Mantle of the Gods [LitRPG / Slow Burn / FTB Harem]

I was sitting at a tea table on the lawn.

I blinked and looked over to my left and Justia was sitting beside me, still holding my hand. The whole scene was very confusing.

"Not what you were expecting?"

I looked across the table at Mive. "You're trapped. I thought there'd be more..!"

The landscape around us shifted from the peaceful lawn to an underground dungeon where people were screaming in pain.

"Is this what you'd prefer?' The old Fox-Man sipped his tea.

"No!" I realized I said it too forcefully. "Sorry, no. This is what I expected, but I preferred…"

The landscape shifted back to the lawn scene. I felt Justia relax just a little.

"Thanks…" I looked around. "Are you really trapped in here?"

"Just because I can control what goes on in my mind doesn't mean that I can will away those bindings." He put down his tea. "I've been trying for over a decade, trust me." He shook his head. "You've grown up so fast!" He was suddenly behind me. "Stand up, Let me look at you!"

I slowly let go of Justia's hand and stood up. "Do you know me?"

"Atlas!" Mive smiled. "Of course I know you. I knew your mother too, and no, I don't know who your father is. But I know it's not Trent. He'd never have been with her. But that's not the point…"

"Wait! You know who my mother is?!" I faced the Kitsune. The Fox-Man was a good foot shorter than me, but something about the way he held himself made him feel bigger.

"Of course." A large pillow chair appeared behind him for him to sit on. "I was the one who smuggled you into Zeb."

I waited for a few seconds, but he didn't speak. "Well? Who is she?"

"A favor for a favor, my boy." Somehow the teaspoon in his hand became big enough for him to smack me on the top of the head, then it shrank back down to regular size so he could keep stirring his tea. I was curious about how sanitary that was because I was pretty sure I had Demon blood in my hair, but maybe that part hadn't come in with me.

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"You're going to make us pay to get out of here?" Justia's voice grew aggressive. "We came here to rescue you!"

"And look at how well that is going." Mive shook his head. "But! We don't have much time, so here's the deal." He held up one finger. "Deal one. I tell you how to close the Bequeathal Chamber and you take my body with you to safety." He held up his other hand. "UMPH! That hammer you brought with you will be able to cut the physical bindings." He looked at Justia. "As this is a time-sensitive matter, I am prepared to pay up front in good faith?"

Justia looked at me.

"I think we can do that." There was a shock that felt like it pierced my heart.

"The deal has been struck." He looked at Justia. "You need some of his blood. Enough to coat your hand in it. Then place that hand on my chest. The Mantle will accept you as a High Priestess and obey your command."

"You are trying to take…"

"No! This one would never…" He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. She's yours and you can keep her." He held up a second finger. "If you can wake me up, then I will tell you who your mother was."

He had information that I so desperately wanted. And he knew it.

"That doesn't seem like an even trade." I tried to slow down my heart. I couldn't believe that I was haggling.

"You do have a point…" Mive rubbed his furry chin. "What else would you want..?"

"The demons put a seal on Astrid and Zel. Can you tell me how to remove it?"

Mive started laughing. "Tell you how to remove it? HAHAHAHA"

I let him have his fun for a few more moments. "Can you stop? We're on a clock here."

Mive wiped his snout with the back of his hand. "Fine. If I tell you how to do it, with the power you have right now, it'll kill you." He held up his finger. "You want the girls. So! You wake me up and I'll tell you who your mother was, free the girls of their seal, AND…" He paused for what I was sure was for dramatic effect. "I'll pardon your hammer there for killing the Six."

"Killing the Six?! Why?"

"They made a deal with those demons. While those with the seals can be possessed by the hole they found. The ones who they've already possessed are essentially husks. Whoever they were has been carved out, leaving them as mindless bodies that the Demons can jump into whenever they want."

"You want us to kidnap the God of the city and kill its leaders?" Justia squeezed her forehead. "You realize what happens if we fail?"

I nodded slowly. "But it sets the demons back and makes it harder for them to chase us." I looked at Justia. "This will basically just be burying them."

She didn't look convinced. It didn't help that I didn't feel convinced. But I could see the logic in it. The only problem was that Whisper wouldn't kill them, but if it came down to it, I'd do it.

"I'll do it if…" I looked at Justia. "You provide information that could be helpful to waking you up as part of the deal as well."

"A deal has been struck!" Mive clapped his hands. "Now, the two of you must go. It's getting really bad out there."