Jake's Story (apocalypse cultivation) ch 35

He woke up on a bed of weird, fluffy moss near a pool of still water, its surface like smoky glass.  A weeping willow with white limbs stood nearby, and bushes ringed it like silent soldiers, the edges of their leaves glittering in the dimness.  Even from a distance, Jake could tell they were razor sharp.

Grass lined the pond, all in dark colors.  A  thick forest surrounded the little glen with the pond.  There were no noises coming from the surroundings.  Everything was silent, still as the grave.

Swords were stuck in the ground in clumps, like they were growing there.

After sitting up, he checked his body and frowned.  He wasn’t injured.  Then he checked his cultivation base and explored his dantian before nodding slowly.  What he was registering didn’t make any sense.  He could feel his soul and his body, but he couldn’t actually move any power around, or even feel any physical damage.

He’d experienced things like this before.  The other times had been a little different, but the similarities led him to conclude he was in this place spiritually, and it was likely the domain of a powerful entity.  He could guess which, so when he turned and saw Morrigan lightly stepping towards him with a smile, he wasn’t surprised.

And just like that, the scenery changed.  Instead of a twilight glade, the two of them were surrounded by a dark, shattered city.  Fires burned on the ground casting light.  Morrigan elegantly settled herself on the hood of a ruined car and crossed her legs.

“Now I can officially welcome you to the Eternal Struggle.  You have exceeded every expectation I had of you.  Smashed them, actually.” She golf clapped.

Jake warily replied, “Thank you, Lady.”

She waved his thanks away.  “You know why I am here, don’t you?”

“I believe so, Lady.”  And he did.  Jake had had a lot of time to think in Swampland, and this potential meeting was one of the things he’d imagined and planned for.  “I assume you have been watching.”

“Of course. I have seen everything.”  She smiled.  “As such, I know that while you have technically violated our agreement, when Tlaloc propositioned you, it was both outside of your control and also happened before you had actually earned the right to be a Hero Candidate.”

“And if I’d accepted Tlaloc’s proposal, I am sure you would have been my enemy from that point onward.”

“Of course”

“I thought so.”  Jake shook his head ruefully.  “Accepting his offer would have been dumb anyway, but even dumber considering that.”

“You promised me an audience after you become a Hero Candidate.”  Morrigan shrugged.

Jake pursed his lips.  “‘Hero Candidate.’  It’s actually a new title, isn’t it, Lady?”

“Indeed.  You have accomplished a great feat on your world.”  She recrossed her legs.  “So I have come to speak to you before any others, as per our agreement.”

Jake nodded slowly.  “I am here in spirit, correct, Lady?”

“Correct.”

“And I’m assuming you were able to do so because of our agreement.”

“Correct. Without the ties that have been forged, I would have no right to transport you here to a place adjacent to my realm.”

“And you have already provided support.”

“Indeed.”

Jake opened his mouth slowly, shut it, and asked, “Is this area secure?”  He caught the goddess’ eyes narrowing a fraction and continued, “To be clear, I mean no offense, I only mean to verify that this conversation is private.”

“Yes.  It is.”

“Good.  Then before we continue, I would like to establish where we stand, favor-wise.  As per your own words, I owe you nothing for the knowledge you gave me, since it was in return for my weapons you caused me to lose before.  However, we have never addressed the other help you gave me.”

“I am surprised you know about that.”  The Morrigan arched an elegant eyebrow.  “But concealing several of your titles has benefitted me as much as you, so we are balanced on that account as well.”

“You...no, what…”  Jake collected himself.  “That was not what I was speaking of, Lady.”  Honesty was the best policy for this meeting.  “I was talking about the cat.”

“Cat?  What cat?”

“The black cat that appeared after I’d first become a zombie.  It spoke and gave some simple advice.”

Morrigan blinked.  “Interesting.  Your words have the ring of truth, and yet I never witnessed this in your timeline.  It must have been hidden from me.”  She pursed her lips.  “Other gods, no, at least one greater than myself has had an interest in you even before I made contact.”

“So that wasn’t you?”

“No.”

Jake mentally adjusted.  That’s right, the cat did say something about praying didn’t it?  His memories from the first day he was a zombie were still a little hazy.  He thought, Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing to bring up, though.  Telling Morrigan about the cat might actually benefit him.  Now that they both knew he’d gotten divine help before Morrigan had even met him, perhaps Jake’s value had gone up.  He asked, “So what now, Lady?”

“Now we dicker.”  She smiled.  “My intentions should be clear.”

“Yes, they are.”  Jake thought about his survival during his second life, how he’d barely avoided complete ruin a few times at least partially due to the knowledge that Morrigan had put in his head.  He didn’t technically owe her anything, since she’d used a loophole of giving him something in return for his “lost” weapons,  But he knew--and she knew--that part of the reason he’d survived was due to her help.

It was possible he might have made it to this point on his own, but not likely.  Jake’s father had taught him to pay his debts.  He had a feeling his father hadn’t considered owing a favor to a dark goddess, though.

Thinking of his father reminded him to focus, to get his head in the game.  He said, “Before we negotiate, could you hear a question and a request, Lady?”

“Continue.”

“Thank you.  Can we both acknowledge that you wish for me to be your champion?”

Even though he was stating the obvious, Jake understood why Morrigan paused.  Admitting her goal in such a straightforward way was not beneficial for her from a bargaining perspective.  But eventually she confirmed, “Yes, I desire you to become my champion.”

“Alright, thank you, Lady.  Then I believe my request is fairly simple and will save us some time.”

Morrigan tapped her lips with a finger.  “I’m listening.”

Jake took a breath and plunged ahead.  “Please give me your word that if we come to an agreement about me becoming your champion, that the terms will be generous...in my favor.”

There was a moment of silence.  The goddess rested her chin in her hand and stared at Jake with an inscrutable expression.  When she spoke again, her voice was entirely neutral.  “You are right, this would speed things up.  However, even by your wording, if I were to agree to this, any deal would be made to most benefit you.  Why should I agree to such a thing?”

Jake crossed his arms and tried to project self confidence.  It was only partially faked.  He’d had a year to think about this, and no matter how he tried to poke holes in his logic, he hadn’t been able to.  “Because you want me to work for you, and the moment this sending, or projection, or illusion, or whatever this is, ends, I’m going to be contacted by who knows how many gods that will either try to destroy me, or engage in some sort of bidding war, or both.  Up until this point, only you have really known about my existence.  Tlaloc saw a few of my titles before I fucked up his portal, and even he made me an offer on the spot.  Before that point, he’d likely been planning to destroy me--for good reason, too.  But he offered me a job.”

Morrigan pursed her lips.  “As you said, you will be in danger and might not make it out of the feeding frenzy alive,” She waved her hand.  “What makes you think you will survive?”

“Ah, but that would be my concern, and if you are rejected, you will still have lost, right?”

Morrigan’s eyes glittered but she smiled slowly and simply replied, “Point.”

Jake felt himself relax a bit.  Part of the purpose of this conversation had been to test Morrigan, push her a bit to see how she’d react.  Dark or Light, Jake didn’t want to work for any god that might behave like a toddler or lose their temper over simple things, especially while the conversation was otherwise respectful.

The goddess regarded Jake a while longer before giving a graceful shrug.  “Fine.  You truly are clever, just like the first time we met.  My primary motivation is to triumph with you, to make you my champion, so I will play along.”

I wonder if she expects me to catch that she didn’t list any of her motivations past the primary one, thought Jake.  Out loud he asked, “So you swear?”

“Yes.  I swear on my mantle that if we strike a deal in this place, it will be more generous--in your favor--for these sorts of agreements, on average, based on my perception.”

That’s...not bad, and probably the best I’m going to get, thought Jake.  Whether he liked it or not, he was part of this...Eternal Struggle now.  He could have walked away from Macon before, but if he had, what would he have done with himself?  Just roam around the world as a monster?  Find an adventurer group that would work with him?  He’d thought about a lot of things in Swampland.  This path was the only one he’d been able to figure would actually allow him to help his slain family.

“Alright, Lady,” he said.  “Then I--”

“No, please hold your words.  First I wish to explain a few more realities, and my potential intention for your advancement.”

Jake was taken aback, but could appreciate the gesture and the polite tone the goddess was using.  “I’m listening.”

She nodded.  “You are not the only hero of this world, or won’t be eventually.  I’m sure you have figured this out.  The impact you have made will create a ripple effect.  If you are my champion, I will invest in you.  Some gods choose many champions.  I almost never even choose one.  Quality over quantity for me. And this world is no longer most appropriate for your development.”

“So if I were your champion, you would send me to another world?”

“Yes.”

“Immediately?”

“Yes.  As you have said, your actions in Macon, Georgia will have caught the attention of other gods.  Some will be wishing for your demise, especially if you have chosen to be my champion. Most other dark gods are not my allies.”

“I understand.”  Jake quirked a smile.  This conversation was like a business deal in a way, but he appreciated the heads up.  “What would my job be if I were your champion?”

“That is a good question, Jacob Mazzariello.”  The goddess used his full name for the first time.  “Your purpose will be to shake up any world you are on, to accomplish great things, spread your renown, but most importantly, to become stronger.  The day will come that you will need to fight again on your home world, to protect it.  As you are now, you would not even last a moment.”

Jake thought briefly about the dragon in Colorado and conceded she had a point.  “Alright, I understand.”

“Then you may proceed.  Please continue what you were saying before.”

“Alright.  This is how I see it, Lady,” Jake began.  Everything rested on how Morrigan reacted to the next thing he said.  “I think it would be most efficient for me to tell you the minimum concessions that I would need from you to be your champion.  Then you can add things to make it a generous deal for me, and we can go from there.”

“Hmm.  I understand your intention.  Proceed.”  The goddess brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.  Her horns suddenly reminded Jake a bit of his own.

He asked, “May I write them down to show you so I don’t forget anything?”

“Of course.”  A paper and pen appeared in mid air.  Jake scrawled down all of the terms he had committed to memory before handing them over.  As the goddess began to read, Jake mentally went over what he’d written again:

1.  I will keep my soul, and my soul will never be used as a bargaining chip.

2.   My status as your champion will not be permanent.  I will work for you for three years, and some time prior to the end of three years, but no earlier than halfway, we will meet and discuss potentially extending our relationship.

3.  You will not interfere with my choices other than to provide guidance or advice.  My life will be my own, and I will not take orders.  And to be fair, I will only be able to call on you three times during the three years that I am your champion.

4.  I have my sister’s soul in my storage ring.  Her body died, but I was able to somehow interrupt her death.  If my understanding of this event is correct, and I truly was able to preserve my sister’s personality and soul, I want her to be reborn on another world.  The world she is reborn on should be safe, and should be under the jurisdiction of the light.  Her new body should either be the same age as when she died or younger.  Aldina should retain her memories, her soul, and receive some advantage within her new world to help guarantee her safety.  And after she receives her new body, she should be informed of this agreement so she is not confused.

5.  My current, physical body has been damaged.  You will heal me and repair my body if I become your champion.

6.  I will keep all of the monster evolutionary knowledge you have traded me before to pay for my lost weapons.  In addition, I will be able to call on you three times to receive knowledge of a single subject in a similar fashion.

Jake had known better than to ask for direct power.  If gods could just give their power out willy-nilly, Trosist would have ripped him apart without any effort.  His terms were all more or less technically possible for this sort of deal.  He knew he was pushing it, of course.  His list was all a little outrageous, but so was his situation.

He knew the second point would be the hardest to sell, but he had to push for this one.  The reality was that he would likely get the best deal by working with Morrigan.  Now was the time to swing for the fences.  She was trying to recruit him early.  He’d actually wanted to make his enlistment term only a single year, but that likely would have been impossible.  The fourth point the one about Aldina would not come cheap, and he was willing to work for it.

His demand for Aldina’s reincarnation might have sounded the most complex to someone not versed in magical arts.  Luckily, he knew the reincarnation itself shouldn’t be too difficult for Morigan.  Gods had done similar things on earth during his first lifetime.  But the tough part might be how he’d specifically demanded a world under the light, something he hadn’t even known was a thing until his second life.  Jake actually wasn’t sure how possible this specific part  was.

He’d included point number 5 on the fly.

Morrigan skimmed the paper several times before looking up.  Her eyes were full of amusement, annoyance, and maybe even a bit of respect.  “All of this is possible.  I agree to all of the terms you have written on this piece of paper if you enter a pact with me.  In addition, in order to make the deal favorable for you, I will add…” she stopped talking and stood still for a minute, only blinking.

The goddess finally continued, “I will transform your most used weapon, a saber in your storage ring, into an enchanted sword appropriate for your new role.  You will likely never find one better.  In addition to other terms, you will be able to call on me for one favor, at which time if you convince me, I might grant it.

“You will attain an affinity for at least one aspect of my mantle.  Perhaps more than one with training.  And lastly, if you reach the cultivation stage of Reforged Body, you may ask for my assistance with the finalization of this stage.”

Jake was absolutely blown away.  His jaw dropped, and he hastily closed his mouth.

“Do you have any objections so far with anything I have suggested?” asked the goddess.

“Uh, no, Lady.”

“Good.”  She smiled and her shoulders seemed to relax.  “Three local years is not a lot of time.  However, you have demanded three years, and I am potentially accepting your terms.  Due to your development and path, the most logical place to send you from here would be the world of murim.  The lowest level of that world is one level above your own, so it would be a good place for you to grow.  In fact, I will be sending you directly to the person on that world who most resonates with the foundation of your current power.  Do you understand?”

Jake’s old teacher told him he’d been the only person in the murim world who practiced the Four Winds of Heaven Purification technique.  “Yes, so long as where you transport me to will not be immediately dangerous.”

“Yes, your transition will be safe.  Now that we both understand each other, do you have any objections to our proposed bargain?”

Jake tried to hold back a grin.  He’d gotten everything he’d asked for and then some.  As the saying went, sometimes you have to get while the getting is good.  He couldn’t believe he’d ever get a deal as good as this again, not in a thousand years.  “No.  If this is going to be our agreement, everything I wrote on the paper and all of the terms you have communicated as well, I will accept becoming your champion.”

“Excellent.  Swear it on your name, your true name.”

“I, Jacob Hessian Mazzariello do swear on my life and soul to become the champion of the goddess Morrigan, so long as she keeps her side of the bargain that we have struck.”  Some of the old words learned during mage training in his first life came back easily.

“Then I, the Morrigan, accept Jacob Hessian Mazzariello as my champion.  So long as he serves faithfully, honoring this covenant, I swear on my mantle that our bargain shall remain unbroken.”

The goddess stood and moved directly in front of Jake.  This close, her beauty and power were completely overwhelming.  “It is done,” she purred.

The last thing Jake saw before the world went dark was the goddess’ glowing eyes.  “Let’s work well together, Jake.  I am excited to see what more you can accomplish for me.”  Her chuckles followed him into oblivion.