Asunder [litRPG] Chapter 6 (Patreon)

Thane followed a lightly beaten path that led out from the city and disappeared into the small hills in the distance. As he walked, the sky grew cloudy. The clouds were dark and overcast.

A cold wind blew past Thane, causing goosebumps to spring up along his arms. His hair raised as the air around him seemed to grow charged. The angel-turned-man’s eyes narrowed.

“Show yourself,” he commanded.

The ground before him shifted. Thane took a step backwards as a small mound formed. Dirt and gravel cascaded to the ground as a dark hand emerged from beneath the earth. Part by part, a tall man pulled himself out from the ground.

The man’s skin was only a single shade brighter than the clouds above them – a pallid gray streaked with twisting swirls of darkness. He gave Thane a smile, his shimmering white teeth nearly blinding in contrast with his body. The bar of information floating above his head was completely unreadable.

“You are of the pantheon,” Thane said, his voice flat. He didn’t recognize the god, but they could change their appearance at will.

“And you are Thane, the Guardian of the Father’s Gates,” the god replied. “There’s no need for us to state things we already know.”

“Why have you come?” Thane asked. “Do not think that striking me down will get the Father’s attention. The lesser gods have no power over my soul, and this body means nothing to me. If you are of the greater pantheon, then you would know that the Father would not be inconvenienced by a loss of something as simple as a guard.”

“I very much doubt that,” the god said, letting out a low chuckle. “The Father dotes on his children. He might like the mortals more than angels, but he’d be displeased if a god interfered with you on the mortal plane.”

“Have you simply come to trade pleasantries?” Thane asked. “I cannot be swayed from my heavenly duties, even if I am on earth. I am simply on… vacation.”

The word tasted bitter in Thane’s mouth.

“I mean to do nothing of the sort,” the god replied. “In fact, I wish to ask you a favor. I swear that it is not something that would displease the Father.”

“Not much displeases the Father,” Thane said, crossing his arms. “Speak.”

The god grimaced. “My follower needs help.”

“What?”

“You heard me. My follower is in a significant amount of danger, and I do not want her to die,” the god said irritably. “I can’t just show up to a random mortal and ask for help. It goes against the Rules. Gods cannot directly interfere with mortal conflicts, and showing up to a random mortal counts as interfering.”

“And I don’t?”

“You’re on vacation,” the god replied, shrugging. “Half the lower pantheon knows it. It would be hard for us not to – you haven’t left your post for longer than some of us have been gods. But, regardless of that, you’re in a unique position. We can contact you directly since you aren’t a mortal. In a way, you’re outside of the Rules.”

“Nobody is outside of the Rules,” Thane said, his voice lowering in anger.

“Right, right. Look, Thane. I’m not going to beg, but I’m going to be rather displeased if my follower dies. I don’t enjoy the dance of words as much as the others in the pantheon, so let’s get to the point. Will you help me or not?”

“Why should I?” Thane asked. “And why do you care about a mortal enough to put so much effort into saving them?”

“I’ll reward you,” the god replied. “And my reasons are my own. This is a single job, not a partnership. My reasons are my own.”

Thane grunted. “And what could you have that I would want?”

“I could get you a powerful spear. It wouldn’t replace your true weapon, but it would be more than enough to–”

“No. The Father said I was to learn my new class. I cannot use a spear.”

The god blinked. He clearly hadn’t expected that.

“Well, what’s your new class?”

“Dawn Guard,” Thane said. There was little point hiding it. He’d already told Lacy, and any information spoken aloud was easy enough for a god to acquire – even a minor one.

“A support class?” The god’s face twisted into a frown. “I don’t have any weapons for Dawn Guard that I could get in a reasonable amount of time. What about an ability?”

Thane tilted his head. “What could you teach me?”

“An offensive spell. It wouldn’t be anything too fancy, but better than what you could normally get at your level and not one that’s in the Dawn Guard path.”

“Hm. What sort of difficulty is your follower in?” Thane asked. “I’m quite weak right now. I doubt I’d be able to do much to help.”

“You’d be able to do enough,” the god said, pressing his lips thin impatiently. “Decide, Thane. My follower is running out of time.”

“One more thing,” Thane said. “Who are you?”

“Druit.”

The name didn’t sound familiar to Thane, but he didn’t pay attention to the minor pantheon unless they were trying to attack the Gate.

“Fine,” Thane said. “Mostly because I don’t have anything better to do right now. Where is your follower?”

Druit stepped forward, touching Thane on the chest with a pallid finger. His heart stopped for an instant as a violent arc of energy tore through his chest and wormed its way into his heart.

Skill forcibly unlocked: Drain.

Drain (5 Mana): Inflict light damage on a single target and heal the user’s body for a small portion of the damage dealt. Scales with Magical Prowess.

Thane scanned through the ability description. It seemed relatively weak, but he could see how any ability that did both damage and healed could be useful, especially when in conjunction with Soul Link.

“I will teleport you, if you have no objections,” Druit said. “It is only a short distance, to a nearby Level 5 Dungeon. We simply do not have the time for you to walk there on your own.”

Thane’s eyes narrowed, but he gave the god a slight nod. “Very well. You are doing much to save this follower of yours. Be wary that you do not break the Rules.”

“I’m well aware,” Druit said, grabbing Thane by the shoulder. “Be prepared to fight.”

A cold sensation traveled up Thane’s legs. The world faded and his skin prickled as if he’d fallen into an icy pool. An instant later, his eyesight returned. The grassy plans had vanished and had been replaced by cobblestone walls.

He stood in the corridor before a stone room. Thin greying vines covered the floor and crawled up the walls. It smelled musky and damp, and the sounds of battle rang out from the room before him.