บท 29: Chapter 29: Return of a Legend
[Tavish POV]
I ditched the train as soon as I reached the station. Hauling the shredded remains of Lycaon with me, I dump them in a dumpster as I walk into a pawn shop.
Checking out with a bag full of pieces of silver jewelry, I return to the dumpster. Popping open the lid, I pull a letter opener from the collection of silver, and plunge it through the weakly beating heart, forcing the werewolf to explode into golden dust, leaving behind an immaculate, wolf hide and a wolf themed loot crate.
A notification popped up into my vision as soon as I finished shanking the stupid wolf.
Hidden Quest Completed!
[Hungry Like the Wolf!]
Lycaon and his pack decided that your train was a tantalizing target to help expand his pack.
Objective 1: Stop Lycaon and successfully beat the pack [x]
Objective 2: Get the train and passengers back to the station. [x]
Bonus Objective 1: Don't use anything overt in the way of supernatural abilities. [x]
Bonus Objective 2: Kill Lycaon [x]
Bonus Objective 3: Rip open the veil protecting the supernatural world [ ]
Rewards:
[Race: The First Werewolf] (Epic)
[Silver Dagger] (Uncommon)
[Pelt of Lycaon] (Legendary)
[Wolf Loot Box] (Epic)
Stuffing the stuff in my inventory, I glace around before disappearing into the night as I mull over the hidden quest.
Did it imply that most of the stuff I did was well within what standard humans were capable of? It didn't even flag my usage of paladin abilities. Were those flashes of divine energy only seen by me?
No . . . the mortals could tell something was happening . . . they just couldn't tell what.
Hold on . . . when did I start referring to other humans as mortals?
Fuuuuuuuuck . . . .
I guess that's a stupid indicator of how long I haven't been human . . . .
. . . .
Maybe I should consider seeing a therapist.
Or find some actual people to talk to.
It was times like this that I really missed the companion system and some of my human companions. It always helped talking to them to help get some perspective.
While most of them couldn't help with the immortality part, they could provide plenty of outside perspective on the world we were visiting.
My inner rant was disturbed by my stomach roaring in hunger.
That's right, I need to recharge my human form soon.
Glancing around, my eyes alight on a restaurant just opening up.
Hand pies . . . . sound really good right now.
[Time Skip]
[The Tardis Tavern]
My eating binge around Edinburgh resulted in a change in the weekly specials as I got really into making hand pies.
I must confess, I had never had one before, and upon trying one in that little shop I discovered resulted in me clearing out nearly their entire inventory.
I might still be binge eating at that place if it wasn't for the most brilliant of ideas to cross my mind.
If a standard savory pie was this good, how delicious would a pie be made of Gourmet world ingredients?
My chalkboard menu was always switching between a huge number of my experiments over the last few weeks.
[Hand Pie: Seafood Medley] (Epic)
The Tardis Tavern's take on a fish pie. Using some of the more colorful options provided by the Gourmet World, the contents may change periodically, it doesn't detract from its fanbase as a popular item on the tavern's menu.
Major Effect: Underwater breathing, and increase to swim speed by 20% for 24 hours.
Minor Effect: The high concentration of Omega-3 turns this dish into a super brain food, granting a 15% bonus to intelligence for 18 hours.
[Hand Pie: Blackberry Cream] (Epic)
This sweet pie remains a favorite of nymphs and many other nature spirits, its blackberry sauce mixing well with the cream cheese.
Major Effect: Increases the ability of plant growth for 24 hours.
Minor Effect: Grants the ability to detect edible berries for 12 hours.
[Hand Pie: BBQ Pig] (Rare)
Tavish killed an excess of BBQ Boars while in the gourmet world. These self-roasting pigs proved to be something that shouldn't be hunted while hungry as it can lead to excessive hunting.
Minor Effect: Grants an additional 10% chance of finding truffles in the wild.
[Hand Pie: Piroshki] (Epic)
Normally filled with beef, cabbage, and onion, the tavern's spin off of this dish is harvested from Piroshki Peonies and cultivated into a variety of flavors. Ranging across the spectrum, no customer is disappointed ordering a piroshki roulette, and randomizing the flavors they may get.
Minor Effect: Grants the ability to speak fluent Russian for 24 hours.
Random 24 hour Effects: Increases desire for vodka, danger of unleashing your communist party animal, may wake up truly hammered and sickled!
[Warning! The Tardis Tavern takes no responsibility for temporary effects instilled by our products! Please consume responsibly.]
The last product was something that surprised me a little but thinking back on it, the Piroshki Peonies that I had created were laced with Vila dust as a part of their cultivation process.
A Vila is a Slavic variant of a nymph or a fairy, and almost always posses' beautiful long blonde hair.
Reminded me of the concept of the Veela from Harry Potter to be honest.
Regardless I had a few that traveled through my tavern at some point, and Vila dust was what they decided to trade for their meal.
After finding out that humans and other races add it to certain meals to enhance the flavor, I figured that splicing it into a plant would cause it to reproduce naturally.
It worked too well, creating what could only be described as a Vila Piroshki.
The dust also changed based off of the area the Vila was from. I believe the Vila that came through lived right in the heart of Moscow, which may explain the random effects that cropped up from the creation of the dish.
The hand pies turned into a huge hit in the tavern, especially by the Oceanids. Nova finally created a new section that specifically caters to an aquatic section.
Oceanus wanted to celebrate one of his daughters' birthdays, so we decided to create a room dedicated to the occasion.
With it, new challenges were created to be overcome as a bartender.
Like how the hell does one serve drinks or food underwater without watering down their base form?
I had to dust off some of my artificing abilities as I created solutions.
[Environmental Separation Glass] (Epic) (Unique)
Possessing a unique property, this glass protects any liquid poured into it from external tampering while its in the glass and five minutes after leaving it. Ingesting the liquid dispels the effect.
This invention proved to be one of the weirdest, yet most complicated pieces I designed.
My original design had a small side effect was that any liquid you drink would not mix with your stomach juices for five minutes. You also couldn't actually taste whatever came out of the glass.
This discovery meant, that while the food had to start from a dry section, but I could officially serve and cater underwater.
Our standard décor was protected behind glass cases as our homely tavern was replaced with art-deco, periodic air pockets scattered throughout the room so I could do my cooking and filling drinks from the bar.
I even went as far as to decorate for the birthday in question, swapping out standard birthday décor with sugar candy coral that glowed brightly, illuminating the interior.
Various different coral and kelp variants were set on the tables around the room, small soda orbs floated over by a snack table with a variety of treats.
I even had to practice walking around underwater to get used to serving food in that environment.
When walking around in such an environment, I had to train myself to create a thin air barrier around myself, and then reduce the friction of the water so I could maneuver just as fast as I could on land.
The doors suddenly opened as Oceanus swam in, shortly followed by his retinue, his wife, and a absolute swarm of oceanids.
I was aware that Oceanus had a lot of children, but holy crap! You had to put a cap on it at some point, even if you're an immortal.
"Tavish! You've outdone yourself! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such a spread!" he laughed uproariously, the various oceanids looking around in wonder.
"Life's a stage my friend, its our duty to stand up and perform!" I answer with a grin, shaking his hand as more and more oceanids filter in and Tethys floats over to us.
"Let me introduce my wife Tethys. Titan of rivers and mother of the oceanids." Oceanus introduced as she clasped my hands warmly.
"A pleasure to meet you mister Byrne. Oceanus has told me plenty about you." She greeted sedately.
"All good things I hope?" I return, causing her to release an un-lady like snort.
"Its hard to get him to shut up about his visits. This just provided the perfect excuse to bring the family. Its hard to find a location that can host so many individuals. How is such a small box able to host so many?" She inquired, prompting another grin to spread across my face.
"Because its "bigger on the inside" milady." I reply impishly, a glint appearing in the Titaness's eye in response.
"Worry not mister Byrne, I will find out the answer one way, or another . . ." she challenged, causing me to laugh.
"I look forward to what you discover Lady. Now, where is the birthday girl?" I question scanning over the plethora of Oceanids swimming about, more still coming in the door.
I didn't realize it at first, but Potamoi were being made prevalent among the arrivals, as well as a number of gods that had been married to the children of these two titans.
The Potamoi were the male gods and spirts that made up the children of the two titans. I was a little confused as to why they distinguish their male children from their female children in such a manner, but to each their own.
Oceanus coughed a bit before responding; "Truth be told, we have so many children that its easier to just hold several collective parties over the course of a year. We decided to throw the summer party here. Last years attempt to host it at Denny's proved to be a nightmare." He said sheepishly.
"Is that code for "you don't know"?!" I ask dropping my voice to a whisper, as they both smile weakly.
"Well, we do have a child for every single river and body of water . . ." Tethys answered blushing sheepishly.
It did present a funny image of the two titans, calling tens of hundreds of their children every morning to wish them "Happy Birthday". I guess the gods didn't exactly have a problem with it judging by how happily they all seemed to be greeting each other.
Their were exceptions of course, some of the nature spirits were keeping their distance from others, but it was a trivial matter in comparison to the sheer number of them that I would have to serve today.
"Well then . . ." I start off, walking behind the bar and grabbing some pints.
"If a party is what you want . . . . then lets party till the taps are drained!" I cheer, drawing the attention of the awaiting gods and spirits.
Hopping up on the bar, I do a theatrical bow; "Ladies and Gentlemen, Gods and Goddesses. Welcome to the Tardis Tavern!"
Pots and pans, and plates zoomed around me as the tables were set with lighting speed.
"As your host, it will be our honor and privilege to take your taste buds to the beginnings of time . . ."
The walls of Nova shifted causing shouts of shock, to reveal the emptiness of space around the assembled diners.
Debris gathered around us and coalesced into a planet, slowly forming into the earth, as life sprouted on its surface, time flowing at a high speed as Gaia came into existence.
" . . . . to the ends of space!"
Stars exploded in brilliant nova's of color as drinks were served and orders taken.
"Time, And Relative Dimension In Space. From here you can see it all happen, while enjoying a meal from places that could only be the afterthought in the mind of a mad man!" flower bouquets of lilies being delivered to the tables.
The lilies bloomed, revealing steaming bowls of ramen, gasps of awe echoing out in surprise at the unexpected fruit borne to the tables.
Regardless on what happened next, tonight would be a night that would be remembered for the next thousand years.
[Time Skip]
I sat on a barstool slowly levitating a blue orb in my hand.
[Oceanic Record] (Mythic)
A record containing the water magics of the "golden age" of the world. What makes this specific record so special is that it contains "Titan" magics developed during these times.
A hastily assembled Mr. Handy floated by sweeping up the debris of the aftermath of the party. I watched him absentmindedly.
While it was a massive effort on my part to host this event, Oceanus was pleased with the results. This gift, was payment for the services rendered.
It was kinda pretty . . . .
After observing it for another minute, I toss the orb in my inventory.
I had too much on my plate at the moment to fuss with that thing.
I was so close to getting back in a human form at this point. I was managing fine without my slayer abilities, but I really missed my technomancy class.
Messing about with various odds and ends regarding tech was always fun. It allowed me to play with existing stuff, and to dabble in magi tech devices whenever I got the urge.
Being a lich was a novel experience, but it tended to get old pretty quick. Their was only so many bone related puns I could make after all.
I wouldn't exactly abandon the lich race, it was too fun, but I really desired to sleep at this point.
While I didn't have a physical need for it, I missed it. Simply being able to lay down and let the natural REM cycle take over is something I truly missed.
Little things like that are just simply facets of what makes us human, I guess. I don't envy those gamers that woke up in weird bodies, like if they reincarnated as a caterpillar or an unknown entity from beyond.
Pouring myself a glass of Firewhisky, the glass suddenly slides down the bar and is caught by hooded figure in a familiar plaid dress.
"I apologize for the late arrival Tavish, but I don't suppose you'd join me for a drink?" the woman asked, the flames dancing merrily in the glass.
"Your presence is always welcome Macha." I return, pouring another glass and heading down to where she sat.
"Funny . . . you say that, yet I always have the most difficult of times trying to track where you land. . ." she trailed off, a pout forming.
"Well, its not like I'm trying to avoid you . . . Nova just kinda goes where she wants to." I reply taking a sip of my glass.
"Have you ever requested to land somewhere specific?" She asked, gently swirling her drink.
"All the time. Never stick in one place for too long, but I always find something to do." I shrug, relaxing on my stool.
"So if I asked for your presence for an event, you could make it?" she requested, a devious gleam entering her eyes.
"Sure, what's the event?" I ask, my curiosity climbing.
She reaches into her dress and pulls out two tickets.
"I happen to have an extra ticket to an upcoming musical, and I require a plus one. I deem your presence to be desired." She said looking away, obscuring her face slightly under her hood.
"I didn't realize you were a fan of such things?" I question examining the tickets, surprise prevalent.
"Well I had to develop some hobbies, and the arts are never something to neglect." The blushing goddess protested, causing me to laugh.
"Alright . . . I suppose I can spare some time for a goddess as illustrious as yourself." I chuckle, pouring us both another glass.
"Now, when is this supposed event?" I ask causing Macha to brighten up and start enthusiastically explaining.
[Time Skip]
[Athena's POV]
My initial analysis of the slayer had switched from fascinating to terrifying as I realized the full scope of what he had accomplished.
He had re-written the laws regarding mythos.
Specifically, the ones regarding monsters.
Just simply looking at the furies, he had broken their minds to a state that they always attempt to escape back to.
Enlisting the help of Dionysus didn't seem to help matters either.
As the god of madness, I thought he would help the furies revert back to a previous state, but they just seemed to revert back to "religious zealot" within a minute of undoing the madness.
This led to my discovery of the "failsafe's" hidden within the many runes and mechanical components that made up the machines.
One wrong move resulted in the monster turning to dust and re-assembling to its original state.
This realization resulted in a danger report I was compiling for our next meeting.
Gods have done a lot more for a lot less than what riled up Tavish. And while his actions "could" theoretically be called noble, I still had to gauge his threat level to Olympus.
It was one of my main duties as Olympus's strategist after all.
His stance towards us seemed neutral as a whole, interacting with my siblings in a cordial manner, but when prodded he lashed out violently at the perpetrator of his wrath.
While I haven't actually visited his tavern, rumors have spread of his cooking abilities, making the tavern a very sought-after commodity by the various supernatural entities around the world.
And he is capable of defending it as well.
Word of how he launched the Egyptian goddess into space, spread through the nature spirits like wildfire, giving me insight onto yet another one of his powers that we were unaware of.
His propensity towards machines made itself evident in nearly all of his work, as standard abilities that we'd expect from a necromancer or a paladin were thrown on their collective head at the sight of his unique spin on the branches of magic.
Monsters that he ran across often came away looking like sci-fi monster replicas as they were transformed into his mechanical servants.
Glancing over at a cage in the corner of my office, I observe the transformed hellhound as it gnawed lazily on the remains of the gate to the cage.
Many of the spells that I had used to reinforce the cage were torn apart as the weird energy emitted from its fangs converted the materials and magics into pure energy.
The former hellhound seemed content to just watch me at the moment, but the missing lock and hinges stood as a testament on how easily it could escape.
Sensing my gaze, the baleful green eyes lazily fix on me before returning to its impromptu chew toy.
Another thing of note was small unique personality traits that crop up among the machines. This machine was based off a dog, so as such, it has dog like tendencies. Including the various personality trats you see from time to time in various dog breeds.
This converted hellhound, now known as Muppet, was caught near my observation post near camp half-blood.
The fact that he was sunning himself on top of the hill and the fact that he made no move to escape led me to believe he wanted to be caught.
His lazy demeanor and the way he seemed to flop about led to one of my children to name him and it sort of just stuck.
Looking beyond these minor inconsistencies, his combat power is terrifying. If we tried to send our forces against these units, almost every single one of our soldiers would be destroyed.
The metal sample I acquired from Muppet seemed to regenerate shortly after its removal. This flesh like metal was unique in incorporating the previous physiology of the creature, making it unique in species.
Looking back at the report, I hesitantly write my "final" grading for the supposed "slayer".
The Entity known as Tavish Byrne stands as a very dangerous wild card that now exists on the playing field. He remains neutral to the whole of our faction, notable exceptions being Hephaestus, Hestia, Artemis, Demeter, that he seems to associate with (Publicly).
However, he has been seen rescuing demigods regardless of parent or stance towards them. His protective nature has led to him going so far as to threaten gods themselves if found to be involved in perceived injustice.
Whether or not he can back up these threats, remains to be seen.
His power level remains unknown as he has portrayed a variety of abilities. Divine and Necrotic energies have been most prevalent, with lightning, fire, and water being suspected to be at his disposal.
Most concerning is his ability to manipulate spatial energies to move wherever he desires through "portals". This was brought to my attention through sources on how he weaponized the ability to force a goddess into a vacuum. The status of said goddess is unknown for possibly several months, or until she resurfaces from the Duat (please reference Egyptian afterlife).
My recommendation is to maintain neutrality, or even a positive relation at all cost until more data can be gathered.
[Time Skip]
[Tavish POV]
"I wonder how Macha is doing?" I wonder aloud as Nova chirps back a response.
"You think so?" I ask and Nova beeps vigorously in response.
"Well good for her." I muse before glancing over at the currently visible piloting controls of the Tardis.
Nova has been taking the time to teach me how to drive properly around in time and space.
It was . . .odd to say the least.
Its like having to flip switches in a random order, but having to do it in the right order, and somewhere in the process, not destroy the space time continuum.
Time lords are fucking dangerous nutjob/thrill seekers for even thinking this is a good idea.
But even so, I did get a stranger thrill from following in their footsteps. Plus, I did learn passively about the ins and outs of time and space.
Space Affinity (15/100)
Time Affinity (7/100)
Who knew that learning about the fabric of reality was so difficult?
Understanding it aside, it didn't exactly give me the ability to manipulate these forces on a whim. The closest I could get is the use of Gallifreyan runes to "kind of" achieve my desired result.
I say "kind of" because I was terrified of something going horribly wrong when messing with time.
I could deal with being sent somewhere, but traveling through time and space at the same time? Things tended to get a bit dicey.
I felt Nova land, so I stood up and stretched.
Walking out the front doors, bright sunlight filtered in, illuminating the cabins surrounding me in a U-formation.
Campers started filtering out of their cabins, only for their expressions of curiosity to melt away to shock at the skeleton wearing a bowler.
Waving at them absentmindedly, I set about my exploration of the camp.
I do have to confess, I got slightly bored before remembering that I lived in a universe straight out of fiction. Thus, I had to explore some of the sights.
Pulling a camera out of my inventory, I nonchalantly snap a picture of the currently abandoned Poseidon cabin.
"Tavish?" A familiar voice questioned.
I turn to reveal a very surprised Thalia. It looked like she had just stepped out of her cabin and noticed me.
"Yo!" I reply cheerfully as I make my way about on my self-guided tour.
I could hear her running to catch up as I spotted the climbing wall spewing lava off in the distance.
"What on earth are you doing here? I thought monsters couldn't enter the camp?!" she questioned.
"Well, if you want to be technical, I didn't enter camp. I just came before all those pesky barriers were set up and waited until now to start wandering around." I explained, taking a picture of the lava wall.
"Wait, before? I thought the camp was built during the Civil War?"
"Yeah, precise time travel is a bit difficult for me at the moment, but I managed to get here all the same." I inform amiably, other demigods starting to gather, watching me warily.
"By the way, this climbing wall. What happens if a kid gets caught up in the lava?" I ask the shell-shocked Thalia.
"Usually minor burns, but nothing a bit of nectar can't fix Mr. Byrne." A new voice interjects.
Turning about, I lay eyes on the centaur that had joined our conversation. A decent sized group of Satyr's and nature spirits trailed behind him.
[Observe]
Chiron
Trainer of Heroes
Lvl – 578
Thoughts – Curiosity, fascination, wariness.
"Really? Is it that much of a cure-all?" I question.
I never got around with toying with the substance myself, but I wonder if my body is resilient enough to make use of the substance.
"Well, demigods tend to spontaneously combust if they take too much, but in small doses they heal up just fine." the centaur says bemusedly.
"Quite fascinating. I don't believe we've met sir." I offer up a hand for him to shake.
"Chiron, I am the activities director here at Camp Half-blood." He said shaking my hand.
"A pleasure. I actually have a couple of campers to drop off when they actually wake up. Have a friend who wanted me to get them settled in properly." I inform, thinking back to Nico and Bianca still in the Tardis.
Their education had advanced to the point where they would actually fit in at camp, and Hades had grudgingly accepted the need for the children to be around kids their own age. The fact that I would be laying the ground work for children of Hades to become accepted at camp, as well as for minor gods to properly be represented.
I debated on whether I should do it or not, before remembering that I'd basically be defanging Kronos before he actually started fucking with my shit, proved to be a good motivator.
Which reminds me . . . .
I reached into my inventory and pulled out a black scroll I hand it to Chiron. He breaks the seal and starts reading his face paling rapidly at the contents.
"So he violated the oath too?!" he exclaimed, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper as he addressed me.
"HA! Him violate the oath?! Nah. Unlike others, our friend downstairs is perfectly capable of keeping his dick in his trousers. These kids managed to find themselves in the lotus casino for the last century or so." I explain, causing Chiron to adopt a look of understanding.
"While that only makes it marginally better, are you sure about fulfilling the letter of the contract?" he whispered as more campers gathered around.
"Eh, its no biggie. Build some houses for some kids, watch over some kids while they get settled in. It will be a nice little vacation. Hopefully won't end up like my last one." I assure thinking about my run in with werewolves.
"Well, I believe you'll still need to obtain Lord Dionysus's approval since he is the camp director . . ." Chron trailed off.
"No worries. I can be very persuasive when the mood takes me" I reply, venturing off towards the supposed "Big House".
Sure enough, the god of wine was chilling on the front porch, reading a wine catalog.
"Pray tell why a skeleton is wandering around camp before I incinerate you." The god greets grumpily, not looking up from his magazine.
"Ah the usual, self-guided tours, attempting to find the god in charge and offerings of bribes to said god, and maybe attempting the climbing wall a few times." I offer flippantly, watching his eyes flick up from his magazine.
"Oh? I didn't realize that we offered self-guided tours for monsters. So, what are you offering that allows for such a service?" he questions. I had ahold of his attention, so time to make my pitch.
Sitting down across from him, I set my bowler off to the side and pull a brief case out of my inventory. Documents and plans are withdrawn from the case as I start my spiel; "I am here on behalf of a rich benefactor and he has an interest in some large-scale remodels and donations to the camp that would be hugely beneficial reflection on yourself and curry much favor from others on Olympus." I start off sliding the paperwork across to the pedantic god.
His attention quickly reverted back to the magazine as the documents were presented obviously ignoring them. After a moment of this, I sigh and pull a small cask out of my inventory and slam it down on the table, immediately drawing his attention back to the table, or more specifically, the cask.
"One cask of rainbow fruit wine, 85% alcohol content. Its yours if you pay attention, and you'll receive another if you agree to the proposed project." I state watching the sober god lick his lips.
I definitely had his attention now, all I had to do was reel him in.
"I'll even throw in a third cask if you turn a blind eye to it." I state watching him freeze and then scoop up the papers and start reading through them fervently.
Sure I was enabling him, but since I wasn't doing anything detrimental to the children or Olympus, the god would probably jump on this deal with both feet since he could get away with drinking without anyone being the wiser.
After about twenty minutes of reading like a man possessed, the god signed the paperwork authorizing my presence, the construction of new buildings and structures, and the authorization for me operating within the borders of the camp.
As soon as he finished signing, the contract duplicated twice and two copies flashed out of existence.
"Where did they go?" the god questioned, grabbing the cask and hiding it somewhere.
"Magically binding contract. One was filed away with Hecate for her records, one for you to keep, and one for me." I stated pulling out the extra casks for the god.
"A pleasure doing business with you lord." I state as he nodded amiably.
"Well off you trot, I have some important task somewhere." He said idly, fading out of existence.
I'm absolutely positive that his last exchange with me was just an act, or something people expect of him. My bribes just served as plausible deniability for him if something went south.
No doubt he would keep a close eye on me given the opportunity, but I now was within his good graces, however temporary that may be.
While he didn't show it, he did care about the campers, he just had a harder time of showing it.
Dionysus would definitely report this in the future, giving me a small window to work with.
[Time Skip]
I managed to get away with building roughly three cabins before Dionysus called me aside again.
Apparently, some of the gods took notice of the skeleton in overalls that was slowly building cabins for the other gods and were wondering what I was hired for.
So I now have the "official" title of "groundskeeper".
Something that I get no end of amusement from. Especially since according to Olympus Labor Laws, he had to cut me a paycheck and provide lodging.
While I was instructed to "build your own damn lodging!" I had no quarry with that.
I just created a few necrons and set them loose to build the "groundskeeper fortress" while I continued building cabins. Some of the Gods and Demigods even came forward with requests and designs for how their cabin should look.
Something that was rendered entirely moot when the cabin was completed. Because every time I completed a cabin for a respective god's children, said god immediately blessed said cabin.
Most, if not all of my hard work is constantly undone as the cabin is remodeled to the gods liking as an effect of the blessing. The best part about it was that the use of my crafting skills was technically considered as worship of the machine god, so I was even able to do some minor advancement as a paladin.
It got really complicated when I tried to make the Hypnos cabin and he blessed it while I was still inside.
I ended up actually forced into a comatose state for several hours before someone dragged my body outside.
It was fairly surreal because I couldn't actually sleep in this form. It was more like a forced meditative state. I was aware of my surroundings, but I could feel other thoughts trying to drift through my head.
One particular thought that kept reoccurring in my head was of a dark pit screaming obscenities at me, cajoling me, threatening me. In other words, standard creepy antagonist shit.
So I did what any saine adult did, and ignored it.
Speaking of being dragged out . . .
I picked up some unexpected followers.
The Children of Hephaestus.
They started following me around like excited puppies after my construction of the first cabin. Most if not all of the other residents of the camp gave me a wide berth, simply because of my undead nature, but these kids basically were hanging off my every word whenever I went to go.
So I did what any self-respecting paladin did.
I told them about the wonders of the Omnissiah . . .
[Flashback]
Scarabs swarm around as the structure of the cabin, slowly crafting and molding the wood into the correct shape.
This automated process left me with some free time on my hands so, I resorted to one of my older hobbies.
Blacksmithing.
Walking into the forge, many of the workers in there immediately noticed me before going back to their tasks as they worked on various projects.
Grabbing an apron, and a portion of the forge I set about my task.
Many of my old projects always had a practical application of some sort, rendering any artistic pieces to the sidelines.
Most of what I made worked, and it worked very well for what I needed it for. But it lacked that special touch.
The Omnissian axes that I tended to make on occasion were the closest thing to what could be considered artisan weapons, but even they still lacked that certain flair.
So lets start with something familiar.
Pulling a fresh piece of ingot out of the forge, I start shaping the metal.
When I made an Omnissian axe, I needed to cast many of the inner pieces that made up the multi tool, so for this particular project, lets start simple.
Just a simple axe.
My lack of sweat certainly made it easier to work, but the intense flames of these forges . . . they definitely weren't normal.
Green flames gently licked around the edge making me realize why many of the other smith workers were taking such interest in my work.
I was working a Greek fire forge with standard materials.
Greek fire had the unique property of being damn near impossible to put out.
Well, I guess this was no longer going to be a "normal" axe.
Thankfully, it didn't appear that the Greek fire was applying itself directly, it was just being used as a source of heat, thus I had to adjust technique as the metal was heating up too fast.
The challenging forge ensues over the course of an hour as I bring the "simple axe" to completion.
Setting the finished axe on the table, I eye the completed result of the blade.
"Why the fireman's axe?" A young boy asked boldly, looking at the result from the other side of the worktable.
"They say that you can see the heart of a craftsman reflected within the things they make. My habit that I've developed over the years is that no tool should ever serve one purpose." I explain absentmindedly while I examine the axe. "Even trying to make a simple single bladed axe, I felt something was off and ended up adding the "rescue spike" on the back."
"It's a somewhat bad habit I need to break." I conclude, the children of Hephaestus nodding in understanding.
Privately, I was happy with developing habits and small discrepancies in my work. It just went to show the diversity provided by the gamer system.
One of the kids scoffed; "Are you sure its not sloppy craftmanship that you're trying to cover up for?" The kid asked as I finished binding the grip of the axe.
I snort at the question; "Kid, I fuck up shit all the time. Many of my tools and weapons had previous versions that certainly didn't work as well as my current tools. But this axe is by no means a piece of sloppy craftmanship."
Setting the axe down and beckoning the listeners over to the blueprint table I continue explaining as I draw out a more advanced design for the axe; "Everything built serves as a foundation for what is to come. When Prometheus gifted humanity with fire, it had a more significant effect than he realized, simply because everything and I mean everything around us, is derived from that initial spark of flame."
"Humanity took that spark, and started seeing what it could do, from cooking food, to improving tools." I state, showing the integrated spike launcher in the head of the axe, causing some of the camper's eyes to widen slightly at the simple yet efficient design.
"We went further, we diversified, as fire spread across the world, finding different and better ways to use it. We fought over the resources to use for the fire, and found new ways to amplify its power." I continued, drawing more and more variations of the axe, a bearded axe, a pinyin, a hatchet, and more axe blades that were developed from around the world.
The campers were fully enraptured as I continued describing how the world continued to advance based on the simplicity of fire.
[Flashback End]
Afterwards, the children of the forge god tended to follow me around and observe what I did. Thus, it became inevitable that the machine god would come up.
The concept of the advancement of technology seemed to be a concept that fascinated many of the members of the cabin. So much so that Hephaestus sent me a cease-and-desist letter.
The letter in of itself was mildly entertaining, but he did highlight a fact about modern Greek gods. The reason they maintained their power over other pantheons was because of their children.
Enlightening them to the teachings of another god, kinda messed with the ecosystem.
So, I sent a message back; Spend some dang time with your kids then.
Think I've actually figured out what my fate breaker perk did, but I needed a god to go all in to prove me right.
The Fates were busy with the aftermath of anything I touched, which suited me just fine. I didn't need three old ladies poking their unnecessarily long noses into my business.
So far, the disguised form of the god worked alongside his children as they worked on an addition to the forge, helping and correcting mistakes as they continued to build and create.
But still, my notifications told me the damage was done.
[Quest Complete!]
Restructuring the Cult
Objective 1: Get 100 Followers. (100/100) [x]
Objective 2: Keep the Quest for knowledge at the forefront of your religion. [x]
Objective 3: Find other new ways to restructure the cult. [In-progress.]
Rewards: Class advancement unlocked!
I felt power flowing through my veins as my light and dark classes finally reached max level.
[Checking Prerequisites . . .]
[Prerequisites met!]
[Unlocking Transcendent Human . . .]
[Unlocking Technomancy . . .]
[Unlocking Slayer . . .]
The bone was replaced with flesh and blood, my augments settling back into place. I felt my nano machines explore once more as the effects of the phylactery fade into the other body.
A sudden burst of rage racks its way through my body accompanied by a warning alert.
[Warning!]
[Slayer abilities evolving!]
[Initiating evolution challenge!]
"Huh?" was the last thing I managed to utter before an obelisk of argent energy surges up and envelopes me. I attempted to struggle before my consciousness faded out.
[Time Skip]
My awareness comes back along with the smell of fire and brimstone.
"God dammit. Back in hell again?" I groan, pushing myself up into a sitting position as I look at the desolate plain around me.
I can see the various entities of the hell I'm familiar with diving in and out of the crevassed landscape.
What seemed out of place were the various humanoid looking demons that were shepherding them towards what looked like a farm of sorts.
Turning around more, the single farm expanded into a full-on city surrounding a rather massive, if familiar castle.
The castle itself was a collaboration of crimson, orange and black spires surrounding its walls, hints of Maykr technology lending their unique style to its construction as it is slightly overshadowed by its demonic design.
Immora, the first paradise, and the capital of hell.
I never had the urge to come in search of this place. Firstly, it had slipped my mind about the possibility of this place, but hell so far had simply served as my training grounds to sharpen my various skills.
Does that mean that my other ID's have explorable area's to them? And if so, does that mean I can discover other varieties of creature based off of the multitude of demons that I have discovered? Because some of these demons are definitely not from the doom universe.
Based off of the lack of demons attempting to eat my ass, I'm guessing that any possible objective I might have here would reside within the city. Would that mean that they tolerate me? Welcome me even? Or has the other shoe not fallen yet?
Either way, lets see how much trouble it would be to get inside.
It took about half a day to reach the entrance where yet another surprise awaited me.
The flow of traffic through the gates was filled with carts and travelers of all sorts of purported dark races.
From demons, to devils, to vampires, to various undead, all seemed to wander through the gates without fear as they went to barter or trade their wares.
Something bumped into me from behind as a huge gorgon made its way towards the gates.
"Pardon me sssssir, but you ssmell disssstinctly human. You wouldn't happen to be one that wandered down here by accident are you?" It asked curiously, the realization dawning that I appear distinctly out of place.
"Ah! My apologies, always forget my disguise after wandering the mortal plain for a century or two." I lie smoothly, snapping my fingers and turning back into my lich form.
"Happensssss to the best of usssss." The placated creature nodded before slithering through the gate.
Deciding not to draw anymore attention, I hurry after her through the path she created.
[Time Skip]
Wandering through the streets of Immora eventually led to me sitting on a roof top across from the entrance to the keep.
Their were no guards standing stationed, but their was a single maid standing in front of the archway, a knowing grin on her face as she stared at my position.
It wasn't like I made a huge effort to hide, but she was obviously waiting for me to do something.
Looking closer, I could see the pair of horns peaking out from her hair along with how her eyes were slitted like a snakes.
Opting to end our impromptu stare down, I hop off the roof and land directly in front of the maid.
She gave a quick bow and turned around proceeding inside, obviously expecting me to follow.
Proceeding cautiously after her, a small part of my mind considered the fact that this might be a trap, before discarding it and proceeding anyway. I was too damn curious at this juncture to consider turning back.
We went higher and higher as we followed the twists and turns of these cavernous halls. Periodically, I would release nanobot to help me further map out the castle, but the map I had managed to generate with my cyberdeck was wavy and confusing as bots that had mapped out certain areas would suddenly shift to brand new areas of the facility.
It wasn't until the fourth or fifth wave of machines that I managed to determine the reason. The little machines would be caught in various spells and arrays and teleported or outright destroyed.
Mapping everything was still fairly difficult, but now that I was aware of the problem, I could mitigate the effect partially.
Our trek finally ended in front of a massive set of double doors.
"The master is expecting you." The maid stated blankly before bowing and departing for parts unknown.
Equipping my Praetor suit, I prep for what could be an innocent talk, or the fight of the century as I push open those massive double doors.
Omake: Wait you can resurrect dinosaurs?!
[Tavish POV]
I sat in this weird scientists lab as he babbled on about his fossil machine.
It started out innocently enough, I found an Aerodactyl fossil while exploring a cave with my Pokémon and I decided to go and get it appraised.
I was referred to the individual in front of me who went on a long diatribe about how he could supposedly turn this fossil into a supposedly extinct Pokémon. It was about five minutes into his explanation that I had an epiphany.
"Hold that though Doc, I have a better fossil than this one! I'll be right back!" I explain before rushing out and creating a portal to one of my versions of earth.
[Time Skip]
I'm glad the field museum of Chicago was so understanding when I borrowed this fossil.
The police sirens fade behind me as I step through the portal with the massive skull of a T-rex under one arm.
The scientist about had a joygasm when I walked in holding this baby and was most certainly a hurry to put it in the machine. For good measure, I tossed in a bunch of Eevee fluff that I had acquired from over the course of multiple brushings. The Aerodactyl skull was tossed in for good measure.
The Eevee DNA was fairly mailable so this should be fine right?
The machine started wheezing and buzzing with energy as the room was engulfed in a brilliant flash of light.
[Time Skip]
I rode away from the lab on the back of a huge fluffy wyvern like creature.
[You do realize that this should not have worked right?]
"Don't care, your just jealous." I reply, scratching the back of my new buddy.
Technically, since a new type of Pokémon was "discovered" I got to name it.
I felt that Primeeval was a good name for the species. And I think it was going to be the source of at least half a dozen evolutions if it took after Eevee in that respect.
Wait . . . if it did, could I give it a "Boros" stone?
Boros might have to reside at the daycare for quite a bit longer then.
Maybe he'd feel better if I got him a buddy to commiserate with?
Could always go back to One-punch world for that. Or . . . . I could grab a new "Pokémon" from somewhere else . . .
Primeeval flapped his wings and took off as I mulled over my options.
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