I approach the palace with my golem. Unsurprisingly, there are scores of guards positioned on the road to the palace. As I ascend the road, I catch curious glances from noble folk and soldiers alike. It’s to be expected. They’ve never seen me around here before. My attention is caught by a militiaman who steps in front of me.
"Halt!" He shouts. "If you wish to travel any closer to the palace, you must present proof of your nobility!" I sigh and cast Cognitio Disruption on him with my gauntlet.
"I may come through. I have presented you with proof that I am a Baron." He steps aside and I continue towards the palace. The other soldiers seem confused at what just happened, but do not dare question their captain’s actions. I eventually reach the entrance of the palace; a gloriously decorated foyer with all sorts of elegantly dressed people of all different races making conversation. As I walk through, I catch glimpses of conversations, usually things along the lines of macroeconomics within the kingdom. Were I still in my world, I might be paying close attention. Money has no use for me anymore though. I walk the perimeter of the foyer in search of this so-called god. I need not look for long.
"You have insulted me, dog! I am owed penance! Bring me 5,000 gold within the week or I shall have you executed!" The voice booms from a long room with a lavish golden throne at the far end. Must be him. I decide to wait for whatever debacle he is having to conclude. After about 5 minutes, the shouting stops and a man in brown robes runs out with tears flowing down his face. I then make my entrance. "And who might you be to enter my chambers unannounced?" Now that I’m closer I can see the source of the booming voice. A man of average stature and skinny build sits before me. His clothing is like none I have seen; white robes that look like they’re straight out of Ancient Rome. As I enter, the guards lining the walls all jump at me and hold me at spear point.
"I come only seeking answers. I hope you will be reasonable enough to listen to my petitions." The man strokes his chin in thought.
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"Very well. I will allow you to speak." The guards lower their spears.
"I’ve been told you’re a god. I take it this means you have an intrinsic connection to the dimension. Tell me, if you know the answer, how do I find Heaven?" The man’s previously amused face settles into an extremely serious expression. He begins snapping his finger repeatedly as if struck by a tic.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve last had this conversation. The moment you walked in the room, I could tell you were different; you have a dark aura that repels and eats the mana in the atmosphere around you." That must be what they call Vis in this dimension. "I can’t tell you anything about Heaven. What I can tell you might help you find it though." He begins telling a story.
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Long ago, God said, "Let there be light." His words created all of reality, and His will created all life. The early universe had no gods; only the intrinsic powers God had created. However, something happened that changed this. A magician of extraordinary talent harnessed the power of God’s words, and pulled them down to each dimension. The words were imbued into mortals at random; and thus the gods were created. One word, however, was different. The energy of the word was caught in the casting of a dimensional travel spell, and thus the word was bound to it, creating a gateway to Heaven. God, however, saw this and did not like it, so with a thought he sundered the portal apart.
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"I still remember when I was struck by one of the words. The last part is just an old tale, though. It’s probably not real." I ponder the story. It explains many things, such as why gods exist and why trans-dimensional travel is possible.
"Thank you. You have been a great help. If there’s anything I can do to repay you, just tell me." He waves his hand in dismissal. As I turn to leave, a guard runs up to him and whispers something in his ear.
"You… you bastard! You KILLED the guardian dragon!? How? Even I couldn’t have done that!" His eyes flare with a yellow divine glow as he stands up and raises his hand up to me. A tremendous amount of Vis congeals into his palm as an unfathomably powerful blast of light shoots out. Shit. I don’t think my flux can deflect that…