Apocalypse Cultivation 2, ch 2

Hey everyone, sorry for the wait!

I get seasonal depression every year, and this year it seems worse than ever.  Luckily, I got some great advice from some of you all in Discord, and I'm dealing with it.

Chapter releases will slow down now, but I'm still plugging away. :)

I still have a bunch of stuff to do for the release of the first book, too.

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The crow fluffed its feathers.  “Congratulations on not being destroyed, earlier. The first part of my mission, warning you of danger, is now a success.  As for your request…”  Rishlay cocked his or her head at Jake and hopped from foot to foot.  “How much do you know?  Should I start from the beginning?”

“Yes, please.”  Jake decided to be polite, especially since the crow seemed to be trying to help.  He had complicated feelings about Rishlay’s boss, though.  The messenger was from Morrigan, and Jake hadn’t exactly figured out how he felt yet about being tricked.  Still, “Don’t shoot the messenger,” seemed an apt expression for the current situation.

“Well then, I assume that you know some of these basics since you are contracted as a champion of the goddess, but I will skim through them just in case.  Actually, how did you become a champion?  Are you Legacy?"

"I don't know what Legacy means. The Morrigan approached me and we made a deal."

"Ah. You were scouted directly.  That is rare.  Yes, we will have an overview. Sometimes the divine can see things differently than others.”

“That makes sense,” said Jake.  "Before you start, can you tell me who and what you are, and maybe how we relate to each other, as employees of Morrigan, that is.”

“Employees?”  The crow sounded amused.  “If you are asking about hierarchy, such a thing is not exactly relevant in this situation.  You are a being who has been contracted as a champion of the goddess, something she does very seldom.  I am a messenger, a spirit creature born from her power.  In some ways, you can consider me an extension of the goddess with none of her authority.  Her will is my will.  I cannot rebel, for she is me, but also separate, and like my mother.  You are far more important than I, but also less advanced.”

Jake thought he might understand.  “So I can give you commands, but only as it relates to your mission?”

“Somewhat.  I do not take any commands from champions, just requests for clarification or something that pertains to what I was sent for.  This is a fussy bit of language, semantics, but such things are important sometimes.  Ironically, how the clarification requests themselves are phrased or considered by the one I am interacting with is irrelevant."

That explanation likely would have gone over Jake’s head if not for his mage training in his firs life.  He nodded and asked, "How many champions does Morrigan have right now?"

"You are new, but in the future you should take care about questions like that.  Some might consider it very offensive."

"Apologies."

"What is done is done. I will answer.  Including you, there are two."

Jake thought about that for a moment.  "In general, could it be assumed that gods with fewer champions invest more into them?  Like time and resources?"

"In general, yes. And there is also the Eternal Struggle Reward System, which is what I came here about. But first, I should give the overview I mentioned before.

"The universe has many layers.  Gods are powerful existances that can cross between realities, worlds, and dimensions at will. They all have their own world or reality, too. It is tied to them.  All gods also have metaphysical realms of authority that directly relate to their personality or nature.  Gods can also share some of their power with subordinates.  There are other beings in the universe that have one or more of these characteristics, but gods must have all four to be recognized as gods by other gods.

"The gods do not all get along. Many of them hate each other. But direct conflict is rare. Instead, the gods wage war through reputation and trickery. Mainly through champions."

"Morrigan pretty much already told me all of that," said jake.

"Good. Did she give more detail?"

"Some more, yes."

"Even better.   Knowing about gods and the Eternal Struggle, you can probably imagine the implications.  How powerful gods with more resources could have a huge advantage if left unchecked. The Eternal Struggle Reward System was created long ago to address this.  With this system in place, hard coded into reality, even champions representing the weakest gods could become incredibly powerful through luck and merit.  In fact, several champions have even been able to attain divinity after incredible struggle and sacrifice.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but it’s rare.”

“Hmm.”  Jake had already looked into the Reward System briefly so all of this was making sense pretty quickly.  It definitely explained why some gods, like Morrigan, seemed to be personally scouting for talent. “How does the system actually work?  I have Renown Points.  What are those?”

"Renown points are awarded by the system for deeds that carry some sort of significant weight in whatever world or realm you perform them in.  It can be tied to fame, too.  Becoming a champion on its own usually awards one point.  Deeds have more or less weight depending on what you did and what level the world is on, too."

Jake frowned.  So it’s rigged?  If renown points are some sort of currency, can’t the gods just award their own champions?"

The crow vigorously shook its head.  "No.  The system was created as its own, impartial entity. It is incorruptible, and to even attempt to rig the system is taboo.  The gods take this very seriously. If the system is fair, they have no reason to war again and destroy reality. Nobody wants that.  And if anyone were to tamper with the system, the gods would work together to destroy them.  Mortals worship the gods, but the gods...revere...the system.”

"So I can buy things with my renown points?"

"Yes, but there is an element of gambling.  The rules are simple once you understand them.  To use your renown points, you must declare how many of them you are bidding.  Then for each challenge point bid, your result will be one of three values:: 1 point, -1 point, or nothing.  Then the number of points you bid is added to your result.  So if you bid three points, you have possible results three plus three, or three minus three.  Or put another way, bidding three points gives you a result range of zero to six."

"And we can use the points from the results to buy stuff?"

"Yes.  But you cannot save points between purchases.  Every bid and purchase is separate."

"This sort of sounds like a challenge room, with tiers of rewards."

The crow hopped, somehow displaying annoyance.  "The Faceted are scavengers that have created a bastardized version of the system for their own use. I do not understand why the gods allow them to infect worlds that have newly joined the Eternal Struggle."

Jake shrugged.  “If that’s the case, isn’t it obvious?  That way new recruits can be easier to find and would-be heroes can get ahead of the pack before even becoming a hero or a champion.  So why the gods allow it makes sense. Sure, the Faceted might be moving in on their turf, but they’re also assisting them to find new champions.  But what do the Faceted get out of it?"

"Hmm.  Perhaps you are correct.  Morrigan has never shared her thoughts with me about it.”  The crow fluffed its feathers. “As for the motivation of the Faceted, it is sustenance.  The Faceted race is dedicated to achieving ascendence and divinity by utilizing the pain and desperation of lower existences. They use the "challenge rooms" as entertainment, too.  It will take them an incredibly long time to achieve their goals with their methods, but it is theoretically possible. They are effectively immortal..and patient."

"Well that's a mindfuck."  Jake thought for a while.  "So bidding a high number of points has the potential for a big payout, but you could lose everything, too."

"Yes."

"Hmmm."  Jake could guess that how most champions used their points would probably be highly dependent on their personalities.  The system truly did seem like gambling.  “What about gods of luck or chance. Would their champions have a huge advantage?  Even if the gods don’t rig giving out points, the results sound like a roll of dice.  Couldn’t they interfere?”

“Not at all.”  The crow lifted one foot.  “The gods regard chance, true random potential, as sacred. It is one reason the system itself is protected.  Most other aspects of reality cna be tampered or influenced by the divine, but the system is exempt.”

Jake grinned.  “So it’s like a super fucked up, high stakes game of Monopoly.  Gods can make deals, but you have to play by the rules, and nobody can move pieces on the board when someone isn’t looking or all the players have a fist fight.”

“I do not understand your example.”

Jake waved.  “That’s fine.”

“Good.  In that case, my mission is complete.”  The crow hesitated before adding, “It is not part of my mission to say this, but it is within the rules, and I have interpreted to will of the goddes to add something.”

“Go ahead.”  Jake cocked his head but one horn hit the rocky tunnel he was lying in and he readjusted himself.  Having horns would be a pain in the ass sometimes.”

“Some champions are tempted to save all of their points to try for bigger rewards in the future.  This strategy is viable, but not recommended for new champions.  Right now, you are very vulnerable.  My personal suggestion is to use all of the tools at your disposal, at least until you are more familiar with this new world.”

Jake nodded slowly.  “Thank you for the advice.”

“You are welcome.  Now goodbye, Jacob Mazzariello.  I hope we meet again.”  When it left, the crow didn’t fly out of the cave, it just faded from view until it wasn’t much more than a shadow.  Soon, Jake was left all alone again except for the giant predator that was likely waiting outside of his hidey hole.

“Alright, do I escape first, or roll the dice?” he wondered out loud.  The raven’s warning rang in his memory and he sighed.  Although being wedged in a crack like a hiding mouse was not very comfortable, the same reasons that had led him to make lists earlier still applied.  Solving this problem now might prevent new ones in the future.

And as Tigger the Monster Tiger outside had demonstrated, Jake wasn’t better than food in this part of the murim world.

With a thought, Jake opened the Eternal Struggle reward system again.