Cheep!?
Chapter 156
Niko knew that he shouldn’t be nearly as calm as he was. He knew that there were two godlike beings sitting in a room that he had a feeling was as much a part of himself as his own flesh and blood. He was also aware that he couldn’t even comprehend the exact power gap between himself and them, let alone how they rated to one another.
And yet, for all that, Niko felt as if he was perfectly safe. Whether that was a byproduct of the fact that he was within his own soul, or if he simply didn’t fear them. He leaned towards comfort, as it was certainly the case thus far that neither had done anything to harm him, and in fact had been completely helpful. Alterra, of course, had her own agenda for helping him, but he didn’t sense that she was callous about it. She could have utterly treated him like a tool to further her eventual goals, yet Niko had never felt the kind of malignancy from her that might suggest. For all that she wanted the deities gone, she seemed more of a motherly soul. Albeit, one that did have monsters in this world, and with a hundred other little things that Niko thought was extreme.
On the other talon, Venris was ostensibly the bad guy for the civilized peoples of the world. Monsters were a natural part of this world, though some attributed their existence to Venris in totality. Those that believed that, though, were likely those brainwashed by religious dogma, though from what little Niko knew of the subject, that wasn’t a commonality among all of the pantheon. Anyone else could find records of monsters existing long before the emergence of the deities, albeit those documents were now very old and very rare indeed. Why they existed, Niko wasn’t sure, but he was suspicious that it had something to do with the essence cycle. Perhaps a natural process, whether functioning awry or exactly as intended, was responsible.
“Nice place,” Venris broke the silence as tea appeared in front of him. Niko saw him look down in surprise, then back up to Niko with a nod.
He pretended to have done that on purpose, as their host, “Thanks. I guess it’s a part of me.”
“Soul fabrications,” Venris waved his hand, “Complicated subject, and not really all that important.”
“It’s very important,” Countered Alterra with a frown, reaching out for her own cup, “While we are here, Niko, our, and any other individual's influence is limited. It’s your domain.”
Niko pondered that for a few seconds, before tilting his head, “I get the sense that I can’t harm either of you, either.”
Venris laughed with a mild acerbic tone, “Now that would be a wondrous ability. If you were capable of harming a fledgling god and a world spirit in your own soul, I daresay I’d invite the others here. We could get this whole mess cleaned up in one fell swoop!”
Niko, blinking profusely, couldn’t help but stare at the proclaimed God of Monsters. Alterra, too, looked surprised and no small part perplexed.
“You don’t seem to like the others?” Niko observed, “Everything a mess upstairs?”
For a second, the charming visage melted away, Venris’ eyes swirling with chaotic power and a barely caged insanity. Grief, rage, and hatred as tangible as frigid water filled the air, though Niko felt it almost distantly. It never touched him, but he knew it for what it was.
Then he mastered himself, and with a deep breath and meaningful glare, he said, “I have no love for them. If they had their way, they’d consume one another and leave every world shattered and scraped clean with their teeth.”
Niko and Alterra nodded, but sat in thinking silence for a few awkward seconds. The spirit of the world spoke up shortly, though, curious but also hesitant, “You all have been to other worlds and done so, then?”
“’You all,’ hmm?” Venris quoted with a bitter smile, before shaking his head, “Yes. Many worlds. Five to be exact. The first we were… hosted upon the longest. Several thousands of years. That was a good time.”
“What happened?” Niko asked, genuinely curious to see the source of the wistful longing that he heard in Venris’ tone.
“This… isn’t what I came here to talk about,” Venris frowned, sitting in silence. Niko felt annoyed at that, but was surprised by the next words to come from him, “Hold your patience. I suppose that much is fair, if I am to secure both of your aid.”
Niko’s eyes shot over to Alterra, who didn’t seem too surprised by the statement. Of course, there had to be a reason why Venris was here, after all, and she’d likely considered the possibilities already. That she hadn’t fought him already probably meant she was at least willing to listen.
Or she couldn’t destroy him as they were, which Niko admitted could very well be a possibility.
“Voltun was the first world we of the Court Ascalon ruled over. There were no other deities, no gestalt spirits—” At that he gestured to Alterra, “—and no fully formed spirits. Just us and a primitive society of sapient beings with ample amounts of essence suffusing the world. We’d been charged with gathering power and becoming more.” He put a hand up in a so-so motion then, “I’m not sure what that means, before you ask. Only that as we are now, we are godlings, incomplete.”
That was especially valuable information to Niko, and he stayed quiet, letting Venris unravel a little bit of the mystery surrounding the deities.
“At the time, there were ten of us, a full pantheon presiding over the various aspects of reality and thought. As was proper for the situation, we were worshiped and in turn bestowed our wisdom and guidance to the peoples of Voltun. I was once only the God of Change, being a broad category, I unironically identified myself most closely with the shifting of the seasons and nature.” Venris said, and then paused.
Niko was surprised and confused at the revelation, no less so from Alterra’s own expression if he had the right of it. “How do you go from nature and seasons to monsters and chaos?”
Venris' smile flagged a bit there, but he continued, “Treachery, mostly. Betrayal stings deeply, more so when the cost is great. I’ll… get to that. As I was saying, we were ten. I was the God of Change, worshiped by common folk and those of the forests. My sister presided over Fortune – the Fate stuff, not money – and was a favored patron for oracles and soothsayers the world over. Much of the others are the same as they once were; Samut has always been a crotchety fellow of grudges and vengeance, Mohrgrum’s always been a sack of lazy bones, likes having a warm hearth, easy times, and money – people loved that man, I tell you, Tephone used to be a sweet girl who just wanted to heal people, keep them pure of the ails of the world. Carmen covered herself with shadows and intrigue, and made a pest of her followers at every turn. Saratasha loved her magic – still does, really – and just wants to know how everything works, to watch the process. Advarica used to just be the goddess of justice, but… she never was any good at it,” he sneered a little at that. “Bant… poor Bant was once an arbiter of honorable combat, if you can believe it. Knights and a codified law of how battle should go, a real straight rail. He had an inferiority complex a mile long when compared to the god of war, though.”
“Taurion was a real arrogant piece of work. War was his business, and it was bad for the rest of us. No one else wanted war, it was counter to the rest of us. But, he was charismatic and he invested heavily in a few select people. In the mortal domain, he walked in the flesh, convincing others that he was the strongest god, even though he was far from it. Meanwhile, he played at being an admirer of the Advarican faith. He took his political games into the pantheon, and before any of us knew it, he and Advarica were a pair.” Venris shook his head, “Keep in mind, this happened over a long period of time. That doesn’t mean much to gods, but I certainly didn’t pay enough attention. If I had, I could have nipped the problem in the bud right there and then.” He smiled bitterly, before continuing.
“He began to convince Advarica that there were injustices everywhere, and that war was not one of them. That, along with how thoroughly wrapped around his finger she was, made it easy for him to push things over the edge. Some wayward apostles slain from the shadows, fingers pointed at another group of people, and the kingdoms of the world went from peace and prosperity, to suspicious warmongers in a flash. It was just that easy.” He sighed at that, “My sister descended personally, speaking through her oracles and to those in power, but there’s only so much to be done when there’s someone actively pushing for conflict in the background. No one likes taking a beating lying down, and Taurion was good at whispering hate into the ears of the mighty.”
“It took a long time from a mortal perspective, but to us Gods? The destruction of Voltun happened in the blink of an eye. Many of us grew very powerful in that period, our followers' beliefs and prayers flooding us. So much so, that few of us realized that there was a price for our short term gains. War empowered Taurion; the pursuit of few oasis of peace gave a modest sum to Mohr; vengeance and grudges were overflowing from Samut’s chalice. The pursuit of knowledge and magic was greater than at any other time, and Saratasha benefitted from that immensely. Healing and mercy were needed everywhere and Tephone began to realize just how profitable war could be for her. Carmen grew in power, but, surprisingly, she and her followers pulled back farther and farther from the chaos. She worked closely with my sister, trying to slow things down, but the spiral was too far gone. I was growing in power too, perhaps more than any other. It turns out, godlings meddling in mortal affairs created rampant change. My sister's power, though… hers was a thing of ferocity. With so many fate’s changing, with so many praying for a better one, even the most stalwart of warriors gave service to the Lady of Fate. Bant, on the other hand… he barely grew in this time. There was no place for orderly combat and honor in the world. Advarica was empowered though, justice was perverted; justice could be a lot of anything, depending on how you looked at it.” He shook his head sadly.
“Taurion pushed every front to the brink, again and again, placing hate and rage in the people’s hearts. Eventually he outstripped most of the pantheon in power. Only myself and my sister were greater. Saratasha got a boost at the end – Taurion convinced people to open the can of worms that was wide-spread magical devastation. In the end, Voltun was left covered in angry shadows and ravening undead. Unthinking, unfeeling, they weren’t something we could work with.” He growled, “That was the only thing that Taurion cared about. In the next worlds, much the same played out, but the games began so much earlier. There was competition now – Taurion had grown immensely with the death of our first world – and it was a race to the end. To gather enough power from the thoughts, prayers, and gestalt concepts that sapient thinking beings could give. A Broken Court had been born, and none of us were wholly innocent. My sister, Carmen, and myself strove against the advances of Taurion, but we only served to be his grindstone. He, Advarica, and Samut waged grand campaigns and wars, playing with the lives of those below them like they were playthings.”
“The neutral party, albeit no less profiteering from things, were Saratasha, Mohrgrum, and Tephone. They were at least marginally interested in keeping pockets of civilization safe for as long as possible. Created a real entrenched dogma there, fanatics all. It only helped create contrasts, and Taurion loved playing off of that. People can be easily made to dislike those different, easier to disassociate, I think.”
Niko continued to listen, feeling his mouth and throat dry and his heart beat harder in his chest. This was terrifying to listen to, the casual use of millions, if not billions of lives, all to empower godlike beings. ‘No, not empower… to feed them…’ He couldn’t help but think, imagining entire civilizations that had walked into the open, waiting maw of hungering gods.
“Bant changed the most,” Venris’ words broke Niko of his distracting thoughts, “He became bloodshed and carnage incarnate. Insensate violence, a culmination of murder and rage. Something in him broke with the death of the first world, and his adoration and respect for Taurion became something hateful and obsessive. He put his thoughts into those harmed by war, those who harbored grudges, those who wanted justice, that wished for change, that raged against fate, that wanted a better life, who wished for knowledge, to be hidden from their foes, and to create a better, warmer place for those they would leave behind. Bant rode on the coattails of each of us. That gave him power, a lot of it, but it also strained him. Of all of us, he had gone from being a stable paragon, to a shuddering wreck of reality, struggling desperately to catch up.”
“And so this carried on, world after world fell, until we realized that Taurion was reaching a breaking point where we could soon no longer hope to stop him. My sister put herself on the line and incarnated, physically with all her presence in the world before this one. Taurion declared himself the God-King of the Court of Ascalon when we arrived on the world, and began what he thought would be a final, grand campaign. Before, Taurion was able to manipulate people into creating conflict, now he would find my sister, in the flesh, barring his way. Her successes frustrated him, and desperate to break through, Taurion turned on his companions. I’m uncertain of the specifics, but Advarica and Samut escaped his predations, though the latter at great cost. Taurion had devoured much of Samut’s power, enough to overtake my sister.”
“At the time, I was creating my vessel, something powerful that would be able to slay even gods if they were to dare stride upon the world. It would take time, though, and it was to be our greatest weapon, and secret. To this day, I don’t know if Taurion knew that I was doing so and chose that moment to strike, but it is irrelevant. I could not incarnate in anything else because of that, and Carmen could not sway the fight in my sister's favor, and so… Taurion struck her down.” Venris’ voice was subdued, “He destroyed her true-body. That was the risk she took incarnating directly as she had. It left her vulnerable. Her true name was destroyed, struck from reality. I can’t even remember any of her nicknames, only what she did. And even that is difficult to recall in detail.”
“Before he could take in her power, though, our Overseer finally stepped in. He had been silently presiding over us for tens of thousands of years. A True God, but one that was silently waiting to see what we would become. I… cannot speak more of the subject. What I can say is that the Overseer forced Taurion to ascend. What happened after, I do not know. But, he stuffed the aspect of my sister within me, and pulled with it all of her power. It was too much, too different from my own aspect. I still remember the callous disregard as he did it, he truly didn’t care if I lived or died. My twin’s power was equal to my own, and created rampant discord in my mind. I barely had a flicker of sanity in all these years, but that’s changed slowly over time. My aspects became Change and Fate, and it seems that Advarica,” He sneered at this, “became the dual god of War and Justice.”
Niko could have easily heard a pin drop in the silence left behind as the deity sat back in his chair, sipping his tea. There were so many details that he wanted to know, but he couldn’t even begin to consider where he could start. Why didn’t they slow down? Why didn’t they stop Taurion earlier? What were the other godlings doing? What were they doing now, in the wake of all of that?
“Why are you sane, now?” Alterra asked, not allowing a hint of the conflict and remorse in her own expression into her tone. Niko didn’t know if she truly felt no particular way to the tale, but he figured that she might be less than charitable to individuals that, to this point, had not demonstrated a meaningful shift in their dynamics.
Venris blinked, before looking up at Niko, “Well… I can say part of it is your Chosen. He represented an excellent opportunity to put a stabilizing element on my periphery. But, otherwise?...” He leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, “It’s a secret.”
Niko huffed, but Alterra’s expression turned stormy, “That does not make me inclined to trust you.”
“I do not blame you,” He shrugged, “But I do have my own secrets. If nothing else, I can swear that it will not harm you in the long term, and that what I’ve done is for the express purpose of harming the other deities.”
Niko didn’t think that sounded especially reasonable, to expect trust, but Alterra only gave a slow nod. “Fine… for now. Swear that whatever it is you’ve done won’t harm Niko, though, and I’ll trust you.”
Venris winced, “I can’t do that one. How about this? I swear that Niko and his companions are not explicitly in danger from actions I have taken, so long as they remain apart from the deities. Better?”
Alterra frowned, as did Niko, listening to the wording. ‘Can he not lie when he’s swearing? Why else would Alterra push for that?’
The wording itself was… concerning, but Niko pushed past that and asked, “I appreciate the history overview… and I am sorry about your sister. But, I have to ask, why are you telling us this?”
“Because I’m seeking to cement an alliance with the both of you. Now that I’m mostly sane, I can begin to work towards ending the other deities. At least, the ones that deserve it. I won’t stop you from killing them all if that’s what you want, but something tells me that isn’t actually what you want.” Venris said leadingly.
Niko was about to admit that he didn’t especially care either way, when he realized that Venris wasn’t looking at him. He was looking at Alterra.
“I do not wish to have to wage war and deal with conflict among my children, but I will if I must. Do not mistake my concern for my children as any form of wariness to slaughter every last one of your kin,” Alterra stated, her gaze flinty.
“They are not my kin,” He began defensively, before catching himself, “But, in any case, then, I have to ask you why you have not already begun? Their power only grows by the day, their devout followers willing to live and die by their creeds. With so much at stake, you have thrown something of a token effort at them. What is your grand plan for all of this?”
Alterra glared first at Venris, then gestured meaningfully towards Niko. “That is what he is for.”
Niko blinked at her, wondering if she were being serious. He didn’t really think he was going to be able to single-handedly bring any of the deities down, but he’d also thought that Alterra was on the same page.
“No offense,” Venris began slowly, “But he’s not exactly going to be able to go after the godlings. He is flesh and blood, after all.”
“I have my secrets.” Alterra smiled toothily, “Just know that you all aren’t nearly as safe as you think you are.”
Niko noticed the look in Venris’ eyes change subtly, filled with something resembling respect, perhaps. It was gone when he shook his head helplessly, “So be it. But, in any case, if you aren’t fixated on ending them all… then coexistence is the only real alternative.”
Alterra frowned at that, “Why don’t you all just leave?”
“We can’t,” Venris shrugged, “The Overseer prevents us from leaving. The only way we leave this world is through ascension, or by destroying everything so much that there’s no point in us staying.”
“You are not making a strong case for allowing the godlings to live.” Alterra commented dryly.
“Perhaps not, but while some of them deserve what’s coming to them, not all of them are wholly irredeemable.” Venris sat back, “As much as I hate how things came to be, some were victims of Taurion as much as I. Don’t get me wrong, though, if things go poorly, you can just wipe the slate clean.”
“Excepting you, I imagine?” Alterra gave a lopsided grin that Niko felt a trace of danger from.
A short bark of laughter came from Venris then, “No! Not at all. I’ll even line up for the chopping block. If we mess this up, I don’t want us to go to another world. No, no, this ends here.”
That answer surprised Niko, he couldn’t imagine how long Venris had suffered from insanity, but it was clear that the man, godling, whatever he was, hadn’t ever quite recovered. He probably never would, and somehow Niko didn’t think many of the other deities would be all that much better off.
“So… what did you have in mind?” Niko asked, blinking at Venris before looking to Alterra, “Are we finally at the part where you both tell me why you’re here?”
“I am, at least,” Venris said, looking to Alterra who simply nodded to him to continue, “The blessing I gave you is… a complicated work. I’m not even entirely sure what it does; a mad piece of inspiration, really. But, I needed to explain to you a few things about it. First of all, it’s feeding on that brand on your soul. The more Bant-blessed, or cursed, individuals you slay, the closer your connection to him will grow. You can then find where he’s hiding in the astral eventually.”
Alterra perked up at that, and Niko could almost see the determined glare in her eyes. “Alright, well, turns out I’m going to be fighting plenty of them soon enough. What else?”
“You could have evolved into something else, but that’s been changed,” Venris gestured to his wings, “I… wasn’t thinking too clearly at the time I gave you that blessing, but I’ve since altered it. You’ll find your evolutions to be much improved now, and that you and your companions are likely to grow significantly faster.”
“What?! What do you mean exactly?” Niko felt his calm melt away.
“Your blessing will affect those close to you,” Venris quickly made a calming gesture, “Only the growth portion, they won’t start sprouting tentacles and additional limbs. Probably.”
Niko did not appreciate the joke, and conveyed as much with as flat a glare as he could.
“Right,” Venris cleared his throat, “Anyways, those are the two main things. That aside, I would like… a chance to speak with certain deities when we eventually find them.”
Alterra eyed him, but didn’t make any comment about the ‘we’ in his statements, instead asking, “You wish to extend an olive branch to them?”
“Yes? If that means a peaceful resolution, then yes, that is what I want to do. Voltun was a wonderful world, and we ruled it together at first, the only issue was the poison that Taurion himself was. Without that, we could have reigned for tens of thousands of years until we naturally grew strong enough that we could break through the threshold. With you, Alterra, I can see us doing more than just coexisting, we could all thrive together. This world is rich in essence, people, and potential. There’s also certain… dangerous things in this world, but that would just help keep us honest.” He looked to Alterra hopefully, and Niko didn’t think he imagined the nervousness in his posture as he waited to see how Alterra would react.
She seemed agitated, uncertain, but Niko could tell that the mere possibility that they might have an alternative to war was appealing to her. Still, she said, “I am willing to try, but just know that if I do not find your suggestions feasible or fair in the long term, then we will be enemies.”
Venris let out a relieved breath, “That’s all I can ask for, really.”
Niko blinked, “So, how does this work for me?”
“You keep doing what you’re doing, Niko,” Alterra smiled warmly, “You’re progressing quite well. The Great Eye asked two tasks of you, yes?”
Niko nodded.
“Save Riizen, and then go forth to the Fortress City Ar’Kladdi to get in contact with a fragment it keeps there. I had been anticipating asking you to destroy a target for me once there, but that won’t strictly be necessary…” She cast a piercing glance to Venris then, “Yet. If you meet the High Priestess of Saratasha there, I suppose we will now need to speak with her and her god first.”
Niko looked at her suspiciously, “Were you going to ask me to assassinate her otherwise?”
“Yes,” Alterra answered unashamedly, “Now you’ll speak with her and we’ll decide if you have to assassinate her after that.”
Niko shook his head at the cheery tone she had, and didn’t miss the understanding look that Venris sent to him. “Well, I’ve said my piece. I will excuse myself,” Venris rose, form flickering over to the doorway as Niko and Alterra watched him go. “Thank you for listening and… No, never mind. Good luck!”
He swept out of the building in a shadow, and Niko scowled off after him. “Really, you’re just going to leave? Mysterious line and everything?”
Alterra didn’t take immediate note of what he’d said, still looking to the door. Niko clucked, catching her attention as she refocused on him. “Hmm, yes, right. Anyways, there’s a few things I’d like to speak with you about. Honestly, I wasn’t sure that you’d be strong enough for this yet, considering these conversations would tear an ordinary tier three’s soul in half.”
He chuckled, before noting that she was perfectly serious, “Oh. That’s good, then?”
“Very,” She answered with a chuckle, before launching into her own topics.
While Niko was glad to get to talk to her, she also very clearly hadn’t had the opportunity to speak with anyone face-to-face in a long time. Several times, Niko felt more like he was talking with a doting aunt rather than the spirit of a world. She’d plucked him from the jaws of certain demise, but he didn’t feel at all like an inferior. It was… pleasant.
“Vol’s a big baby,” She complained, “He keeps on saying how he wants you to power up as soon as possible so he can take a vacation.”
Niko shook his head, “I’m still a long way off from Titan territory. Actually, can that even happen?”
Alterra waved her hand in a dainty fashion, holding a cookie that Niko conjured on the table along with a myriad of other sweets, “Oh, of course. A bygone conclusion, really, provided nothing kills you and eats your soul.”
“And?” Niko noted the specificity of her statement, “Can I really survive dying now?”
“Well…” She cringed, “You would… after a fashion. Dying would be traumatizing for your soul. You’d probably lose a lot of memories, but a version of you would survive, that’s for certain. I’d try to put it all back together, of course, but I’ve never forcibly prevented a soul from departing before when I grabbed you. I’ve practiced it more since then… but…” She grimaced, “You seemed to be the exception to the rule.”
“The rule being…?” Niko asked, even though he really didn’t think he wanted to know.
“They somewhat just shred to pieces and spiral off into oblivion anyways.” Alterra answered, “I’ve improved on the subject, but even I’m not quite sure how it works when someone dies in my world. They go inside me, but it’s not like I can see that part of me. It’s… complicated.”
While he didn’t understand, Niko nodded, trying to not imagine what going through that was like. Hopefully, she was doing it on things that weren’t sapient, but in the end, he didn’t even know if that would matter or not.
Their talk was many times longer than when Venris had been there, and by the time they were finished, Niko was beginning to feel an ache in his body that he couldn’t quite place to any one area. Alterra seemed to notice, because she apologized, saying, “I stayed a little too long, sorry about that. Just remember the things I’ve told you and…” She hesitated, “We’ll see if Venris can be trusted, soon enough.”
Niko nodded at that, bidding her farewell. As soon as he closed the door, he felt his mind grow foggy, and sleep reclaim him.
Cheep!?
Chapter 156
Niko knew that he shouldn’t be nearly as calm as he was. He knew that there were two godlike beings sitting in a room that he had a feeling was as much a part of himself as his own flesh and blood. He was also aware that he couldn’t even comprehend the exact power gap between himself and them, let alone how they rated to one another.
And yet, for all that, Niko felt as if he was perfectly safe. Whether that was a byproduct of the fact that he was within his own soul, or if he simply didn’t fear them. He leaned towards comfort, as it was certainly the case thus far that neither had done anything to harm him, and in fact had been completely helpful. Alterra, of course, had her own agenda for helping him, but he didn’t sense that she was callous about it. She could have utterly treated him like a tool to further her eventual goals, yet Niko had never felt the kind of malignancy from her that might suggest. For all that she wanted the deities gone, she seemed more of a motherly soul. Albeit, one that did have monsters in this world, and with a hundred other little things that Niko thought was extreme.
On the other talon, Venris was ostensibly the bad guy for the civilized peoples of the world. Monsters were a natural part of this world, though some attributed their existence to Venris in totality. Those that believed that, though, were likely those brainwashed by religious dogma, though from what little Niko knew of the subject, that wasn’t a commonality among all of the pantheon. Anyone else could find records of monsters existing long before the emergence of the deities, albeit those documents were now very old and very rare indeed. Why they existed, Niko wasn’t sure, but he was suspicious that it had something to do with the essence cycle. Perhaps a natural process, whether functioning awry or exactly as intended, was responsible.
“Nice place,” Venris broke the silence as tea appeared in front of him. Niko saw him look down in surprise, then back up to Niko with a nod.
He pretended to have done that on purpose, as their host, “Thanks. I guess it’s a part of me.”
“Soul fabrications,” Venris waved his hand, “Complicated subject, and not really all that important.”
“It’s very important,” Countered Alterra with a frown, reaching out for her own cup, “While we are here, Niko, our, and any other individual's influence is limited. It’s your domain.”
Niko pondered that for a few seconds, before tilting his head, “I get the sense that I can’t harm either of you, either.”
Venris laughed with a mild acerbic tone, “Now that would be a wondrous ability. If you were capable of harming a fledgling god and a world spirit in your own soul, I daresay I’d invite the others here. We could get this whole mess cleaned up in one fell swoop!”
Niko, blinking profusely, couldn’t help but stare at the proclaimed God of Monsters. Alterra, too, looked surprised and no small part perplexed.
“You don’t seem to like the others?” Niko observed, “Everything a mess upstairs?”
For a second, the charming visage melted away, Venris’ eyes swirling with chaotic power and a barely caged insanity. Grief, rage, and hatred as tangible as frigid water filled the air, though Niko felt it almost distantly. It never touched him, but he knew it for what it was.
Then he mastered himself, and with a deep breath and meaningful glare, he said, “I have no love for them. If they had their way, they’d consume one another and leave every world shattered and scraped clean with their teeth.”
Niko and Alterra nodded, but sat in thinking silence for a few awkward seconds. The spirit of the world spoke up shortly, though, curious but also hesitant, “You all have been to other worlds and done so, then?”
“’You all,’ hmm?” Venris quoted with a bitter smile, before shaking his head, “Yes. Many worlds. Five to be exact. The first we were… hosted upon the longest. Several thousands of years. That was a good time.”
“What happened?” Niko asked, genuinely curious to see the source of the wistful longing that he heard in Venris’ tone.
“This… isn’t what I came here to talk about,” Venris frowned, sitting in silence. Niko felt annoyed at that, but was surprised by the next words to come from him, “Hold your patience. I suppose that much is fair, if I am to secure both of your aid.”
Niko’s eyes shot over to Alterra, who didn’t seem too surprised by the statement. Of course, there had to be a reason why Venris was here, after all, and she’d likely considered the possibilities already. That she hadn’t fought him already probably meant she was at least willing to listen.
Or she couldn’t destroy him as they were, which Niko admitted could very well be a possibility.
“Voltun was the first world we of the Court Ascalon ruled over. There were no other deities, no gestalt spirits—” At that he gestured to Alterra, “—and no fully formed spirits. Just us and a primitive society of sapient beings with ample amounts of essence suffusing the world. We’d been charged with gathering power and becoming more.” He put a hand up in a so-so motion then, “I’m not sure what that means, before you ask. Only that as we are now, we are godlings, incomplete.”
That was especially valuable information to Niko, and he stayed quiet, letting Venris unravel a little bit of the mystery surrounding the deities.
“At the time, there were ten of us, a full pantheon presiding over the various aspects of reality and thought. As was proper for the situation, we were worshiped and in turn bestowed our wisdom and guidance to the peoples of Voltun. I was once only the God of Change, being a broad category, I unironically identified myself most closely with the shifting of the seasons and nature.” Venris said, and then paused.
Niko was surprised and confused at the revelation, no less so from Alterra’s own expression if he had the right of it. “How do you go from nature and seasons to monsters and chaos?”
Venris' smile flagged a bit there, but he continued, “Treachery, mostly. Betrayal stings deeply, more so when the cost is great. I’ll… get to that. As I was saying, we were ten. I was the God of Change, worshiped by common folk and those of the forests. My sister presided over Fortune – the Fate stuff, not money – and was a favored patron for oracles and soothsayers the world over. Much of the others are the same as they once were; Samut has always been a crotchety fellow of grudges and vengeance, Mohrgrum’s always been a sack of lazy bones, likes having a warm hearth, easy times, and money – people loved that man, I tell you, Tephone used to be a sweet girl who just wanted to heal people, keep them pure of the ails of the world. Carmen covered herself with shadows and intrigue, and made a pest of her followers at every turn. Saratasha loved her magic – still does, really – and just wants to know how everything works, to watch the process. Advarica used to just be the goddess of justice, but… she never was any good at it,” he sneered a little at that. “Bant… poor Bant was once an arbiter of honorable combat, if you can believe it. Knights and a codified law of how battle should go, a real straight rail. He had an inferiority complex a mile long when compared to the god of war, though.”
“Taurion was a real arrogant piece of work. War was his business, and it was bad for the rest of us. No one else wanted war, it was counter to the rest of us. But, he was charismatic and he invested heavily in a few select people. In the mortal domain, he walked in the flesh, convincing others that he was the strongest god, even though he was far from it. Meanwhile, he played at being an admirer of the Advarican faith. He took his political games into the pantheon, and before any of us knew it, he and Advarica were a pair.” Venris shook his head, “Keep in mind, this happened over a long period of time. That doesn’t mean much to gods, but I certainly didn’t pay enough attention. If I had, I could have nipped the problem in the bud right there and then.” He smiled bitterly, before continuing.
“He began to convince Advarica that there were injustices everywhere, and that war was not one of them. That, along with how thoroughly wrapped around his finger she was, made it easy for him to push things over the edge. Some wayward apostles slain from the shadows, fingers pointed at another group of people, and the kingdoms of the world went from peace and prosperity, to suspicious warmongers in a flash. It was just that easy.” He sighed at that, “My sister descended personally, speaking through her oracles and to those in power, but there’s only so much to be done when there’s someone actively pushing for conflict in the background. No one likes taking a beating lying down, and Taurion was good at whispering hate into the ears of the mighty.”
“It took a long time from a mortal perspective, but to us Gods? The destruction of Voltun happened in the blink of an eye. Many of us grew very powerful in that period, our followers' beliefs and prayers flooding us. So much so, that few of us realized that there was a price for our short term gains. War empowered Taurion; the pursuit of few oasis of peace gave a modest sum to Mohr; vengeance and grudges were overflowing from Samut’s chalice. The pursuit of knowledge and magic was greater than at any other time, and Saratasha benefitted from that immensely. Healing and mercy were needed everywhere and Tephone began to realize just how profitable war could be for her. Carmen grew in power, but, surprisingly, she and her followers pulled back farther and farther from the chaos. She worked closely with my sister, trying to slow things down, but the spiral was too far gone. I was growing in power too, perhaps more than any other. It turns out, godlings meddling in mortal affairs created rampant change. My sister's power, though… hers was a thing of ferocity. With so many fate’s changing, with so many praying for a better one, even the most stalwart of warriors gave service to the Lady of Fate. Bant, on the other hand… he barely grew in this time. There was no place for orderly combat and honor in the world. Advarica was empowered though, justice was perverted; justice could be a lot of anything, depending on how you looked at it.” He shook his head sadly.
“Taurion pushed every front to the brink, again and again, placing hate and rage in the people’s hearts. Eventually he outstripped most of the pantheon in power. Only myself and my sister were greater. Saratasha got a boost at the end – Taurion convinced people to open the can of worms that was wide-spread magical devastation. In the end, Voltun was left covered in angry shadows and ravening undead. Unthinking, unfeeling, they weren’t something we could work with.” He growled, “That was the only thing that Taurion cared about. In the next worlds, much the same played out, but the games began so much earlier. There was competition now – Taurion had grown immensely with the death of our first world – and it was a race to the end. To gather enough power from the thoughts, prayers, and gestalt concepts that sapient thinking beings could give. A Broken Court had been born, and none of us were wholly innocent. My sister, Carmen, and myself strove against the advances of Taurion, but we only served to be his grindstone. He, Advarica, and Samut waged grand campaigns and wars, playing with the lives of those below them like they were playthings.”
“The neutral party, albeit no less profiteering from things, were Saratasha, Mohrgrum, and Tephone. They were at least marginally interested in keeping pockets of civilization safe for as long as possible. Created a real entrenched dogma there, fanatics all. It only helped create contrasts, and Taurion loved playing off of that. People can be easily made to dislike those different, easier to disassociate, I think.”
Niko continued to listen, feeling his mouth and throat dry and his heart beat harder in his chest. This was terrifying to listen to, the casual use of millions, if not billions of lives, all to empower godlike beings. ‘No, not empower… to feed them…’ He couldn’t help but think, imagining entire civilizations that had walked into the open, waiting maw of hungering gods.
“Bant changed the most,” Venris’ words broke Niko of his distracting thoughts, “He became bloodshed and carnage incarnate. Insensate violence, a culmination of murder and rage. Something in him broke with the death of the first world, and his adoration and respect for Taurion became something hateful and obsessive. He put his thoughts into those harmed by war, those who harbored grudges, those who wanted justice, that wished for change, that raged against fate, that wanted a better life, who wished for knowledge, to be hidden from their foes, and to create a better, warmer place for those they would leave behind. Bant rode on the coattails of each of us. That gave him power, a lot of it, but it also strained him. Of all of us, he had gone from being a stable paragon, to a shuddering wreck of reality, struggling desperately to catch up.”
“And so this carried on, world after world fell, until we realized that Taurion was reaching a breaking point where we could soon no longer hope to stop him. My sister put herself on the line and incarnated, physically with all her presence in the world before this one. Taurion declared himself the God-King of the Court of Ascalon when we arrived on the world, and began what he thought would be a final, grand campaign. Before, Taurion was able to manipulate people into creating conflict, now he would find my sister, in the flesh, barring his way. Her successes frustrated him, and desperate to break through, Taurion turned on his companions. I’m uncertain of the specifics, but Advarica and Samut escaped his predations, though the latter at great cost. Taurion had devoured much of Samut’s power, enough to overtake my sister.”
“At the time, I was creating my vessel, something powerful that would be able to slay even gods if they were to dare stride upon the world. It would take time, though, and it was to be our greatest weapon, and secret. To this day, I don’t know if Taurion knew that I was doing so and chose that moment to strike, but it is irrelevant. I could not incarnate in anything else because of that, and Carmen could not sway the fight in my sister's favor, and so… Taurion struck her down.” Venris’ voice was subdued, “He destroyed her true-body. That was the risk she took incarnating directly as she had. It left her vulnerable. Her true name was destroyed, struck from reality. I can’t even remember any of her nicknames, only what she did. And even that is difficult to recall in detail.”
“Before he could take in her power, though, our Overseer finally stepped in. He had been silently presiding over us for tens of thousands of years. A True God, but one that was silently waiting to see what we would become. I… cannot speak more of the subject. What I can say is that the Overseer forced Taurion to ascend. What happened after, I do not know. But, he stuffed the aspect of my sister within me, and pulled with it all of her power. It was too much, too different from my own aspect. I still remember the callous disregard as he did it, he truly didn’t care if I lived or died. My twin’s power was equal to my own, and created rampant discord in my mind. I barely had a flicker of sanity in all these years, but that’s changed slowly over time. My aspects became Change and Fate, and it seems that Advarica,” He sneered at this, “became the dual god of War and Justice.”
Niko could have easily heard a pin drop in the silence left behind as the deity sat back in his chair, sipping his tea. There were so many details that he wanted to know, but he couldn’t even begin to consider where he could start. Why didn’t they slow down? Why didn’t they stop Taurion earlier? What were the other godlings doing? What were they doing now, in the wake of all of that?
“Why are you sane, now?” Alterra asked, not allowing a hint of the conflict and remorse in her own expression into her tone. Niko didn’t know if she truly felt no particular way to the tale, but he figured that she might be less than charitable to individuals that, to this point, had not demonstrated a meaningful shift in their dynamics.
Venris blinked, before looking up at Niko, “Well… I can say part of it is your Chosen. He represented an excellent opportunity to put a stabilizing element on my periphery. But, otherwise?...” He leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, “It’s a secret.”
Niko huffed, but Alterra’s expression turned stormy, “That does not make me inclined to trust you.”
“I do not blame you,” He shrugged, “But I do have my own secrets. If nothing else, I can swear that it will not harm you in the long term, and that what I’ve done is for the express purpose of harming the other deities.”
Niko didn’t think that sounded especially reasonable, to expect trust, but Alterra only gave a slow nod. “Fine… for now. Swear that whatever it is you’ve done won’t harm Niko, though, and I’ll trust you.”
Venris winced, “I can’t do that one. How about this? I swear that Niko and his companions are not explicitly in danger from actions I have taken, so long as they remain apart from the deities. Better?”
Alterra frowned, as did Niko, listening to the wording. ‘Can he not lie when he’s swearing? Why else would Alterra push for that?’
The wording itself was… concerning, but Niko pushed past that and asked, “I appreciate the history overview… and I am sorry about your sister. But, I have to ask, why are you telling us this?”
“Because I’m seeking to cement an alliance with the both of you. Now that I’m mostly sane, I can begin to work towards ending the other deities. At least, the ones that deserve it. I won’t stop you from killing them all if that’s what you want, but something tells me that isn’t actually what you want.” Venris said leadingly.
Niko was about to admit that he didn’t especially care either way, when he realized that Venris wasn’t looking at him. He was looking at Alterra.
“I do not wish to have to wage war and deal with conflict among my children, but I will if I must. Do not mistake my concern for my children as any form of wariness to slaughter every last one of your kin,” Alterra stated, her gaze flinty.
“They are not my kin,” He began defensively, before catching himself, “But, in any case, then, I have to ask you why you have not already begun? Their power only grows by the day, their devout followers willing to live and die by their creeds. With so much at stake, you have thrown something of a token effort at them. What is your grand plan for all of this?”
Alterra glared first at Venris, then gestured meaningfully towards Niko. “That is what he is for.”
Niko blinked at her, wondering if she were being serious. He didn’t really think he was going to be able to single-handedly bring any of the deities down, but he’d also thought that Alterra was on the same page.
“No offense,” Venris began slowly, “But he’s not exactly going to be able to go after the godlings. He is flesh and blood, after all.”
“I have my secrets.” Alterra smiled toothily, “Just know that you all aren’t nearly as safe as you think you are.”
Niko noticed the look in Venris’ eyes change subtly, filled with something resembling respect, perhaps. It was gone when he shook his head helplessly, “So be it. But, in any case, if you aren’t fixated on ending them all… then coexistence is the only real alternative.”
Alterra frowned at that, “Why don’t you all just leave?”
“We can’t,” Venris shrugged, “The Overseer prevents us from leaving. The only way we leave this world is through ascension, or by destroying everything so much that there’s no point in us staying.”
“You are not making a strong case for allowing the godlings to live.” Alterra commented dryly.
“Perhaps not, but while some of them deserve what’s coming to them, not all of them are wholly irredeemable.” Venris sat back, “As much as I hate how things came to be, some were victims of Taurion as much as I. Don’t get me wrong, though, if things go poorly, you can just wipe the slate clean.”
“Excepting you, I imagine?” Alterra gave a lopsided grin that Niko felt a trace of danger from.
A short bark of laughter came from Venris then, “No! Not at all. I’ll even line up for the chopping block. If we mess this up, I don’t want us to go to another world. No, no, this ends here.”
That answer surprised Niko, he couldn’t imagine how long Venris had suffered from insanity, but it was clear that the man, godling, whatever he was, hadn’t ever quite recovered. He probably never would, and somehow Niko didn’t think many of the other deities would be all that much better off.
“So… what did you have in mind?” Niko asked, blinking at Venris before looking to Alterra, “Are we finally at the part where you both tell me why you’re here?”
“I am, at least,” Venris said, looking to Alterra who simply nodded to him to continue, “The blessing I gave you is… a complicated work. I’m not even entirely sure what it does; a mad piece of inspiration, really. But, I needed to explain to you a few things about it. First of all, it’s feeding on that brand on your soul. The more Bant-blessed, or cursed, individuals you slay, the closer your connection to him will grow. You can then find where he’s hiding in the astral eventually.”
Alterra perked up at that, and Niko could almost see the determined glare in her eyes. “Alright, well, turns out I’m going to be fighting plenty of them soon enough. What else?”
“You could have evolved into something else, but that’s been changed,” Venris gestured to his wings, “I… wasn’t thinking too clearly at the time I gave you that blessing, but I’ve since altered it. You’ll find your evolutions to be much improved now, and that you and your companions are likely to grow significantly faster.”
“What?! What do you mean exactly?” Niko felt his calm melt away.
“Your blessing will affect those close to you,” Venris quickly made a calming gesture, “Only the growth portion, they won’t start sprouting tentacles and additional limbs. Probably.”
Niko did not appreciate the joke, and conveyed as much with as flat a glare as he could.
“Right,” Venris cleared his throat, “Anyways, those are the two main things. That aside, I would like… a chance to speak with certain deities when we eventually find them.”
Alterra eyed him, but didn’t make any comment about the ‘we’ in his statements, instead asking, “You wish to extend an olive branch to them?”
“Yes? If that means a peaceful resolution, then yes, that is what I want to do. Voltun was a wonderful world, and we ruled it together at first, the only issue was the poison that Taurion himself was. Without that, we could have reigned for tens of thousands of years until we naturally grew strong enough that we could break through the threshold. With you, Alterra, I can see us doing more than just coexisting, we could all thrive together. This world is rich in essence, people, and potential. There’s also certain… dangerous things in this world, but that would just help keep us honest.” He looked to Alterra hopefully, and Niko didn’t think he imagined the nervousness in his posture as he waited to see how Alterra would react.
She seemed agitated, uncertain, but Niko could tell that the mere possibility that they might have an alternative to war was appealing to her. Still, she said, “I am willing to try, but just know that if I do not find your suggestions feasible or fair in the long term, then we will be enemies.”
Venris let out a relieved breath, “That’s all I can ask for, really.”
Niko blinked, “So, how does this work for me?”
“You keep doing what you’re doing, Niko,” Alterra smiled warmly, “You’re progressing quite well. The Great Eye asked two tasks of you, yes?”
Niko nodded.
“Save Riizen, and then go forth to the Fortress City Ar’Kladdi to get in contact with a fragment it keeps there. I had been anticipating asking you to destroy a target for me once there, but that won’t strictly be necessary…” She cast a piercing glance to Venris then, “Yet. If you meet the High Priestess of Saratasha there, I suppose we will now need to speak with her and her god first.”
Niko looked at her suspiciously, “Were you going to ask me to assassinate her otherwise?”
“Yes,” Alterra answered unashamedly, “Now you’ll speak with her and we’ll decide if you have to assassinate her after that.”
Niko shook his head at the cheery tone she had, and didn’t miss the understanding look that Venris sent to him. “Well, I’ve said my piece. I will excuse myself,” Venris rose, form flickering over to the doorway as Niko and Alterra watched him go. “Thank you for listening and… No, never mind. Good luck!”
He swept out of the building in a shadow, and Niko scowled off after him. “Really, you’re just going to leave? Mysterious line and everything?”
Alterra didn’t take immediate note of what he’d said, still looking to the door. Niko clucked, catching her attention as she refocused on him. “Hmm, yes, right. Anyways, there’s a few things I’d like to speak with you about. Honestly, I wasn’t sure that you’d be strong enough for this yet, considering these conversations would tear an ordinary tier three’s soul in half.”
He chuckled, before noting that she was perfectly serious, “Oh. That’s good, then?”
“Very,” She answered with a chuckle, before launching into her own topics.
While Niko was glad to get to talk to her, she also very clearly hadn’t had the opportunity to speak with anyone face-to-face in a long time. Several times, Niko felt more like he was talking with a doting aunt rather than the spirit of a world. She’d plucked him from the jaws of certain demise, but he didn’t feel at all like an inferior. It was… pleasant.
“Vol’s a big baby,” She complained, “He keeps on saying how he wants you to power up as soon as possible so he can take a vacation.”
Niko shook his head, “I’m still a long way off from Titan territory. Actually, can that even happen?”
Alterra waved her hand in a dainty fashion, holding a cookie that Niko conjured on the table along with a myriad of other sweets, “Oh, of course. A bygone conclusion, really, provided nothing kills you and eats your soul.”
“And?” Niko noted the specificity of her statement, “Can I really survive dying now?”
“Well…” She cringed, “You would… after a fashion. Dying would be traumatizing for your soul. You’d probably lose a lot of memories, but a version of you would survive, that’s for certain. I’d try to put it all back together, of course, but I’ve never forcibly prevented a soul from departing before when I grabbed you. I’ve practiced it more since then… but…” She grimaced, “You seemed to be the exception to the rule.”
“The rule being…?” Niko asked, even though he really didn’t think he wanted to know.
“They somewhat just shred to pieces and spiral off into oblivion anyways.” Alterra answered, “I’ve improved on the subject, but even I’m not quite sure how it works when someone dies in my world. They go inside me, but it’s not like I can see that part of me. It’s… complicated.”
While he didn’t understand, Niko nodded, trying to not imagine what going through that was like. Hopefully, she was doing it on things that weren’t sapient, but in the end, he didn’t even know if that would matter or not.
Their talk was many times longer than when Venris had been there, and by the time they were finished, Niko was beginning to feel an ache in his body that he couldn’t quite place to any one area. Alterra seemed to notice, because she apologized, saying, “I stayed a little too long, sorry about that. Just remember the things I’ve told you and…” She hesitated, “We’ll see if Venris can be trusted, soon enough.”
Niko nodded at that, bidding her farewell. As soon as he closed the door, he felt his mind grow foggy, and sleep reclaim him.
