“Alright, lad. Now that you’ve got a helper, you should go collect a soul or two,” Davy said.

Walter turned. “Wait. Shouldn’t I get some training first? Or at least some knowledge about the world?”

“Best way to learn is by experience, lad,” Davy answered. “And it ain’t like you can learn the wrong way to collect a soul. It don’t work like that.”

“How does it work then?” Walter questioned.

“I can’t explain it well,” Davy answered. “But it’s a part of you now. You’ll know what you need to do when it happens.”

“I still need to learn more about the world, though,” Walter complained. “Sod already mentioned there are others using divine energy. What if I run into one?”

And what if Walter died again?

“Eh, you’ll be fine, lad,” Davy said. “There likely ain’t a thing out there that can hurt you. And if something does attack, your helper will be there.”

Flipper gave a squeak of approval.

“I should still know if there are threats,” Walter argued, his fears still getting the better of him.

“Call Sod and get it over with then,” Davy answered. “Or better yet, I’ll call him since your such a landlubber.”

Before Walter could say anything, Davy marched over to his ship, leaped up the side in one bound, and rang a bell sitting near the steering wheel.

“Hey, Sod!” Davy yelled. “The lad’s got some questions!”

A formless sphere of light appeared in front of Walter, coalescing into the humanoid shape of Sod.

“What is it?” the god asked.

“The lad’s got a domain and a helper,” Davy explained as he leaped off the boat. “But he’s scared of heading out to collect souls.”

“I’m not scared!” Walter huffed. “I’m just trying to be cautious. You said others can already use divine energy, so it stands to reason there’s something that would be a threat to me out there.”

Davy shook his head. “What kind of god is scared of the souls he collects.”

“It’s called prudence,” Walter countered.

“Bah,” Davy scoffed. “You’re jus’ scared of adventure, that’s all.”

Walter straightened his back. “I am no—”

“Enough,” Sod said. His voice was no louder than usual, but it cut through Walter’s bravado. “I have too much to deal with, and none of it involves hearing you two argue.”

Sod turned to Davy. “Walter’s argument is sound. He should know what he’s dealing with.”

Walter smirked.

“However,” Sod looked back at Walter. “You must get started soon. And while I can inform you of dangers, it is no replacement for experience.”

Walter sulked, prompting Flipper to place his namesake on the man’s shoulder.

“Thanks, buddy,” Walter said.

“I will give you a suggestion of where to start,” Sod said.

The god conjured the copy of their world, spinning it around to one of the three large continents. The image zoomed in on the northeastern portion of the continent.

“This is a safe area,” Sod said, pointing to the mountain range that appeared. “Below the mountains are multiple fishing villages. It should be easy enough to start a collection cycle here.”

“And what should I be careful of?” Walter asked.

“This continent is home to leaders calling themselves deistic monarchs,” Sod said. The god changed the image to a humanoid in a pristine fur coat and shining gold crown.

Davy snorted. “What, was god-king too simple for them?”

“It is a pompous name,” Sod agreed. “But the monarchs would be a threat. Luckily, you won’t be near them. The fishing villages are too far out of their way.”

“Why are they so dangerous?” Walter asked.

“The monarchs have learned how to extend their lives with divine energy and have learned the art of infusing souls into weapons. Many monarchs prepare for their ‘death’ by placing their soul into a token for their successors to use. The monarch can then give advice and grant a portion of the power they held in life to their descendent.”

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Walter whistled. “Sounds like a recipe for disaster if war breaks out.”

“Luckily, most monarchs understand the destruction they can cause, and thus resort to espionage to gain the upper hand over their foes.”

Sod changed the image from the monarch to an animal.

“Your other threat would be the ravaging beasts,” Sod said. “These animals learned to harness divine energy and have made themselves faster and stronger. Luckily, most are still animals in nature. They won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.”

“If you kill a few, you’d get an influx of energy I bet,” Davy said.

“Why would I go out of my way to kill them?” Walter asked. “I’m just here to collect souls. I won’t have to learn to fight or anything.”

“Quite,” Sod answered.

Davy snorted.

Walter frowned at Davy. The old god was starting to get on Walter’s nerves. He was grateful to Davy for teaching him how to use energy, but the god’s personality clashed with Walters. He wasn’t an adventurous person. Heck, the most adventurous thing he’d done in recent years had gotten him killed! Would it kill the god to hold a bit more sympathy?

“Well, if ye got nothing left, he should be on his way,” Davy said.

“I agree,” Sod said.

“Wait, I still have a few questions!” Walter said.

But neither god stopped to listen. Sod waved his hand, and Walter found himself shooting through the endless void, the two gods a pinprick in the distance. A moment later, Walter saw Sod’s planet, Jewel, coming into focus.

The planet hadn’t looked nearly as jarring as a conjured image. Sod’s smaller copy had made the planet look prettier than it was, in Walter’s opinion. Up close, the lavender seas clashed with the emerald continents, crafting an image that pained Walter’s eyes.

Walter’s approach slowed as he came closer to his destination. The lavender water soon fell under the horizon, leaving only the brown mountains and green foliage. Walter landed amidst a group of shrubberies planted next to a well-worn dirt road.

The man blinked.

“Well, that was certainly a trip,” he said.

“Squeak,” Flipper responded.

Walter looked down at his helper. “Alright, little guy, let’s find us some souls.”

Flipper squeaked again and bobbed his head in a direction.

“That way?” Walter asked.

Flipper nodded.

“They aren’t dangerous, right?” Walter asked.

Flipper gave the man a look.

“Sheesh, I was just being cautious,” Walter answered.

Walter lifted Flipper up and placed him on his shoulder. “Alright. Lead the way.”

The two walked down the pathway until the sun passed overhead. Their progress was halted by both Walter and Flipper stopping every few minutes to admire the area. Everything was new to the both of them, and the various foliage was new and wonderous.

There were grasses that flowered with small red bulbs, small insects hovering around to gather their nectar. Birds with bright plumage sat on trees with vibrant green bark, singing songs that only they knew. Every so often, a bird would swoop down and pluck an insect out of the air.

Further down their walk, Walter encountered a many-limbed lizard basking on a rock with what looked to be a slug. The slug would lazily stroll over the lizard’s back, moistening it up when it got too dry. Flipper attempted to jump and snap at the slug, but the lizard hissed at him angrily.

“It’d give you a stomachache anyway,” Walter told his helper. “You have no clue where that’s been.”

Flipper squeaked indignantly.

“Aw, I’m just trying to look out for ya,” Walter cooed, moving to scratch the animal under the chin.

Flipper slapped the hand away playfully, leading Walter to attempt another scratch. The two continued playing for a few minutes as they walked, just enjoying the sights.

Walter knew he had a task to do, but Sod wouldn’t begrudge him some playtime. Now that the shock of everything was wearing off, Walter realized he had a whole new world in front of him. Sure, it was a scary world filled with things that might kill him again, but he didn’t have to think about that right now.

Right now, all that mattered was Flipper and the piece of moss he found to tease him with.

Flipper squeaked in protest at Walter’s teasing. Walter laughed and relented, handing the moss off. Flipper happily munched it down.

The two continued walking until the sun started to dip toward the horizon, forcing Walter to shield his eyes with a fallen leaf. As he reached down to grab the plant, he startled a small community of green-furred rodents. A bird swooped down and scooped up one of the rodents in the same breath, quickly crushing it between its talons.

Walter gasped as he saw something leave the rodent, a wispy silver-gold orb that seemed to hum. Flipper chirped, pushing against Walter to move closer. Walter grabbed his friend and placed him on the ground. Flipper jumped toward the orb, grabbing it with his mouth in one gulp before turning to ask Walter for praise.

“Yes, you did a great job,” Walter said as he picked his helper up.

As the two touched, Walter felt a connection between him and the soul. He received flashes of memory. Living under the trees, hunting for scraps, and other small moments from inside Flipper.

Walter watched as the silver-gold orb unraveled in his mind, the memories becoming threads that connected to a tiny dot in the center.

“That must be the soul,” Walter deduced. “Then, is this all divine energy?”

Walter reached out, grabbing the threads and small orb of soul. The orb was warm to the touch and strangely comforting. Almost instinctively, Walter sent the soul to his domain. It landed in one of the pools without a splash. The man watched as the rodent swam for a second, relieving itself of the small threads before exiting out the small gap.

Current Assets

Divine Energy on Hand

2

Total Current Assets:

0

Long-Term (Fixed) Assets

Long-Term Investments (property)

1250

Intangible Assets

250

Total Long-Term (Fixed) Assets:

1500

TOTAL ASSETS:

1502

“Huh, okay,” Walter said after his spreadsheet recorded the collected energy.

“I guess that’s all we need to do then?” Walter asked Flipper.

Flipper could only shrug in answer.