for? ¡°Not sure there¡¯s much dignity to be had here,¡± Callan said, though his heart wasn¡¯t really in the argument. Then do it for me. Please. ¡°Gah. Fine.¡± He turned his attention back to Rym. ¡°Where is the camp you mentioned?¡± ¡°Over there. I... I hope it is what you¡¯re looking for.¡± Rym led them up the small hill, and on the other side they did indeed find the remains of... something. Callan didn¡¯t think the word ¡°camp¡± was appropriate here, but clearly the area was being used by a number of people for some purpose or other. A fire pit twice the size of Rym¡¯s dominated the center, and there were several semi-permanent structures built around the edges. Callan wondered about that until he heard the snort coming from inside one of them. Dvoraks. ¡°I think this is the place,¡± he said, turning to Kivi. ¡°On that, I agree, Avatar. However, where is Ulfa?¡± She indicated the otherwise quiet and empty area below. ¡°Maybe she heard us coming and hid?¡± He glanced at the buildings. Any one of them could have been hiding the errant avatar. ¡°Perhaps, but I do not believe that is Veritas¡¯s style.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± Callan turned and cupped his hands around his mouth. ¡°Ulfa! Veritas! Come out and let¡¯s finish this!¡± The words echoed through across the prairie, but there was no movement down below. Callan called a few more times, just to be certain, but when no one appeared, he gave a shrug. ¡°Guess nobody¡¯s home.¡± ¡°In that case, I suggest that Paeral and I remain here,¡± Kivi said. ¡°We can watch from a safe distance for Ulfa¡¯s return, and follow her should she leave again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, not sure I like the idea of leaving you two undefended here.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t leave us undefended.¡± The lud girl said it like the statement was obvious. Callan frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not following.¡± ¡°Establish another temple here. Or I can do so myself, since Xeph-Zul-Karatl has said it is possible for me. Even if the range is small, we can at least call upon our powers to defend ourselves.¡± That actually isn¡¯t a terrible plan, Xeph noted. She will need to utilize any memory shards quickly after consuming them, or rely on her own internal supply of Conviction, but it should be possible. ¡°Kivi has Conviction too?¡± Callan asked in surprise. Of course. What do you think the transcendental conduits are providing? ¡°Wait, is that where my own Conviction comes from?¡± Callan shook his head. This was more information than he¡¯d been expecting to uncover. ¡°I just assumed those were from you.¡± I can¡¯t do all the heavy lifting, human. Some work requires using your own innate supply of energy. I merely help facilitate its conversion to divine power. Callan started to ask more questions, then thought better of it. There would be more time later. He turned back to Kivi. ¡°Xeph says it¡¯s possible, so I guess I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± He fished a handful of memory shards out of his pocket and handed them over. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as quick as I can. In the meantime, don¡¯t do anything foolish, okay?¡± ¡°You forget who you are speaking to.¡± Kivi grinned at him. ¡°I believe foolish choices are more your area of expertise.¡± ¡°Oh, ha ha. Just be careful, okay?¡± ¡°Of course, Avatar.¡± Callan turned back to Rym, who had been watching the exchange with the same unfocused expression as earlier. A moment later he snapped back. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Thanks for the help, Rym. This is exactly what we were looking for.¡± Well, sorta, but he felt like giving the guy a win. ¡°I can take you back now.¡± ¡°Oh, that is good. I need... it isn¡¯t good for me to go too long without... I should get back.¡± Callan frowned but said nothing. The yeth headed in the direction of Aos, and after a minute he followed after. This plan still didn¡¯t sit right with him, but there was nothing else to be done about it. Ultimately, Rym was an adult¡ªmore of one than Callan, in fact. He had to make his own choices. That said, something did occur to Callan. He sped up a bit so he could walk alongside the yeth man. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you heard, but there was a... conflict in Aos last night. Your mom isn¡¯t the mayor anymore.¡± Rym glanced at him, his expression neutral. ¡°Oh? Is she alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, of course. She just got voted out, that¡¯s all. Some guy name Torveld is in charge now.¡± ¡°Oh. That is nice for Torveld.¡± ¡°My point is,¡± Callan continued, ¡°You could probably go back home now, if you wanted. Back to Aos, I mean. Your mom can¡¯t exile you anymore. At the very least, you might think about going back and saying goodbye before... you know.¡± Rym seemed to consider that for a moment, but eventually he shook his head. ¡°I do not think most of the villagers would be happy to see me, Torveld included. The decision to exile me was not entirely my mother¡¯s. As for seeing my family, the only one who still cares to speak to me is Alyssa. How is she, by the way? I know the mayor... my mother had hopes for her future.¡± And here it was. The moment of truth. Words danced across Callan¡¯s tongue, begging to be released. Ultimately he swallowed them back down and went with a half-truth instead. ¡°Alyssa¡¯s gone. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s coming back.¡± ¡°Truly?¡± Callan nodded, not trusting his voice further. Rym looked away, but there was a smile on his face. ¡°In truth, I¡¯m happy. While I would like to have said goodbye to her, I know she remained mostly for my sake. I have brought her much pain and trouble over the last few years. It is good she can live her dream at last.¡± ¡°Yeah. Great.¡± Callan just stared ahead and didn¡¯t say anything further. They arrived back at Rym¡¯s camp in what felt like much less time than it took to leave. Callan stood awkwardly by as the yeth rekindled his fire, then set himself in front of it, holding his pipe. The nearly empty bag of flux lay next to him. ¡°Thank you again, Callan.¡± Reaching into the bag, Rym removed the remaining flux and began stuffing it inside the pipe. He had a calm expression on his face. Not resigned. More... at peace. ¡°You sure you want to do this?¡± Callan asked. ¡°I¡¯m certain. I¡¯ve been a bother to everyone in my life long enough. All I am doing now is fulfilling the prophecy my mother made when she threw me out.¡± He glanced up. ¡°Once my consciousness departs, you¡¯re free to leave. I won¡¯t be coming back this time.¡± He said it with such certainty that Callan couldn¡¯t find it in him to argue. So he nodded, and sat across from Rym as he lit his pipe and inhaled deeply. A minute later, it fell from the yeth¡¯s limp fingers, still smoldering slightly. You should put him in the tent, out of the elements, Xeph said. Callan nodded. Gathering the emaciated yeth in his arms, he ducked into the tent. There wasn¡¯t much inside, just an old crate with several personal belongings, including a small wooden figurine, and a ratty pile of blankets at the far end. Callan set Rym down, then grabbed the top blanket and pulled it away. Something beneath it caught his attention. A flash of color amid the browns and grays of the tent. ¡°The Hell?¡± Callan pushed the other blankets aside. Underneath, he found the purple robes of a priest. The same as those worn by the other cultists of Veritas. He stood there, half hunched over, staring at it. ¡°What does this mean?¡± he asked at last. I don¡¯t know. Maybe the yeth found them. Or his sister left them here. Whatever the reason, we¡¯ll not find out the answer from him. ¡°Yeah, good point. Still weird, though.¡± Covering the robes back up, Callan returned to tucking the blanket around Rym. The yeth simply laid there unmoving through the entire process, eyes staring sightlessly. His breathing was shallow and irregular. It seemed to be growing worse with each passing second, though that could have been Callan¡¯s imagination. Once the yeth was sufficiently secured, Callan set off back towards the others. He forced himself not to look back as Rym¡¯s camp slipped from view. It took a few minutes to find the right trail, though Callan knew ultimately he just needed to walk in the direction of the pythian. Hard to get lost with that particular landmark visible for miles. Eventually, he spotted the hillock hiding Veritas¡¯s camp in the distance. Kivi flagged him down before he reached it. He found her and Paeral camped around a large stone, which apparently she was using as a makeshift altar. ¡°Any sign of Ulfa?¡± he asked. ¡°None, Avatar. Though we¡¯ve avoided getting too close until you returned.¡± ¡°Smart. Well, no time like the present. Let¡¯s go poke around, shall we?¡± 2-47 — This Is Why Nobody Likes Stealth Missions Callan crouched at the top of the hill, scanning the grass past the little cluster of buildings. None of it was particularly tall, but it wouldn¡¯t need to be to hide a geriatric yeth woman crouched amongst the stalks. She could have been miles away out there. Or ten feet from him. He¡¯d never know. Sighing, he got to his feet. Mortal, are you sure that¡¯s wise? Xeph asked as he strode down the hill. The sound of crunching rocks behind signaled Kivi and Paeral hastening to catch up. ¡°There¡¯s no point in subterfuge, Xeph. If my shouting earlier didn¡¯t alert Ulfa, she won¡¯t notice us until it¡¯s too late.¡± Still, it couldn¡¯t hurt to at least exercise a little caution... ¡°To do what?¡± Callan stopped at the first building. From inside came several deep grunts. Yep. Definitely dvorak in there. ¡°I already scanned the prairie for her and didn¡¯t see anything. Now, if I had Dveorgeye, that would be a different matter, but I don¡¯t.¡± Xeph was silent for a moment. That was cruel and uncalled for. ¡°Yeah, well tough tits.¡± Glancing back, he told Kivi, ¡°Circle the camp and look for anything unusual. Don¡¯t go past the buildings until I give the all-clear.¡± Just because he didn¡¯t see a need for subterfuge didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t also be cautious. The lud nodded, then broke away, heading in opposite directions around the edge of the little encampment. Callan looked around for a moment, but didn¡¯t see anything unusual. Finally, he took another step past the building. Nothing happened, other than a particularly loud grunt from the dvorak pen. Satisfied, Callan strode towards the fire pit. The ground around it was heavily trampled, as though it had seen repeated and frequent activity. What little grass remained here mostly grew in undisturbed corners, or along the edges of a log that had clearly seen use as a bench. Callan stopped at the edge of the firepit and frowned. He turned in a slow circle, taking it in. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no way those cultists didn¡¯t know about this place. How come none of them mentioned it?¡± Hmm. Perhaps Veritas is not the one responsible for this place. ¡°These buildings didn¡¯t just build themselves, Xeph.¡± He gestured vaguely around them, then paused. He looked at the buildings again. All of them showed significant signs of aging. Several were missing roof sections or had holes in their walls. A few even had vines creeping along their sides. Callan immediately revised his estimates. ¡°Okay, so maybe this place was built before Veritas fell the first time. Still, there¡¯s definitely been someone here since then.¡± I actually suspect that this was originally a camp for Athakolu¡¯s priesthood. Otherwise I find it unlikely that Belinda or her husband wouldn¡¯t have stumbled across it before now. ¡°Huh. Guess that would be kind of ironic. Veritas using the old camp of his enemies.¡± Indeed. However, the question remains¡ªwhere is Veritas? Callan considered that. If the avatar wanted to spring a trap, she had ample locations to choose from. Any one of the buildings, or the surrounding grassland. But they hadn¡¯t so far. Which meant that they now had the opportunity to do the same. ¡°Paeral, keep an eye on the perimeter,¡± he called. ¡°Let me know if you see Ulfa anywhere. Kivi, I want you to check inside that big building over there. If it has an altar to corrupt, let me know.¡± You really think Veritas would keep an altar in there? Xeph asked, his tone scandalized. ¡°Why not? I kept yours in a dingy basement.¡± Yes, but that was different. ¡°How so?¡± It just was, the god groused, as Callan moved towards another nearby building and peeked in through a crack. His view confirmed that this was a wise choice as he beheld a medium-sized dvorak¡ªin other words, only slightly bigger than his parent¡¯s Corolla¡ªlaying on its side against a wall. Its ear twitched as he watched, scattering several flies that had tried to roost there. ¡°No temple I can see, but...¡± Callan shifted to get a view from a different angle. ¡°...Huh.¡± There were several small creatures tumbling about the dozing dvorak. Small, wrinkly, gray things with so many skin folds that they reminded him of a shaved basset hound. It took a moment to figure out what they were. Infant dvorak, Xeph said, at about the same moment as realization clicked in Callan¡¯s head. A fresh litter by the look of it. Those calves can¡¯t be more than a few days old. ¡°I can believe that.¡± None of the baby dvorak were bigger than a housecat. It boggled Callan¡¯s mind to think that they¡¯d grow to such gargantuan size as to be usable as living tanks. Then again, he¡¯d seen a Earth piglet once, and it had seemed equally unbelievable that it might one day be a four-hundred pound sow. Satisfied that the building didn¡¯t contain anything other than an unruly nursery, he turned around¡ªand found Ulfa watching him. The other avatar stood in the center of the firepit, cold ashes swirling at her feet. She tilted her head, and the wolf mask pivoted, giving Callan a lopsided grin. He froze in place, so surprised by the sudden appearance that for a brief moment, his brain misfired, wasting precious seconds while he caught back up with the sudden change. How had the avatar snuck up on him? ¡°Avatar,¡± Paeral called. Callan could just see him standing at the edge of the encampment. ¡°I have located Veritas¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Paeral. I sort of already noticed.¡± Callan¡¯s brain finally started working again. He took a step forward¡ªand cursed himself for not having summoned Mountainform before entering the camp. He did so now.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 5%
Ulfa had turned toward Paeral at the sound of his voice, but the moment Callan summoned his armor her head snapped back. ¡°Ah, Avatar Callan. I... remember you.¡± The voice modulator still made it difficult to make out who was speaking, or any sort of inflection, really, but Callan had gotten pretty good these last few weeks at interpreting. He thought there was a note of a question to the other avatar¡¯s words. ¡°Yep. Good to see you, Ulfa.¡± He took another step forward. ¡°Ulfa...¡± The other avatar tilted their head again. ¡°You mentioned that name before. Curious.¡± Callan paused. Earlier? What is she talking about? Shaking his head, he pushed on. ¡°That¡¯s right. I figured out who your avatar is.¡± ¡°Perhaps... But I am Veritas. Nothing more.¡± The other avatar turned and looked away into the distance. It would have been the perfect moment for Callan to strike, yet something stopped him. This whole situation felt off. He didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Why did you run before?¡± he asked. ¡°Back at the tower. I don¡¯t get it. You abandoned your people. Why didn¡¯t you stay and fight?¡± ¡°I... don¡¯t know.¡± The avatar¡¯s gaze slid over him, unseeing. Yeah, there was definitely something wrong here. ¡°I wanted to kill you. All this pain and trouble you¡¯ve caused here, for no reason, when you could have just left. Yet you stayed, like a... a burr under my clothes. I wanted to hurt you for that.¡± Ulfa glanced down at her hands. ¡°I wanted to feel your life leave your body as I squeezed. It seemed so important then. Now it... doesn¡¯t.¡± Something is amiss, Xeph muttered. These speech patterns are all wrong. Not like Veritas before. Could this be another imposter, luring us into a false sense of security? ¡°I already considered that, Xeph.¡± Callan didn¡¯t take his eyes off Ulfa, but she was ignoring him again, studying the buildings. He crept closer. Two more steps and he¡¯d be near enough to take her out, no problem. ¡°But who¡¯s left at this point? All of her priests are either dead or have recanted their oaths.¡± Unless they lied about that. It would have been little trouble to flee back here once the village¡¯s attentions turned elsewhere. Huh... Yeah, that was a definite possibility. And a problem. Dangit, Callan should have insisted the priests be kept under lock and key until Veritas was dealt with. There had just been so much else going on last night... Well, no sense worrying about it now. He just had to make the best of the situation. ¡°So what do you say, Veritas? Should we finish our contest? Winner takes all?¡± He raised his fists. Ulfa studied him for a long moment. Finally, she shook her head. ¡°I think... not. Soon. But not yet. First...¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Callan crept closer. Just one more step... ¡°First... you die.¡± Even as Callan lunged, Ulfa leapt backwards, into the firepit. She disappeared. ¡°What the Hell¡ª?¡± Even as he spoke, Callan caught a glimpse of metal banding the firepit¡¯s rim, something that had been hidden amongst the ashes until Ulfa¡¯s footsteps disturbed it. Realization hit him like a truck.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. A moment later, Xeph confirmed his suspicions. Hmm, a teleportation circle. The temple must be close. ¡°Guess we¡¯re about to find out.¡± Callan leapt into the ring. Nothing happened. He cursed under his breath. Did you actually think that the avatar wouldn¡¯t deactivate it behind her? Xeph asked, an amused note to his voice. ¡°I was hoping they wouldn¡¯t be that quick.¡± Callan meant to comment further but was interrupted as the ground beneath his feet rumbled. Ashes scattered to the winds and the metal teleportation ring gave a groan as it buckled and bent. ¡°Avatar!¡± Kivi came hurrying forward. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Callan flung out a hand, and more on instinct than anything activated Shape Stone.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 9%
A wall of stone erupted from the ground in front of Kivi, surprising Callan. He hadn¡¯t thought there was that much hiding under the dirt. Then there was no time for further thoughts or action. The ground beneath him shook once more before simply giving away beneath his feet. Callan felt himself drop, drop, drop. Xeph howled wordlessly in his ears. Then darkness consumed him completely and utterly.
It took a concerted effort for Callan to claw his way back to consciousness. When he finally did, he immediately regretted it. ¡°Owwwwwww. God dammit, that hurts!¡± He raised a hand and felt tentatively at his head. There was a lump on his brow almost as wide across as his fist. He winced as even that light a touch set off a fresh flare of pain. Yes, that tends to happen when one falls down a deep hole and hits every rock and root along the way. ¡°Hole?¡± Then it came back to Callan. Veritas¡¯s camp. The avatar¡¯s sudden appearance and disappearance. The ground giving way beneath his feet. ¡°Right. Hole. That makes sense.¡± You¡¯re lucky that injury to your head is all that you sustained, the god said as Callan slowly sat himself up. His eyes drifted to a bandage wrapped around his leg, through which a small bloodstain was already spreading. That, too, Xeph added, almost as an afterthought. Still, remarkably lucky, all things considered. Clearly Veritas underestimated just how much Fortitude you now possess. It seems heavily weighting your stats in that direction paid off. Not to mention how you maintained Mountainform, even while unconscious. Callan glanced at his hands, and saw they were still coated in white stone. He flexed a fist and nodded to himself. It was only then that he finally took the time to study his surroundings. He was lying on a smooth, flat floor¡ªit had to be a floor, because there was no way something like this occurred naturally. There wasn¡¯t so much as a ridge or bump to be felt. Even the tunnels of Xeph¡¯s temple weren¡¯t this uniform. The ceiling stretched overhead higher than he could see, but there were several jagged edges that made him think the roof wasn¡¯t too much beyond. Further away it sloped downward sharply, terminating in a pile of rocks that probably were part of the collapse that had nearly killed him. Off to one side, what looked to be the entrance of a tunnel beckoned, its exact details shrouded in shadow. And only a few feet away from him at the center of the chamber, a small fire burned merrily. It crackled and popped as he watched, and seemed to have no source that Callan could see. Just flames rising from the floor, casting waves of heat in his direction. Crouched next to the fire was a solitary figure. Callan almost leapt out of his skin when he finally noticed them. The figure had their back to him, their attention focused on the floor beyond. Callan swallowed, then forced himself to sit up. Since Xeph hadn¡¯t sounded the alarm, they were probably safe, yet still... there was only one person he would have expected to be down here with him. ¡°Ulfa?¡± he asked, his whole body tensed in preparation to... what? Fight? Flee? Some unknown third option? Before he could decide, the figure turned around. Callan found himself staring into the unfamiliar face of a young girl. She had the same olive skin as Kivi, though she was much taller and lacking an extra pair of arms. In the firelight, her hair appeared golden, though Callan realized belatedly it was streaked with black, almost giving it a striped appearance. Behind the girl, a tail swished back and forth, the same striped colors as her hair. Wait, a tail? That was new. ¡°Ulfa?¡± the girl asked, tilting her head. A pair of furry black ears poked through her hair. The sight of them set off a distant memory that Callan couldn¡¯t quite place. ¡°There is no one here by that name, I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°Uh, okay then.¡± Pushing aside the elusive memory, he gestured at his bandaged leg. ¡°Are you the one who did this? Thanks.¡± The girl gave a dismissive shrug. ¡°It was the least I could do after you collapsed the tunnel and trapped me in here.¡± ¡°...Sorry?¡± Callan said. Glancing around again, he frowned. ¡°Where exactly is ¡®here¡¯, anyway?¡± When he looked back, the girl was staring at him funny. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You planning to introduce yourself any time soon, or...?¡± ¡°Oh! I¡¯m Callan.¡± He held out a hand. The girl just stared at it blankly, and eventually Callan let it drop again. He was feeling more awkward with each passing moment. ¡°Nice to meet you, Callan. And who¡¯s the god inside your head?¡± ¡°Xeph?¡± Callan blinked in surprise. ¡°You know about him?¡± ¡°Yep. Unless you regularly make a habit of talking to yourself when you wake up.¡± She gave a mischievous grin at that. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Also, there is how you survived half a ton of stone dropping on your head.¡± ¡°Uh...¡± Her grin widened. ¡°And that isn¡¯t even getting to the small matter of whatever is happening with your arms.¡± Callan looked down at Mountainform. He flushed. ¡°Yeah, that all makes sense. This is Xeph-Zul-Karatl, god of stone and mountains. But I just call him ¡®Xeph¡¯ for short. Hey, buddy, say hello.¡± He rapped on the side of his skull. Hmmph. Xeph didn¡¯t say anything further. After a moment, Callan shrugged. ¡°Guess he¡¯s not feeling particularly chatty right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± The girl said. Her expression turned serious. ¡°Is this place yours then?¡± ¡°What? Here?¡± Callan laughed. ¡°No, no. Our hole in the ground is much nicer than this.¡± Surprisingly, this didn¡¯t elicit so much as a growl from Xeph. The girl, meanwhile, gave a satisfied nod. ¡°Good. This place had the feel of a temple, but... If you two will excuse me a moment.¡± She stood and moved away towards the tunnel Callan had spotted earlier. Slipping inside, she disappeared from view. Callan sat back. ¡°Hey, Xeph, what¡¯s up?¡± What do you mean, mortal? ¡°Why are you giving me the silent treatment? You were downright chatty when I first woke up.¡± My apologies. It wasn¡¯t my intention to make you feel ignored. I was simply taken aback momentarily. To encounter a mjolk here in the Badlands, of all places... Huh. Apparently Xeph hadn¡¯t seen the girl any earlier than he had. So much for assuming they were safe. Callan immediately started reassessing the situation. ¡°Is that what she is? A... mjolk?¡± The name sounded vaguely familiar. Callan was certain Xeph had mentioned them before. Then it came back to him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that they were made to be hyper submissive or some bullshit like that?¡± Hmmph. I believe I also mentioned that the experiment was a disaster. Due to a mix up in the formulas used, the mjolk were given... a more aggressive temperament. Now they tend to be the sort to kill first and question later. Which is why I focused on, ah, assessing our current situation more thoroughly. ¡°You were pissing in your proverbial boots, is what you mean?¡± Callan suppressed a laugh. ¡°I think we¡¯re okay. She doesn¡¯t seem particularly violent.¡± Not yet. Notably, Xeph didn¡¯t dispute Callan¡¯s other comment the way he usually would. Callan wasn¡¯t sure if that was a worrisome sign or not. Before he could wonder too long, the girl returned. ¡°It seems the way ahead is unchanged. I had hoped with your appearance... well, never mind. We will need to get through it somehow, as the way back is inaccessible now. Thanks to a certain someone.¡± ¡°Hey, in my defense, it¡¯s not like I wanted to fall down here.¡± Callan frowned. ¡°Also, we might not be that trapped. Give me and Xeph a little bit, and I should be able to clear all that stone out of the way.¡± The mjolk girl arched an eyebrow at that. ¡°Useful, but the fact remains that I still need to penetrate further into this place. There is... something I must find before I can leave.¡± ¡°And what is that, exactly?¡± She just stared at him blankly. Finally, she asked, ¡°What are a boy and his god doing in this place, anyway? Seems an unusual place for one of your standing.¡± Callan almost pointed out that she didn¡¯t look nearly old enough to be calling him ¡®boy¡¯, but then thought better of it. For all he knew, she was like, seventy years old or something. ¡°I¡¯m also looking for something. Well, someone,¡± he clarified. ¡°An older woman wearing a wolf mask. Have you seen anyone like that around here?¡± The girl shook her head. ¡°Until you fell on my head I thought I was alone in this place. Still, maybe we can help each other. Provisionally.¡± ¡°Provisionally?¡± Callan asked, but she had already turned away, rummaging in a bag laid out near the fire. ¡°Just a moment, I¡¯ll need to quickly alter a few of the initial terms... and that clause won¡¯t apply... and we don¡¯t need to worry about market interest rates, obviously...¡± ¡°Uh, Xeph?¡± Callan muttered out of the corner of his mouth. ¡°You got any clue what the heck she¡¯s going on about?¡± None. The god sounded slightly nervous. Perhaps the mjolk race have been taken with a kind of mania over the millennia. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time that modifications to a race¡¯s mental state resulted in catastrophic failure. Glancing at the girl again, Callan shuddered. ¡°Geez, that¡¯s a friggin horrifying revelation. And you still don¡¯t see any problems with the changes you and the other gods have made?¡± Of course not. Some failures are always expected when delving into an unknown area of science. It is simply the cost of progress. ¡°Yeah, well you ever try and pull that shit on me and you¡¯re going to find the cost higher than you can bear.¡± Callan went quiet as the mjolk suddenly leapt to her feet. She spun around and thrust something into Callan¡¯s hands. ¡°Here. I think you¡¯ll find it¡¯s all in order.¡± ¡°I¡ªwhat is this?¡± Callan frowned and loosened his grip, allowing the paper to unroll itself as gravity drew it floorward. The thing came to rest directly in front of his toes. ¡°Standard short-term service agreement, since unfortunately I already have a current master-mjolk contract active. Is that acceptable?¡± ¡°Contract?¡± Callan was utterly lost. He glanced down at the writing, and while he could read the words easily enough, they were clearly in legalese. His eyes began to swim after just a few sentences. He thrust the contract back at the girl. ¡°Yeah, sorry, I won¡¯t be signing that. Besides, is it really necessary? Seems like you need my help more than I need yours.¡± ¡°Interesting you think that.¡± The girl took the contract, then gestured to the first few paragraphs. ¡°This is all standard mjolk contract language. If you¡¯ve ever dealt with my people before, you know that we are always honest in our dealings. To do otherwise would shame my entire clan. But if you like, I can prepare a... shortened version?¡± She said the words like they physically pained her. Callan nodded, and the girl turned back to her bag with a sigh. She set to work with a small pen and paper. Since she seemed distracted for the moment, Callan moved a short distance away where he would be out of earshot. ¡°Well? What do you think?¡± Hmm. I¡¯ve never encountered this sort of behavior with a mjolk before. It must be something new in the last centuries. ¡°Do you think we should trust her?¡± And why wouldn¡¯t we? Xeph sounded mildly surprised. Callan resisted the urge to sigh. ¡°She could be working for Veritas,¡± he said, lowering his voice even further. ¡°This could all be some further trap for us.¡± Doubtful. If this mjolk worked for Veritas, they had ample time to kill us before. That was a valid point. Callan shook his head. He didn¡¯t entirely understand what was going on, but it seemed likely this girl didn¡¯t have anything to do with the other avatar. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe. Still, that didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t trouble. Xeph had seemed worried enough about her just a few moments ago. ¡°I think we should just head out on our own.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± the girl said, before Xeph could answer. She didn¡¯t glance up at Callan, just kept scribbling. ¡°You won¡¯t make it through the next room without the information I¡¯ve gathered. Though I suppose you¡¯re welcome to go try.¡± Callan grimaced. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t¡ª" ¡°Excellent hearing, us mjolk.¡± She pointed to her ears, then resumed writing. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Not what?¡± ¡°Associated with anyone named Veritas. Is that who you¡¯re looking for?¡± Callan considered lying, or simply refusing to answer, but didn¡¯t see the point. While a bit strange, the mjolk girl had been nice enough so far. ¡°Yeah. Veritas is another god. Ulfa is her avatar.¡± ¡°Interesting. Two gods. Then this place...¡± She looked up, shook her head, then glanced back at her writing. ¡°There. That ought to be more acceptable. Come see.¡± Callan approached closer. She handed him the paper. It was only a single sentence. The undersigned agrees to a short-term contract, to terminate upon the resolution of both party¡¯s goals, or upon the will of either member at any time. ¡°There. No hidden terms or complicated payment structure. Not that the other contract had them, either.¡± The girl stuck out her tongue at Callan. ¡°Can you sign that one?¡± Callan read it again and considered his options. Really, though, what did they have to lose? ¡°Alright, but can you at least tell me your name first?¡± he asked. ¡°If I must.¡± The girl rose to her feet, then reached out a hand to him. The tips of her fingers ended in a set of curved claws, Callan noted with some dismay. He shook anyway. ¡°The name¡¯s Sevvir. Pleased to meet you.¡± 2-48 — Backed Into A Corner ¡°And one final signature... there,¡± Sevvir finished, tapping a line on the paper. She sat cross-legged next to Callan, watching him closely while he completed the forms. Her intensity over the whole situation was freaking him out. And yes, he¡¯d said forms. Plural. Because apparently, having only one copy of the single-sentence contract wasn¡¯t enough. Oh no, he¡¯d had to complete the damn thing in triplicate. He was seriously starting to question the sanity of the entire situation. ¡°There, that good enough?¡± The ink was hardly dry on the paper before Sevvir pulled the document back. She scrutinized it a moment, tongue poking out the corner of her mouth in concentration. Her eyes flicked to the two other copies laying at their feet, then back again. The expression was oddly cute. ¡°Hmmph. My mother would never forgive me if she knew I¡¯d laid out such a flimsy contract. But I suppose it will have to do. Desperate times do call for hasty actions.¡± ¡°Not sure I¡¯d call our situation that desperate,¡± Callan noted. He climbed to his feet. ¡°Like I said, I bet I can tunnel us a way out of here, given enough time. Should I do that now, so we have a way to retreat if we need to?¡± The girl nodded as she climbed to her own feet. ¡°If you wish. I was actually returning to my camp for supplies when you decided to drop in unannounced. First, however, we need to settle the matter of payment.¡± ¡°Really, ¡®dropped in¡¯? Isn¡¯t that kind of low hanging fruit¡ª¡± He paused. ¡°Wait, what do you mean, payment?¡± ¡°Well, a mjolk certainly can¡¯t work for free.¡± The girl gave him a wide smile, showing all of her teeth. All of her very sharp, very pointed teeth. Between those and the claws, he was beginning to see why Xeph had been so nervous earlier. Speaking of his head-mate, the god chose that moment to finally speak up. Hmm. Fascinating. It seems that particular tradition remains unchanged. If anything, it has probably been greatly reinforced by this obsession with contracts. Or perhaps the contracts were a natural offshoot... an area worthy of study, to be certain... ¡°Xeph, English please?¡± We aren¡¯t speaking English, mortal, and haven¡¯t been for some time. Nor are we speaking Urslang common, not truly, but rather a melding of languages as can only exist between two beings as intrinsically joined as¡ª Callan pressed a hand to his head. ¡°Buddy, it¡¯s been a long day, and I¡¯ve already dealt with one near-killer headache. I don¡¯t think I can take another so soon.¡± Yes, yes. Concerning the mjolk girl, I was merely referencing how, ever since shortly after their creation, the mjolk have always had a very... transactional disposition. I do not know the cause, though several of my siblings speculated it was a side-effect of being granted a bloodlust ill-suited to their diminutive and supple forms. ¡°What does any of that even mean?¡± Callan held off asking about the ¡®supple form¡¯ comment, at least until he was no longer within Sevvir¡¯s range of hearing¡ªwhich, given what he¡¯d learned about her so far, would probably be a while. It means, human, that you just entered a contract¡ªhowever short-term¡ªwith a mjolk, and now you are obligated to pay for their services. Or else. Glancing over, Callan swallowed the ¡®or else what?¡¯ comment he¡¯d been about to make. Sevvir stood watching him, and there was a... dangerous glint in her eyes. One even more intense than her expression while he was signing the contracts. He suddenly got the impression that making a snide comment would go very, very badly for him. ¡°Payment, please.¡± She held out a hand. ¡°I, ah, I¡¯m not exactly flush with cash at the moment.¡± Callan made a show of patting down his pockets, which didn¡¯t contain much other than his last remaining stick of gum, along with a few loose pebbles and¡ª Oh. He frowned at Sevvir, who suddenly seemed quite interested in a small patch of ceiling above them. Her eyes darted to look at him, then returned to their study. ¡°You know, I was unconscious for a while,¡± Callan said. ¡°Long enough for someone to search through my pockets and see what I had.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, god boy.¡± Sevvir¡¯s smile turned all toothy again. ¡°Look, if you really wanted it that bad, you could have just taken¡ª¡± ¡°A mjolk does not steal.¡± The girl set hands on her hips. ¡°That would be unseemly, and cast shame upon both herself and her clan. If, however, a certain yeth boy were to make a contract without considering the payment terms... well, that¡¯s hardly my fault, now is it?¡± Shaking his head and smiling ruefully, Callan dug into his pocket and extracted the necklace, the same one he¡¯d been meaning to give to Kivi but kept missing the opportunity. Well, it seemed he¡¯d have to find another gift for her later. Sevvir snatched the necklace from his hands the moment it appeared, cradling it close. She was making a low rumbling in her throat, almost like... purring? Very similar to purring. No, it was definitely purring. ¡°Thank you, Callan. This will do nicely for payment.¡± With a quick flick of her wrist, the girl unsnapped the clasp and secured the jewelry around her neck. The spinel at the piece¡¯s center glittered in the firelight as it came to rest in the hollow of her throat. Callan, however, barely paid any attention. That elusive memory that had slipped from him earlier came back in full force, and he finally realized why Sevvir had seemed so familiar this entire time, even though they''d never met before. The ears. The tail. The purring. Heck, even the teeth and claws. It was all so obvious now. "Cat girl!" he said, pointing at her. He was so elated to have finally figured it out that it only occurred to him afterward that shouting like that might not be the best idea. Sevvir frowned at him, her eyes narrowing dangerously. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Cat... girl?¡± Callan swallowed. ¡°I just realized, you look exactly like the cat girls from that anime my friend Lyle was so obsessed with. Well, not exactly, since you¡¯re real and they were just two-dimensional drawings, but still, most of the details are the same, the only thing you¡¯re missing is the feather duster and maid uniform, but¡ª¡± He realized he was babbling and snapped his mouth shut. Sevvir¡¯s expression had grown even more dangerous. ¡°Tell me, Callan. What, exactly, is a ¡®cat¡¯, and why should I not be offended that you called me so while pointing in such a rude manner?¡± ¡°Umm... Xeph? Little help?¡± Oh, you dug your own pit, mortal, you can find your way out. ¡°Dangit, you¡¯re supposed to be my ally here,¡± Callan grumbled. Noticing that Sevvir¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t exactly improving, he quickly held up his hands. ¡°It¡¯s not an insult or anything, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering. Cats are pets, nice pets. People love cats. They catch mice, and curl up in your lap, and...¡± Seeing Sevvir¡¯s eyebrows narrow further, he swallowed. ¡°Xeph, throw me a friggin bone already. Do they seriously not have cats here?¡± On this continent? There were a few in my time, but they were mostly limited to the wealthier northern territories. On Gyviar they were quite popular, while on Toloh and Cainox they were banned outright. I cannot say for Linoli, but if I had to speculate¡ªThe author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Speculate later,¡± Callan said, cutting him off. Sevvir had taken a menacing step forward. She raised a clawed hand. ¡°Are you saying that you see me as a pet?¡± she asked, voice cold. Callan swallowed. ¡°Not¡ªthat¡¯s¡ªAh...¡± Before he could formulate a response, Sevvir¡¯s face quivered. It quirked into a grin, returned to being stern, then slipped again. She started laughing, clutching at her sides as she did. Callan gaped. ¡°I¡ªsorry.¡± The mjolk wiped a tear from her eye, let out a final laugh, then straightened. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t resist. The look on your face...¡± She started laughing again. All Callan could do was watch, speechless. Had he... had she really...? ¡°I know what a cat is, Callan.¡± Wiping at her face some more, Sevvir gave him a softer, more reassuring grin. ¡°And you aren¡¯t the first to make the comparison between the creatures and a mjolk. Though most would not be so bold as to do it to our face. Still. Cat girl. Hmm. Not entirely sure what I think of the term, but I don¡¯t dislike it...¡± The question is, how do YOU know about ¡®cat girls¡¯? Have some mjolk managed to make it to your own world? You did not mention this detail before. ¡°No, they¡¯re...¡± Realizing he didn¡¯t any satisfactory answer to give his head-mate, he shook his head. ¡°Never mind. We¡¯ve wasted enough time on this as it is. How about focusing on getting out, instead?¡± ¡°That is acceptable with me.¡± Sevvir said. ¡°I believe you said something about clearing the rubble, before?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Callan brightened. ¡°Yeah! That is totally something we can do. Though it might take a bit, depending exactly how deep the collapse goes. My powers are still, ah, developing.¡± The corners of Sevvir¡¯s mouth quivered a moment before settling again. ¡°Is that so?¡± She turned and moved toward the small fire, still burning on the floor without fuel or smoke. Callan smirked after her. Just wait. Bet she was going to be so surprised by what he could do she¡¯d be asking to renegotiate that contract before they even made it to¡ª Bending down, Sevvir reached towards the fire, and then casually scooped it up in her hand, like it was nothing. Callan froze in place, watching. Straightening, Sevvir glanced back at him, smirking. She casually tossed the flames from one hand to the next and back again. ¡°Well, shall we? I¡¯d rather not spend any longer down here than I must.¡± ¡°Uh, right. Sure.¡± Callan followed after as she made for the back wall of the room. In his head, Xeph let out a chuckle, though it had a nervous edge to it. I warned you, mortal. Mjolk are never to be underestimated.
She¡¯s not a priest, Xeph said, before Callan even had a chance to open his mouth. Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder at Sevvir, who was holding the crackling flames above her head for light. They bathed the cave-in around them in flickering orange hues. ¡°And how would you know that?¡± he asked, turning back to the rocks. He pretended to make a point of studying them. ¡°Maybe I should summon Wurmchain and check.¡± Fine. It is unlikely that she is a priest, Xeph amended. Mjolk have never been particularly inclined to offer faith to the gods, let alone serve in our priesthoods. Simply one of the many reasons their creation was considered a failure. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to tell her you said that.¡± ¡°Tell me what?¡± Sevvir asked. Callan waved a hand dismissively as his head-mate squawked. ¡°So what else is it?¡± he continued. Behind him, the mjolk girl let out an irritated huff. Do you remember when you asked about other uses for transcendental conduits? ¡°I mean, yeah, that was literally just a couple hours ago.¡± Callan frowned. ¡°Then this is some sort of natural ability?¡± In essence. Millenia ago, they were called Willcasters, those who could draw upon their own Conviction to imbue their very will upon the world. It is a difficult skill to learn, but for those willing to spend the years and mental focus to achieve it, they are granted abilities almost¡ªALMOST¡ªas powerful as those I offer you. ¡°So you¡¯re saying I could learn to do that.¡± Xeph let out a noise somewhere halfway between a snort and a cough. Did you not hear a word I just said, human? Yes, you might gain additional skills, but only after years of dedicated practice. And then they would simply be abilities weaker than what I might grant you for gathering a little bit of faith. It would be a waste of effort, to say the least. ¡°But I could learn it.¡± The god let out a sigh. It is an academic possibility, but not one that I¡¯ve heard of an avatar ever putting into practice. ¡°Yeah, but a lot could have changed in the last thousand years.¡± Callan grinned. ¡°And if not, I can always be the first.¡± But why would you waste the time when I can¡ª Behind him, Sevvir cleared her throat. ¡°While I¡¯m sure whatever you and your god are discussing is of great importance, Callan, could you possibly try to talk and work at the same time? Holding this flame for long periods of time isn¡¯t exactly easy. Or fun.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Callan activated his Shape Stone ability and focused on the cave-in.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 5%
¡°So... you¡¯re a willcaster?¡± he said conversationally as the stone began to peel itself away to either side. Boulders shifted about as the pile was consumed. ¡°Hmm. Haven¡¯t heard someone refer to it that formally since I finished my apprenticeship.¡± ¡°Why, what do you call it?¡± ¡°Just casting, usually. Or evoking, since that¡¯s technically what I¡¯m doing. I lack the skill for empowerment, and the patience for alteration. None of the other schools ever really appealed to me.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± Callan said, only understanding about a fourth of that. It sounded vaguely similar to some of the magic schools in D&D, but spellcasting had always been more Lyle¡¯s wheelhouse than his. He¡¯d mostly only been there for the sake of driving their DM, an older guy named Carl, absolutely nuts with crazy shenanigans. Hmm, Xeph muttered. They¡¯ve advanced the art enough to establish formal schools. Fascinating the rapid changes that can occur in only a few thousand years. ¡°Gee, buddy, you think?¡± Callan rolled his eyes. He went to push through the next layer of stone and found that he couldn¡¯t. Frowning, Callan waved his hands, sinking the directional orb deeper. When that didn¡¯t work, he called it forward, until he was just manipulating the surface of the boulders in front of him. Nothing happened. ¡°What the friggin hell?¡± he muttered. Pulling back a stone-encrusted fist, he slammed it into the rock. Bits and pieces broke off in a way reminiscent of regular ol¡¯ rock, but when he tried to activate Shape Stone again, nothing happened. Hmm, Xeph¡¯s presence was suddenly in the forefront of his mind. Fascinating. Ironstone. This explains so much. ¡°It does?¡± Callan asked, taking a step back. He activated his powers once more, running over the surrounding rock. While he could manipulate most of the closer ones, as soon as he got further in, his powers ceased working again. Yes. I had been wondering how a metal god such as Veritas could have carved tunnels similar to my own temple¡¯s. There must be a particularly large concentration of ironstone beneath this plateau. So large that it is considered more metal than stone. Callan had moved on to trying to manipulate the floor at their feet. Nothing. He tried the walls. Still nothing. The roof above their heads was a different matter. Maybe if he built a staircase, they could climb upward, but he wasn¡¯t certain there was enough non-ironstone around to do that. Yes, everything around us is too metal-rich for my gifts to manipulate. It seems we will not be escaping this way after all. ¡°Great. Absolutely great.¡± With a sigh, Callan explained the situation to Sevvir. The mjolk looked thoughtful, but not particularly concerned. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll find another exit further on. Or at worst, we come back here and move the remaining stone by hand. For now, we should continue our way deeper in.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I wouldn¡¯t make it through the next room?¡± Callan asked. ¡°What exactly is waiting for us that way?¡± ¡°I said you wouldn¡¯t make it through without me.¡± Sevvir shot him a wide grin as she walked toward the tunnel opening, her flaming hand held aloft to better light the way. ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad you signed that contract now?¡± ¡°Hmm. That remains to be seen.¡± The mjolk continued smiling at him all the way to the other side of the tunnel. Then they emerged into another chamber, and Callan found his attention pulled elsewhere. Because this room was absolutely ginormous. They stepped out onto a small ledge, which jutted out over a pit so deep even Sevvir¡¯s light couldn¡¯t penetrate its bottom. The ceiling wasn¡¯t far above their heads, though it was still out of easy reach. Squinting, Callan could just make out another ledge in the distance. In between them and the distant exit were... platforms. ¡°What¡¯s even holding those up?¡± he asked, studying the nearest one. It appeared to be a sheet of copper or some other similarly colored material, hovering in the air a few feet away. Close enough that Callan could probably jump to it if he wanted. A second one hovered next to it, and even more stretched on ahead towards the opposite ledge, always in pairs. A bridge, but one broken into pieces. And all of it defying the laws of physics. ¡°Is this another dveorgan creation?¡± No... I don¡¯t think so, Xeph said. It¡¯s not like any dveorgan artifact I¡¯ve witnessed. Nor like anything we saw while visiting their city. Callan agreed. Besides, something felt off about the metal platforms. He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, but staring at one too long started to give him the heebie-jeebies. He turned to Sevvir, but the mjolk simple shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I was only paid to explore this place, not understand it.¡± ¡°Please tell me we don¡¯t need to do what I think we need to do,¡± Callan said. He felt his stomach drop into the pit below. Hopefully that sensation wasn¡¯t prophetic. ¡°Afraid so. There¡¯s a reason I was sitting back there when you decided to tumble down for a visit. I¡¯ve been trying to come up with an alternative, but there¡¯s only one way across that I can see. ¡°We jump.¡± 2-49 — Hop, Skip, And A Jump Callan leaned against the doorframe as he studied the room. The flames in Sevvir¡¯s hand reflected off the copper platforms, making their surfaces ripple in irregular patterns. He judged exactly how difficult it would be to jump, and while he was fairly confident he had sufficient Brawn to clear the distance, he didn¡¯t like the idea of sliding across the slick surface and tumbling off the other side. ¡°It can¡¯t be that simple, right?¡± he asked. ¡°I mean, if it was just a matter of jumping, Xeph and I would have had that figured out in a few minutes. There must be more to this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Sevvir said. She kicked her feet idly as she leaned back and looked at him. How she could sit so casually on the ledge¡¯s lip with half of her dangling out over nothing, Callan couldn¡¯t fathom. ¡°You¡¯ll notice that there are two platforms within jumping distance.¡± Callan nodded. Then he blinked. ¡°We have to choose which one we jump to.¡± ¡°Exactly. And if you guess incorrect...¡± The mjolk made a whistling noise that progressively dropped in pitch. She slapped her hand against the ledge, the sound echoing through the chamber. ¡°...Well, I think you get the idea.¡± So it is a trial of chance, then, Xeph noted. We must take an equal probability of death with every leap. I do not like those odds over so many platforms. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re telling me. This whole thing has a real Squid Game vibe to it,¡± Callan noted. ¡°Squid?¡± Sevvir asked, the same moment that Xeph said, What do squid have to do with the situation? ¡°They don¡¯t, it¡¯s just a¡ª¡± Callan paused. ¡°You have squid here? Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡ªthey¡¯re monstrosities hundreds of feet long that drag ships into the deep, aren¡¯t they?¡± Don¡¯t be absurd. They¡¯re small creatures, barely larger than your finger. You find them in tidal pools and salt marshes, mostly. Why? Are the ones on your world...? ¡°They vary in size.¡± He pushed off the wall and stepped forward, studying the platforms. ¡°Actually, we do have a variety that can get about a hundred feet long, now that I think about it. They don¡¯t drag down ships, though. Not big ones, at least.¡± What a terrifying thought. ¡°Oh please, like you don¡¯t have fifty other things on this world that are straight out of my worst nightmares.¡± ¡°This world?¡± Sevvir said. Callan waved the question away and gestured towards the platforms. ¡°So how does it work? Does the wrong one collapse when enough weight is on it or something?¡± He was already considering possibilities. They could chuck a few rocks or even use his Rock Sling to try and set off the wrong platform prematurely. Honestly, this didn¡¯t seem like that difficult a challenge. Sevvir shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m actually not sure. When I encountered one of these challenges before, it involved activating a small gemstone at the center of either platform, but... too many factors are different. In that place, each platform had a color sequence of glowing lights that could be used to determine the proper jumping pattern. But here... nothing. No hints, or sequences to follow. Every challenge here so far has been like this. As if this place is... abandoned. Dead.¡± Are such traps common in temples in this era? Xeph asked. I do not recall ever encountering anything like this before, and what we have witnessed so far has not unlocked anything, either. Callan repeated the question, which earned him a strange look from Sevvir. She shook her head again. ¡°I don¡¯t know about temples. The last place I went to with traps like this certainly wasn¡¯t one. Honestly, until you told me about that other god, I thought that feeling I was getting in this place was just my nerves.¡± ¡°Really? What was it like in the place you were before?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Like this, mostly,¡± Sevvir gestured around them. ¡°But the lights still worked, and there were traps around every corner, most of which had some trick to figuring them out. And there were monsters trying to kill me, or at least keep me from getting to the treasure at the center.¡± Monsters? What nonsense is this? Xeph grumbled. There are no such thing as monsters, just creatures that are not properly understood by science. ¡°Yeah, tell that to those city-destroying worms you¡¯ve mentioned.¡± Honestly, from Sevvir¡¯s description, Callan was getting that Dungeons and Dragons vibe again. But that was probably just because it was still on his mind from earlier. He brushed the thought aside and looked at the mjolk. ¡°You said something about treasure? Is that why you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, so don¡¯t go getting any big ideas about taking it for yourself.¡± She patted her bag. ¡°I¡¯ve got your signed promise that you¡¯ll help me achieve my goals. Acquiring what¡¯s waiting at the center of this place is all that matters to me.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t the contract also say we can terminate it at any time though?¡± Callan asked. ¡°What¡¯s to stop me from doing that and taking the treasure for...¡± He trailed off, seeing the expression on Sevvir¡¯s face. Xeph shuddered, which felt like a bee suddenly getting loose inside Callan¡¯s skull. That would likely go quite poorly for us, mortal. ¡°Okay, okay, just asking. Sheesh.¡± ¡°Getting back to the matter at hand,¡± Sevvir said, acting as if their exchange never happened, ¡°You need to figure out a way to determine which is the correct panel, and then we¡¯ll work our way across. Simple.¡± ¡°Wait, why I am I the one that has to figure this out? I thought we were partners!¡± ¡°We are.¡± Sevvir showed him a mouthful of teeth again. ¡°And my part was making certain you didn¡¯t simply jump to the first panel unknowingly and plummet to your death. Seems like that agreement between us is working out in your favor, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hmmph. This mjolk is rather arrogant, but they¡¯re not wrong. We do owe them on several counts. And I would prefer not to end this little arrangement still in their debt if we can help it, mortal. ¡°I¡¯ll try to think of something,¡± Callan said, ¡°But we¡¯re overlooking a critical detail.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not jumping anywhere.¡± Callan thumped on his leg for emphasis, making himself wince. ¡°Not anytime soon, at least.¡± ¡°Oh, of course, I¡¯d forgotten about that.¡± Sevvir stood up. ¡°Take off your pants.¡± ¡°What???¡± Callan spluttered. The mjolk rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be so modest. You don¡¯t have anything I haven¡¯t seen before.¡± ¡°Still, you can¡¯t just ask me to¡ª¡± Human, Xeph interrupted, She wants to inspect your wound, not bed you. Either way, there¡¯s not much you can do to stop her if she puts her mind to it. Best just get it over with. ¡°That is easily the creepiest thing I¡¯ve heard you say before, Xeph.¡± Still, after a moment of grumbling Callan complied, tugging off his shoes and stripping away the pants, which were partially stuck to him with dried blood. ¡°Hmm.¡± Sevvir leaned in, peering first one direction, then another. She pulled the bandage away and made a clucking noise. ¡°It¡¯s gotten worse since I patched it. I should have gotten to work immediately after you awoke, so I guess apologies are in order. This might sting a bit.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Got to work? Work on what¡ª¡± Callan¡¯s words cut off as he let out a screech of pain. Sevvir had clamped down on his wound, and waves of agony unlike anything he¡¯d felt before rocketed through him. A hissing noise emanated from between the mjolks fingers, accompanied by thin trails of smoke. It was all Callan could do to remain standing. When Sevvir finally released him, he slumped against the doorway, his legs turned to Jello. The pain faded rapidly, but its ghost lingered behind, silent echoes causing his body to spasm periodically. ¡°What... what did you do to me?¡± Sevvir climbed to her feet, slapping her hands together, which made her claws give off a musical chime. ¡°Healed you.¡± ¡°Really? Because that didn¡¯t feel like friggin...¡± Callan paused. He glanced down at his leg. The wound was gone. So was the pain, now that he¡¯d stopped quivering long enough to notice. He glanced back up. ¡°What, you have, like, healing fire?¡± ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s a good name for it.¡± The mjolk smirked. ¡°My teacher had a longer, fancier term. But healing fire really just lays it right out there.¡± ¡°I honestly can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re mocking me or not.¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°Thanks though, I guess.¡± ¡°Just another perk of signing a contract with a mjolk,¡± she said, matter-of-factly. ¡°Wait, is that why you didn¡¯t heal me while I was unconscious?¡± Callan ground his teeth as the girl nodded. ¡°Great. Fantastic.¡± ¡°Why, is something the matter?¡± ¡°No, never mind. Let¡¯s just get back to solving this puzzle.¡± Moving to the edge of the shelf, he studied the two closest platforms, then picked one at random. Taking aim, he fired off a rock at it.
Alert: 12.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 12.5%
This was the first time he¡¯d used Rock Sling since upgrading the ability. And while he had a tangible measurement for how much the distance had improved, he hadn¡¯t really been sure exactly what sort of an improvement a ¡®medium¡¯ stone would turn out to be. The answer was... more than he¡¯d expected, honestly. Before, it had been about the size of his fist. Now it was easily two, maybe three times that large. He¡¯d need to see one up close to be certain. Not this one, though. It rocketed away, impacting the platform well before the forty feet maximum. Then it kept going, sliding along the copper surface until it plummeted off the other side. Well, that went about as expected, Xeph muttered inside of Callan¡¯s head. ¡°Oh, like you knew it would do that.¡± Did I know that a highly accelerated object impacting a low friction surface would continue moving? Of course not, mortal. My understanding of physics is clearly as rudimentary as your own. Callan, who¡¯d been worried that he might do much the same thing as the stone if he jumped over there, swallowed down any further vitriol. He was more mad at himself than Xeph, if he was being honest. ¡°It was a bad idea, anyway,¡± he said. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to be shooting rocks at every platform. It¡¯d take us days to recover our apotheosis before we got across.¡± I also do not think it such a simple matter to test these platforms. If they could be tricked by simple applications, they would not serve as any true form of trial. ¡°And if they were working at whatever capacity this place is supposed to be, I¡¯d agree with you. However, I don¡¯t think we can rule any ideas out at this point.¡± Hmm. Valid. In that case, best summon another stone. ¡°No, I actually just thought of something easier.¡± Turning, he marched back to the cave in. A moment later he returned to the trial room hefting another stone about the size of his head. ¡°Here... goes... nothing!¡± With all his strength, he hurled it at the other platform. A small part of him noted with satisfaction that he¡¯d managed to put as much power behind the throw as what Rock Sling achieved. The jury was still out on whether that orison would ever prove to be a wise skill investment. Unfortunately, while his power was equal, his aim was not. The rock barely clipped the edge of the other platform, bounced, then sailed away into the dark. Hmm. ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡± I think you need another rock, mortal. Callan gritted his teeth. ¡°Goddamnit, Xeph.¡± Turning, he marched back down the tunnel, returning with a slightly smaller rock this time. Easier to fine tune, he reasoned. He hurled it towards the platform. And hit it dead center. The rock skipped across the surface three times before slipped over the far side and plummeting into the pit. ¡°Okay, results are in.¡± Callan turned to look at Sevvir, who¡¯d been following all of this with a bemused expression. ¡°And I think we can conclusively determine one of two things.¡± ¡°And what are those?¡± ¡°Either both platforms are safe, or rocks are an ineffective method of testing.¡± The mjolk girl¡¯s lips pulled into a tight line. ¡°Hmm. And how do you intend to narrow down these choices?¡± Callan turned back. He studied the platforms. An idea occurred to him, but it was such a bad one he didn¡¯t dare speak it out loud for fear of what Xeph would say. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Callan,¡± Sevvir said, while he stewed in his own thoughts. ¡°Let¡¯s return to clearing the tunnel. If we can reach my camp, I have a few supplies we might use to¡ª¡± Before he could lose his nerve, Callan took a step back. Then he launched himself forward and over the edge. He heard Sevvir cry out at the same moment Xeph let out a screech, both sounds intermingling in his mind and becoming unintelligible. Then Callan¡¯s feet slammed into the base of the right platform, and all his concentration went into arresting his forward motion. He managed to stop a foot or so from the opposite edge, arms pinwheeling for balance. The metal was even more slick than it appeared, with an almost glassy consistency under his feet. Turning, he waved at Sevvir. ¡°I figured it out!¡± Mortal, Xeph growled. That was without a doubt the most impetuous risk you¡¯ve taken! So much so that I begin to wonder if you even appreciate the gifts that I have provided, given how you seem willing to risk them in reckless, foolhardy¡ª He didn¡¯t get to finish before the floor dropped out beneath them.
Sevvir watched as Callan returned with another stone, hefted it, and threw. He actually managed to hit the platform this time, which was honestly a bit impressive. Of course, the stone simply bounced and slid off the other side the same as the first, telling him nothing. She hadn¡¯t bothered to let the yeth boy know she¡¯d already attempted this trick. Better to let him think himself clever. At least for a bit. Eventually, he would see there was no way across. It frustrated Sevvir, but she¡¯d determined hours ago the only way to navigate the room would be to sink spikes into the walls and take the long way around. She¡¯d done it in several others already. All they needed were the supplies back in her camp. But in the meantime, she was enjoying what futile efforts he came up with. It wouldn¡¯t matter. They¡¯d inevitably use her equipment, and that would be one more mark in her favor, one more way she endear herself to him. Already she¡¯d seen the fruits of her efforts using the ancestral Sunndarae techniques her mother had taught her. While they hadn¡¯t been nearly as effective on the men back in Amon Tul as she¡¯d hoped, perhaps she¡¯d simply chosen the wrong targets. Callan certainly was responding with the perfect ascribed mix of confusion and embarrassment. It seemed she¡¯d chosen well. Yes, she just needed to finish her mission here, and by that time the little avatar would be perfectly ensnared, primed for signing another contract... ¡°Okay, results are in,¡± Callan called, bringing Sevvir¡¯s attention back to the room. The avatar proceeded to lay out his theories while she nodded along. Meanwhile, her mind returned to business. She still couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d refused the first contract so quickly. Sevvir had worried he¡¯d known her ultimate purpose for him then, that the god inside his head had informed him about paragraph 28e subsection eight. But he hadn¡¯t made any other comment about it, so that didn¡¯t appear to be the case. Which was good. Because she fully intended to enact it upon him. Then she¡¯d return to her clan a conquering hero. After all, no one had ever managed to enact that particular clause with an avatar before¡ªat least not that Sevvir had ever heard in any stories. Surely she¡¯d be the first. And if she managed that, her mother would have to forgive her for that mess back in Amon Tul. Callan had resumed studying the platforms, clearly without a clue as how to proceed. Time to lay on the charm again. She cleared her throat. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Callan. Let¡¯s return to clearing the tunnel. If we can reach my camp, I have a few supplies we might use to¡ª¡± The avatar took a step back. Sevvir frowned, about to ask him what he was doing, when he started forward again and leapt across to the first platform! The fool! She stared, aghast, as he turned around to give her the most asinine grin she¡¯d ever seen. ¡°I figured it out!¡± Well, maybe he is smarter than I gave him credit for¡ª The platform beneath Callan¡¯s feet shattered, sending him tumbling into the abyss. Sevvir lurched forward, but there was nothing she could do. Her cry of shock echoed into the chamber, punctuated by a loud thwomp. Thwomp? She looked down. A white barb, oddly reminiscent of the shed mungandir scales she¡¯d seen for sale at the Amon Tul bazaar now protruded from the stone between her feet. Glancing out further, she saw a line of similar scales¡ªthese the more common black color¡ªstretching away into the darkness. And at the very edge of her vision, a hand, reaching upward. It seized the scales before hauling... ¡°Callan,¡± she breathed as the rest of the yeth avatar came into view. ¡°Yep... Be with you... Shortly...¡± Despite his clipped words, he hauled himself hand over hand at a rapid pace, and moments later was heaving himself onto the ledge next to her. ¡°See, I told you I had it figured out. Just give me a few minutes and I¡¯ll try that with the other platform.¡± He grinned maniacally. Sevvir found herself grinning back. What a mjolk-ish sort of thing to have done. Completely un-yeth like. She¡¯d made the right choice. Yes, she¡¯d be getting him to sign a contract for certain. There was just the pesky matter of dealing with her obligations here, first. 2-50 — Just Like An Energizer Bunny When he reached the last platform Callan almost slid off the far end. Not that it would have been the end of him, but he would¡¯ve been rather embarrassed to have to start all over again. Besides, he¡¯d had enough of these sudden drops at this point. The sooner it was over, the better. You know, you could have just kept going and leapt for the ledge, Xeph commented as he jumped up and down a few times to ensure this was the solid platform. It was. None of these platforms collapsed for at least the first fifteen seconds. Theoretically, we could have just kept moving and made it the whole way across. ¡°What, and just left Sevvir behind? Little bit cold of you there, Xeph.¡± Do you honestly think that mjolk incapable of keeping pace with us? As he spoke, Sevvir landed beside them in total silence. Callan noticed that she didn¡¯t slide across the platform. Were there claws hiding inside those boots of hers? ¡°I¡ªWhy are you only suggesting this now?¡± Callan asked, as the mjolk took another leap and reached the ledge containing the exit out of the room. She walked over to the door, peeked through it, then gave a backwards thumbs up in his direction. It only just occurred to me. ¡°Great. Just great.¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°Probably for the better we did the slow and steady method. What if I¡¯d built up too much forward momentum? Or had to stop to tie a shoelace? What if knowing the pattern on the way back is important for some reason? There are too many ways rushing it could go wrong.¡± Possibly true, Xeph admitted. It would have saved your hands a bit of damage, though. Callan glanced down, wincing involuntarily. Even though Sevvir had healed them each time, he felt a residual ache from climbing up Wurmchain a dozen times in rapid succession. Maybe one day Mountainform could protect him entirely, but given his weapon¡¯s stone-cutting nature, he doubted it would be anytime soon. Another leap carried him over to the ledge. Despite being ready for a break, he hastened to join Sevvir in the doorway. A short hallway lay ahead, with another door maybe thirty feet beyond. No other branching tunnels or options. ¡°Is that usual for... whatever this place is?¡± Sevvir looked at him curiously. ¡°You seem to be under the mistaken impression I¡¯m an expert. I¡¯ve only been to one other such place, and that¡¯s assuming these two are actually in any way related.¡± She paused, then added, ¡°But no, it¡¯s not. That one was filled with branches and intersecting hallways. This place has been nothing but one long tunnel. Always just one door, one way forward.¡± Different styles of puzzles, maybe? Xeph mused. Or perhaps Veritas simply lacked the time and materials for anything more complex. ¡°I¡¯m curious why she bothered at all,¡± Callan grumbled. ¡°If this was Veritas¡¯s idea of keeping Athakolu at bay, their time would have been better spent building regular fortifications, not puzzles.¡± Another mystery we¡¯ll have to ask about, if we get the opportunity. ¡°Oh yeah, first thing I¡¯ll do when we see her again.¡± Callan rolled his eyes and started after Sevvir. ¡°So, any ideas what¡¯s behind there?¡± ¡°As I just said¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re not an expert. But didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ve been through, what, like two dozen of these rooms so far? Was there a pattern to them or anything?¡± The girl paused. She turned to study him for a moment. Callan couldn¡¯t say why, but there was something noticeably... hungry about the expression. ¡°A pattern. That is an intriguing idea, and one that I hadn¡¯t considered before. Are you certain that you have never been here before, Callan?¡± ¡°I can promise you I haven¡¯t.¡± Though to be fair, he¡¯d played enough dungeon crawlers with Lyle that it was the first thing that had immediately occurred to him. It always seemed like there were recognizable patterns in those games, even in the supposedly randomized ones. ¡°Hmm. Assuming that what I¡¯ve seen so far continues to hold true, then this room should be... a battle room, I think.¡± She glanced back, and seeing Callan¡¯s expression, added, ¡°Monsters.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± he said, relaxing. ¡°So this should be an easy challenge.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± They reached the door. Callan noted that while it appeared to be made from the same copperish material as the platforms, this one wasn¡¯t smooth. Instead, it was inlaid with small inscriptions and geometric shapes. He leaned in but couldn¡¯t make any sense of them. Apparently Xeph¡¯s translation powers only went so far. He glanced back as Sevvir pulled on the handle. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say everything here was dead? Or does that not include the monsters?¡± I should hope so, Xeph added. What would they have been eating all this time? ¡°I did say everything here was dead.¡± Sevvir opened the door. ¡°However, as you saw in the last room, that doesn¡¯t always make the challenges easier.¡± ¡°Yeah, but...¡± The mjolk stepped through the doorway, and Callan followed. The flames in her hand illuminated a chamber maybe fifty feet in any direction, with a floor patterned in copper and steel plates. Several light fixtures hung overhead, but they were as dead as everything else in here. Also scattered about the room were small brass-colored orbs, about a dozen in all. None reached higher than Callan¡¯s knee. ¡°No monsters in here,¡± he said, noting the door on the far side. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Striding forward, Sevvir raised a foot and delivered a solid kick to one of the orbs. It rocked back and forth, but seemed more solidly attached than Callan would have thought. She repeated the process a few times. ¡°Hmmph.¡± ¡°Expecting something more?¡± ¡°No. But I¡¯ve learned it never hurts to be careful in places like this.¡± Weaving her way through the room, she approached the far doorway. Callan lingered a moment, studying the walls, which appeared to be hewn from the same ironstone as everywhere else. This was seriously limiting his available powerset. Metal floors, metal walls, metal doors... Veritas¡¯s mark was all over the place. ¡°Mother¡¯s tits!¡± Callan glanced over to see Sevvir was now venting her anger against the door. She struck it multiple times, to little effect. ¡°The way ahead is sealed. It is probably designed to open only when the challenge is completed.¡± That certainly was a colorful expression, Xeph noted, as Callan came to join the mjolk by the exit. He looked over the door but couldn¡¯t see anything in the way of a lock mechanism, or even a handle. If not for the color, it would have been indiscernible from the rest of the wall. Do you think it is a regional variation, or something unique to the mjolk? Ah, the etymological possibilities this modern era provides are near limitless! ¡°Glad you¡¯re enjoying yourself, buddy.¡± He glanced over at Sevvir. ¡°So what do we do?¡± ¡°There is a possibility I¡¯ve tried in previous rooms, but...¡± She glanced at him. ¡°Are you skilled enough to hold your own in a fight?¡± When Callan just frowned at her, she added, ¡°There is no shame in admitting you aren¡¯t. Many races lack the natural battle instincts that a mjolk possesses from birth. If you fear for your safety, you can retreat out of the room. I will inform you when the battle is over.¡± ¡°Sevvir, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve noticed, by my arms can literally turn to stone. Pretty sure I¡¯m as ¡®combat ready¡¯ as you are.¡± ¡°Possessing claws does not automatically make one a hunter, Callan. If you are likely to freeze or panic during a battle, I would rather you tell me now. I will not think less of you for it.¡± ¡°I can fight.¡± She looked at him doubtfully. Callan set his jaw. ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Fine. Prove it.¡± She took a step back. ¡°Hit me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hit me. Preferably as hard as you can.¡± Callan stared at her. ¡°Uh, no.¡± ¡°And why not?¡± There was a mischievous quirk to Sevvir¡¯s smile. ¡°You mean besides the fact that I don¡¯t want to hurt you?¡± For some reason, the girl¡¯s smile grew even wider at that statement. Callan resisted the urge to scrub at his face. ¡°Maybe I just don¡¯t like hitting¡ª¡± He caught himself before the next word could slip out.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Don¡¯t like hitting what, Callan?¡± That dangerous glint was back in Sevvir¡¯s eyes. She flexed her claws in a way that couldn¡¯t be misconstrued as anything but a threat. ¡°Please tell me. I¡¯m ever so curious.¡± I¡¯m also curious, Xeph said. Is there an Earthling taboo against hitting mjolk? What a strange and ultimately one-sided custom. I doubt the Earth mjolk refuse to hit back, no matter what steps you¡¯ve taken over the millennia to domesticate them. ¡°Dangit, Xeph, I already told you there are no mjolk on¡ª¡± Callan paused again. Forced himself to take a deep breath. He started over. ¡°Listen, Sevvir, you understand that I¡¯m an avatar, right? That means my strength is multiple times what you could ever hope to achieve.¡± Well, that¡¯s an slight overembellishment... perhaps one day you might achieve such levels of Brawn, mortal, but until you start collecting faith in earnest... Callan ignored his head-mate and focused solely on Sevvir. ¡°That¡¯s not even factoring in the abilities that Xeph has gifted me. A punch with Mountainform could break every bone in your body. My Wurmchain could flay the skin from your bones. My Rock¡ª¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Sevvir held up a hand. ¡°Just refrain from calling on anything but your god-given strength, Callan. I promise you that I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°If I kill you¡ª¡± The mjolk let out a sharp burst of laughter. ¡°If you can kill me in one hit then I don¡¯t deserve to bear my clan¡¯s name. Anything else, I can heal afterwards. Now, are you going to hit me, or are we going to stand here until the meat rots from our bones?¡± Again with the colorful expressions... Xeph noted as Callan stared the mjolk down. It seemed there was only one way out of this. With a thought, he dismissed Mountainform, stone crumbling off his arms like falling ash. Meanwhile, Sevvir stood there, waiting. ¡°Are you still hesitating, Callan? I promise, I¡¯m not like those fragile yeth women you know. A mjolk is more than capable of¡ª¡± She cut off as Callan¡¯s fist slammed into her jaw. He¡¯d only been intending a quick jab, just to show her he knew how to fight economically, no wasted motions, but even so the punch sent her stumbling back. Blood arced through the air, and the entire room dimmed as Sevvir¡¯s flames went pinwheeling with the rest of her. Good shot, mortal. Xeph had a satisfied tone to his voice, while Callan stared at the line of blood on the metal floor. If I ever need someone to rough up a group of unarmed civilians, I¡¯ll know who to call. ¡°But she was the one who¡ª!¡± ¡°You held back.¡± He glanced up and found Sevvir grinning at him with bloody teeth. She wiped a line of red away from the corner of her mouth. ¡°And here I thought I¡¯d gotten through to you.¡± Callan, who was pretty sure he hadn¡¯t held back, stared at the mjolk girl. She wasn¡¯t missing any teeth, and other than a bit of blood seemed otherwise fine. Remembering himself, he crossed his arms. ¡°I just needed to prove I could fight, didn¡¯t I? Well? Is that satisfactory?¡± ¡°Sure, sure. Though it¡¯s going to take more than a few punches to win this next battle.¡± She held out a hand. ¡°Give me your stones.¡± ¡°My... stones?¡± ¡°The red ones you have in your upper pocket.¡± ¡°How do you know¡ªoh, right.¡± Callan pulled the memory shards from his pocket and handed them over to Sevvir. ¡°But mjolk don¡¯t steal, oh no. They just rifle through your pockets while you¡¯re unconscious then demand what¡¯s in them at a later date.¡± ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re catching on, Callan.¡± Mortal, I don¡¯t think she understands sarcasm, Xeph said, while Sevvir made a circuit of the room, setting a memory shard atop each of the metallic orb. What was she doing? Perhaps you should explain to her how sarcasm works, or else the nuance of your comments will be lost upon her. ¡°I think Sevvir understands sarcasm just fine, Xeph.¡± ¡°I do,¡± the mjolk said from across the room without looking up. She set a shard on the final orb. ¡°There, that ought to do.¡± ¡°Do what, exactly?¡± ¡°This.¡± All around the room, the brass orbs began to shudder. Then the one next to Callan rocked to one side, and a pair of legs emerged from underneath. And another. And another. They stretched out, raising the orb another foot or two off the ground. A single, humanlike eye rotated around the center, settling its gaze on Callan. The eye blinked. Oh, so these are the monsters the mjolk meant. Xeph sounded far too calm for the situation. Callan backed up a step. I understand her confusion. For someone unfamiliar with more advanced technology, they must seem monstrous indeed. ¡°Uh, Xeph? Is this dveorgan tech?¡± Something told him the answer was no. The orb-creature gave Callan the same uncomfortable feeling as the platforms, only like ten times stronger. He raised his fists. That is unlike any dveorgan creation I¡¯ve ever seen, Xeph said, confirming his fears. These remind me more of divine summons, though they appear to have far more longevity. ¡°Like I kept saying,¡± Sevvir called from across the room. She was already surrounded by three of the eyeball-spider-things. No, not spiders, those had eight legs. What did you call something with only six? ¡°Dungeons are full of monsters.¡± ¡°I was expecting something more like goblins or rats,¡± Callan called back. The eye-creature scuttled towards him. What¡¯s a goblin? ¡°Later!¡± As the orb barreled forward, a series of sharp spike formed along its surface. It let out a breathy hissing noise and launched at Callan.
Alert: 12.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 12.5%
The orb exploded as a stone nearly as wide across as it was fired off at point-blank range. Thrashing legs and pieces of torso rained down around Callan. ¡°Good job!¡± Sevvir called. ¡°Keep going!¡± Right. Callan noted the mjolk had already dispatched two of the orbs attacking her but was now fending off a half-dozen others. The remainder were headed in his direction. Can¡¯t just keep using Rock Sling. But there¡¯s no stone in here to manipulate. I could just punch them, but I¡¯d rather not get close to those spikes. That just left one option. He held out a hand to the side, letting Wurmchain drop into it.
Alert: 2.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 15%
Excess coils of the chain pooled at his feet. What was it again, fifteen feet or so? He glanced around him. Yep. He had at least that. As the orbs approached, he started to spin. It took two full turns before the entire chain lifted off the ground, but by then he had a spiral of death encircling him. The first of the orbs reached the chain, advancing without any fear or hesitation¡ªand getting shredded to bits on Wurmchain¡¯s teeth for their efforts. The others all followed in rapid succession. Callan slowed to a halt, the chain dropping back the floor, leaving sharp gouges in the metal pattern wherever it dragged. ¡°Talk about an efficient method for clearing a room.¡± Yes, though admittedly one that would not work on more intelligent opponents. ¡°Oh, you just have to ruin all my fun, don¡¯t you.¡± He glanced over to where Sevvir was tearing one of the orbs with her bare hands. Maybe he didn¡¯t have to worry about the spikes that much after all. Of course, she was also laughing maniacally, so it could be the mjolk was a special case. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m done mopping up over here!¡± So much for ¡®no combat experience¡¯ he thought with a grin. After fighting rival cults, these not-spiders are a piece of cake. ¡°Nice,¡± Sevvir called back. ¡°Now work on the other ones!¡± Other ones? ¡°Look up!¡± Oh. Callan sighed. He looked upwards at the ceiling, where dozens of the orbs were just beginning to shake and sprout legs. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have expected it to be that easy. The orbs chose that moment to start falling like rain. Callan raised Wurmchain and swung outward. Which didn¡¯t actually accomplish much, given the weapon¡¯s length. Wurmchain flopped out like a half-dead fish, and Callan let out a curse. He started to spin again, but slowly. Too slowly. The first orb dropped onto his shoulder, stabbing into him with its pincerlike legs. ¡°Gah!¡± Callan tore it away, hurling it across to the room to crash into another orb that had just landed. Both of the monsters went down in a jumbled heap. Unfortunately, there were plenty to replace them. They skittered across the floor towards Callan with unnatural speed. He tried spinning up Wurmchain again, managing to take out two of them with the weapon¡¯s spikes. Two more however simply leapt over the chain entirely, and another one grabbed ahold and began skittering along its length. Okay, this is no longer helping. Releasing the weapon, he left it to puff away into sulphureous smoke, dropping the one orb back to the ground. Callan raised his fists.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 19%
Should have just done this in the first place, spikes be damned, he thought as stone sealed over his fists. An orb leapt at him, but a solid punch to its center crumpled the monster and sent it bouncing back. Others followed. Callan struck over and over again with a frenzy. However, for every one that he smacked or punched to pieces, two more seemed to replace them just as quickly. Another even dropped from the ceiling onto his back, though he was ready this time and managed to shift Mountainform to protect his shoulders from the worst of the damage. But while he was doing that, an orb managed to wrap its legs around his right arm like a octopus. He hurled the first one away, then shifted his stone back, trying to get the other to let go. It refused. ¡°Back. The fuck. Off!¡± He punched it repeatedly, leaving noticeable dents in the orb¡¯s frame, but this one appeared to be particularly tenacious and wouldn¡¯t let go. Turning, he smashed his right arm against the nearby wall. And again. And again. Finally, the orb slid limply to the floor, just in time for two more to wrap around his legs. Callan groaned. ¡°Cut me some slack, would you?!?¡± He kicked the wall, only to wince as his unarmored skin roared from the impact. The orb sank two of its pincerlike claws through his skin, adding to the agony. A third monster started crawling up its brethren, making its way towards Callan¡¯s chest. ¡°No, no, no!¡± With each word, he punched downward, knocking the orb away, though doing little to dislodge the first two. With a growl he held out his hands and summoned Wurmchain again.
Alert: 2.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 21%
Instead of wielding it like a whip, he seized it in both hands. Blood ran down his palms as the scales bit into his skin, but he practically had callouses there from all the climbing earlier and it barely registered. Pulling the chain tight, he used it to sheer the two orbs away from his legs, taking a bit of his pants along in the process. The orbs dropped to the ground, twitching. Callan glanced back and forth, but realized the room appeared to finally have been cleared. A short distance away Sevvir stood amidst the smoking wreckage of an uncountable number of orbs. She grinned and gave him a thumbs up. The door appears to be open now, Xeph noted casually. He¡¯d been exactly zero help during that fight, Callan thought bitterly as he trudged across the room. Wurmchain dragged behind him, so he let it go to wisp away to nothing. With luck, he wouldn¡¯t need it again for a while. ¡°You can hold your own in a fight,¡± Sevvir said, falling in next to him as they made their way out of the room. ¡°You sound surprised. Xeph and I have basically been fighting nonstop since we arrived in the Badlands.¡± Except for the hiding in a basement for several weeks. ¡°I was healing, Xeph. After a ferocious battle against that glandular rhino, you might recall. Now that was a monster.¡± You mean the domesticated dvorak that you and our priests ganged up on to kill? Yes, a mighty battle. Like fighting an overlarge housecat. Callan looked at Sevvir, who was studying the way ahead. She must have felt his attention, because she glanced over at him and grinned. ¡°Clearly you¡¯ve never met some house cats, Xeph.¡± 2-51 — Battle Preparations The hallway stretching between the battle room and the next was much larger than the previous one. Callan followed after Sevvir for what felt like a solid ten minutes before they saw a door at the end. Sevvir immediately came to a halt, forcing Callan to jump back lest he run into her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The door is already open,¡± she said, pointing. Before Callan could respond she took off, running at a half-crouch down the hallway, almost like she intended to drop onto all fours. Callan would have laughed at the idea, but then it occurred to him that she very well could do just that. Mjolk weren¡¯t human, after all. Instead, he hastened after her. By the time he reached the door she was leaning halfway through the opening, peering around inside. After a minute she pulled back. Turning, she half-jumped at finding him standing there. Her surprised expression quickly changed into a scowl. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wait back there?¡± ¡°Was I supposed to?¡± he asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything, just took off.¡± ¡°It was implied.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He leaned past her so he could have a look into the room. His eyes went wide. Unlike the previous two, this one was a chaotic mess, and showed obvious human activity. Several trenches had been rough dug near the door, and beyond these was a line of wooden spikes set into the ground. Piles of rubble covered the floor at various intervals, along with blackened marks on the walls and ceiling. A broken tower, also made of wood, leaned near the back wall, still somewhat supported by three legs but missing a fourth entirely. At the very back stood another door, also open. Those were all minor details, however. Over the rubble and fortifications crawled dozens of those orb-creatures. As he watched, one stumbled and fell into a nearby pit. A moment later it pulled itself out and continued meandering about aimlessly. None of them appeared to see him, but that would likely change the second they entered. After another minute of observation, he pulled himself back into the hall. Sevvir was watching him. ¡°Any clues what happened in there?¡± ¡°A couple, actually.¡± If there had been a final battle with Athakolu¡¯s priests all those decades ago, this was likely where it had happened. ¡°We must be close to the center of this place.¡± Which meant that Veritas¡ªand Ulfa by extension¡ªwas just beyond. ¡°She must have set this up for me,¡± he said, waving an arm towards the door. ¡°Maybe not the fortifications, but I¡¯d bet good money those monsters are a new addition. We¡¯re going to have a fun time trying to get from one side to the other.¡± At least this time we have the element of surprise instead of the other way around, Xeph noted optimistically. ¡°True.¡± Callan thought for a minute. ¡°I wonder why Veritas didn¡¯t employ them earlier? Would have made her assault against Aos a much easier matter, plus it would have kept her priests out of danger.¡± I think that Veritas would have had a difficult time maintaining their position of moral superiority if they had unleashed an army of metal monstrosities against the very town they purported to be protecting, Xeph said rather dryly. ¡°They probably couldn¡¯t use them even if they wanted to,¡± Sevvir added. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°When I visited the place that was similar to this, the monsters inside stopped working if they left,¡± she said, pantomiming an orb walking along with her fingers, then having it fall over. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t even leave willingly. If I forced one to, it lost whatever forces enlivened it.¡± ¡°Good to know if we need to retreat, I guess,¡± Callan glanced at the door. ¡°Shall we do this?¡± ¡°Actually, I recommend we take a bit of time to rest first. I still need to heal our wounds from the last battle.¡± As much as he wanted this to all be over, Callan couldn¡¯t deny that taking a short break to rest and recuperate after their last battle was probably wise. After all, if Ulfa was waiting for him, she¡¯d likely still be waiting another hour from now. Besides, after what happened back in the camp, a little extra precaution couldn¡¯t hurt anything. They retreated down the tunnel until the door was just barely visible. Sevvir settled her fire onto the floor, where it roared up enough to fill the immediate area with light. The two of them sat side-by-side against the wall, sharing a few strips of dried meat between them. ¡°You really think this other avatar is waiting for you?¡± Sevvir asked him around a bite of meat. Callan chewed on his own piece and thought for a minute. Finally, he nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for her not to be. I don¡¯t actually think she has anywhere left to go. If this was Veritas¡¯s temple, then it¡¯s all they have left.¡± ¡°They could flee, rebuild elsewhere.¡± The mjolk looked thoughtful. ¡°I know gods have done it before.¡± ¡°Maybe, but if they were going to do that, I imagine they would have already.¡± Callan frowned down at the floor. It was the same question he¡¯d been asking himself for a while now. What was Veritas sticking around for? Revenge against him? That didn¡¯t seem right, but it was the only answer that made sense. ¡°I need to tell you something, Callan.¡± He glanced up and found Sevvir watching him with an worried expression. She hesitated, then looked away. ¡°When you do find this Ulfa, whether she¡¯s in the next room or ten beyond... I can¡¯t help you fight her.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Callan wasn¡¯t sure how he should feel about that. Disappointed, probably? For some reason, though, it didn¡¯t bother him. He opened his mouth to tell her. ¡°I want to help you,¡± Sevvir amended, glancing up at him. ¡°But my clan would never forgive me for getting involved in a fight between avatars, even petty ones. No offense, of course¡ª¡± Hey! Callan smirked. ¡°None taken.¡± ¡°¡ªBut mercenary clans like mine only survive by being careful who we make into an enemy. And gods as a general rule have very long memories.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Sevvir. It really is.¡± She didn¡¯t appear to hear him. ¡°If you were to sign a complete contract, it might be different. There are certain clauses I could invoke¡ª¡± ¡°Sevvir.¡± She stopped and looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Really. I think this is the sort of fight I need to do on my own. There¡¯s already been too much collateral damage between Veritas and myself already. I don¡¯t need you getting added to the pile.¡± Not to mention the terms of the duel still stand. Veritas may have strained them with their actions, but they haven¡¯t broken. We must fulfill one last challenge to end this. ¡°Right,¡± Callan said, rolling his eyes. He glanced at Sevvir. ¡°See, even Xeph agrees.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The mjolk blinked at him. Then her face broke into a grin, and she started to giggle. Callan frowned. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± he asked. ¡°You¡¯re really worried about me? That¡¯s cute, Callan.¡± ¡°Hey, you wouldn¡¯t be the first to get hurt because of my bad choices.¡± His mind flashed back to Sworv, and he felt his stomach drop out. Suddenly his resolve to hurry up this fight didn¡¯t feel quite as strong as it had before. ¡°I suppose you did prove yourself to be proficient in combat,¡± she said, glancing back the way they¡¯d come. ¡°Handling this other avatar by yourself should be no problem.¡± She probably meant that statement to be encouraging, but it only served to remind Callan of every worry and doubt that had been building inside his mind since the battle at the tower. He¡¯d done his best to push them away for a while, but now all at once they bubbled to the surface. Combined with his sudden guilt over Sworv, they threatened to overwhelm him. He glanced down and managed a mumbled, ¡°Right. Sure.¡± ¡°I must admit, your use of that whip was surprising. I had thought it limited merely to utility.¡± ¡°Depends on the situation.¡± Callan tried to think of a way to change the subject. ¡°You know, your own powers are pretty neat.¡± ¡°Can it cut through any metal?¡± Either the girl was oblivious to his attempts or was intentionally leading the conversation. ¡°I could think of a hundred different applications for that.¡± ¡°Stone and metal both.¡± ¡°Fascinating.¡± She leaned back. ¡°You¡¯ll make short work of this other avatar, I am certain.¡± ¡°That remains to be seen.¡± Sevvir glanced at him. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°This place¡ª¡± Callan gestured to the walls, ceiling, and floor, one after another. ¡°It¡¯s resistant to my stone shaping powers. That takes away a large range of attacks I normally rely on to slow Veritas down. Without that, she¡¯s stronger than me by several degrees. That didn¡¯t work out in my favor the last few times.¡± At least you¡¯re no longer in faith debt, Xeph noted. Count what blessings you have. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Thanks, buddy.¡± ¡°But...¡± Sevvir was frowning in thought. She seemed to be giving this her full attention. ¡°Surely you can simply defeat them from a distance.¡± ¡°Maybe. My Rock Sling is good for about two shots before I exhaust it.¡± ¡°Your whip¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s a chain, actually, not a whip. And it¡¯s got a serious drawback.¡± He held out a hand and summoned it. From where he sat the pile of coiled chain was nearly as tall as he was. The mjolk studied the overly long weapon. ¡°...I see.¡± ¡°Veritas chose her final battleground well. I can¡¯t let myself underestimate them, because that¡¯s already gotten people I cared about killed twice now. I¡¯m at every disadvantage possible here, but especially so with a limited powerset to draw on. If I could just figure out the control aspect of my Wurmchain, it would be different, but Xeph¡¯s tried for weeks and I still haven¡¯t solved it.¡± Now that he spoke the words out loud, the hopelessness of his situation truly settled in. What in the world was he doing here? Running headlong towards a fight he knew he couldn¡¯t win? Madness. Sevvir studied him for a moment. She got to her feet. ¡°Well, let¡¯s fix that, then.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your weapon. Maybe I can help.¡± He climbed to his feet. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t allowed to help.¡± ¡°Yes, with combat.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Training you is an entirely different matter. Though now that I think about it... you might be better off not mentioning this to any other mjolk you meet. If word got out I revealed clan training secrets...¡± ¡°Your secrets are safe with me, I promise.¡± ¡°Hmm. Very well. Let¡¯s go over what you¡¯ve tried so far. Walk me through it.¡± Callan explained the basics of Xeph¡¯s lessons. While the god corrected a few finer points, he didn¡¯t outright disagree with anything that Callan said, which seemed like a good sign. Even if the mjolk girl couldn¡¯t understand anything about how god powers worked, he wasn¡¯t giving her an incorrect view of the situation. When he finished, she leaned against the wall and studied him for several minutes. Callan felt himself squirm more and more under her gaze until he couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. ¡°Sevvir?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, Callan,¡± she said, still studying him. Her head tilted slightly to one side. ¡°But Xeph is a terrible teacher.¡± Hey! The god¡¯s voice buzzed so loud it almost rattled Callan¡¯s teeth. How dare she! I am without a doubt the best teacher! After all, they¡¯re my powers. Who else would be better qualified to explain their use? Callan repeated¡ªwell, paraphrased¡ªXeph¡¯s comments for Sevvir. The mjolk shook her head. ¡°Oh, perhaps he was a thousand years ago, but training techniques have changed a lot since then. What Xeph has been teaching you¡ªwhere you control your breathing and forge a connection by letting go of yourself¡ªis known as the Technique of the Empty Bowl. Not the worst tool for learning to sense and control power, but horribly outdated. My teacher mentioned it in passing, mostly to point out how no one has used it for the last five hundred years, at least. There are at three other more common techniques that are in every way superior to it.¡± But that¡ªShe¡ªI refuse to believe¡ªthat can¡¯t be right... Xeph¡¯s voice trailed off into unintelligible muttering. ¡°So what do you recommend?¡± he asked. ¡°Personally? I swear by the Technique of the Hungering Flame.¡± At that, Callan couldn¡¯t stop himself from grinning. ¡°Why does that name not surprise me when it comes to you, Sevvir?¡± The girl stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°Do you want to learn my clan¡¯s ancient mystic technique or not?¡± ¡°No, no, please continue.¡± ¡°Very well. To start, you know how Xeph has you concentrate on breathing? Don¡¯t do that. Simply exhale.¡± Simple enough. I can handle that. Callan let his breath out in one deep exhale. He looked up at Sevvir for the next instruction¡ªRight in time to see her fist descending on his face. *Crunch.* The next thing he knew, Callan was pressed against the wall, staring wide-eyed at the mjolk through a haze of red. He drew in a ragged breath. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Her fist descended again. ¡°Don¡¯t talk. Exhale.¡± ¡°How can I when you¡¯re¡ª¡± Another fist. It felt like a tooth came loose this time. He spat blood to one side. ¡°Stop¡ª¡± Another fist. And another. Callan¡¯s vision was just a wall of red mist. Instinctively he raised Wurmchain, to fend her off with it if nothing else. The attacks stopped immediately. A moment later, a searing lance of pain crashed into him and he gasped, drawing in an involuntary breath. The red in his vision faded, along with the pain. Sevvir smiled at him and withdrew her smoking hand. ¡°There, all healed. So, what do you think?¡± Callan swished his mouth and spat a bit of residual blood to one side. ¡°I think I prefer Xeph¡¯s teaching style, to be honest.¡± Thank you. ¡°But my method does work.¡± The mjolk gestured to the side. ¡°See?¡± Callan looked over, then did a double take. Wurmchain had shrunk. Now the chain in his hand was only six feet in total, maybe shorter. He shook it, still in disbelief, then turned back to Sevvir. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Because I told you, that method you were using is outdated. You might have achieved success with it after months of practice, but you were going about it the wrong way from the start.¡± Sevvir placed a hand gently on Callan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sure your god means well, Callan. It¡¯s not his fault that he lacks the same sensory understanding that we all share as members of the elevated races. That¡¯s really all there is to it.¡± ¡°Yeah, but how,¡± Callan pressed. ¡°You¡¯re not using a god¡¯s powers... are you?¡± Sevvir straightened. ¡°I am not, but there isn¡¯t that great a difference between the power Xeph grants, and the power that you intrinsically have inside of you. They work off the same principles. And shaping is easiest done when you force the world to bend to your will, rather than simply wait for it to happen.¡± ¡°I... guess that makes sense?¡± Does it? Xeph grumbled. I disagree. We are not willcasters! You are an avatar to a god of stone and mountains. And mountains are slow and implacable, not things to make demands of! This goes against the very heart of my core dogma! ¡°Yeah, but... maybe it¡¯s what we need right now.¡± Callan looked down at the weapon. He closed his eyes, allowed the vision of mist to appear all around him. He could see Wurmchain undulating like it usually did. He reached out, feeling it slip through his fingers at first until he exhaled and applied a strong sense of will. Then suddenly its movements became less erratic, easier to follow.
Alert: 2% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 18%
He opened his eyes. Wurmchain had grown about another foot in length. It wasn¡¯t as quick or as easy as whatever had happened when Sevvir punched him, but... it also didn¡¯t involve getting punched in the face. So that was progress. ¡°Sevvir... thank you.¡± ¡°Just consider it my way of helping in your little fight. Plus, it¡¯s just another favor you owe me.¡± She blinked, as if she hadn¡¯t meant to say this last part out loud. Her cheeks colored noticeably. Callan, however, just nodded in thought. ¡°It¡¯s going to take some practice to master, but...¡± He studied his weapon. ¡°I think... I think we can do this.¡± With a thought, he dismissed Wurmchain. Then he summoned it back again.
Alert: 2.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 20.5%
Yes... the weapon stayed at its new length between summonings. Where did the extra chain go? Was it just floating around as mist, or did it physically retract somewhere? Not important right now. What was important was practicing this new technique as much as he could before facing off against Veritas. He looked up and met Sevvir¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to need an hour or two to accustom myself. After that... we go on the attack.¡± The mjolk smiled at him, her eyes glittering. ¡°Music to my ears.¡± 2-52 — The End Of A Long And Weary Road Sevvir left her post by the door and trotted back to where Callan sat cross-legged by the fire. He saw her approach as a rapidly growing mass of gray conduits. His Wurmchain lay across his lap, touching him just enough it didn¡¯t dissipate. ¡°No change?¡± The mjolk girl was silent. She must have shaken her head, then realized he couldn¡¯t see, because a moment later she added, ¡°Nothing I can tell. If your quarry is past that mess in there, they haven¡¯t given any sign.¡± ¡°Any chance we might be able to simply sneak through?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good question. It¡¯ll depend on if these monsters are the same as the others I¡¯ve encountered. Usually they attack on sight, but they also aren¡¯t usually up and walking around like this.¡± Monsters, Xeph said with a harumph. Simple godly summonings, more likely. Though admittedly I¡¯ve never seen any of this particular variety before. Still, they must be related to Veritas¡¯s powers somehow. Callan didn¡¯t respond. His Wurmchain chose that moment to wink out of existence as its timer expired. That was fine with him. He wasn¡¯t as proficient with his new skills as he¡¯d like, but he also didn¡¯t think they could delay their attack much longer, not without retreating back to the cave-in, carving a path to freedom, and seeking supplies. He had worked through what little Sevvir had brought with his as it was. Speaking of which. Opening his eyes, he picked up the nutritional bar the mjolk had given him and finished it off in two bites. Satisfied, he pulled up his stats.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere) Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human) -STATISTICS- Brawn: 20 Momentum: 25 Fortitude: 41 Concentration: 17 Influence: 17 Piety: 18 -BOUNTIES- God Bond: Gypsum ¨C I Manifestation: Mountainform Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Gypsum - I) Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - X) Orison slot 3: Rock Sling (Gypsum - I) -DISPENSATIONS- Perk 1: Wane -DOGMA- Total Followers: 130 Available Faith: 3 Conviction: 0/10 Conviction Rate: 5.5/week Temples: 2/2 Domain: 18 yd APOTHEOSIS: 1/27.5%
Alright, his apotheosis was finally back down to almost zero. It¡¯d be there by the time he needed to use anything. He still had Mountainform active, so that would save him a bit. And he had a feeling he¡¯d need every drop for this fight. Climbing to his feet, he and Sevvir made their way back to the door. He did a quick headcount¡ªorbcount?¡ªof the monsters inside. Unfortunately, he lost track around sixty, which meant there were maybe even more. At least he didn¡¯t see any hiding on the ceiling. That was something. He turned to look at Sevvir. ¡°Plan A: we¡¯ll try to just sneak past. If we don¡¯t engage, we might be able to make it through without a fight.¡± ¡°Unlikely, but alright. And when that plan fails?¡± ¡°If that plan fails, then Plan B: we carve a path through and hope they don¡¯t follow us through to the next room.¡± Sevvir pursed her lips. ¡°You certain? We might find ourselves smashed between those monsters and this other avatar of yours if we do.¡± ¡°True, but if we get in a protracted fight, then Ulfa will definitely know we¡¯re coming. She might even join the fight, or use the opportunity to flee. I¡¯d rather try to get what advantage from this situation that I can.¡± Plus, if they didn¡¯t have to fight all those orbs, then it was worth the chance. Callan wanted to preserve as much strength and apotheosis as he could. ¡°Can I propose an alternative?¡± Sevvir said. ¡°We push into the room. When the monsters start to attack, you continue on while I draw them to myself. Once I¡¯m done finishing them off, I come join you in the next room. Not like I¡¯ll be of much use with fighting your avatar.¡± Callan considered it. The mjolk girl did appear to be more than capable of handling herself in a fight against the orbs. Leaving her behind would simplify matters. But he doubted it was as simple a solution as it sounded. ¡°Would I need to sign another contract?¡± ¡°Just a small one. I could¡ª¡± He held up a hand. ¡°No, that¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s just stick with the original plans. If we have to fight, we have to fight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ªVery well.¡± Sevvir¡¯s expression made it clear she wanted to argue, but she dropped the matter, for which he was grateful. Her obsession with contracts was weird, but at least it didn¡¯t seem dangerously so. He turned back to the room and studied it one last time. Closing his eyes, he exhaled and summoned Wurmchain.
Alert: 2.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 2.5%
It dropped to the floor, about eight feet in length. That was a little more than half its maximum, but he¡¯d found it to be about optimum for regular attacks. Any more and it took too much time to get the dang thing moving. He still couldn¡¯t adjust the length without closing his eyes, which was probably a bad idea to make a habit of during an actual battle. Still, he was confident enough in his newfound ability that he thought he might be able to get the drop on Veritas. Once the element of surprise was lost, he¡¯d just have to make the best of it. He shortened the weapon slightly now, just as a final check. Even through the confusing tangle of the mists, he saw the change.
Alert: 1% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 3.5%
Hmmph, Xeph said, shifting about in his mind. When Callan didn¡¯t respond, he harumphed again. Callan sighed. ¡°What¡¯s got your panties in a twist now?¡± That¡¯s¡ªwhat a strange turn of phrase! I dare not even begin to delve into your mind to parse its meaning. Callan drew in a breath and tried again. ¡°Something bothering you, Xeph? Better spit it out now.¡± There was another moment of grumbling. I do not approve of this ¡®method¡¯ the mjolk has taught you for accessing Wurmchain¡¯s hidden functions. It cheapens the gifts I granted you. There are bound to be hidden consequences. It took all of Callan¡¯s effort not to roll his eyes. ¡°Okay, bud, whatever you say.¡± Human! I feel like you are not giving my concerns the weight they deserve. ¡°Yeah, well maybe I¡¯m not. Forgive me if I¡¯m finding it a little hard right now to care.¡± You¡ª The god paused. Wait, are you angry? You are! Why? ¡°Gee, I wonder.¡± Callan opened his eyes. He looped Wurmchain together so it wouldn¡¯t drag on the floor. ¡°Maybe because someone made me practice for weeks to little or no gain, but I get one lesson during our eleventh-hour preparation here, and suddenly I¡¯m able to do what I¡¯ve been grinding my teeth to dust over with basically no effort. Might be that. Dunno.¡± I... I did not consider from that angle, Xeph said after several seconds of silence. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not blaming you, Xeph. You were working with millennia-old knowledge, and you did the best you could. It¡¯s just... we¡¯ve had a real breakthrough here, you know? And that¡¯s something we really need at the moment. So maybe instead of grumbling over it, you could... I don¡¯t know, be a little more supportive? Just a thought.¡± My methods always worked for avatars in the past, the god said, their voice unusually quiet. But... you are right. I¡¯m sorry that my lack of skill has held you back. ¡°Again, I¡¯m not blaming you. If I had months and years to develop these powers, I probably wouldn¡¯t even care. But I don¡¯t. After Veritas, we¡¯ll have Zavastu breathing down our necks. If I don¡¯t gather enough strength before then...¡± He left the rest unsaid. Very well. Going forward I will offer what insight I can, but if you need to seek out more modern teachers to better master my arts, I will not oppose you. ¡°Thank you, Xeph.¡± Sevvir watched Callan, an amused expression on her face. ¡°You two about done here?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± Callan started for the door, then turned back. ¡°Hey, Sevvir. You taught me this new breathing technique, but what about your actual caster abilities? Any chance I could ever learn those?¡± But why? Xeph muttered, though he refrained from further comment. ¡°Hmm. Maybe.¡± The girl grinned at Callan. ¡°It would definitely require signing a longer contract, though.¡± Well, that was expected at least. Callan nodded. ¡°Ask me after the battle, and we¡¯ll see what we can work out.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The mjolk¡¯s tail started swishing back and forth excitedly. ¡°Sure. Now, who¡¯s going first into there?¡± ¡°Better let me. My fire can burn us a path if need be.¡± With that, Sevvir stepped through the doorway and into the ancient battlefield. Callan followed on her heels. He¡¯d been hoping they¡¯d make it at least halfway through the room before getting noticed, or at least past the first line of defenses. But no sooner were they both in the room than every orb monster froze in place and turned their singular eye towards them. So much for an element of surprise, Xeph noted dryly. ¡°We always knew that plan was paper thin.¡± Callan raised his fists, letting Wurmchain unfurl. ¡°Remember, we just need to get to the doorway on the other side¡ª¡± The nearest orb creatures waved their front legs at Callan and immediately backed away. Others scurried forward, and in seconds the monsters had fallen into two rough lines, stretching all the way from one doorway to the next. Callan stood there beside Sevvir, studying the now-frozen orbs. Their eyes all tracked him, but otherwise they didn¡¯t move. ¡°Huh. Wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡± They formed a pathway for us. Like we¡¯re distinguished guests or returning heroes being shown full honors. ¡°Yeah, definitely feels like we¡¯re the biggest, gaudiest float at the Thanksgiving day parade,¡± Callan said, nodding. He waved away Sevvir¡¯s look of confusion and strode forward. ¡°Come on. I think we¡¯re safe for now.¡± Indeed, none of the orbs approached. If Callan tried to turn aside they raised their front legs in a vaguely threatening manner, but they dropped them again the second he backed off. Behind him the two lines began to collapse together. So, no retreat then. Only forward. They reached the other side of the room in less than two minutes. Behind them the orbs followed at a respectful distance. None tried to follow him and Sevvir through the door. ¡°Seems like we avoided at least one fight,¡± he noted. Sevvir glanced back, frowning. ¡°I think I would have almost preferred a fight. What is this other avatar planning for you, I wonder?¡± ¡°About to find out,¡± Callan said, gesturing further into the room. Behind them, the door to the battlefield room slammed shut of its own accord. This new room was much cleaner than the last, but just as cluttered. It had clearly seen more recent use, as evidenced by the cluster of tents and bedrolls set up in one corner. But that barely registered at the back of Callan¡¯s mind. He was more focused on the river of literal molten rock pouring from a hole in the far wall and flowing down a small trench set in the floor, ending at a pool near the center. Around the pool were a pair of anvils and several forges of various size, along with other equipment familiar to him from Alyssa¡¯s smithy. Further beyond were racks of tools, some looking brand new, others with flakes of rust covering their surface. If Callan had to guess, this was where Veritas had created their masks. Probably all those crossbow bolts, too. He glanced at the ceiling but didn¡¯t see any sort of ventilation system. How were they not suffocating under smoke right now? Near the rack of tools, a figure appeared out of thin air. Only belatedly did Callan see the teleportation circle on the floor. His heart leapt at the sight. That was their ticket out of this place. Assuming he could get past the masked figure walking towards him, anyway. The avatar of Veritas stopped about a dozen feet away. She cocked her head, the repaired wolf mask shifting and sending the lolling tongue pointing to one side. ¡°Avatar Callan. I thought you were dead.¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡± Callan set a hand on his hip and smirked at the other avatar. ¡°Afraid I¡¯m a little more difficult to get rid of than that, Ulfa.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The mask turned to regard Sevvir. ¡°You¡¯ve brought a new friend.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, Avatar.¡± The mjolk held up her hands and stepped off to one side. ¡°I¡¯m just your standard treasure hunter. I¡¯ve got no interest in getting involved in your little fight here.¡± ¡°Treasure hunter? Yet you still followed that one. Clearly you¡ª¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Ulfa.¡± At the sound of Callan¡¯s voice, the avatar turned to look at him. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this fight between you and me. No more tricks, no more running away. Just you and me.¡± ¡°The final contest.¡± ¡°Yep, exactly.¡± Callan glanced at Sevvir, but she had moved away and appeared to be inspecting something at the far end of the room. Looking for that treasure of hers, most likely. He doubted she¡¯d find much. Whatever had been in this place, it likely had been looted when Veritas claimed it for their own. Turning back, he raised his fists. ¡°So what¡¯s it going to be? A fair fight, or are you going to make me chase you again?¡± ¡°You did manage to make it through my traps and minions,¡± Ulfa mused. ¡°That shows a resourcefulness I did not anticipate from you. I will... consider finishing the contest. If you answer a question for me first.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Callan watched the other avatar warily. After what they pulled up on the surface, he fully anticipated some sort of trap. Then again, if Ulfa had wanted, she could have turned her monsters in the last room loose on them. So honestly he wasn¡¯t certain what to expect next. ¡°What¡¯s the question?¡± ¡°Why do you keep calling me Ulfa?¡± The question brought Callan up short. ¡°Because that¡¯s your...¡± He stopped. Inside his head, Xeph shifted about. Mortal... ¡°Yeah, I figured it out already, Xeph.¡± He looked at the other avatar. ¡°If you aren¡¯t Ulfa, then who are you?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± the avatar said. They reached up and pulled their mask away. Callan gaped. ¡°Rym???¡± WHAT???? Impossible!!! The yeth man stared back at him, expressionless, face void of recognition. His eyes were so glazed over, Callan half wondered if Rym was dead. Slowly, he placed the mask back over his face. ¡°The one you call Rym is no more. After helping you find my camp, he took more flux than his body could handle. This is merely a dying shell now, one I am doomed to inhabit until both of us starve to death. Already I can feel it weakening. The end is not far away.¡± ¡°But this doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Callan said. ¡°How can you be Rym? He was helping us! He was... he was...¡± I think you are overlooking more important questions, Mortal, Xeph said, his tone low. That was the understatement of the century. Callan shook his head. Then he asked the question that was burning him apart the worst. ¡°How are you even moving? Xeph told me about an avatar of his who was a flux addict. He couldn¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°Yes, that.¡± Veritas raised an arm, letting the sleeve of his robe fall back. Beneath, bands of metal encircled the avatar¡¯s wrist. They wriggled their gloved fingers. ¡°There isn¡¯t a part of me that isn¡¯t wrapped in metal. So long as I can manipulate that, I can move this body. Perhaps not as well as its owner, but it has also freed me from... certain limitations this host has imposed upon our time together.¡± ¡°And the talking?¡± ¡°This mask is also metal. By vibrating it with certain frequencies, I can produce sounds that mimic that of speech.¡± This was a lot to take in. It made Callan¡¯s head swim just thinking about it. Veritas had been manipulating Rym¡¯s body this entire time? So whenever the poor addict was out, the god must have taken over. That did explain why they¡¯d had trouble figuring out his whereabouts and patterns. Except... ¡°I scanned Rym¡¯s body,¡± he said. ¡°You weren¡¯t in him earlier, I would have seen you.¡± The god¡ªavatar¡ªwhatever, paused for a moment. ¡°No. After the battle at the tower we fell to arguing. Rym refused to help me anymore. He forced my essence into a lump of metal in his tent and abandoned me. But after you left him there to die, as his mind shattered for the final time, I wormed my way back in. Perhaps I should have stayed where I was, safe again, but I couldn¡¯t allow you to escape unpunished for what you did to me. Better a painful death trapped in this meat suit than waiting another fifty years for my revenge.¡± I knew I shouldn¡¯t have just left him there alone. The guilt washed over Callan like a tidal wave. He gritted his teeth. ¡°I still don¡¯t get how¡ª¡± Human, Xeph interrupted. It doesn¡¯t matter. Whether it is Rym or Ulfa¡¯s body, that is still Veritas. We must defeat them if we ever hope to make the Badlands our own. Once again, his head-mate was right. Callan put his curiosities aside. They would only hinder him in what he needed to do. Instead, he pointed a finger at Veritas. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s come to this, but I can¡¯t allow you to leave. There¡¯s only room enough for one god on these plateaus.¡± ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± Veritas inclined their head. ¡°Let us finish the contest we began back in the village. One final challenge.¡± ¡°Combat.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± There was no need for further words. Veritas raised their hands, and a pair of knives dropped into them. He began stalking forward. In response, Callan snapped Wurmchain towards the other god. It shot towards Veritas like a hissing snake. At the last second they twisted, barely avoiding a strike. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten better with that weapon, Avatar Callan,¡± Veritas noted as Callan snapped Wurmchain back and held it high for another strike. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything yet.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The god took another step back, placing himself out of the chain¡¯s range¡ªor so he thought. He paced to one side like a stalking tiger. Callan started to follow, only to almost fall on his face instead. He looked down, and saw that the floor had risen up, sealing around his feet. When had Veritas managed that? He looked up just in time to deflect a dagger off his wrist. Veritas laughed. ¡°You truly think you can stand against me? Here? This place is my domain, and there is nothing I cannot bend to my will. You are without your priests, and do not possess the strength to stand against me alone.¡± ¡°Notice that you¡¯re missing a few priests yourself there, buddy.¡± Callan held his arms up defensively, watching for another knife strike. He needed to clear the ironstone clinging to his feet, but the second he bent down to do that, Veritas would be on him. What was the best move in this situation? Mortal. Xeph¡¯s voice was a low rumble. Perhaps it is time to employ your new maneuver. Callan didn¡¯t bother responding. He didn¡¯t want to use his new ace just yet, especially with Veritas¡¯s attention on him. Who knew what senses the god could employ right now, but he was sure to notice Callan closing his eyes and think it strange. Luckily, he had other tools at his disposal.
Alert: 12.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 12.5%
The stone appeared over Callan shoulder for only a heartbeat before it rocketed away. Veritas let out a bark of surprise right before the stone struck them square in the face. Metal squealed as their mask crumpled inward then tore away entirely. Rym¡¯s expressionless face stared back at Callan for a moment. Then the god turned, hands grasping for the mask where it lay behind them, amazingly still in one piece. Perfect! Reaching down, Callan used his Wurmchain to cut his feet free. By the time he was finished, Veritas was almost done affixing his mask. ¡°A clever ploy, Avatar Callan, but do not expect it to work a second time¡ª¡±
Alert: 12.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 25%
The god flung their hands up to protect their face as the second stone smashed into them. Callan was up and running the second he fired off the attack. He swung his chain. Either Veritas saw him coming or had some additional sense to give warning. The god ducked, Wurmchain sheering away what remained of the wolf¡¯s upper face but otherwise doing no noticeable damage to the skull underneath. Callan cursed and snapped the weapon back to him. Fire seared into his leg as he did. He looked down and saw a knife buried to the hilt in the meat of his hamstring. A hiss of pain slipped past his lips. He looked up in time to see Veritas hurling something at him even as he retreated further. A bar of metal shot towards Callan like a bolt of lightning, and only a last-second swing from Wurmchain managed to knock it aside. Unfortunately, a second and third followed on the heels of the first. Callan sliced one apart as it came, but the last struck him on the left shoulder. The metal immediately spread out, sealing over his skin and pinning his arm to his body. Did he honestly expect that trick to work a second time? Callan thought with a grim smile. With a thought, he shifted Mountainform to his shoulders, the stone expanding outward and popping the metal clamp free.
Alert: 1.25% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 26%
¡°Hey Veritas, you¡ªfuck!¡± Callan twisted to the side, but too slowly. Another knife sank into his left arm, cutting deep and sending out a spray of hot blood onto the floor. It took all of Callan¡¯s willpower not to scream. Reaching up, he wrenched the weapon free. It puffed away to nothing before he could hurl it back at the god. Is it time to use our new attack now? Xeph asked. ¡°Not yet.¡± The words came out as more of a growl through gritted teeth. Hmm. Xeph didn¡¯t offer further comment, for which Callan was grateful. ¡°It is not too late to surrender, Avatar Callan,¡± Veritas said. They began pacing in a wide circle again, forcing Callan into a hobbling turn lest they show the god their back. ¡°Lay down your weapons, and I will make your death quick and painless.¡± ¡°Big talk from someone I almost cut in half a minute ago.¡± ¡°Big talk from someone who bears all the injuries in this fight.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just getting warmed up.¡± Callan reached for the knife in his leg, but it too puffed away before he could even touch it. Blood started to pour out in earnest from the wound, leaving a spreading pool on the floor. Okay, hitting him with his own weapons is out. He considered his options while Veritas summoned another pair of blades. I need another distraction. No other choice for it, gotta pass the apotheosis threshold. ¡°Sorry, Xeph,¡± he whispered, right as the floor began to rumble. Aw, Hell, what now? Callan glanced around and spotted a metal plate sliding across the magma pool on the floor. As it sealed shut, the light in the room dimmed noticeably. ¡°I, too, am just getting ¡®warmed up¡¯, Avatar Callan,¡± Veritas said. They stepped back, fading into the growing gloom. Another plate slid across the opening in the wall, and the last vestige of light disappeared. ¡°Let us see how confident you remain as I pick you to pieces in the dark.¡± Callan couldn¡¯t help himself. He started laughing. Somewhere in the dark, he heard Veritas pause. The laughter continued to roll out of him despite his efforts to make it stop. Is it time now, mortal? ¡°Yes, Xeph, now it¡¯s time.¡± Callan had been waiting for an opportunity, and the metal god had gifted him one, just like that. He closed his eyes and exhaled. In the darkness behind his eyelids, a light flared to life. This wasn¡¯t the gray tangle of unused conduits, like with Lisson. It wasn¡¯t balls of light like he saw with the priests, either. It was a roaring, all-consuming conflagration, tinged a golden-orange to his non-sight. Callan drew in a sharp breath, despite himself. Is that what my own power looks like? he wondered. How would Xeph appear to another avatar? Then, remembering himself, he exhaled again and started swinging Wurmchain. ¡°You think to keep me at arm¡¯s length,¡± Veritas said, their voice echoing around Callan so that he couldn¡¯t tell where it came from. Not that it mattered. He saw the god clear as day. ¡°You think you can defend yourself like you did on your pitiful tower. Do you know how my priests and I were able to overwhelm you, Avatar Callan? How we moved through the dark of a moonless night?¡± ¡°Velak Gaze?¡± Callan asked. He¡¯d put that together sometime during the tower siege, or maybe shortly after. It was the only power of Veritas¡¯s that they¡¯d never confirmed. Plus, its name had reminded him of Xeph¡¯s own offered power, Dveorgvision. So he was guessing there was more to it than simply seeing in the dark. ¡°Yes, very good. I can see in even the blackest of pits, where no light can ever reach. And like a true Velak, every piece of metal calls out to me. I can see every button, every coin you carry. You are lit up like the Emperor itself to my senses. Whatever pitiful ability your god has gifted you pales in comparison.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡± Callan intentionally turned himself away from Veritas, acting as if he was searching the dark. The metal god moved in closer, though still staying outside of Wurmchain¡¯s range. They raised an arm. Callan ducked as the knife flew over his head, his leg screaming in pain at the sudden movement. Veritas darted forward, and Wurmchain sang out in response, rippling through the air. The god retreated. ¡°You cannot keep me away forever, Avatar Callan. I will pick you apart piece by piece if I must.¡± ¡°How many more of those knives can you even summon?¡± Callan asked. ¡°I¡¯m betting I can outlast whatever power you have remaining.¡± His words must have hit a nerve. The god hesitated a moment, then launched forward. Callan swung Wurmchain, and again Veritas danced out of range. Just need the right opportunity. Can¡¯t waste the element of surprise or this will all be for nothing. The god would make a move soon, he knew. His own apotheosis had to be high¡ªor however it worked when a god used their power directly. That felt like a subject he and Xeph should have talked over before now. They¡¯d have to make up for that error later. The opportunity came like a runaway truck. Callan felt the floor once again rise and seal his feet, locking him in place. At the same moment, Veritas threw his remaining knife. Then he was launching forward. Callan swung Wurmchain. At the same moment, the knife nicked him on the shoulder, twisting him about. He felt it scrape against his bone before it went tumbling away into the dark. Pain lanced through him. Veritas slipped under the chain as it passed, closing the distance between them in seconds. He knocked Wurmchain from Callan¡¯s hands. Callan¡¯s vision went dark. Then fingers closed around his throat. ¡°I offered you a quick death before,¡± Veritas hissed right in his face. ¡°I won¡¯t be so merciful now. You¡¯ll die slowly, one gasping breath at a time. This is my domain, and you are nothing but an interloper, an unwanted pest. Once you are dead, I¡¯ll¡ª¡± He didn¡¯t manage to finish before a stone pillar slammed into his stomach.
Alert: 5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 30%
Apotheosis has exceeded current threshold. Five minutes until quarantine protocols engaged.
The god stumbled back, wheezing. ¡°How?¡± ¡°This might be your domain,¡± Callan said, half-coughing them out. He held a hand out and summoned Wurmchain again. ¡°But ironstone is still stone. Which means this is my domain, too.¡±
Alert: 2.5% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 32.5%
Actually, if Veritas hadn¡¯t manipulated the floor so much that he¡¯d revealed the more common stone underneath the ironstone vein, Callan doubted he would have been able to do much of anything. But there was no need to explain all of that to the other god. ¡°No, no!¡± Veritas scrambled back. Callan closed his eyes as he swung Wurmchain. He exhaled.
Alert: 2% Apotheosis used. Total Apotheosis is at 34.5%
The chain grew in length, even as it sailed through the air. Veritas threw his hands up at the last second, perhaps hoping that his own steelform would protect him. It didn¡¯t. Wurmchain sliced through both of the god¡¯s arms, right at the wrist. His hands hit the ground with a pair of wet squelches. ¡°Nooooooooooo!!!¡± The god¡¯s scream echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls until it sounded like a hundred voices were crying out at once. Callan opened his eyes. The room was still completely dark. He closed them again, then turned about until he found the distant blob of gray that was Sevvir. ¡°Hey, Sevvir, a little light, please?¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t get involved in this fight, Callan.¡± ¡°The fight is over. I won.¡± ¡°It is true,¡± came Veritas¡¯s voice. ¡°I... I admit defeat.¡± Callan opened his eyes, then winced as flames blossomed overhead. He turned and looked at Veritas, who stood a short distance away, shoulders slumped. ¡°Why?¡± the god asked. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have just left me in peace? I only wanted my own little bit of domain, the same as any god. Are mountains so jealous they cannot even share that much?¡± They started stalking forward. Callan raised Wurmchain. ¡°You know why this happened, Veritas.¡± He watched warily in case they tried anything, but the god simply walked past him, uncaring. They stepped onto the metal plate at the center of the room. ¡°You¡¯re right. I should never have taken Rym as my avatar. Even from the very first moment, I knew I was doomed.¡± Blood poured from the Avatar¡¯s wounds, but they barely even seemed to notice. ¡°I thought the situation temporary. That I would find another to bear me before the addiction took his mind, but... it was all for nothing. There were no others in Aos with the proper conduits. If I could have just left this cursed plateau, perhaps...¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡± Callan asked. He was starting to feel woozy from blood loss himself and needed to finish this. Yet he hesitated from ending Veritas until he¡¯d at least heard his answer. ¡°Rym would not allow me. He insisted I help his sister escape their village first, but Alyssa did not want freedom, only revenge. By the time I could have left, this body was in no shape to do so. I stayed for revenge the first time, and I stayed for revenge the last time.¡± The metal god sighed. ¡°Both were a failure.¡± Despite everything that had happened, Callan started to feel a small amount of pity for the god. ¡°If I brought you a metal vessel¡ª¡± It would amount to nothing, Xeph said. There is a reason that gods do not use our powers directly. To do so eats at our very essence. It breaks us apart inside, and past a certain point, there is no putting the pieces back together. ¡°I am finished,¡± Veritas said, as if they had heard Xeph¡¯s words. ¡°Even if I had defeated you, I would have fallen soon after. My time is done.¡± They turned and regarded Sevvir. The girl had come and joined Callan by the side of the platform, a flame held high overhead. ¡°I know what it is you seek here, mjolk, and I tell you now that you shall not have it. Better for me to die here than live a half existence or worse.¡± ¡°What is he talking about?¡± Callan asked. Before either Xeph or Sevvir could respond, Veritas raised their hands over their head. ¡°Goodbye, Avatar Callan.¡± The plate at their feet suddenly pulled back. One moment Veritas stood at the center of the room, and the next they were gone, a splash of molten rock the only indication they¡¯d been there at all. ¡°The hell?¡± Callan leaned over, but there was no sign of Veritas. What even happened to someone when they fell in magma? Did they burn, or simply melt away? There wasn¡¯t enough of Veritas left to tell one way or another. He shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they just jumped in like that. Didn¡¯t even hesitate.¡± It almost makes me wonder if that was their plan from the beginning. Perhaps if we had only been a few minutes later in arriving, we could have avoided this fight entirely. ¡°Dammit, Xeph, don¡¯t tell me that. Now I¡¯ll always wonder if...¡± Callan blinked. He swayed unsteadily to one side. Wurmchain fell from his hand, puffing away in a cloud of sulphur. If Sevvir hadn¡¯t grabbed hold of his shoulder, Callan might have followed Veritas into the pool. ¡°T¡ªthanks,¡± he said through chattering teeth. That wasn¡¯t a good sign. How much blood had he lost? Sevvir looked him up and down, frowning. ¡°You need healing. Just a moment, let me...¡± She trailed off, staring. Callan followed her gaze. The door to the battlefield room had opened again, and the orb monsters were streaming through it. They made directly for the two of them. ¡°Mother¡¯s tits! It never ends!¡± Sevvir waved her hand, and a wall of fire formed between them and the orbs. ¡°That won¡¯t hold them off for long. Tell me you know another way out.¡± ¡°I do, actually.¡± Callan turned and started hobbling for the teleportation circle. He only made it three steps before stumbling. Then Sevvir slipped under his arm and started hauling him forward. ¡°L¡ªlet¡¯s hope it still works,¡± he said, as the sound of angry clicks and hisses grew behind them. It should, but not for much longer. And that is assuming Veritas didn¡¯t destroy it after their arrival down here. But fear not, mortal. If the portal is inoperative, you will have the rest of your life to regret the choices that led to us being here. The rest of your very, very short life. ¡°Thanks for the p¡ªpositive attitude,¡± Callan muttered. He and Sevvir stepped onto the teleportation circle as the army of monsters surged at their heels. 2-53 — Just Sign On The Dotted Line As the credits started to roll, Lyle reached forward and turned off the video. He looked at Callan. ¡°Well, what did you think? Pretty cool, right?¡± Callan frowned and thought for a second. Finally, he said, ¡°Is that it? He just defeated the demon lord and the show ends?¡± ¡°Pretty much. There was an extra afterword chapter released for the light novel, but...¡± Lyle made a so-so gesture with his hand. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bother reading it, honestly. This ending was better.¡± ¡°But he didn¡¯t get to go back home!¡± ¡°Man, it¡¯s an isekai. Why would he want to go home? Did you see the way that elf girl practically draped herself on him before the final battle? You know they¡¯re going to bone down hard after this.¡± ¡°Seriously? ¡®Bone down¡¯? What are you, twelve?¡± Lyle punched Callan lightly on the shoulder. ¡°Shut up, you know what I mean.¡± ¡°All I know is you¡¯re putting a weird amount of energy into thinking about a cartoon character¡¯s sex life.¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°And why wouldn¡¯t he want to go home? The guy had parents who cared about him, if that one weird flashback was anything to go by. There was also that girl from his class¡ª¡± ¡°She rejected his confession, man!¡± ¡°Technically he never got to hear it. That bus got him before she could respond¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s called Truck-kun. At least try to get that right, it¡¯s an isekai tradition!¡± Callan rolled his eyes. ¡°Sure, whatever. My point is, if I was in his place, I¡¯d still want to come back. I¡¯d never be able to live with the guilt of knowing my parents would spend the rest of their lives wondering what happened to me.¡± Something unreadable passed over Lyle¡¯s face. He turned away. ¡°Well, that makes one of us.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, Lyle, are you actually saying you would be fine leaving without a goodbye? Even to me?¡± ¡°If I was killed and reincarnated¡ª¡± ¡°Say you weren¡¯t. If you just ended up transported to a fantasy world like this guy was, would you really start a whole new life, just like that? Without a thought for all of us you left behind?¡± A quiet moment passed before Lyle looked at him. He grinned. ¡°I guess I would miss being able to show you how a man of culture lives.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Because this really counts as the pinnacle of cultured entertainment.¡± Callan snorted at the idea. ¡°Pretty sure there were more panty shots in this show than there were actual fight scenes.¡± ¡°Hey, those are critical to the plot!¡± ¡°Keep telling yourself that, Lyle.¡± From there, the moment passed. However, Callan kept glancing at his friend. He knew Lyle¡¯s home life wasn¡¯t the best, but... Well, it was all pretend talk, anyway. It wasn¡¯t like either of them were actually going to be swept off to some world of magic and destiny. Especially one where even goddesses dressed like they worked at a friggin strip club. Lyle didn¡¯t mean anything by it. At least, he hoped not.
Callan opened his eyes, the dream breaking apart as he blinked sleep away. A few fragments lingered. Something about Lyle again? Why was he dreaming about Lyle, of all people? Whatever the particulars had been, they faded as he sat up. Callan glanced around and saw canvas walls all around him. The entrance flaps rippled in a slight breeze next to his feet. We have to stop meeting like this, mortal. Xeph¡¯s voice had an amused lilt, like a pile of scree settling after an avalanche. Falling unconscious not once, but twice? I worry for what sort of permanent damage you might be doing to yourself. ¡°Xeph! Am I glad¡ªWait. Shouldn¡¯t you be in quarantine?¡± There and back already. You¡¯ve been asleep for over half a day. ¡°Really?¡± Callan blinked. He knew from personal experience it was possible to fall unconscious for that long, but this time felt excessive. His injuries hadn¡¯t been that bad. Nothing like when he¡¯d collapsed outside of Tok. Had they? I may be partly to blame for that, Xeph continued, as if he¡¯d read Callan¡¯s mind. When quarantine activated, it withdrew a large portion of the strength and stability I was providing. Combined with the injuries you sustained during your fight as well as the residual effects of your earlier fall, I think it was more than your human body could handle. You passed into unconsciousness mere moments after exiting the portal. That did explain why Callan couldn¡¯t remember much after the fight with Veritas. There had been a wave of orb monsters chasing them, and Sevvir had supported him with reaching the teleportation ring. After that... Nothing. Pulling his blankets away, Callan inspected his leg. There was no sign of any injury from Veritas¡¯s knife. Nor was there anything on his arm or shoulder, other than a very pale scar on the latter. It seemed as if Sevvir had healed him while he slept this time. Guess their minor contract still counted for something. Mortal, Xeph said. He sounded worried about something, which immediately brought Callan¡¯s attention back around. ¡°Yeah?¡± I need to apologize for not taking your suspicions about Rym more seriously. If we had investigated the yeth back then, much of this conflict could have been avoided. ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up about it, Xeph. I¡¯m pretty sure things would still have gone mostly the same. We wouldn¡¯t have known who the rest of the cult was, and knowing Rym was the avatar wouldn¡¯t have mattered if we couldn¡¯t find him.¡± Still... Callan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s done. Besides, you made some good arguments at the time. How were we to know that Veritas had a way to manipulate Rym even when he was comatose?¡± That is true. Xeph sounded notably relieved. Callan glanced around. ¡°This is Rym¡¯s tent, isn¡¯t it? I recognize some of the patches to it. Did Sevvir bring me here?¡± ¡°I did,¡± came a voice from somewhere outside. A moment later the tent flap pulled back and Sevvir¡¯s grinning face poked through the opening. ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re finally awake, Callan.¡± ¡°Hey, Sevvir, were you out there listening this entire time?¡± The mjolk frowned. ¡°It¡¯s somewhat difficult not to. Fantastic hearing, remember?¡± She tweaked one of her ears. ¡°Oh yeah. I guess I can¡¯t blame you too much, then. Thanks for healing me by the way.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Sevvir knelt next to him. She took his head in her hands, then leaned in, pressing her forehead to his own. They stayed like that for several seconds before she pulled away. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have a fever anymore. That¡¯s a promising sign.¡± ¡°Fever?¡± It took Callan a moment to remember his time in the dveorg cage. ¡°Oh. That was probably because Xeph¡¯s powers got turned off for a while. I sometimes get a bit loopy when it happens.¡± ¡°Ah, that does explain why you suddenly collapsed into a delirium when we exited. I was afraid you¡¯d been poisoned.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Callan pulled the blankets away again, realized he wasn¡¯t wearing pants, then quickly threw them back on. He felt heat shoot up his face. "Uh, Sevvir...?" "Yes, yes. I¡¯ll give you some privacy.¡± She stood up to leave. What are you so embarrassed about, mortal? She¡¯s already seen you without pants before! Who do you think removed them in the first place? ¡°It¡¯s the principle of the matter, Xeph,¡± Callan said as the flap swung closed. ¡°Besides, the last thing I need is her cracking some joke¡ª¡± ¡°I would never do something so crass,¡± Sevvir said from just outside the tent. Callan froze with one leg still half into his pants. ¡°Besides, you have nothing to worry about, Callan. You¡¯re very average sized. For a yeth, anyway.¡± The mjolk giggled and walked away. Callan waited until her footsteps faded completely, then let out a groan. You know she can probably still hear that too, right? Xeph asked. ¡°Buddy, just... not right now, okay?¡±
They set out from Rym¡¯s old camp a few minutes later. Before leaving the tent, Callan gathered up what few personal effect remained¡ªRym didn¡¯t need them anymore, and maybe his mother or brother might like to keep them. After that, the tent had a rather forlorn feel to it that gave Callan the creeps. He departed as quickly as he could and didn¡¯t look back. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m off to find my priests,¡± he told the mjolk. ¡°Any idea where they might be?¡± The lud are almost certainly searching for us, even now, Xeph noted. Their powers are still active, so they know you yet live. They won¡¯t wander far. He nodded in agreement. ¡°With luck, they¡¯re still back where I fell. If I know Kivi¡ªthat¡¯s my high priestess¡ªshe¡¯s probably still searching for me in the rubble.¡± ¡°Then best not delay,¡± Sevvir said with a grin. ¡°You don¡¯t need the poor old thing suffering any further anguish.¡± Callan didn¡¯t bother correcting her assumption that his high priestess would be an old woman. After all, most of his other priests were or had been elders, so her guess wasn¡¯t that far off. ¡°Which way are you headed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, but... that way, I think.¡± She pointed in the direction of the cultist camp. ¡°Then how about we walk together for as long as we can. Unless I need to sign another contract just to spend time with you...?¡± Sevvir laughed. ¡°Not for walking, no.¡± ¡°Good. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how this was going to work since our original contract ended.¡± ¡°Did it?¡± The mjolk looked at him sideways, her lips curling into a slight grin. Xeph shuddered. I do not like the look of that expression. Tread carefully, mortal. ¡°Um.¡± Callan thought back over the terms again. He didn¡¯t remember the exact wording, but... ¡°Wasn¡¯t it something about how we would work together until our goals were accomplished?¡± ¡°Correct. And while you may have fulfilled your goal, I, however, have not.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°Oh yeah, you never turned up your treasure, did you?¡± Mortal, his head mate-mate interjected. Ask her about what Veritas mentioned near the end. What was this nonsense about half of an existence? ¡°Yeah, I was wondering about that, too.¡± He repeated Xeph¡¯s question to the mjolk. Sevvir shook her head. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. The god had nothing I was interested in, or at least nothing I¡¯m aware of. Perhaps he assumed I was there for something else.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s as likely an explanation as any.¡± They walked in silence for a bit longer. Eventually Callan noticed Sevvir watching him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Before your fight with the other god, you mentioned being open to the idea of a longer contract. Is that still true?¡± ¡°Oh. Oh!¡± Callan brightened. ¡°You mean you would actually teach me willcasting?¡± ¡°If that is what you wish. I can¡¯t share all of my clan secrets, but some of them are less protected than others. Mostly the ones that any school out there might offer to teach you.¡± I still say this is nonsense, Xeph grumbled. Callan shushed him, then returned his attention to the mjolk. ¡°What exactly would a contract entail?¡± ¡°Nothing much. No more than what I originally offered you in the dungeon. As I mentioned before, I already have a master-mjolk contract, so this would just be a lesser, provisional one.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine, since I don¡¯t actually know what a master-mjolk contract even is,¡± Callan noted. Sevvir looked at him in surprise. Human, maybe we shouldn¡¯t just reveal our ignorance to every person we meet? There is such a thing as subtlety. ¡°Xeph, she was going to figure it out eventually.¡± He looked back at Sevvir. ¡°How would this work?¡± ¡°My current master-mjolk contract requires I return home at the completion of my mission, but as you just saw, it appears to an impossible task...¡± The mjolk spread her hands. ¡°I have some leeway in how I interpret those commands. If I am gone for several more weeks, it will not raise any eyebrows. That is more than enough time to teach you the basics, a foundation you can continue to develop on your own. Or you can seek out other teachers afterwards that can advance your skills further.¡± Callan nodded. ¡°That sounds fair. What would you want in exchange?¡± He hadn¡¯t forgotten the costly lesson from before. A mjolk never worked for free. ¡°I¡¯m sure we could come to some sort of arrangement,¡± Sevvir said, glancing away. ¡°You must have some valuables back at your temple, yes? Or are the stories I¡¯ve heard about gods of stone and mountain untrue?¡± Ah, so she seeks the wealth hidden beneath the earth, Xeph seemed to noticeably relax inside Callan¡¯s head. At least we know her true motives now. Should she return with sufficient quantities of gems and other valuables, it will likely appease her master, or at least get them to overlook her failure at completing her mission. Callan thought back to the emptied treasury back at the temple. ¡°But Xeph, we don¡¯t¡ª¡± Mortal! What did I JUST say about not revealing everything to those we meet? Subtlety! ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Callan rolled his eyes, but he still followed the god¡¯s advice and shut up. After all, if Xeph wasn¡¯t worried about paying Sevvir¡¯s price, he must have some plan for accumulating enough wealth to pay for her services. ¡°Xeph says that shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± he said instead. Sevvir nodded in satisfaction. ¡°In that case, just give me a minute or two to draw up the proper terms.¡± She settled down right on the forest floor, pulled her writing supplies from her bag, and went to work. Callan watched her for a bit, grinning. Contracts were a weird obsession, but he couldn¡¯t deny that she was rather cute when her brow was furrowed like that in absolute concentration. Are you truly certain we want to do this? Xeph asked. As I¡¯ve explained before, my gifts are a much faster and reliable way to power. Even if my techniques for expanding them are a bit outdated, you cannot deny that your growth has accelerated since our followers increased. Callan nodded. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right, Xeph. And I fully intend to continue focusing on growing the number of our followers. That¡¯ll always be priority one.¡± But¡ª ¡°¡ªBut Zavastu is coming, and we¡¯re going to need all the advantages we can get. Besides, Kivi and the others can focus on gathering more followers. What am I supposed to be doing with my spare time? Gaining a new trick or two seems like a good use.¡± While Callan guessed some more advanced skills like healing were beyond the scope of what Sevvir could or would teach him, even if all he learned was how to throw fire around, it would time well spent. There was a lot he could do with that one trick alone. And Zavastu was a goddess of fire, after all. What better to fight fire with, than more fire? ¡°There, I think that covers everything.¡± Sevvir handed him a sheet of papers that looked identical to the first contract she¡¯d offered, along with a pen. ¡°Just sign at the bottom on the last page, and we¡¯re good to go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Callan started skimming over the contract. While most of it was in legalese and thus incomprehensible to him, he still knew better to sign anything without reading it first. At the very least, he wanted to at absorb the general tone. ¡°Um...¡± Sevvir said after a moment. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just looking it over. Only be another minute.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± The mjolk stood and tapped at the papers. ¡°As I said before, this is a standard mjolk contract. I would never shame my clan by offering anything otherwise.¡± ¡°Then you won¡¯t mind if I look it over for a bit.¡± ¡°I thought you were in a hurry to find your people.¡± Sevvir stepped closer. She laid her hand over Callan¡¯s. ¡°Just sign it, and we can get moving. I¡¯d also like to gather the supplies at my own camp before any wild animals get to them. We shouldn¡¯t delay for too long.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m reading as fast as I can.¡± Callan frowned. He read a section of the contract again. ¡°Hey, Sevvir, what does this part here mean?¡± ¡°Which part?¡± The girl¡¯s voice squeaked a bit as she spoke. ¡°This one here, labeled 28e. ¡®In the event that contract holder and contracted mjolk form a connection that results in¡ª¡¯¡± ¡°Avatar! Drop those papers immediately!¡± Callan glanced up. Kivi was practically running towards him, branches snapping and plants crushed underfoot as she fought her way forwards. A short distance behind, Paeral tugged unsuccessfully at a bush which had ensnared the hem of his robe. ¡°Oh, hey¡ª¡± Kivi leapt over the last of the underbrush. Without a further word, she snatched the contract from Callan¡¯s hands and tore it to pieces. Dropping them on the ground, she stomped on them several times for good measure. Callan gaped. He felt similar waves of shock coming from his head-mate. That seemed rather excessive. She could have simply returned the papers to the mjolk. ¡°Tell me you didn¡¯t sign anything else yet,¡± Kivi said breathlessly, heaving from her sudden burst of effort. Before Callan could respond she rounded on Sevvir. Despite the difference in their heights, she seemed to suddenly tower over everyone else. ¡°How dare you, mjolk! I knew your conniving kind were untrustworthy, but trying to contract with an avatar? That is a new low.¡± She raised herself up further. ¡°As his official representative, I invoke paragraph 176 of any contracts you might already have tricked him into signing. Now, begone!¡± Sevvir let out an extremely cat-like hiss. She looked at Callan. ¡°Who is this girl?¡± ¡°Oh, right, introductions. Kivi, this is Sevvir. Sevvir, this is Kivi, my high priestess.¡± ¡°Your... high priestess.¡± The mjolk looked at Kivi in shock. Then something seemed to pass over her face. ¡°And you wish to invoke paragraph 176, do you, girl? Brave. Very brave.¡± Kivi stared the mjolk down, not budging an inch. After a long moment, Sevvir smirked. ¡°Lucky for you, the avatar signed no other contracts. You¡¯re safe¡ªfor now.¡± Does that mean the small contract from before doesn¡¯t count? Xeph asked. Callan didn¡¯t bother voicing the question. Now didn¡¯t seem like the right time. ¡°I can see my presence here is no longer desired. Callan, it appears those casting lessons will have to wait,¡± Sevvir continued. She glowered at Kivi again, then shot him an apologetic smile. ¡°Despite what lies this one is likely to tell you about my people, I truly did have your best interests at heart. Sadly, it appears that is not to be now.¡± ¡°Um, okay then.¡± Callan wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. ¡°If you¡¯re ever in Amon Tul, be sure to look me up, okay?¡± And with a quick wave of farewell, Sevvir bounded into the forest. She was far more skilled at avoiding the underbrush than either of the lud had been. Paeral gave a yelp of surprise and fell over as she rushed past. A moment later, she was gone. Callan turned back to Kivi. ¡°Okay, what the hell was that¡ªOoof!¡± The lud girl had thrown all four of her arms around him, and now seemed rather determined to strangle him via hug. Callan flailed for a moment before he managed to get his arms untangled enough to halfheartedly return the embrace. ¡°Oh, Avatar, I was so worried about you.¡± Kivi¡¯s voice was muffled, pressed into his stomach as it was. She must have gone onto tiptoes to accomplish that. He gave her an extra squeeze. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m back now. Everything is alright.¡± ¡°And Veritas?¡± she asked, pulling away slightly. Her arms lingered on his own, as if she was afraid to let him fully out of her grasp just yet. ¡°Does she still live?¡± ¡°He. And no, he doesn¡¯t. I¡¯ve got a lot to tell the both of you.¡± ¡°You can explain everything on the way home.¡± Kivi turned to Paeral. ¡°Go back and gather what supplies remain. We¡¯ll have to stop at Restaro¡¯s farm to resupply, but he should be amenable to that.¡± ¡°Actually, hold off on that order,¡± Callan said. ¡°We need to go back to Aos first. There¡¯s... something I need to tell Belinda.¡± He rather dreaded that particular conversation, but the yeth woman had the right to know the truth. Even if she wasn¡¯t the mayor anymore, she¡¯d set all these events in motion. She deserved to hear the ending. Kivi pursed her lips. ¡°If that is your desire, Avatar.¡± ¡°Thanks, High Priestess.¡± He frowned down at her. ¡°Now, do you want to tell me what all that yelling at Sevvir was about? How do you know so much about mjolk contracts?¡± The lud glanced away, an embarrassed expression slipping onto her face. ¡°I... actually don¡¯t know anything about them, Avatar.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Callan blinked. ¡°I only once overheard Master Parias warning his son about them before a long journey. He spoke of being wary of any contract offered by a mjolk, and if one could not be avoided, to invoke that paragraph once the mattered was settled. Beyond that, I know little.¡± Does that mean she chased off the mjolk over nothing but hearsay? Xeph scoffed, which sounded reminiscent of a boulder cracking in half. Callan resisted the urge to groan. I wonder if it¡¯s too late to go after her? he thought. Probably. The way she was moving, there¡¯s no chance I¡¯ll catch up, even with my enhanced Momentum. Something else Kivi had said sudden clicked. He glanced at her. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve heard you refer to Parias as your master several times now. You didn¡¯t have to sign a contract with him, did you?¡± ¡°No?¡± Kivi looked at him, confused. ¡°Master is a title in lud society, Avatar. It is awarded to certain distinguished members who are not yet old enough to be considered elders.¡± ¡°Oh, okay then.¡± ¡°Why would I have signed a contract?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± Callan waved the question away. ¡°Just something Sevvir said. Guess it doesn¡¯t matter now.¡± Still, this is interesting, Xeph mused. It appears that the contract obsession must be exclusively mjolk. And here I¡¯d hoped that our high priestess could provide some further insight into the matter. Alas. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, Xeph. Every time we find out about some new quirk caused by all this tinkering with people¡¯s brains you¡¯re practically salivating. Try to keep it in your proverbial pants, would you?¡± I don¡¯t wear pants, mortal. Nor would I even if I possessed the physical framework to do so. They appear far too constricting. Callan shook his head. ¡°That actually explains a lot about you Xeph. Probably more than I wanted to know, honestly.¡± What does that mean? ¡°Never mind. Come on, everyone, let¡¯s get moving.¡± 2-54 — Can We Go Home Now? They were almost back to Aos before Callan finished telling the two lud about what had happened to him over the hours¡ªdays?¡ªsince he fell into the hole. And that was with omitting most the details about Sevvir¡¯s contracts and willcasting¡ªboth subjects better saved to talk over with Kivi in more detail privately. Instead, he focused on the core discoveries, from the secret forge chamber to Veritas¡¯s revelation about Rym being his avatar. Both Kivi and Paeral were surprisingly calm when he told them. ¡°That does explain much,¡± Kivi said, when he finished. ¡°I did not spend time with Belinda¡¯s errant son like you did, but everything you told me about the man always seemed suspicious. Though admittedly, I would have assumed he was another priest rather than Veritas themselves.¡± Her comment reminded Callan about the priest robes he¡¯d found in Rym¡¯s tent when laying him down for the last time. A flush of guilt ran through him, but before he could say anything, Paeral spoke up. ¡°There is still something I do not understand, Avatar. If Rym was indeed the vessel of Veritas, then what happened to this Ulfa woman?¡± ¡°Huh. Good point.¡± Had her disappearance been a coincidence? Callan doubted it. Still, there were few answers to be found here on the road. ¡°I also see why you were so insistent about returning to Aos,¡± Kivi added. ¡°Regardless of what happened, Belinda deserves to hear the fate of her child. If Rym were mine, I¡¯d want to know, regardless of what occurred between us.¡± That statement surprised Callan. ¡°Really? Including the whole ¡®spent weeks trying to undermine your administration and ultimately almost killed you¡¯ part? Or his part in everything that happened with Alyssa. Not exactly great news.¡± ¡°Yet we are still making the journey to inform her,¡± Kivi said. It was not a question. ¡°Yeah, we are. The truth might be bitter, but she still needs to hear. If it means further grieving, then she¡¯ll grieve.¡± Also, we need to inform the yeth woman to fulfill the last of the duel contract, Xeph said. Given that her own freedom was bound up in that agreement, she may now enjoy the remainder of her days without worry that Veritas will return. ¡°Somehow I doubt that¡¯s really her biggest concern anymore,¡± Callan pointed out to his head-mate. ¡°She is still a yeth, Avatar,¡± Kivi said matter-of-factly. ¡°Likely she¡¯ll be too busy plotting her return to power to care about something as inconsequential as the death of her own son.¡± Schemes and seams, Xeph muttered in agreement. Callan¡¯s memory flashed back to the look on the former mayor¡¯s face as she cradled her broken daughter in her arms. He started to say something, but at that moment they rounded a hill and almost crashed into a contingent of yeth headed the other direction. Torveld walked at their head. ¡°Avatar! I wasn¡¯t certain we would see you again.¡± He glanced past him at the priests, then back again. ¡°Is everything alright? Is¡ª¡± ¡°Veritas is dead,¡± Callan said, and the yeth visibly relaxed. ¡°What are all of you doing out here?¡± ¡°Oh, well after your departure I held my first town meeting. We quickly reached a consensus about building several bridges to connect us to the surrounding plateaus. We¡¯re on our way to begin construction on the first.¡± Boy oh boy. Belinda had to be absolutely thrilled about that prospect. Callan shook his head. Kind of ironic that he¡¯d defeated the other avatar but failed to complete the goal that he¡¯d been hired for in the first place. ¡°Best of luck to you,¡± he said, patting Torveld gently on the shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve got a little business to deal with in town, then we¡¯re on our way back to our temple. Feel free to send a messenger if you ever need our services again.¡± ¡°Of course, honored avatar.¡± Torveld¡¯s tone made it clear that was a remote likelihood. Which suited Callan just fine. If they kept their faith, he had what he wanted. They set out walking again, and a few minutes later Aos came into view. Callan paused once they reached the edge of town. He actually wasn¡¯t certain where Belinda would be now. She had been living in the tower during the siege, but that hardly seemed like a good long-term location. Which meant either her son or sister-in-law¡¯s house were the most likely locations. Since it was the closest, they made for the town square first. Here they found the tower still standing¡ªand likely to continue doing so for many years to come. A few children played up on the top level. He supposed that was as good a use for it now as anything. No Belinda, though. Across from the tower, Alyssa¡¯s forge hunkered, dark and forgotten. Would any among the yeth take up working it? Would they entice an outsider to join their community? Surely it wouldn¡¯t remain unused for long. A community like this would need tools built and repaired regularly. Alyssa had always seemed so busy, a backlog of work must be piling up already. He remembered her, standing in the guest house, in that frilly yellow dress of hers. A sharp pain tugged on his heart. Quickly, he glanced away from the smithy and increased his pace. The lud almost had to run to keep up. Millica answered the door after the first knock. The hungry smile faded from her face almost immediately upon seeing them. Then she brightened again. ¡°Need traveling supplies, Avatar? My stock is still recovering but I have a few items¡ª¡± ¡°Just looking for Belinda, I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The woman chewed her lip as she considered him. Finally, she said. ¡°I¡¯d try over at her son¡¯s house. If he hasn¡¯t had enough of her yet and sent the old nag packing, that¡¯s where she¡¯ll be.¡± ¡°Why would he do that?¡± Kivi asked. Millica¡¯s gaze flicked towards the lud. ¡°You¡¯ll see. Now if you excuse me...¡± She shut the door before she even finished speaking. That was rude, Xeph said with a harumph. No way to treat a god at all! Callan glanced at Kivi, who simply shrugged. Turning, they made their way towards Radavan¡¯s house. Here they had to knock several times before anyone answered. Callan was half beginning to suspect everyone might be out working the fields¡ªcertainly Radavan was finding himself short of labor after everything that transpired. But just before they turned away, the door opened a crack, and Pivale peered out at them. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Hey, Pivale, we¡¯re looking for¡ª¡± There was a crash from somewhere inside that sounded like breaking pottery. The yeth winced. ¡°¡ªBelinda,¡± Callan finished. ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± the woman whispered. ¡°Whose at the door, Pivale?¡± Someone shouted angrily from further inside. ¡°Tell them to piss off already and get back in here! I need a fresh jug!¡± ¡°Sorry, Avatar, she¡¯s not¡ª¡± Pivale tried to close the door, but found Callan¡¯s foot wedged in the crack. Gently, he pushed his way inside. The woman hurriedly stepped back, dropping her gaze. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± he asked in a whisper. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s just... not taking the day well.¡± ¡°Pivale! Get your ass back in here.¡± Callan held up a hand to keep the woman from scurrying off. Waving Kivi and Paeral back as well, he made his way down the hall and into the kitchen. There he found the place an utter mess. Broken crockery littered the floor near the entrance, as well as a few other pieces scattered about at random intervals. It seemed that the crash they¡¯d heard wasn¡¯t the first to happen. Seated at the table, face half hidden in shadows, was Belinda, former mayor of Aos. Not that you would have known by looking at the empty shell of a woman. Callan approached hesitantly. If the older woman noticed him, she gave no indication. ¡°Belinda?¡± He tried, gently at first, and then with more force. When the woman didn¡¯t respond, he stopped closer¡ªand almost recoiled. The vapors wafting off the woman reminded him strongly of his uncle¡¯s apartment, and not in a good way. That stench... Xeph shifted in Callan¡¯s skull. Is the yeth woman drunk? ¡°If she is, she¡¯s using paint cleaner to do it,¡± Callan muttered. This, finally, got Belinda¡¯s attention. She stared up bleary-eyed at him a moment before recognition came into them. Her expression soured. ¡°Hmmph. Did that useless daughter-in-law of mine send you in here? Well, I hope you brought another jug with you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Callan said, not bothering to comment on the first part. ¡°What happened to you Belinda?¡± He paused, then added, ¡°Is this about the bridge?¡± Ah, that would make sense. Seeing the entire reason that we were summoned to the village in the first place come to pass, and losing one¡¯s position regardless, would push anyone to seek solace in drink. His head-mate sounded extremely self-satisfied at his conclusion. Callan, however, had his doubts. Those doubts were confirmed a moment later. ¡°Bah. Let those fools build their bridge. Time will prove me right on my predictions. Though I doubt I¡¯ll still be alive by then to gloat over it.¡± Belinda¡¯s hands grasped around in the half-shadows, seeking another jug. Finding nothing, she sighed and settled back in the chair. ¡°Then why are you sitting here in the dark pickling yourself?¡± Callan asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare judge me, boy. A woman is allowed to grieve however she wants. Especially one that¡¯s been betrayed the way I have.¡± ¡°Betrayed?¡± ¡°Yes, betrayed!¡± Belinda slammed her fist down on the table. ¡°I may have kept my share of secrets, but they harmed no one. Always my priority was to the safety and well-being of my people. And how do they repay me?¡± She held up her fingers. ¡°First, my son goes behind my back to support the bridge faction. My daughter goes even further and sides with the enemy! Then, instead of offering me support, the town turns wholesale against me, as if my years of service and sacrifice count for nothing. Nothing! So what¡¯s left for me, Avatar, truly? What¡¯s left, but to sit here and try to drink away my problems?¡± Callan hesitated. He couldn¡¯t help but notice there had been no mention of her other son. ¡°It¡¯s just, I¡¯d have thought you would have more of a problem with someone seeking to chase away their pain like this.¡± Hmm, yes, Xeph said in agreement. That is rather hypocritical of her, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Why in the name of the moons would¡ªOh.¡± The old woman glared at him. ¡°You heard about that, did you?¡± ¡°I mean, yeah. As you noticed, secrets have a way of coming out around here.¡± ¡°Never was much of a secret, really. And Rym made his choices. He chose to poison the very well this town was built on. If it had merely been his addiction, I could have overlooked it, but the things he did when he was desperate for his next fix? When he could no longer afford to pay the merchants who were supplying him?¡± Belinda shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s all in the past. Rym is dead, or gone, or both. He doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± She¡¯s in for a bit of a surprise, isn¡¯t she, Xeph noted with a chuckle. Right. Callan decided to get back to the topic at hand. ¡°I wanted to let you know that I defeated Veritas. You don¡¯t have to worry about him returning for vengeance.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yippee,¡± the woman said. She slumped in her chair. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be happier about that.¡± ¡°Oh, I am, believe me. It¡¯s just...¡± She shrugged. ¡°I find vengeance doesn¡¯t taste as sweet any more. After Alyssa died I wanted it so badly, but now...¡± She shrugged again. ¡°There¡¯s more. The avatar wasn¡¯t Ulfa, it was¡ª¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Callan frowned in confusion. ¡°Workers clearing away the rubble over at the trading post found her body this morning. Seems she must have died during that cave-in stunt of yours.¡± Right. He¡¯d mostly forgotten about collapsing the floor of the trading post. That went a long way towards explaining Millica¡¯s attitude towards them. Even if she¡¯d agreed to it, they had left quite a mess behind. Not that Callan felt inclined to return and help with the cleanup. But they should probably have at least apologized. ¡°Still doesn¡¯t change much,¡± Belinda continued, and Callan refocused his attention on her. ¡°She was still a priestess of Veritas. I still spent years putting my faith in someone else who betrayed me. What a waste.¡± ¡°I agree. This whole situation sucks. You didn¡¯t deserve any of what happened to you, Belinda,¡± Callan said, doing his best to try and assuage her. Well, that¡¯s not entirely true. The yeth did a phenomenal job of setting herself up for failure with the way she mishandled the situation, Xeph countered, and not for the first time Callan was glad he was the only one who could hear the stone god. He continued on. ¡°I¡ª¡± he started, but Belinda held up a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You were about to tell me who the avatar of Veritas was. I don¡¯t want to know. If they¡¯re dead, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore, just like none of this matters anymore.¡± She gestured around her. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough betrayal for one lifetime. I don¡¯t need to add anything further into the mix. So if that¡¯s all you came here for, Avatar, please go. I have my own work to attend to.¡± Is her work consuming all of the alcohol in the village? Xeph grumbled. Because she seems well on her way to doing just that. ¡°Oh, hush.¡± Callan reached inside his pockets and pulled out the trinkets he¡¯d taken from Rym¡¯s tent. A worn book, several feathers, a stuffed animal that looked like a rabbit¡ªno, a jackran¡ªand finally a small box carved from wood. One by one he set them on the table. ¡°Rym wanted me to give these to you after he... well anyway, here they are.¡± With that, he turned and hurried from the room. Why did you lie about those objects? Xeph asked as they made their way down the hall. She just finished telling us she didn¡¯t care about her estranged son. Also, you didn¡¯t tell her the truth about the avatar. Isn¡¯t that what we came here for? Callan turned and looked back the way he¡¯d come. It was difficult to see into the shadowy room, but he thought that Belinda had picked up the toy jackran and was holding it close. A soft sniffle trailed its way down the hall. ¡°The answer to both those questions is the same, Xeph.¡± That doesn¡¯t make any sense. He shook his head. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s get going, we¡¯re done here.¡± Outside, they found Kivi waiting for them. Callan glanced about. ¡°Where¡¯s Paeral?¡± ¡°I sent him back to our camp to gather up any remaining supplies. Is your business in town complete?¡± ¡°Almost, just one more stop.¡± Kivi considered him a moment. ¡°In that case, can I meet you on the edge of town? I thought of a bit of business to attend to myself.¡± ¡°Sure, fine by me.¡± Callan waved goodbye, promising to meet her at the edge of town in a half hour. He set off towards the fields. At first, the walk was a quiet one. Callan was wrapped in his thoughts, and Xeph was... doing whatever the god did to occupy his time. Navel gazing, probably. Finally, Callan broke the silence. ¡°Did I mistake a mistake, coming here?¡± I don¡¯t understand what you mean, mortal. Callan paused in the middle of the road and pressed a hand to his face. ¡°Was it a mistake, coming here to Aos? We spent so much time and effort helping these people. It cost us... a lot. And we have hardly anything to show for it.¡± Fifty additional followers is hardly nothing. ¡°You know what I mean. We could have spent that time recruiting elsewhere. Could have just come to an agreement with Veritas to stay out of each other¡¯s way. Part of me can¡¯t help but feel like this whole trip was a waste of time.¡± Hmm. Xeph was silent for a moment. Even putting aside the additional faith, there are many other benefits that were gained from this endeavor. You would never have learned how to sense the presence of enemy priests for instance. Nor would you have gained mastery over Wurmchain so quickly. That is not even considering some of the more esoteric gains, such as trade relations and potential for future growth in this area. Leave it to his head-mate to reduce the entire ordeal to a series of bullet-points. Callan struggled with a way to explain his internal dilemma. However, the god continued, I think I understand the difficulty you are having. This entire matter quickly spiraled out of our control, leaving us with an untenable position¡ªeither we struggled forward, despite diminishing gains, or we abandoned it entirely, potentially leaving a worse situation than we had found. Faced with that choice... no, I do not feel that you made a mistake, human. You used what knowledge you had and acted accordingly. Fate does not always favor us the way we wish it might, and in the end, regrets are merely us looking back and seeing the cost we could not while walking forward. You may try to act with more wisdom in the future, but you should never regret the choices made in the past. They were made by your best self¡ªthe one that lived in that moment. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s... actually rather insightful,¡± Callan admitted. Of course it is, mortal! I have had years to accumulate wisdom that you could only hope to achieve during your pitiful lifetime. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± They began walking again. After a moment, Xeph said, Though if I am being truly honest, there is one aspect of this whole adventure which continues to vex at me. Callan knew immediately he was going to regret asking, but he did anyway. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Your attitude towards these yeth was far too lax! You are the embodiment of a god and need to stop forgetting that fact! Instead of negotiating with all who come before us, you should simply demand what is ours by right! It happened with the lud, but has only grown to be more of a problem since negotiating with these yeth. Had you simply forced them to give their faith in the first place, much of this could have been avoided. ¡°You really think that, huh?¡± Callan chuckled. ¡°Somehow I don¡¯t think that would have gone as smoothly as you believe.¡± Bah. We are the mighty Xeph-Zul-Karatl! Thousands once begged for the opportunity to worship at our feet. Now our avatar lives off scraps and thinks we should be grateful for that much. It is an indignity, human. ¡°Tell you what, buddy. We get to the point where we actually have people begging to worship you, I¡¯ll start being more hard line in negotiations.¡± Promise? Callan rolled his eyes. Entirely for his own benefit, but he didn¡¯t care. ¡°Yep, promise.¡± They arrived at the edge of Radavan¡¯s fields. He quickly spotted the yeth man and his son working through a patch of adle. They stopped and watched as he approached. ¡°Thought I might find you out here,¡± Callan said. ¡°Avatar. What news?¡± As succinctly as he could, he told Radavan about his brother and what had happened to him. By the time he¡¯d finished there was a hard set to the man¡¯s jaw, but he nodded nonetheless. ¡°Thank you for telling me this, Avatar. Rym may have caused untold trouble for our village, but he was still my brother. I¡¯ll miss him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s really dead?¡± Lisson asked. ¡°Afraid so,¡± Callan said. ¡°At least I can say he seemed at peace in his last moments.¡± ¡°May all of us be so lucky when our time comes.¡± Radavan shook his head. ¡°Well, safe travels to you, Avatar. May your way be safe and your nights be moonless.¡± ¡°Actually, not so fast, Radavan.¡± The man paused in turning back to his work and frowned. Callan gestured back at the town. ¡°The people of Aos have all sworn themselves to Xeph now. Someone needs to keep an eye on them and make sure that doesn¡¯t change.¡± ¡°I suggest you send a priest along, then. We should have the guest house rebuilt soon, or at least the lud one.¡± Callan shook his head. ¡°I was actually thinking it would be better to leave someone here who was already a member of the village. Someone I know I can trust.¡± ¡°You...¡± Radavan blinked. ¡°You don¡¯t mean me, do you, Avatar? I have no interest in being a priest.¡± ¡°Never said anything about making you a priest. Though you¡¯re right. Might be better if everyone thinks you are. Gives a little extra threat behind your words. Feel free to tell them I inducted you.¡± ¡°And why would I do that?¡± the yeth said with a smirk. He slashed at a nearby stalk. ¡°Because of my hostage.¡± When Radavan turned and frowned at him, Callan said, ¡°I¡¯m taking your son.¡± ¡°What?¡± What? Xeph spluttered in his head. Mortal, we talked about this! The boy is too young to be inducted as a member of our congregation! Callan waved the god¡¯s arguments away. He held the farmer¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯m taking your son and holding him at our temple on condition of this village¡¯s good behavior. So it would be in your interest to ensure that every else here remains loyal.¡± ¡°You... you can¡¯t. He¡¯s just a boy!¡± Callan glanced past, to where Lisson was listening. His eyes were so wide they looked like they might pop out. He gave the boy a quick wink. Immediately, a look of understanding passed over Lisson¡¯s face. He grabbed at Radvan¡¯s shirt. ¡°Don¡¯t let them take me, father! Please!¡± Mortal, are you certain this is a wise idea? Xeph asked. Callan kept his face neutral but whispered out the corner of his mouth. ¡°You were just telling me I needed to ask less and demand more, Xeph. Well, you¡¯re getting your wish.¡± Hmmph. That¡¯s¡ªhmmph. ¡°Come on, Lisson,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll gather your things and say goodbye to your mother, but then we¡¯ve got to go. Plenty of miles to cover.¡± ¡°Wait. Just a moment, please.¡± Radavan took his son by the shoulder and led him a short distance away. Callan couldn¡¯t hear what was said, but he saw the man drop to one knee and embrace his son. They held like that for a long time. Soon enough, they returned. The farmer had an angry look in his face, but wisely he held it in check. ¡°If anything should happen to him...¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. If nobody breaks faith here over the next year, I¡¯ll send him back home safe and sound. Fair?¡± Callan didn¡¯t wait to see if the farmer agreed or not. It didn¡¯t really matter if he did, anyway. Instead, he turned and headed back towards town. ¡°That was actually easier than I thought it would be,¡± he said as the boy caught up. ¡°Am I really going to live with you at the temple? Are you going to make me a priest?¡± ¡°Yes to the first, no to the second.¡± Seeing the look of disappointment, Callan added, ¡°At least not yet. Once you¡¯re old enough, we can talk about it again. Agreed?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Great. Now, let¡¯s go see that mother of yours. Something tells me she might be harder to convince than your father.¡±
Surprisingly, Kivi wasn¡¯t waiting for them at the edge of the village when they arrived. She appeared a short time later, a large sack strung over one shoulder. ¡°Negotiated supplies for our trip home,¡± she said on seeing Callan¡¯s questioning look. Then she glanced at Lisson curiously. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± Callan said, not wanting to tell the story twice. They set off to find Paeral. They found the old lud headed back towards them about halfway back to Rym¡¯s old camp. He carried their packs slung over one shoulder, along with a bundle in his arms. As they all stopped next to the side of the road, Callan noticed the lengthening shadows around them. ¡°It seems we won¡¯t be escaping the plateau tonight. Shall we make camp?¡± he asked. ¡°A wise decision.¡± Kivi glanced at Paeral. ¡°Did you remember to deactivate the temple before departing our campsite?¡± ¡°He did,¡± Callan said before the man could respond. He¡¯d received the message about a temple being lost sometime while they were in the village. It had given him a moment of panic before he remembered the temporary shrine Kivi had established while they were out waiting for Veritas to appear. ¡°Very good.¡± Kivi took the bundle of cloth from Paeral. She made a cooing noise into it. Callan stared. Inside his head, he could feel Xeph concern mirroring his own. Has something happened to our high priestess? If she has fallen ill during our time here... The lud girl looked up and noticed the expression on Callan¡¯s face. She smiled at him, then held out the cloth. Callan approached cautiously. Inside was a small creature, its skin so wrinkly he could hardly make out one end from the other. Then a pair of pure black eyes opened, staring directly into his own. Recognition hit him like a thunderclap. ¡°Is that a baby dvorak?¡± ¡°We found him in the wreckage of Veritas¡¯s camp,¡± Kivi said. ¡°At first, I thought it best to simply leave him, but the poor thing wouldn¡¯t stop following me. We initially kept him penned in one of the buildings for safety, but if we¡¯re departing this plateau for good...¡± She trailed off and went back to cooing over the creature. Callan watched her for a moment, then turned to Paeral. ¡°Anything else you haven¡¯t filled me in on yet? Got a pet dveorg in your pocket or anything?¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± The old man looked at him in confusion. ¡°No?¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± Callan shook his head. He motioned them off the road. ¡°Let¡¯s make camp, then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go gather firewood!¡± Lisson said eagerly. He took off into the trees. Callan settled down next to Kivi, while Paeral settled on a log nearby. The old lud glanced after Lisson curiously, then turned back. ¡°Why is the boy¡ª?¡± he began. ¡°Insurance,¡± Callan said. The two lud just looked at him curiously. Interesting, Xeph said. That word does not have a parallel in Urslang Common. Even the meaning inside your mind is obscured. How very strange... ¡°Please tell me you didn¡¯t make me emit a weird screech again, Xeph.¡± When the god didn¡¯t respond, Callan pressed a hand to his face. ¡°Great.¡± He gave a brief explanation to the other two about the conditions he¡¯d set upon Radavan. By the time he was done, Kivi was nodding appreciatively. ¡°That was wisely done, Avatar. These yeth cannot be trusted to keep their promises. Having someone behind to hold them accountable was a sensible decision.¡± Callan didn¡¯t actually care about that. He¡¯d just wanted to provide Lisson with an avenue for escaping. Inside his head, Xeph rumbled. This is a good point, and one I hadn¡¯t considered. Perhaps there is hope for you yet, mortal. One must scheme like a yeth if one wishes to keep them in line. ¡°You know, I think you¡¯re being too quick to the yeth, High Priestess.¡± The words slipped out of their own accord. ¡°Oh? What do you mean, Avatar?¡± Well, he was committed now. Callan sat back. He met Kivi¡¯s gaze. ¡°All of you keep calling the yeth calculating and emotionless. But the more I see, the more that just doesn¡¯t hold up. I think they simply have a different way of showing their emotions, is all. If they didn¡¯t, then Belinda wouldn¡¯t be falling to pieces over her daughter. Radavan wouldn¡¯t care that we¡¯re taking his son. And Veritas wouldn¡¯t have been able to manipulate the villagers, if they didn¡¯t have emotions to manipulate.¡± He thought to himself for a moment. ¡°You know, I asked Xeph earlier if we made a mistake coming here. But really, the only mistake we made was not treating the yeth like people. We let our prejudices dictate how we treated this situation from the beginning, and it only got worse any time it seemed like those beliefs proved to be true. If we had, maybe we might have turned them against Veritas earlier. There¡¯d have been no need for all those battles, or the contest, or¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªOr for my brother to die,¡± Paeral added. He looked at the ground. ¡°Maybe, maybe not,¡± Callan said quickly. ¡°Veritas still would have struck against us. Xeph told me earlier that we can¡¯t regret the choices we made, because we made them with the knowledge we had at the time. But I¡¯d like to be better going forward, and part of that is recognizing that the yeth might view the world differently than us, but that doesn¡¯t make them any less than us.¡± This is true, Xeph said in agreement. My siblings and I made all of the elevated races to be equal. Some might be suited for certain tasks and situations more than others, but none of them are truly lesser. Thank you for reminding me of that fact, mortal. Callan glanced at Kivi. She wore an expression like she wanted to argue the point with him, but in the end she kept her words to herself. Well, that was alright. Prejudices were hard things to let go of. He didn¡¯t expect to convince her from a single argument. There was time. And luckily, they would have a perfect candidate for the task around the temple now. Lisson chose that moment to return with an armload of firewood. ¡°I wasn¡¯t too slow, was I?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Callan said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re right on time.¡± 2-55 — Ligo — End Of Book 2 ¡°My fellow priests and I have finished our search of the southern quarter. We checked every crevice and loose stone for the possibility of a secret entrance or a hidden chamber.¡± Ligo paused for breath, standing rigid-backed in front of the moldering desk, hands clasped behind him. From the other side, Shamain stared at him imperiously. She wore her usual glower, and expression he was beginning to think was simply her default expression. ¡°And?¡± ¡°And there was nothing. The same as with the Northern quarter, and the Eastern, and the Western. If those children are still in the temple, their prison is well hidden.¡± ¡°Hmmph. I grow tired of your excuses, Ligo. What am I even allowing you out of that cage for if not to help us?¡± A hint of a smile crept onto Ligo¡¯s lips, but just as quickly he wiped it away. ¡°Is the information I¡¯m providing you not help enough?¡± ¡°Scraps and hints and little more.¡± The woman sneered at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m not wise to your plans. Keep feeding me morsels until your precious Zavastu arrives to rescue you. Well, I won¡¯t have it. I¡¯ve put up with your games for weeks. It¡¯s time to tell me the whole truth.¡± Ligo, who doubted the lud elder could grasp even the barest shape of the whole truth, made a show of hemming and hawing. This was a woman who liked to believe herself in complete control of any given situation. If he had learned nothing these past weeks, it was that. So he played along. ¡°I told you everything I knew about the memory shards¡¯ creation,¡± he said eventually. ¡°If the truth was not to your liking, that is hardly my fault.¡± ¡°Your truth, perhaps.¡± Shamain reached into a drawer of her desk and pulled out a reddish stone, placing it in front of her. She traced its surface idly with a finger. It took all of Ligo¡¯s willpower not to lunge forward and seize the stone. ¡°Why only certain people?¡± she asked. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t everyone form a memory shard when they die?¡± ¡°Because most people lack the proper transcendental conduits,¡± Ligo replied. This was a conversation they¡¯d had many times before, and frankly, he was growing tired of it. But the stone on the desk captivated his attention. He suspected he knew where the conversation was leading, so he continued playing his part. ¡°Yet I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing appearing before. Surely at least a few of our ancestors must have had these transcendent conduits.¡± ¡°Transcendental conduits,¡± Ligo corrected, then immediately regretted the decision as the old lud glared at him. He hurried on. ¡°It is not simply a matter of possessing them. One must also be bonded to a god, have their power added to one¡¯s own. The combination is not fully understood, only that it can lead to the creation of these stones upon a priest¡¯s death.¡± There were several other lengthier but less lethal ways to harvest the memory shards, but he kept that information to himself. A bargaining chip for later. ¡°And these shards can be used to increase a god¡¯s power?¡± the woman asked, repeating the story he had told her. ¡°That¡¯s why Zavastu and my avatar seek them? To grow their strength?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°They serve no other purpose?¡± ¡°None that I¡¯m aware of,¡± Ligo lied. It was the hardest part, keeping his face neutral. Every time he feared he might inadvertently let something slip. However, just like the times before, it appeared he was successful in his subterfuge once again. The old woman grunted, then picked up the stone and tossed it to him. ¡°There. You¡¯ve earned your prize. I only hope you¡¯ll remember the terms of our agreement.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ligo gave a half-nod, half-bow. He hated acting subservient to a mudrat, but sometimes concessions needed to be made. At least until he was no longer a prisoner. ¡°Good. When your Zavastu does eventually show, we can make sure the bloodshed is kept to a minimum.¡± ¡°I look forward to that day¡¯s arrival,¡± Ligo said with full honesty. The woman nodded, then called for the guards waiting outside. As they escorted Ligo back to his prison, he finally allowed a smile to slip on his face. He glanced down at the crystal in his hands. Finally. The elder lud would get her wish, if not in the way she quite expected. Ligo didn¡¯t intend to wait around for Zavastu¡¯s arrival, should the glorious goddess even deign it worth her time. No, the goddess favored those who helped themselves. And Ligo finally had the last tool he required to do so. Several minutes later they reached the door to his cell. The two lud pushed him inside so hard he almost stumbled and fell. Ligo turned to glare at them, but the door was already shut. He glowered at it anyway. ¡°Archon, are you alright?¡± Berart rushed forward and helped him to his feet. The other two priests, Aanat and Tipec looked up from where they had apparently been sleeping against the far wall. Ligo could hardly blame them for that. They¡¯d all lost track of their natural rhythm, trapped down in this lightless pit as they were. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Nothing bruised but my dignity.¡± Ligo glowered at the door again. While he might have turned Shamain to their cause, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the rest of her people. Especially these lower-class members, the Daisa. Still, so long as their elders sided with Shamain when the time came, that should be enough. ¡°How much longer do they intend to make us help them search?¡± Berart asked as Ligo began digging through his blanket heap. ¡°It has been weeks, and still no sign of the missing children.¡± ¡°I do not know,¡± Ligo said. He extracted the two other memory shards that he had collected from his earlier meetings with Shamain. At last. He turned back to Berart. ¡°It matters no longer. The children will soon be the least of the luds¡¯ concern.¡± The other priest of Zavastu stared at the shards, uncomprehending. Ah yes, of course. Berart was a paladin in the goddess¡¯s priesthood, and on track to be initiated as an archon in a few years, but he was not there yet. Thus, there were certain secrets to which he was not privy. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Neither were the other two, who lacked the basic conduits to be considered for advancement. Pity. He began assembling a makeshift altar. First there were the candles he had stolen during the briefest moment when his guards were distracted elsewhere. Next was a bowl he had withheld from one of their meals, telling the guards it had fallen down the privy. Had it been a fork or some other utensil that could double as a weapon, it might have been an issue. But what mischief could a bowl cause. What, indeed. Finally came the small stone he always carried in his pocket, ignored when the lud had first searched him after his capture. An inconsequential thing, a stone. Too small to bother throwing, nothing more than a memento. Yet to Ligo, that stone was now everything. Bringing one of the candles near the wall, he ran the stone along its surface in short, quick motions. At first, nothing. Then a few sparks flicked out from the flint, and with luck one caught upon the candle¡¯s wick. Within moment, he had them all lit and arrayed on the makeshift altar. Ligo sat back and sighed with satisfaction. The hardest part was over. He had done it. These lud would rue the day they ever chose to cross his goddess. Placing his hands to either side, he began to channel Conviction into the altar. He felt it streaming out of him, less like a physical flow, and more like a metaphorical emptying of his emotions. Always after utilizing his own internal reserves, Ligo was left with his emotions feeling muted, drained of any real edge. He could overcome it with pure willpower, but until his Conviction recharged in a few days, it would be a constant battle. As he poured more and more Conviction, he reached down with one hand and picked up the memory shards. One at a time, he tossed them into his mouth and swallowed. Behind him came several whispers, but his fellow priests knew better than to interrupt. No sooner had he swallowed the last shard than something changed with the altar. Ligo felt it beneath his fingers. It was nothing overt, nothing that the eye could pick out, but the altar was subtly different somehow. Ligo knew what it was. His goddess¡¯s prescence had come to roost. Weak for the moment, but that would change soon enough. Then words bloomed in the air before him.
Congratulations! You have successfully established a tier 1 temple. You have access to the following consecrations: Teleport Scry Commune Tintinnabulation Current temple conviction: 0/10
Ligo noted the error message next to Commune, though he¡¯d expected to see as much. The interference from the stone god¡¯s temple was certain to be too much for his pitiful little altar to punch through. No matter. He doubted he had the conviction to form a connection this soon anyway. And his goal wasn¡¯t to reach his goddess. No, Ligo had grander plans than that. He intended to be waiting at the front gates when his goddess arrived, this upstart avatar trussed up like a moonwane wesker waiting to be roasted. No, he didn¡¯t need any of the functions an altar would provide, just the domain itself. Already he could feel the return of his goddess¡¯s gifts. The urge to summon a fistful of fire was almost overwhelming. Instead he reached back down and began channeling more Conviction into the altar. If all he needed was to send a quick message, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered, but without more conviction, this altar would break apart in a matter of hours, maybe even minutes. He forced more Conviction through his body¡ªand found he had no more to give. No! No, no, no! Internally he screamed. His own natural reserves should have been enough to at least funnel a single additional point into the newborn altar. So why couldn¡¯t he draw out even another drop from within himself? Perhaps it was the seclusion in this room for weeks on end. Or perhaps his proximity to an enemy¡¯s domain. Whatever the reason, it seemed that Ligo own Conviction had dipped. This... this was a potential disaster. Already beneath his fingertips he could feel the altar shiver. He needed to feed it more Conviction soon, or... Turning, he motioned for Berart to join him. The paladin approached hesitantly. ¡°Archon? I can feel our goddess¡¯s gifts awaken within me. Does that mean¡ª?¡± ¡°It means the first step in our escape plan was a success. However, there is a... complication.¡± Ligo hesitated. While he remembered his own training on how to utilize Conviction, he¡¯d never trained another potentiate in the process. Was it even possible for the priest to do before he was raised to archon? He would have to, or all else was lost. Ligo gestured for Berart to place his hands on the altar. ¡°I need your assistance. Close your eyes, and try to visualize a river inside of yourself...¡± He walked Berart through the process. At first the other priest frowned, but then a smile drifted onto his face. ¡°I think its working. I can feel something flowing through me.¡± ¡°Good, good. Now, direct it into the altar.¡± ¡°Alright...¡± Another few precious moments passed. Finally Berart opened his eyes. ¡°I think I did it.¡± ¡°Let me check.¡± Ligo reached out and touched the altar.
Current temple conviction: 0/10
It was all Ligo could do not to cry. They were so close! He looked at Berart. Was it even possible? He¡¯d had his concerns, but... He made a quick decision. ¡°Place your hands on the altar, Berart, and try again. Close your eyes.¡± ¡°Like this?¡± the paladin asked. ¡°Yes, good.¡± Ligo stood behind the man, hands resting on his shoulders. ¡°Now, just relax, and let your power pool inside of you.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m trying archon. I want to help.¡± ¡°You love our goddess?¡± ¡°Of course, Archon!¡± ¡°And you would do anything for her?¡± ¡°Yes, Archon.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ligo closed his eyes as well. He sighed. ¡°Then, in the name of our goddess. I need you to die.¡± He felt the priest stiffen. At the same moment, Ligo clamped a hand over Berarts mouth. He placed the other on the back of his head, then activated his Flame Touch. Muffled screams poured around his hand, but Ligo held tight. He burned his way through Berart¡¯s skull, feeling first flesh and then bone give way before the awesome might of Zavastu. The priest spasmed one final time as Ligo broke through the skull and cooked his brain. Ligo continued to hold tight until the spasmed stopped, then lowered the corpse to the ground. He watched, afraid to even breathe. Behind him he could sense the other two priests¡¯ terror, but he didn¡¯t turn to address them yet. Please. Let this be worth it. Then, it formed. A single, solitary memory shard appeared on Berart¡¯s chest. Ligo snatched it up and pushed the corpse aside. Swallowing the crystal, he funneled the energy into the altar.
Current temple conviction: 1/10
Ligo let out a sigh of relief. It was done. He turned, and found the two remaining priests watching him warily. ¡°...Archon?¡± ¡°Take that body and shove it down the privy,¡± he said, gesturing towards Berart. ¡°Then pile as many blankets together as you can. With luck, the guards won¡¯t notice his absence until its too late.¡± ¡°Y¡ªyes, Archon.¡± The two priests hastened to do his bidding. An acrid burned smell lingered in the air, but there was nothing Ligo could do about that. He¡¯d simply have to count on the lud¡¯s distaste for lingering in the prison cell to hide what had transpired her. He glanced down at the altar. It would take a week, perhaps two, for the power inside it to build enough to start pushing back the stone god¡¯s domain. His goddess was more powerful, but she was also distant. Still, all it would take was time. Then Ligo and his fellow priests would show these lud what it meant to cross a goddess of fire. They feared the arrival of Zavastu? Hah. They would come to fear him more instead. END OF BOOK TWO