Current Quests

Justice For Courbefy: Find justice for the victims of the corrupt mayor of Courbefy. Use…

Chosen Of Knowledge: Escort Hugh on his journey to becoming a fully awakened iron…

Hugh had made some friends in the other churches and temples over the raids and made some discreet inquiries about when it was expected Lady Geller would arrive. When asked why he wanted to know such things, no eyebrows were raised after he simply stated that he didn’t want to be in town when a pissed-off silver ranker was looking for something to blame for her child’s death. The answer was definitive from the church of Death itself: They had until the next Firstday. Five days' time.

Hugh had a provisional adventure society badge, which he was given as a matter of bureaucracy because of the raids. Something about not being part of a military arm of the church made a strange administrative matter and it was easier for everyone if Hugh was just issued with a provisional Adventure Society badge. Having the badge, it now meant that he could, technically, accept adventure contracts.

“This idea could actually work,” said Hugh. “Don’t you think? I accept a contract, we party up, as a member I’m allowed to escort the unranked in training, we head out into the countryside and just wait for all this to simmer down.”

“While, at the same time, validating the choice of the Adventure Society to give you the badge because you’re completing contracts. Or, that’s what we’ll say. Yeah, it plays,” said Dave.

“So why are we riding to temple district?” asked Sam.

“Well, um-”

“Hugh wants to pray on it with a stronger-than-usual connection to the Lady, am I right?”

“Yes,” said Hugh, clearly uncomfortable with Dave’s way of talking about the divine. “You’d do well to pray for guidance yourself.”

Dave pulled a face that expressed both distaste and acceptance. He’d never been religious but the gods here seemed to objectively exist and show an active interest in their followers so he figured he’d at least make awkwardly friendly overtures. He was just afraid of meeting them, discovering an ego-bound wanker personality and making an enemy before his first birthday. Or, summoning day. Whatever.

“Hugh, do I have a birthday? Or should it be a summoning day?”

Hugh remained silent for several seconds but his expression shifted several times.

“Ahh, technically a summoning day, I suppose. But, you can call it a birthday just so everyone knows what you’re talking about. Why?”

“Just wondering.”

Hugh nodded.

The team drifted into the worship area of town on paper heidels. Megève wasn’t a large town and instead of the stately cathedrals favoured in the capitals, had a collection of churches around a plaza.

“Ah,” said Dave.

“That tone is ominous,” said Hugh.

Sam smiled expectantly at Dave.

“A bunch of these churches have exclamation marks over the doors,” groaned Dave.

Hugh laughed.

“Actually, that’d make sense!” he said. “Gods want to advance their domain through acts.”

“Would I be committing myself to a god if I took a quest?” asked Dave.

“No,” said Hugh. “That has to be a calling that comes from within. Your quest ability seems to detect a want or need?”

“Oh, I get it,” said Dave. “Gods want to advance their agenda so it’s setting off my ability.”

“Are you going to pick them up?” asked Hugh.

“I think I might,” said Dave. “You know, if they’re alright. Depends on who the church of Death wants me to kill, hey?”

Sam slapped Dave on the arm.

“Be respectful, Dave,” muttered Hugh.

Dave rolled his eyes.

“They’re gods! I’m sure they care more about the quests I’m about to take than a dumb joke.”

“They’re important to us, Dave,” said Sam. “Please be nice!”

Dave looked at her smiling face, his shoulders slumped and he pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated looking at her when she had that face. All nervous smile and unsure eyes.

“I’ll… go ask them what they think. How about that, Sam?”

She nodded happily.

They walked up the steps to the church of Knowledge and Hugh went inside. Dave tapped on the door.

Quest: Chosen Of Knowledge

Description

Hugh will be given the location of awakening stones. Escort him on his journey to becoming a fully awakened iron ranked adventurer.

Objectives

Escort Hugh, protect him from danger and perform awakening stone rituals for him until he has twenty essence abilities (4/20).

Reward

1000 [Iron Spirit Coin] per awakening stone that Hugh uses.

Detailed Information

Dave accepted the quest immediately. He was going to do that anyway so it was basically free money. Well, even more free than usual.

“Good one?” asked Sam

“Yep,” said Dave and flicked his wrist to summon Tome. He pushed the floating book through the air to Sam. “Tome, keep her updated on my quests, yeah?”

The book settled into Sam’s hands.

“Nice!” Sang Sam. “I hope they’re all like this! Free money.”

“We’ll see,” said Dave.

They were already walking to the next church. Dave tapped the door to the church of Healer and read out the quest to Sam.

“Quest, Healer’s materials, Megève. Description, gain Healer’s favour by donating alchemy ingredients to this church. Objectives, uhh, bunch of moonlit fern, noble blooms and bark of kingswood. Reward is a little coin and… permission for us to perform healing in the Megève area? Seriously? You need permission for that?” asked Dave incredulously.

Sam smiled and nodded.

“Is Healer’s domain,” she said quietly.

“Isn’t there a god of travelling? Do they get pissed if I walk across the street? How does this domain stuff work?” said Dave, radiating dissatisfaction.

Sam smiled and shrugged.

“Whatever. Bloody weird,” said Dave, shaking his head and accepting the quest.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

They walked over to the funerary church of Death. Dave tapped on the door and read out the quest again for Sam.

“Quest, don’t kill anybody toda - oh, you smartarse!” Dave’s brain caught up with his mouth and he barked with laughter. Sam saw the look on his face, realised he’d been quoting the quest text and laughed herself with her hands covering her mouth.

“I guess at least some of the gods have a sense of humour then?” said Dave with a smirk to Sam.

She just giggled more with her hands still over her mouth and nodded her head. Dave accepted the quest. It seemed reasonable. The church of Justice was next.

“Uhh, solve three crimes in Megève.” Dave’s eyes scanned the text again and he accepted the quest. Yep. That was it. Tome showed the text to Sam who just smiled and mouthed ‘free money’ at Dave.

They walked a bit to a smaller church with a grape vine motif in the architecture; the church of Vineyard. Dave tapped on the door, scanned the text and accepted the quest.

“Yep, just taste some wines in the area,” said Dave as the words appeared on Tome in front of Sam’s eyes who laughed and skipped for a few steps.

The church of Dominion was next. It required a bit of walking to get to since they had much larger grounds than the other churches. Dave guessed that fit with the theme of having a dominion. The other churches had long since strategically planted trees to block off the intimidating arches and spire of Dominion’s church. Dave tapped on the looming door.

“Uhh, acquire another follower? Yeah, that’s fine,” said Dave, accepting the quest. “Pays well, too”

“Acquire another follower?” said Sam. She looked at Dave quizzically. “Like me and Hugh are?”

Dave quickly double checked his UI. It did say ‘follower’s menu’ where he could read Sam’s and Hugh’s statistics.

“I suppose so. We’ll see when it happens,” said Dave.

They walked to the next church door with an exclamation mark; the church of Disguise. It wasn’t really even its own church. Just an attachment to the church of Performance. Dave tapped the door and read.

“Quest, deal with disguise-”

The door to the church shot open.

“Indeed, Detective Booker,” said a man, holding the door. He had priestly robes on with a blank, white, unadorned mask over his face.

“Ah, I take it you are Disguise’s representative in the matter?” said Dave, taken aback. The mask nodded. Dave’s eyes flicked over the quest text again. “You want me to withhold information from my plane in this one? And, in return, you’ll give me a boon of some kind?”

“Yes. My god desires this and wishes to make the trade. Do you accept?” said the masked man in a swift, plain voice.

Sam’s eyes went wide.

“No, Dave! Be careful,” said Sam.

Dave went into the quest details and used Stop And Think to double check. There really wasn’t a lot to it. It looked like Disguise genuinely just didn’t want Dave to introduce the scientific process into this plane and it was now time for a negotiation.

“I accept only if I may have assistance from my followers in the deal making process,” said Dave, thinking quickly.

“You may,” responded the man.

“Dave! This is gods,” wailed Sam quietly.

Dave accepted the quest.

“Don’t worry, Sam,” said Dave, smirking while his heart thumped in his chest. “I intend to get some good advice. I have accepted your invitation to a deal. Present your first offer.”

“Excellent,” said the mask. “You shall be bound to be unable to express any part of the process known as the scientific method or any such similar process into this reality. In return, the god Disguise will place a boon upon you which will hide your outworlder nature.”

Dave took a deep breath. Sam looked scared.

“You’ll have to discuss the details of the boon with my representative who will negotiate on my behalf,” said Dave.

“And who is that?” asked the mask, irritated.

Dave let the thought settle in his head and waited a few dramatic beats before answering.

“The goddess known as Knowledge,” said Dave.

Behind Dave and Sam, Hugh burst out of the doors of the church of Knowledge at a sprint, not slowing down as he charged across the small park. Even with his iron rank fitness, Hugh arrived wheezing from the flat-out dash.

“I am - representative -” Hugh gasped, heaving out the words between breaths. “Knowledge - of Knowledge. My goddess has - counter offer.”

Dave let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding in. Sam just looked at him with her jaw hanging open.

“This is unacceptable! The deal is with you!” said the mask.

“Your god allowed for help,” said Hugh pompously but still huffing heavily, “and Dave has asked my goddess to be his representative in a deal with your god which she has accepted. These terms are perfectly normal divine behaviour. My goddess is happy to bring in Trade to confirm.”

“My god is happy for Trade to be present-”

“Gentlemen!” interrupted Dave forcefully. “To avoid a lot of ‘my goddess’s’ and ‘my god’s’, is it possible that we leave the details to the divine parties to work out in their own realm and we wait for the results? After all, it’s now effectively Disguise making a deal with Knowledge but us here are using our words in a slower medium for the same result, no?”

They both got that listening-to-a-radio look that clergy got when their gods were communicating with them.

“Yes!” said Hugh while beaming at Dave.

“Yes,” growled the masked priest of disguise, glaring daggers at Dave.

After five awkward minutes of silent anger from the masked priest and smugness from Hugh, they both relaxed their posture and declared that their gods had come to an agreement.

“Approach,” said the masked priest. “Let me anoint you and pass the blessing of my Lord through to your unworthy soul.”

“This is legit, then? She got the best deal she could in my interest?” Dave asked Hugh.

“Ugh, ‘more than you know’, she says,” said Hugh with raised eyebrows.

“Fair enough,” said Dave, matching Hugh’s expression and taking a step towards the masked priest.

The priest raised his hand and placed it reverently on Dave’s head.

“May They-Who-Conceal, The Masquerade Phantom come unto me and take me as Their vessel and give blessing unto the chosen before me,” announced the masked priest solemnly.

Dave felt an… Eminence from the priest. There was an indescribable power there that Dave didn’t know how to easily put words to. It hung in the air like… a smell? No. A haze of feeling. An aura. Then Dave remembered that auras exist here and felt dumb. Yes, of course the priest was channelling the power of a god. What’d he expect?

Even so, the feeling of power was more than Dave was ready for. The touch on his forehead was the origin of where a power from an elsewhere that was from beyond his mind’s abilities pressed onto him, moving his sense of self like a giant hand might fold the laundry. Dave hadn’t felt this small since he’d visited the Large Hadron Collider. Or this profoundly moved since he’d accidentally eaten his university flatmate’s special, enhanced brownies. Perhaps if he ate the brownies and visited a planetarium? That’d be close to this experience.

“It is done. Good day!” announced the priest of Disguise all of a sudden and marched away.

The overwhelming feeling died away but Dave could still feel its mark upon him.

“Well, that was something,” said Dave dumbly.

Sam grinned up at him.

“You got an ability evolution,” said Hugh earnestly. “What is it?”

“Huh? Oh. Did I? Umm,” sputtered Dave, opening his character sheet.

There it was. Under his Stranger In A Strange Land ability. It’d replaced essence and ability stone absorption, which Dave didn’t need anymore. It was called ‘Blessing Of Disguise’. Dave read from it.

“In exchange for not revealing the process he knows as the scientific method to any other soul in this reality by any method, the bearer of this blessing has the following benefits: Firstly, that his outlander status shall be hidden by the power of Disguise from all methods direct and indirect. Secondly, that he shall gain a sense, through aura or magical abilities, for things which have been disguised from him in his quests. Thirdly, that his soul shall be sheltered from harm in Disguise’s sight.”

“I can’t help but notice that the deal the Lady got for me seems to leave open opportunities that Disguise initially wanted closed?” said Dave once the Disguise priest was well out of earshot.

Hugh gave his whiskery grin and winked. Sam covered her mouth.

“Even your knowledge is Her domain,” said Hugh. “You were right to call on Her help. Disguise has no right to stop you from spreading that knowledge, only She does. Had you done the deal without Her, you’d have been transgressing Knowledge.”

“I thought it’d be something like that,” said Dave. “It looks like I can still use the method but can’t spread it.”

“Can’t do it while anybody is watching either by the sounds of things. Is there anything more?” asked Hugh.

“Tonnes. Lots of legalese where they define the terms of everything but the introduction covers it, I’d guess. She’s freed me up to do whatever I like but I can’t spread it around. I guess taking it out of my head would have been a big deal?”

“Oh! Yes. That’s holy war material right there.”

“Glad I skipped that then. I’ve read about them in history class.”

“Wait, doesn’t your reality not manifest gods?” asked Hugh, confused.

“Yeah, turns out people are pretty keen to kill each other over them anyway,” said Dave.

Hugh cocked his head and thought about how often a manifestation had cleared up serious theological fistfights.

“Oh. Wow. You know, Dave, your reality is still a dark, confusing place to me.”

“Yes, but we have industrial quantities of good food and drink. Which reminds me, I’m not divinely barred from introducing industrialisation.”

Hugh gave Dave a wide-eyed look and then swivelled his head around, looking at the doors of all the churches for a few moments. Sam joined him and Dave held his breath.

“Nobody coming,” sang Sam softly.

“It… would seem that way,” said Hugh with relief.

“Oh, good!” said Dave, finally letting out the breath he’d been holding.

“Well!” said Hugh loudly, swinging his arms. “I’d better, you know, get back to my prayers?”

Sam smiled at him and nodded.

“Good idea!” she said.

“Oh, yeah,” said Dave, who was functional but spiritually worse for wear. “Of course. Thank her for me, won’t you? I, ugh, I think I might go have a beer with Hero. After all that.”

“He has beer?” asked Sam.

“Bloody better. He wouldn’t be much of a hero right now if he didn’t,” said Dave, already slowly walking towards the large, wooden hall that was the church of Hero.

“Have fun!” called Sam after him with a laughing smile.

“Yep… he’s gone,” said Hugh.

“He just had a god in the head. Is a big thing but he will be fine,” said Sam.

“You want to come into the church of Knowledge with me?”

“No, I like garden. Do you think I can let out Slimy?”

“Sure.”