Chapter 31: Becoming More Divine... as a Rock?! (Patreon)

Chapter Thirty-One

Becoming More Divine... as a Rock?!

Dirt slithered back to his trembling family, a slavish devotion etched into his twisted expression. Urd looked on with a numb confusion, the ratbaby a silent lump in her arms. The hairy creature stared up at Urd as if unsure the pint-sized priestess was its new mother.

Alice's own thoughts remained anchored to the newest curse. It was hard to feel good about what she was reading, but...

Curse of the Betrayer: For fighting beside the dragonkin, the descendants of this wretched blood will toil in endless servitude to all the other races. Only death will see them released from their humiliating service.

Just as she had thought, the ratmen's current misery was the result of a curse like Urd's. Their twisted forms and even fouler manners seemed to be a result of a punishment placed upon them by The Fates.

Once more, Alice was made to wonder what had happened between the dragonkin and The Fates, but Favors One Task had added a new wrinkle to the mystery. If The Fates were some sort of system administrator, what would that make the dragons? In Alice's mind, a system administrator was god, and in a world like this, perhaps even higher than a god.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another flash of black text. For one horrible moment, she worried Dirt's offering had unlocked some new demented [Divine Trait].

Achievement Unlocked: Cursed Blood

"God-Master's kindness is... is unparalleled!" Dirt shouted deliriously when he had rejoined his brood. Alice turned away from the notification to regard her newest believers. "To make Dirt-brood a [Priest]!"

She winced once more at the casual comment she had made. The notification she had received after consuming Dirt's blood seemed to imply that the ratmen, or at least Dirt, had the [Forsaken] class. It seemed more than fitting given their slavish nature. Was that something Alice could change even with her newfound divinity?

"Dirt will speak-threaten with the other alphas!" Dirt continued, oblivious to Alice's worry. "All the burrow will worship-obey the God-Master, yes-yes!"

And with that final ominous comment, Dirt disappeared into the dirt. The rest of his brood-family were quick to follow. None seemed to want to linger within the Divine Sight of their new god.

"Haaah..." Alice loosed a nonexistent sigh as the cavern emptied.

Her relief was short-lived, however.

"D-Don't cry!" Urd sputtered as the ratbaby burst into fresh tears almost as soon as Dirt left. "Please...?"

Alice focused on the writhing lump of fur and claw. It was a horrible thought that it would one day grow up to become just as twisted as Dirt. The ratbaby looked so much like an actual rat right now that Alice still did not fully believe it was Dirt's child.

It certainly cried like a baby, however. No matter how much Urd rocked it, no matter how many kind words The Girl hushed and shushed, the foul thing continued to whine. Alice could not actually remember the last time she had heard such a banshee wail.

"Stop crying!" Alice snapped with a [Serpent's Whisper] as the noise continued to poke at her thoughts like an ice pick. "Be happy! Just go to sleep!"

She felt a little silly using [Serpent's Whisper] like this. It was not as if the skill was... was...?

"That's better," Urd said with evident relief as the ratbaby began to quiet.

Eh? Did I do that?

It suddenly occurred to Alice that she had almost been... reluctant to use [Serpent's Whisper] over the last couple of days. Some of that reluctance had to do with her limited cursed energy, of course, but as she stared at the sleepy lump, she thought of all the times she could have used [Serpent's Whisper] and simply hadn't.

She could have calmed Bram.

She might have been able to frighten off Red Shirt.

Even on that first day, with Alice the Rock plopped into a bucket of bloody water, she could have used [Serpent's Whisper] to convince Urd she was a god.

I didn't have enough cursed energy back then, Alice thought to herself as Urd continued to rock the ratbaby. I've got no excuse now, though. And I'll certainly need to use my whispers more if I ever want to meet FOT's crazy assignments.

Guidance: Your First Shrine!

Instruction: Establish a shrine in the Waterhold Abbey within (5) days.

Reward: Maybe you won't die >:D

Guidance: Building an Army!

Instruction: Acquire (100) active believers within (8) days.

Progress: 16/100

Reward: Maybe you won't die >:D

The first two tasks reappeared as if summoned by [Geological Memory], as did the accompanying worry. Because one hundred followers! She had already earned five more with Dirt and his family, but somehow she knew things wouldn't go quite as smoothly with Waterhold's more respectable human residents.

A familiar figure appeared at the edge of her sight, and she frowned as Eber the Doorkeeper raced down the length of the tunnel. The man seemed to find any reason to visit, though Alice had not once seen him bow down before her Sapling Body.

Eber's face went slack when he reached the cavern door. His eyes fell first on Favors One Task, her robed body sprawled out before Alice the Rock. Almost reluctantly, his stare shifted onto Urd and the simpering bundle in her arms. The ratbaby had begun to emit a faint chittering noise not unlike Dirt's.

"I heard noises," Eber said dumbly, clearly unsure where to look. "Is everything...?"

Alice took a deep nonexistent breath as she shook away FOT's quests. It felt like only an hour had passed since Kuonrat had left, promising to return when it was safe. But it was not safe. It had never been safe. Eleven days would mean Urd's death, would mean everyone's death if FOT could be trusted.

"Urd, tell Eber to bring Kuonrat here," Alice said, and Urd nodded dutifully. "Tell him to... to come immediately."

Eber's face fell as Urd relayed Her Divine Decree.

"Immediately...?" the bent-over doorkeeper said, chewing on the word as if it had an unpleasant taste. "It is... suspicious for him to come here so often. The danger..."

A vein popped on Alice's nonexistent face at the man's refusal. Why didn't she have more obedient followers?!

"You will bring Kuonrat here immediately!" Alice whispered, planting the desire in Eber's head. "Nothing is more important than bringing Kuonrat back here!"

Alice had been about to repeat her decree to Urd, but the pint-sized priestess stamped her feet in evident fury.

"G-God has given you a command!" she shouted, and the ratbaby burst back into tears. "You will obey!"

Eber and Alice both blinked in confusion. The doorkeeper immediately bowed low and rushed out of the cavern, no words needed to convey his obedience.

"Very good!" Alice said, beaming down at her priestess. She wrinkled her nonexistent nose at the ratbaby's squeals, however, and offered it another whisper. "Stop crying!"

Alice was all smiles as the baby fell silent. She should have been spamming [Serpent's Whisper] all the time before this. It made everything so much easier!

Urd smiled down at the mewling ratbaby, and Alice's thoughts turned back to the [Curse of the Betrayer] and the achievement she had earned not long after its spread.

Unlocked Achievements

Starting to Look Like a Cult!

Cursed Blood (Claim Reward)

Yours From the Cradle (Claim Reward)

She nodded her nonexistent head absentmindedly as she studied the three most recent achievements. She was a little disappointed that [Starting to Look Like a Cult!] didn't have a reward, but she supposed it had given her some bonus faith.

Focusing on [Cursed Blood], however, rewarded her with another pop-up.

Cursed Blood

Requirements: Acquire multiple blood-based curses.

New Skill Unlocked: Purveyor of Blood Curses I

Purveyor of Blood Curses (Rank I): Your blood is thick with malady and misfortune. You are able to control which curses your wretched red is infused with.

"That'll be useful!" Alice said aloud, earning a confused tip of Urd's head as the words must have bounced around inside her head.

Alice blushed at the mistake and turned to the next achievement, not wanting to forget to unlock her rewards as she had so foolishly done in the past.

Yours From the Cradle

Requirements: Receive a child or infant as an offering for the first time.

New Skill Unlocked: Ingrained Belief I

Ingrained Belief (Rank I): Those offered up to Your Greatness as children will have faith that never falters.

I like the sound of that, Alice said, studying this unexpected skill, and she glanced at the ratbaby in Urd's hands.

It was not as if Alice of the Merry Weather had any issues with dissenters so far, but she could see a skill like this coming in handy should her cult live long enough to grow larger. Alice could already imagine how useful it would be to have a cadre of diehard believers at her disposal.

Staring at the cooing ratbaby made her think of her [Divine Traits]. She was almost afraid to look at [Tormentor of Souls], but she calmed herself with the memory of [Welcomes the Lowly]. She was still not sure what [Divine Traits] did, though.

I suppose there's only one way to find out...

Divine Miracles

[Divine Miracle] available for selection

Divine Traits

Perform acts of divinity to unlock [Divine Traits]

Alice's heart skipped a beat as she opened [Divine Development]. A new miracle was available for selection, but her thoughts quickly anchored onto the second item. Her traits were not listed on the main screen, which made her realize [Divine Communion] was not either.

I guess I have to focus on the text like with everything else, Alice thought to herself, and with no more than that idle thought, her long-awaited traits appeared.

Divine Traits

Tormentor of Souls: This Divine sees the mortal soul as a plaything to be experimented on and toyed with.

Effect: You will find souls more pliable to your will. Tortured souls will generate a continuous amount of faith based on the severity of the punishment inflicted.

Alignment: Cruel

Welcomes the Lowly: This Divine opens their arms to the downtrodden and mistreated.

Effect: Mortals of lower castes will more easily embrace your divinity. The level of belief amongst these believers will also increase faster.

Alignment: Loving

Alice stared blankly at the black text. She was almost reluctant to read [Tormentor of Souls], and so her eyes initially flew down to [Welcomes the Lowly]. The effect sounded far more involved than the straightforward skills she had unlocked until now.

But what does alignment refer to?

Unbidden, her thoughts turned back to the next section of her [Divine Development].

Divine Alignment

Acquire (50) unique believers to unlock [Divine Alignment]

She chewed on her nonexistent lip as she studied the text. She had not given it much thought, but could her traits have some effect beyond the [Divine Miracles] they unlocked?

But I'm not cruel! Alice whined inwardly as she studied [Tormentor of Souls]. She did not feel the least bit excited to hear Bram's misery would earn her faith. She was a kind god! She had told as much to Urd.

Alice's thoughts turned to the [Divine Miracle] available for selection, half dreading what [Tormentor of Souls] would unlock, when a familiar figure practically fell into her vision.

Kuonrat had not bothered to use the ladder. The Priest had clearly leapt the length of the fall in his haste to reach Alice the Rock.

"Kuonrat is coming," Alice blurted to Urd, shocked at the mad panic written clear across the man's bearded face. She had no idea what Eber had told him, but Kuonrat arrived at the cavern door with little time for Urd to even blink.

His haste seemed to leave him, however, as he stared at FOT's crumpled doll. The soft coo of the babyrat earned his attention after that, and he stared, nonplussed, as Urd rocked the hairy lump in her arms.

Kuonrat took a shaky step into the cavern, his eyes darting from one mystery to the next. His lips flapped open, but no words graced the air. Eventually, a sort of resigned confusion fell across his features, hidden as they were behind the curtain of his black hair, and he knelt before Alice the Rock.

"Eber said you had need of me," Kuonrat said with an exhausted huff.

Alice could feel her nonexistent cheeks flush at the obvious concern her summon had instilled in the Priest. The pleasant tickle softened, however, as she considered what she was about to do. Almost absentmindedly, [Geological Memory] summoned the task, pressing the worrying words against the back of her nonexistent eyes. 

Guidance: Your First Shrine!

Instruction: Establish a shrine in the Waterhold Abbey within (3) days.

Reward: Maybe you won't die >:D

"Urd, tell him that it is time I have a proper shrine," Alice said, and The Girl's eyes filled with pixie dust excitement. "Tell Kuonrat that... that he is to take me to his abbey!"

Kuonrat's chest inflated like a hot air balloon as Alice's Divine Decree fell over him like a wave. Delight radiated from his beady black eyes.

"The Great Revolution?!" Kuonrat choked out, overcome with exhilaration. "Is it already to begin?!"

"Eh?" Alice blinked in confusion, but she quickly realized his misunderstanding. Unfortunately for the Priest, FOT had told her specifically to ignore this Great Revolution talk, and Alice was all too happy to cooperate.

"Urd, tell him that it is too soon for that," Alice said, and Urd conveyed the disappointing news. Kuonrat's elation sagged, and a worried confusion settled on his face instead.

The dour look inspired a flash of fury in Alice. She was supposed to be this man's god!

"Are you that disappointed to announce my return to Waterhold?!" Alice fumed, grabbing Kuonrat's ear with [Malevolent Whisper].

The Priest immediately lost all the blood in his face and pressed himself against the gravel ground. His trembling limbs made a pathetic return as he struggled to answer.

"Urd, tell Kuonrat that he will take my vessel to his abbey," Alice said angrily. Urd looked on at Kuonrat's transformation with confusion, not having heard Alice's whisper herself. "Tell him that he wanted to be my [Priest] so much just earlier today. Well, he should be overjoyed then! He can now spread the good word of the... the Merry Weather to all of Waterhold!"

Urd relayed Alice's Divine Decree, and Kuonrat was all too eager to wag his tail like an obedient dog.

"Y-Yes! Yes, of course, Master Merry Weather!" Kuonrat said, practically as slavish as Dirt in his devotion. "I have no greater wish! But... But the people of Waterhold! So many remain unenlightened. They are still slaves to the yoke of The Fates!"

Alice opened her mouth, ready with another fiery retort, but she already knew the truth of Kuonrat's words. She had been able to trick orphans because they were empty-headed kids, hardly old enough to change their own diapers. These cultists had only fallen under her spell because Alice had known about Erik and Eva.

But how am I supposed to trick... to trick...?

Wait a minute, Alice stopped herself. She didn't have to trick anyone. [Geological Memory] summoned Favors One Task's own words, an epiphany Alice herself had already arrived at with Isaak.

I'm not tricking anyone, Alice thought to herself. I am a god!

And the sudden realization filled her like a fiery furnace. It was just as FOT said. All Kuonrat wanted was to keep Alice trapped in this basement. He wanted to control her!

But I'm the god! Alice repeated savagely to herself. I'm in control now!

"Dirt has shown more faith than you!" Alice roared in Kuonrat's ear with [Malevolent Whisper]. "He brought his entire family before my vessel and bowed! He offered up his child to serve as my [Priest]!"

Kuonrat's fear transformed into a mask of fury as he turned from Alice the Rock to the ratbaby clutched in Urd's hands.

"That wretched worm!" Kuonrat hissed, his body trembling not with fervor but with rage. "For that ratman to show such arrogance!"

Alice's fury became a totem of fire. Almost unconsciously, she willed for Kuonrat to suffer, for the shaggy man to feel some small modicum of her hate.

[Smite] activated without any further instruction. Rock broke from the cavern overhead and craacked Kuonrat like a club. The Priest's face crunched into the ground, either in shock or from the force of the stone overhead. When he looked up, scared and bewildered, red blood dribbled down his hairy face.

"Urd, tell Kuonrat that it is he who is arrogant!" Alice said in a huff, and her pint-sized priestess jumped. Alice suddenly realized the child would have been quite out of the loop given Alice's use of whispers, but Urd clearly sensed Alice's anger.

"It is you who are arrogant!" Urd shouted, and Kuonrat somehow knew it was not the child alone who spoke those words. He pushed his face back against the ground, blood dribbling through the matted black of his hair.

"Within the Church of the Merry Weather, there is no such thing as Fate-scorned!" Alice said, the words coming to her almost without thinking. "Ratman, human. Even dragonkin! It does not matter who they are! All will receive Master Merry Weather's blessing!"

Urd was on her hands and knees, the ratbaby squealing on the ground beside her. Alice hadn't even noticed her prostrate, but Alice's fire still remained. She focused on Kuonrat and filled his head with another [Serpent's Whisper].

"You will move my vessel to the abbey now!"

"It is time Waterhold learns about their... their old god!"

Waterhold is not ready for Alice's grand reveal!

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