Chapter 23: A Divine Meeting
With Yttria successfully knighted, the first thing she did was invite herself over to Garfield’s place to spar. They walked over from the palace while chatting.
“Yttria, do you know what they’ll have you do now that you’re a knight?”
“I’m not sure. We lost several knights during the conflict with the orcs. Perhaps they’ll assign me to the first princess like they do with Linet?”
“That would be good, although you’ll need to keep a sharp eye on her. She snuck out of the palace when I was ill in order to quiz me about where I came from before arriving in Bretten.”
“Really!? Did you tell her?”
“Yes. She’d already managed to extract some information out of Kay anyway.”
“I see. Well, I think we can trust her.”
“I do too.”
--
Back at the manor, Garfield used his self-strengthening magic to prepare. Only magic that strengthened his body was available for the time being. They sparred for a good while with wooden swords. Yttria wasn’t at her father’s level, but she was quite skilled in Garfield’s eyes.
“Where are Hannah and Solana, by the way?”
“They’re off on a mission to carefully collect blood.”
“I see.” Yttria placed a finger to her mouth in thought. “So you’ll be all alone tonight?”
“Well, I was last night. I even had trouble sleeping. I guess once you get accustomed to—“
“Oh, allow me to help you with that.”
--
Garfield slept well. However, when he woke up he noticed not just Yttria, but also Zarla and Queen Rosa sleeping next to him on the bed.
“Wha!?”
The other three stirred.
“Garfield, what is it?” Yttria rubbed her eyes. “Huh?”
Zarla and Rosa looked at each other and started laughing. They shrunk back to their normal forms: Hannah and Solana. “We’re back!”
--
Hannah told Garfield about their short trip to the east. They made a stopover in the elf village, and an elf bequeathed a bit of blood to Solana, granting her shapeshifting. Proceeding east, they approached the orcs’ main village while in their fully-grown forms. Solana also donned her helmet and armor.
“Solana, is that…”
“Yeah…” They both noticed the orc statue depicting Deathbow at the same time.
“Our war goddess returns!” Orcs came running to greet Solana.
“Uh, why am I your war goddess?”
“You seized our village with your divine strength! No War Chief could compare!”
“That? I was just scouting.”
“See, everyone? To her, we are mere pebbles in her path!” Various orcs cheered in admiration of their new deity. “War Goddess, we are at your disposal. Guide us and grant us strength.” The orcs nearby all took a knee.
“There is one thing I need.”
“Anything! Say it!”
“Blood. My traveling companion and I need blood.”
“Blood? Certainly. How much blood do you need? My body is yours.”
“Come with me.” Solana guided the orc into an unoccupied tent. “Hannah, you should take advantage while you can.”
“Okay.”
Solana removed her helmet. The orc gasped. “Our goddess chooses the form of an elf? I never would have imagined it!” He didn’t seem terribly broken up about it.
“Let’s do it together.” Solana and Hannah bit into each side of the elated orc’s neck, drawing off a small bit of blood. Once again, he didn’t seem to mind.
“Solana, how is it?”
“I think I learned telekinesis. What about you?”
“I… I think I’m telepathic now.”
“Wow! Do you want to try sending Garfield a message?”
“No, let’s surprise him… after we visit the dwarves.”
“Okay!”
--
“Lassies, what are you doing back here?”
“We want to ask Eleha’s father something,” Hannah answered.
“Eleha?”
“She’s the dark elf who helped me defeat the dark elf General at Kegshield.”
“Oh, right, I heard of that! Come on in. Do you need help getting to Kegshield?”
“No.” The two girls vanished, leaving behind a blinking guard.
--
“It’s right through here.”
“Thank you!” Hannah and Solana received permission to visit the General, Eleha’s father.
“Y-You!”
“Hello again.”
“W-What do you want now?” The dark elf scurried to the back of his cell.
“I came here to tell you about Eleha.”
“Eleha! What happened to her? Nobody tells me anything unless it’s about ale!”
“She works for Duke Garfield in Fenwick now.”
“Work? He’d have such an important person labor for him? What a cruel man. Oh… Eleha.”
“She likes it, though.”
“What is he having her do?”
“I think she’s the magistrate who manages the Rox Region?” Hannah turned to Solana, who nodded.
“Wait, what?”
“I think she manages the Rox Region.”
“…Huh?”
“I think she—“
“I HEARD YOU!”
“Then, isn’t everything okay?”
“There’s no way a Duke would put my daughter in charge of a region… wait. What is the Rox Region? It must mean something sinister.”
“Garfield described it as the lower one-tenth of the Kingdom.” In response, the General just stared blankly.
“I think she has the hots for Garfield,” Solana suddenly interjected.
“She does, huh?” Hannah said in response, no longer paying attention to the prisoner. Neither girl seemed particularly bothered by who had the hots for Garfield, unlike a certain knight.
“Wait, maybe things do make sense then.” The wheels were turning in the General’s head as he realized Eleha probably won the Duke’s favor as part of a dark elf plan to manipulate him. How else could she be assigned such an important and dignified role, after all?
“Anyway,” Hannah continued, “we’re also here for a different reason.”
“What?”
“My friend is also a vampire and she needs blood.”
“What? Why would you come all the way here to take my blood? Go away.”
“We need a little bit of dark elf blood.”
“I don’t understand why, but even so, the answer is no. I won’t give away my blood and definitely not to an elf, vampire or not.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“We came here for your blood so that we wouldn’t have to take Eleha’s blood. Hers smells really good after all.”
“Eleha…” The General was trying to decide whether or not it added up that he needed to donate some blood now to spare Eleha later. “Fine. Do it. But make it quick.”
Solana teleported into the cell, startling the poor prisoner. Before he could react, she grabbed him and pulled him close. “Just what is it with you all…” Ignoring his protests, she bit his neck and took the minimum required blood. Unlike Eleha, he didn’t smell good at all, so she didn’t take any more.
“There. I can sense it. I can control the dead now…” She teleported out of the cell.
“You can WHAT!?”
The girls decided to leave him hanging and depart. They had no difficulty finding an agreeable dwarf who would let Solana have a bit of blood so long as they bought him a drink. Fortunately, the dwarf did not insist on imbibing the drink first, otherwise, the experience would have been rather unpleasant for Solana. “Finally! Weather manipulation!”
“Garfield said it’s atmokinesis.”
“Whatever!”
“Let’s go back.”
--
“I see. So Hannah gained telepathy and you’re just one step short?”
“Yeah. If you can’t summon that innkeeper person then I can’t follow Hannah’s path.”
“Let’s stop here and experiment a bit with the new abilities. Also, Hannah, teach Solana about how to use her new capabilities.”
“Okay.”
“How did you leave things with the orcs?”
“We told them to focus on taking care of their village. They said they wouldn’t dream of new aggression without the participation or blessing of their war goddess.”
“That should work, I guess… Yttria, what do you need to do next?”
“I’ll report to the palace to figure out what I’ll be doing next.”
“All right.” At that moment, they heard a knock on the bedroom door.
“Master, I’m very sorry to disturb you so early…”
“Come. What is it?”
“Brooke Briarwood is here and she says she desperately needs your help.”
--
“Duke!”
“What is it, Brooke?” Garfield sat opposite Brooke while Yttria, Hannah, and Solana observed.
“It’s Chrissy.”
“Your party’s attack mage?”
“Yeah.”
“Did something go wrong with the Boom Stick?”
“Maybe…”
“Go ahead and explain.”
“She was practicing her magic and collapsed. She’s been unresponsive since then!”
“Where is she now?”
“Resting at home. I can take you there. Please, help her!”
--
“Follow me!” Brooke called back as she hurried into Chrissy’s home. “She’s in here.” Chrissy’s mother was sitting with her, but the girl was asleep on her bed. The mom stood when she saw who arrived.
“Duke!”
“What happened to her?”
“Christina collapsed while practicing magic. A local healer took a look at her last night but couldn’t find anything wrong with her. She won’t wake up, though!”
“Let me have a look.” Garfield broke the prohibition on using magic in order to sense Chrissy’s condition. “Oh.”
“What is it!? Do you know what’s wrong with her?”
“I… I need to consult with someone else I know. I’ll be back soon.”
“A-All right. Please, do whatever you can for my daughter!”
“Everyone, to me.” They knew what that meant. A moment later, Garfield teleported the group back to his mansion.
“Garfield, I’m surprised to see you’re using magic again so soon…”
In response to Yttria, Garfield said, “The situation is quite serious.”
“What’s wrong with her!?” Brooke asked desperately.
“Hold that thought. Everyone wait for me.” Garfield entered the shrine within his home.
“Pandora.”
“Join me, Garfield.”
He sat down next to her. “I think I screwed up.”
“You did.”
“How do I help her?”
“Garfield, why do you think she needs help?”
“She’s been unconscious for over a day because of an item I gave her.”
“Yes, but she’s not in danger. Here, lie on your stomach.” Garfield furrowed his brow but complied and lied down on his stomach. Pandora moved over to him to massage his shoulders. “Relax for a minute.”
“Hm… I bet you’re better at this than Solana…”
“Give her a few million years and she’ll be just as good.”
“I wouldn’t put it past her…”
“Okay, good. Now, Garfield, tell me your thoughts about that girl.”
“Judging from your previous explanation about mana, she somehow became overpowered and ascended until her status changed to demigod.”
“Yes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“It’s not?”
“Garfield, of all the times a mortal has changed to a different level of existence, how many do you think were planned or expected?”
“…Probably not many.”
“Right. In a way, this is completely normal. The method was unusual, but so what?”
“What will happen to her now?”
“That depends mostly on her. Whatever best characterizes her psyche at this point will dictate her path. Just as Thoron succumbed to his jealousy, this girl was pushed beyond her limits by a drive. Whatever its nature, that drive will become her route to godhood, but only if the route is available.”
“Do you know what her ‘drive’ is?”
“No. It’s too early to say what influence will win out within her soul.”
“We can guess though, can’t we, Pandora? She seemed to want to get stronger, or perhaps to be appreciated. Could one of those goals be what defines her at this point?”
“It’s possible, although I must say succumbing to a desire to get stronger is not unique. If that is the case, she will be in a similar state as Thoron where she cannot progress. However, it will be much easier to guide her to a new purpose since she’s likely much more docile and agreeable.”
“That’s only if she wants to progress though, right? For example, I have not expressed any desire to progress regardless of what aspect best suits me.”
“True. She may not want to rush into the decision either way. Honestly, I do not feel strongly about what she should choose. You should hurry up, though.”
“Uh, message received. For Chrissy, what should I do?”
“If you feel responsible, then just be there for her. She’ll respond sooner or later.”
“All right. Thanks.”
Pandora, who had been massaging Garfield all this time, hopped off and he returned to his foyer. “Garfield, what’s wrong with Chrissy, and what did Pandora tell you!?” Brooke asked as she was clearly losing patience.
“Brooke, I promise I will do my best to help Chrissy. Pandora doesn’t think Chrissy’s in any danger to begin with. If I explain why she’s taking a long nap, I’ll need to reveal some very secret information. Are you sure you want me to tell you? I can help Chrissy even if you don’t know about it.”
“I don’t care, as long as you help Chrissy!” Garfield thought it was a refreshing change for someone to not be interested in his secrets.
“Very well. Until I finish helping her, I’ll need to ask you to stay away from her home, then. You did the right thing enlisting my help.”
“O-Okay…”
“Yttria, why don’t you go about your business? I’ll update you as soon as I know more.”
“All right. Please help her, Garfield.”
“I will.”
--
Garfield, Hannah, and Solana teleported back to Chrissy’s home. They stepped into her bedroom and noticed her mother was away.
“Garfield, can you tell us what’s going on now?” Hannah and Solana looked at Garfield expectantly.
“Yes, but of course, you can’t share this information with anyone.”
“Okay.” Both girls nodded.
“Before someone can become a god or goddess, such as Pandora, they need to go through an intermediate step, which I would refer to as a demigod. Thoron is an example of that, as am I.”
“I see…”
“My unusual magic clearly sets me apart from everyone else. I’m an anomaly, though. Normally, entities like Thoron gain great power through expanding their mana capabilities, making themselves immortal or at least very powerful.”
“What does this have to do with Chrissy?” Solana asked innocently.
“This is related to Chrissy because of that item I gave her, the Boom Stick.”
“It multiplies her spells by four, right?”
“Yes, Hannah. However, something went wrong. Chrissy’s mana is out of control, as though someone tried pouring an ocean into a small cup.”
“Won’t that hurt her?” said Solana.
“Apparently, no. I think what happened is, the Boom Stick was multiplying her mana but not actually consuming it, so Chrissy gained more mana every time she used it. Eventually, her mana levels got so high that they went out of control.”
“Does that mean…” Hannah predicted, “she’s becoming a demigod like you and Thoron?”
“Yes.”
“She is? How do we wake her up, then?”
“Solana, we’re not here to wake her up.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Pandora said Chrissy is likely fine and we can just be here for her if we’re worried.” Garfield pulled up a chair and sat next to the sleeping girl as if to demonstrate. “I’ll spare you the details but Chrissy has some decisions she needs to make.”
Garfield took Chrissy’s hand into his own in an attempt to support her. However, the moment their hands made contact, Chrissy released a white light. The two vampires jumped back, and Garfield tried to let go of her hand, however, her hand was suddenly gripping his.
Chrissy’s eyes opened as she turned to look at Garfield. “Bearclaw…”
“How do you feel?”
“I…” She looked down and assessed her condition. “I feel like I’ve accomplished my goal.”
“Your goal? What is it?”
“To be useful to you.”
“To me?”
“Yes. Ever since you saved us in that cave, I’ve wanted more than ever to grow stronger so that I could be useful to you. I suspected that you’re not capable of using the same attack magic as I am, so I thought if I mastered it you’d be able to put me to use.”
“Well, you’re right, I can’t use the same magic as you.”
“When you gave me the Boom Stick, I thought that might be a shortcut to gain some strength. Something unexpected happened and I lost control of my mana. It caused me to take on this form.”
“Form? You look the same to me…” Garfield really wasn’t sure what the attack mage meant.
“I may look the same, but…”
Garfield assessed her with magic again. She was still identified as a demigod but she now showed an aspect. Specifically, her aspect was service to the one she admires.
“I know I’m no longer human. Now that I’m like this, I can sense that you’re the same.”
“True, my existence is actually somewhat similar to yours, now.”
“I feel as though I could continue my ascension, but I would be leaving you behind. There’s no reason for me to leave this plane of existence for so long as you live like a human.”
“And so… you want to make yourself useful? How exactly?”
“I sense I can master attack magic much more easily after this change. My strength now complements your own.”
“I suppose we’ll have to test that. I should be up front about the fact that I have no desire to ascend or become immortal or anything like that. Doesn’t that create a problem for you?”
“…Yes. I’m not sure what consequences that will have for us.”
“Things just got a lot more difficult for us, didn’t they?”
“So that’s how it is.” Pandora suddenly appeared, seemingly up to speed on the recent conversation.
“Good job.” The words echoed from a shadowy cloud which took the shape of a man. “I was right about you and what you can offer me.”
“Col?” Garfield wasn’t terribly surprised to see him, but the two vampires were hiding in the far corners of the room by this point… each floating between two walls and the ceiling.
“Next, you will force Thoron to ascend and then you can join this girl as you both—“
“I won’t allow Thoron to ascend.” An androgynous person glowing yellow spoke the words right after appearing in the same room.
“When will you stop getting in my way, She’Sin?”
“When the sun expires.”
“Oh goodie.”
