Xeph’s words rumbled soothingly through Callan’s skull. Concentrate. Breathe in. Allow your senses to flow through your entire body.

“Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘déjà vu’?” he asked.

I am unfamiliar with that term. The god paused a moment. Actually, I cannot seem to even parse out the exact meaning of the phrase. It does not appear to be part of your Earthling common dialect.

“We call it English, and yeah, that isn’t part of it. Apparently, it’s a phrase you can only say in French.”

Hmm. And what, exactly, is the meaning of this particular phrase? And more importantly, how exactly does it relate to what you are attempting to accomplish at this moment?

“That’s just it, Xeph, I’m not accomplishing anything at the moment. Hence the déjà vu.”

I do not understand.

Callan shook his head. “Never mind. You were saying?”

Ah, yes. Seek out that innate sense of your manifestation. Feel its energy flow through your entire being. Now, exhale. Steady breath is key to understanding the course of my power...

Callan drew in a breath and tried to let the god’s voice settle into the background. He felt Mountainform’s energy, that ball that existed around his navel, glowing brightly inside him. Slowly, he nudged it forward, up, up, up towards his shoulders. He breathed out and pressed the energy against his skin.

His shoulders rippled as his Mountainform manifested on them, just for the briefest of seconds. Callan almost let go of the power in his surprise, but somehow maintained his grip. Breathe in. Breathe out. The stone solidified, thickened, settled into its usual chalky white, pushing at the fabric of his jacket.

Alert: 8% Apotheosis used.

Total Apotheosis is now 8%

He took another deep breath, then studied himself. It looked like he was wearing one of those coats from the eighties with the ridiculously puffy shoulder pads. Still, the Mountainform was staying in place with only a small amount of concentration. He could easily maintain this, though admittedly not while doing anything else.

Curious, he released his hold on the power entirely, and the white stone sank back into his skin and disappeared.

“I did it,” he breathed, still only half believing it himself.

Yes, yes. I do not see why you sound so surprised. You’ve managed even more than that before, in the heat of battle, no less.

“Yeah, but that was with Mountainform already manifested. This was the first time I’ve managed it from a cold start.”

He still couldn’t make heads or tails of why using his power like this cost such variable amounts. It had taken double the apotheosis to move his power last time to his chest, so he didn’t get why his shoulders were relatively cheap in comparison.

Then again, thanks to reaching Talc IX, his orisons and manifestation were even cheaper than they’d been before. His stats were higher, too. Pulling up his stat sheet, he looked everything over.

Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere)

Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human)

-STATISTICS-

Brawn: 17

Momentum: 14

Fortitude: 35

Concentration: 14

Influence: 14

Piety: 16

-BOUNTIES-

God Bond: Talc – IX

Manifestation: Mountainform

Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - X)

Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - X)

-DISPENSATIONS-

Perk 1: Wane

-DOGMA-

Total Followers: 81

Available Faith: 0

Conviction: 5/5

Conviction Rate: 4.5/week

Temples: 1/1

Domain: 16 yd

APOTHEOSIS: 8/25%

All of his stats had improved impressively from his first days in the Outerworld. Honestly, it boggled his mind how far he’d come, from making his way out of Xeph’s temple into the wider world, to finding followers, to winding right back here... in Xeph’s temple...

Hmm. Well, maybe he hadn’t progressed that far.

Mortal? Is there a problem?

“Oh, just thinking to myself.”

Still dissatisfied with your development? While I cannot recall my previous incarnations, I feel as if your progress has been more rapid than most. You should be proud of what you’ve managed to accomplish.

“Believe me, I’m plenty satisfied, it’s just...” Callan shook his head. “I managed to shift Mountainform to my chest during the fight with dveorg chief with hardly a thought, but now trying to replicate that feels like grasping at sand. Manifesting the stone directly to my shoulders was great, but I can’t help but feel like I could do even better if I tried.”

I wouldn’t be so hasty to rush this particular bit of training if I were you. Especially where your chest is concerned. Or worse, your head.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Only that you were lucky you survived the battle with the dveorg chief as you did. Your subconscious moved Mountainform for you, but had you been unable to release the power, you might have died right where you stood.

A cold feeling started to work its way up Callan’s spine. “You care to explain that to the rest of the class?”

Easier if I show you. Summon Mountainform.

Callan did as his head-mate bid. The white stone spread along his arms, all the way past his elbows.

Alert: 5.5% Apotheosis used.

Total Apotheosis is now 12%

Good. Now move the stone to your neck, the god instructed. Growing increasingly nervous, Callan steadied his breathing, and began the task of tracking down the power inside of him. Once he had a bead on it, shifting it along his arms to his shoulders was a trivial task. From there it only took a bit more concentration and breath work to get it to cover his neck.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

No sooner had he done so than his breathing cut off. Immediately, Callan panicked.

Messages flashed past his vision, but winked away again as he flailed about, trying desperately to draw a breath. Somewhere, Xeph was shouting, but the voice was distant, a mere buzz in the back of his head.

His hands tore at his throat. Rough stone scratched and scraped his skin away even as he tried more desperately to free himself, to unlock his throat, to fucking breathe, just once!

But he couldn’t.

Already darkness was encroaching on the edges of his vision. His heart hammered in his chest, and his fists hammered at his throat, and yet his world continued to shrink.

Callan! Callan! Xeph’s words managed to penetrate the roar in his ears. Release your hold! You need to relax and... Let... Go!

How am I supposed to relax when I can’t breathe? he thought frantically. But not knowing what else to do, he tried to calm his hammering heart. He could feel the power of Mountainform coursing through him, so he took his hold on the power and... loosened it, just a little.

Immediately the stone fled from around his throat, crawling all the way down his arms and settling over his hands again. Callan gasped, bending half over as he sucked in one shuddering breath after another.

My apologies, mortal. I thought this would be a safe enough example, but I didn’t think... I’m sorry.

“It’s okay,” Callan managed to wheeze. He slowly stood up again. “What happened?”

Your powers manifested somewhere that was not ready for them. When you activate Mountainform, it isn’t just your skin that manifests my majesty, but your entire being, down to the very cellular level. For the most part, my presence assists your body in maintaining functions even in this form, but more... complex functions take time and greater levels of skill to manage.

“What, you’re saying my throat turned to stone along with my neck?”

That’s exactly what I’m saying. Now, imagine if the same thing happened to one of your internal organs, like your heart. Or your brain.

“Oh.” Suddenly that cold feeling was back again. “Yeah, I could see that being really, really bad.”

An understatement if there ever was one. But I hope now you understand what I meant by how lucky you were in the fight with the dveorg chieftain. And why you should not attempt the same again until you are ready—or in desperate enough circumstances to warrant the risk.

“Got it. Keep the manipulation away from sensitive areas except in the direst of circumstances.”

At least until you’ve had a bit more training. Give it another month or two, and I predict that sliding your armor over your heart will pose little, if any, threat. Your head is another matter, but we’ll get there eventually.

“Sure, sure.” A wicked smile suddenly crawled onto Callan’s face. “Hey, question. Are all of my organs off-limits? Because I can think of at least one that could benefit from a bit of hardening—”

“Ahem. Pardon me, Avatar.”

Callan spun around, and found Kivi standing a few feet away, a bemused smile on her face. Heat rushed up his face. How much had the lud girl heard of his side of the conversation?

Quickly, he turned back and gave a quiet cough. “Ah, High Priestess, good to see you. Any news on the whereabouts of the children?”

“Unfortunately, no. Though with no further disappearances and no evidence that the children have come to harm, some are beginning to question the dveorg’s involvement again. Is it possible that a family took them in, without alerting their chieftain?”

Finally getting his embarrassment under control, Callan turned around, giving a shrug. “You know as much as I do about their culture. Though I suppose it can’t hurt to ask them again in case they’ve learned anything.”

Kivi nodded, as if she hadn’t expected anything else. “Then it is time that you and I make a decision concerning the matter of Aos.”

“Can’t it wait a little longer?” he asked. “I thought the plan was to speak with Shamain first.”

“That was three days ago. Her marker on the map shows no sign of departing Seabrest, and even if she did so today, it could easily be a week before she returned. I fear the matter with the yeth cannot wait that long.”

“Alright, what do you propose we do?”

“Simple. You and I depart for Aos. With your presence, we can negotiate more easily for the village’s faith in exchange for protection. Once we have a better idea of what this new cult is capable of, we can formulate a plan for the best way to strike at them. And, if need be, we can send back to the temple for reinforcements.”

I do not like the idea of you accompanying the high priestess with no additional guards, Xeph noted. Without knowing what to expect, it seems too great a risk.

Callan was in agreement with the god and told Kivi as much. She nodded in acquiescence. “Very well. Let us take Paeral. He is the more experienced of the two priests available. But we must leave at least one here to speak with Shamain should she return before us and to negotiate with the dveorg.”

“In that case, why don’t I make an additional priest?” Callan asked. “I’d been planning to once my Conviction was high enough, and that way we can have at least one more pair of hands to assist us.”

Kivi arched an eyebrow, and Callan amended, “Fine, two more pairs of hands to assist. You know what I mean.”

“Did you have anyone in mind? Or should we ask for volunteers?”

“I’ve got someone but let me ask them first. If they aren’t interested, we can go the volunteer route.”

They set off through the temple, Callan hoping he remembered the right room. As they walked, he asked, “How soon were you hoping to leave on this little adventure?”

“Today, if at all possible. We still have plenty of hours of daylight up on the surface and might even be able to make it to the village ruins before dark.”

“Really? It feels more like late afternoon already.”

Kivi gave him a demure smile. “I fear your concept of time is growing disconnected with all the days you’ve spent here in the temple. I’ve noticed this with many of the lud as well. Perhaps my recent return from traveling is helping me to keep a better measure.”

“You could be right. Maybe we should start ringing a bell at regular intervals, so people don’t lose track.”

They arrived at their destination, and Callan knocked hurriedly. If they truly were planning to leave today, no sense wasting any more time than necessary.

Kivi glanced at the door, then back at him. “Avatar, this room is the quarters for the—”

Before she could finish, the door opened, and Sworv blinked at them blearily. Had the man been sleeping? They really did need to get a bell system going, or everyone was going to end up on different schedules.

“Sworv! Just the man I wanted to see!”

“Yes, Avatar?” the lud glanced between him and Kivi, a note of apprehension coming into his eyes. “Am I needed for something? I’d just gotten off my usual shift.”

“Oh! Sorry about all this, then, but it can’t wait. You want to be a priest?” Callan decided that it was best just to put the question forward plainly. Either the man did, or he didn’t.

Sworv’s eyes went wide, then squinted in suspicion. “Is this a jest?”

“No?”

“Avatar? May I speak to you a moment?” Kivi asked, giving a light tug on his shirt. Callan ignored her.

“I’m one hundred percent serious, Sworv. Your brother is already a priest, and we were planning to drag him along on a little adventure. I thought you might want to come along as well.”

“I...” The lud man seemed at a loss for words. He shook his head, and his expression brightened. “Yes. I would be honored to join the ranks of your priests. I... I need a moment to gather my things. Please, just... a moment.”

He disappeared back into the room. Callan called after him. “If you want, we can come back right before we’re ready to leave. Give you a bit longer to sleep.”

“Avatar. A moment, please?” The tone caught his attention more than the words themselves. He turned and glanced at Kivi, who wore an unreadable expression. “Why did you not tell me that your choice for another priest was a member of the Daisa caste?”

“Honestly, I didn’t think it mattered. After all, you were a Daisa, weren’t you?”

“That is completely different. I—”

She cut off as Sworv returned. He had a small pack slung over one shoulder. “Thank you for your patience, Avatar, High Priestess. I have gathered my possessions and am ready to go.”

“What, just like that?” Callan asked.

“Indeed. I am used to abrupt departures. If it cannot fit it in my traveling bag, I do not consider it worth owning.”

“Huh.” Callan stared for a moment, then shrugged. “I guess first things first: I’d better initiate you. Hold out your hand, please.”

[Would you like to elevate target to class: Priest? Cost = 5 Conviction]

He acknowledged the message and felt all of his conviction drain away in a single go. But hey, at least he hadn’t been forced to swallow a bunch of magic rocks, for once.

That done, he turned back to Kivi. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

Something dark passed over Kivi’s face, but it was gone a second later. She looked up at him, her expression all smiles again. “Of course, Avatar. Sworv, would you and Paeral be good enough to gather what food and water bottles can be spared? We’ll need enough for a week but no more, I think.”

“Of course, my—ah, High Priestess.” If anything, Sworv nodded deeper than he had before he became a priest before running off. Callan and Kivi watched him go.

“I must make preparations as well.” Kivi turned away. “Shall we meet at the teleportation circle in an hour?”

“Sure, High Priestess, assuming I can figure out how long that...” He trailed off as Kivi hurried away. Huh. That was odd.

What did you do now, mortal? Xeph asked. Why is our High Priestess exuding such a menacing aura of anger and frustration? Tell us you did not fail in some inept courting attempt.

“Okay, first of all, you were literally right here during our entire conversation.”

True, but sometimes your conversations grow dull, and my attention wanders elsewhere. Why, did I miss something of vital importance?

Callan pressed his finger to his forehead and sighed. “No, at least I don’t think you did. Whatever she’s mad about is a mystery to me.”

Hmm.

“What?”

Oh, nothing. Only that I feel that this is a common issue for the males of your species. At least, I seem to recall hearing similar complaints in the past.

“Oh sure, you can barely remember how to change a lightbulb in your own temple, but somehow remember your world’s version of gender stereotypes.” Callan rolled his eyes.

This temple does not use bulbs. Rather light is provided via a series of gas pipes which—

“Save it for the long walk,” Callan said. He set off in the direction of his room. “Something tells me we’ll have time. Maybe we can get to the bottom of whatever is bothering Kivi, too.”

A deep chuckle echoed through his skull. Keep telling yourself that, mortal. Just keep telling yourself that.