Jace stood on an old, heavily trodden and dirt-covered path, staring out towards the behemoth stone archway. Man, what a day... He squatted down then stood straight again, shifting an unwieldy bag on his back, his light metal plate armor and tunic underneath were both stained with slight smatterings of blood, and the fabric is torn and scorched in some spots. I hope this pays well. He gave a compulsory glance to the forest and hills behind him, then trudged the rest of the way to the city's confines. Jace walked the familiar and beaten road to the same building once more, despite it being so soon, he felt as if years had passed. Everything is so, fucked...
The bag landed with a wet thud on the polished wood counter. "Don't worry, it's sealed tight, I know how stingy you are about that."
A mockingly disgruntled man, the same from early that same day, answered with a raised eyebrow, "What did you drag in this time, good friend? Not another child?"
"Hah, gods no, it's a Prowler, a welp no doubt."
"Ahh, of course, well, payment is complete, your tab is updated, may collect whenever."
"Thanks. and how is..." Jace trailed off, not quite getting the right words to say. The man gave a knowing smile.
"The kid is doing just fine" Jace nodded his thanks and left, wasting little time on the way to his residence. First, a request hunt, then a kid is sent here, and top it all off with a prowler, I just want a day off. He counted off his grudges and dropped his gear in the landing space, a nice cobble floored square before the slightly raised wooden flooring of the rest of his small place, the outskirts had a few neat gems. Slipping into night clothes, Jace laid down on the soft wool bedding, drifting into the warm clutches of sleep. Today was a real blur, I need to get some better endurance.
Well, given how soon it will be until the next one arrives, that might be true. Although deep in sleep, Jace felt a voice within, and it was most certainly amused. The shapeless void of his dreams took shape, an unending grey, in all directions, with only a soft blue-hued flower cracking through the odd substance before him. This form shifted, a blur of blues and grays until once again he was in a void, this time, however, he was presented with a figure. One radiating authority and power. One, belonging to Astrinar.
Oh, good evening to you too. Although her shape was defined, her features weren't, or perhaps the mortal mind simply couldn't properly see their form, and yet Jace still thought he saw a look of exasperation across her face.
What kind of diety am I, not even getting respect from my Saint? Again, Jace saw a look, it made him smile to himself, wait, isn't this all to myself? Whatever. Perks of the job, getting to be that casual with a god, that's what he figured.
Well, what do you mean, considering how soon?
I mean, tomorrow is when the next will appear. Shock, just shock, nothing else came from Jace, and Astrinar didn't speak further.
To-tomorrow? As in, once I'm done sleeping, another one will be transported? What?! There are supposed to be only a few every couple of decades!
Yes, it is sudden, I know, but this is a special case, worth the energy. Jace sighed to himself.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
So, where is this one gonna be?
East woods, at the ruined altar.
Well, hell, alright got it.
And as if he never slept at all, Jace awoke. Ahhhhhh, no time to waste. In a brilliant flash the gear, previously by the front door, appeared on his body once more, and so, fully ready despite the short prep time, he left. It took four hours, and by the time noon hit, Jace had arrived so, he got to waiting.
Well, another what, hour or so? Maybe I should've left later, no no, this is my job after all. Jace took the downtime to think to himself, pondering the flurry of action caused by the title he accepted. The first one was, what, a hundred years ago? seems so long ago regardless...
Over the years, Jace had "guided" about 30 Incarnates, people transported into this world from others by the gods, in Jace's case, specifically Astrinar. While he worked for her he had figured that many of the gods could choose incarnates, yet she has the highest rate for them. at some point, Jace remembers asking, what are the differences between incarnation and reincarnation? Likely after Astrinar had mentioned the former, her reply was blurry but remembered nonetheless. Reincarnation is the soul entering a new vessel, while Incarnation is the full 1:1 translation of the being's existence, I deal in the latter, however, the former is much more common.
I wonder, what will this one be like? Please god not a child. The young ones were at a stage where Jace could only lead them to safety, much of his job couldn't be performed, well, given the occupation had no standards, much of his self-imposed job rather.
Just then, as if fate had listened, Jace felt it. A subtle shift in the pressure, the branches of trees slightly swaying despite the absence of wind, just small things, odd things. Alright, here it comes. He rose from his sitting spot against a tree, one of the many in the forest. Time to move. He hated the altar, he didn't know exactly why, but he just loathed it. And so, until the exact moment the person appeared, he wanted to keep as far away as possible. Entering the canopy-covered clearing, the altar was there, cracked and crumbling, that feeling of wrath, boiling in his gut. Jace put it aside, trying to pinpoint the exact epicenter. There! A shift in the light, warping the space around it, a bit to the left of the altar, and closer to him, thankfully. The disturbance grew and grew, only a few minutes had passed and the visible distortion was about Jace's height. And... now. Suddenly, Jace blinked and found himself flat against a tree.
What in th- an explosion of pain erupted in Jace's mind, a spot in his back was the cause. "Fuck!" He clenched his left hand, keeping his last two extended. Burst. The pain persisted, a plume of light and heat erupted from Jace's body, and instantly he stood, feeling as if the weight of the world was lifted off his spine he whipped around to face his assailant. The distortion had faded, and he saw the person within backed against the altar, obviously terrified. He also saw the figure in deep blue robes, accented with a gold and white cloak over top. The enemy.
"I will suggest you don't interfere in my collection process, outsider" The robed man spoke clearly, with no hesitation nor bother at Jace's presence. A slate was clutched in his right hand, blue sparks flickered off its edges.
Relic? Yeah, damn, relic user fucking mage. "This is my charge, you have no business in this, caring for this individual is my job." in a flash, a longsword found itself embedded in the dirt before Jace. His hands found its handle, and he pulled it from the earthen sheath, leveling it directly at the opposition. "Hey, don't worry, this will be over soon, you're going to be safe." He gave a slight glance towards the cowering figure, steeling his resolve.
"Ha, so be it, you're the Saint, I expected more." The slate floated from his hand, hovering in front of him, again blue sparks flew from its face. "I relish the opportunity to knock down a disciple of a god." the man smirked, and the words on the slate took on the same shade as the sparks.
Definitely a relic, damnit, couldn't have warned me, Astrinar? Jace sighed internally, then, for just a moment, a smile danced on his lips. Exciting. And as quickly as it sprung onto his face, it was gone, a steely resolve twisting it into a scowl. It's time.