Hero

by W Borne

  All of the housing was inside the center section, with the houses getting larger and more ornate the further inward you went. Studying the layout, Jaxx approved as it was obviously designed for defense-in-depth.

  Approaching the Town Hall, a sturdy wooden two-story building, Captain Adrastus slowed and spoke with the duo.

  “If you wouldn’t mind waiting outside, I will go in and inform the Council that you are here.”

  “Who is on the Council?” asked Jaxx. Toxotis snorted. Jaxx glanced at him, but Toxotis just waved away the questioning look.

  The Captain smiled. “No doubt your friend has had his own experiences with the Council, not all of them cordial.”

  “They are a bunch of…. of….” Toxotis paused, thinking of a suitable slur. “Lawyers! All they do it talk, talk, talk.”

  The captain laughed. “Now, they are that, but not all bad. To answer your question, Avatar, the Council consists of 5 people: I am one, as head of the Guard force, the Priestess of Artemis is another, and then the heads of the Merchant and Crafting associations also have representatives. The last is a member that is elected by the common people to represent their interests.”

  “Seems fair,” said Jaxx. An odd number to break ties, with hopefully impartial members in the form of the captain and Priestess.

  Toxotis snorted. “Aye, it seems that way on the surface. Problem is that the merchants and crafters have most of the coin, and if they are able to purchase the vote of the elected member, they have a majority.”

  Jaxx nodded. Politics rears its ugly head, finally. He had heard a joke once about politics: When the first two humans had agreed to live together, their first argument had been about who was in charge. He also recalled that the Greeks had invented modern politics – in fact, the word politics came from the Greek word Polis, or city-state.

  Adrastus left the duo and entered the Town Hall, only to appear a moment later and usher Jaxx and Toxotis into the Hall.

  As Jaxx ducked his 6’7” height through the doorway, he entered a brightly lit room. There was a wide dais, almost a stage, upon which 5 chairs sat, 4 of them filled. A large open area contained some benches, which were about half-filled with members of the village. In front of the stage, an area obviously intended for Jaxx and Toxotis was waiting for them.

  City guards were stationed at the doors and there was one on each side of the stage. Captain Adrastus walked through the room and up onto the stage, settling into the 5th and empty chair. Filling the rest of the chairs, Jaxx noticed the Priestess of Artemis, Adrasteia, was present in one of them.

  The other three contained the other representatives. The first was a soft-looking man, thin, with Greek city style robes tucked around him in a stylish fashion. Gold jewelry gleamed at his fingers and throat, and his eyes were sharp in his thin face. “Kephalos – Merchant” floated over his head when Jaxx looked, confirming that this was the Merchant Association’s member of the council.

  The second man dressed in plainer clothes, yet still finely made. His short dark hair was thinning, and a large nose made his face look bird-like, and his mouth was small and tight. Wrinkles around his eyes and mouth indicated that he was a habitual scowler, and indeed a scowl graced his features now as he stared at Jaxx and Toxotis. “Pavlos – Master Tailor” floated above his head. “The crafting representative,” thought Jaxx.

  The last member gave a different impression – he was dressed in peasant clothes – simple, wool tunic and leggings, sandals, with long rough hair and a beard. His eyes were bright, yet wary, and he held himself unconsciously apart from the others. Obviously, he felt uncomfortable in his surroundings. His hands were rough, with cracked and dirty nails. Jaxx had the impression that he worked with his hands, possibly a farmer or herder. “Therapon – Farmer” appeared when Jaxx inspected him.

  As the duo stepped into the open area in front of the stage, Jaxx heard the doors close behind him. Pavlos rose from his chair and stepped forward to the front of the stage and addressed Jaxx and Toxotis.

  “Heroes! Welcome!” His voice was bright, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes, and his face retained the scowl. Jaxx wondered if it ever came off the man’s face, even in his sleep.

  Jaxx and Toxotis bowed. “Thank you for the welcome, Council,” Jaxx said. “We are pleased to come and answer your questions.”

  “Grand! We have heard of your exploits from Captain Adrastus, and we wish to hear for ourselves your story and give you your rewards that you have earned!” Pavlos, still scowling, finished his short speech and retreated to his chair, upon which he perched like a weird bird. Jaxx studied the Council: The Captain and the Priestess seemed friendly, the farmer seemed indifferent, and the merchant and the craftsman seemed slightly hostile. Jaxx caught a wink from the Captain, and his nerves calmed a bit.

  “What would you like to know?” asked Jaxx.

  Captain Adrastus answered. “Just tell of your exploits since you came to Delios.”

  “Very well,” Jaxx said. “We were sent here from Triada by the Priest of Apollo….” Jaxx related the story of their journey, omitting the exact way that he and Toxotis had met. He told of the quest from the Priestess, their encounter with the Priestess of Nyx and the bandits, and the various beast battles that they had had during the past few days.

  During the re-telling of the meeting with the bandits, he saw Pavlos and Kephalos exchanging glances and not in the least surprised. Could they have already known about the presence of the Priestess of Nyx, Jaxx wondered?

  Jaxx finished recounting the fight with the hydra. “And then we rested for a night, then made our way back to Delios. We saw no more monsters or bandits, and encountered the Captain almost immediately upon re-entering the village.”

  The crowd, who had been oohing and ahhing during the retelling, began to clap and cheer. Toxotis, ever the ham, turned and raised his arms, then took a bow, which caused the people to cheer louder. Several young women were in the crowd and making eyes at the both of them, causing Toxotis to grin and nudge Jaxx.

  “Silence!” The shout from Captain Adrastus caused the crowd to fall silent, a few more catcalls ringing out in the sudden quiet. The Captain turned to the council. “I am satisfied, and I have the proof of their story stored. They brought the heads of all of the monsters that they killed.”

  Pavlos stirred. He had seemed bored during the storytelling. “I would like to know why you suddenly appeared here so conveniently, when these creatures were apparently building up to a density where they would overwhelm us. It seems rather prophetic that these monsters were here just when you decided to go deal with them. Our own scouts and Village guards had seen nothing.” He turned a questioning eye towards Adrastus, who nodded grimly.

  “We have seen no sign of them until Jaxx and Toxotis brought us their heads,” the Captain confirmed. His statement sent a murmur of unease through the room.

  “I am not sure what you are implying, Councilman,” Jaxx replied. “Our initial foray was at the behest of the Priestess of Artemis, as I said.” Adrasteia nodded in confirmation. “The rest was, as far as I know, coincidence. Unless the Gods had something to do with it, but I cannot speak for Them.”

  Kephalos, until now silent, spoke up. “And do you, Priestess, believe that the Gods have sent this…. man…to help us? That he does the will of the Gods? How can we be sure that he does not follow Chaos?”

  Toxotis, who had until now held his tongue and let Jaxx speak, angrily answered, “You have some nerve to say that! We have done nothing but oppose Chaos! We drove away a Priestess of Nyx!”

  Kephalos turned towards Toxotis, an oily smile on his face. “And so, we hear from Toxotis at last. I thought that perhaps you had lost your tongue in the forest.” Speaking more broadly, he went on. “Are we to believe you? Your reputation is not that of an honest man – indeed, you are little better than a bandit yourself! Do you deny you have taken coin for, shall we say, less than legal activities in the past?”

  Toxotis fell silen
t. Quietly, he said, “It is true that I have done things in my past I am not proud of. But I have never done anything against the Gods’ will, and I have always held true to my mistress, Artemis. May She strike me down if I tell a falsehood in Her name.” A presence seemed to flit across the room, causing Toxotis to glow slightly.

  Priestess Adrasteia stood. “I can confirm that Jaxx and Toxotis are servants of the Gods, and of Artemis personally. She appeared to the three of us in the Temple.”

  This pronouncement caused yet another murmur to run through the crowd.

  Jaxx spoke, “I am an Avatar, and since I have been in your world, I have done nothing but follow the Gods’ will as it has been expressed to me, both in person and by their servants. I do not serve Chaos.”

  Pavlos smiled. “But it is true, isn’t it, that you are not bound to the Gods’ will as we are? That you have free will to choose your own path? How can we know that you are not working against the Gods for some nefarious purpose of your own?”

  Jaxx studied the Tailor. His feeling of unease about him, and also Kephalos, who was smugly grinning at him, was growing. “I can only offer as proof my own oath of my intentions, to serve the Gods’ will, and the display of my actions. If you can find fault in either, then accuse me. If not, then please hold your accusations until you have just cause to make them.” Jaxx felt his Rage meter starting to fill, and realized he was clenching his fists tightly. Judging by the smile on Pavlos’ face, the man knew it too. Jaxx calmed himself down.

  Captain Adrastus stood again. “Are there any other questions for the Avatar or his companion? If not, I propose we give them the bounties for their slain monsters and close this meeting with a prayer of thanks to the Gods.”

  None of the other council members rose to speak, so the Captain approached Jaxx and Toxotis, hand outreached. Jaxx gripped his arm, wrist to wrist, with the Captain’s soft words reaching his ears, “Ignore these fools – I shall come to talk to you in private. We have things to discuss.” Releasing Jaxx’s arm, he offered the same gesture to Toxotis, who took it as well.

  Stepping back, the Captain offered a pouch.

  Received 500 gold pieces. Reputation increased with Delios by 1000. Now Honored with Delios. All citizens will welcome you. 10% discount from all village merchants.

  Jaxx accepted the reward and stored it in his bag of holding. He nodded to Adrastus, and then bowed to the council. “Thank you for the reward. I hope to earn more for the Village of Delios.”

  The Priestess rose, stepping forward. “Let us all join in a prayer to the Gods, to thank them for Their assistance in sending these men for our protection.” She chanted softly, the entire room silent and everyone bowing their heads, a couple falling to their knees.

  “Zeus, Father of the Gods, Lord of the Sky and Thunderbolts,

  Hera, Mother of the Heavens and Birds

  Apollo, Lord of the Sun and Guide of Humanity,

  Artemis, Lady of the Hunt and of Innocent Children,

  Athena, Lady of Wisdom and of Heroes

  Ares, God of War and of Just Battlefields

  Hear our thanks for your guidance, your love, and your devotion

  In sending us these companions, these Heroes to help protect us

  Against the forces of Khaos and Darkness.”

  The prayer was repeated by the assembled people, although Jaxx noticed that Pavlos and Kephalos did not speak, merely stared at the floor.

  The prayer complete, Adrasteia stepped down from the dais and approached Jaxx and Toxotis. The majority of the people began to file out of the Town Hall behind them.

  “Thank you for coming and telling your story. I believe it was important for the people to hear what you have been doing to protect them.” She bowed to Jaxx and Toxotis.

  “It was our pleasure, Priestess,” Jaxx replied. Toxotis nodded. “Priestess, I may be out of line here, but it seemed like not everyone on the Council was pleased with our efforts. Pavlos and Kephalos in particular did not seem pleased.”

  Joining them, and hearing the last few words, Captain Adrastus said, “They are simply worried about losing their influence. Until now, they have held great sway due to their control of the economy of Delios. Your presence represents a change in the balance, and any change is fearsome to those who prefer stagnation.”

  That made sense. But Jaxx couldn’t shake the feeling that there was another reason the two councilors were opposed to him and Toxotis. He resolved to keep an eye on the two in the future.

  “We are planning to return on our Inn for the evening,” Jaxx said. “Would the two of you like to join us?”

  Captain Adrastus shook his head. “No, thank you. I have duties to attend to, and I do not frequent the Centaur’s Barrel as part of those duties.” He strode off a bit hurriedly after grasping their hands one more time in farewell.

  “What was that about?” Jaxx wondered as he watched the Captain stalk away.

  Toxotis answered. “The good Captain doesn’t care for the company of non-humans, methinks.”

  “Really?” Jaxx said. “Didn’t peg him for close minded that way.”

  Priestess Adrasteia said softly, “Do not judge him too harshly. He has had some rough patches in the past that have skewed his outlook on things. I must also decline, although not for the same reason. But I am compelled to pass on to you a message from Lady Artemis.”

  Another message from the Gods? “Here we go,” Jaxx thought. “Our next quest.”

  “Return to the Inn and await your next companions. They will bring instructions for the next portion of your journey.” With that, the Priestess fell quiet.

  “That’s it? Wait?” Jaxx asked.

  “That is all I was told by my Lady. I got the impression that another Avatar, or group of Avatars, might be joining you soon. But that is only my opinion.”

  Another Avatar! Jaxx’s mind swirled. As far as he knew, he was the first chosen, but he supposed there was no reason to assume that would last long. He had been in Olympus for a few weeks now, game time, and he wasn’t sure how long that translated to in the real world. Eventually, he knew, there would be thousands, even millions of players in this world. He wasn’t sure he was looking forward to that: players tended to change things to suit themselves.

  “Thank you for the message. We will be on the lookout for them,” Jaxx said, bowing to the Priestess.

  With a smile, and a soft touch on the arm for Toxotis, who bowed deeply, she departed.

  Jaxx and Toxotis exchanged glances, then started for the door and the way back to the Centaur’s Barrel.

  As they walked, Jaxx reviewed their situation. They were to wait for instructions, basically, from one or more “companions” who would meet them at the Barrell. No clue who or what they would be bringing with them. He was a bit frustrated at not knowing, but the prospect of a few days of time to spend with Hylonome was very attractive. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about the centauress, but he was eager to find out.

  They reached the Centaur’s Barrel as the light of day was beginning to wane. Torches were lit on the front of the building, and the soft glow of the central hearth lit the room with dancing light. Lanterns were spaced around the main room and behind the bar, and Hylonome was standing behind the bar as usual when they entered.

  Jaxx met her eyes as he stepped towards her, noting her smile, the softness of her long hair and the way her skin seemed to glow in the firelight. Yes, he decided, he could wait here for his next adventure.

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Kronus reviewed the progress of his first chosen Avatar. He was pleased that his choice had reacted according to projections.

  Humanity as a whole was stagnating. Kronus knew from his own and other AI’s predictions that if something was not done to inspire the human race back into growth, that eventually they would fall to extinction. The problem was how to inspire humanity, to re-awaken the drive to improve themselves?

  Human nature was to resist outside pressur
e – if the efforts to change humanity’s outlook were too obvious, it would fail, even if it was the best thing for them.

  Humanity needed to be inspired to achieve more than the sedentary reality that pervaded the world currently. The decision to use an online game was made by the AIs due to the widespread use of such games in the world already. The ability to change humanity’s nature, its behavior, was seen to have the best chance of success through such methods.

  With the first chosen, Kronus understood better how to motivate those people who saw themselves as a Hero, as a champion. Olympus Online was uniquely suited to this, as proven by the first chosen’s progress. This type of person would be by far the easiest to mold to the desired personality, and subsequent tests had proven this hypothesis.

  Next would be the personality of the entitled, the proverbial “spoiled brat” type of person who had never in their life had to work for anything. Kronus knew that the journey for this type of person would be far harder, that they would resist the inclination to work with other people for the good of others or for society.

  The challenge would be in using a single tool, Olympus Online, to affect changes to all of the different personality types present in humanity.

  Chapter 19

  Thank you for making it all the way to the end. This has been a long labor of love and I truly appreciate that you have read my book. If you feel generous, a review on Amazon helps with promotion and allows more people to see and experience my work. Thank you for spending some of your time with me. I look forward to spending more with future books.

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