Within moments of responding, Eldros materialized next to the campfire, apparently scaling his form down enough that he didn’t loom over Lanek or the Hordefather. To be fair, Lanek was willing to bet what little money he had collected in his time on this world that the Hordefather had been doing the same.
“Eldros, you look terrible. Is this what the world has reduced you to?” Wurgoth asked, looking very somber as he spoke.
“It has. My places of power are almost gone, I have but one left and two followers at this point. And you? You seem much diminished as well, old friend.”
“Most of my children have chosen to follow my siblings. At this rate, I don’t know how long I will last. In the end, it may just be that the ferals are all that will remain to fight for this world.”
“You have my sympathy. It seems that we are both hanging on by the barest of threads.”
“Yes, it does. Are all the Primordials in such dire straits?”
“I cannot say, I am only in contact with Invidros. He will not speak of his condition, but he is likely on his last legs as well. I fear that he is too focused on the Void’s nonsense to be able to fight back against his eventual passing. He needs a follower to reclaim his domain, as Lanek is doing for me.”
“Ah, is that the arrangement you have with him? A Herald?”
“He is no longer just a Herald. The System has bestowed a title upon him. See for yourself.” Eldros stated, gesturing toward Lanek. He felt power wash over him for just a moment, then silence reigned. Looking up, Lanek saw the Hordefather’s mouth hanging agape, eyes darting from the human to the Primordial.
“A Chosen? Truly? And you say the System gave him the title, not you?” At Eldros’ nod, the demigod shook his head. “I would not have believed it if I had not seen if for myself. I can sense your curiosity, Lanek. As you can imagine, something with that title has the potential for a lot of power, but I’m guessing that you don’t know just how much power. You see, no single greater power can bestow the title of Chosen, a Chosen is created to represent a pantheon. Not necessarily a pantheon in terms of a specific religious family of greater beings, but a group whose interests align. The fact that the System gave you this title means that things have become dire enough that it is desperate and has decided to become involved more directly.” Wurgoth explained.
“It wasn’t bad enough before this? The world seems like its been beyond screwed for centuries! And my Chosen title only talks about the Wild and makes no mention of any other powers, so maybe its not the same thing?” Lanek exclaimed.
“Something must have changed, something beyond our knowledge and perception. As for your title, it is indeed the same as what came before. The Wild is indeed my domain, but it is a part of a larger domain. For example, Invidros and his storms fall under that greater domain as well, the domain of Nature.”
“Indeed, and there are demigods that are under that domain as well, such as myself. My followers and I have always been tied to nature. While the other races seem to think that orcs and goblins live on the edges of civilization because they are savage monsters, it is actually due to their ties to nature and desire to live alongside it. Even when my followers did build their empires, they did not destroy the land around it. In the case of the most successful of my followers, the empire she built only had a single city that was somewhat larger than Caelis. The rest of the empire lived in small villages and towns scattered across her territory. In order to not be a burden to the land, even specific clans would often be scattered across multiple villages. This particular Khan even kept her fortresses relatively small, preferring to build fortifications at key points rather than an entire fortified city. I am pretty sure that Harad and his followers would fall under Nature’s domain as well.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me.” Eldros responded. “The Great Bear’s servants have produced great shamans and druids in the past.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Before we get too sidetracked, I think I might have a guess as to what has changed, but I’m not sure if it is accurate or if the source told me the truth.” Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Lanek proceeded to relate what he had learned from his conversation with the gaunt.
“Fuck. These stronger servants of the ‘masters’ could very well be the reason for the System’s intervention. Maybe it has recently started encountering them and has already lost a few worlds to them? It could also mean that the System has determined that these servants are already beginning to mobilize against this world.”
Eldros nodded in agreement at Wurgoth’s words. “It could be. I don’t know how much power you have left, but we need to rally and prepare.”
Wurgoth sighed heavily. “This is going to be bad. I don’t know if we will have the strength to win, but I’m not going to go down quietly. Lanek, this could be a bit unpleasant for you.”
Before Lanek could ask any questions, he felt a burst of surprise from Eldros as Wurgoth began flooding him with energy. It didn’t hurt so much as cause his mind to go completely blank as he felt a powerful connection form between himself and the demigod. It was too much for him to process, so much so that he lost consciousness.
“Could you afford that output of power right now?” Eldros asked.
“Barely. But I cannot leave this battle to you alone nor can I ignore the presence of a Chosen. With this, our fates are tied together and he will have a much better chance of restoring our power. Also, I’m not going to allow the System’s aid to go to waste now that the damn thing is actually ready to help.”
“Agreed, and thank you. We are asking much of Lanek, especially for a world that is not his own. Do you think Harad would join his power to ours? Invidros might, but I doubt he has the power to spare right now.”
“I believe Harad will, but only once Lanek gets his people to Caelis. The last time we spoke, Harad’s powers were at their limit with aiding the last pockets of his people and he will not abandon them for anything.”
“How about any others?”
“I’m not certain, but maybe if the steppe nomads are still around. Possibly some of the barbarian tribes. But I haven’t been in touch with any of them or the powers that they follow in centuries. How about you? You always had close ties to the elves.”
“I’ve not felt the presence of the elven powers in over a millennium.”
“Well, shit. Either way, I need to go now and let my shaman know that Lanek is who he claims to be. I hope that we can speak more often in the future.”
“As do I. It is odd to admit it, but it has been lonely these last thousand years.” Eldros said quietly as he took his leave.
Meanwhile, Wurgoth looked depressed at the thought that they could possibly be among the last of the powers left on this world. “There used to be so many of us…”
----------------------------------------
Lanek awoke with a start, clutching his head at the pressure that built up. His companions rushed to his side, but calmed themselves as they felt Lanek’s relief when the pressure began to fade. With a shuddering breath, he brought up the nagging notification that had been persistently blinking at him since he awoke.
Chosen [Legendary][Wilds] has become Chosen [Legendary][Nature].
You have become the Chosen of Nature, as such your fortunes and powers are tied to those of your patrons. The stronger the powers of this domain become, the more influence you will have over nature. As a Chosen of a greater power, you are expected to expand their domain and defend it. In order to achieve these goals, you are now able to learn a larger variety of skills and abilities, namely those belonging to Nature-aligned classes.
With the pledging of another power to the cause, your title has evolved. With the support of an additional power, new classes abilities and skills will become available to you in exchange for your offerings. Should you gain the support of additional powers, more boons will become available.
Pledged powers: Eldros [Primordial of the Wild], Wurgoth [Hordefather]
Is that what he was doing? Well, I’m not going to complain. Hell, I was already planning on helping Wurgoth out since he gave me that Khan title and he seemed to be a benevolent entity. I wonder if spending my reward stones will make them both stronger or if it depends on what I buy?
Both. It is not as big of a boost to our power as increasing Wurgoth’s followers or expanding my domain, but it does help.
Thanks, boss. I guess I should spend some of these stones, then.
Indeed.