I had only one shot; the wooden splinters suggested that his exposed flesh might not be as resilient to physical damage as it was to magical damage. Dodging was futile; by the time he closed the distance, I raised my hand and fired a Lightning Bolt into his injured area as he struck me with his fist.

The impact sent me spinning; I felt dizzy from the motion. My mind felt rattled, and while my mana shield protected me, I realized I was dangerously close to suffering a traumatic brain injury. As I struggled to regain my bearings, I noticed that the giant was faring worse than I had anticipated.

The bolt had struck his side as he turned to attack me, digging deep into his abdomen. He lay sprawled on the ground, his good hand clutching his side, perhaps in an attempt to stem the bleeding. Turning to his comrades, I announced, "I won." Though they glared at me angrily, they made no move to intervene. Still, I couldn't simply stand by and watch him perish.

"He doesn't have to die," I insisted. "Someone, help him." But they remained unmoved. Turning to Elara, I implored, "Can you please use your healing spell on him?"

Approaching cautiously, Elara hesitated. "If they're resistant to magic, they'll likely resist healing as well."

"The exposed area is no longer resistant," I reasoned. "I believe only their skin possesses that resistance."

She drew nearer to the giant, casting her spells while keeping a wary eye on the others. Though the giant appeared unconscious, his rising chest indicated that he was still alive, at least for the time being. As she worked, I addressed the other giants once more. "She's helping him. Let there be no misunderstanding."

Feeling the strain of the encounter, I lowered myself to the ground, my chest and arm throbbing with pain. The other giants conversed amongst themselves, their voices too distant to discern.

Moments later, one of them approached cautiously. Initially, we were apprehensive, but she showed no signs of hostility. Clad in attire that covered her chest, she appeared no different from the others, at least facially.

Halting within earshot, she spoke to me. "You enter the house of the god."

Pointing to myself, I inquired, "Only me?"

"Yes," she affirmed, then turned back to her companions.

Struggling to rise, I was assisted by Alira, who expressed her concern. "Are you certain you can trust them? You don't look well. If they attack you, this may spell the end of your journey."

"If they attack here, I won't be of any use," I conceded. "There would be no difference." With effort, I began to make my way toward the temple. "I'd best hurry. They may have limited visiting hours."

The temple entrance, once grand and imposing, now stood bereft of doors, its wood either decayed or repurposed for fuel. It offered easy passage amidst the rubble, with ample light streaming in through enlarged windows, lending the interior an eerie atmosphere.

Inside, the air was heavy with the scent of decay, and the wind whispered through broken windows. Despite its dilapidated state, the temple retained a sense of grandeur, a testament to its former glory. Weathered carvings adorned the walls, their once-vibrant features now worn and faded.

Slowly, I made my way to the main chamber, where an altar stood at the center, its surface cracked and stained with age. Amongst the cracks lay a mark resembling a lightning bolt. Tentatively, I reached out to touch it, discovering it to be made of metal, perhaps indicative of some form of power generation.

Summoning a Lightning Bolt, I directed it at the mark. In an instant, I was enveloped in light until there was nothing but brightness.

"You have arrived," boomed a voice, reverberating throughout the chamber.

Turning toward the sound, I beheld an elderly woman with unremarkable features, more reminiscent of a grandmother than a goddess. "Hello," I greeted finally.

"You failed to maintain a low profile, as I instructed," she chided, devoid of emotion.

"I tried, but circumstances were beyond my control," I defended.

"The other gods have taken notice of your actions. Though they are uncertain of the specifics, your frequent travels and disruptions have raised suspicions."

"And what of the Troll God? He seemed well-acquainted with my abilities."

A faint smile played across her lips. "He owes me a favor. Our requests are often peculiar, so it was a minor concession."

"But how can you grant favors if you are deceased?"

"Time functions differently in our realm. I exist in both states, depending on when I cross the threshold to this world."

"So, from my perspective, the 'you' I'm conversing with isn't deceased yet?"

"Correct."

"It's a little confusing."

"We exist across all temporal frames. Your universe's physics are disorienting to us, hence our inability to enter it."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"But how did you extract me from there?"

"In technical terms, we can enter your universe, but it destabilizes our core. Brief exposure is survivable, but prolonged stays to locate individuals initiated my demise."

"Then does that mean there are no gods in my universe?"

"While there are none like us, it doesn't imply omniscience. Nevertheless, we are digressing. You must exercise caution; the other gods have issued directives to investigate any anomalies. Your status as a powerful new mage traversing the realms has raised suspicions."

"And where must I proceed?"

With a wave of her hand, a map materialized, an X marking a location in the southern region, near a towering mountain chain. "Remember this well. It lies within an underground cavern. Exercise caution, as there may be safeguards in place."

"Like the black dragon?"

"I haven't implemented any yet, but that's a compelling suggestion."

Me and my big mouth. "But I thought you exist across all temporal frames."

"We do, but it doesn't equate to omniscience. We don't possess knowledge of everything."

"How can I confront a black dragon and potentially other threats you may have placed within that cave?"

"I'm certain I've equipped you with means to tip the scales in your favor."

"The chaos seed?" I pondered. 'I really need to figure that out."

As she observed my contemplation, she continued, "I cannot linger to converse. There's no sense in arousing suspicion."

"Wait," I nearly pleaded. "Once I arrive at the map's location, how will I locate the entrance?"

"I devised a means to deliver information to you in a format you find acceptable. As you draw nearer, updates will become available."

"One more question. Why choose me?" this was the question that had bothered me for a while, did I do something wrong or good, or like life just randomness.

"I've never been fond of probing minds, and after eons of observing humans, I possessed a decent understanding of them. Don't misconstrue my words, but every moment in your universe was excruciating; my core was gradually losing coherence. You were the first individual I encountered who displayed decency."

"Thank you, I suppose." What more could I say to that.

She started to disappear but suddenly looked at me like I was a small child and said, accentuating the first word, “Keep a low profile.”

"Okay, mum," I muttered, but she must have heard me as she smiled for the first time before she vanished, and the light receded, leaving me standing by the altar.

I slowly started moving out of the temple, my thoughts at the absurdity of it all. Was it absurd luck or misfortune that I was picked. I still sometimes awoke thinking this was a dream and if I ever got back home and had no powers to prove anything none would ever believe me, they would throw me in an asylum and throw away the key.

I mean a goddess gives you a quest to save the world if that’s not illusion of grandeur I don’t know what is. As I exited the temple it was still day outside.

I was surprised to see a camp near the ruins. "How did they build it that fast?" Around them, they sat looking frankly bored. But as soon as they saw me, their faces lit up with relief. Alira actually ran to me and hugged me.

"Not that I’m complaining, but why the warm welcome?" She looked at me with confusion. "You’ve been gone for three days. The others wanted to leave; they all thought something must have happened."

"Three days?" I shouted. "I’ve been inside for half an hour tops."

She looked at me in more confusion. "That’s impossible."

"The gods live in a dimension where time is largely inconsequential," I said as the others closed around us.

“I didn’t understand a thing from that explanation.” Alira said.

"Yeah, well, when someone can't explain something clearly, it's usually a sign they don't fully understand it themselves."

“Did you find the information we needed?” Erik said.

“Almost, it’s way south near some circle mountain ranges. I saw a map, so I have a rough approximation,” I responded.

Elara seemed not convinced. “That’s a very large area; we will never find it with just that.”

“I am supposed to get a new quest or…” Just as I said that, a new quest popped up.

New quest: Find the location of the Forge of the Gods.

Clue 1: Go south until the mountains touch the sky.

Reward: Some say the journey is a reward upon itself.

"So she did have a sense of humor after all."

“What’s a quest?” Erik's question snapped me back to reality.

“Think of it like divine inspiration,” I replied, unwilling to delve into the gaming industry—that would take days.

“Well, let’s break camp; three days is too long to spend near giants,” Malvina complained.

“Speaking about the giants, how’s the big guy?”

“The skin healed first; after that, my healing was useless. The others took him inside, and they are not the most talkative type,” Elara responded, looking annoyed.

Malvina interjected, “When she says they didn’t talk that much, she means they didn’t talk at all, just stood staring at us all creepy.”

“Did you have problems?” I asked.

Elara sighed. “No, but just the anxiety that something might happen compounded with you missing in action really did a number on me; I barely slept the last two nights.”

“Then I hate to ask this of you, but can you cast that healing spell on me? The pain is starting to get a bit much.” I was not used to pain at all.

“Sure, but you owe me.” She started casting the spell; it immediately had some sort of magic opioid effect that made the pain just disappear; this was the life.

“Whatever I owe you, it isn’t enough.”

“Yes, yes, you found out anything else?” Alira spoke with a hint of annoyance.

“There’s some bad news,” pause for effect and to see Alira roll her eyes. “It seems our quest has drawn some attention because of my ‘power’; they don’t know much, but I fear I might have drawn too much attention at that party and with the prison break.”

“Is there some sort of bounty or what exactly?” Alira knew there was more.

“Well, technically, if the gods put out a very vague wanted poster, I guess you could call it a bounty.” They all looked like their cat died.

“Did you say gods as in plural?” Malvina asked.

“Well, what I am trying to do will probably annoy some, if not all, so while they don’t know what will happen, they know something is about to happen.”

“All the gods?” Alira was shouting now. “I thought you were after some treasure or artifact, but what could you possibly do to annoy all of the gods?”

“Can’t tell you?” I said it with a sheepish grin.

“NO!” she shouted. “I understand you cannot say everything, but there has to be something you can tell us.” Her anger was understandable.

I tried to formulate what to say to both please them and be as vague as possible.

“Gods live in a different dimension; it’s like another world but more complicated. Anyway, they could only interfere in limited ways in this world because of reasons even I don’t know.” They were all rapt with attention, so here comes the bad news. “For some other reasons, that lack of interference is coming to an end; soon the gods will be able to manifest freely here.”

“That can’t be good,” Malvina remarked with the understatement of the century.

“And you can stop it?” Alira looked unconvinced.

It was time to be vague again. “Well not stop, more like postpone, and it’s not me who will be doing it, I’m more like a messenger.” It was technically the truth.