The battle between the blonde twins against Shaury and Alonzo continued, albeit at a much slower pace. Both sides were wrought with exhaustion. Their attacks were more timed and more cautious. Neither side was willing to attack heedlessly and give the opponents an advantage.
Boran and Kabaka had gotten to their feet, their weapons held out in front of them. They didn’t look like they had enough energy to hold on to the spears.
Adonis blasted Kabaka with electric power from his hands. The big man grunted but charged ahead. Another blast of electricity, though it still did not stop the charge. Adonis pointed his staff but Emiri’s shot distracted him.
Kabaka’s punch threw the prince backwards, but in turn, Adonis swung his staff in a wide arc in front of him, striking the big man. Both men were thrown back, but Adonis recovered quicker.
There was no time to waste.
Matteo had to use the God Talk. He needed to have an important conversation, one that he had been saving for this very moment, when the man known as Olympus was close to him.
“I call on the presence of a god,” shouted Matteo, face pointed at the sky.
It seemed as if all movement had come to a standstill. When Matteo faced the battlefield, he noticed everyone, from Brontes and Basilia to Adonis himself, and all his teammates, looking at him.
“I call on you to have a conversation,” said Matteo again, looking at Adonis square in the eye.
“Zeus.”
Level 12
The god arrived in a flash of lightning.
The lightning itself was so bright and wide that it not only forced everyone to cover their eyes, but the gust of wind that its energy discharged might have blown away a man, if that man was standing close.
When the lightning strike faded, a man stood in the center of the blast. He wore a crisp two-piece suit in a neutral gray, complementing it with a white shirt and a muted pink tie. It almost seemed as though the man was dressed for a dinner at an expensive restaurant. His dirty-blonde hair was wavy and combined to one side. The eyes were a deep blue, like the color of the ocean at a luxury beach resort.
For what seemed like an entire half-minute, Zeus simply stood there with his hands crossed behind his back, examining the battlefield as though he was a boy scrutinizing his school science project. His eyes fell on Adonis, who looked visibly awestruck.
And afraid.
For the first time, Matteo saw fear genuinely spread across the man’s face. He immediately got down on one knee, bowing deeply to the godly figure before him. “My lord.”
Zeus didn’t even acknowledge the action. It seemed absolute reverence bored him. Or perhaps he was so used to seeing it all too often that he wasn’t able to show even the slightest bit of reaction.
Then, his eyes fell on Matteo, who did not bow or even show a modicum of respect to the god. Zeus titled his head to one side, curiosity spreading across his face.
“So, are you the one who called me?” asked Zeus in a clear voice that reminded Matteo of a famous actor he had once watched on television, but could not recall who.
“I did,” said Matteo. There was blossoming fear in his chest, but he quelled it down, knowing that he had not called the god for a confrontation. Additionally, his power allowed him to enjoy a conversation, and a god had to adhere to the rules of the power. After all, it was created by them in the first place.
“You fool,” said Adonis, venom flooding his voice. He pointed his staff and released an arc of energy.
The arc froze in midair, inches from Matteo’s face. Adonis watched in amazement as the arc began to bloat, like something from within wanted to make an escape. Beams of light broke out on the surface of the arc, internal energy shattering the surface. Eventually, the arc brightened until Matteo could not stare at it directly, and it exploded into tiny golden motes of light.
The beating in Matteo’s chest was so fast, he was afraid he might wear his heart down in a matter of minutes. He knew the thought was irrational, but that was the only way he could explain what he was going through. All he was sure of at that moment was that he had come close to being knocked out. Maybe even killed. He wasn’t certain. His health had increased tremendously since he had leveled up, but he wasn’t about to take chances with an arc of energy from a Lightningbreaker.
“The adults are talking,” said Zeus calmly, with such authority in his voice that Adonis instantly dropped his weapon, as though it had burned his hands.
Turning to Matteo, Zeus began playfully swinging his arms, bringing his hands to a clap in front of and behind him. “So, Godlike. What do you have to discuss?”
Matteo was unsure of how to start. He knew exactly what he wanted to say to the god, but he had no idea which part of his reasoning he should present first. The god did not seem to be in a hurry. Matteo wondered why.
And then it struck him. The god wanted to waste the minutes away. He wasn’t interested in keeping Matteo company and would rather see Matteo’s power used for nothing.
Mustering all his reserves of courage, Matteo faced the god. “I have come here to bring you a revelation.”
Zeus did not respond immediately. Instead, he continued his swing and clap motion, as though he was far too busy enjoying himself to even participate in a conversation.
“I used the power to call a god,” said Matteo.
“And a god you have called. Not his words,” said Zeus, a mischievous smile forming on his lips.
“Then you can watch your land taken away from you.”
The swing and clap stopped. “Speak plainly. No riddles.”
“I would not dream of it,” said Matteo. “However, I would like to talk about my ordeal so far, because I believe it is important to you.”
“This is your conversation. Tick tock.” The god wasn’t referring to the time because he wanted to remind Matteo of the duration of the power. Rather, he was eager to get to the good part, his patience running thin.
Matteo could not rush through his story. He needed to provide context. Zeus needed to believe each and every word he uttered, until it reached the crux of the matter.
Taking a deep breath, Matteo started. “When I first arrived in the land of Midgard, I was immediately met by Xipe Totec. I did not have much time to speak to him, but he spoke of a danger that awaited the land and said that I was supposed to meet someone when I reached Valhalla. At first, I had no idea what the presence of a god meant, until I met two people at the edge of the forest.”
Matteo did not look at Boran or Emiri. He was not going to involve them in this conversation. Zeus was an unpredictable god. And a dangerous one, from the looks of things.
“Long story short, I realized that I was an Agri. I kept that information from the two partners I had at the time, until I reached the great hall of Asgard.”
A small pause. Taking a deep breath, he continued.
“There, I saw Adonis, the one who is known as Olympus, ruling over the town. At first, Adonis pretended to not recognize me, referring to me only as an Agri. He locked me up with a group of people. Not very important to know who they are, but you might have guessed by looking around this battlefield. Anyway, I was locked in with them and released later to face a game of Battle Royale.”
Matteo could see that Zeus was listening intently.
“Before the game could begin, Adonis revealed that he knew my true identity and said that his god had helped him. After which, he released us all to the dangers of the forest. He already took out a lot of our numbers. And by we, I mean my group and the other groups of prisoners.”
A sense of confidence was growing inside Matteo. He didn’t want to take long pauses, afraid that Zeus would change his mind anytime.
“My group and I faced the dangers of the forest and were met with Xipe Totec again. Thankfully, the god was able to help us this time.”
“That silly fool,” said Zeus. “Ready to break the rules out of a small sense of compassion.”
Matteo continued, not allowing Zeus to d
well on his own words. “With the help of the god, we received nourishment and were able to defeat a Griffin. Eventually, we grew our group and took over the Shockers one after the other. Forming a small army, we fought back against Adonis and his army. The battle was tough, but we held on. We thought we had made a big impact, but Adonis himself was as powerful as any army. The result is as you see here. But I had one more move to make. It was a final option. One that I would only take when things were desperate.”
“You called me,” said Zeus.
Matteo nodded. “I knew that you were around, but you had not shown your face. The only way I could even get a chance to talk to you was to force you to come down to the ground.”
A flash of anger passed through the eyes of the god, but as soon as it had appeared, it seemed to have made its presence scarce. The god must have reacted to Matteo’s use of the word force; it might have made Zeus feel as though he had done something against his will. Matteo had to tread carefully. And, right now, he had to repair the god’s injured pride.
“Of course. It is one thing to use a power and quite another to expect a god to turn up when you call them. All I could do was hope that you heard my call.” Matteo turned the power of the conversation over to the god, making him feel as though it was only through his will that events could play forward.
Zeus seemed to take the bait, or at least to accept Matteo’s words as a truce. “And I heard. Despite your being my enemy, I honor the will of the Great Agreement. One that was made between gods.”
Matteo stopped talking. He wasn’t about to continue any further without knowing that he had the full attention of Zeus. The god, on the other hand, looked at him with confusion.
“That’s it?” said Zeus. “All you wanted to tell me was your story thus far? Hardly anything you said was even remotely threatening. I don’t feel any danger whatsoever. Are you making a mockery of your opportunity to talk to a god? Because, let me assure you...”
The god took a step toward Matteo. “I will kill you where you stand.”
That single step might as well have been a move that covered the distance between Matteo and Zeus. The power that radiated from the god was immense. It was a physical presence, and he knew that if the god were to unleash his full power, the energy alone could decimate the land and creatures around him.
Forcing himself to remain calm, Matteo continued. Rather than focus on Zeus, he pushed his mind to concentrate on the ideas in his head.
“No. I would call you down here simply to mock you,” said Matteo. “You see, I had a theory. I believed in that theory strongly, yet it was filled with so many doubts. Even when I called you, I thought I had doomed myself to a failed plan. One that would kill me. Until Adonis greeted you.”
A look of inquisitiveness passed Zeus’s face. “What about his greeting?”
“He called you Lord.”
Zeus gave a little shrug, as though he couldn't find anything significant with the information. “So?”
“When Adonis said that he had help, his exact words were that he had help from a god. Not my god. Not Lord. A god.”
It was like watching dawn break over the horizon. The realization hit Zeus and his expression went from mild surprise, then contemplation, and, finally, controlled anger. He looked sideways at Adonis.
“This man lies, my Lord. His mind is filth. His tongue is like poison,” screamed Adonis, letting go of all self-control.
Zeus did not move a single muscle. He didn’t even blink an eye. Yet a black cloud had formed over Adonis within seconds and struck him with a bolt of lightning. The prince was on the ground, writhing in agony in a fetal position.
“You make bold accusations, Godlike,” said Zeus.
Matteo shook his head. “Everything seemed wrong. The fact that the Griffin attacked our spot. It wasn’t even circling around. It was quite literally finding a way to reach us. Then, there was the fact that Adonis recognized me. Perhaps he should have kept that information to himself. But I’m guessing he couldn't help gloat about it in front of everyone. He truly wanted to show how much power he held over me. Big mistake. The only person who knew of my arrival was, of course, one god. No. I am sure of it. Xipe Totec planned all this.”
“For what purpose?” asked Zeus.
That was when a sudden explosion of wind blew against Matteo. Without even turning his head, he knew what to expect.
“Perhaps you and I need to talk, eh, Zeus?” came the voice of an old man.
Matteo stepped backward so that he wasn’t standing between the two gods.
Within seconds, thick tendrils of vines erupted out of the ground and shot toward Zeus in the blink of an eye. They didn’t reach their target. In another blink, lightning struck the vines, rendering them completely useless and turning them to ash. While all of this happened, neither god had not so much as twitched.
Matteo realized that the gods were not fighting.
They were simply toying with each other.
“We finally meet,” said Xipe Totec.
“Unfortunately,” said Zeus.
Xipe Totec looked at Matteo. “I thought you would be a worthy follower. Unlike this mutt.” His hand was pointed at Adonis, who was still curled up on the ground. “You are lucky that gods cannot interfere with the actions of humans, or else I would have shown you hell. I would have delivered pain on a scale you have never experienced. Each second would have lasted an eternity.”
Matteo allowed himself to let go of the control he was holding on his emotions. He felt fear. There was no doubt about it. He allowed himself to express it, not worrying about what the gods would think of him. “I am not here to face you. I don’t care about whatever plans you have.”
“Then you’d better speak quickly, boy,” said Zeus. “You only have a few minutes before I leave.”
Matteo faced the gods. “I have come to realize something. This was mentioned to me by someone, and I won’t tell you who. Basically, you are the only two gods left here on this land.”
“We are aware of that, fool,” said Xipe Totec. “You do not have to remind us of it.”
“Maybe. But what if you could form an army and head out into the main regions?”
“I thought you were smart,” said Zeus. “I didn’t know you were a master of the obvious.”
“I was talking about the both of you. Together.”
The gods had nothing to say. Matteo seized the opportunity and continued. “You know what is the biggest advantage you have? This beginner island. Nobody can take that away from you two. That means, nobody else can fight over these lands, other than the two of you. If you go into the main regions and lose everything, you can always come back here.”
“And you think the other gods won’t target this island and wipe us all out with their armies?” said Zeus.
“Not if they don’t know you have joined hands.”
The implications struck them. They seemed to ponder the idea in their minds. Matteo hoped that whatever they decided, it would not result in their anger.
Finally, Zeus sighed. “I see. And what do you want in exchange for this information?”
Xipe Totec looked at the other god as if he was about to challenge him, but then chose to look at Matteo. It appeared he wanted to see what the young man would say.
“Just that no one should be an NPC in these lands. There are no masters and there are no slaves. Everyone is an equal in position.”
Both gods seemed to ponder this for a while. It was Xipe Totec who spoke first. “In exchange, you will have to lead the army against the main region invasion.”
Matteo knew there was no other alternative for him. He thought about his teammates. No, his friends. People he trusted and cared about. Those who had stood by his side at the brink of death.
“You have a deal,” said Matteo.
Xipe Totec nodded. A small sign of acceptance. Of truce.
“I would also offer you this,” Matteo added, “for no cost. When I first came here, I noticed t
hat Adonis held the Lightningbreaker. I know that the quest to earn the mighty weapon is a difficult one. For every thousand players, only one receives the gift. In the game world, both Adonis and I had completed the quest—not together, of course. But it wasn’t easy. So, unless there are hundreds of dead Shockers out there who all attempted to complete the quest, I don’t see how Adonis could have gotten his hands on the Lightningbreaker. Which only means that he was given the Loot Box. As a gift.”
Matteo looked at Zeus and continued. “The intervention of the gods is not allowed. Yet you gave him a gift. Undo that, and no one will know you ever helped a human.”
Zeus curled his lips downward, impressed with Matteo’s logic. “Let’s not forget I struck him,” he said.
“Then heal him back to what his health was previously,” said Matteo.
“Speaking of healing,” said Xipe Totec, “let’s not forget that I healed you, as well, with my powers.”
“Then take back the health gained from the fruits,” said Matteo.
“You and your friends might die.”
“No, we won’t. Not at our levels.”
Xipe Totec gave a soft “ah” in realization, a smile playing on his lips.
Matteo watched as Zeus glanced at the Lightningbreaker, the weapon quickly disappearing in a flash of light. Looking back at Matteo, he gave a half smile before vanishing in a lightning strike.
That left the God of Agriculture standing in front of Matteo.
“You are a smart man, Matteo,” said the god, a hint of respect leaching into his voice. “Although I don’t think you know what you have gotten yourself into. Because you don’t make deals with gods without facing the consequences.”
Matteo wondered what would happen next. All he knew was that he had secured the freedom of his friends, and perhaps many others who were in servitude. Was that enough?
“You know,” said Xipe Totec, “you did pretty well. It would have been wonderful if you were an Agri.”
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