The Champion [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ABLVV85rEeX2cmKxK82eIM_09aWIrFIFEX9kfBHVuuQximKtasbY3bJ4SMA4Kc1-6s5UVNeGWvOVNqlPe7i2vvso0jzELHo5NYnoXqhncaz86-AMfWX8ItRvzlJy7dg8bYrfZVgpkY5Gdj9G3NLQHk950jOE=w621-h931-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
Phoenix and Uriel both stared at the goddess blankly for a moment.
As her emotions warred within her on how exactly to respond to the deity, she finally settled on snark, "Well, you're a bit late to the party," she gestured towards the east as she added angrily, “We could have used your power a couple days ago when the fighting first started!”
“It is not for me to intervene directly,” the deity stated simply as though the fact was obvious.
“Not for you?!” she repeated incredulously, “You’re the Champion! It’s literally your whole purpose!” She threw up her hands and began pacing to try and release the rage she felt building up.
Phoenix was beginning to have quite enough of gods and their interests. Being reminded of the immense power they wielded what felt like less than an hour ago, when she made a desperate choice to save her dad, was not helping her already terrible mood.
The goddess was surprisingly patient with her as she tried to regain control of her emotions while continually glancing between her silent companion and the deity that could annihilate the approaching enemies with a mere thought.
Uriel for his part seemed more focused on her than on the glowing goddess before them, his ember eyes following the path of her pacing, and she was grateful for his presence. She wasn’t sure she could handle this situation without someone she trusted by her side for yet another ridiculous encounter.
After she got past the anger toward gods and their nonsensical rules of intervention, which she had barely learned anything more about after her numerous run-ins, she took a few more calming breaths before halting her pacing to lean her forehead against Uriel’s chest.
The hug he gave helped to center her once more as she took deep breaths, scenting a campfire in a cold storm. It helped her shut out the world and focus on calming down.
Now that the rage had subsided, questions began running through her mind about her current situation. She turned her head to look at the deity but didn’t extract herself from the shielding embrace, asking dubiously, "What could you possibly want with me? You of all people should know I can't stand against all of that," she said, gesturing again to the east where the half-horde of monsters and few remaining ships likely still encroached.
The goddess surprised her by nodding and stating simply, “Precisely. You have lost your champion. I have come to make a deal to replace him until the end of the war.”
“Paul is not replaceable!” Phoenix shouted at the deity and almost conjured her dagger to throw at the glowing woman for her insinuation.
Champion surprised her again by bowing their head slightly and amended, “You’re right. That was not what I meant.” Then the goddess gestured towards her and offered, “But the offer stands; if you accept my Favor, I will provide a champion to defend this city.”
She found herself speechlessly staring at the goddess again before grumbling in consternation, “What is with all these handsy gods wanting to get their grubby paws all over my soul?”
“I don’t blame them,” Uriel surprised her by saying softly in answer to her muttering, “It’s a beautiful soul.”
Phoenix wasn’t entirely sure what that was supposed to mean exactly but the compliment made her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Then in exasperation to hide that feeling, she asked the deity, not really expecting an answer, “Why do gods keep showing up to me specifically, anyways?”
The Wayfarer wasn’t sure if it was the goddess’ responses themselves that kept startling her or just the fact that this deity actually seemed willing to answer her questions, as Champion stated candidly, “We have a vested interest in keeping certain Wayfarers on good terms with us.”
None of the other deities had said that before and it made her ask in curiosity despite her disgruntled disposition, making her come across a bit curt, “So it’s only because I’m a Wayfarer?”
“That’s not what I said,” the tall woman responded with a shake of brunette waves, “However, our specific reasons are our own.”
Phoenix grumbled more about the gods and their secrets, causing Uriel to chuckle softly into her hair. Despite Champion's seemingly straightforward demeanor, the goddess wouldn't reveal everything, even when it directly involved her. Though she appreciated the straightforwardness, the hostile feeling of the encounter left her feeling frustrated.
She turned away from the illuminated goddess to press a cheek against Uriel’s chest again, feeling him breathe along with her. Trying to keep calm despite her inner turmoil, she tried to fall back on her logic. Perhaps if she could shove her feelings away for a while, like Uriel’s earrings did, and let her mind process through things in a sane and logical manner, she could figure out how to move forward without Paul to guide her.
Phoenix contemplated the offer that Champion had spoken of. The addition of the divine Favor to join the other six and a champion to fight the Soul Reaper’s forces in Paul’s stead, presumably another Ruby Caster that could battle a potential threat the enemy seemed willing to throw at them.
She had an intrusive idea enter her trail of mental dialogue at the thought of gaining the Champion’s badge for a total of seven. She wondered if she might become the very best there ever was and collect all the gods’ Favor. And here she thought she’d need eight badges before getting to meet the champion.
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The brief smile was quickly replaced by a self-recriminating scowl, remembering this wasn’t exactly the time for jokes, as she turned back towards the goddess and asked frankly, “So what’s the price?”
“What do you mean?” Champion asked with a slight raise of a perfect brow.
She rolled her eyes melodramatically, “Dazien told me everything has a price,” she expounded, then with a wave of her hand towards the sky asked with confusion, “And why are the gods so keen on marking my soul? It doesn’t seem to offer much for me to do any…” she trailed off with the train of thought before her jaw slowly dropped in dawning horror. She had wondered before what the mark actually granted her but hadn’t thought to ask if it wasn’t about the gods giving her something, but about her giving something to the gods…
The Wayfarer asked in barely more than a whisper, “Is that the price?” At the deity’s silent frown she slapped her hand onto her forehead and began berating herself, “Gah, I’m an idiot!”
The pacing started up once more as she gently pushed away from the Mage and her mind raced through her memories, “I should have seen it before. The boosted quest rewards and title, the knowledge tomes, the map, and images upgrade to my book, the [Ruby Mana Bits], they weren’t extra gifts to go with a blessing…” She sent a glare towards the divine entity as she half accused, “They were what the gods traded in order to Mark me.”
Then she stopped walking to turn and ask in a tone that demanded an answer, “What do you gain from it? Paul told me that the only thing the Soul Mark does is show others I’m Chosen, but that’s not everything, is it?”
“No, but you shouldn’t concern yourself with–”
“Of course I’m concerned! Your siblings branded my soul!” she yelled at the goddess as she slammed her fist over her Mark for emphasis. She had never considered the repercussions of her earlier decision, having trusted in her mentor’s words, but clearly, even he hadn’t known the full extent of their purpose.
Champion grimaced at her choice of words and accusatory stance and responded, “Only with your permission. The soul has to willingly accept the mark of Favor. It cannot be forced,” the goddess clarified but the next words spoken were what made her unsure of her anger, “You willingly accepted each one of them, consciously or not. I believe you will accept mine as well.”
Her eyes narrowed at the deity as she asked candidly, “Why? Why should I accept it? Why do you want to give it? What does it do and what does it cost? I deserve to know these things,” and she truly believed it. It wasn’t fair for the gods to keep secrets. It wasn’t fair that they played with people like pawns on a chessboard. It wasn’t fair that they would let people sacrifice their lives, or let their souls become caged, just so they could make their own moves.
Phoenix heard the old phrase ringing through her head, that life wasn’t fair, but she felt that she had already sacrificed enough. It could be decades before she ever spoke with her dad again. Time she would never get back. She deserved answers before agreeing to a deal she only knew part of.
Champion regarded her calmly for a few moments before asking questions instead of answering any of hers, “Are you willing to sacrifice lives for the answers? To sacrifice a city?”
She opened her mouth to protest but the goddess continued on, “There are divine laws that even I must abide by and I cannot give you the knowledge you seek. That is not within my domain. The deal is such: accept my brand, as you put it, and my own Paladin can intervene.”
Phoenix was about to continue arguing when, to her utter shock and dismay, her [Guide Book] appeared in front of her with an unexpected message that she should have totally expected.
New Quest: A Champion for a Champion
Champion has offered a new champion to stand in your previous champion's place.
Objective: Accept Champion’s Favour.
Reward: A new champion until the end of the war with the Soul Reapers.
Now she was eyeing her book warily with even more paranoia. The guide ability hadn’t offered her a single quest the entire time she had been battling the Soul Reaper’s forces until it wanted her to Cage Paul’s soul, which she agreed was something she wanted at the time instead of helplessly watching him die, and now suddenly it was telling her she should do something that she was currently very much against. Her racing mind briefly contemplated once more if one of the gods had somehow manipulated the thing… perhaps a certain book-loving one…
She shook the thought from her head, not wanting to go down the illogical rabbit hole of improvable conspiracy theories that would solve nothing and only cause her to fear more. Even if the gods were somehow… influencing the ability, it was usually to her benefit. Making her stronger, forcing her to overcome her fears and doubts, and saving her dad’s life despite the setback it came with. So, instead, she focused on the situation as it was and what she could do to accomplish her own goals.
Embarrassingly, it took her a while to remember that her current goal should be to protect the city full of people praying for a miracle, the city that was home to all of her friends in this world, the city that Paul had been willing to give his life to save. She wasn’t powerful enough to do that herself but this deal might just give her what she needed to accomplish that goal.
The price? Well, how terrible would one more god getting frisky with her soul really be? It’s not like it was her first time. The fact remained: even if the soul brands were having some sort of undue effect on her, it was already too late to undo it. Plus, Champion wasn’t wrong that she had permitted each one of them, whether she was fully aware of the price or not.
She gave the goddess a long assessing gaze as she looked the woman up and down in her contemplation and decided that even if she was giving the gods some sort of backdoor into her soul, these particular gods, and what they represented, were something she would probably be okay fighting for.
Reluctantly, she gave a heavy sigh and agreed, “Fine. It’s a deal but–”
The goddess didn’t wait further and flashed in front of her, a hand already being placed upon her Mark when she registered the deity had moved. As the jolt of divine power surged through her unexpectedly, she stumbled backward only to have Uriel’s arms wrap around her again to help keep her from falling.
When Phoenix regained coherency, the deity was gone and she and Uriel were alone on the roof in the center of the garden once more. She looked up and screamed at the stars that had just begun to glimmer in the twilight, “I still deserve to know!”
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END OF BOOK 3 OF WAYWARD: FALLING
Phoenix and Friends will return in Book 4 of Wayward: Breaking