NOVEL NEXT 49. Status-Quo (Amy)
I was alone in bed when I finally woke up. I wasn't sure what time it was, but there was enough sunlight coming in through the window it had to be at least mid-morning. And I knew Tess had to have gotten up some time earlier, since her side of the bed was cold.
As I lay there staring at the ceiling my thoughts drifted back to last night. I had a lot of mixed feelings, but mostly it came down to guilt and regret.
I shouldn't have lost my temper, I shouldn't have used magic to mess with the game. My actions might have cost me Kreff's friendship, and might have screwed things up for Leah and Raven as well if the devs decided I used a hack or cheat or something.
They'd definitely be looking into it, Leah was right that Dorn would file a complaint. I had some mixed feelings about Leah too. She was definitely happy for the miracle I gave her, but I worried it would change our friendship.
Eventually I rolled over and picked up my phone. I saw it was just past eleven in the morning as I opened up discord. I was disappointed to see there weren't any DMs waiting for me, and nothing new on our private server either. I'd been hoping for something from Kreff.
When I got back from Leah's place last night I tried to message Kreff but they'd already logged off. So I sent them another apology and asked them to give me a chance to prove myself. Then I turned off the computer and joined Tess in bed.
I tapped out another apology on our group server to all three of my teammates, then checked my email. I was half expecting to find a terse message from the game company informing me that my account was terminated, but there was nothing like that. I was convinced bad news was coming one way or another, so the lack of it on either email or discord left me thinking it was either still pending or it'd arrive some other way.
At long last I got myself up and out of bed. I didn't bother with clothes yet as I left the bedroom to find my girlfriend and some coffee.
Unsurprisingly, Tess was sitting at her desk with a heavy book and her laptop. She was dressed in an old t-shirt and some comfy track pants, sitting crosslegged on her chair.
"Good morning cutie," she said without looking up. "How'd the game go last night?"
"It was all right," I replied as I approached the back of her chair.
I leaned down and hugged her from behind and gave her a kiss on the cheek then added, "I was up too late. Made some questionable choices. Outed myself over voice chat to Kreff and Leah. Then teleported to England and performed a minor miracle for Leah, before coming back home and going to bed. Now I'm worried I've irreparably damaged the friendship between all four of us. Also I used magic to mess with some asshole player characters and if the devs log it as a hack they'll probably delete my account."
Tess turned in her chair to look up at me with a worried expression. She didn't seem to know how to react to my long rambling confession though, so for a few moments she just stared at me.
"Are you going to be ok?" she finally asked. A moment later she added, "You teleported yourself to England and back?! You've never teleported before and the first time you try it you go halfway around the world?!"
I couldn't help smiling at her reaction. "Sorry Tess. It was fine, I was safe. I learned how to do it from Amethyst's memories."
My expression became more serious as I sighed, "And I guess I'll be ok. I'm worried I may have screwed things up and ruined some friendships. And I guess I feel guilty about messing with the game."
"I'm sorry Amy," she frowned. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
I shook my head, "Thanks, but I'll be ok. I'm going to have some coffee, then uh, I need to talk with Raven. I have some questions I'm hoping she can answer."
My girlfriend's frown got a little darker, then she sighed. "Just put some clothes on before you summon her, ok?"
I did my very best not to laugh, or even grin at her reaction. I nodded "Of course. Actually I think I'll go visit her this time, so we don't bother you."
Tess continued frowning, but she finally turned her attention back to the book she was working with earlier.
Fifteen minutes later I was dressed in leggings and a t-shirt, I had a mug of coffee in one hand and my phone in the other. As I sipped my drink I tapped out a message to my angel, to ask if it was ok for me to drop in on her.
Her reply came back in under a minute, "Of course my Goddess."
I got to my feet and took a step for the apartment door, but caught myself. She was only five floors below us, I was originally just going to hop on the elevator and go knock at her door. Except now I had a faster option, and I wouldn't even have to bother putting on shoes first.
My phone and coffee were still in hand as I focused, and a moment later I was standing just inside the door of Raven's apartment.
"Hello," I called as I looked around.
It was smaller than the one Tess and I shared, there was only a single bedroom and the main area wasn't as large either. It was still a good size for one person, and there was a balcony outside the living-room. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of decor or style, but it turned out my angel had conservative tastes.
The living-room area was home to a fairly standard sofa and matching recliner, and a dark-stained wooden rocking chair sat to one side. A big-screen TV was on the wall opposite the sofa, and a large coffee table filled the space between the furniture. A small table and two chairs were next to the kitchen area, both were painted white and there were light green cushions on the chairs.
A small desk sat in the corner next to the windows and balcony door, with a mini-tower and a large display on the desk. A typical office swivel chair on rollers sat before the desk.
"Raven?" I asked. "Are you here?"
"Yes my Goddess," she replied as she emerged from the bedroom. She was in her emo barista form and from what I could see she was dressed in a black nightgown and nothing else.
She noted the mug of coffee in my hand and commented, "Ah. I would have offered You something, but I see You've already got a drink. Well, make Yourself at home. I assume You want to discuss other Gods and what keeps them in check?"
I sat down at one end of the sofa and set my phone on the table in front of me. After a sip of coffee I commented, "You're acting a lot more casual around me than you've done in our previous meetings. You haven't bowed or prostrated yourself at my feet. You're actually acting like a lot more like a casual friend than my angel."
She sat on the recliner with her hands on her lap and shrugged, "You didn't summon me, You haven't used my proper name, and You asked if it was ok to visit. And You've made it clear my reverence makes You uncomfortable. I assumed You would like me to act more casual, as You suggested online last night."
"Right," I nodded. "If you could dial back the deference just a bit more that would be great. How's this sound? If I summon you with your proper name, you'll know I'd like you to put on the whole 'angel appearing for her goddess' routine? But if I'm just calling you Raven, that means I'd rather you and I act like casual friends. Does that work for you?"
She shrugged slightly, "I will do my best."
I smiled, "Thanks Raven. And yeah, I was wondering what stops other gods on Earth from revealing themselves or messing with humans or trying to conquer or end the world?"
She frowned at me for a few moments, and I could almost guess what she was thinking based on her expression. She still thought Amethyst and I were one and the same, and she was probably wondering why I was asking her for information she thought I already knew.
Fortunately instead of arguing that point, she finally took a deep breath then began her explanation.
"All Gods derive power from the worship, belief, and faith of their followers. The Gods who are strong enough to enact magic of a global scope, who are powerful enough to change or end the world, are the ones who have the greatest vested interest in not doing so. Those Gods are too powerful and their influence too widely-spread to walk the Earth in a mortal form. Sometimes they're at odds with each other, occasionally even at war with each other, but collectively their power maintains the status-quo."
She continued, "Should a lesser God try and stir up trouble, they would be stopped. Either passively, by having their schemes fail, or actively through direct intervention. In the old times that might have meant being banished from the mortal realm, being sealed in stone, or in the worst case having their worshipers razed from the face of the Earth and all memory of them purged. That would rob them of their power and ultimately leave them but a shadow or ghost."
"Nowadays, a lesser God causing trouble would likely be ridiculed online, discredited in the press, and cancelled on social media. Their name wouldn't be lost to the ages but they'd likely lose much of their power as any faith or worship would be replaced with derision and disdain."
I followed along as she spoke, and the information I found in Amethyst's memories agreed with Raven's assessment of the situation.
"Thanks," I replied as I drained the last of my coffee. "That's all big picture stuff though right? What about smaller things? I suppose what I'm getting at is, let's say I use magic to grant a trans person an instant magical transition, like I had last summer? That's not hurting anyone, but it's something that can't be explained and it's bound to raise questions."
My angel replied, "In general there's nothing to stop you from using your magic on individuals, either to help or harm them. Whether granting a human's wish for a more-comfortable body or smiting an individual who's crossed you, you'll disrupt a handful of lives. But it's not going to make an impact on the world at large."
"I suspect the collective power of the greater Gods which perpetuate the status-quo has some sort of dampening effect on the general public's perception," she continued. "So when you help or harm someone with your magic, outside their immediate circle of friends and family people on the whole won't really notice or pay much attention to it? There seems to be a strong inclination in humans to 'look the other way' when they're confronted with certain inexplicable things they don't understand."
"On the other hand," she added, "If you or someone else tried to record or livestream some sort of magic or miracle, that would likely be stopped one way or another. Or as I mentioned earlier it would be discredited or people simply wouldn't believe it. Attempting to force the public's awareness would be met with active resistance."
I thought that over for a second or two then asked, "Is there anything else I should know?"
Raven shrugged, "Smaller supernatural events are usually covered up by the mortals themselves. I understand there's some sort of secret society which is aware of the existence of supernaturals and keeps watch for any events that could disrupt the status-quo. When something happens, they cover it up, hide it, discredit witnesses, or do whatever else is necessary to keep supernatural beings and events out of the public eye."
"Seriously?" I asked with a grin. "That sounds like conspiracy-theory stuff to me. You really think there's a secret cabal keeping aliens and Bigfoot under wraps?"
My angel shook her head, "No. I believe there's a group of humans with supernatural knowledge and training, who work to keep the existence of witches, werewolves, angels, demons, and magic hidden from the general public. The rumours I've heard suggest that they're referred to as a witches council or an elder council."
She added, "They don't pose any threat to yourself, or to me. Depending what sort of magic you grant your cleric, and how careful she is when she uses it, she'd probably be safe from them as well."
"So if they're no threat to us, what exactly do they do? Who are they a threat to?" I asked.
Raven replied, "As far as I know they mostly just police themselves? They make sure other witches or occult practitioners keep magic out of the public eye. They ensure other supernatural races are equally discreet. And as I said, if an event does happen they do their best to hide it."
I nodded slowly, "So as long as you and me and Tess don't do anything that would prove magic exists or reveal ourselves to the world at large, and as long as we don't try to destroy or conquer the world, we should be ok?"
"That's correct," she agreed.
"Thanks Raven," I smiled. "And this is a nice place, are you comfortable here?"
She seemed a little awkward again, like she didn't know what to do with my thanks or my smalltalk. She shrugged, "It's agreeable. I'm pleased to be closer to you again. And it is nice to be of service once more."
That made me grimace, "I apologize for Amethyst uh, ignoring you then forgetting about you. Hopefully we can figure out a new working relationship that doesn't make either of us too uncomfortable going forward."
It looked like she had no idea how to respond to that either, so I finally got to my feet. I picked up my phone and my empty coffee mug and said, "I'm going to head back to my place now. Thanks again for the chat Raven. See you later."
She just nodded as I teleported back home.
