NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Dealing With Divinity
At the feast table Sammy was observing, the man who toasted finally sat back down, and no sooner than he did another well-dressed nobleman at the opposite end rose, which drew everyone’s attention. With a smarmy smile and a ‘tipsy’ demeanor, he toasted with his own great, ornate cup.
“To the alliance indeed! Double and triple to the Seven Sages and the Dominion of Wisdom who guide civilization to thrive and, of course, make the worthy rich.” Scattered laughter. “The Southern Shores find challenge in these days, and House Burnstire is apt to provide aid for the mutual benefit, especially by the kind support of the Dominion.”
His final ingratiating smile and gesture were especially directed at the yellow-robed man, who wore more an expression of steely, patient tolerance than anything. There was nothing to show he appreciated the gesture.
Someone pushed for more cheers and clapping, and the man sat back down, with everyone settling into dining and aggregate chatter after the cheer. Sammy was pretty sure the first toast-guy had not much cared for the content of the follow-up to his, nor the man conducting it.
Smells like a necessary alliance more than a beloved one. She also was curious if it had been a marriage, since that was what she’d figure went into a medieval alliance, but she didn’t see anything conclusive on such a front.
Man am I glad I didn’t burst onto this scene as my first one, yeesh. I think I’ll pass on crashing the party, though I’m sure the reactions would be priceless.
Sammy tried to eavesdrop, but she could only get little snippets over the great din, and it didn’t help that the closest two nobles conversing were having a loud, vigorous argument about which bean produced the best flavor. She heard ‘duke’ several times, likely in reference to the two hotshots. And she did glean the title and name of the yellow-robed guy: Elder Savant Greizer.
Dominion of Wisdom, eh? Sages, enlightenment types, not big on gods? Wonder how bad the old ones were… might’ve been overblown. I’d like to not be a crummy god. What’s that saying about the road to hell and its pavement, though…
There was one individual who looked bored and detached, a younger man who mostly stared at the table, picked at the food, and did not converse much. He was the only one that ever really looked at the mirror — not apparently seeing anything, yet his eyes were drawn there.
She was just zoning out on even paying attention to the scene herself when another thing caught her attention — someone familiar speaking into a mirror.
When she shifted her perspective, she was disappointed when she realized it wasn’t Estara. Through a small, broken shard piece was her very first encounter: the woman that had smashed the first viewpoint mirror.
She seemed less dressed down, in a leather coat with a flamboyant hat, from the little Sammy could see, but she was even more haggard and seemed to be walking while holding the shard in a leather glove. She was outside in what looked like a town atmosphere in dwindling twilight.
“And if you don’t appear,” she said, largely to herself, “okay, fine, it just means that I was seeing things. Everyone sees things sometimes, right? But if you’re there, I… go ahead and do your thing. Go ahead. I’m ready.”
Sammy sighed and rubbed at her forehead as she looked into the face of this woman that had freaked out twice on her. Should she even bother? She seemed shaken and frantic, possibly even desperate.
“Please. I have to know!” The woman shook the little shard as she spoke.
Yep. Desperate.
Instead of appearing, Sammy arranged the portal for the ‘sound-only’ effect, then said, “Are you just going to smash it again, lady? If so, it will be the last time I bother with you.”
The woman stopped dead and stared. Squinted. Voice faint, she said, “I-I don’t see you.”
“Because I’m trying not to spook you this time.”
The woman squeezed her eyes shut once, real quick, then opened them. “Right. Right. Alright. Are you- is this magic? Are you just some wizard messing with me?”
“Am I?” Sammy found that she loved being a coy goddess.
The woman looked away, seemed to deliberate, then shook her head. “It doesn’t seem to fit. What are you, then? A spirit?”
“Before I tell you, two things. One, what is your name? And two, what is it that you want? You came back just to grab some broken shard leading to something you thought would eat you. Why? And why did you think I’d eat you?”
“Three things, then,” the woman muttered, then cleared her throat. “Daxerris Stoneboro. Most call me Dax. I thought you’d eat me because there’s legends about that, old ones. When no one dared to even use a mirror, but accidental reflections could suck your soul out. They say the name of the entity was banned and stricken from any record. But I’ve heard stories around plenty of campfires, had a nightmare or two…”
Fuck, that’s not good… guess that explains the freak out then. Good thing those specific stories didn’t make it to Estara’s ear. That or she’s damned brave.
Dax paused, collecting herself before the last thing. “What I want, why I went back... it’s my brother. His mouth gets him into trouble and it happened again. He got falsely accused of stealing from a merchant that he bought from, and there’s a witness that’s swearing he did it. My brother swears the guy was there and saw a payment, but must’ve been bought off.”
With a growl in her throat, Dax shook her head helplessly. “I tried hunting this guy down, but he’s being hidden and I got guardsmen looking at me side-eyed, suggesting I leave town. Thing is, this is Dominion territory. They don’t just mete out a punishment and send you on your way. They take you for… re-education. Glorified prison.”
“This merchant can just dish this all out so easily?”
“He’s got the right connections. That’s just how things are. And I am running out of sensible actions to take to fix it. Anyway, your turn.”
“Oh, r-... hear me true, Daxerris Stoneboro. And see the truth with your own eyes.” Sammy slowly made her throne and form visible, though it was sadly rather zoomed out in such a small window. “I am Samantha, Goddess of Mirrors.”
Dax stared a long moment, took a deep breath, then shook her head. “You’re lying. There are no more gods in these parts.”
Sammy could not help but slip in her facade. Her mouth dropped as she made a face and said, “Fucking excuse me?!”
“Anything even close to trying that shit gets squashed like a bug by the full power of the Dominion. They don’t allow worship, even of the Seven Sages.”
“Oh yeah? Then what am I, genius? Look, I don’t have to put up with this, I’ll just go-”
“Wait! No!” Dax sighed, staring down at the shard and wincing. “Fine, whatever you say, you’re all I’ve got in this miserable city. If you can help. I’ll call you whatever you want to be called if you in any way help me save my brother.”
Sitting back a bit, drumming her fingers on her chair arm, Sammy had to think about it. What could she do? Something tricksy at best, that was for sure. It was worth a shot though, if she could secure a ‘loyal’ subject.
Finally, Sammy asked ominously, “If I do help you, will you pledge yourself to me? Could you believe in me, pray to me, as the god I say I am?”
Dax pursed her lips but nodded almost immediately. “If we save him, I’m yours. I’ll be in your debt forever. You’ll doom us both, but anything is better than handing my brother off to go lose his soul. Deal?”
“Deal.” Doom us both? What a Negative Nancy.
New Quest unlocked: “Justice Begets Faith” — Save the brother of Daxerris from prison.
● Rewards: Automatic conversion of Daxerris (serves as ritual). +5 FE. 5 exp credit to most relevant sub-class used during quest.
“Stop that!” Sammy whispered furiously ‘up’ at Sys.
Abandon quest?
“Wh-... no.”
Acknowledged. Quest retained.
Even utterly without emotion, even delivered as nothing more than pure informational confirmation, Sammy felt like it was so fucking smug.
Meanwhile, Dax’s eyes were cast upward as well, and she said, “Well my quest has been updated. Shit me down a barrel, you are a goddess. Doubt I could convert to some pretender. Mirrors, is it? Weird.”
1 FE gained due to user belief/acknowledgment. Note: not yet a Follower.
I guess it makes sense that others interact with the System on some level…
A random voice seemingly passing by Dax suddenly said, “Hey, are you talking to a piece of glass?”
Dax could be seen sneering off in another direction and saying, “How about you mind your own nugget-licking business, chum?”
“Right, sure…”
Sammy gloated a bit at the admittance, smiling at Dax. “I’d say you owe me an apology, but I’m not that petty.”
A wan smile in return. “Well, isn’t that a relief?”
“I need to contemplate how I’ll help, but we’ll figure something out, Daxerris Stoneboro. How long do we have?”
“Not sure. A couple of days maybe. But it’s night here, anyway. Maybe I can even sleep a few with a little hope in the wings. Depends on if we’ll need light for… whatever.”
“Can you return to where you were, collect the other shards of the mirror you broke? Not essential off the top of my head, just… useful.”
She seemed a bit embarrassed as she shrugged. “Yes… I think so. I was kind of skipping out on a semi-rented room of an acquaintance… might still be undiscovered since they’d assume I’m still renting it. I can try sweeping in and out to collect it. Not going to do them much good now…”
“Mm-hmm… also, the name and description of this fellow. Perhaps I can track him down.”
“Gentam Cutter. Skinny, late twenties, scruffy mat of brown hair, goatee, green eyes. Little red mark on his cheekbone. Supposedly he’s a messenger.”
“And you can overpower him if necessary?”
She sniffed. “With my eyes closed, My Lady. I’m a level 4 knight. There’s a reason they’re trying to ‘suggest’ me out of the picture. If there’s a fight, some people are dying.”
Sammy’s eyebrows rose. “You’re a knight?”
“It’s a long story…”
“I see. After this is all over, then.”
“I’ll even sing you a story if you make this into an all-over that isn’t from the pain of death.”
“Get the shards and get a little sleep, Dax. We’ll figure it out. And keep a mirror near you and open to the air.”
“Understood, My Lady. Farewell.”
Sammy leaned her head back after dismissing the portal, contemplating the stakes she’d gotten tangled in. She was already invested. It wasn’t an earth-shattering matter in the scheme of things, but if she pulled it off, it would probably be the most significant victory of her life. Graduating high school didn’t really compare to saving an innocent person.
Justice Begets Faith… that’s more than a game quest. I’m literally trying to help another human being. Not a game piece or an NPC…
And then she felt another familiar tug, this time from her name being spoken. Estara! It was time to finally get a Follower.
If she doesn’t get cold feet at the altar. Damn it, why does my brain go there?!