Gloominess +4: The Cradle of Gods. A LitRPG series: Book 4

by Elian Tars

  “They’ve sent someone for the humans, too,” she suddenly said. “The Great One connected to one of his nearby Disciples. They’ll pick up the poor bastards. Could you ask the Ogroids to behave when they meet our group?”

  “I will.” I nodded and went toward the door.

  “Ken,” Una called. I stopped and glanced at her over my shoulder but she looked away as if embarrassed. The sincerity of the look made me freeze. Was she playing with me? “Ken,” she muttered and looked me in the eyes again. She then exhaled sharply and blurted out: “Go. I’ll watch the basement in case they wake up. There’ll be a lot of problems if that happens.”

  I continued staring at her. A strange thought flashed through my head: what if we weren’t just allies, but of the same faith…? Dammit, it would’ve been so much easier.

  “Don’t just stand there!” Una stomped her foot. “Go! Let’s wrap it up here and then we’ll talk…” She got embarrassed again. A moment later, she shook her head. “Go already!”

  This time I neither argued nor slowed down, but walked out. To my surprise, I didn’t find Rugus. There was only the Old Man, bent over the trapped Biergein, who still looked like he was sleeping blissfully in his “sleeping bag.”

  “Building relationships with the allies, boy? That’s praiseworthy,” the Old Man said, turning to look at me. Spending time with humans has clearly had a negative effect on him. He was getting sassy.

  Chapter 15

  The Clots

  “Where’s Rugus?” I asked, ignoring the sarcasm.

  “He left. He did his job,” the Old Man answered calmly. “Unfortunately, I’ve underestimated Biergein’s madness. Without Rugus’s help, I would’ve had to kill him. However, it’s likely that Biergein would’ve died anyway. The technique he used was a dangerous one.”

  “Devouring his own flesh?” I inquired, coming closer him, and crouching near Biergein.

  “He consumed his own power, boy. To get stronger. The effect is short-term and deadly; it disrupts the energy balance in the body and inflicts physical damage. Madness is a terrible thing, boy. But I hope that that we can finally leave this behind us.” Straightening his back, he rose into the air, floating several inches above the ground.

  “Have you healed him?”

  “So long as the Decay exists, it’s impossible to heal him,” he answered immediately. “But I’ve managed to put a barrier between the Decay and the divine energy inside him.”

  “And that was hard,” I guessed.

  “It was. But it was worth it.”

  “Why? Please, tell me.”

  And he did, though not immediately.

  “It’s painful to watch my Followers suffer. That’s what you want to hear, isn’t it? I’m sorry, boy. I won’t lie to you just to make you happy. I don’t feel any pain from something like that, and before Zurtarn was destroyed, in the battle between a Wizard of the Ancients and someone who was not, I didn’t care who’d win and stay alive. I’ve told you before — everyone is equally important to me. Just like to Zurtein. Even if someone doesn’t cooperate with the Ancients or even hates the Ancients for some reason, I won’t wish death upon them and I’ll treat them just like anyone else.

  “Wizards and Priests, too?”

  “Wizards and Priests as well.”

  I straightened up and, looking at his floating figure, stretched my legs, wondering how he could say something like that to his Followers. How could he say that it didn’t matter who died? Us or our enemy.

  “You’re not just an acquaintance of mine so that I, as they say in your world, could be dishonest with you,” the Old Man suddenly said. “Sincerity is a sign of closeness, and you and I close to each other. I trust you.”

  I chuckled. “But not enough to tell me the whole story.”

  “You already know a lot,” he retorted. “Soon, you’ll know even more.”

  “Okay, okay...” I raised my hands, giving up, having no desire to argue about this now. We’ve started the conversation on a different topic and I wanted to get back to it. “So, you treat everyone equally. Be they your people or not.”

  “There are no other people,” the Old Man interrupted. “There are only those who don’t think much about whether we exist or not.”

  “Okay, perhaps you’re right,” I said and nodded. “But things have changed. And that didn’t happen when Rheingeit did what he did. You ignored that because… Hmm… Because, in your mind, so long as the world and its population are not in danger, everything’s fine.”

  “Life and death go hand-in-hand, boy. That’s what order means. There was no need for the Ancients to be in the first lines to keep the order.”

  “And still you failed to keep it. Everything changed when Rheingeit and his band decided to destroy Zurtarn. By the way, what exactly is Zurtarn?” I asked, but the Old Man ignored me.

  “Yes, it did. I have to admit, boy, our principles played a bad joke on us. The Ancients weren’t the lords of the world, like the Gods are now. We saw ourselves as wise advisers and secret defenders of Zurtein. We thought that we were protecting the world by advising its people. We thought that we shouldn’t directly interfere with the affairs of the world. And even when Rheingeit went against us, we thought that the people would be able to stop him. We thought like that till the last moment. We got much weaker since the first betrayal.”

  It sounds like they were scared… However, it wasn’t fear that stopped the Ancients from acting, but their principles and their faith in the people.

  “Do you regret your decision?”

  “No,” he answered without hesitation. “Even though the world is suffering now, it’s evolving. And we were given the opportunity to help it. The state in which it’s in seems appropriate to me.”

  “But in order to help you…” I stopped, taken aback by a thought that crossed my mind. “We? Are there other Ancients?”

  “They always have been, and until Zurtein exists, there always will be other Ancients. But they can’t show themselves now. They’re too weak. They’ve given all their strength to me. They’ve made me their representative, boy. But let’s not talk about it. You wanted to say ‘to help you chose a person from another world.’ Does this seem strange to you?”

  “Of course it does.”

  “The other Ancients thought so, too. It was not us who discovered the secret of resurrection, but the Gods. And for it, essences from other worlds are required. In legends and tales of your world, such essences are called souls. But in truth, they’re clots of energy that have kept their individuality.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, confused, but the Old Man was in no hurry to explain, so I began to think aloud. “There’s energy in the body of every living creature... And after the body dies, that energy… Where does it go? Does it spread around the world? But gradually? It probably starts off as a single clot...”

  “That’s right, boy. But the time the clot keeps its form is different for everyone. Some have only a few seconds left. That’s why we need souls from another world. Here, in Zurtein, they don’t depend on their bodies that much. They don’t dissolve at once and they can regenerate their own bodies at the so-called resurrection points.”

  “Still, this is weird...” I shook my head. “First you tell me that the Ancients wanted the world to be able to restore and save itself, and then you summon me, a person from another world, instead of raising a hero here. That would’ve been the right thing to do.”

  “It would’ve been, yes,” he replied dryly. “But the Gods changed the rules when they began to bring Gleams to this world. Do you want to know why they did that? For the same reason they did everything else — to get more power for themselves. First of all, a Gleam is the most talented Disciple. The Gods couldn’t calculate how much time it’d take the Decay to destroy Zurtein. But they knew that people’s faith made them stronger. So they set a goal to make every person a Follower of one of the Gods. And though this goal has been set on a global scale, it didn’t take m
uch time to do it. And that’s the second reason why the Gods use Gleams. They disrupt the balance of Zurtein. In other words, they accelerate its death. Your presence accelerates the Decay.”

  I frowned. It wasn’t pleasant to find out that you had something to do with the suffering of the world and all those who lived in it. But it wasn’t my fault. I’ve been forced into this position. However, the most important thing to do was to keep this a secret form the common folk, lest they start a witch hunt. But… how would they do it? You couldn’t tell a Gleam apart from a common Follower. Would they start killing everyone? That’d be absurd.

  “But you still placed a bet on me,” I said, having given it a thought. “I’ve done the world more good than harm.”

  “That’s true.” the Old Man nodded. “And to finish our initial conversation, everyone who fights with us is now important to me. The times have changed, boy. In the battle between, let’s say, the Followers of Noriduel and the Followers of Einar, I’d want the former to win.” I didn’t say anything as I understood his reasons. “As for Biergein,” he continued. “He’s our potential ally. I’m glad that I didn’t have to kill him. Though I spent precious strength on putting the barrier on his soul, I’m satisfied. It was worth it, boy.”

  “Here’s the most important question...” I smiled. “Will you get back in shape before the battle against Rheingeit?”

  “I didn’t fight Biergein alone. So I’ll get back in shape much sooner than that, boy.”

  “That’s good to hear.” My smile became even bigger. “What about the other Gods of Righteousness? Are they also our potential allies?”

  “I knew you’d ask that,” the Old Man drawled. “I don’t know where Urtia is now, but there’s a chance that we could track her down. As for Archeus... I don’t know. Perhaps he’s already dead.”

  Though the Old Man didn’t release the black smoke that usually conveyed his emotions, I felt his pain and sadness. That’s why I decided to drop the subject.

  “I’ll continue looking for Urtia whenever possible,” he said calmly a few seconds later, having managed to get a hold of his emotions. “I’ll take Biergein with me for now. We have a lot to talk about. Everything else,” he said, spreading his arms, “I leave to you, boy. And I strongly recommend you not to teleport anywhere from here. Rest. The Ogroids will be glad to welcome you as their guest.

  Thick, black smoke that appeared from under the hem of his cloak, covered Biergein, and, rising higher, the Old Man as well. Then it slowly began to disappear and when it was fully gone, the Gods were nowhere to be seen.

  ***

  The Ogroids came before the humans did, as they were much closer to Biergein’s abode. They glanced suspiciously at Una, but didn’t show any hostility toward her. And when they saw their fellow brethren, who were still sleeping peacefully in the basement, they roared with joy. It was a very loud and furious show, but it was more endearing than frightening.

  Unfortunately, their joy soon faded. Not all of Biergein’s victims had made it. Some of them were missing, and some had even passed away. Drohen ordered to search the shack and the area around it, and gather all the remains that could be found. I didn’t know was it the smell or something else, but they recognized their friends in the cut ears, noses and fingers. And then they roared again. But this time from grief.

  However, there was light even in the darkest of times, and the Ogroids refused to give in to the sadness. “We’ll remember the dead,” Drohen said, “and celebrate those who have been returned to us. Heads up, brothers and sisters! When they come to, they shouldn’t see your tears for they may feel guilty that they’ve survived, while the others have not”

  Those that had been gathering the remains left first, led by Drohen. Some of them were going to continue searching the forest, while others, like Drohen, were going to return to the settlement. They had to prepare the tribesmen for the return of their loved ones.

  Nurgia was left in charge of those who stayed. She had taken her unconscious son out of the basement, and was now stroking his head.

  The humans arrived soon. Thanks to Una and me, we managed to avoid a fight. Having taken their friends, the Followers of Rugus decided to leave without delay, inviting Una to go with them.

  “Thank you, dear sirs, but I have to refuse,” she smiled in reply. “I was going to spend this evening in the settlement of the Ogroids. I hope that no one will be against my presence there?” She winked at me and then focused her gaze on Nurgia. Aware of the fact that Una had helped defeat Bergein and save her brethren, she nodded.

  “We’ll gladly welcome you.”

  And then she focused all her attention on her son, who opened his eyes.

  Chapter 16

  Guests

  The remains of the dead Ogroids were put in a big bowl decorated with a dark pattern and placed in front of the entrance of the local temple — a long building with a ramshackle roof, where we first met Drohen. They decided to cremate them in a week, as that amount of time would be enough to search Biergein’s shack and collect whatever was left to collect. During the week, anybody who wished so could come to the bowl and pay their last respects. After the cremation, the ashes would be scattered to the winds, as per ancient tradition. I supposed that such burial tradition was formed under the influence of the Ancients and their statement that “souls” became a part of the world’s energy upon death. So why not make bodies a part of it as well?

  I was thinking about all that while riding to the village on Vella. Surprisingly, she let Una mount her again, though she was still glancing at the girl with her flews lifted up in displeasure. Apparently, she felt that she owed Una for the help in Ilyenta, but at the same time, she wasn’t very happy to repay the debt.

  It was practically impossible to think about anything else. I couldn’t hear my own thoughts from the loud cries.

  “PRAISED BE THE ANCIENT!”

  “THANK THE ANCIENT!!”

  “THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP, HALF-WIZARD!”

  Una pressed almost her entire body against my back and whispered in my ear: “They called you a ‘half-Wizard.’ What a nickname!”

  “Thanks,” I answered over my shoulder, thinking that I shouldn’t have offered her to ride with me. I didn’t have any hidden motive when I offered her that, I just felt tired after the battle, and there was no reason not to use Vella to get back to the village. However, I felt awkward to ride and have Una walk. And now she was taking advantage of my kindness. I wondered if she was aware of the fact that we were both in armor and that I couldn’t feel her pressing against me.

  “NO!” the Ogroids continued shouting. “HE’S ALMOST A TRUE WIZARD!”

  “NOT ‘ALMOST!’ HE IS A TRUE WIZARD!”

  “NO! HE’S STILL NOT QUITE THERE!

  “These talking monkeys are so cute.” I managed to hear Una whisper.

  I glanced at her over my shoulder. “Don’t talk like that about them. They’re an intelligent race, they’re no worse than us,” I said quietly so that they couldn’t hear me. Just in case.

  Instead of answering, Una batted her lashes, zipped her lips shut, and threw away the key.

  However, she didn’t manage to stay silent for too long. When we arrived at the “square,” where long tables had already been laid out, she shouted:

  “Wow! I haven’t been to a good feast for a really long time!”

  “THAT’S THE SPIRIT!” Grock cried at once. “LET US CELEBRATE THE VICTORY OVER THE MAD GOD AND DRINK OURSELVES INTO OBLIVION!”

  “YEAH!!!” the crowd cried enthusiastically.

  “Hey, hey!” I tried to shout over them. Surprisingly, the crowd fell silent and stared in my direction. Seems that I’ve managed to get gain some respect. “I have to return home tomorrow. We’re waging a war for the future of the world, after all…”

  “What, are you afraid to miss it?” Una chuckled and jumped off Vella.

  “YEAH, HE’S STILL A HALF-WIZARD,” one of the Ogroids remarked sarcastically. Th
e rest of them supported him with ringing laughter.

  At long last, I managed to relax. Despite the fact that not all of the captives have returned, the atmosphere was a celebratory one. We have saved a lot of people, but the most important thing was that we have defeated the boogieman that has been scaring the little Ogroids for many ears.

  The Ogroids threw us a boisterous feast. Their booze, made of herbs I’ve never seen or heard about before, was delicious, strong, and free of debuff system messages. It made my body relax and my head… I had to decline several mugs, which caused joy and laughter among the Ogroids and countless attempts to pour into me more than I could, or should drink.

  Una became the life and soul of the party. She was a real “people person,” as we called extroverts back in the “real world.” She drank more than me, laughed rakishly, sometimes winked at me, and sank her teeth into the juicy meat without any embarrassment, discussing mates with the female Ogroids.

  “HIS FANGS SHOULD STICK OUT, GIRL!” one of the local ladies cried, banging her mug on the table. “IF THEY DON’T STICK OUT, THEN HE’S PFFFT! NOT A MATE!”

  “NO, YOU’RE WRONG! IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW BIG HIS FANGS ARE! BUT HOW BIG HIS ARMS ARE! YOU DON’T NEED WEAKLINGS!” the other one argued.

  “FANGS ARE MORE IMPORTANT!”

  “ARMS!”

  “GRRAAA!!! IF HIS FANGS ARE GOOD, HE’LL CHOP YOUR ARMS OFF!”

  “YOU FOOL! IF HIS ARMS ARE BIG, HE’LL KNOCK YOUR TEETH OUT!!!”

  “GRRR!!!”

  “GRAAAA!!!”

  “HEY, HUMAN GIRL, WHAT DO YOU THINK?”

  Una smiled enigmatically and glanced in my direction. “The size doesn’t matter, girls. What matters is that he knows how to use what he had been given.” Blinking their big eyes in confusion, the ladies stared at her. “That’s what defines who’s worthy of your time and effort.”

  The ladies nodded musingly, agreeing with her. Many of those who were sitting near them heard their conversation and also nodded in agreement. The Ogroids reminded their wives of the great things that they’ve done in their honor. Looking at the cheerful clamor, I was certain that humans and Ogroids weren’t so different after all.