This was bad. Astrid stood on holy ground, belonging to some unknown deity, most likely one she didn’t want to meet. She searched her brain for potential candidates among the gods. Growing up, she had only owned one book, and she had read it until she had it memorized. It was a children’s book filled with tales about the kingdom of Otimra and the gods the people worshiped. This temple belonged to one of them.

Maybe the goddess of Nature owns this temple. Forests are very natural, after all. That would be the best-case scenario. Although her parents had cared little about religion, they had occasionally prayed to the goddess of Nature, especially when weather conditions threatened the crops. Most of the time, when the topic of the gods came up, it was to warn her not to get involved with them. Leaving would be the best thing to do, but the monsters still waited outside the barrier, so it wasn’t an option. Hopefully, whoever owned this temple wouldn’t mind her staying for a while.

She walked over to the temple and up a couple of steps before pushing the heavy wooden door open. It went up without a sound, which was unsettling. Doors were supposed to squeak. That way, people know when someone opened them. Carefully, she made her way inside. She wasn’t sure how to make her presence known now that the door had failed to do so. Should she call out? Was there even anyone here? The room she entered was spacious, and the only furniture was a big marble slab in the middle. That has to be the altar. All temples had one of those. A thick layer of dust coated everything, which proved it had been years since anyone was in here.

She ventured further into the room, ignoring the altar. She hadn’t come here to worship after all. Every step she took left footprints in the dust. On her left, a staircase led to the next floor, so she climbed it. Even though she hadn’t been to a temple before, she assumed it led to the sleeping quarters. Supposedly all temples had one of those too, so the priests could sleep in the temple where they worked. All she wanted was to find a place to lie down before she collapsed on the floor. She had never felt this exhausted in her life.

At the top of the staircase, she went over to a door and opened it. This one was also eerily quiet. There was something seriously wrong with this place. The new room was a long rectangle with a dozen beds lined up along the walls on either side. Here too, dust covered everything.

Astrid went over to the closest bed, pulled the sheets off, and shook it as best she could, coughing at the dust cloud it created. Then she stripped out of her dirty dress and shoes before lying down. She had thought she would doze off instantly, as exhausted as she felt, but sleep wouldn’t come to her.

Her mouth was dry and tasted like dirt, and her stomach was empty. It didn’t help that whenever she closed her eyes, images of her family being slaughtered by monsters invaded her mind. She could no longer suppress the severity of the situation she was in. The tears that had never stopped burning in her eyes fell freely down her cheeks once more as she no longer had the energy to hold them back.

At some point, she must have fallen asleep despite her distressing circumstances, but nightmares plagued her rest, and she woke up feeling as exhausted as the night before. Begrudgingly, she got out of bed, stretched her arms, and rubbed her eyes. Then she checked her health stats, as she did every morning.

Health: 10/10

Stamina: 20/20

Mana: 10/10

Focus: 10/10

Spirit: 4/10

They had all returned to their maximum values except for her spirit, which was stuck just below half. Her stamina had even gone up several points due to the bonus she had received from leveling up. Still, if her spirit remained low, it would become a problem again, and then her other stats wouldn’t matter. She had to find a solution soon, but every time she thought about the reason for the issue, her spirit would drop even lower.

Then don’t think about it, she told herself sternly. Focus on what to do instead.

With a sigh, she dressed in the same dirty dress she had worn yesterday. Not thinking about her family was easier said than done, but she had to try harder if she wanted to survive. Firstly, she needed to find water and maybe some food as well. Hopefully the monsters were gone so she could go find a stream.

Once outside, the smell of cooking food filled the air, making Astrid’s mouth water. This was unexpected, but regardless, she followed the smell to the back of the temple. There, Astrid stopped in her tracks. A black-clad figure sat on the ground, roasting meat over a small fire. A hood obscured his face, so she couldn't get a good look at him. Who was this guy? She had been certain this temple was abandoned. Yesterday, there had been no indication that anyone lived here. Maybe it was a traveler camping at the temple, as it was a safe place from monsters? However, that felt like too much of a coincidence.

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She wasn’t sure if it was safe to get close to the stranger, but she was so hungry that she figured it was worth the risk. As she got closer, the stranger looked up at her, and she caught a glance at his face. However, the more she looked, the less certain she became of his appearance. Every time she thought she saw something, it morphed into something else. Short hair grew long, then short again. Skin went from sickly pale to dark as night. The only thing that was consistent was the scrutinizing gleam in his eyes and his sinister smirk.

"Ah, you are awake. Come sit. The food is just about done.”

“Who are you?” she asked, staying where she was.

“I’m the god of this temple you have taken refuge in. My friends call me Sham.”

“You are the god of Deception,” she said, recognizing the name. This was as bad as it could get. Only criminals had anything to do with this god.

“That right. Here, eat this.” Suddenly, she sat by the fire next to Sham, ready to take the offered plate. How had this happened? A moment ago, she had been standing several feet away with no intention of getting closer. The meat on the plate made her stomach rumble.

“How do I know this is safe to eat?” It probably wasn’t the best idea to question a god like that, but she didn’t trust him.

“You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to,” he shrugged and offered her a cup of water, which she accepted as well.

She looked at the food again. It smelled so good, and she was famished. Tentatively, she took a small bite. The savory meat melted on her tongue, and in a few bites, she swallowed down the entire plate and emptied the cup.

“Thank you. That was good,” she said, remembering her manners.

“Oh, don’t thank me. Let's talk about how you are going to pay me instead.”

His words chilled her to the bone. “What do you mean?”

“Sanctuary at my temples is not given to outsiders, so we will have to rectify that.”

Well, if the god wanted payment, she could pay.

“Will a large copper cover it?” It was a lot of money for most people, so surely it would be more than enough for a night's rest and a meal.

“I have no interest in your money, although if you happen to carry any gold, I suppose I could make an exception.” He looked expectantly at her.

She shook her head. She didn’t have that kind of money. Few people did.

“Then what do you want?” she asked, dreading the answer. “I don’t have anything.”

“I want you to become my follower.”

“I’m not going to worship you.” Even though she feared angering this god, there were limits to what she would do.

“You already do.” His smirk made it run cold down Astrid’s back.

“No, I don't.”

“Of course you do. every time you lie or cheat or steal just to name a few.”

“I don’t do any of those things.”

“Everyone does and whenever someone performs actions that fall under my domain, it is a form of worship for me. There are so many, it’s impossible to avoid them all. So, I’m not asking you to worship me. I already get plenty of that. I’m asking you to follow me.” The way he said it sounded menacing and didn’t sit well with her.

“What exactly does that mean?” Her parents’ warnings about the gods flashed through her mind. Don’t get involved with gods. You’ll never get out of it again.

“You’ll pledge yourself to me. You’ll do my bidding when I want you to, and in exchange, I’ll help you.”

Astrid had no intention of doing anything this god wanted. He was evil, and she most definitely was not.

“Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline,” she said as politely as she could. Sham's demeanor changed instantly.

“Then get out of here,” he said.

“What?” The sudden shift in personality startled her.

“Leave the temple ground. Only my followers are allowed to be here.” Before she could react, the god got up, grabbed her arm, and dragged her towards the edge of the barrier.

At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal to get kicked out of the temple. Sure, she would have to find another place to stay, but that had been the plan all along, and she avoided ruining her life by devoting herself to an evil god. Then she saw the monsters. The vicious beasts were still waiting for her just outside the barrier, banging and clawing at it in an attempt to get in. Even more had gathered there since yesterday. She dug in her heals, trying to break free of Sham’s grasp.

“Please let me go. Don’t do this.” Astrid sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

Sham showed no indication that he had heard her pleas. He pulled her along, her struggles doing nothing to deter him. In a few moments, she would be shoved through the barrier, and the monsters would eat her alive. There was only one way out of this.

“Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll be your follower.” Astrid said as her resolve broke inches from the snarling face of the monster that had murdered her family.

“How wonderful.” Sham beamed. All signs of cruelty had disappeared, as if they were never there to begin with. “Let’s get started.”

“W-What do I d-do?” Astrid stammered. As she wiped the tears from her cheeks, she noticed her hands were shaking. What have I just agreed to?

“It’s simple,” Sham said. “All you have to do is kneel in front of the altar and say, God of Deception, I pledge my life to you.”

Astrid followed Sham back to the temple. She didn’t want to do this, but she saw no alternative. Sham had already proven that he didn’t take kindly to getting told no. She had no clue what Sham wanted from her after this, but she couldn’t trust that he would give an honest answer, so asking would be pointless. Becoming a follower of Deception allowed her to live, and for now, survival was all that mattered.

They arrived at the altar much too soon for Astrid’s liking. Reluctantly, she got down on her knees, gathered her hands in front of her chest, and opened her mouth. No sound came out.

“Go on,” Sham said, crossing his arms. He looked a lot bigger from her position on the floor, and she swallowed hard, trying to get her voice to work.

“God of Deception, I pledge my life to you.”

“I accept your pledge.”

A warm sensation spread through her entire body, growing in intensity until it was on the edge of being painful. For a moment, she feared she would be burned alive, but finally the feeling subsided again.

“If you need me in the future, just pray.” Sham said. “I might help, or I might not, depending on my mood. Don’t waste my time.” Then he disappeared.

“Wait. What about the help you promised me for doing this?” Astrid shouted. She got no answer, and Sham didn’t return, but a moment later she received a message.

New quest from the god of Deception

You’re surrounded by monsters and must fight your way out

Objective: defeat monsters 0 of 10

Reward: 10 large coppers

The blood drained from her face as she read. This had to be a mistake.