Unforged

Shadow

It had been three weeks since George had found him in that guarded safehouse and they'd had their... conversation. The meeting had been remarkably short, all things considered, ending just before the dawn of the next day. It had still been immensely productive. Both Shadow and George had placed many of their proverbial cards upon the table, and it had quickly become clear that their interests aligned, even if Shadow had no doubt at all that neither of them had shared everything they knew. For one, he still didn't have an actual answer to how George had uncovered his real name. That was irksome. Yet they'd come to an agreement of sorts. They had scheduled another meeting for three weeks in the future.

Today.

Shadow had pressed for longer, but that had been one of the few requests George had outright refused. His vehemence, in fact, had caused Shadow to wonder if George might have some sort of deadline that he was pushing up against. Shadow hadn't been able to confirm or deny that in the weeks since, no matter how much he'd attempted to dig into his new associate.

At least George hadn't argued about Shadow holding onto the shard. Perhaps that was because they both knew pushing on that issue would have ended in hostilities, regardless of the reason. Perhaps it might have even ended up completing Shadow's new Path quest.

It had taken a large chunk of those three weeks, but Shadow was finally fairly confident that, despite all his attempts to avoid the divine, he'd fallen in with one. It felt totally wrong to call George a 'man,' given what Shadow now knew. But until George proved untrustworthy, Shadow would count the being as his ally. Or what passed for one in Shadow's world.

For how long will he remain an ally? Shadow wondered.

He had begun to feel that familiar, irritating itch at his lack of certainty. Just another cause for concern among the many that had arisen since their first meeting.

Yet here he was, approaching their agreed-upon rendezvous point, hoping for... He wasn't even sure what he hoped to achieve from this meeting. Answers, obviously, as he always wanted answers, but to which of his countless questions might those answers apply? He had his suspicions, especially since George had requested they meet here.

Shadow had actually heard of this place long before George's suggestion. The source was one of Christopher's contacts whom he'd known even before the meeting where Shadow had risked burning that bridge. Shadow had grown to respect, if not trust, the contact thanks to his entirely mercenary nature: the contact only owed allegiance to Christopher, and everything else he did for gold. Shadow had certainly paid enough to learn of this place, and he'd saved it in the recesses of his memory as a place he could fall back on just in case. He hadn't previously found the need to visit it, but certain circumstances pushed the boundaries of security.

It was meant to be another warded, enchanted, and supposedly deity-free zone. He could feel the moment he passed through those wards, too. He was impressed with the loose weaving of the magic that comprised the dome, since the large gaps in it helped make it much less glaringly obvious to his [True Sight]. It was clever enchanting, and Shadow had no doubt that this was yet another place people would pass by without any understanding of what truly lay before them.

As he drew nearer, and got a better look at the layout of the ruins, he could not believe his eyes. It looked like some sort of ruined church, of all things. He'd never seen one that looked so old, or fallen to such disrepair. Now normally Shadow had nothing but disdain for any of the gods, whether they be familiar, forsaken, or forgotten, but in this moment, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly had befallen this church to be so utterly devoid of the usual sacraments.

Whatever it was had happened long ago. He deemed it not a cause for current concern. Not when there was more important work to do. To not be caught off guard, he'd arrived early and immediately begun scouting the surrounding terrain. His [True Sight] had proven just how lifeless and boring the crumbling ruin within the wards was. The nearly-invisible dome protected the entirety of the small hill upon which the ruin rested, and the size of the wrecked foundation suggested the place had once been quite expansive. Perhaps it had even been majestic in its prime. There had been history here once, and lots of it, no matter what its current barren nature suggested. Just as with any of the magic or divinity that must have suffused this place, now it was all gone. There was little left of this place other than its broken stone walls.

As he scoured the interior, he verified the reports for himself and found that there truly were no lingering traces of divinity. The wide, central room boasted a perfectly flat floor, which itself must have been a marvel back whenever this place was originally constructed. He could tell that the building had been ancient long before its surroundings had crumbled, and surprisingly all the materials that remained had withstood the tests of time well enough to beg the question about when, exactly, such an event might have happened. There was plenty of evidence, at least to Shadow's experienced eyes, suggesting that this ruination had been forceful.

The remains of its surrounding walls were all barely knee height now, and while the shattered stone edifices suggested that there might have once been windows, nothing remained of them. There was no glass, no framework, and no signs at all of what they might have depicted. There were also no chairs, no seats, and no stairs, meaning that it truly had been flat even before it had been flattened. Nowhere might a preacher or clergyman have stood above his flock. Shadow found that oddly uncharacteristic, and he stored it away. As a result, though, sightlines were phenomenal. No one in this place would ever be surprised by anyone else's approach unless they tried to do so invisibly. Of course, Shadow's [True Sight] would prevent that, pointing them out as surely as if they were wrapped in the sun.

There will be no surprises of that nature, at least.

For the better part of an hour, he sifted through the ruins, seeking any clues to what this place might have been, and who it might have served. He was curious by his very nature, after all. Anyone else might have merely been satisfied to know that it would serve its current purpose well, but Shadow wanted to know more. He wanted to dig into its past purposes, especially since he had the luxury of time on his side. He also had an inkling as to why his current ally had wanted to meet here.

He was surrounded by what felt like even more support for his blooming suspicions: no symbols marred any of the well-preserved floors; none of the masonry seemed to show artistic renditions of the typical, indoctrinating images; if anything, every surface was plain and smooth, even those that had fallen. This was the least traditional church Shadow had ever encountered.

A distantly placed [Shadow Clone] alerted him to George's approach well before Shadow might have seen him himself. Shadow stopped sifting through debris and returned to the large central room where he decided he would sit in wait, cross-legged, on the floor.

"Just how early were you?" George's familiar voice eventually asked.

"Early enough that I figured out why you wanted to meet here," Shadow replied, choosing not to stand.

Shadow watched carefully as George didn't even blink an eye. "Did you, now? And what exactly do you believe you've 'figured out'?"

"I know what, and who, you are," Shadow replied coolly. "And this place, unless I'm mistaken, used to be devoted in its own oblique way to you." He held the newcomer's gaze steadily, not willing to be the first to blink.

"That's a wild thing to say though, isn't it? What, do you think I'm--?"

Shadow interrupted the man's flowing speech with the incisive answer before he could twist or deny anything: "A god."

Clearly affected, the being called George paused his approach, staring hard at Shadow from across the flat tiles.

Shadow remained quiet, not giving George anything new to read.

"You really didn't like that I knew your name, did you?" George asked.

"I did not," Shadow admitted. "But even beyond that, my Path is one that seeks answers. You gave me too few about yourself, so I had to go digging."

The man chuckled lightly, playfully. "If I was a god, who would I be?"

Shadow's face lit into a light smile that verged on predatory. "I had several considerations, once the idea came to me. I've spent a lot of my life trying to avoid your kind, you know, and learning about them helped me to do that."

"Oh, please, go on," George quipped.

Shadow nodded. It wasn't often he got the chance to show off his investigative prowess, and by going through the list aloud he might also be able to glean something of George's opinions of his peers. Maybe even figure out which gods he would like there to be 'a few less' of. If there's some sort of 'divine divide,' it will be good to see who his compatriots may be.

Shadow began ticking off fingers. "You're clearly not The Sovereign or The Explorer, as you're here. You're not The Hope or The Grandfather, because you're willing to scheme in the darkness with me. You're not The Bloodied or The Ever-Scarred for similar--though completely opposite--reasons, as they'd no doubt take great pleasure in doing all of this themselves. And you're not Weaver since I've heard your voice, and you also seem to care."

None of those names had caused any sort of change in George's demeanor. Unsurprisingly, the god had a great poker face, too. But Shadow was determined to find out whether or not it was flawless.

"By presenting as male, I could clearly rule out The Embrace. Despite being appropriately conniving, she's too egotistical to ever don such a dissimilar guise."

George's face was mostly under control, but there was a slight uptick at the corner of his eye, a little micro expression, that told Shadow that The Embrace was not George's friend. Good to know.

"Gender and appearances never stopped Plenty before, and I seriously considered her for a while, but the motives didn't quite track. And I doubt Plenty would seek to entreat with someone like me without making a much more potent offer, no offense."

This time, George's lip had pouted ever so slightly. "None taken," the god replied.

"There were many other gods that I eliminated due to your interest in the mortal world at all--"

"Of course."

"--And I was able to remove several more that haven't really shown, at least over the last century, any inclination to involve themselves except as it directly fed their own progress." He paused, giving a dramatic little sigh purely for effect. "Which brought me to the Old Gods."

Here George's left eyebrow twitched minutely upward, which Shadow immediately recognized as interested recognition. I knew it, he thought.

"It truly was that 'few less gods' comment that led me down that road. There aren't many from the new pantheon that seem to take a broad enough view of the divines to consider scrutiny, let alone limiting them. That comment stuck with me. I'm going to bet you're The Faithless. He's the one that seems most charged with reeling in other divines. Or making some of them outright disappear."

George now took a few steps forward, face totally unreadable, until he crossed his legs and sat down a few paces from Shadow, clearly mirroring the man's comfortable, confident position. It was far from the least threatening gesture the god could make in that moment, but it felt like a sign of solidarity. When the god looked up again, he was smiling in an open, contented way. "Damn. You are bloody clever."

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The praise sounded genuine to Shadow.

The god continued, "If anything, I'm a bit miffed that you were able to find information about me at all. Perhaps later you could tell me how and where... But later. For now, yes, the few in this realm that know the real me call me The Faithless. Just Faithless, if I can help it."

Shadow pulled his hands away from his sides, leaving behind the daggers that had been waiting there, and rested them openly on his knees. "I'd love to know how you did it--make some of the old gods vanish."

"Most of them, actually," the god called Faithless corrected, "but I am afraid I cannot tell you that here and now. We have other, more pressing business to attend to first. Events have not waited for us to speak, you know."

"I'm sure," Shadow said with derision. "If what you've been telling me so far is true, I can only guess at how frustrating it must be for you that the gods have been more active lately."

Faithless tilted his head slightly as he quirked a quick grin. "It's only gotten worse since our last meeting, too. There's an undercurrent of discontentment with the current malleability of the status quo--"

"Among the gods?" Shadow asked.

"Some of them," Faithless answered. "There's a... Conclave of sorts, wishing to create a stasis--for lack of a better term--amongst the mortals."

Shadow didn't like how that sounded one bit, but he pressed on with more questions. "With what intent? And are you really telling me there's some kind of divine conspiracy?"

"That isn't wholly inaccurate. Their intent... is to assure their own eternal dominion."

Shadow drummed his fingers against his kneecap. That, at least, sounded like the gods he'd always loathed. "Yet somehow my little shard may be able to stop them."

Faithless's eyebrow flashed briefly. "Have you had any further luck with it?"

"It's... difficult," Shadow began, but he still didn't quite know how to describe the way interacting with the [Fraction of Oblivion] worked, or how it made him feel. Merely holding it in his hand was both terrifying and exhilarating, and that was despite Shadow having already spent years learning to master his emotions. There was also the question of whether he should share that it offered him a Path quest and class change. Shadow had no doubts that a god would know exactly how monumental that was. Still, Shadow did want to share something with his ally.

"I can tell it wants to kill though," he said.

"Gods?" Faithless asked.

"Perhaps," Shadow admitted. "Is such a thing possible?"

"Perhaps," Faithless mirrored. "What if we gave it another target first?"

"It's still not exactly a weapon, but--"

"But you're quite creative, aren't you?"

Shadow smiled. "I can be. Who do you have in mind?"

"Someone you already know and love. The man called Brightside."

Shadow internally shuddered at the memory of the man and his slippery charisma, but he didn't let that show. "Has it gotten so bad that you officially want him dead?"

"I absolutely cannot be involved or connected."

Shadow waved a hand dismissively, noting the complete non-answer the god had given. "Oh, I understand all of that. Contracted assassin, remember?"

"Right. But don't you also want Brightside dead?" the god asked.

"I suppose," Shadow admitted, "but that's somewhat personal and not something I'd do outright without further provocation. I'd rather just stay away from the bastard. Perhaps, though, you could add more justification that tips that scale the other way. Why are you out to stop him?"

Faithless inhaled and looked upward, as if checking the sky above them for some sort of sign. Then his eyes turned to take in the rest of the ruins before settling on Shadow again. "They seek to raise him, to assist in his Ascension, for their own purposes."

The thought of current gods assisting future Ascensions was troubling, certainly, but Shadow was stuck on the more specific concern: "Brightside would be the next god?" The very thought of it brought bile into the back of his throat. He remembered how smoothly and callously the man had manipulated the meeting with Christopher, even to the point of moving the great half-giant to the proverbial passenger's seat of his own carriage. If he's already so powerful now, what would happen should he ascend to godhood? How much more potent will his manipulations grow? Perhaps that's what they want.

Another thought occurred to Shadow. "They've been pruning the list all along, haven't they? Selecting who can and cannot ascend?"

Faithless smiled. "Not 'all along,' as this realm has existed for a very long time. But lately, yes."

Shadow sighed. 'Lately,' for a god as old as The Faithless, could be centuries. Or longer. "My contract for the Brightshield and his entire party?"

"Among others."

Perhaps the assassin had already known it. His contract had been too good, and Brightside had been too open and proud of it when he'd claimed responsibility in the meeting.

"But there's more, Shadow, and I can only tell it to you if you agree to kill Brightside."

"I have to agree first, without knowing my payment?"

"You do," the god confirmed. "I will not share it otherwise, as it may actually be the greatest secret of the realm."

"You're serious," Shadow said, but the god did not respond except to blink his eyes. Well fuck me. So now I have to convincingly pretend that I'm considering holding out. He stayed quiet as long as he could, blinking periodically, even calling up a few of his skills, like [Calendar], to aid in his delaying. Then, considering something, he used [Identify] on the being seated across from him.

[Jorg, Son of Andris, human, level 293 [T6], ascended overseer]
{{Warden of Kaia}}

"Bloody gods," he whispered, as the information was much more than he'd ever expected to see. Clearly 'George' had lowered his wards, at least for the moment. What in the name of the realm is 'Kaia'?

"Perhaps someday," Faithless responded in what Shadow realized was an acknowledgment to something he hadn't fully considered: making gods bleed.

"Fine," Shadow relented. "I can't turn away from a secret like that. I just can't, and you're bound to already know that."

"Yeah, I figured, but you still put on an enjoyable show," the god replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "And from it you'll get more than you realize."

Shadow nodded. "Thanks for that. Also, holy shit, I now aspire to hit your level some day."

The ancient god smiled. "Perhaps, if you live a couple dozen millennia. Maybe we shall see."

"But that secret?"

"Hold, Shadow. Would you be willing to enter into an Oath with me, that you will not tell another person this information until either you have my permission or our business is resolved."

Shadow bristled. "Hang on a moment." He could feel the weight of the god's very presence entering into his words. "Why must this be by Oath? And what does that last part even mean? I'm not about to swear an Oath with terms I'm not fully clear on."

"Wise and prudent. Of course, let's go into details."

"You stipulated until 'our business is resolved.'"

The god tucked his chin slightly. "Until the conspiracy is broken, or the first of us dies."

"And by 'us' you mean--"

"A god."

Shadow swallowed. "To be crystal clear, that's never been done before, right?"

"Correct."

"So, conceivably, I may never get to speak about this ever again?"

"I could give you permission."

"Right..."

"And besides, don't you trust your own skills?"

"Even my skills have limits," Shadow replied. He narrowed his eyes. "Given what we're talking about doing--killing bloody gods--we might reach mine, and soon. Why are you protecting this secret so tightly?"

"Because this knowledge has only ever been known by those who have ascended, and as you no doubt recall, I am not interested in creating more gods."

Shadow clenched his fists as he extracted the unspoken truths from the god's words. "And somehow this information would encourage that. As if people don't already chase Tier 6 like some starving dog--"

"Or make it easier," the god interrupted.

Shadow's eyes narrowed. "How?"

"Give me your Oath, and I will tell you."

The god stood, took the final two steps to stand just before Shadow, and held out his open hand.

I fucking hate gods, Shadow thought as he also stood, and for a moment he just stared at the outstretched hand.

You are about to enter into an Oath with Jorg, Son of Andris.
Be advised:
This agreement is binding and must be Willingly Accepted. Once agreed upon, it cannot be broken without also breaking your Path. Be clear of the terms and requirements being placed upon you before agreeing to them.
Are you sure you wish to proceed?

The notification wasn't surprising, given the importance of the event, but seeing as this would be the first Oath Shadow had ever entered into, he spent a few seconds considering and cataloguing the language of the warning. Clearly, this was not to be taken lightly.

"There's no other way?" he asked.

The hand remained, and the god smirked. "You could always try to kill me for it."

Fucking gods, Shadow thought. Then he reached out and grasped the god's hand.

There was a moment of quiet as the Oath settled into him, and a weight seemed to press down upon his spirit. Then, when he was finally able to breathe again, he reopened his eyes, and it was as if nothing in the world had changed at all except that he was clasping hands with a god.

"And now," Faithless began, "you can finally learn the travesty of Truths."

"What?" Shadow asked immediately. He had not missed the extra emphasis the god had placed on the final word. "What's a Truth?"

The god indicated that they should sit again, and as they did he began to talk.

"That is exactly the question you should be asking. You see, before someone can begin their Ascension, before they fundamentally alter themselves and rise to godhood, they find their Truth, which gives one an incredible opportunity, one moment in the course of the realm to alter the realm, forever. You see, to become a god, you must speak one Truth--one thing that you and your Path wills into existence--and the realm changes to not only accept it but become it."

Shadow's mouth clamped shut as he considered the repercussions. "And these Truths can be anything?"

"So far, it seems so, as long as they are a natural and legitimate extension of one's Path."

"What was your Truth?" Shadow asked.

The old god smiled. "I wanted a way to rein in gods, to get them off the table permanently, if the situation demanded it, but in retrospect I've come to realize that my Truth was shortsighted and rushed. As most are, traditionally. And now you and I are attempting to rectify and revise my original intent."

"You didn't really answer my question."

"I did not. Let's pretend that the wording was lost to the ages."

Shadow suspected that would be the best answer he'd get, so he moved on to his next question. "Do you know any other gods' Truths?"

"I've been led to believe that it was The Explorer, long ago, who stated that the Realm would ever expand."

"The Frontier. That was him," Shadow whispered in awe.

"Quite right," Faithless said. "And following his example much, much, later on, inspired by him some would say, The Sovereign stated that his city, Perpetua, would never stop growing."

Shadow stopped moving, recognizing just how literally both of those things--Truths, he now knew--had come to pass.

After an appropriately dire silence, the god spoke again. "Two different but equally impactful Truths from new and fairly self-interested gods. Imagine what someone like Brightside could change, having been guided more carefully."

Shadow could only imagine. "How close is he to ascending?"

"I couldn't say. But I do know he's only one of a handful they've got their eyes on."

"How exactly do you know so much about this conclave and their ascending aspirants?" Shadow asked, not outright accusing, but close enough.

To his credit, the god did not deny it. "I have been a part of their meetings. I have voiced my displeasure, too, with some of the directions they've elected to take."

"I'm your backup plan?"

"No, Shadow. You're rapidly becoming my primary plan."

"Shit," the assassin said. "This is much bigger than I thought it was, and far more dangerous."

The god tilted his head. "That's why we could not delay more than this, and why you must begin making preparations as quickly as you can."

Shadow nodded his understanding. Too many thoughts and beginnings of plans began to spin through the half-elf's mind, and none of them had been about running away from this task. It was no meaningless quest that could be dismissed and forgotten about. This was the future of the realm.

But can I do it? He wasn't sure. No, rather he was sure, and the answer was one he didn't love. I can do it, but not alone.

It was counter-intuitive for Shadow, as doing things solo had always been his preferred modus operandi. But his Path was changing, so maybe now it was time for him to change, too.

He'd done something like this before, after all, and it had worked out very well for him. Perhaps he could make that sacrifice once again. He knew he could, for the realm.

It was time to form a team to take out Brightside.