“Fortune brings in so boats that are not steered.”
William Shakespeare.
Fortune also dashes them asunder. It all depends on how Lady Luck is feeling. Sleep did not co easily; I had too much energy. I also had too many playrooms—the Sea of Souls, my Soul, Mind Fortress, and Spatial Vault. I could go to so many different places without ever leaving my room, and Namir would never know. Yet when sleep finally claid , I had a rude awakening.
“I am not pleased.” Lady Luck resembled our current hosts as she displayed her displeasure with . She towered above in the void between souls. I felt even smaller in comparison despite the increase in my physical size.
“You are my champion; how could you let your luck slip.” She critiqued my stat distribution. “At least no single stat holds the highest position. But when it does, it should be Luck. In fact,” she continued, “I think I will have to insist that the next three levels of free points are added specifically to your luck stat.” she stated.
“Body and mind seed more impactful seeing where I currently find myself.” I defended my choices. I would need both the physical stats for hunting and the ntal stats for healing.
“Impactful? How many children do you think survive the sea of storms? Or being shipwrecked on the endless ice? How much evidence do you need to highlight the impact of luck.” She seed almost angry at my hubris in myself or lack of belief.
“We were a mile short of landing on Little Wester. Where was the luck then?” I asked, cross at what I felt had been so godly machinations to remove from my ho.
“Luck can help you survive your choices, but it cannot change the ones you make.” She frowned as if that was obvious.
“So you had nothing to do with my removal from my ho.” I frowned in return.
“Not .” She answered hopefully honestly; none of my skills spoke to in disagreent. But then she was a god.
“Sotis bad weather simply is bad weather. There is no hand guiding it from above. I was happy to wait for you to depart on your circumnavigation at your own speed. With Long-Lived, you have ti on your side. However, I can see that you have grown up slightly in terms of age. Hopefully, you can do so in terms of temperant as well and honour our bargain.”
“About that. . . “ I hesitated. “I was expecting a little more ti and possibly preparation before I turned 10.”
“We play the cards we are dealt. You did make a deal with a god, after all.” She did not seem willing to consider a deferral. If not pleased that her horse had co in early.
“Yes, but I have nothing.” I bemoaned my change in fortune from Lord to beggar living of Giant's generosity.
“You have your stats and your skills. You are hardly without anything.” She raised an eyebrow at my humility.
“Yes, but . . .” I wouldn’t be convincing her anyti soon especially when she interrupted .
“Enough. You agreed a favour for a favour. It is ti to repay the favour.” She cut short.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“A circumnavigation, in your honour,” I confird, gently genuflecting.
“Perfect.” She clapped her hands. “It is wonderful to hear that you are willing to undertake this ‘quest’ for .” She smiled suddenly, radiantly happy that her wishes were being followed.
“Why ?” I asked one last ti.
“Why not you.” She replied, undaunted now that I had accepted this was happening.
“I an, why not a Cardinal or Archbishop of the Lodestar Church,” I suggested.
“They are a little fixed in their dogma; they have their great eight, each with a cardinal or ordinal direction, but I am everywhere and nowhere. Where would I fit in their pantheon? Or understanding of the world? Besides, you needed the favour, and you have the flexibility of thought and skills to make this work.” She replied, piqued. “You were also the only outworlder unattached and available.” She seed to mutter the last to herself. But as a goddess, I doubted she was unaware that I would catch it.
“Very well, can I at least have a month to ready myself for the journey?” I would need that long to get my feet under .
“Of course, of course,” she placated before reminding , “One month only, though.”
“What exactly do I have to do?” It was a circumnavigation which would be arduous enough, but I did not believe that was all I would be required to do.
“Circumnavigate the compass kingdoms and leave a little nto behind wherever you travel.”
“A nto? Don’t you usually pick up a nto rather than leave them behind?”
“Call it what you will, a token or two.” She shrugged.
“Any token in particular?” irked by her suddenly playful tone.
“Why, yes. I have one in mind.” She smiled.
“Care to share?” I asked.
“I thought you’d never ask.” She said as she shrunk until she was once more a similar size to myself. “Let guide your hands,”
I watched as a stone statue was ford through , shaped and carved in ticulous detail. The only distraction were the skills that appeared while she worked.
Ding! Stone Carving (Lv1)
The stone was shaped without a hamr or chisel but with fingers alone until it depicted the goddess of luck. As the statue, she stood gracefully with one foot slightly forward, confident and poised. Her body was draped in flowing robes that cascaded elegantly down to the ground. Her head was adorned with a delicate crown of laurel leaves. She looked down with a slight smile as if willing you to test your luck. While in her right hand, she held a cornucopia overflowing with gold and gems, in the left, she held an orb encapsulating a thunderous cloud of misfortune over a stormy sea. You could win either, and I wondered once more about her innocence in the storm that brought here. The statue's base was wrapped in relief of gas of chance, dice, playing cards, races, weather, wealth, and corn fields, all representations of good fortune. But below them, much like the lodestone beneath our feet, were depictions of adversity and the costs it could bring.
She withdrew her presence from my hands, and I contemplated her creation. “A token in every place I go.”
“Or two. You’ll have to practice.”
“Another statue?”
“Are you ready?” she asked before her presence enveloped my hands once more.
This ti, a hooded figure erged from the stone cloaked in a flowing robe that hid his face. Runes, Glyphs, Sigils, Enchantnts and other arcane symbols adorned the robe placed in patterns resembling the constellations of the heavens. His legs were apart in a stable stance, while their right arm was outstretched as if caught in the midst of casting a spell, life blooming in his hand. The left arm held a wooden staff crowned in a shard of the Lodestar planted which seed both his sword and shield. Circling the base, arcane symbols continued round and round without end as if they both flowed off the figure into the stone while being drawn up from the Lodestone itself. The enigmatic statue seed to hint at and hide the secrets of the arcane.
As I regained control of my hands and contemplated our work. My musings were cut short.
“I think that is enough for today. I look forward to watching your travels. Try not to keep waiting too long.” She said as she faded from my dream.
I awoke with a start to discover the fignts of my dreams ford into reality. The two statues stood on my bedside table side by side. Quickly, I stashed them away in my vault.
Sleep banished, I contemplated my quest.
She never specified exactly which way round I had to complete my circumnavigation only that I had to complete one. And from the top of the world, what was to stop from heading west and visiting my ho on the way?
Either way it was going to be a busy month.
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