by C. M. Carney
A Prime Godhead is a mote of creation. It is a nexus of ultimate potential, but that potential must be earned. You have survived a Legendary Trial and slain a Legendary Beast (Arboleth).
Your Godhead has evolved to Tier 1.
There are 10 Tiers that can only be achieved by completing Legendary Trials.
Each Tier will provide 1 Divine Perk Point and Tier specific bonuses.
Congratulations, your Prime Godhead has evolved to Tier 1.
The nascent mote of creation inside you has awakened.
You now have 100% Affinity for all spheres of magic.
You are awarded +50 to Health, +50 to Stamina, +50 to Mana and +50 to Spirit.
You are also granted +5 to all attributes.
All skills (including those learned in the next 24 hours) are increased by one level.
You now have access to the Divine Perk Tree.
+1 Divine Perk Points.
You have chosen to worship the Deity Gryph and have unlocked the Incantations associated with your deity. As long as you stay true to the tenets of belief set down by Gryph you will keep access to your Incantations.
Gryph - Level 10
High Elf (El’Edryn)
Deity: Gryph
Experience: 116,310
Next Level: 43,490
Stats
Health: 234
Stamina: 233
Mana: 218
Spirit: 186
Attributes
Strength: 28
Constitution: 37
Dexterity: 37
Intelligence: 30
Wisdom: 15
Gifts
Health Regeneration: +25%
Mana Regeneration: +25%
Night Vision: 120 Ft.
Master of Tongues
“Holy Crap.” The Godhead had just given him an incredible surge in power. Not only was the +5 bonus to each Attribute like getting an instant six levels, the +50 bonus to all four Stats was insane. And 100% Affinity for every sphere of magic. His body surged with power and warmth. What the hell are incantations? Gryph wondered. He suspected that they made use of Spirit, but he had no idea where or how to acquire them.
Gryph turned his focus to the Divine Perk Points. If he understood the prompts, then they were exponentially more valuable than normal Perk Points. He could acquire a maximum of ten, so he would have to spend them wisely. In his excitement Gryph had forgotten about the paralysis debuff until he received the prompt telling him he was no longer paralyzed. He reached a tentative finger up to the back of his neck and found nothing. No parasitic slug, no wound, no scar, nothing.
Gryph sat cross-legged and laughed out loud. He could barely contain his excitement and joy as he opened his Divine Perk Tree.
Divine Perk Tree
Tier 1
Inspire
Imbue
Assimilate
Resurrection
Tier 2
Devotion
Consecrate
Sequester
Reincarnate
Tier 3
Transcend
Divine Craft
Illuminate
Apotheosis
Well, that’s annoying. He’d made educated choices based upon an understanding of available factors. Without full knowledge of the downstream perks, how could he make a wise choice? Guess it is time to have faith, Gryph thought, fully understanding the irony of the statement.
More frustrating was that each level required more Divine Perk Points. Level one needed one. Level two required two. Level three required three. That meant that even if he maxed out the Godhead, he still wouldn’t be able to acquire every perk on the Divine Perk Tree. He would have to choose wisely.
Inspire: This perk enables the god to Inspire his followers. Once a day the bearer of a Godhead may Inspire all of his followers. Inspire gives followers +5 to all Attributes, +50 to all Stats and +25% to all Regenerations for one hour. Followers are those who select you as their deity.
Imbue: This perk enables the god to empower the weapon of a follower with incredible power. Once a day the god can imbue an item, temporarily turning it into an artifact level magical item for 24 hours. The artifact is determined by those that the deity has owned, used or encountered. The bearer of the artifact must be a follower of the god.
Assimilation: Once a week, a god can Assimilate a skill from a defeated opponent. The skill becomes a permanent part of the god’s skill set. The level gained is equal to ⅓ of the opponent’s skill level. For example, if the bearer of a Godhead defeats a wizard with level 60 in Fire Magic, he will reach level 20 in fire magic.
Resurrect: Once a week a god can return a fallen follower to life for 24 hours.
The perks were amazing. Each one was vastly more powerful than any other power he currently possessed. But which one to pick?
Inspire sounded amazing although Gryph was still seriously uncomfortable about the idea of being a 'god.' The whole concept went against his personal philosophy of self-determination and personal responsibility. He was enough a student of Earth’s history to know how easily religious beliefs could be twisted to zealotry.
Imbue also sounded badass. He wasn’t sure what an artifact was, but he imagined it was a vastly powerful magic item. Would he be like the Lady in the Lake, gifting Excalibur to Arthur? He didn’t have an Arthur at this point. He didn’t even have a friend, much less a sidekick.
Assimilation appealed to him. Gryph knew in this world, knowledge was power. If he could take knowledge from his enemies and use it for his own purposes, he could increase his chances of saving Brynn.
Resurrect made him uncomfortable. Gryph had long ago abandoned any religious beliefs, but a Catholic woman who hadn’t been much of a Catholic had raised him. Despite this, he felt raising the dead skirted into the realm of blasphemy.
Gryph thought about the perks for a moment. He’d always believed that true power came from the intelligent application of knowledge, thus gaining more knowledge would make him more powerful. Plus, he didn’t currently have any followers and wasn’t sure he wanted to be worshipped as a god. This made Assimilation the obvious choice.
He clicked onto the perk and spent his Divine Perk Point. He expected some massive rush of energy or warmth, but he got nothing. Guess he’d just have to wait until he could use the perk.
He closed out his sheets and stood. He’d played around enough. It was time to figure out a way out of this dungeon. Gryph triggered the secret door and walked into the outer room. There he found a dusky skinned man pointing an arrow at him. The man’s cat yellow eyes widened, and he pulled the bowstring taught.
Gryph felt a tingle in his head as the man’s eyed bored into him. Gryph raised his hands and stood still. The last thing he needed after his day was to be robbed by some strange elf. Gryph used Analyze on the man and got a most unusual prompt as a reward.
Analyze blocked.
“Don’t waste your time. You are not capable of analyzing me.”
Gryph's eyes widened. Not only was the stranger right, but the man knew he was right. His mind scrambled through available options. “Who are you?”
“How are you still alive?”
“What do you mean?” Gryph asked, his eyes drawn to the man’s bow. Realization hit Gryph like another arrow. “You killed me.”
A moment of shock widened the strange elf’s eyes, before his incredible control dampened the surprise. Gryph knew he was right.
“You did. Did you know that I would respawn?”
Another flash of surprise. The man’s confidence wavered.
“You didn’t, but you did it anyway.” Gryph raised his hands up higher and pumped mana into his ring. Somehow the man knew what he was planning and released the arrow.
The Air Shield was a split second too late, but Gryph had already initiated Dodge. The arrow sliced his cheek as it zipped past his face, siphoning a few points from his health but otherwise doing no harm.
Another arrow shot at Gryph, but th
is one bounced harmlessly off his shield. Gryph cast Flying Stalactite, but the man had lightning reflexes and spun out of the rock missile’s path. He dropped his bow and drew a fantastic red sword. Its slight curve reminded Gryph of a katana.
The man swung the sword in a series of intricate forms and plunged the tip of the sword into the air shield. The magic barrier pulsed, and Gryph could see the mana, his mana, flowing into the blade.
Gryph pulled his spear and got into a defensive stance. A moment later, the shield collapsed with its characteristic pop. The sword flew at him like a cobra. He had never seen anyone move so fast. The respawn debuffs were kicking his ass. He felt like a guy trying to run a marathon the night after a bender.
Gryph used Parry to deflect the attack, but only just. He heard the sword clang against his spear, the blade an inch from his face. The blade had sunk halfway into the wood, despite its toughness. The man brought considerable strength to bear as he pushed, buckling Gryph’s knees.
Gryph dropped and spun and the man’s momentum took him past. The shaft of the spear smacked into the back of the dusky elf’s calves, rewarding Gryph with a grunt of pain. Gryph spun again, standing behind the dusky skinned man.
Gryph activated both Impale and his bracers and his spear launched itself at the man’s exposed back like a bullet. The stranger arched his back in a feat of gymnastic skill that would put Olympic medalists to shame and brought his sword into a defensive position.
The spear’s trajectory was altered, but the tip still found purchase in the man’s side. What had been a sure killing blow had only delivered a flesh wound. With a small grunt, the man spun again and flashed his blade at Gryph.
Gryph fell back, summoning his spear back to him with the bracers. He tried Parry again, but only redirected the sword from his neck to his shoulder. The razor-sharp metal found a small gap in Gryph’s armor and bit into his shoulder. His health went down by 30%.
Gryph grunted in pain and made a clumsy Counter Attack that failed to find his mark. Gryph's breathing turned ragged. His stamina was about to bottom out. He needed a new tactic. He tossed his spider silk rope and cast Animate Rope. The man stepped over the silver white coil and brought his sword down again.
The viper of living rope snapped around the man’s wrist and then slithered to his neck. At Gryph’s command the rope tightened, and the man smashed the hilt against the side of his own head. He stumbled, more from shock than pain, but it gave Gryph the time to get to his feet and retrieve his spear.
The yellow-eyed elf wasted no time struggling against the rope but dropped his sword from his bound hand into his free one. Then he eased the tip against the silvery filament and the rope went limp. Whatever spirit of air had given the rope life was banished by the mana draining blade.
The man advanced, pushing Gryph back to one of the massive mushrooms, coating him in a shimmering haze of spores. This is all too familiar, Gryph thought. His spear spun to and fro, but the elf warrior was just too damn good. Gryph’s spear clattered to the floor, and he felt the tip of the red blade draw a bead of blood from his jugular.
“How are you still alive?” the man said, his breathing even and steady.
“I do not know,” Gryph said, raising his hands. “I'm as surprised as you.”
“Are you illurryth?”
“I’m Gryph. I’m a player from Earth.”
“Are you illurryth!” the man demanded louder, and Gryph could see the fear at the back of the man’s eyes.
“You mean the Prime?” Gryph thought.
The dusky man cocked his head and his eyes glazed over. Gryph almost made a move when he felt another mind in his head. It was this man. He could feel him inspecting the infinite corridors of his mind. The strange elf opened his eyes and focused on Gryph. He eased the tip of his blade from Gryph’s throat.
“How are you here? How did you respawn?” the man asked in amazement.
“I don’t understand it either,” Gryph said, hands still raised. “It has something to do with being a player. Evidently, if I die I respawn.”
The odd elf with the eyes of a demon stared at Gryph for a long moment. The man was capable and terrifying. His hands fell to his side as the man lowered his blade.
“I sense no deception in you.” The elf inhaled and with a flash of motion sheathed his sword. He held out a hand. “I am Ovyrm.”
Confused, Gryph hesitated, before easing his own hand forward. The man took it in a forearm grasp, and Gryph could feel strength pulse through the man’s grip.
“Gryph. Good to meet you. I think.” His knees went wobbly, and he fell to the ground. Now that the adrenaline of the fight had worn off, the full power of the debuffs came rushing back in all their nauseous glory. Ovyrm caught him before he fell to the ground.
“We must be quick. The Barrow King knows where you are. He is sending wyrmynn to capture you. That cannot happen.”
“What the hell is a Barrow King?”
“A disembodied spirit of evil and hunger. It is ancient, older perhaps than the Old Gods themselves. He is not only the master of this dungeon, he is the dungeon. Surely you have felt him?”
“I have, but I still do not know what he is.”
“An ancient lich of formidable power. He was once a powerful wizard. An adept of the sphere of soul magic.” Ovyrm hesitated. “Soul magic is powerful, yet seductive and dangerous.” His gaze moved to the walls of the Barrow. “This place seethes with the residue of his horrid acts, done in the name of power and immortality. His existence is a wretched half-life, and he wants what you have.”
“The Godhead.”
Ovyrm nodded. “Make no mistake, the Barrow King wants you more than he has wanted anything in his long existence. He will use every method at his disposal to get you. If he does, the world will know misery unlike any it has seen in millennia.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
“We need to get you out of here, but we could use some help.”
“I know a guy.”
Ovyrm nodded and without another word, Ovyrm marched towards the tunnel descending into the Barrow.
“Damn. I wish Lex were here,” Gryph whispered to himself.
As they left the chamber, they passed the headless corpse of the baalgrath. Ovyrm gave it a glance and spoke. “Nice work.”
“Thanks,” Gryph said, his eyes moving from the corpse to the strange warrior monk. Then silence overtook the motley pair as they dipped into Stealth and made their way down the tunnel.
32
The High God Aluran was under attack. Blow after blow came from multiple directions. Multiple attackers doing their best to kill a god. Clangs of weapons bouncing off his plate armor thundered across the courtyard of The Dragon’s Nest, the keep that was Aluran's home.
His attackers were among the best of his private guard. Men and women who had served him faithfully their entire lives. Ordered to give it their all, they were doing their best to kill their god. If they held back, it would mean their death. The High God Aluran had decreed it and his decrees were holy writ.
An ebony war hammer careened towards Aluran's head. Quicker than the eye could follow he made the slightest of moves and sidestepped the skull crushing blow. The hammer pounded into the ground shattering the polished marble cobblestones and the man grunted in pain as shock waves thundered up his arms.
A lithe woman leapt at Aluran, spinning a double-ended spear at her god. Aluran raised his gauntleted hands. He bore no weapon, but he was hardly unarmed. A fast strike from each hand shot outwards one disarming the woman, the other sending her flying back into the wall of the courtyard. She fell in a broken heap and several Life Masters rushed to her side and cast healing spells.
Aluran took the spear from the fallen woman and spun it in a blur of death. A lighting fast whip of his arm plunged the spear into the stomach of a massive man wielding a war hammer. The spear impaled the man on a nearby wooden beam, a scream of agony burbling from his mouth before he lost consciousness. Once ag
ain, a cadre of Life Masters rushed up to him.
Aluran sidestepped the swipe of a two-handed sword so large that most mortals were incapable of lifting it, much less wielding it effectively. The strike was close and Aluran felt the blur of wind pass his face. He spun and his left leg surged forward taking the sword bearer in the gut. As had the woman before him, this massive fellow crumpled to the ground. His grunt of pain silenced by the snapping of his spine. More Life Masters moved to the fallen man’s side.
As the battle raged, a hooded man entered the courtyard and stood at the edge of the combat arena waiting for his master to finish his morning workout. The High God did not look up, but the Hooded Man knew his master sensed his presence. The Hooded Man was patient.
In mere moments the other three combatants lay broken and defeated. Life Masters were at their sides and then helped them exit the arena. Cheers rose from the audience. The High God’s training sessions were always popular entertainment for the pilgrims who had journeyed to prove their love and adoration of the High God.
The High God removed his helmet and held it out to his steward. Aluran took a clean cloth from the man and wiped the few drops of sweat from his brow. The Hooded Man swallowed trying to ease his nervousness as his god walked towards him.
“Your Eminence,” the Hooded Man said, bowing so low his head was near parallel to the ground.
“Have you found him?” the High God asked.
The Hooded Man leaned back to his full height. He was a tall man, but his god was a full head taller than he. The Hooded Man brought his gaze up to his god’s face. Few could perceive the Hooded Man’s true nature, but his appearance was neither a surprise nor a shock to the High God.
