“Wait, what” I said “how do you know what a training montage is”?
“Well I’ve spent the time you were battling that filth seeking what kind of combat experience you've had over the course of your life. While you have had a few of what you refer to as ‘street fights’ those seem quite minimal and you lack any real background in any combat discipline”.
Well shit, I thought to myself, now he knows I came from a mostly peaceful place and have few skills relevant in a world of gods and monsters. He’s probably going to ditch me and pick someone more qualified to be his champion. This would be especially true if he saw the memory of the incident and knew how much of a coward I was. Honestly, crazy Siege would probably be a better choice than me. In my internal shame I looked down at the golden floor unable to look into Verethragna's eyes.
Likely surmising my internal monolog Verethragna said, “ Take heart little warrior if nothing else in that cave you are no coward. A fool possibly, but you have bravery and the heart of a champion. This is not something that can be taught, this state of mind is something you must achieve on your own. You are there, now all you need is a teacher.” A resounding hum filled the golden world and Verethragna shown with even grander golden brilliance. “You have me, Little warrior, Verethragna, the god of victory and an existence at the peak of pre-ascended existence. With my in your mind there are no heights we can’t reach and we shall train hard every single night while your physical body sleeps, forging you into a supreme being”!
The god’s enthusiasm and confidence were infectious, I looked at him again in the eyes and knew under his tutelage that I would become something that could change this world and possibly even my own. I knew that the training would be hard but so was anything worth doing, I, wait a sec when did he say we would be training I thought to myself.
“Verethragna, your instruction sounds incredible, but what was that you said about when we would be training”? As I asked I saw a demonic glint enter Verethragna's eyes, which sent a shiver down my spine.
“Good of you to pick up on that little warrior, we shall train every night here in the golden world as you sleep. This place will serve as the perfect training ground to forge you into a peerless combatant”.
“But, what about rest”
“ Rest! Rest is for the week of mind. Your physical form will of course get its rest, but I will make sure your mental fortitude grows by leaps and bounds. It would be quite a shame to waste eight hours on simple dreams when you could be bettering yourself under my tutelage. Also your control of divine energy really needs a lot of work. Imagine if you had been slain by a cockroach of all things, I am a god of victory, imagine the stain on my reputation if that ever got out. No, you have a long road ahead of you little warrior, and we shall chip away at it every single night.”
With a sinking feeling, I realized this grand quest I was set on was turning into a death march. I wasn't sure if I could pull it off, but Verethragna was very confident. He said, "Fear not, little warrior. While the future won't be easy, your potential is far above any new ascender." Then, in a quieter voice, he continued, "Even my own primary wielder."
This floored me. How could I, a normal guy from Earth, possibly contend with someone who had ascended to godhood? I asked with great confusion, "How could this be?"
Verethragna let out a great sigh and continued, "I wish not to speak of my previous wielder. While this partial wielder contract is necessary, it feels like a betrayal of sorts. I know him well and as my other half, I'm confident that he won't think less of me for it, but a partial wielder contract is an unspoken taboo in most pantheons. It hurts my pride greatly to have to resort to such measures, but pride is a worthy sacrifice for victory. So, for now, I will only tell you so much about my other half. His name was Aellius. Unlike most who delve into the world's core, he was not some rich scion trained from birth to take on a deity's mantle. He was the bastard son of a minor noble family that was destroyed in his childhood by a rival family. He had to crawl his way through all sorts of trials to get his shot at an ascender. In the end, they only let non-nobles participate as canon fodder to improve the chances of the elite. Aellius never took this to heart and refused to accept anything other than victory. He wanted to never lose anything precious to him ever again, and this resolve impressed me enough to bond with him. This sentiment is one you can relate to, is it not?"
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Images of my mother, sister, uncle, and even planet Earth flash through my thoughts. Thinking I understood what Verethragna was saying, I responded.
"The reason you chose me to be your wielder was because I reminded you of Aellius, wasn't it?" Verethragna let out a chuckle that transformed into a booming laugh.
"Yes, you are quite similar to a young Aellius. This was the only reason that I lowered myself to a partial wielder contract even in such a dire situation.You have a fire in your heart that Aellius possesses. A drive to protect those you hold dear, to never let them be hurt again. That is something that cannot be taught. You and Aellius had to learn it through hardship and tragedy. That is why I know you will become something great, much like him." Giving me a disappointed look, he said, "How could you even consider the whiny smith as an appropriate wielder? He even worships another god."
Taken aback by the change in direction of the conversation, I quickly tried to figure out how he knew of that thought. Remembering that he was now living rent-free in my mind, I realized that he likely had a front-row view to all of my thoughts. I went into a mini panic spiral for a moment before I remembered how we got to talking about Aellius in the first place. "How do I have better potential than Aellius?" Giving me a grin, Verethragna responded,
"That little warrior is where things get interesting. While the two of you have much in common, the major difference is in your attunements. Affinities are something that all denizens of Ragnaris have, and they directly affect how you interact with the various concepts of the world. How high or low they are is directly related to the individual. Things like bloodlines, personal interests, and traumas all play a big role in determining your affinities. Just about anything you can think of can be an affinity, but most ideas are derivative of something else. Additionally, the overwhelming majority of affinities are so abstract that the minimal connection a person has to them would have a negligible effect. That said, for the more broad and simple affinities, possessing a high rank in them can lead to some level of power over that concept. For example, the whinny smith has a very potent affinity with fire, and even before becoming a follower of Hephestus, he likely had a solid amount of control over it. However, he likely only had a minimal affinity towards Hephestus' other major concept, creation, as it is far more abstract. He must have trained hard to become a master so young. I'm telling you all this because most deities base whether they accept wielders and acolytes primarily on these affinities. Aellius's affinities were barely above average, especially in my primary affinity of light." After thinking over his words for a moment, I came up with an answer.
"So, basically what you're telling me is that my affinities are more impressive than Aellius' were, so I have a better shot at becoming powerful?" Childhood dreams of me firing lasers from my eyes flashed through my mind. Verethragna was quick to crush my dreams. With a sadistic smile, he said,
"No, unlike Aellius and the rest of the beings in this world, you have zero affinity for any concept." This crushed me. After everything, being transferred to this world and fighting for my life, I was just an anchor around Verethragna's neck. Feeling my palpable distress, Verethragna continued. "Cheer up, little warrior. While having no affinities may seem like a problem for the normal citizens of Ragnaris, you are an ascender. Your power comes directly from a divine source, one at the peak of existence, no less. While you will never become any variety of affinity sage, you are the perfect vessel for divine power. Most ascenders spend their entire life trying to craft their affinities to perfectly match their deities, while you will never have that problem. I can pump as much divine power as I like through you without you experiencing any of the dreaded conflict affinity known as burnout happening. Burnout has crippled many powerful ascenders over the years, and you, lucky fool, get to completely disregard it. Now, enough talk. The only thing limiting your power right now is control and skill. Sadly, you have little of either, so I will train you in the basics of swordsmanship till sunrise."