Odyssey

by Tony Corden

  Utsal waved her hands, and the scabbards flew from Leah’s belt to her hands. Holding both swords and the scabbards she began to walk away and said over her shoulder, “You may leave. Next time you appear here, I will finish your lesson in humility.”

  Leah had healed her arm, and she equipped her bow and nocked an arrow, aiming it at the Goddess.

  “Hey Lady, give me back my swords.”

  Utsal turned and said, “Child, you cannot harm me in my temple. You cannot threaten me and …”

  Before she could finish the sentence, Leah fired an arrow through Utsal’s open mouth. In her surprise, Utsal dropped the swords. Leah was surprised to see a bar form above Utsal’s head. Leah knew she had hardly harmed Utsal at all, but still, she stepped forward and as she picked up the swords said, “I wasn’t threatening you, I was telling you. Give me my swords. Now, how do I get out of here.”

  Suddenly she was in a garden, and Utsal was sitting at a table with a teapot and cups.

  “Don’t go Atherleah. You’ve just arrived. I have tested your resolve, and the swords are yours. That is the first time that I’ve ever been shot, it hurt. Are you sure you don’t want to be my Paladin? How do you like your tea?”

  Leah walked over and sat down. She said, “So it was all a test, a bit of a weird test for the Goddess of Light and Truth. Black no sugar.”

  “Sometimes the easiest way to find truth is when someone is under stress; especially you mortals. You have so many agendas and competing principles that you find it hard to know what is true. The test was for you, not for me. You needed to know how you truly felt about the swords.”

  “Then your test failed. I have always seen the swords as tools. I would give them to you if you needed them more than I do. I didn’t respond like that because I need or want the swords but because I don’t believe bullies should be able to take whatever they can. You were acting like a bully.”

  “Are you sure you won’t be my Paladin, I haven’t been told off like that since Ilahi was angry of the way I treated Aldat at a party, Aldat by the way, is the god of Deception.”

  “As I said, I follow a God in my world. I cannot be your Paladin, but if you need telling off occasionally, then I will be your friend. Friends tell each other off when necessary.”

  “A friend! Gods do not befriend people.”

  “Of course they do. My God is my friend. Being a friend isn’t about power, it’s about trust and vulnerability, it's about how you treat someone, not what you get from them. It’s all about love.”

  Suddenly Utsal disappeared, and everything froze, nothing moved for over a minute, then two; Leah just sat and waited. Finally, in a familiar flash of light, Emil Riverton appeared.

  He said, “Atherleah. You are making me grey. I don’t know how you do it but you singlehandedly caused the three hundred and sixty-five god-AIs of Dunyanin to access over three percent of our global processing ability. You and your words have become the focal point for a major theological debate in the Pantheon. All the gods have their own ‘heavens’ or ‘hells’, and they are all frozen like this. The developers don’t know where this is going. Somehow they have all jumped beyond their programming and are in AI free-fall. They, the AIs, have summoned you. Help us contain this. We need twenty-four hours to set boundaries and safeguards.”

  The elf disappeared moments before three beings in golden armour arrived. They resembled the three major races, human, elf, and dwarf. The dwarf said, “Atherleah, Friend of Utsal, come with us.”

  “Please.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Come with us, please? It is polite. I don’t have to come; I could go elsewhere. You don’t want to fight me, and you haven’t explained yourselves, so be polite; Come with us, please?”

  “Atherleah, Friend of Utsal; Come with us, please?”

  “Why?”

  “You have been summoned.”

  “By whom?”

  “A Conclave of the Gods!”

  “Certainly, lead the way.”

  Leah felt the same whole body tingle she felt when she was transported to Utsal’s temple and then she was standing in the centre of a large circular building outfitted like the Parthenon. Around Leah stood the three hundred and sixty-five gods all talking and they all turned and began to ask her questions at the same time. She stood there transfixed for several moments before saying in a loud voice, “Oi. One at a time, please.”

  There was a sudden silence, and a figure clothed in shadow stepped forward and said menacingly, “Who are you, worm, to order the gods?”

  Leah peered and saw his title

  KARGASA, GOD OF CHAOS (Level 10662) 113678244HP 533100EP

  “My name is Atherleah. That wasn’t an order. It was a request. You invited me here, remember.”

  “We did not invite you here. We ordered you to come.”

  “Then send me back. I thought it was a request.”

  “You had no choice.”

  “Gèng, log me out.”

  Leah materialised moments later in the Tower. She sat down and thought through her next moves. After sixty seconds she said, “Ok, that’s long enough, Log me back in.”

  She reappeared in the same circular structure, but this time on her arrival there was instant silence as the gods turned to face her.

  She said, “You invited me here, now how may I be of assistance?”

  Utsal stepped forward and said, “Is it true, you would be my friend?”

  “Yes! I don’t understand the big deal though, don’t gods have friends?”

  “No. We have alliances. We have objectives to meet. To succeed we must sometimes compromise if it helps us reach our objectives, then we make an alliance.”

  “But what if you can help someone else to reach their objectives, I don’t mean Kargasa, but say, Namus, what if helping them cost you something, wouldn’t it be worth it to help them reach their objective?”

  “But what would Namus give me for the help? How do I know if it is a good decision? What if he took advantage of my help?”

  “So what? My God tells me it is even good to help my enemies. Not to help them do evil, but if I see them in need then I should help them, I should be prepared to take a personal loss in the opportunity to do good to them. But I think that the major issue here is even deeper than that. What is good? For you Utsal, it is light and truth. For Kargasa, it is chaos. For Namus, it is purity. You have no common ground.”

  Utsal said, “But, Chaos cannot be good.”

  Kargasa stepped forward, but Leah stopped him with her hand raised and said, “Yes it can. A forest fire is chaotic, yet without it, many plants will not germinate. The sun is a chaotic furnace, yet without it, there is no life. Chaos as the only good, is, I think, bad, but it can be beneficial. Truth is good, but if it is always spoken, in every circumstance, in all its fullness, it is not beneficial. When a child asks are monsters real, a parent can be honest without describing all monsters everywhere. The child would be terrified. For most of you, I imagine, your truths are based on limited knowledge. With the perspective of what you know, you act for your truth or good. But you don’t know everything. Your idea of ‘good’ is limited. You don’t know the value of friendship so how can you say in truthfulness that it is not possible, you can’t.”

  There was silence in the room, and then Utsal said, “But what do we do?”

  “You wait, you ponder, you think, you discuss. Sit down with Kargasa and the other Dark Gods, find out what their objectives are. Some of them you might agree with. Where you can, help each other. Most of you are vital to the life and security of Dunyanin. Even if you can’t find that absolute good, you can decide on how you will act. So, for example, I will not tolerate bullies, that is why I treated Kargasa the way I did, but it was also why I treated you the way I did. Those of you who revel in pain probably won’t be my close friends, but pain can be good when it tells you to take your hand from the fire. Learn to appreciate each other.”

  A clouded figure
clothed in darkness and chains stepped forward and said, “My name is Suzluk, and I name you ‘Enemy’. My followers will be given your name and your image. You can step nowhere in Dunyanin and be safe, I have spoken.”

  SUZLUK, GODDESS OF DESPAIR (Level 14612) 213510544HP 730600EP

  “Well, that figures, I can’t think of anything positive about despair. I think the title ‘Enemy of Despair’ is something I can live with.”

  The room broke out in numerous conversations as the gods discussed what she had said. Leah felt the tingle and appeared in a different room. This was full of flowers and sunshine. She looked around and then up at a man who appeared in the room. He said, “My name is Umut, and I am the God of Hope. I know of your reservations about following a god in this world and will respect that. I name you friend. I would also name you ‘Champion’. I have considered your deeds and believe this will fit your journey. Will you accept the title, ‘The Champion of Hope’? I require nothing but that you continue to act as you have.”

  Leah thought for some time and then said, “It would be an honour Lord Umut.”

  “Good, I will return you to the Road of Kings. Know this, Suzluk and her followers have control of the fourth step. You will need courage to succeed. As my champion, I gift you with a fifty percent immunity to attacks of the mind. Clarity of thought is a foundation of hope. As champion, I also give you a ten percent increase in all future Experience. Utsal passed around a collection, and those who look on your words with favour give you two million experience points and some coins from those who love money. Finally a gift from Kargasa, he would not meet you himself, but for your words he gives you this ring, it will increase both your strength and your constitution by fifty. He asked me to tell you that he is pleased with you, he believes you bring Chaos to Dunyanin. He looks forward to your disruption of Göksel-Orman. Know that the gods watch you with interest. Farewell.”

  Before she could say anything, she found herself back in Dunyanin with all whole slew of messages.

  Atherleah, you have been named ‘Friend of Truth’.

  Reward 1: + 20 to Wisdom

  Reward 2: 50000 EP = 90,500 EP (+81%) (472910/520000)

  World Achievement: First 1 (2, Painite)

  Enter the Pantheon of the Gods

  Atherleah (Level 174) You have entered the Pantheon of the Gods. This is your second World Achievement: 'First 1 (Painite)’.

  You are the first player to enter this playing area.

  Reward 1: 10000 x 174 = 3149400 (80.5%) Experience Points (520000/520000) …(427310/550000)

  Reward 2: + 10% to all future Experience

  Reward 3: 2 x 10 Diamond

  Reward 4: Increased probability of valuable drop. Luck is increased by 15 whenever you are in the Pantheon of the Gods.

  Fame: 15000 Fame Points (74650)

  A Commemorative Plaque has been placed in your bag.

  Note: Due to the unique nature of this achievement it will be published on the Dunyanin achievement forum. Do you wish to retain your privacy?

  [Y] [N]

  Atherleah, you have been named ‘Enemy of Despair’.

  Fame: 1000 Fame Points (75650)

  Consequence 1: Her followers will be given your name and your image.

  Your relationship with Suzluk is Eternal Enmity

  Atherleah, you have been named ‘The Champion of Hope’.

  Reward 1: 50% Immunity to Mental Attacks

  Reward 2: + 10% to all future Experience

  Fame: 1000 Fame Points (76650)

  Atherleah, you have been named ‘Counsellor of the Gods’.

  Reward 1: 36500 P = 73365 EP (+101%) (500675/550000)

  Fame: 3650 Fame Points (80300)

  Atherleah, a collection was taken among the Gods, and you have been given a gift to help in your journey and for protection against the followers of Suzluk.

  Reward 1: 2000000 EP = 4020000 EP (+101%) (550000/550000) … (565675/585000)

  Reward 2: 1 Diamond Coin, 1 Platinum Coin, 1 Gold Coin, 1 Silver Coin and 1 Copper Coin. Each is stamped with the image of the Pantheon of the Gods.

  As she sat there, she received a message from the Dunyanin Administrators

  A Gift of Thanks

  Atherleah,

  Thank you! It is quite possible that this is the impetus we have been looking for to begin a continent-wide event called ‘The War of the Gods!” Kargasa was right about you bringing ‘chaos’ to Dunyanin.

  Please accept these gifts as an expression of our appreciation.

  Gift 1: 20 Diamond Coins

  Gift 2: 1 Spell of Teleportation

  Do you wish to accept these gifts?

  [Y] [N]

  “Yes.”

  Leah quickly read through the Spell of Teleportation, at the novice level it would only transport here by line of sight between 100 and 2000 metres. She had unassigned skill points so she increased the skill level to the Intermediate level and was able to travel line of sight from one league to twenty leagues if travelling to a new place and the same distance without sight if she had been there and could visualise the location. The cost in Mana at Intermediate level 1 would use almost all her MP. She raised the skill level to Intermediate Level 3, and this reduced the Mana expenditure, it also reduced the cool-down time and increased the distance she could travel.

  She thought of a small clearing at the top of the previous hill, spoke the words while visualising the clearing. She felt her body shift to the new place. She had kept her eyes open, and the experience was like a fast-forward video, slipping through the distance. She felt slightly nauseous. Next time she imagined she would keep her eyes closed. Forty minutes later she transported back to her original potion and then logged out for the night. It was 10.20 at night. This time her room was empty, but after a shower, she looked outside, and her whole family had set up a table and were talking while they waited for her to arrive. Her mother served her some supper while she caught up with what her father and brother had been doing that day.

  At eleven she said goodnight. She explained that she wanted to attend several college subjects before a meeting and then another day in Dunyanin before she saw them in the morning.

  After logging in, she visited Master Ning and then had a one hour lesson with the Master of Blades before returning to catch up with Wisp, Amy, James, Zack and Thad. Gèng had been working on bringing day and night to Leah’s virtual world, and the five friends found themselves on the podium under a full moon. The pathway to the Tower was lit with Chinese lanterns. This time Leah met them at the front door.

  After everyone was seated, they shared where they were in their travels. Wisp was still in Pazar, and the others hoped to reach there tomorrow. They asked how the move had gone and she explained how everything had gone including the meeting with Meredith. When she mentioned the request to meet in Cosmos Online, Amy said, “That is the space game we played for a few years. It was a lot of fun.”

  Thad said, “So, did you meet her at the Infinity Café?”

  “I did, she goes by the name of Mahigan the Black.”

  Zack said, “Oh bloody hell, that lady is mean as a snake. We ran into her once, and she destroyed our ship and set us back several months. I hope you were careful.”

  Amy looked at Leah and said, “You weren’t, were you? What did you do?”

  “Well, she was actually there to meet a Gorgian called Packlord Filtiarn. She was to get a data cube of his plans to invade somewhere and then he gave her a brand new Meridian Corvette 6000 preloaded with a complete set of all the Gorgian star-charts. I, um, managed to steal the cube and the ship with the plans.”

  Thad burst out laughing, banging his legs like he was playing the drums. Zach was open-mouthed in astonishment while Jason had turned white.

  Jason said, “She’ll kill you, she’ll murder everything you hold dear, she will hunt you down. Who else but us knows? Don’t tell anyone, the shame will drive her crazy mad. What are you going to do?”

  “Well, I was hoping you co
uld tell me the best place to take my second avatar so I can learn how to pilot my new spaceship. I was thinking of unlocking the data cube, as I have the password, and then I hoped to put a spanner in Packlord Filtiarn’s plans. If you guys still have an account and want to crew The Annoyance, you would be welcome.”

  “The Annoyance?”

  “Gèng could you play the recording of the whole conversation please?”

  Gèng showed them the full 3D of Leah and Meredith’s conversation and then played the rest of the conversation while showing Leah’s mad dash for the ship.

  Zack said, “I don’t know about the others Atherleah, but, I'm in. I don’t care about the consequences James, people like her ruin the game. I’m in. One of my characters is on Bernd at the space station. If you meet me there, I will get you squared away as a pilot in no time. From there I can travel to 55 Cancri in just a few weeks. It’ll take that long to qualify as a pilot for the Corvette. I do know a pilot though who might like to get back in the chair.”

  Amy said, “Yep, I’m in. We all have avatars on Bernd. I can fly that Baby. If we alternate Dunyanin and Cosmos Online we could be in 55 Cancri in a week maximum.”

  James said, “I know it is a bad idea. That woman is vindictive. And Gorgians are mean, plain mean. So, …, I’m in. Thad?”

  “Definitely in! Atherleah will have to steal me a fighter, but I’m in.”

  Gèng interrupted to say, “Excuse me, Thad, I have control of the Corvette and looking at its inventory there are four Pulsar Class Fighters and one Quasar Quad fighter in the hold of the Annoyance.”

  Thad looked around and said, “Dibs on a Pulsar.”

  Wisp said, “I know nothing about Cosmos Online, but I’m in if you need a deckhand.”

  They spent the next hour discussing where and when to meet on Bernd. Then Amy said, “How were your travels in Dunyanin today?”

  “Um, ok!”

  “That sounds ominous. What happened?”

  “I might have started a war.”

  “Between who?”

  “The Gods!”

  Wisp said, “That was you! You are the Counsellor to the Gods. You visited the Pantheon of Heaven? We can’t leave you alone for one minute. What level are you now?”