Each god came forward and spoke to Duke in turn, offering gifts and boons. The first was Vithshrek. He bowed to Duke and held out an ornate sword hilt-first to him.
Duke looked at the sword with disdain, “You know I can’t use that.”
“That is my boon to you. For showing such honor and willingness to fight for our world, your curse has been lifted. Take the sword and use it with my blessing.”
Duke took the sword’s hilt in his hand and IDENTIFIED the blade.
*** You have found Ascendril. This is the divine blade forged for Vithshrek, the Teldin god of swords. It is a blade forged from divine iron refined from the god’s own blood. It is a blade of power and authority. The wielder of this blade can never be disarmed and strikes twice as hard as their skill and strength should allow. The blade is eternally sharp and nigh unbreakable. ***
As he read the information about the blade, he felt something wash over him followed by another prompt.
*** You have been granted a new Skill, Swordsmanship. This Skill is granted at the Master rank. ***
Vithshrek stepped back as Duke thanked him, allowing Ghastul to step forward. As he spoke, he produced a ring which he handed to Duke, “We have stood in opposition much like Vithshrek, but I have seen the greatness within you and must acknowledge it. I would see your path continue beyond this world. This token will help you in your journey.”
Again, Duke thanked the god and IDENTIFIED the item.
*** You have found a Ring of Fate’s Avoidance. This ring will negate one fatal blow. It is effective against any attack under the level of a divine immortal. ***
The next god to step forward was the one shrouded in darkness. They approached Duke silently gliding along the ground despite their steps stirring the dust. They extended a gloved hand holding a pair of boots. They did not say anything, but their masked nod spoke of solemnity and respect. Duke thanked them and IDENTIFIED the boots.
*** You have found Midnight Boots. These boots are enchanted to greatly dampen the sound your footfalls make, granting an effective two-rank increase in your Stealth Skill. They also can exude shadows to cloak you for up to one hour per day, providing another rank increase in stealth. ***
The next god to come forward was dressed in ornately embroidered robes and coats with chains of gold beset with jewels and gems. He had multiple rings on each finger as well as earrings studded with jewels. He smiled at Duke, “If you have not already guessed, I am Emrae. My domain include merchants and wealth – something you should be well familiar with I would say. My gift to you is simple but powerful. Your Aura of Prosperity can now travel with you, but also still be centered on your own kingdom.”
“That is truly a grand gift. You have the thanks of my people.”
The god smiled at Duke again before continuing, “The prosperity your kingdom will bring to Teldin will be needed to rebuild this world and prepare it for joining the greater cosmos.”
Before Duke could respond, Gaiathia stepped forward smiling warmly, “You have already held my favor and yet you hold it again. I would ask you to restore this area but we have agreed that doing so would not be appropriate. This scar on the world is to remain as a memorial to what happened here. My gift to you is to push your natural elements further, increasing them by one rank, save LIGHTNING as I am sure Ogath has something to say about that. She stepped back as Duke offered his thanks.
Orgath stepped forward and clasped Duke by the forearm, “Of all the mortals I have dealt with, you are my favorite. You are a walking storm even when you are not in conflict, and this draws me close to you like a brother. My gift to you is this.” He reached behind his back and produced a crackling object. It resembled a doll formed of blue LIGHTNING that fit in the palm of the god’s hand. He continued, “Her name is Nystriel, and she will be a faithful companion that you can take with you on your travels.”
Nystriel launched out of the god’s hand and took up a perch on the opposite shoulder from the Overmind. She crackled into Duke’s ear, and he understood both that she was definitely a she and that she was happy to join him.
Next was Malkiavick who Duke could tell was the god of war and conflict from the scarred armor he wore. The clanking of armor plates as he approached was rhythmic and served to bolster Duke’s mood even more. The grin on the god’s face was wide and hungry.
“Duke, my boy. You really did it this time, didn’t you? Killing extra-dimensional beings by the hundreds of thousands in your own personal war with the Syndicate. You have propelled this little planet of ours from the fringes of the Cosmos to the center of a growing conflict. You spent most of your kingdom’s forces in this fight. It will take time to rebuild them, but do so you must. To aid you in this, I am sending my own heroes and followers to join your forces. They will be loyal to you even as they worship me. Beyond that, your forces will grow stronger faster. My final boon is to grant all your kingdom’s forces 25% faster skill progression for any war or combat Skill.”
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“What do you mean about the Syndicate? They fled the system before making it to Teldin.”
“Oh, foolish boy, how do you think the Hounds found our world through the dimensional seal? It was the Syndicate that led them here and weakened the barrier between dimensions.”
Duke stared ahead dumbfounded as the god stepped back to be replaced by the final god. She approached Duke quietly, her face hidden in her many layers of diaphanous, sky-blue robes. She stepped close and placed a single finger on his head.
Her voice filled his mind, “Duke, no one, not even your patron, can hear what I have to say. This is perhaps my last TRUE DIVINATION, but it is important for you to hear it and never share it. My Divination is this: Should you survive this Contest, you will be strong enough to return to Earth. Things there are not what they seem. Beware of the false gods and demons that hold your home without sustenance.”
She stepped back motioning Duke to silence, “That was for you and you alone. Do not share it with anyone.”
“I will hold it to myself. Thank you for your insight.”
“One final boon before we take our leave, “Aechocho announced. “I will permit the creatures of your dungeons to roam Teldin. They will no longer be drained of their Mana. Do not abuse this gift or it will be revoked. Farewell and good luck, Duke. Teldin needs its Champion to return even stronger for the fights that are to come.”
With that declaration, the gods faded from sight, returning to wherever they stayed. Now that their presence had faded and the Overmind had reigned his in, the leaders who had previously collapsed under the psychic weight slowly began to revive and rise to their feet. They looked around themselves in disbelief at what they had just experienced.
The Overmind spoke to Duke before any could approach, “The time has come. It is good that you have gotten even stronger but to delay any longer leave you with too large a gap to span. Take the next hour to get your affairs in order and then we leave.” The Overmind vanished leaving Duke to deal with the leaders approaching him.
“Greetings Your Majesty.”
“Oh, none of that bullshit. We all shed the blood of our charges as well as our own in this fight. I’m not in the mood for any formal shit. Are you really?”
“Well, no, but some people are stuck on it.” This speaker was a man wearing dented and tarnished plate armor. There was the hint of feathers in the crest of his helm that he had opened.
Duke glanced around the group, seeing that most were in a similar state. He was about to activate his CLEANSE and RESTORE combination on the group when he noticed one short and rotund individual who seemed to be completely unsoiled and practically glowed with how clean his opulent outfit was. Duke looked pointedly at the man, “Everyone else here is a tattered mess, but you stand there looking like you are ready to hold court. Why is that?”
All eyes turned to the man who shrugged with a shy smile, “It’s not my fault that no one else thought to incorporate cleaning and repairing magic into their clothes. Really, it should be standard for any leader. Do you have any idea how much it’s going to take to fix all this armor? You all need to do better.”
Duke couldn’t help but laugh as he activated his Abilities over the group. His grin at the short man was full of mirth, “About that much. Why waste the enchantments when I can fix it all with a flex of my will?”
“Speak for yourself but I will gladly accept this magical fix of yours. But the most important thing is where we go from here. A number of leaders left with their remaining troops but there are enough here to discuss things.”
“What is there to discuss?” Duke interrupted. “If we all don’t get our act together, we’ll lose the planet. You were all laid out when the gods came to chat but the gist of it is that this was only the first battle. War is coming to Teldin and we, as a society, are not ready for it. We all need to set aside any petty squabbles we may have and prepare. I will open Stormstride to trade with all of you through the Portals I will restore shortly. We must rebuild our forces, create arms unlike any our troops have ever used before and be ready to face what is coming.”
“OK, Mr. Know-it-all, what is coming?” The one who spoke was a tall, pale-skinned man who reeked of wealth and privilege.
“War amongst the stars. That is what is coming. Prepare yourselves as best you can. I’ll leave the best instructions and tools I can with my people before I leave.”
“Before you leave? Where are you going?”
“To fight the next battle. Heed the warning of the gods – war is coming and you need to prepare. If you cannot do it yourself, find someone amongst your people who can do it and give them the authority to do so. We lost so many people in this fight already. If we are not better prepared, the next fight here will be the end of everything.”
Duke let his warning sink in for a moment before he TELEPORTED back to Cloudspire to get things rolling for his own kingdom. The next hour was spent in a whirlwind of brief conversations as he set countless things in motion, hoping it would be enough.
In the end, he doubted it would be, but he had no more time to prepare. The Overmind found him speaking with Sam about what he needed from the dungeon. “You are pushing things again, Duke. My dungeons were never meant for what you are asking.”
“Well, then it’s time to grow up and show the Cosmos just how dangerous it is to attack a world anchored by a dungeon.”
The Overmind rotated his core back and forth as if shaking his had slowly, “You are not the first to think this way. The last one died a particularly brutal death.”
“Let’s do better this time then.”
“Perhaps, perhaps. That is something to worry about later though. Spend the last of your points and we will leave.”
Duke spent his Characteristic points, gritting his teeth as his body reacted to such monumental changes. He nodded to the Overmind to indicate he was finished.
Sam stepped forward and gave Duke a quick hug, “Good luck. Make it back to me – I’m not sure I can manage everything you have asked without your help.”
“Do your best. I-“
With a flash of energy, Duke was gone, headed for the Contest.
END OF BOOK 3