Gestation

by John Gold

  There’s nothing for it but to keep walking toward the center of the desert wearing the sandals.

  The farther you go across the desert, the more you start to wonder what’s in the middle. Could this really be a pathway to Hell? Or does that river of souls lead to the Gray Lands? There isn’t much longer to go. I can already see the mountains, and the souls flow on the other side of them.

  From fifty kilometers away, I see that the road is blocked by the mountain ridge. Everything is on fire, literally. Flames shoot out of the earth, the air is alight, and the rocks crack from the heat. I’m surprised I can breathe. It’s a cool feeling.

  The first cliffs appear, jutting out of the earth like needles of rock. I dig a hole for my cart; The burning earth is starting to destroy it. Everything I don’t need, I leave inside, taking the rest with me.

  It takes some time to find a path through the mountains. Two days go by, and finally, I’m in a cleft in the mountains with the path to the center of the desert opening up in front of me.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Damage taken: 88200 (ignored: 86611)

  211/2370

  Resistance to mental damage: +0.01%

  Mental damage ignored: up to 87090/second

  At this point, the mountains look bathed in a shroud colored in all the shades of fire. Even the fabric of reality is quaking from the intense mental aura. The shroud itself is visible in the aura, which does 50000 damage and more. The higher your resistance, the more damage you need to see the shroud. Mages can use magic vision to see what color fields of strength are.

  For the first time since I was in Hell, I see creatures higher than Level 600. They’re something like birds, only much more majestic with fire erupting from their plumage.

  Monster, Roc, Level 602

  Complete immunity to Mind Magic! A strong hide! I have to smack it with a dwarf hammer to bring it to earth, and then peg it with spikes smeared with a paralyzing poison.

  I can’t look for victims and work on my resistance at the same time, so I have to move to 50-hour days.

  The farther I go, the stronger the aura is. Now, it’s the aura of regret. That’s the feeling it gives me.

  Before I saw the difference in the items I can make with blood magic rituals, I thought I could use that to work on myself. Now, even beating creatures six hundred levels higher than me is a big achievement.

  What’s on the other side of the mountains? Everything. One interesting point of reference is the enormous hole in the middle. At first glance, it’s about fifty kilometers in diameter. It’s like somebody used a thermonuclear bomb to see how deep they could go in search of minerals. That thing is huge. It looks to be two or three kilometers deep, and the center is a ways away. I can’t tell what’s at the bottom. The river of souls splashes right into the middle, and there’s a thick shroud down below. That’s what’s keeping me from seeing anything.

  It takes me almost two weeks to cross those kilometers.

  Two guys with terrifying faces wearing nothing but ritual slings notice me. They’re five-meter giants rippling with muscles, and they move toward me.

  Monster, Great Sinner, Level 677

  A double meteor takes off a big chunk of health, but it doesn’t kill them. I have to finish them off with my dwarf hammer. If it weren’t for the ritual that got my health up to four million, I’d be a goner.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Damage taken: 2315200 (ignored: 2308077)

  3824831/4101200

  Resistance to fire: +0.01%

  Thermal damage ignored: up to 1158570/second

  Resistance to mental damage: +0.01%

  Mental damage ignored: up to 1152901/second

  All I can heal is 51000 health. I can’t go any farther. Whatever’s in the center is so scarily powerful that I don’t even want to think about it. My perception is superb and I can see from a kilometer away, so I notice where the fire elemental is disembodied, having come too close to whatever is over there. The only things here are ghosts and other disembodies creatures. There aren’t many semi-material monsters like the sinners, and I’m only too happy to see that regular ghosts don’t attack me. The rest only attack me after a short delay.

  Having gone this far, I decide to get a little closer to whatever’s in the center. It turns out to be an enormous stone body whose chest is pierced by a perfectly round, polished, red stake. The river of souls flows into the wound. I’m stunned by the size. I can see it all from three kilometers away. The giant’s face is recognizable, too. It’s Bernard.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Bernard met everyone coming in from the front with all the clan leaders. The arrivals had all done some leveling-up and skill-boosting.

  “Bernard, you should have seen that dragon! It was five times as big as the others, and so strong! I’m not even sure what kind of army you’d have to bring to have a shot at taking it out. He’d survive a meteor strike from all the mages in the clan. The gods all went after him, and all they could do was weaken him and force him to retreat. In return, he incinerated both armies—theirs and ours.”

  “Yes, I saw, and everyone’s talking about how you lost. Leon and his followers have taken three more castles in the time it’s taken you to get back here. The war has shattered everyone’s power, so we called a truce that includes all the young gods except Leon. He has a huge advantage now. Soon, there will be just little skirmishes going on, which means it’s time for us to get back to work on raids and quests.”

  “What about PVP? The war?”

  “Soon, believe me, very soon. If you really want to fight, just head over to the arena.”

  “Okay, okay.” The guy held up his hands, knowing how strict the boss was. “It’s up to you.”

  “You don’t get it,” Bernard replied, shaking his head. He was trying to tell the stupid guy the ins and outs of war. “Do you think a war like that doesn’t have consequences for the world itself? Soon, we’re going to have a struggle for control within the Golden Hand, with the other young gods fighting among themselves for whatever prana is left over. You’re forgetting how realistic this world is. When two people are fighting, the third can use that moment to attack. Do you get it now?”

  “Yes.”

  “What do you understand?”

  “I understand that you know better than the rest of us.”

  Bernard shook his head again.

  “Did nobody ever teach you how to think for yourself? You need to be able to evaluate the situation on both a strategic and a tactical level. You want to fight?” The guy nodded. “Well, you have to think about the consequences. If you wear yourself out now or get tired of it, you’ll be no good later. And tell me this—what kind of people are we in this clan?”

  “Mercenaries.”

  “Exactly. So, get your butt into the dungeon and work with the team. I saw what they did to you, and I was the one who taught you! You couldn’t have made any more mistakes if you wanted to.”

  Bernard was actually happy with how the operation had gone. The young gods hadn’t been able to emerge victorious over Margul, though his troops had done the most damage to their opponents. They had diversions, flanking maneuvres, and malefic and necromancer groups, and everyone pushed themselves as hard as they could. The young warriors needed to keep improving, however. Feeling your sword, teamwork, and being able to keep an eye on the big picture are all skills real warriors need. That’s the kind of mercenary army Bernard was building.

  Margul headed back to Tanatos. There wasn’t anything he needed to do in the big world for the near future. It was tough on him. He hated feeling like a burden to his brothers and sisters. One of the strongest beings in the world, he was going to be among the last to leave. Just the thought that he might remain alone scared the dragon god to the depths of his being. Bernard knew him better than anyone and understood his friend’s pain.

  “How much time will the people need to develop to the level of the dragons?” Margul got in touch with Bernard as soon as he ret
urned to his temple.

  “At least four years, I think. There are just a few who can break Level 400, and I’m an exception to the rule. There are less than ten in the world.”

  “But they’re there! Waiting for three years…I can do that. I’m a dragon, we’re used to waiting.”

  “The smaller divinities of the old generation are on the move, too. They’re moving around the world in search of worthy opponents, and they’ll be the first to leave for rebirth.”

  “That’s their choice. I already made mine.”

  “Margul, are you worried? I have a bad feeling, and I’m not sure why.”

  “No, it’s fine. Tanatos is a place of power, everything’s different here. You know that. We don’t feel anything that’s weaker than us.”

  “Yes, I just wanted to make sure.”

  But the bad feeling only grew. Over the next month, Bernard started sleeping poorly. He had nightmares about his own death, the river of souls, the Gray Lands, and Tanatos.

  The intuition only the gods had told him about a danger so great that they even stopped the war. All the gods felt it.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  The Golden Hand was celebrating their victory in all their cities and fortresses.

  They’d captured new territory and strengthened belief in Leon. Lots of new players were joining the victorious side, and several cities had pledged allegiance to the god on their own. Only one person in the whole clan was practically crying because the war was ending.

  Merlen Ruzh, in his stylish shirt and vest as always, was reading the latest expense reports.

  “Leon, what a victory! The dragons left, and we were able to capture new territory. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that they agreed to our terms. We’re going to top up the coffers in no time with income streams like these, and we’ll be able to get back to developing culture and tech in the regions. Do you realize what this means?”

  “They didn’t know that the dragons left the alliance. Yes, I get it…the big pantheon. The strongest clan in the world.” The god was sitting on the windowsill watching the clan celebrate. Sunlight reflected off his mithril armor and played on the walls in the room, while the golden hand shimmered in different colors. He thought to himself.

  “Worried about something?”

  “Yes… Margul left, though they didn’t really hurt him that badly. I’m not sure what the real reason was. I don’t exactly get what’s going on, and I have a bad feeling about it. We’re missing something, some consequence of the war.”

  “What do you mean?” Merlen’s happy mood turned serious.

  “Do you remember what the divine strength gave me?” Merlen nodded, not taking his eyes off the god. “I can process information much better, and it isn’t just my consciousness branching out. It’s a deeper understanding of interrelationships. My intuition is much sharper, and that has a strong effect on real life. I’ve boosted company earnings by 230% over the past year. I’ve introduced a number of reforms and purges. It’s now stable in market terms, practically untouchable by our competitors. Even the profit numbers are double what they were. I have a good guess what the real identities of the other new gods are because of some secondary things I’m noticing, but my intuition is screaming at me. It’s saying that I have missed something that will affect our future.”

  “Could you just be getting yourself worked up? You haven’t slept in several days, and my daughter says you don’t eat that much.”

  For the past year, Rachel had been sharing Leon’s bed. Merlen didn’t mind—her new beau helped her get the second level of citizenship and brought her over. Management and the other most important people in the clan all lived separately, taking up a whole block in a Venusian colony. Everything was fine, though Leon had changed significantly since becoming a god.

  “Don’t worry, Merlen. Nothing’s going to happen to your daughter. I’m changing, and I can see that I understand so much more than I once did. I’ll make sure everything is fine. But while we have time, get to work advancing the clan’s crafting and military wings. Tell the alliance to do the same thing.” The god started melting away on his way to the astral. “Something’s coming. I feel it.”

  Leon had become more insightful. Even in normal conversation, he saw through people and made sure that both sides walked away satisfied. Whatever was most important to people in the discussion always came up. He would mention how you had lost weight, how you looked, the money you made, your work, your kids. You heard what you most wanted to hear.

  Not only could he understand that, however; he could instantly find the connections between seemingly unconnected things. He had started looking for the missing pieces to the puzzle.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  I’m scared. It’s been almost two years since the last time I saw my parents, and the first familiar face I see is Bernard’s. And where? In the middle of the desert, a place where there are no living creatures. Over the last ten days, all I’ve come across have been ghosts pouring from the sky through the red spear and incredibly powerful monsters. There’s no life here—just Bernard’s enormous stone body pierced with the weapon in his chest. Mama…father…how are you? I miss you so much… There’s so much I have to tell you… I just want to see you.

  I’ve done most of what I wanted to do, so I return to the cliffs and dig up my cart. I wear the bandage full of poison the whole way back. I do, however, have to come up with something stronger. I have a lot more health than I used to.

  I have a whole sack of valuable rings and a complete change of clothes for a mage. It’s just a shame that I couldn’t find anything to make a scythe with. Of course, I wouldn’t use it, but it would go great with my costume. I already have the black robe of death, the cold skeleton hands, and my shroud of darkness. Somebody’s going to need to find new underwear.

  Somehow, I forgot about the lord sandals. They’re the most unique thing I have, and they taught me how cleverly everything’s set up. Material victims give you a bonus for your attributes; non-material victims give you effects. I wouldn’t have been able to make normal mage boots if I’d wanted to.

  It takes me five days to get back to Sural. I run the whole way, shooting everything that moves. I need loot, not victims.

  On the fifth day, my single-seater cart rolls into the city loaded with sacks. It’s hard to drag even with an empowered body.

  I walk through the western gate and almost immediately go to the guild building. Leaving my cart in the back courtyard, I head off to find Hela. Nobody will touch my things here.

  It’s an overcast day, and the girl is sitting at the administrator’s desk in her green suit as usual.

  “Hi, Miss Hela, I’m back.”

  The girl jumps in surprise and glances out across the desk. I barely come up to the edge, having crouched down to scare her. My hood is swept back, my gloves are off, and all my items have their attributes hidden. I wouldn’t want to scare the poor girl that badly.

  “Oh, Sagie,” she replies with a stomp. “What are you sneaking up on me like that for? We’ve only had five people all day, I was engrossed in my book, and now you!”

  “See? Not bored any more, are you?” I smile, and the girl relaxes, grinning in return.

  “What took you so long? Traveling the world? But then you missed us, so you came back?”

  “I got to the center of Hashan Desert.” Hela’s eyes open wide. “I didn’t find any souvenirs good enough for you though. On the other hand, I have a present for you, but only if you help me with a few things.”

  “What do you mean, the center? The monsters there are Level 200 and higher.”

  “They get up to Level 1000 in the center, and they’re brutal! There’s a river of souls, too, but no gateway to Hell. There aren’t even any demons. Just a big stone body pierced with a red spear.”

  “Wait, so you really got all the way there? But the aura should have killed you before you even stepped onto the desert!” She grabbed her head. “Wait, who cares about the
aura? There are monsters, there’s no food, and you’re saying that you got to the center of the desert and saw what most people can only dream of. And you’re saying it like it’s no big deal!”

  “What do you know about the dead giant with the spear in him?”

  The girl fell silent and stared out into nothingness. A couple of seconds went by before she replied.

  “That was a forgotten era. Lots of books have been written about it, but they were all condemned later as heresy and taken out of print. We had a seminar at the academy about how it was an era of wanderers and wars between the gods. The wanderers killed one of them. The god was from the capital of the Hanay Empire, most of which is desert now. The caliphate is just a fraction of its former power.”

  “You mean to tell me that there’s a dead god lying in the middle of the desert, and that the whole thing’s there because of him?”

  “That’s what they told us.”

  How am I supposed to take that? Bernard is a god? That’s doubtful, and why would a god need to participate in a ritual? How did he ever show back up if he was killed?

  “Could it be that the dead god was reborn as a simple mortal mage?”

  “I don’t know what it’s like for you, but they promise us the afterlife for a good life and Hell if you’re a sinner.”

  I need Bernard to figure out what’s going on. Better not touch anything until I have the whole picture.

  Hela, seeing me lost in my thoughts, asked me another question.

  “So, you really got to the middle of Hashan?”

  “Yep.”

  “How?”

  “I’m an unusual kid with unusual abilities. But I have something I need you for, speaking of the monsters out there.” Hela smiles, apparently remembering my contract. “I caught a lot of those beasts. Do I have to go to the caliph’s palace myself to get the money?”

  “What? That many?”

  “A little more than four thousand of the normal ones and three raid bosses.”