by Han Yang
Caitlyn continued, “I declined him, and he gave me a second list. Why did I accept the tasks, if I didn’t like his offer? Not sure. He had me collect a hundred followers and not the thrall types. When I did, he opened a portal. I went from Ostriva to Nordan and had to collect another thousand followers. There were no strivians here at the time, and being a spider queen meant I was a juicy target for the Nordan Lords.
“I fought…” she sighed, staring at the ceiling as she contemplated. “A lot of battles. Eventually, I retreated to an elva den in an isolated forest. I became a never aging guest with my loyal followers. Zozo grew bored, offering me another portal to a new zone on this planet, not too far from here, actually.
“I established a city, used my followers to build walls, and never let the humans see my spider half. I was a reclusive queen, and you had to speak to one of my advisors. I reached his goal with smart management and unwavering loyalists. One night, I went to sleep like any other, awaking to six strangers chanting a spell over me.
“The spell ended, I died, and was reborn later. I arrived at a utopia for the gods. A city on clouds, literally. It held everything I wanted. I realized I could be a human, or a goblin, or an ogre. I could swim, compete in competitions, and do just about anything I wanted. I could create scenarios out of the city’s limits.
“We spent so much time in the city, they started making the creation of luxury foods or swapping bodies have a cost. Enter Zorta and our champions. The only thing that is free now is going to a church someone willingly dedicates to us. Everything else comes at a cost. It wasn’t always Zorta, and the nuances are many, but you get the picture.”
It didn’t take long for me to understand what I already suspected. To the immortals with power, this was a game. My life didn’t matter, only my ability to generate content.
“You suck,” I grumbled. Bell gasped but Caitlyn chuckled with a nod. “I assume you’re here for more than a splash of lore.”
“You’ve heard of a god called Arax. Do you remember?” Caitlyn asked, shushing Bell when she went to answer.
I snapped my fingers at least four times, the name on the tip of my brain as to why I remember him. Then it hit me.
“The god who is worshiped as the one before the cataclysm,” I said.
“Think about what you just said, and then my story. Everything has a purpose, Damien. I’m not speaking because I want to be in a dust field stone warehouse pretending to be a church,” Caitlyn said in a condescending tone.
“Right, right,” I grumbled. This scolding was warranted, and I should have been paying closer attention. “He was playing the system before the tracking stats and Zorta implementations began.”
“Exactly. Arax, no one knows who his parent god is. And… although doubtful, he could be one of the six,” Caitlyn said, her tone on edge.
The burned paper, the one with her drawing on it from earlier, materialized in her hand. She handed me the parchment.
Zorta Ranking Nordan
Arax. 42.8 million
Hernoma. 21.1 million
Zardan. 21.07 million
Terfi. 21.06 million
“Oh, you’re competing,” I said with a long pause. “For what?”
“Few things. Gods are about pride mostly. A shiny prize helps fuel the competition. Number one gets six extra champions, a private city for their followers, and the rumored chance of becoming the seventh Old God when the next planet is added,” Caitlyn said with a scoff.
“Jealous?” Bell asked, true curiosity on the edge of her voice.
“Yeah, I’m 5,378 in power. But… I was 5,667 just a few short minutes ago. A hundred Zorta means nothing at the top and everything at the bottom.”
I could feel her appreciation and happiness. Her grin certainly sold that she felt alive with her minimal success.
“I’m glad, sort of. A happy you means I get to go home and you can find the next sucker,” I said. She winced and I caught a smidge of sadness in her expression. Accusingly, I asked. “What’s the deal with Earth, and what do you know?”
“Not allowed to tell,” Caitlyn said, frowning with an ‘I’m sorry’ palms up shrug.
“Is it getting merged with the hell pit known as Leo?” I asked gruffly.
The minor goddess shook her head, not willing to answer. I sure as hell hoped that wasn’t the case. I handed her back the paper when she asked for it. Her silence didn’t sit well with me.
“Hey, if I earn ten thousand Zorta, I expect to get sent to an island with my parents,” I said, and she nodded that I would. “If I learn there’s no margaritas on the beach and instead demons are trying to eat my face… I’m going to be pissed.”
“Ah, better, I can say that where you go, you’ll be safe and secure as promised, and with your parents. Your error getting into Toneba’s body will cost me some power, but not much more than moving anyone who is freshly dead costs,” Caitlyn said with a sigh, eyeing our bag of Zorta.
“How much to take Asha, Jark, and Tarla?” I asked the question I had been dreading.
“Ouch, and don’t shoot the messenger, but there’s rules. Champions can move around, and to an extent regular folks can too. But… What was I on Earth?” Caitlyn asked.
“A ten,” I admitted. “And a human woman.”
“Yeah, so Asha would be a hundred thousand Zorta because I’ll have to kill him and reshape his entire body. Tarla and her brother aren’t Earth humans, and yes, there are some differences which, somehow, you’ve not managed to notice. Meaning they too need to be killed and reborn.
“That requires approvals that require - almost bribes. I phrase it that way in case someone is listening. Fifty thousand for each of them. If you want to go from here to your secluded retreat for the rich, with plus three, it's going to cost two hundred and ten thousand Zorta,” Caitlyn said, a wide smile spreading over her face. “Just wait. I have an offer that makes the number less crazy, but if I go into that, the question you're dying to ask will get side-tracked.”
I deflated, holding in my outburst.
Who was I kidding, the writing was on the way she’d extort me to go home.
“How much will it cost to bring my parents here?” I asked.
“I can’t unless we get creative,” she said.
“Can’t or the six won’t allow it?” I asked.
“Let me put it a way you’ll follow. The ghouls that strip your minions, converting them into undead, are actually the dead. They’re stored for a while before being discarded as new souls arrive. For instance, if you stay here for a few hundred years, your parents won’t be in the pit to revive from. On the same planet, it’s a few hundred years. You should start to see even the gods have rules. A famous saying of the six: ‘Without rules, there’s anarchy’.
“Without a doubt, I can bring your parents back on Earth over the next hundred years. To Nordan Prime directly, not a chance. Their souls simply would hit a magical block. Only the living or freshly dead can be moved between planets, and yes, Asha and Jark cannot go if they’re in skeleton form,” Caitlyn said she held a finger up.
“And this creative way?” I asked.
“Your parents died a while ago, they’re upper middle section of the pits, so you have time unless some cataclysmic event should transpire. Which, I… I can’t say more about. However, I could revive them on Earth for you and stick them on said island without you. Ten thousand each, which would be sweet, but dangerous because they’ll have no one to calm or guide them. After that, I can bring them here, for a hundred thousand.”
I patted my lap while mulling over her words. “This is a lot to process, but it does leave me with options. Options I didn’t have before. It sure is a daunting amount to obtain.”
Bell patted my shoulder and said, “We’re stuck, not exactly able to farm hundreds of thousands of Z for ya down here.”
“Oh, you’re just getting started, and again, this is leading into my offer. Please, pay attention here. Remember how I used those portals to
move around?” Caitlyn asked, and we nodded. “This building can be upgraded, and you will need to do so.”
“This building or this church?” I asked, not fully catching on. “And I thought there were a thousand threats below ground?”
“This would make a fairly shitty base if it was open to invasions. The tunnels below are closed off. The dwarves of Zozo Hold choose to pick fights, and most of their fighting is done via portals.
“They’d never admit that because doing so would tell King Crensaa of Nara that the dwarves have portals. His own portals are minimal in comparison, but we’re deviating. The dwarves lock their gates and mainly raid through portals in churches,” she said. “And yes, they fight below ground too.”
“Seems like cheating to use a portal,” I scoffed.
“There’s six thousand and six gods manipulating this planet. There are rules to the portal, but you better believe the dwarves are not some special nation. You don’t even need a champion or a high priestess to open one, only a priest or priestess who manages the church upgrades,” Caitlyn said.
Bell scuffed the floor, getting to her feet. She walked over to the desk and stuck a hand to the surface.
“A hundred Zorta to build a shrine showing complete. Interesting,” Bell said with furled brows. “Seems like a shitty shrine.”
“I get ten percent of that donation. The rest goes poof, back into the land in random places. And yeah, that’s a level one. How much is the portal?”
“A thousand Zorta to create the device with three places we can set it up. A level one portal allows one hundred per trip. It doesn’t say where the portal would go to exactly, or how we would get back,” Bell noted.
“There’s an interface once it’s built. The shrine desk will become a map. Alright, you’ve followed everything so far, and I tried to not make it overly complicated,” Caitlyn said, actually trying to be nice. “Can you guess why there are portals and why you didn’t get to use one?”
I nodded, mulling over the question.
“I didn’t arrive in a church of yours, and I never saw a portal. If I had to guess, they’re expensive and rare, a tool used by the powerful. Based on what you’ve told us so far, there’s likely a lot of rules associated with them,” I said.
“Exactly, and not really rules. More like limiters. It should come as no surprise that when the old gods were trying to stir excitement in their creations, they figured out a way to increase their travel times. And yes, the portals predate the merging of the planets. Trust me, lessons were learned. Needless to say, they were eventually moved into churches after the cataclysm and have a bunch of limits regarding their use because of early exploitations,” Caitlyn told us.
“I’ve never seen one,” Bell said. “And I’ve been in one of your large churches.”
“Correct. My last head priestess, the daft woman, used her Zorta donations to fuel her guard’s upgrade and not to pay tribute to me. Tarb actually has one in the Duke’s private church. Portals are expensive and generally built for and by nations, tribes, herds, and coalitions like the minotaurs.
“As you know, the capitals normally push common warriors out to the outskirts of their land. King Crensaa, of Nara for example, sends his mercenary companies south, poking and prodding the Ostriva lands. Major battles are played out on fields outside of cities, not on the other side of portals, and that is intended.
“Now, King Crensaa has an elite set of troops. Let’s say a team of Magus at three hundred strong, and he has a level three portal system. Three hundred go in, one hundred secure the portal, and the other two hundred can raid for eight days,” Caitlyn said.
I could tell she was waiting for one of us to ask why eight days.
“Level one starts at six days,” Bell said. “Alright, how does it determine where to go?”
“That’s the downside. You can only select a region. Ikara Valley, Seqa Mountains, and Nara Flatlands are all regions. You select where you want to go, and a portal will generate somewhere off the beaten path.
“Now… Here's the kicker. If you go with a hundred, leave no guards, and a hundred goblins run through the portal out of curiosity, the portal closes. If you select the desert of Noxia to risk the ripe sand scorpions and get delayed for ten days, the portal will close,” Caitlyn said.
“Okay, it's a tool, a limited one, and it is an investment. There are pros and cons to using it, but the main thing is that you get a cut if we sink Zorta into this place,” I said.
“Pleasing a goddess normally also results in boons. I can’t stress this point enough to you, Damien. Nordan is meant to be ruthless. Goblins breed fast, humans only need six months to have a baby here, and a hydra can grow to a thousand feet tall with time. Tear out your bleeding heart and get to work,” Caitlyn scolded.
“Ah, not so fast. I’ll admit, you’re my god. Sorry, goddess, because you are and cheering for you is in my best interest. The more you're invested in me, the better my chances are that you do things like this,” I said, gesturing to the fact that she was giving us something a god might deem invaluable - their time. “However, my morals are mine, and I’ll not become a murderhobo to sate your infinite thirst for power.”
“Good, good.” She tapped her fingers together in an evil way. “Grow a backbone. You’ll need it, unless you get ten thousand Zorta and betray the others. FYI, they die if you leave. Yermica would be another hundred thousand,” Caitlyn laughed. “Alright, the final piece of what I needed to cover with you. Arax and his eight champions.”
She handed me a new piece of paper.
1. Tarfee Region - Harvar Tosmee - Human - Male - Fire / Lightning
2. Bree Region - Natta Seerseen - Harpy - Female - Wind / Beastmaster
3. Dafor Region - Besso Ogrekin - Ogre - Female - Geomancer / Healer
4. Dafor Region - Garn Ogrekin - Ogre - Male - Water / Healer
5. Unbi Region - Patric Rorn - Human - Male - Disease / Ice
6. Terna Region - Bellma Nagakin - Naga - Female - Necromancer / Animal Healer
7. Terna Region - Neal Snori - Elva - Male - Assassin / Stoneskin
8. Karn Region - Toneba Lightfoot - Male - Healer / Arcane
“What!?” I blurted. “Toneba?”
“His soul left his body. He was an astute and devout Arax believer to his core. Arax had a champion die and gave him a shot. I can’t say much else because of the rules, but being in first place comes with a few downsides. For example… We all get this list, but that’s it,” Caitlyn said.
My mind reeled from the implications. The top champions knew I was in the area. I had to wonder if those scouting me were agents of Arax. Yeah, they had to be.
“They don’t know where I am, do they?” I asked with worry.
“Your arrival was sanctioned, and Arax happened to notice, hence your need to flee. Honestly, I thought you were so dead, but here you are. I can’t tell you anything about your pursuit. You one hundred percent have a god with eight champions hunting you. So, be wary at all times.” She paused, eyeing me.
“Got it. Fortify the base or keep running?” I asked.
“I cannot answer that. As for this town, this is a sanctuary, and a great place to expand upon if you were not being hunted. The centaur herd is already fracturing to find mares. They didn’t prepare for a long siege or bring a massive battering ram. Plus, the lead witness, to your supposed two magics, is dead now,” Caitlyn said.
“Wait, they’ll just leave?” I asked, feeling a bit of a whipsaw. Dread at other champions chasing me, glee at the fact the mighty centaur herd was departing.
“Nope, not a chance. Some will call Seqa Valley home now. That is the way of the herd, to splinter and reproduce anew. Don’t tell them it’s dumb because they would prosper more if they set up a central government instead of offshoot herds,” Caitlyn said.
“So, this list, it's just to signal out where these champions are?” I asked.
She nodded with a thumbs up. Bell caught the reference and smiled.
“Yup, and you better believe the 6,005 other gods are likely doing what I am, at least looking at the list. Some will be sending their champions after his. But… It has been working for him to have his information public. He has racked up most of his lead by slaying champions. Just think about that. You kill one of those eight, and you are more than halfway to your ticket home. The best part is, unlike all the other champions, you know what Toneba looks like,” Caitlyn said with a brow bounce.
I struggled to take her seriously, and I had to focus.
“Yeah, but there’s two ogres here with only healing,” I said, the hope of an easy target, filling me with joy.
“Hell no. Think about two magus ogres healing each other while you stabbed them a hundred times. They kick you once, and you're dead. And they run a city of ogres. Nope, avoid them. Hell, avoid most of them. The last three are somewhat new. Those should be your targets if you’re feeling ballsy and wanting to risk death,” Caitlyn said, walking for the church's entrance.
Bell and I stood, not sure what she intended.
“One last question, for each of you,” Caitlyn told us.
“I only need for him to donate ten thousand Zorta to you to become a Head Priestess, and I’ll unlock divine magic?” Bell asked.
“9,900, and the church upgrades don’t count,” Caitlyn said, eyeing me. “And Bell, if you flee to Tarb after, well, don’t and I can’t say why.”
I gathered my conviction and said, “If I decide my parents died and would want me to be happy…” I rephrased my question to avoid getting caught in asking something I didn’t need an answer to. “If I choose to stay here with Tarla and the others, will you accept Zorta in exchange for repairing those I care about and not have me replaced?” I asked.
