Mantle of the Gods

“Your what?” Justia and I exclaimed at the same time.

Trent looked like it all made sense except to me none of it made sense. The ArchBishop didn’t wait for any of it to sink in. Instead, he continued to feed us information.

“You are to tell no one of this.” He eyed Justia and me, “Not a single word outside of this room.” the ArchBishop turned his attention to Trent. “I need you to oversee his training and raise him to where he'll be able to stand on his own.” He looked at the Priestess, “Justia, you are to see to his needs as you would the God who you eventually serve.”

I rubbed my forehead, this was all happening too fast and too crazy. Just what exactly did they think I was?

Trent put the folder on the desk and folded his arms, “So you've given me a Healer and a Caster. Are you going to fill out the rest of my team for me or do I have a say in that?”

The ArchBishop glared at Trent, “You have four more people that you can choose, except they can’t be Noble. I don't need word of one of his antics getting back to a deity through the Nobles.”

Trent nodded, “Understandable, but that puts a lot of limits on my team and will showcase him that much more.”

Justia found her voice before the ArchBishop had a chance to respond. “I was told that I wouldn't have to take the vow if I came here instead of staying at the clinic.” She focused her attention on the balding old man. “You told me that I would be allowed to return to my family's clinic once I was done and that I wouldn’t have to deal with any of this…,” She waved her hands around, “stuff.”

“Some things are more important.” The ArchBishop pointed at the wall behind him, “Every day, the deities get stronger and take a little more of our power away. Soon, they won’t even recognize the sanctity of our order, and then who is going to stand between the deities and the masses? Hmm?” He didn’t wait for her to respond, “An opportunity to stop this blight has fallen into our lap and I think we need to take advantage of it.”

I could see the rage in her eyes when I made the mistake of looking at her. I swallowed not knowing what to do.

Sorry

I tried to mouth the word but somehow it only made her look even angrier.

“What will you do about the other teachers?” Trent asked, “I can’t see Celia keeping this from her benefactor.”

The ArchBishop raised his eyebrows, “That is for you to figure out.” He motioned between the two of them, “If the deities figure out what we have here then you know what will happen.”

I stood up before Trent could answer. I wasn’t keeping up with the conversation and needed it to be spelled out clearer. “Just what do we have here and why is everyone deciding what will happen to me without me getting a say in it?”

Justia looked shocked at how I had just spoken to the superiors.

Trent backed away just a bit so that it would be only me that the ArchBishop could focus on.

“You are doing what I say because I am the one protecting you from the other deities.” The ArchBishop came around the desk and grabbed my hand. Before I knew what was happening he had drawn a thin line of blood with one of his nails and then smeared it across a long white rock on his desk. The rock absorbed the blood, then a status board appeared above it.

Atlas Zeb - Level 1

Age: 18, Hair: White, Eye color: Green, Height: 6’

0 Exp

godling

10 Power 10 Defense 10 Speed

12 Magic 10 Recovery 10 Aura

Justia let out a small gasp and then a long sigh. Trent just shook his head.

“What does that mean?” I asked anyone who would explain.

The ArchBishop pointed at my class, “This means that once you accumulate enough power you will ascend to divinity.”

“I don’t get it.”

“What did you think the ‘Gods’ were? How did you think they died and new ones came to be?” He looked at me, then continued his rant when I didn’t answer, “Every one of the ‘Gods’ that are in power right now started as a Godling, just like you are. Then, once they spent enough time in the dungeon and gathered enough levels, they became the forces they are today.”

“Okay, but why does that make me a threat and why would they kill me now?”

“How much territory do you think is out there? How many followers?” The ArchBishop held up a hand when I started to answer, “The answer is a countable number. And if the number can be counted, then there is a finite amount of it.”

“So if I get high enough level, they’d have to share with me.”

“Exactly. But they don’t like sharing, so when would be the best time to take out a potential rival?”

“While I’m too weak to defend myself.” I followed all of that, “But how are you the only one protecting me?”

“I made sure that no one figured out what your class was. I’m making arrangements for you to get stronger in a protected environment.” He pointed at the wall again, “If one of those ‘Gods’ tries to come here, they might be able to get to you, but they’d be so weak afterward that the others would take them out and divide their territory.”

“But what about the Godless zones?” I asked, “That’s a lot of unclaimed territory.”

“Those are the borders between factions.” Trent answered, “A healthy border makes for a good neighbor. If one of them starts moving into that territory, then it can be seen as an act of war.”

“If you stay here, then you can train. You’ll get stronger and when you announce yourself to the world, you’ll have the might of the All-Temple behind you. Or…” The ArchBishop let the offer hang for a moment before he finished, “You can walk out the front gate and try it by yourself. But I can guarantee that you won’t last until the end of the week.”

It was a lot to process and even though I felt like I needed time that he wasn’t going to give me.

“So what do you say? Do you want to try your luck alone, or do you want an ally?”