Book 5: Chapter 6 - Aftermath (RAW)

In the name of the Goddess, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

They seized Her Herald and Prophet, peace be upon him, and bound him in chains of iron, condemning him to harvest the fruits of stone in the depths of the earth. Humbly he toiled in darkness and solitude, until the revelation was bestowed upon him by the grace of the Goddess. With this divine guidance, he broke his chains, and by the miracle of the Goddess, he was set free.

- The New Surahs by Cordelia de Aserac.

Alone with nothing but my thoughts... I felt truly alone. No one calling for me, no voices demanding I deal out miracles as if they were mere trifles. By myself now, it reminded me of when I first came to this strange and fantastical world; though instead of a tree on a hill, I was living in relative luxury.

There is a thing that happens when a man fasts—a sense of clarity that washes over you once you overcome the first pangs of hunger. With each passing hour, the world seemed sharper, more vivid. Colors intensified, sounds grew clearer, and even the whispers of the wind carried secrets I had never discerned before. My mind, unshackled from the demands of the flesh, wandered freely through memories and dreams. The chains of the mundane loosened, revealing paths to insights hidden beneath the veil of consciousness. Fasting became not just an absence of food, but a journey inward—a pilgrimage to the depths of the soul where true Wisdom resides. In solitude and hunger, I found a profound connection to the very essence of existence, a silent communion with the unseen forces that bind our world together.

And the world supported my actions.

You have gained 1 Wisdom.

The notification intruded upon my navel-gazing introspection, spurring me to action. I had learned all that I could by denying myself of my bodily needs. Funny, for I did not feel much wiser. A part of me almost felt the whole act was insulting to those who had no choice in the matter… and here I was doing for… I don’t know, the words did not come to me.

Mechanically I ate some slightly overripe fruit, biting into sweet purple flesh. Not ravenously did I eat, like an animal, but like a machine that knew that this was much-needed fuel for what it was that I had to do. As was my habit, I looked over my character sheet.

[STATUS] Calling: Gilgamesh lvl.23 Paladin/Reaver

Strength: 41

Dexterity: 41

Constitution: 58

Intelligence: 30

Wisdom: 35

Charisma: 21

Luck: 28

Entropic Mimic [Creature of Entropy - lvl.26] 

Health: 749/749

Stamina: 79/79

Mana: 2/2

Adaptive Defense (lvl.5)

Shield Form (lvl.5)

Absorb (lvl.4)

Perception (lvl.3)

SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES

Improved Pain Nullification (lvl.1) 

Improved Power Strike (lvl.5) 10

Improved Endure (lvl.5)

Stealth (lvl.3)

Advanced Rest (lvl.1)

Backstab (lvl.4)

Improved Dodge (lvl.3)

Advanced Polearms (lvl.2)

Improved Dual Wield (lvl.2)

Improved Critical Hit Mastery (lvl.4)

Advanced Unarmed Combat (lvl.4)

Improved Hammers (lvl.5)

Improved Flails (lvl.3)

Improved Maces (lvl.2)

Advanced Shields (lvl.1)

Improved Medium Armour (lvl.3)

Improved Heavy Armour (lvl.5)

Improved Axes (lvl.4)

Improved Daggers (lvl.5)

Throwing Weapons (lvl.5)

Double Throw (lvl.4) 5

Improved Shield Bash (lvl.3) 10

Riding (lvl.4)

Improved Dash (lvl.4) 10

Advanced Swords (lvl.3)

Crossbows (lvl.5)

Blind-Fighting (lvl.4)

Improved Rush Strike (lvl.4) 20

Tracking (lvl.1)

Trap Detection (lvl.2)

Improved Frenzied Strikes (lvl.3) 30

Monster Taming (lvl.4)

Lotus Palm (lvl.1)

Manticore Claws (lvl.1)

SPELLS & MAGIC

Heal (lvl.5) 5 

Rust (lvl.5) 2

Identify (lvl.5) 1

Silent Casting (lvl.3)

Improved Mana Regeneration (lvl.2) 

Purify (lvl.4) 3 

Greater Heal (lvl.5) 10 

Holy Aura (lvl.4) 2 

Decay (lvl.4) 1

Greater Drain (lvl.4) 2 

Improved Entropic Aura (lvl.2) 2 

Inferno Bolts (lvl.3) 2

Sage’s Sight (lvl.2) 2

Freezing Aura (lvl.3) 2

Holy Strike (lvl.2) 1

Entropic Strike (lvl.2) 1

Aura Manipulation (1)

GIFTS

Curse of Entropy: -20% to all starting attributes.

Mark of the Paladin:  10% resistance to Dark/Holy magic. 5% resistance to Physical.  

Embrace of the Void:  15% reduced resistance to Holy/Fire magic, 35% resistance to Mental Effects, 25% immunity to Mental Effects.

Mark of the Adaptive Helix:  10% resistance to Physical, Lesser Regeneration.

Mark of the Mantis: 15% greater affinity with all weapons.

Experience to next level 5934/6624

Health: 863/863

Stamina: 99/99

Mana: 23/23

Bloated and long, a tale of my deeds was written here, much like Enkidu’s name. It was my own saga and a constant reminder of greatness. There were gains here and there, but it was not enough. Could not be enough.

I stripped off my armor and entered the baths in my apartment. Luxuriating in the hot water, I felt some of the grief seep away, as if the water itself was drawing it out of me. What remained was a calm, resigned clarity of purpose.

Reviewing my stats sheet, I took stock of my recent gains. My Sisyphean efforts to save my friend had not been entirely in vain; as a small consolation, I had earned a point each in Constitution and Intelligence. The bonus experience from that ‘feeder’ quest had put me in a promising position to push for the next level.

With a deep sigh, I stepped out of the bath and dried myself with a towel so soft it felt like wrapping myself in clouds. Donning fresh robes, I allowed myself a moment of quiet emptiness, thinking of nothing at all.

Then, the doors to my apartment burst open.

“Why didn’t you save him? Why?” Larynda’s voice rang out, thick with accusation. “What was all of this for?”

I let her words wash over me like waves crashing against a cliff. The half-elven girl looked at me, her eyes condemning. Then her gaze fell on Kidu’s hewing spear leaning against the wall, and she broke down, collapsing to her knees in tears.

Stoic, I stood as tall as I could, my expression hard as stone. “For as long as I could, I tried. Tried and failed. I could not save the man who was Enkidu Kreshin of the Three Bears tribe. His life was cut too soon here in Al-Lazar, against a foe even he couldn’t overcome… a foe I’m not yet strong enough to defy.”

“They say the gods struck him down for blasphemy… but why?” Larynda sniffled as she picked herself up, her gaze searching my face. Then, as if finding an answer in my expression, her eyes widened with a mix of awe and despair. “It’s true, isn’t it?”

Guiltily, I looked away. “I’ll feed you no lies… it’s the truth,” I admitted.

“Do you know…?” she asked, her voice tinged with morbid curiosity, the weight of grief making her seem older than her years.

“Yes, I do. Vincenzio is right—the Divines toy with us, casting us down or punishing us on a whim. And Kidu…” My voice cracked. “Enkidu was one such casualty. The Goddess Iasis did come…”

It felt as if thorns had scraped across my tongue, as if the truth itself resisted being spoken. Interesting.

“... and punished Enkidu? A goddess? A Divine from stories and scripture? The Mother of Monsters herself? Why? I can’t believe it!” Larynda’s voice quivered with disbelief.

My expression grew dour and grim. “Believe me or not, it is true.”

She sank into a nearby lounge chair, her ornate staff slipping from her hands onto the thick, opulent carpet. “It’s… a lot to take in. Vincenzio used to go on about it. I never fully believed him. But his illness… that curse—it was real, wasn’t it?”

There was a soft knock on the still-open door.

“Forgive this one. One saw that the door was open,” came Vincenzio’s steady, measured voice, each word precise as the measure of a clock. Such perfect timing.

“Come in,” I replied, the weariness settling into my bones. “Forgive my relaxed attire; you have me at a disadvantage.”

Vincenzio stepped inside, his movements as soundless as a shadow. His corpse-pale expression was a mask of quiet reserve. How he remained so untouched by the relentless Al-Lazarian sun was a mystery, but there was something about his otherworldly pallor that seemed fitting to his class or ‘Calling’ as this world liked to call it. It was as if he belonged to no world touched by light. He closed the door behind him slowly and deliberately.

With hands clasped before him, he bowed at the waist, his expression solemn. “My condolences,” he said simply, his tone polite but as unyielding as stone. He drifted over to Larynda, who sat slumped with her face in her hands, fingers tangled in her hair like claws. “Come now, child. Let us give the man some privacy. You know he did all he could to save Enkidu. Do not burden him with blame,” he murmured gently, though his voice bore no softness. 

Larynda lifted her head, her eyes red-rimmed with withheld tears. She looked to me with a fragile defiance that flickered like candlelight in the wind. She was holding back her grief in check, a sign of my influence, perhaps. Girls should cry, I thought. It cleanses.

“Do you swear vengeance?” she asked, her voice small, yet aflame. I saw spite in the green of her eyes.

I lowered myself into a chair, feeling the weight of her question settle on my shoulders. “Though I cannot strike at a Divine directly, I can make those who glorify her name feel her regret. Let Iasis lament,” I replied, my voice low, each word as heavy as an oath. “The Adventurer’s Guild.”

What was one more godling to add to my list of vengeance?

“It may seem little, but it is how we show we are unbowed,” Vincenzio added, his voice sounding tired by the long years. “One will no longer cower under a rock, hidden from their gaze.”

“But, Gil… they’re not all bad… Meli… I mean…” Larynda murmured a weak plea.

“No, perhaps not,” I replied, my voice softening only a fraction. “But their Guildmaster certainly is. When the storm abates, I’ll take his head—and woe to anyone who stands before me.” I exchanged a nod with Vincenzio, who returned it with a grim finality. “Our accord will be honored.”

Larynda glanced from him to me, determination fighting through her exhaustion. “I can help!”

I held her gaze, the steel in my voice unyielding. “You’re needed here. If they send other magic users against the Salahaem, Vincenzio will need you by his side. That is how you will help.”

She looked ready to protest, but whatever she saw in my expression kept her silent. Larynda gripped her hands on her sides and nodded.

With that, Vincenzio laid a guiding hand on her shoulder, and they left, their footsteps quiet as shadows, leaving me alone in the dim silence of my quarters.

*****

A new day had come. The storm had lessened, though ‘abated’ would be too generous a word; its fury had only slightly diminished. Odd that I hadn’t noticed until now the constant noise it brought, like an endless, rumbling backdrop to everything.

The halls and corridors of the estate were littered with fighting men, lounging in various states of indolence. Some reclined carelessly, while others sat tense as drawn bowstrings, their eyes darting about. The unnatural storm had worn away at their trained confidence, making even the seasoned warriors uneasy.

As I passed, they regarded me with a mix of puzzlement, fear, and awkward respect. They saw the spear in my hand. It felt empowering, but it did little to soothe the hollow ache left by my friend’s absence. Enkidu was no longer here.

A servant girl, slender and graceful as a swan, stepped into my path with a deep, respectful bow. Her long hair nearly brushed the floor in her display of reverence.

“Samasa, the Lady Aelayah wishes to speak with you,” she said in a clear voice, keeping her gaze lowered.

“I am on my way to attend to a private matter,” I replied curtly. “Tell Aelayah that I will see her at my convenience.”

Her eyes widened slightly at my casual use of the highborn’s name, but she rose with a measured bow, masking her reaction with a professional air. “Apologies, Master Gilgamesh, but the Lady Aelayah insists that you see her now,” she replied smoothly, adding a slight emphasis on the Lady’s title.

I slammed the metal butt of Enkidu’s spear against the tiles of the floor with a resounding crack, and she jumped, startled. There was a boldness in her demeanor that begged correction.

“Then I will see her now, if she so insists,” I agreed with a wicked smile. “And tonight, you will report to my quarters.”

“But…” she stammered, the non-sequitur taking her off guard. “I… I serve only the Lady…” she continued to bleat, eyes widening with fear.

I took a step closer, meeting her gaze fully, catching the subtle scent of her perfume now tinged with the faint trace of fear.

“Tonight,” I repeated, my voice a low command. I could almost feel the raw force of my Charisma washing over her, the dice of fate rolling as they willed.

She shivered, casting her gaze down once more. “As you wish,” she murmured, surrendering with a bow, trembling as she stepped aside.

Sometimes you had to put people in their place.