World Walker Park [Magical Amusement Park Base-Building]

The gods, the entire pantheon, descended, crunching their immortal feet into the gravel of World Walker Park's entrance path. They arrived to a backdrop of gold and white, brass horns and siren song. The air vibrated heavenly, the forest grew toward their presence. They stood tall, even the hunched ones, looming over the park and early arrived guests.

Some floated down on angel wings and ivory feathers, others fell like meteoric lead balls, a few drifted with the wind, and others simply appeared. They took many divine forms—bodies of glowing motes, limbs of wide eels, mortal-ish skeletons with impossibly deep eyes. Most were humanoid, yet some were simply amalgamations of divine energy given shape.

Yet in that sea of kneeling mortals, two stood. First was Luka, an Earthling and, at this moment, a peeved man. Some might question his defiance, wondering why he did not grovel at the benevolence of the gods. He would, when asked in the future, respond in kind, explaining his position of rebirth, life, and the subsequent near kidnapping of his daughter. Millennia from now, devout scholars will debate if his standing in this moment constituted heresy.

The second standing was Vale, an eldritch-former-god-thing. Her standing was expected and warranted no further study or debate. She did nod politely and prepared a mug of jrum for each god—but that information would be long lost to time… except when she brings it up while drinking. Apparently, in six thousand years, Vale was still miffed that the gods ignored her generosity and forwent her offered drinks.

Vale was petty like that.

Luka scanned the gods, not finding the reason for all this nonsense. "Where is God Hyrin?"

In his immortal divine body, God Neb was a nebulous constellation of stars and space dust. He stepped forward and, his voice like wind chimes, said, "'God Hyrin' does not exist as he appeared to you or us. Rather, he is a Trickster, a very powerful one. Perhaps he is actually a god, perhaps not."

Luka rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. "What?"

"Hyrin, or whatever he actually calls himself, tricked us. Played us. Fooled us."

"You're gods!"

"Indeed. But we are not omniscient. We hold purview over aspects of our reality." Neb gestured at himself. "Stars and space for me," he gestured at a woman made of flaming fruit, "spices for Goddess Listerel," he gestured to a man made of titanium scales, "and smithing metals for God Ironfell."

Luka knew this already and yet, hearing it presented as points of failure in this situation bugged him. They were gods! They should at least know when one of their own is a fake!

"Ah," Neb said, reading his mind, "you forget that a Trickster God is a god in their own right. Just as I understand and can taste spices and know the chemical bonds in an infinite number of metal alloys from all across the known universes, I only hold power and authority on the stars and space. A trickster can fool even me, because that is their authority."

Luka scowled. "Stay out of my head, old man."

Gasps sounded from the crowd.

Neb simply chuckled, the nebulous gasses that made up his body shifting from green to sea foam. "I am old, you are correct. And in my life I've seen countless things. Yes—I am a god. But just like last time with Vale, my power is limited. Some might have been able to find the trickster better than I, yes. But that is risky, because they could be the trickster playing multiple roles. Until the trickster revealed himself or his faithful did on accident, I could not act."

"You or Tippy could have warned me," Luka practically growled.

"Unfortunately, not. The other gods forbid our favoritism." God Neb did not shy away from lacing his words with disdain for the topic. Obviously, he thought the barring of World Walker Park from the divine—except in dire circumstances—was foolish. And played right into the trickster's pocket.

"Annie being kidnapped didn't warrant a warning?"

"A direct one, yes. Tippy warned you the best she could, remember?"

Don't get a haircut. The words echoed in Luka's mind. How was he supposed to connect that to Annie's potential kidnapping!? And frankly, Annie's potential kidnapping should have warranted a direct warning!

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Reading his mind again, Neb added, "The trickster is not a murderer by his very nature. Annie, even if kidnapped, would eventually be returned to you and yours. Maybe you would have to pay a ransom, maybe she would be polymorphed into a lizard, maybe she would…"

Neb trailed off, the thoughts in Luka's mind bordering on unspeakable.

The god then cleared his nebulous throat and said, "I concede my point, you are correct. I apologize. I or Tippy should have broken the favoritism barring and warned you the moment we realized. All of this could have been avoided."

Some of the other gods grumbled at this, obviously not happy.

"What do you people want!?" Luka shouted at them. "Why bar Neb and Tippy at all? Explain it to me, 'gods!'"

The crowd of mortals teetered. The gathering of gods churned. Luka stood firm before them all.

It was Goddess Racorn, of the Hunt, who stepped forward. She was outwardly an elf made of dancing wind, with thick furs wrapped around her neck like a queen hunter. A silver gale bow floated behind her; an arrow of tempest nocked on the string. Wind carried her step, and her long neck almost seemed to grow as she neared. She was a dozen steps away and no larger than a mortal elf yet was taller than Ressen.

"We barred us gods from interfering with World Walker Park because of favoritism."

With that, she stepped back.

Luka stared. Then, with the most sarcasm he had ever pumped into a sentence, he said, "Well, that might be the most thought provoking, helpful statement I've ever gosh darn heard! Thank you for your incredibly insightful response! Those that follow you must come to your temples all the time for advice!"

The crowd of mortals gasped, although most agreed with Luka. The gathering of gods… agreed as well.

Racorn paused in her retreat back to her people, slowly turned back to the World Walker, and whispered, "I used to be respected."

If anyone heard, they did not show it.

Racorn then straightened her back and said loudly, "We barred World Walker Park for one simple reason: eighty one days ago, on the eve of the park's first expansion, you told the orc known as 'Tram' that you did not like the idea of the gods holding plots of land within the park to offer services, sell items, and/or prescribe faith. At the time it was not a 'big deal,' but soon the park grew into this." The wind picked up around the park, emphasizing. "So, we had to act."

Luka remembered that conversation very well… and yet he changed his mind a monthish later and allowed God Hyrin—who was secretly Trickster Hyrin—a plot of land, thus opening the barbershop. Obviously, to him, his feelings on the subject had changed. Eighty one days ago, he hardly knew what a mug of jrum was, how was he supposed to know the gods of this world were—mostly—cool people?

His thoughts instantly went to Neb, Tippy, Rion, and Goddess of Brews, Bylow—the gods who had helped the park and his family in these trying times.

From the back of the gathering of gods, Goddess Bylow pumped her fist and yelled, "See? I am the 'cool' goddess! I just won so many bets from so many different people!"

Her laughter filled the air, and suddenly every mortal present found their fists wrapped around the handles of two frothy mugs of mead! Except for Luka and the kids present, who were given root beer. Most of the mortals downed their mugs in seconds, the alcohol needed for the event unfurling before them.

Luka dropped the mugs—which divinely disappeared before they spilled—and asked, "Is that seriously the reason why you barred the park? Because you were upset with me for not allowing the gods a plot in the park to open a souvenir shop?"

Grumbles echoed from the gods.

"Well, yes," Goddess Racorn said.

Luka stared dumbfoundedly. Sarcastically he said, "I hereby decree, as overseer of this park, if any gods want a shop in my park, they need to schedule an appointment via divine post to negotiate. And since the gods are petty crybabies, all gods must do it in person themselves. No sending a priest or something on their behalf."

Before the outrage about calling the gods crybabies, Luka quickly asked, "God Neb and Goddess Tippy, would you mind arbitrating these negotiations? Any input you would give me would be welcome, and it would be a prime time to scan for tricksters or whatever."

Other than Neb, Tippy, and her brother, Rion, the gods turned eerily silent. The others all stared at Luka then Neb and Tippy, hatching plans and remembering long lost favors.

Racorn, however, said, "Acceptable. We will be in touch. World Walker Park is no longer barred from divine influence." She paused for a moment then added, "Perhaps, as speaker for my siblings, you would look upon our negotiations favorably?"

Luka blinked. "No."

The Goddess of the Hunt pursed her lips and said, "What if I add a sweetener?"

"I'm listening."

"There are three in this crowd of mortals waiting to enter the park that engage in peeing on, not in, public toilets as a pass time. They are independent of each other and have made many janitorial professionals sigh in frustration. Apparently this hobby is a thing."

Three older-than-teenage-aged adults suddenly were sprinting away from the park.

Luka watched them go; face plastered to his palm.

***

The trickster formerly known as God Hyrin watched the World Walker from the crowd. He had to reevaluate his plans, but that was fine. He had a trick or two to play still.