It had been a long few months for Aaron. From the time he had managed to quietly slip away from the camp outside the accursed “dungeon,” he had spent his days roughing it.

He had first returned to Guilone to report what he had observed to the temple there, only to quickly learn that Farun was no longer willing to accept priests from any temple to work with the government.

All priests and priestesses of every temple had been sent back from the various military installations, and even the king’s top advisor, the archmage who represented all of the temples and none of them, had been driven away from the royal palace.

Confusion had reigned among the clergy, and the gods had been silent about being rejected. Nothing at all made sense at all, but then, everything had changed over the course of just a few short days.

First, Farun had launched an all-out invasion of Tamar to the west. The two had never been friendly, and tensions had been high from the moment of the eldar dragon’s death and the subsequent covert war for the wealth the beast had left behind. It had also become a public secret that Farun had fallen behind in that hidden exchange, though very few knew the details involved.

However, word of the invasion had quickly been followed by rumors. Bizarre, impossible rumors of soldiers wielding magic.

While the pantheon covered every nation, very few of the gods forbade their priests from participating in civil activities, and some, like Hidde, even encouraged the priests to participate in warfare. After all, Hidde was the god of battle, and he encouraged his priests to fight against each other, both within and without his temples.

However, all of the priests had been driven away from Farun’s armies, so how could there be any who wielded magic still among their numbers?

In the weeks that had followed, the kingdom’s attitude towards the temples grew increasingly worse, while at the same time, ever more bizarre rumors returned from the frontlines.

There were tales of impossible feats of strength and agility. Of men shooting arrows from more than 500 paces, yet striking their target. Of “heroes” who could cleave their enemies in twain as though reaping grain as they waded across a battlefield. Of flaming swords and shields. Of men flying on wings of fire.

None of it made any sense, until finally, a message was received that saw all but the acolytes in training fleeing the kingdom of Farun.

The gods had been robbed.

Someone had managed to steal magic from the domain of the gods and had granted it to the soldiers of Farun.

Terrified and appalled by this revelation, the clergy had all fled the nation, and they had all made their way to the pantheon’s most holy place: the Sanctuary of Yur.

While most people understood that Yur was the goddess of the earth, most of the true clergy were aware that Yur was a goddess apart from the rest of the pantheon. While the gods did not deign enlighten their followers on all of their secrets, the temples were aware that Yur had always existed, even before humans or the human pantheon of gods.

The high priests and upper echelons of the various temples were also aware that Yur was not truly part of the pantheon, or rather, she was above it, as she had always existed. As the earth itself, Yur had been a member of every pantheon throughout history, including the fallen pantheons of the non-humans which had been purged by having every member of the species worshiping them wiped off the face of the planet.

This was also why Yur’s clergy were regarded with both wariness and respect, as they served a greater deity than the rest.

As the priest who had reported the strange events at the dungeon, Aaron had immediately been hidden upon his return to Guilone, but he had also been secretly speaking with the high priests and the rest of the upper members of the clergy in the capital city, answering questions and essentially being interrogate about the dungeon.

While Aaron was a high priest, every city of reasonable size had at least one high priest, and some had a high priest for each temple. As a newly raised high priest, Aaron stood low on the hierarchy, and was forced to subject himself to his superiors’ convenience and demands.

While humiliating, it had been necessary, and that necessity had been one of the only things to help Aaron keep his temper in check.

The other thing that had helped had been the presence of Hild, Harold, and Philip. As the priestess of Yur who had actually participated in the first delve into the dungeon, Hild had been questioned just as intently as Aaron, if not more so.

As for Harold and Philip, the two priests had participated in portions of the second delve, though Harold had been forced to leave early, due to his age and inability to react quickly enough to the various threats. The old man was powerful, there was no denying that, but he had slowed in his advanced age, and that could have proven fatal in the dungeon.

As for Hild, it was true that she was the niece of the king of Farun, but the clergy’s loyalties were first to their gods, then to the pantheon, and then to mortal authority. This was how it had always been, and all priests and priestesses understood the full implications by the time of their consecration.

What belonged to the gods was theirs alone, and they would never release what belonged to them. Abandoning the gods was unthinkable, and yet Aaron knew that it had been attempted.

Attempted, but never done.

The clergy belonged to the gods as undeniably as their temples and shrines. Gods abandoned nothing that truly belonged to them, and attempting to break free had but one ending: death.

Service to the gods was to the death, one way or another.

While fleeing Farun and heading north to the Sanctuary of Yur, Aaron had spent his time both brooding and contemplating. While resentful of the fact that he had been forced to become a refugee, the days and weeks of travel had given the priest time to reflect on why he had become a follower of Hidde to begin with.

There had not truly been anything profound to Aaron’s decision, or rather, he had not even seen it as a decision at all. Unless one was born to lead a nation or an empire, one would have to serve others. Given the fact that Aaron had not been born with such impossible luck, it only made sense to choose the most powerful master possible to serve.

Who did that leave but the gods?

While others served mortal masters, Aaron answered to a god; a manifestation of supernatural power.

As for why Aaron had chosen Hidde over Yur or another god, the answer was quite simple: Hidde encouraged combat of all kinds, and that included contests for power among his clergy. Aaron had understood from the very beginning that Hidde’s precepts matched his own desires and personality the closest. Once again, to Aaron, it had not been a decision to serve Hidde over the other gods, but simply the only option available.

Hidde had returned Aaron’s service with power and authority. He had gained the power of magic and had grown to become a powerful mage, rising through the ranks of the clergy to become a high priest above hundreds of priests and acolytes, and thousands of civilians in Guilone and the surrounding region.

Every time that Aaron cast a spell by calling on the power of Hidde, he was able to gain a mere glimpse at the power of his god, and it always left him overwhelmed and awed.

For this reason, Aaron oddly enough did not feel the rage and fury of his fellow clergymen upon learning that someone had stolen magic from the gods. No, what Aaron felt was a terrible confusion. Given the power that he was able to sense from Hidde, and that at the very least, Yur was even more powerful than Hidde, how had anyone managed to steal anything at all from the pantheon? How was that even possible? What sort of strength or power was needed to steal from the gods, much less grant that power to others?

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It was a question that baffled Aaron, and left him questioning everything he knew. While others felt rage, Aaron felt simply lost.

As Aaron’s resentment faded and his confusion mounted, he became more and more withdrawn as the clergy made their way north. He became almost completely unresponsive to others, and would only respond with grunts or monosyllables, and the change was being noticed by nearly all of his comrades

Finally, after weeks of travel, the clergy arrived at the Sanctuary of Yur. Unlike what people who had not visited the place before expected, Yur’s most sacred location was not teeming with life and growth, but was instead a rather unique location where a large, solitary, smoking mountain stood over a vast canyon that none had ever reached the bottom.

Yur was not the goddess of life, but of the earth itself. From that foundation, she was also the goddess of bounty and reproduction, but her core self was the goddess of the earth, and thus her sanctuary portrayed the glorious beauty of the earth in its naked wonder.

The mountain was mostly bare of trees, and the canyon was harsh and home to practically no vegetation or animals. Still, there was no denying the astounding beauty of the place.

It was a harsh, desolate place that perfectly captured the majesty of the earth, and that was why it had been chosen for the Sanctuary of Yur.

When Aaron and the rest arrived, they found others already there, though not many. In fact, all they found were the top few members of each of the temples, as well as their servants or caretakers.

Shockingly, the leaders of each of the six temples were present. No one could remember the last time that all of the gods’ representatives had been present in a single place, and it spoke to the gravity of the situation.

Aaron’s fugue state continued even after arriving, and he only was roused from his near comatose condition when he found himself before the leaders of the six temples.

His mind started racing, and he tried to think back to find why he was alone with six of the most influential humans alive, yet oddly enough, he could not find a single hint in his recent memories.

Even worse, he only knew the names of Hidde’s Champion and Yur’s Saintess. The other four individuals were complete strangers to Aaron. While he knew Ixel’s representative was known as Death’s Matriarch, he did not know the woman’s name, nor that of Erdil’s Huntress, Anba’s Legate, or Urdan’s Philosopher, which was humiliating.

If Aaron had known he would be meeting with these six people, he would have made sure to do at least a bit of research to know who they were.

Suddenly feeling awkward, nervous, and a bit lost, Aaron simply stared at the six people in front of him.

The silence dragged on, but Aaron had no idea what he was supposed to do or say. Just when he was about to break and ask why he was there, Hidde’s Champion, Tomas, spoke up, “Aaron, you are one of only four priests to have ventured into the first ‘dungeon’ to be discovered.”

While the Champion was not done speaking, Aaron already had questions; the first dungeon? More had been discovered?

“Due to several complications, the gods are unable to peer into these dungeons without a representative present, meaning one of us six. Thus, we need to hear from you and the other two what you saw and experienced in that place.”

Aaron’s questions were only increasing. The gods could not see inside the dungeon? No, dungeons? That did not make any sense at all, unless…

Aaron’s mind quickly started making a connection, due to his preoccupation with the topic over recent days. “The one behind the dungeons is responsible for stealing magic from the gods!”

Aaron’s outburst was met with grimaces and sideways glances between the leaders of the six temples. Even Yur’s Saintess looked slightly uncomfortable at Aaron’s remark.

Champion Everit went so far as to glare at Arron, and brusquely said, “If the gods themselves have not seen fit to speak on that matter, it is not our place to make any assumptions! You have been brought here to give an account of your experiences, not speak of rumors or blasphemous heresy. Now, speak only on what you witnessed in this ‘dungeon’ and what you heard in the soldiers’ camp.”

Aaron shifted uncomfortably. It had been years since he had been scolded like a child, and now he needed to correct the Champion of Hidde…

“To begin, your holiness, I must clarify that I never personally stepped foot in the dungeon. I remained in the camp outside, but was never allowed inside. Instead, I had my priests and acolytes mingle with the soldiers and try to befriend them so that I could learn more about what was happening inside.

“Very soon after the dungeon was discovered, Farun’s armies decided that none but their own would be allowed inside, purportedly for ‘safety.’”

Everit’s gaze grew sharp when he was corrected by the high priest, but a subtly raised hand from Yur’s Saintess precluded the Champion from interrupting.

“I learned much about the creatures in the dungeon, and I compiled a full report on everything, including the sections, descriptions of the plants and animals, treasures brought back, and more. I sent the original to the main temple, and kept a copy so that I could keep it updated with new developments.”

The Huntress spoke up, “We have all read your report, so you can pass over anything included there. Stick to anything that you learned after sending that report.”

Aaron nodded, and quickly continued, “I sent the last report several days before I escaped the camp, and during that time, there were several major incidents.

“To begin with, while my report shared that there was something important that happened with the last delve to return, it did not include what happened in the few days that followed.

“General Simon led a few men back to Guilone, and I learned upon my return to the capital that he met with the king. However, while he was gone, I learned that everyone who had participated in that last delve who did not return with the general were quietly executed, while everyone else who returned from the dungeon was interrogated, and then locked up in isolation. They were not allowed to speak with anyone, not even each other.”

Aaron took a deep breath before resuming his report. “From the servant responsible for cleaning the general’s office and quarters, an acolyte learned that a large burn mark appeared on the floor of the office during the general’s meeting with that last delve team. Stranger still was the fact that it had been warm, yet there was no evidence of anything else having burned in the office. The burn marks formed a circle in the middle of the floor. The fireplace was cold, and there were no coals or ashes to be seen anywhere.

“After my escape, I received one report from an acolyte who remained behind before everything went silent. The message meant nothing to me at the time, but after hearing the rumors from the war, I’ve grown suspicious. All the acolyte sent was ‘They defy the gods, and they must be stopped.’”

“Thank you, Aaron, you may return now.” The Saintess’s dismissal only served to exacerbate Aaron’s confusion, but it was not his place to question the six people before him.

***

Everit struggled to not grind his teeth as he watched Aaron bow and leave. Everit recognized the naked ambition in the high priest, and while he usually encouraged such things, this man was too bold in his pursuit of power, and Everit felt mildly threatened.

Something would need to be done about Aaron, though it would have to be put off for the time being. There was a time and place for internal disputes, and any of Hidde’s followers who did not understand that would find themselves learning quickly, or being removed from Hidde’s service.

Evelyn spoke up, and Everit immediately focused on the Saintess. The six people present understood the pantheon’s hierarchy better than anyone other than the gods themselves, and no one would stand up to Yur’s Saintess. “Farun’s insistence on this war will overcome even our best efforts to try to pass things off as mere rumors. The gods have remained rather quiet on this matter, and I cannot know their thoughts on what has happened, but there is no denying the truth that somehow, someone had found a way to grant magic to mankind without the gods.

“Additionally, Ambar visited a second dungeon a few weeks ago, and this one contained things that are heretical to Ixel.

“I will have her share her experience as well, but we need to acknowledge that these dungeons are spreading, and while they may not all be overtly evil, they do not serve our gods, and they are not a divine miracle, as some have claimed.

“For now, you will all gather any and all information you can on these dungeons, wherever they may lie, and we will prepare to respond to them as our gods see fit as soon as they share their decision. We will take no actions for or against these strange places until and unless we receive direction.”

As Everit listened to first Evelyn, and then Ambar speak, he struggled more and more to maintain his control.

Hidde was the god of battle, and all of his followers held both ambition and at least a trace of bloodlust. Being told to do nothing was nearly unbearable to Everit, as he wanted nothing more but to charge forth and lay waste to those who had dared to defy the gods and tread upon their domain.

It was heresy, and it could not be tolerated, no matter what Yur’s Saintess declared.

Fortunately for Everit, he noticed a familiar glint of resentment in the Legate’s eyes as well.