When the god showed up, no one knew what to think. They appear in the middle of the battlefields all across the land, wielding powers this world had never even dreamed possible. Gods, that's what they called themselves, but we had very little understanding of what that meant at the time.
The world we live in has never had any kind of power or magic, as they called it. Each one of the beings could become twice as tall as us and they were virtually unstoppable. We revere them because of their ability to stop a war that had been about to tear the land apart only six months ago. I was thankful for Healia stopping the war, saving all of us from having to fight.
The war had just reached our corner of the world, the last untouched place in the land. As the troops built defenses and worked to fortify our tiny city against a force that we had no chance to defend against. The moment that we were about to charge, a tear in the very air itself opened up blasting everyone with a blinding light.
After the light cleared, a tall woman with beautiful pink hair with blonde highlights was standing in the center of the battlefield. It was like seeing a star fall from the sky and then watching it get up and start walking around. Of course, a group of men from the other side thought this was some kind of trick with lights, and they rushed the Healia without holding back, thinking that she would be easy prey in the middle of the battlefield.
The goddess Healia, barely even batted an eye, instead, she drew in a sharp breath and the men rushing towards her fell to the ground. Their bodies that were examined after were said to be dried-out husks with nothing left, but I could see the life had taken from them. Like nothing more than white wisps of smoke leaving their mouths and eyes, but that was everything that person had ever held dear to them, their life.
Since most people give the gods a wide berth, I considered our town now known as Healia, to be in the best hands. Still, that was like saying it was worse to stick your hand in boiling oil vs boiling water, both still hurt, even if one might not be as bad, but Healia was the nicest one out of the nine. The rest had killed hundreds of thousands of troops before everyone backed down and surrendered. Healia was the special lazy and lecherous case, but that meant that we didn't really have radicals in our town, unlike the other cities, where opposing factions waged wars at the drop of a hat.
Our city was off in the far corner of The Tella Nation, and hidden behind a mountain range, making the place hard to attack, but not impossible. Since Healia has shown up, life has been pretty good, but now where have traded wars and dungeons, but most of the factions did more infighting than ever now. We always received word from travelers about new faction wars popping up and then became squashed before anyone even knew what they were about.
Healia always dealt with serious problems, like groups that thought they could come into town and strong-arm a guild into hiring them as bodyguards. Healia despised these types and since the last group had been sucked into dried husks, it had been over a month now since we had any problem. Healia had been good for our city, and still was, but that didn't change that she was a drunk pervert that didn't know how to keep her hands to herself.
"I know I might not be sounding reasonable right now, but trust me, and just grab the fire poker. I will let her get me first so you can see why you need to beat her off you but don't hesitate. That will be the one and only time you ever do or you will just never go inside another guild for the rest of your life."
"Dyster is always happy, but even his followers that pray to him stay away unless summoned by him. Anyone that gets close to him usually ends up dead just for being in the same room as him, and now you want me to hit another god?!"
"Healia is a lot different from what I have heard of other gods, she is more of a joker than a threat, but her sexual advances aren't anything to be scoffed at. No one can say anything about it, and she only bothers Hawk Vision guild, and the Guild Leader sits and drinks with her all day. She chases his patrons, while he sits laughing and drinking, making us the least popular Guild of the four in this city."
We had reached the outside of the tavern where the six-month-old sign of a hawk's eye hung over the door. Three windows stretched across the front and a steep roof you could almost touch from the ground. The building was three stories of wooden shingles, windows, and small balconies.
"Bottom line is that she is friendly, just, too friendly, and she won't get mad if you hit her. She likes it when we play rough, her words, not mine. So, maybe this time if we work together, we might fend her off."
"What do you mean, might? What has been happening to you with this god?!" Lesha asked, getting a bit heated.
"Just believe me when I tell you not to hold back."
I was surprised to see Lesha get angry, but that was good, we would need that and more if we hoped to have a reasonable conversation. I knew I needed to talk to Healia about touching the dungeon core, and what that meant for me now with the Guild and the rest of the dungeons. Asking Gram, the Guild Leader was pointless, the guild was a trading post at best, the place offered to help new adventures and many died because they don't have information or proper training before they go into the dungeon.
I wasn't ready for this, but every time I walked through this door for the last six months, she was always there.
"Kiada! My darling, why have you been hiding away from...did you bring me a present?!"
Healia called from the only set of chairs and tables in the room. She was drinking with an old short wizened man that had more hair than there was a little old man. He looked more like a ball of hair with eyes and a big nose, and when he took a drink, the glass always disappeared under the hair, coming back empty.
"Get ready!"
"Don't be like that to Mama Heli! Just come over here and sit on my lap and let me have a good feel! I can see you didn't wear your wrap today and you're jiggling around! Don't be such a tease!" Healia said as she rushed me.
I pushed Lesha towards the fireplace and dug my heels in.
[Red Blood] Activate!
Clasped hands with Healia, stopping her in her tracks, a clap of force echoing from us. I was standing toe to toe with a god! Then I was tossed into the table that Gram had just stood up from. The old man had an uncanny sense for danger, and always was wherever it wasn't.
I smashed through the table, barely feeling the impact and catching myself, and sliding back. Healia was going for Lesha, but she had already grabbed the fire poker and had just landed a hit to Healia's face, good girl! But the poker just bent like a sick joke, and I bolted for Healia.
The fire poker was normally enough to fend her off, but if the fire poker bent that meant she was using more of her power. The gods never were at even a fraction of their true power or this wouldn't be possible, we would be killed like insects. Healia must be worked up now, but I wasn't going to let her touch Lesha.
I threw her chair and smashed it into bits against the goddess, but all she did was flick the splinters from her hair, but she kept moving towards Lesha. That was fine, I was already there, and I plowed into Healia, knocking her over and taking her to the ground, only to get kicked back off like a rag doll, but I was back on my feet. I rushed forwards, but this time, I pulled at Lesha, draining some of the sweet strawberry juice, the blood flowing to my mouth like a thin stream that chased me as I closed on Healia.
"So, it is true, you did get something from the Core! Come at me then, my sweet little child! Wait!"
Lesha slammed into Healia with more force than should have been humanly possible and was lifted off her feet and slammed into a corner, but Lesha was on her before I could get between them. Sparks flew and I could barely hold Lesha's arm, but I took deep breaths, in my mouth out my nose, and her arm relaxed. Healia was already standing in the middle of the room, glaring at the two of us, but Lesha collapsed, and I was just able to catch her.
"What are you, or is she? Did you make her? Why is she so brutally strong, I almost had to make a mess!" Healia said dusting herself off, but there was a thin red line in the back of her arm where Lesha had smashed the iron poker into her arm.
"You tell me, I got this power from the Core, and then I found Lesha about to be raped. I saved her, but then I bit her and took her home with me! You stupid woman! You could have just had a normal conversation with me from the start, now I've used up most of my extra's!"
"Wait, you bit her? Can I come closer? I will keep my hands to myself for now," Healia said, waiting.
"Fine, or I'll bite you next!"
"Dear, your teeth would break, and you couldn't hand all of this. As for my motives, I wanted to get a feel for your power level, and I have to say, with just the two of you, I almost had to break my third gate to keep from getting injured. I still got a slight mark from deflecting that stab. Remarkable, and this all happened after you drank her blood through these little holes? What does it taste like?" Healia asked with curiosity.
"She goes into a frenzied state when I take her blood, and then she feeds of our emotions. Her ability or her Service is red blood, strengthening, and I also have that ability and more. What do I do with this? Now, that I have it, what am I supposed to do?"
"Start by bringing out a new table and four chairs, you're strong now, I think you will be able to get it. Then we will talk about what your next move will be. Don't worry, I won't touch your girlfriend, I would be scared for her to wake up!" Healia joked, waving me away.
I got up with some hesitation but decided that Healia seemed to have calmed down, and she was usually good after that. Still, I was surprised but how much I had changed overnight. It was just yesterday that I was fighting for my life and on the verge of death, now I was almost forced into the hand of a god.
I walked to the back storage room where there was a large stack of poorly made tables, and I grabbed one taking it back out, and then grabbed four chairs, and after my last trip, Lesha was sitting up, but Healia had left the room. I put the chairs down and walked over to see how she was feeling.
"Lesha? How are you feeling? You passed out."
"Mmhmm, I'm sorry, I lost control, is the goddess Healia mad at me? She left the room as I was waking up!" Lesha tried to get up, but I held her door, and then kissed her out of instinct, pulling away quickly.
Her face had a look of surprise, but then it turned into a warm smile.
"Healia is perfectly fine, but you left a mark! Good girl! I am actually impressed, that strength you get is enough to make a god turn up their defense!"
"Yes, well I didn't want to kill you before you got a chance to let that power grow, so It was nice of Kiada to stop you. Cute blondes like you are so hard to find! So, let's get down to business! Come join me at the table girls, I will be civil this time, god's honor!" Healia laughed.
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