MDW: This chapter takes place after what was shown in SSS 004 - Astrotaphysics. I'm moving that chapter after I publish this one.
I was angry. Very angry. I expected it to take so ti but not three fucking centuries! Galbarar explained the process to because the spineless Wyxnos didn’t want to talk. So cosmological bullshit about reading the world from light-years away. It was ridiculous. I could tell Galbarar was at the limit of his patience with the guy whose only redeeming feature was his fashion sense. Wyxnos was up to sothing, but I couldn’t put a finger on it. I just had that hunch.
Galbarar called to a eting with the other deities. It was all done through thought projection. I just had to focus on Pandora and cast a divinity-exclusive spell he taught . It could create what they called a “Thin Avatar” and would project my consciousness into it anywhere in the world. Instantaneously. It cost 5,000 “GP” as they called Divinity plus whatever I would invest into the avatar. My resource pools were greatly limited by the extra amount but I would lose only what I invested into it should the “Thin Avatar” died. It was the spell they developed (or acquired from sowhere else) after I killed the God of Priapism and his pet shark. Unless they invested all their GP into the avatar, they were safe from my grubby god-killing hands.
The glyphs and runes in the spell circle were dreadfully similar to the ones in the Fate spell they used to torture Lorna. I would take the ti to dissect it if I were not in a hurry. It wasn’t going anywhere. I used up 5,001 points from Pandora’s reserves and felt my consciousness fade.
I found myself in so sort of Grecian ruins atop a cloud. Broken marble columns and cracked floor tiles but no roof or debris. Deeper into the ruins a Parthenon seed to be in a better state of repair, with the roof still on. Above us, the sun shone strongly in a deep blue do. There was no wind but the atmosphere was quite pleasant. It could be an ad for heaven. A couple of angels flew down to greet .
“Esteed Matriarch, welco,” an androgynous angel bowed slightly then pointed into the ruins, “This way.”
I followed him, noticing how transparent I was. I thought that if I tripped over and fell, this avatar would break. But they didn’t tell how much I had to invest in the “thin avatar” so I went for the deluxe Gwyneth Paltrow diet version. As we entered the roofless Parthenon, Galbarar stood in the center. I could see most of the deities’ avatars sitting in the amphitheater. I recognized most of them but not everyone. Even the minor gods like Kraken and Leviathan were here. I waved at Bit, the urchin guardian was floating and only the width of a car tire. I didn’t see the dragon bitch, Tuisto, or Loki.
“Matriarch, glad you joined us,” Galbarar said.
“I wouldn’t refuse an invitation from you,” I replied without breaking eye contact. “Do we need to wait for anyone else?”
“No. The others declined to show up,” he said with a faint smirk. “They’ll have to abide by what this conclave decides.”
“Conclave, huh?” I mumbled as I found a seat next to the floating sea urchin.
Everyone quieted down, the side conversations dying off as Galbarar flared his aura. As far as I knew, the Pantheon didn’t have a chief deity but everyone respected him.
“My fellow Gods,” he spoke, “We are here today to attempt to solve a conflict between Matriarch and Broodmother without violence. As you all know, the Matriarch killed Bundeus and eliminated any possibility of reviving him. I still have his spark with . In retaliation, the Broodmother used his [Saint] to torture a mortal soul linked to the Matriarch, almost succeeding in killing her mortal incarnation. The conflict escalated from there. We do not wish for an open war between the two deities and their mortal followers. This world cannot suffer the destruction such conflict would certainly cause. We are assailed by demons and only by the combined power of this Pantheon is that they can be kept at bay.”
I didn’t like the way he phrased things, and I felt as if the exact words mattered. It must be so because I was feeling unknown pressure on my avatar. It weighed on , forcing to asure my words. This was not a place for jokes and pranks. I had no idea if I was beholden to this Pantheon or not so I spoke up. “I only killed the Butt God because he ca after . Do not state things as if it was my intent to commit deicide. I would gladly live my life without even interacting with you if that asshole hadn’t attacked unprovoked. The sa goes for the God of Boners. He murdered my mother in cold blood. Tell , God of Justice. Was I the instigator in these conflicts or was I ever reacting to their attacks?”
I could tell Galbarar didn’t like it. He frowned but nodded. “The Matriarch speaks the truth.”
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The pressure I was feeling eased.
“Are you open to discussing peace?” Yznera asked .
“Sure. On five easy conditions,” I replied.
“Please, tell us,” Galbarar commanded. It was phrased and spoken as a request but as I said before, there was so… importance to his position at the center of the amphitheater. It carried the weight of a command.
“First, guarantee that the Broodmother and her dragons won’t attack either or places and people I care about. As I told you before, I never took the initiative but I’m at my limit. If the dragon-bitch and her pets can’t keep their scales away from my business, I will retaliate viciously.”
“It is beyond our power to guarantee no dragons would ever attack one of the many nations you refer to,” Galbarar said.
“What matters is their intent. I don’t want a full armistice either because dragons are wonderful resources.”
“We need to discuss this first demand further. What are the other ones?”
“Restore {Fast-Learner} to its previous iteration. Reducing the multipliers to five was rather crippling. And since it’s an [Unique] Perk, it was clearly intended to hinder my growth.”
All eyes fell on Wyxnos who remained silent. He glanced up at Galbarar, the Sun god nodded back. “It will be done once we reach an agreent.”
“Very well,” Galbarar said. “What’s the third demand?”
“Mark all my [Unique], [Heritage], and [Combined] Perks as soul-bound just like the ones people gain for reaching level 200. Fourth, guarantee my soul won’t be removed from the cycle of incarnation for any reason. And fifth, no changes to the wording of my Perks without my agreent or due compensation.”
Now that my {Divine Syphon} was a Perk, I could be caught with it turned off. I could probably fight back now that I had access to Divinity through Pandora but better safe than sorry. I couldn’t count on Wyxnos being the minority in the triumvirate of Administrators every single ti.
Wixnos agreed before anyone prodded him, this ti.
“Very well. Since the Brood...”
Of course, that’s when the bitch decided to make an entrance. Her avatar was a humanoid dragon with a ter-long neck and huge wings folded behind her. She was dressed in a silk gown that had too many layers but was stylish and elegant, flowing as she moved with feline grace. Everything around her scread power and majesty.
“I do not agree to any armistice,” she haughtily declared. “I will fight and terminate the Anomaly once and for all.”
“Broodmother, in this conclave you will address other deities by their titles, whether you like it or not,” Galbarar chastised her.
It had physical effects on her avatar. The Broodmother’s dress beca threadbare at the edges and her scales lost the luster.
“My apologies,” she said without any intent behind her words. Her dress slowly repaired itself but the scales remained dull.
Yznera spoke, “Broodmother, the ti to attempt to oust the Matriarch from this world is long gone. She’s now a deity, part of this world. Put aside these old grievances. We have enemies banging at our doorstep. Infighting only benefits them.”
“Even though the Matriarch cleansed the other side of the gauntlet a century ago,” Rabhorktaar said, “The Demons redoubled their efforts. I sense the shadows grow longer in the Scorched Continent eastern side. I fear the advent of the Fifth Demon Lord is drawing near.”
“Hear our brothers and sisters, Broodmother,” Queltphion cajoled. “The Demons will never give up trying and if they gain a foothold, the Dark Ones will surely follow.”
I felt a cold wave at the ntion of the “Dark Ones”. Instinctively, I knew they weren’t re demons. The Demon Lords were just foot soldiers compared to them, whoever they were.
One thing I quickly learned about this celestial eting hall was that words here had weight. Promises were as binding as Adamantite shackles back in the real world. Unless a deity had falsehood or lies as their domain, they could not do so. I could only imagine the chaos this eting would be if Loki was present. Despite his many domains, he outranked everyone here together.
“I will have my vengeance!” The Broodmother declared and the power of her words washed over the whole assembly. The weight of her declaration settled on mostly.
“Not if we decide you don’t,” Rabhorktaar rebutted.
Defiant, she stared at the God of Death. “Then put it up to a vote!” She gloated. She would probably call in many favors from the minor deities. I could see that many of them were uncomfortable with these developnts.
“Silence!” Galbarar commanded. “Matriarch, if you drop your major demand, we will agree to the minor four on the condition you agree to peace once we convince the Broodmother. The major demand requires we ddle with the will of mortals. That is sothing we wish to avoid. But you can always fight back if the dragons strike after the current armistice.”
Yeah, because all of them were Wyxnos’ problem. I could see how the God of Logic, Science (he gave the Crafts domain to Labraid), and Gnos didn’t like what I demanded a single bit. But it was my opportunity to score. “I agree to not strike at the Broodmother or her flock except in self-defense and retaliation even if the other four demands are t.”
Wyxnos pinched the bridge of his nose. “It is done. The changes are already in effect.”
With that, I could rest at ease. They couldn’t delete from the System even if I turned off the {Divine Siphon} and my Perks were safe from manipulation or any future nerfs.
“Are you sure you don’t want peace, Broodmother?” I asked her. Whatever power this Realm had over words made my offer a sincere one.
“No. Once I’m ready, we will fight. In the end, only one of us will remain,” She vitriolically replied. Her declaration set the gears of fate into motion. Our confrontation was inevitable.
I sunk into thought as the deities started to try, plead, and demand the Broodmother to acquiesce and agree to the peace deal but a vote was never called. A quick survey told the major deities knew she had too many of the Pantheon owing her favors. I could even speculate that several among them wanted her gone.
But it begged the question, how would she eliminate ? Death was just a revolving door for . I would always bounce back and revive. Unless she intended to trap my soul sohow.
Whatever she had in stock for , I needed to power-level myself. Reaching level 200 as fast as I could was paramount now. It ant another visit to Demon-Land’s Grindfest. I could use more demon bodies to process for their tals, anyway.
I rembered the that had a duck with a butter knife. Peace was never an option.
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