«« EARTH – BAST »»

A badly weathered three-meter tall sandstone statue of a scantily dressed cat headed woman lay under the waters of the Mediterranean, somewhere to the north of the Nile delta. It was half covered by sand and silt.

« Bastet please look after Felicia, please provide her with her favourite cat toys and feline snacks, mice and birds. »

The heartfelt prayer arrived at the same time as the first few wisps of mana. The statue almost seemed to shudder. The yellowish ‘sandstone’ flushed a dusky pink and the cracks and chips slowly vanished, as if the statue was coming alive and healing.

Bast stirred and woke, Antonio’s heartfelt prayer ringing in her mind. She stared blankly at a crab that was hunting its dinner a few centimeters in front of her nose. She blinked, sat up shedding silt and ooze, while cradling the shade of a small calico cat that had just appeared in her arms.

ting: achievement unlocked – first of the Old Gods to awaken

ting: you have answered your first prayer before awakening fully – title unlocked: First among Equals

ting: As the first of the Old Gods to awake you have regained all your powers, Hail BAST, cat lovers all over the world will rejoice – or maybe not!

Bast drew in a surprised breath – of water. She spat and choked on the waters of the Sea. ‘Why oh why has that benighted System turned up.’ She sighed then focused her farsight on Antonio, ‘hmm, a man, pity, have to do something nice for you old man, my blessings of health and battle, you’ll need them now the System’s here.”

Bast stretched and transformed into a gigantic lioness. She oriented herself, and started to walk towards land. The shade of the small cat rode on her shoulders.

«« EARTH – RUSSIA »»

Senior Sergeant Vasili Petrovitch Novosiltsev was very careful to remain hidden in the rather sparse vegetation that covered the hill. He was alone near the summit of the small hill, and he had a good view of the rift that was once again spewing murderous savages onto the soil of mother Russia.

What he and his comrades had seen when they passed through the remains of the small towns and villages that the previous army had passed through. The incessant scenes of mindless torture, and the total lack of any life had left them with only hatred for those responsible.

Unfortunately, that gigantic glowing monster kept pointing its sword at Russian soldiers, his comrades, and incinerating them with a beam of reddish light. It was quite obviously not a laser. It was more on the lines of a beam of concentrated fire.

Vasili checked the coordinates once again before murmuring into his communicator. From behind the hills, the Russian army’s concentrated artillery delivered yet another devastating bombardment.

Vasili watched with bitter satisfaction as the dammed savages died. They seemed incapable of learning; they made such marvelous targets, all bunched up as usual. As for the giant in medieval amour, he seemed to be protected by an impervious force field.

ting: you have unlocked the class: Soldier (Observer/Ranger).

ting: you have leveled up – you have leveled up – you have leveled up ...

The annoying tinging and accompanying blue boxes kept distracting him. Vasili shook his head in an attempt to clear his vision.

* * *

The Great God of War Feroxibus was furious, his army was being slaughtered, and it certainly looked like magic, as surely nothing else could be so destructive. But then how were those mages slaughtering his army when this world was bereft of mana. And how were they directing their attacks from behind the surrounding hills and even, he was sure, from beyond the horizon. And this was the second army these godless heretics had annihilated; even his shields were suffering from those strange explosive bolts that those drably dressed rangers kept using. Worst of all there wasn’t enough mana for him to go hunt them down. Only the abundant mana spilling through the gate allowed him to exist here.

“SISANNA! Sister come and unravel the seal on this world’s mana so we can go out and ANNIHILATE these heathen!”

“Foxy love, calm down, I’m coming, hadn’t we planned to find out why this world’s Gods sealed their mana?” Sisanna the Goddess of Magic of the Pantheon of Light said as she ducked to step through the Gate. She was a good meter taller than Feroxibus with sky blue skin and almost purple hair and eyes.

“DON’T CALL ME FOXY!” roared Feroxibus.

“Temper, temper Foxy darling,” she smiled.

“AAAARGGG!” screamed the sorely tried God as he expended mana like water killing a mere handful of the well-hidden defending soldiers.

Sisanna raised her shields, damn, that strange fiery tailed thing had hurt. She healed herself and checked the status of this world’s defenders. They all seemed to be Soldier (Ranger) of various types with impressively high levels.

“Brother dear where are their warriors? All I can see are their Rangers, why are there so many Rangers anyway?”

“I think that’s due to their weaponry, no warrior could survive on a battlefield on this world without adequate magical defenses. I think all their soldiers are trained as rangers,” Feroxibus answered after a pause, during which he managed to calm himself. “And this lot have become impressively high leveled, less than a thousand men have destroyed two of our armies. Sister we need this world’s mana released so we can to go hunt the ones who are sowing death from beyond the horizon.”

«« BADONIA – FORAVILLE »»

Several hours earlier in Foraville, the secular capital of the Empire of Light, the sun was barely peeking over the Eastern horizon and staining the sky with vivid colors. A young man wearing a grey and yellow tunic, the uniform of the temple messengers, trotted briskly down a quiet residential street.

The young messenger was keeping his eye on the row of townhouses, and finally he slowed down and came to a halt in front of a house like many others. He straightened his tunic and invoked the enchantment on the brooch holding his cloak around his neck. Seconds later dressed in impeccably clean and pressed clothes he stepped up to the door and rapped smartly.

When, some minutes later a bleary eyed woman answered the door, the messenger asked, “Is this the home of Rapheel the Scholar and Traleen the Baker?”

“Yes,” confirmed Traleen.

The messenger produced a sealed letter and handed it to the woman he assumed to be a servant of the household. “Here,” he said, he bowed slightly and took off at a run.

Traleen looked at the letter in her hand and blanched in fear and shock at the sight of the seal. She shut and barred the door and went in search of her husband.

Standing side by side with his wife Rapheel broke the seal and opened the letter with trembling hands, they read the missive with horror.

* * *

Wishing you the Blessings of the Gods,

The Great and Affectionate Goddess Garatina has seen your blessed daughter Shaleen Traleendottir and wishes to welcome the young lady in her service.

Her agents will soon arrive to escort her most recent acolyte to the temple in the noble district of the Most Glorious capital of the Empire of the Gods.

Ever your most humble servant

Bishop Yount.

* * *

The two heartbroken parents looked at each other with troubled eyes.

“What can we do? None of the gods will help us.”

“None of our gods, but maybe... The scholars at the Imperial Archives have been researching the new world, the one the gods have decided to invade. Much of the information from the spies and scouts has been discredited as obviously impossible. They have been assumed to have become deranged due to living in a world devoid of mana. But, I hope they are right... I think it’s our only choice Traleen.”

“How? A world without mana how can that be of help.”

“They have myths and tales. They had mana in the past, but one or more of their gods bound it. And with the invasion gate, mana will return. A heartfelt prayer should have a good chance of wakening one of their hibernating gods. They had a twisted trickster, capable of generosity, but very cunning and fickle, and if balked treacherous. If we can get Shal to call on him and he wakes... I think she should gain a powerful ally, at least for long enough to get free of the gods.”

* * *

Shaleen faced her heartbroken parents with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry Shal but Bishop Yount has demanded that you join the order of Garatina. He has sent guards to fetch you.”

“B-but I’m too young, I’m only twelve, I still have two years before I become an adult, can’t we appeal...” begged Shaleen. “The order of Garantina are temple prostitutes, I—I’m too young.”

“I totally agree Shal. I can and will give you a stone of paralysis, do you think can you use that to escape the guards?” asked her father.

“Maybe. But what about you and mama? Won’t the Church of Light kill you if I escape?”

“Possibly, but they’ll have to find us first Shal,” replied her mother. “If you can, make for the new gate the Gods have opened. New conquests are always chaotic for a few decades. That’s what your father and I intend to do.”

A thunderous knocking at the door interrupted them and Rapheel slipped the aforementioned stone to his daughter as he moved to open the door.

Traleen hugged her daughter, “You’ll need all your wits and guile sweetie, call on Loki the trickster, he is a god of the new world, and hopefully the flood of Mana will revive him. Go with our blessings sweetie and may Loki guard you in his tricksy way.”

A pale, poker-faced Rapheel reentered the lounge accompanied by a large and somewhat bulbous eunuch of the Temple of Garantina. Four hard faced Temple guards accompanied him.

“Shaleen, the representatives of the Temple are here for you.”

“Come girl, you are blessed to be chosen by Garantina,” barked the guard leader as he gazed at Shaleen with a cold lack of interest.

Shaleen wilted before his gaze, she licked her lips nervously as she bowed her head and slipped out of her mother’s arms. ‘I pray we will all survive and gain our freedom, Loki please, please help me trick these swine and get away.’

Traleen and Rapheel watched in despair as their daughter left. The leader of the guards left two guards guarding their door. They watched from the window as their daughter walked down a deserted street escorted by two temple guards and the eunuch.

Shal’s head was bowed and her shoulders were slumped as she dragged her feet surrounded by the uncaring agents of the temple of Garantina.

About five minutes after leaving her former home in the capital’s trade district – and it was a strangely deserted trade district – a fitting testament to the fear with which the common citizens had for agents of the Temples. Shal was still franticly trying to think of a way out of her predicament when...

ting: Loki has heard your prayer – do you want to become a follower of Loki and cut your ties to the Pantheon of Light – Yes / No

Shal’s heart leapt, still hardly daring to hope, Shal murmured “yes.”

ting: Class unlocked – High Priestess of Loki and his wife Sigyn

ting: Special ability gained – Runecraft

ting: Shapeshifting ability gained – Falcon shape – Wolf shape – Sea serpent shape

ting: Illusion spell gained – Partial invisibility

Shal blinked in astonishment, she knew she had to get away now or she was toast. Also why did the stone she was still clutching feel wrong, she concentrated on it, and saw that it was flawed. However, it seemed easy to fix, and she did so.

ting: you have improved on the work of a master enchanter – level up – Priest class now Level 2 – Minor heal gained.

‘Thank you Loki, and Sigyn for your blessings, I hope I’ll prove worthy.’

« Shaleen, daughter, get free and if possible kill your guards to delay word of your escape, I need you here in Midgard. Come quickly, delaying only to warn your parents and offer them our blessing. Severed links, runecraft for one, shapeshifting for the other, their choice. »

Shal looked around seeing only empty shops and empty streets, even the alleys seemed deserted. Her lips thinned as she realized that her escort were joking and betting on how long she would survive the attention of Bishop Yount and his friends, they were running a book!

With a flash of fury she invoked the newly improved Stone of Paralysis. A pale red glow flashed from the stone covering everything in a five-meter radius centred on the stone.

ting: Shaleen’s Runestone has been invoked for the first time, due to the creator’s fury and state of mind it has become a Deathstone affecting every living thing in its range bar the holder.

ting: you have slain three Temple Servants of vastly greater levels – level up – level up ...

ting: Priest class now level 8

After opening and shutting her mouth several times in shock, Shaleen ran into the nearest alley, spread her arms, shimmered, and as a huge hawk, flew swiftly towards her former home.