Watching Ray and Lexi’s violent methods, I felt a bit queasy, which was quite an accomplishment considering that I didn’t have a body. I despised those two creeps and I wanted to cheer at seeing them receive their just desserts... but considering my upbringing in twenty-second century America, I couldn’t help but feel like they went overboard.

“Interesting.”

I followed the sound of the voice, but as expected, I couldn’t find Auto.

“Oh?”

“Her performance was shocking. It is rare to find an individual so willing to commit violence. It is likely that she will become quite strong in the future.”

“In the future? Isn’t she strong now?”

“No, not really. She is strong compared to normal people but considering the road you will have to traverse; she is not yet strong.”

Well, that’s just perfect.

“I told her not to do this. If she’s wrong and either of them respawn, things are going to get complicated. I don’t want to face off with the other Overseers yet! I haven’t even convinced her to work with me, let alone gained any other followers!”

“She was both right and wrong. It is true that those who experience traumatic deaths often fail to respawn. This is because the system requires a larger portion of the soul to restore them to a stable psychological state after reverting all of their physical injuries. It depends on how much of their soul was left.”

I sighed. Now we would have to wait and see. It wasn’t as if Ray had no options even if both respawned. It would just make things harder than they needed to be.

“Though her actions were nonsensical and fueled more by emotion than logic, I believe that the situation is not as bad as it might seem. I estimate that meeting some of her former students will prove to be fortuitous.”.

Former students? Those goblins?

Maybe there would be some gains from this situation after all. I just didn’t like that she took such a dangerous risk. It reminded me too much of my past self and I suffered for it. It was only after I became the leader of a team that I started being more careful.

Lives were lost when I made bad gambles, after all.

“However, I agree with the advice that you gave her. I am afraid that she is overestimating her power and her position. Her current attitude is foolish and, if left uncorrected, will lead to her destruction. Do not let naivety hold you back. You have already begun this process, but you must become her mentor in earnest. You must gain her trust before you can become her god. The more she continues to act like this, the more urgent your guidance will become. There are forces in this world that could erase her, immortal or not.”

“Any suggestions on what I should do next?” I asked as I returned my attention to Lexi as she finished tormenting the priest.

The catgirl was quivering slightly as she looked at the bloodstained dagger in her hands. Then she fell to her knees, clearly overcome with fatigue.

“Neither of you seems to have realized it yet, but she has already attracted a lot of attention from immensely powerful forces. I would suggest that you find a way to convince Ray to lie low while gathering followers in secret. You must build up your strength, not just hers.”

‘Immensely powerful forces?’ I didn’t notice anything like that, so it was a bit unnerving to hear that they were already moving around us. Was I not able to notice them because I was still weak?

“Hypothetically, if we started fighting the other Overseers right now, how outmatched are we?”

“You should cease that line of thought immediately. If the current Evelyn Raymond comes into serious conflict with any of the other current Tethers, she would not even last five seconds in a fight.”

“Even though she’s so freakishly strong and fast?”

“Irrelevant. Victory in combat is not only determined by speed and strength. Both magic and experience are key elements to take into consideration. Additionally, each of the other Tethers has received many blessings from their respective Overseers that have increased their abilities well beyond the realm of humanity.”

“So, Ray fighting a Tether is essentially a two-on-one fight then. I need to get stronger as well to turn it into a two versus two. I suppose that makes sense.”

“She is decades of experience too young to be leading in the inevitable war that will start over this. It is your responsibility to prepare her as she will be leading your armies. Control your emotions and do not let her encounter…”

I started to laugh.

“Relax, man. I mentioned it was hypothetical. I’m not stupid enough to send Ray charging after someone like that. I told you that I want her to stay hidden for a while longer, right?”

Auto sighed.

“I apologize. Though conflict seems inevitable, I have found Ray to be an amusing specimen and was distraught at the thought of losing one of the rare sources of entertainment that I’ve found after such a long time.”

“I know. I wish I could do more to help her, but I’m a bit limited right now until I start getting more followers. It sucks being stuck in a position where I can’t do anything but talk to her.”

“Even if you had a significant amount of holy power, you would often find yourself incapable of helping.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

If I had holy power, why wouldn’t I be able to perform miracles?

“Consider your former world. You had dozens of powerful Overseers over thousands of years, and yet bad things still happened to their followers, right?”

“Right…”

It was one of the things that led me to believe that there were no gods.

“It’s a mathematical problem. You gain power when you gain followers but unless you stockpile it, you never have enough power to help every one of your followers at the same time, outside of niche circumstances, of course.”

Oh man, I wanted to strangle whoever designed this system. Why would they design a limitation like that?

“Those you call ‘gods’ are simultaneously the most beloved and despised existences. They leech their power from mortals, yet they must sometimes choose which mortals to save and which to abandon.”

My vision tinted red, and my hazy form trembled with anger as I considered the implications of Auto’s words. It wasn’t much of a problem right now as I only had one semi-follower. There was little doubt in my mind that it would soon become two, though.

If I wanted enough power to help them, I would have to grow my religion and gain even more followers. That came with the risk of being put into a position where I would have to choose who to save.

“Screw that!” I growled. “So long as I have the power and ability, I will never abandon my followers! I’m not like the gods of Earth.”

“Heh..hehe..heh!”

The disjointed, robotic laugh was unnerving.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded, irritated.

“I admire your passion. I hope that you will be able to follow through on your convictions. I’ve seen too many choose that path and break.”

I glanced at the screens. The options I currently had to utilize my power were very limited - all I could do was command and direct. But someday…

Someday there would be no doubt in the minds of my friends, followers, and enemies.

Someday, all would know that I was a god.

***

The five goblins were called Og, Trog, Urg, Jug, and Frog. Ray needed to meet more goblins to be sure, but there seemed to be a pattern in their names.

Each of the five goblins wore the same black leather outfit and had a few daggers strapped on various parts of their bodies, such as on their legs or their chest.

They all looked similar, but Ray’s discerning eyes caught a few distinct features in addition to their different choices in weapons.

Og had a mole on his nose and was the only one who had daggers hanging from his belt. Trog had a goblin-sized, black two-handed mace strung across his back. Jug was missing his left ear and had a pair of shortswords. Urg carried a bow almost as big as he was, and Frog had no weapons and wore a strange hat that bore a remarkable resemblance to a toad. The adorable hat had little toad legs that hung down the sides of his head like tassels.

They walked in silence for several minutes. Neither group seemed to know how to start a conversation.

The silence was broken when Lexi sidled up next to Ray and tugged lightly on her shirt sleeve.

“I’m a bit hungry…” she whispered.

Ray reached down to her belt and grabbed Jantzen’s enchanted bag. She handed it to Lexi.

“This is yours now. It should have some food in it.”

Lexi stared at the bag reverently for a long moment. Her stomach growled, interrupting her moment of happiness. She pulled out some rations from the bag and unwrapped them.

“Thanks!”

She stepped back to eat her food quietly.

Og cleared his throat.

“I believe both of us are in need of information about each other.”

Ray nodded, looking around at the five goblins. All the goblins were shorter than her, coming up to about her chest in height. Their teeth were sharp, their eyes were crooked and mean, and their noses were long and bent.

They looked kind of cute.

“So,” Ray started. “What’s your tribe called?”

“Glitterfarts!” Frog declared proudly.

Ray coughed, attempting to mask her snicker.

“Why are you called the Glitterfarts?”

Og and Urg shared a glance and smirked.

“I never thought we’d be able to get Master with this twice. Frog, you want to show her?” Urg asked.

“Sure!”

‘Get Master with this twice’?

Ray watched curiously as Frog increased his pace until he was a few feet in front of the group. The toad-hat goblin bent his knees as if he were preparing to jump.

“You asked for it,” Trog sighed.

Ray hesitated, her curiosity battling with a sense of foreboding as she noticed that Lexi had also backed away to a safe distance.

Frog reached for a previously unnoticed small flap in the back of his pants, released the catch, and then jumped backward.

Ray watched in surprise and confusion, unsure how to react as a green goblin butt flew towards her. There was a wet, tearing sound...

And then there was glitter everywhere.

Ray coughed and coughed, glitter flying as she tried to shake it out of her hair and clear her lungs simultaneously.

All five goblins burst into laughter. Frog and Urg rolled on the ground, hugging their ribs while tears streaming out of their eyes. Ray glared at each of the goblins in turn, focusing especially on those two.

Lexi snickered as she nibbled on her salty rations.

It took Ray a minute to calm down and then the group started moving forward again.

“Was the adventurer group you were part of searching for us?” Urg asked.

Ray pulled out the Ax the Pony bounty paper she had already collected from Jantzen’s bag.

“There was a request in the Adventurer’s Guild in Cairel to kill some bandits. There was another team who took a request to hunt down goblins in the area though. I’m not sure if that was referring to you or not.”

Urg took the paper and scanned it with a frown.

“Must have been some weak adventurers. Bronze-rank, maybe?” Trog observed.

“Not even bronze-rank,” Ray snorted. “Officially, we’re still in training.”

“Good. If silvers were out here searching for us, we’d have to move again,” Og grunted.

“Again?” Ray asked.

“The Rovarians are getting aggressive. By order of the King, the Adventurer’s Guild keeps putting up bounties for goblin ears. We’ve been moving further and further east every time they find us,” Urg answered.

“They’ve found us again. I told you we should have just continued on to the Federation,” Jug said, looking at Og.

“I really don’t want to go there,” Og sighed. “No humans, sure, but they have different kinds of problems.”

“I know you hate politics and the Slimelords, but there are no other options. It’s that, the dwarves, or the vampires.”

Og waved the problem away.

“We’ll talk about that with Shaman. For now, let’s deal with what’s in front of us.”

“Who’s Shaman?” Ray asked.

“Shaman is a spiritual leader to us goblins. She remembers the past, leads the present, and creates the future,” Trog recited.

“So, she’s a magic user? What kind?”

“Yes.”

The goblins didn’t elaborate, seemingly unwilling to say more than that. Ray shrugged and decided to let it go for now.

A few minutes later, they moved past a small totem that sparkled as it reflected the sunlight. As Ray stared at it, she sneezed, and a small puff of glitter covered the ground in front of her.

Frog snickered and she glared at him.

Og noticed and revealed a toothy grin.

“You did ask for a demonstration,” he reminded her.

Ray ignored him and continued down the path. She heard laughter behind her and flushed.

A few dozen yards past the totem, she saw a small, wooden palisade. It was barely half as tall as an average male human and looked extremely flimsy. A few goblins stood guard near a gateway. They each wore ragged leather armor and carried shabby wooden spears.

As the group approached, both goblins saluted Og.

He nodded in acknowledgment and then moved through the gate and into the goblin camp.

Ray and Lexi shared a glance before following him.

Upon entering, Ray could tell they were both thinking the same thing:

How the hell did Jantzen think his team could beat this?

There were goblins everywhere. The little green ‘monsters’ moved across the pathways between tents. Some were stopped and socializing while others fulfilled various tasks. One group of goblins was dragging a covered cart that smelled of fresh animal blood towards the center of camp. Other goblins were off to the side training in a field. Some used swords, others used spears or bows.

None of them wore metal armor like some humans did. All the goblins wore either leather or cloth that covered their legs and torso and a few wore bone ornaments around their wrists or as ear piercings.

What surprised Ray the most though was the sheer number of goblins. Just within her line of sight, she estimated that there were at least three hundred of them in the camp.

A small goblin, a child, noticed them and pointed.

“New person!”

Dozens of heads turned in the direction of the group and Ray felt their curious eyes drilling into her. The sensation of all eyes focusing on her… it sent shivers through her body, but she smiled at the wave of nostalgia. She flicked her hair to the side and raised her chin as she strode forward with confidence.

Og and the other goblins guided them towards a large tent in the center of the camp. As they moved down the semi-narrow walkways, the crowd parted. By now, every goblin in the camp was staring at them and all chatter and work had paused.

Og sighed and turned to address the crowd.

“Get back to work! We need the camp ready before sundown!”

With a jolt, the crowd began to disperse, and various conversations picked up once again. The group continued to move forward when they noticed a small group of fifteen goblins approaching.

Trog groaned.

“Damn it, it’s Vorg.”

Og stepped forward to greet the approaching goblins.

“Og, you’re back!” the leading goblin greeted.

“Vorg.”

“You seem to have brought back guests. One wonders what gutter you found these ones in?”

“What do you want, Vorg?” Urg asked, “This is Glitter business. Take your Gobbers somewhere else.”

“Oh?”

A dangerous gleam flashed across Vorg’s eyes.

“Interesting.”

He turned and studied Ray. She met his gaze and stared down the creature. He gave off an unpleasant aura and she was certain that he was looking down on her.

That was not okay. Ray glared at him with as much animosity as she could muster.

Vorg blinked in surprise and the edge of his mouth tilted upward.

“I am Vorg, envoy for the Gobber Goblins. Who are you?”

“I’m…” she started when Trog cut her off.

“None of your concern. Yet.”

Vorg narrowed his eyes.

“Yet?”

After a moment of tense silence, Vorg raised an arm, signaling his fellow ‘Gobbers’ to back off.

“You will give me the details at another time.”

He started to move away but then paused and smirked at Trog.

“Oh, I’m sorry to see that you are doing well.”

With a flourish, he bowed and then followed the other Gobbers.

Ray turned a questioning eye on Trog, and he grimaced.

“Vorg is my grandgobby,” he explained. “He’s mad that I switched sides.”

“Switched sides in what?”

Ray asked as the group started moving forward again.

“There are two political factions among goblins - Glitters and Gobbers. Trog was born a Gobber but switched sides four months ago,” Jug explained. “The Glitterfart goblins actually got their name from our political stance and we developed the technique later.”

“What’s the difference between the two factions?”

“Glitters embrace our heritage while Gobbers embrace the inner goblin.”

“Heritage?”

The goblins went silent.

They reached the entrance of the tent and Og turned to look at Ray.

“We can talk more about this later. Now, we need to speak with Shaman.”

Ray nodded in agreement.

Og turned and entered the tent. A few tense minutes later, he returned and ushered Ray and Lexi to enter.

The two stepped forward and pushed the flap aside to enter the tent.

The interior was uncomfortably warm. Despite the midday hour, a small fire was lit in the center. On the far side of the fire, a rocking chair wobbled back and forth.

Seated atop the chair was a wrinkled old goblin. Her hair was grey, her once-sharp teeth dulled and crooked and she had a gnarled staff in her right hand.

The old goblin waved the group forward.

“Come, children!” she said in English. “Come and speak with Shaman.”

Ray and Lexi stepped forward while Og stayed near the entrance. The rest of the goblins had remained outside. They stepped around the fire and approached the rocking throne.

Lexi kneeled and bowed her head to the venerable goblin. Ray started to copy the motion but something inside of her rejected it. She got the impression that ‘no matter what’, she must not bow.

Since she disregarded her instincts and exploded herself when she encountered the karma squirrels, she decided to trust her instincts this time. Instead of bowing, she simply nodded her head in acknowledgment.

Shaman’s eyes twinkled in amusement.

“Young one, why do you not bow?”

“Should I bow?” Ray asked, the corners of her mouth rising in a sardonic smile.

She couldn’t quite explain it, but she felt like it was improper for her to bow here. Shaman laughed, which only furthered Ray’s impression that she made the correct choice.

“Even if you do not, I know who you are. You are right that it would be inappropriate for you to bow to me.”

Ray raised an eyebrow.

“You know who I am?”

Shaman waved her question off.

“Though your hair and one of your eyes have changed, you look otherwise identical to my dear Evelyn.”

She turned and addressed the catgirl.

“Rise, meek one. I am honored by your presence.”

Lexi rose and looked up at Shaman with nervous reverence.

“I admit, I am almost as intrigued as I am distressed to see my dear friend Evelyn’s fate. To lose her now… these are dark times indeed. Do you know what the humans call this Age?”

Ray shook her head, but Shaman was looking at Lexi.

“Th...the Age of Peace,” she replied.

“Right! The Age of Peace… for humans. For us, it is truly the Age of Fear and Death!”

A hint of despair entered Shaman’s voice as the simmering embers in her eyes dimmed.

“Ray, I think now might be a good time to use my existence as bait.”

Ray shook her head slightly.

“I thought you didn’t like my methods.”

“Rather than say I dislike your methods, I just wouldn’t have taken the risk that you did. Perhaps that is a good thing though. We are different people which means that together we can accomplish a lot more.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Just catch her attention and then repeat after me.”

Ray stepped forward.

“Shaman, what do you think of this world?”

The old goblin studied Ray for a long moment as she pondered the question before answering.

“This world is beautiful, but those who inhabit it are not.”

“Are you referring to the humans?”

Shaman shook her head.

“Humans are only a piece of the puzzle. Admittedly, they are a very large and central piece, but they cannot be blamed for every issue. Why do you ask?”

“What are your thoughts on ‘gods’?”

Shaman snorted.

“Which gods? The real ones or those fakes that the humans worship?”

‘Real’ gods? ‘Fakes’?

Seeing Ray’s confusion, Shaman started to explain.

“Our world originally had five rulers. They organized this world and each of them is a creator and parent to one of the five immortal races. These are the ‘real’ gods. The Overseers and the humans appeared on this world at the exact same time 1595 years ago. The Overseers are usurpers. They are ‘fake’ gods.”

Ray listened to the explanation with great interest.

“Where are these ‘real’ gods now?” she asked.

Shaman sighed wistfully, her gaze full of longing.

“Nobody knows. Demestrix, the Mother of the Fae, disappeared while the humans and Overseers revealed themselves. She was the first. The other four rulers disappeared simultaneously about a hundred years after that, and they have made no public appearances ever since.”

“‘Public’ appearances?”

“There was a designated representative for each of the immortal races that could speak to their parent. Until recently, there was still a surviving representative for the seraphs.”

Shaman pointed at Ray.

“Evelyn Raymond was the Monarch of Ages, Bearer of the First Sin, and the Queen of Vampires. She was the First Daughter of Kraveloz and the last known person capable of speaking with a ruler.”

Ray felt her heart beating faster and faster as Shaman continued speaking.

“As you might imagine, Evelyn Raymond was the last hope of our world turning the tide against the false gods. I do not know what happened, but I am rather distressed to see the state that you are in now.”

Ray bowed her head. It wasn’t her fault that she had lost her memories and she couldn’t exactly explain what Evelyn Raymond had been thinking when she performed the ritual.

Her thoughts turned to the voice in her head. It was obsessed with animals and sometimes it seemed a little naggy, but he still wanted to help her, a monster.

It wasn’t her fault that all the ‘monsters’ in the world collectively lost their only hope, but she could offer them an alternative.

“Shaman, if I could offer you a new possibility, would you be willing to hear me out?”

“If you could offer a possibility that I have not already considered and rejected, I would be most pleased. The centuries have not been kind to me, and I would like to leave this world knowing my children are moving towards a brighter future.”

“What if there was a powerful entity who wanted to help us? A new god who rejects the ways of the invaders and persecutors?”

Shaman scoffed.

“If such a being existed, why has he not shown himself until now?”

“He is a young god and was not a part of the events of the past. He did not fight against injustice because he did not yet exist. He desires to help the Glitterfart Goblins regain what they have lost.”

Shaman’s eyes dimmed.

“What we have lost…” she repeated softly. “It seems this ‘new god’ has good eyes, though I suppose he could have heard it from another source.”

The old goblin leaned back in her chair, lost in thought for several long minutes. The room was silent except for the occasional crackle from the firepit as the wood shifted and sparks, ashes, and embers scattered into the air.

Finally, she let out a troubled sigh. She pushed herself out of the chair and onto her feet, groaning faintly as her joints creaked and her bones ached. She leaned on her staff as she shuffled over to Ray and stared into her eyes.

“If we were to accept this ‘new god’, what would he ask of us?”

Her tone was serious as her eyes studied Ray, searching for any signs of deceit.

Ray tilted her head for a moment as if listening to a voice. Shaman took note of that and pursed her lips.

“He would like us to follow his teachings. He offers the same benefits that humans gain from their Overseers with similar conditions. He will write laws and commandments and, as we follow them, he will give us blessings, miracles, and power.”

Shaman scratched her chin thoughtfully.

“The same benefits, you say. Would that include their ability to resurrect nigh endlessly?”

“Of course.”

Shaman turned to Lexi who was silently following the exchange with a confused expression.

“Meek one, I would hear your thoughts. Would you follow this ‘new god’?”

Lexi met Shaman’s gaze.

“I would like to hear more about what this ‘new god’ has to offer. If his terms are bearable and the benefits are as great as he promises, then I would be more than willing to follow Ray.”

Shaman examined the catgirl with a thoughtful expression.

“So, it’s not following this ‘new god’, but rather following her, is it?”

The old goblin shuffled back over to her chair and carefully leaned back, plopping down onto the wooden seat.

“I will ponder on this issue further. Know, however, that I am not the only one that you must convince. On paper, Glitter Goblins are as free to choose their own destiny as the humans let us be. In practice, however, I think you will discover that this is far from the truth. You may sojourn among us for a while. I recommend that you use the time to convince us that this ‘new god’ is worth following.”

Ray let out a small chuckle.

“If he can deliver on his promises, then I don’t think that it will take very long.”

Shaman shook her head.

“The Gobber Goblins will almost certainly accept your proposal if you deliver it the same way you did to me. The Glitter Goblins are another matter. They hold to the traditional ways and worship only Demestrix.”

Ray folded her arms and revealed a confident smile.

“Challenge accepted.”

Shaman nodded. She rapped her staff twice against the ground and Og faded out of the shadows, already kneeling in front of Shaman.

“Og, take these two around and introduce them to those that she’ll need to convince.”

Og rose to his feet and then bowed.

“Yes, oh venerable one.”

They followed him outside the tent. Ray covered her eyes as the sunlight blinded her. As her eyes were adjusting, she bumped into Og who suddenly stopped walking.

“What is the meaning of this?” he muttered.

The camp was in chaos. The old, young, and other non-combatants were running away from the central area dominated by the large tent. A small group of fifteen… no, sixteen goblins surrounded the tent with weapons drawn. Three goblins stood between the sixteen goblins and the tent, spaced in an elongated triangle to cover all sides. They had their weapons drawn and were tense, ready to push back any who approached.

Ray recognized Vorg, the goblin who had approached them before. With a start, she noticed the goblin by his side and understood what had happened.

Og glanced back at her and saw the violent expression on her face.

“What is it?”

She drew her sword out of her enchanted bag. As she observed the opponents who dared to threaten her, she revealed her fangs in a feral grin.

“Can I fight too?”