Seeds of Discordia

After Liam and the group had arrived on the other side of the river, they took their time setting up camp. It took them almost a half an hour to get the tents in order and a firepit going.

Liam had discovered his Small Creation Knowledge from his Construction Craft Focus Point came in handy when setting the tents and making a firepit. This allowed him to level it up to level two.

The knowledge allowed him to know where it was ideal for the tents to be placed without any issues and how far the firepit needed to be away from the tents along with how big it needed to be for Artem to be able to cook with it.

After setting everything up they made some seats out of rocks, big enough for them to sit, they had found.

Liam had already given Artem the Crocolisk meat he had received when harvesting Binky’s body. He had decided he would use some of it in the dinner he was going to make.

Once when they had settled and sat close to the firepit while Artem started to make dinner, Mercer started up the conversation.

“So…are you ready to tell us what you’d like to?” Mercer asked. “Personally, I’d like to ask what happened during our fights with the Askith Wight Commander and Binky that had caused you to…lose yourself, but if that is something you’d wish to not talk about then we will listen to all you wish to say.”

Liam looked at Mercer. He was silent as he tried to go over everything he was willing to say.

After overthinking everything, he finally let out a sigh and responded, “I will touch on that a bit after I go over what I found out during the fourth floor. But I don’t think I am ready to go into full details on it.”

Avery, Blair, and Mercer nodded as the others watched Liam in silence, waiting to hear what he was going to say.

Liam let out another sigh as he started, “At the end of the fourth floor, before meeting up with you guys I met a Goddess. She wasn’t there in person, but more like a spiritual representation of herself appeared before me.”

Liam looked at everyone and asked, “Do you remember the two statues we saw at the beginning of the fourth floor?”

Everyone nodded.

“Well, it turns out they both represent two different deities,” Liam continued. “I don’t know about the other, but the one with the maniacal grin and holding a short staff with different shades of red and grey arrows of different lengths shooting out from a black orb. That was the one I met.”

Everyone’s eyes rose.

“Do you know what Goddess she was?” Roman asked.

Now that Roman brought that up he realized he never asked Eri what kind of Goddess she was.

What are you the Goddess of Eri? Liam asked her.

That’s something you can know when you become my Champion. Eri stated noncommittally. Until then, I won’t tell you.

Liam frowned at her words.

“I didn’t ask her, so I don’t know what she is the Goddess of,” Liam responded.

“Then how do you know she was a Goddess at all?” Blair questioned.

Liam’s eyes widened at the question. He never thought about that. He only assumed she was one because she had told him.

Oh, we have a thinker here. Eri commented. I wouldn’t have pegged her to be cautious and use her head.

“I think it is safe to say she was,” Mercer stated.

Everyone looked at him.

“What makes you so sure?” Blair asked. “What if she was a Floor Boss pretending to be one.”

“For three reasons,” Mercer started. “One, if she was a Floor Boss pretending to be a Goddess, Liam wouldn’t have been able to clear the floor until he defeated her. Since he was able to walk out without issues is the first point.”

Mercer looked at Liam and added, “Secondly, you said she wasn’t there in person. It was only a spiritual representation of her, right?”

Liam nodded.

Mercer looked at the others and finished, “Thirdly, no one should be able to appear in our Tutorial Dungeon floors. The only exception to there being anyone on the same floor as us is the last floor. People call it the Raid Floor.”

Roman was about to say something but was stopped as Mercer lifted a hand up and continued, “But I’ll tell you all about that later. If no one is able to appear on the floors with us where we are then that only means beings who don’t follow the rules would be able to. Those beings would be Deities.”

The others thought about what he had said. Following his logic, they could agree with him. They knew that Mercer was smart and well informed. If he had researched into something and believed in it then they would as well.

“I didn’t think about that,” Blair said.

I like this guy. Eri stated in Liam’s mind. He goes over all the facts before coming to a conclusion. I’m sure if Lil Isis would love to have him.

“Sorry about that,” Blair apologized to Liam. “Please continue.”

“My talk with her had several eye opening things about this dungeon,” Liam started back up. “I asked if this was a Forbidden Path and she told me it is and isn’t.”

The other’s furrowed their brows.

Before anyone could ask what he meant, Liam continued, “I’m still unsure about all the details but the path our dungeon turned into was the results of someone tampering with it.”

“What do you mean?” Mercer asked as he pulled out his notebook and started writing in it.

“So, when we entered the first floor it was a normal dungeon, however, after we entered the second floor it changed. That change was made due to someone or something tampering with it.”

“Tampering with a Dungeon path?” Artem asked as his brows furrowed again. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know,” Liam said. “She never told me how or even who did it. I’m not sure she knows. However, she did tell me it became a Forbidden Path because of two reasons. First, because it became a Deity’s Trial Path.”

“A Deity’s Trail path?” Mercer questioned with a confused look.

“It’s a path that is created when a Deity finds interest in someone and has them face stronger than normal monsters. At the end they offer a Blessing to them and if they really like you they make you their champion.”

Mercer’s pen dropped at what Liam had said. He stared at him with his mouth agape.

“Holy shit!” Ariyana and Roman shouted.

“Are you saying that the reason why we are fighting these strong as hell monsters is because this goddess is testing us?” Roman questioned with an excited look growing.

“That’s partly right,” Liam corrected. “However, it’s not all of us, but me.”

The others looked at him.

“That would make sense since she appeared before you and not any of us,” Avery said as she thought about it.

Liam noticed a weird look quickly pass over her before she looked back at him.

Roman’s look of excitement dimmed as he muttered, “Damn it. I was hoping I was some sort of chosen.”

There’s always a chance they could receive a Blessing if they do well during their fights. Eri informed. Many Deities take into consideration the team, the one who they are interested in, has grouped with. It also depends on if any one on the team that person is in has a Blessing from other Deities or not as well as compatibility.

“Don’t pout Roman,” Liam said with a slight chuckle. “She did say that the Deity who performs the Trial Path takes the team into consideration as well.”

Roman’s expression lit back up as he stared at Liam.

“I guess they take into consideration how well the team does with the one they wish to bestow the blessing on or want as a Champion. Not only that but it also depends on if anyone on that team has a Blessing from another Deity,” Liam explained.

“You keep saying Champion,” Mercer noted. “What does a Champion mean?”

Liam realized he didn’t know either. He had never asked before since he had declined the offer.

Eri…what is a Deity’s Champion? Liam asked.

Why? Are you finally going to accept? Eri asked with some amusement in her tone.

Liam frowned at her response. He then said to her, It’s just I never asked you about it before?

Well, I won’t tell you unless you agree to become mine. Eri said teasingly.

Not wanting to play her games, Liam responded, “I’m not sure I didn’t ask.”

Party pooper. Eri chided.

“Hm,” Mercer responded as he scratched the side of his head with the back side of his pen.

“Anyways, the problem here though isn’t the fact that this is a Deity’s Trial path. If it was then it wouldn’t be a Forbidden Path,” Liam continued. “Apparently what makes this part of a Forbidden Path is because no one was ever supposed to take her trial.”

“What do you mean by that?” Ariyana asked, confused by how Liam said it.

“Why is no one ever suppose to take her Trial?” Blair questioned as her eyes narrowed.

“I don’t know,” Liam said, realizing he never asked the basic questions.

At the time when he met Eri, he wasn’t interested in getting caught up in stuff he didn’t know about and just wanted to be done with the floor.

“Hold on,” Mercer interjected. “That doesn’t make sense. If no one is ever supposed to take her trial, then why did she have you take it?”

Liam looked at Mercer. “That’s the thing. When we met, even she was confused as to why I was there. Eri, that’s the goddess’ name, believes that her sister has something to do with me appearing before her.”

“Eri?” everyone muttered.

“That’s an interesting name for a goddess,” Ariyana stated with a brow raised.

“I think its short for something or it could just be an alias, but that’s what she said I could call her,” Liam stated. “Anyways, I guess there’s more behind me meeting her, but I’m not sure. As we talked she told me outright she wanted me as her Champion.”

Everyone’s eyes rose at what he said.

“What did you say?” Blair questioned.

“I said no,” Liam responded as he averted his gaze from theirs.

Artem’s, Ariyana’s, and Roman’s jaws dropped while they stared at him with disbelief.

Avery shook her head with a slight smile.

Mercer and Blair gave a slight chuckle.

“Why?” Roman asked.

“Why did you pass this chance up?” Ariyana questioned.

“Because I don’t fully know who she is,” Liam responded as he looked back at them. “I didn’t want to commit to something that I have no knowledge or understanding of. Not only that, but if someone you just met told you to become theirs, would you accept right there?”

“No,” Ariyana shook her head, understanding where he was coming from.

“What did she say or do when you refused her,” Blair asked.

“Apparently it made her want me more as her Champion. She is giving me time to think about it and has given me until we finish the last floor of this dungeon to give her an answer,” Liam replied.

“Have you been thinking about it?” Mercer asked.

Liam lifted his head up and stared at the ceiling as he said, “I have. It was one of the many things that’s been on my mind.”

“As long as you properly think about it and give a response after that then I’m sure she will be happy,” Blair said.

“You mentioned that taking her trial was part of the reason why this is a Forbidden Path, what is the other reason?” Mercer questioned, wanting to bring this conversation along.

“Do you remember what this dungeon is called for us?” Liam asked.

“Graveyard of the Forgotten Realm,” Mercer answered with his brows furrowed. “What’s the name got to do with anything?”

“That’s the thing. Someone tampered with our dungeon making it a Forgotten Realm dungeon,” Liam said. “I’m not one hundred percent sure, but Eri said that someone connected our path to one that shouldn’t have appeared and the keyword to prove it is Forgotten Realm.”

“What does the words Forgotten Realm have to do with it being a Forbidden Path?” Mercer questioned.

“Apparently there are many Forgotten Realms out there,” Liam replied. “Each Forgotten Realm has a theme. Since we discovered that this Forgotten Realm has to do with the Askith and seeing as how there was no mention of the nation in the history you read. I want to guess that they hold history of things that were forgotten. Or maybe something important enough that it was purposely forgotten.”

Mercer stared at Liam, a little excitement starting to blossom inside his chest as he tried to keep his composure. However, his tail swished in the back betraying his calm and collected expression. “So, you’re saying the Forgotten Realms have information that no one knows anymore?”

“That’s only a guess,” Liam said. “We still don’t know much about these Forgotten Realms or Forbidden Paths so I’m going out on a limb here,” Liam said.

“But why us? And why this Forgotten Realm?” Artem asked, trying to think everything over as he poured in the vegetables and cooked meat into a pot over the fire. “Do you think it was the doing of…Eri’s…,” Artem tried saying her name as if he almost forgot it, “Sister?”

Liam shook his head. “Me meeting her was her doing, according to Eri, but in regards to tampering with this dungeon, she didn’t know who was responsible for that.”

After thinking something over, Ariyana gave Liam a concerned look and asked, “Do you think it was Steve? I mean, he’s the only one I can think of whose been actively after you.”

“At first I was thinking it was him too,” Liam started as he turned his attention to her. “However, I don’t think it was him. He doesn’t have the power to be able to affect a dungeon.”

“That’s true, to be able to affect a dungeon and the path people take in it, one has to have an absurd amount of…” Mercer’s words trailed off as he was talking when something popped into his mind. His head snapped towards to Liam as he asked, “You think a deity has something to do with this don’t you?”

Liam nodded.

“But why would a Deity go out of their way to do something like this?” Ariyana asked as she started to get nervous.

“I’m still thinking about that,” Liam said as he took a deep breath.

This next bit of information he was debating on whether he should say something or not. It could very well show if this group of people were truly trustworthy or not. His life was about to be given to them for saying.

“I believe it might have to do with something that Eri had told me,” Liam started with a shaky breath.

The others noticed the hesitation Liam was showing. They knew if he was hesitating then it was something that was weighing heavily on him.

“What do you guys know about Zodiacs?” Liam asked.

“Zodiacs?” everyone muttered with a confused look.

“Zodiacs have to do with the month and day you were born,” Roman answered, still confused.

“That part is insignificant,” Mercer stated. “Each Zodiac gives a person a special ability.”

Liam nodded. “What else do you know about them? Have you looked into it at all?”

“Of course,” Mercer stated with a confused look. “I have looked into all of them.”

“Are you sure you looked into all of them?” Liam questioned.

Mercer’s brows furrowed as he thought it over. He pulled out his notebook he had written into about Zodiacs and their abilities. As he flipped through the pages he stopped and then looked back at Liam.

“There’s one that didn’t have any information about them,” Mercer started as he looked at Liam.

“There is a reason why there’s no information on that Zodiac,” Liam started. “They are being hunted down or killed on the spot. Someone deemed it necessary to not include them in that book because of that.”

“What?” the others questioned filled with even more confusion.

“Why would a person with a certain Zodiac be hunted or killed on the spot?” Ariyana questioned.

“Because of their abilities and a certain ability only a handful of that Zodiac would get,” Liam stated.

Confused, the others wanted to ask something, but were interrupted as Blair questioned, “What Zodiac is it?”

“It’s my Zodiac,” Liam said.

“What’s your Zodiac?” Blair asked.

“Gemini,” Liam stated.