It was hard to pinpoint the last ti Id been this tired. Id been running on minimal sleep for as long as I could rember. Found an equilibrium for how much I could push myself, before the overdraw beca a credit that would undermine the next day.
There were always exceptions, of course. Ergencies that threw that equilibrium into flux. More often than not, the price was ntal. But it had taken everything I had to drag myself out of that cursed tunnel. And thereafter, it took more, and more, and more.
As close as we were to the finish line, it wasnt over.
Light filtered in. Artificial yellow light from passing street-lamps that cast an eerie glow in the car's interior. I saw the faint outline of a canine figure, sprinting down the center of the highway. She looked over her shoulder, revealing the bag still held in her jaws. There was a grind of gravel as the car veered across the yellow line, the vibration of the warning grooves doing nothing to hold back the darkness, as the knowledge that Kinsley had found Talia drained away the modicum of remaining adrenaline and urgency keeping conscious.
The sleep was black and dreamless, entrenched in a nothingness so complete that ti itself seed abstract.
How curious. What an irregular choice. A voice cut through my mind, unlike any Id heard before. It was feminine and cruel, a mixture of my voice and soone elses. I got the sense that it was talking about , rather than to . The sa way a doctor lacking bedside manner talks to family mbers while the patient is present.
Fuck off. I said, my voice projected rather than spoken. In any other circumstance, I would have likely found it within to be diplomatic. After all, you never really know who youre talking to when it cos to strangers. But the effort that would take just wasnt in right now.
Oh? It took a great deal of effort to find you. It speaks to my rits that I managed it at all. No wonder youve incited such a fuss among the upper echelon. The Allfather invested a great deal in you, in contrast to your predecessors. I wonder how much of his remaining lifespan he sacrificed, only for you to fritter it all away by not knowing when to mind your tongue. Her blas tone took on a dangerous edge.
I felt myself rouse, grogginess slipping away.
Surprise, surprise. Im worthy of your attention after all. She said.
What do you want? I asked, keeping my tone even.
Gifting that artifact was a stroke of genius, loathe as I am to admit it. the voice mused to herself. It was practical. Strangely so for the likes of him. And without that perfectly tid gift, youd already be scattered to the wind. Entropys only real mistake was using a shrine of elevation.
My caution turned to horror. If this wasnt just a dream, if I was speaking to another deity whod been watching since the early floors of the adaptive dungeon, I was blown in so many ways it was impossible to track.
Id already established my position on interacting with gods or deities. That being, its generally a bad fucking idea without knowing the nature of the gods themselves. That position had only solidified with further knowledge of the system and the carnage of the transposition event.
Clawing back panic, I forced myself to focus. Judging from what little information I had, the Allfathers information, and allusions to them in certain titles, the Greco-Roman gods were likely the closest analogues to these faceless deitiesand as petty and brutal as they could be, they were fascinated with mortals who stood out.
What I needed was a way to pique her interest. Permitting a few jumps in logic here
Of course.
Assuming the likelihood that youre bound by certain rules, and can only interact indirectly. If youve been observing for as long as you claim, I have to assu there have been multiple monts where you could have made my life considerably more difficult, if not untenable.
I considered it. The voice drew out a dramatic pause. If it ca to that, there wouldnt even be a need to dirty my hands. Justicar has been out for your blood since the news broke that an Ordinator slipped through the selection process. All that was required was a few choice words, and he would have compensated with a worlds ransom.
Recognizing what she was doing, I stilled my emotions. The deity was priming . Dangling what she had over my head and seeing what dropped out. It wasnt entirely dissimilar from how Miles had handled Emil. And if my comparison to the Greco-Roman gods tracked, the last reaction she wanted was fear.
Then, why didnt you?
A spotlight appeared, highlighting a massive expanse of a black iron. The scene changed as my perspective shifted, registering things that were simply too large for to make sense of at first glance. The expanse of iron was the front-half of a throne. Tall, ivory towers that I recognized as a womans legs were crossed over each other in a casual sit. The long pale beam of an arm crested upward into a curtain of shadow cast by a moon above.
Count yourself prosperous. Few have heard my voice, and fewer still viewed the manifestation of my form.
I tried to force myself to take this as a good sign, despite the terror it invoked. Still, I held my silence, not trusting myself to sound particularly grateful. Hearing myself described as Prosperous, in any setting, would have put my teeth on edge.
There was a large sigh of disapproval. Save the odd exception, the previous Ordinators were petty things with no personal attachnts, who cared for little more than power and advancent. This worked in the Allfathers favor, those that survived serving as excellent dissidents. A handful of tis, they managed to halt the cycle entirely, requiring direct intervention and a not inconsiderable effort to dispatch.
It sounds like any being in your position would be lauded for acting, I said. Baiting her was dangerous, but if she was going to be this circuitous, I didnt really see an alternative.
Indeed. As I said, it was under consideration. Especially given my first impression of you. I was so sure you were just more of the sa. But I held off. Im still reserving judgnt, but for the mont? Im glad that I did.
Images flashed in front of my eyes, one after another. I saw myself betraying the Matriarch despite the pros of staying the course.
Then I was on the motorcycle, swerving to the side to dodge a fireball, trying to convince Kinsley to lower the prices on ergency items.
You have to choose what you want to be. And you have to keep making that choice. Over and over.
Another image flashed. Walking among the civilians that had ambushed for Lux, dispensing potions to the gravely injured.
The compilation ended with an image that chilled to my core. A younger version of myself, dressed in a poorly-fitting Macys suit, standing at a casket that had yet to be lowered into the grave, my face frozen in a rictus of anger, hands balled into fists at my side. Beside , Mom was juggling my sister and brother. Ellison was balling his eyes out, though I could hear him, face buried in Moms shoulder. Iris was staring out at the horizon, mouth small, lips tight.
I thought youd only been watching since the shrine.
The goddess voice was little more than a whisper. Yes, but I took the liberty of combing through your mories. Do you rember the promise you made?
That Id never be like my father. Because heroes were nothing more than fools. Unable to speak, I nodded.
Ever since then, youve suffered, The goddess continued in faux sympathy that barely hid her underlying glee, There were plenty of people in this very city who could have helped you, your family. Yet, at every turn, every possible mont soone could have intervened, no one did. No one cared. You learned to banish that possibility. Work purely on a basis of equivalent exchange. So, I suppose, my question is this: Why are you bothering now, when things are more desperate than ever?
I didnt harbor any delusions. My circumstances were hardly unique, especially in this day and age. Whatever her interest, it had sothing to do with how I clashed with the typical Ordinator. Thisll sound ironic, given the circumstances, but what it cos down to is simple. Id rather not live in hell.
No. There was a vague sense of motion from the shadow that gave the impression she was shaking her head. Thats what you tell yourself.
Its true. I insisted.
Disappointing. I suppose Ill be getting in touch with Justicar after all
Youre talking about us like were all the sa, I snapped. There was an echoing silence, as the deity waited for to continue. Were not. There are people who have power, and people who dont. Before the system, the extent of my power was knowing which bubble to shade-in on a scantron. My world has changed. Im deep in the minority. Both wealth and power are in arms-reach. I thought about the people in region six, whose lives were suddenly snuffed out. The civilians that were suddenly thrown in the crossfire without knowing why. And those people without power? Theyre still here, suffering. Struggling to get by, forever at the whims of forces beyond their control, while everyone capable of helping refuses to lift a finger. I cant just forget they exist. Or what its like to be one of them.
So, The goddess probed, Youre a hero, then?
No. My family cos first. My friends co first. I co first. I learned to prioritize the hard way, and Ill never forget that lesson. But now that I have power? If theres an opportunity to make a difference, to help? I will not beco another asshole with the power to change things for the better who does nothing. I refuse.
The sound of chuckling perated the chamber, escalating into a cruel guffaw. All the effort he put into insulating you. What he must have sacrificed. And in the end, you will be his undoing. Its exquisite.
Who? I asked, confused, still off-balance from the sudden outpouring of emotion. The Allfather?
That old fool. The goddess snickered. Hes outdone himself. Literally.
Her tone had changed, like she was wrapping things up. I still had countless questions, and this might be my only opportunity to ask them. Whats the point of all of this? The transposition, the other teors
Proceed carefully, before you consider yourself entitled to the secrets I hold. The goddess voice cracked like a whip.
I bit back a sharp reply.
Still her voice softened. You have entertained . And that is more than most can say. I will not obstruct you. Furthermore, there is a key oversight the Allfather made in your implentation. I will correct it. And if you live to our next eting, I may even deign to give an answer you seek.
I started to ask why, then imdiately stopped myself. Better to just accept what I was given.
Why? The goddess said, as if reading my mind. Because it pleases . And only a fool cuts pleasure short.
/////
Are you sure hes not dead?
The scent of death has passed.
A small hand punched several tis. Matt. Matt! I really need you to wake up, so you can explain the talking dog in my back fucking seat.
I jolted to and looked around confused. Talia was in the back, looking more than a little nauseous as Kinsley navigated a turn at high speed.
Where are we? I asked. System text scrolled in front of my face, further obstructing my vision.
I swiped it away for now, scrambling to pull up the remaining ti.
What the fuck! I shouted. We werent even that far away.
The freeway was out, Kinsley yelled over the engine. I had to take side streets, but were close now, I think. Ill pull up straight up to the curb right next to the receptacle.
Sothing felt wrong about that, but I couldnt put my finger on it. I glanced back at the bag of lux. Then it hit .
Wait. Didnt you say the Adventurers Guild reached out to you? I asked, thinking back to when Id first returned to find Kinsley had outed herself.
Kinsley glanced back and forth from the road to . Yeah. Was going to ntion it before you started yelling, but they reached out to warn , so man on a motorcycle slaughtered three of their people and took off with their lux.
Fuck.
That was you? Kinsley asked, her voice small.
Lying was pointless. She was smart enough to see through anything I could co up with short term. Its complicated.
Jesus Christ, Matt. Kinsley shook her head.
How is it complicated? They tried to murder and rob him, so he killed them. Talia offered.
I twisted in my seat to shoot her a glare. Talia stared back, unaffected.
Wait, Kinsley put a hand to her head, her eyes wide, So the Adventurers Guild are the bad guys?
No, they were probationary mbers I waved a hand, cutting off the thought. I also needed to tell her about her father, but not before working out how to spin it. Short version, theyre not the bad guys. Ill explain the rest later.
That lines getting old, motherfucker.
I already promised, get off my ass. Also, pull over.
What? Kinsley squawked in alarm. She nearly drifted into a parked car before I shouted a warning, snapping back into the center of the lane at the last mont. Why?
I shook my head, rembering that the numbers theyd co at with had likely only been a fraction. The Adventurers Guild is still your best bet in terms of alliances. And its a bad idea to piss off a big, influential group this early in the ga, when youre still growing. You cant be associated with .
Fuck that. Im already associated with you. People have seen us together. And Im not just gonna ditch your ass because so assholes tried to rob you.
I rubbed my head, appreciating the words. I know. And thank you. Ill still be in the rchants Guild as Matt. Everyone weve interacted with knows as Myrddin.
Then what do we do? Kinsley asked.
I grimaced, rembering her lackluster acting skills. Youre gonna have to publicly disavow .
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