Divine Apostasy Book 9 - Chapter 6 (OLD)

[Author's Note: I never had a chance to read this chapter back over. It is my raw text so I expect it to have spelling mistakes and awkward sentences. I assumed you would rather read this then wait for me to revise it and delay its posting.]

[Author's Note 2: I have significantly altered the storyline and this chapter is no longer valid. Please see more recent releases which will contain the information I plan on using. Thanks]

Chapter 6

Miranda’s Divine Realm looked almost the same as he’d left it. The only real change he noticed was the repair of the mountain top he’d accidentally cut off when Sift had ran his fingers over Ruwen’s wings.

Chunks of terium littered the area in front of the massive portal stone all the way to the summit’s edge. Ruwen jumped to the edge and looked down to find nothing but empty space until a layer of clouds appeared far below.

Overlord appeared in his Minion form to Ruwen’s right and with a more noticeable pull on his Core, Uruziel formed on his left. The pair looked over the edge as well.

“It appears I threw a little too hard,” Uruziel said.

“If you hadn’t,” Overlord responded, “there wouldn’t be any room to walk up here.”

Ruwen cast Stone Echo and Survey to find a good place to set up on the distant ground, but nothing appeared in his vision. He’d already planned to figure out his new display as soon as he could, but it turned out he could really use it right now.

Rami, can you please arrange this new custom display as close to the old one as possible. I feel naked without all the familiar icons in my vision.

Give me a minute.

“Let’s find a place to set up down there, and then collect the terium,” Ruwen said, and then winced. “I hope we didn’t damage anything.”

Ruwen’s vision filled with what seemed like hundreds of boxes and displays. They flashed rapidly, the strobing effect hypnotizing and a little disorienting. Even with his eyes closed he could still see the rapid changes as Rami tried different placements.

“Uruziel, can you take us to the ground, please. I’m headed to the third meditation until Rami finishes with my display.”

All of them rose into the air as Uruziel activated the Gravity Role and wrapped them all in a Gravity Shell. Ruwen immediately entered the third level of meditation and all his sensory input disappeared, including his vision, thankfully.

Ruwen had difficulty telling time in the third meditation, although it helped this level removed his impatience. Eventually he exited the mediation and opened his eyes.

A mist hung heavy in the air and the thick clouds above blocked the light and created a twilight effect. The cold ground against his back sucked the heat from his body and he sat up. His view remained clear other than the light silver glow at the bottom of his vision, and he assumed Rami was still working on organizing the displays.

Uruziel and Overlord had already created a massive pile of terium chunks, and even though the fog hid them, pieces of terium fell from the sky onto the heap as the pair found the pieces that had fallen from the summit.

A prickling at the base of Ruwen’s back mirrored a similar feeling from his calf and thigh. He reached back to rub the sensation away and froze as his hand touched a hard, and moving, creature. A centipede. Which meant centipedes had also climbed up his pants.

With a scream, Ruwen leaped to his feet, and using a spell he’d learned in the Spirit Realm, he cast a level fifty Blazing Sphere directly on himself.

The intense heat exploded outward like a star exploding, turning the mist in a thousand-foot radius into steam. Ruwen jumped around inside the inferno he’d created, brushing his skin. After ten seconds he released the spell and stopped, shuddering in disgust.

Ruwen studied his body for any other insects and realized he’d vaporized his clothes in the rush to destroy the centipedes. He looked up to see Uruziel and Overlord standing fifty feet away, both staring at him.

“What is wrong with you?” Overlord asked.

Ruwen blushed and tried to reach into his Void Band for new clothes only to remember he couldn’t access it when the band didn’t open. He quickly placed his hands over his groin.

“I hate how they feel,” Ruwen said defensively. “All those legs. And they have pincers. Plus, they almost killed me.”

Overlord held up two fingers. “That was two years ago. And you are literally a god now.”

“You grip your fears tightly,” Uruziel added.

“If you’re referring to heights, that is just common sense,” Ruwen replied. “If Uru wanted us to fly, she would’ve given us wings.”

Rami appeared next to Ruwen in her human form. “You do have wings.”

Ruwen frowned. “That’s not the point. Uruziel can you please make me some clothes.”

“That’s another one,” Rami said.

“Being naked in public?” Ruwen asked. “Again, common sense, not fear.”

“Hold your hands out,” Uruziel said.

Ruwen sighed and did as Uruziel asked.

“Sift doesn’t have issues running around naked in public,” Rami said.

“Sift isn’t the bar we should measure anything with,” Ruwen replied.

Uruziel clothed Ruwen in layers starting with underwear and a thin shirt. Next white linen pants and a shirt that hung past his groin. The sleeves reached to the top of his forearm and the white cloth didn’t resist any of his movements.

“Thank you,” Ruwen said.

“I wonder how many of Miranda’s centipedes you killed,” Overlord said, looking at the scorched rocks that surrounded Ruwen.

Ruwen froze. He hadn’t considered that in his panic to get the terrible creatures off his body. He glanced around as the mist hadn’t yet returned.

With the mist gone the damage Ruwen had done to the surroundings became painfully obvious. Particles of ash lazily floated near the ground, remnants of the moss that grew over the rocks. He guessed many more centipedes than the three that had crawled on him had lived in this now burnt area.

Ruwen pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is clearly my fault, but I’m sure she’d understand.”

Rami laughed.

“Right. Well, I can’t help my incredibly justifiable reaction, but maybe if we help the centipedes that remain, Miranda won’t be so upset. Like, let’s make this area a centipede paradise after we’ve collected all our terium. I’ve decided, despite the view, I’d much rather work at the summit now.”

Rami looked around at the destruction. “First you probably crushed hundreds of centipedes by launching massive chunks of terium off the mountain, and then you create an inferno when you collect it, likely killing thousands.”

Ruwen sighed. He’d really messed up. “This is why I need my interface back. If Stone Echo and Survey had displayed their normal information, I would’ve known what waited for me down here. I could have prepared myself.”

“I did the best I could,” Rami responded. “The display ended up very similar, and I even configured the sound of the alerts to match. You don’t see it? If you can’t we need to fix that right away. I came across some items that we need to discuss.”

Ruwen frowned and immediately dropped his eyes to the faintly glowing silver light at the bottom of his vision. The last time he’d mentally touched the glow hundreds of screens had displayed at the same time.

This time, the mere act of thinking about the displays caused them all to appear. Rami had done a fantastic job of organizing the previous mess as it looked incredibly similar to what he’d had before.

“The quest display is more detailed,” Rami said. “It already separated your quests into distinct tabs. I think the quests update without generating notifications, so you need to check there periodically.”

Ruwen’s eyes focused on the small rectangle under his map, and it expanded downward, revealing seven headings. All but the Personal heading had bolded text, likely indicating something had changed in those headings.

Personal

Luminara

Radiant

Harmonic

System

Sentinel

Prime

“Where should I start?” Ruwen asked.

“With the first faction, Luminara.”

“Faction?”

“You’ll see. Hurry up, you have seven to read, and I’m dying to talk about them.”

The number of quests shocked Ruwen but he quickly expanded the Luminary heading. Rami had become agitated, and he worried the quests contained bad news.

Ting!

A quest has activated…

Name: Path of the Luminara

Description: Blessed are you, Luminara, child of perfection and illuminator of the Verses. May the silence embrace you.

Step: 1 of 6

Step Description: Attain a Tier 3 soul.

Origin: Luminara

Allocation: Common

Difficulty: Moderate

Risk: Safe

Duration: Extended

Restriction: Soul based entity.

Reward (Step 1): Title advanced from Disciple to Priest

Reward (Step 1): A Disciple and Priest level spell

Ruwen had never heard of a Luminara, and the quest had automatically accepted. The quest step had started at his current level, not at the beginning. That meant getting these quests earlier would provide more benefits.

The two spell rewards triggered Ruwen’s curiosity. The wording made it sound like official spells existed for soul magic.

Ruwen closed the Luminara heading and opened the Radiant’s. It looked very similar to the Luminara except this quest chain had a more difficult rating.

Ting!

A quest has activated…

Name: Path of the Radiant

Description: Brahmaprabha, Radiant, unity and enlightenment to your Verse. The eighth chakra awaits your awakening.

Step: 1 of Unknown

Step Description: Awaken one of the seven base chakras.

Origin: Radiant

Allocation: Common

Difficulty: Challenging

Risk: Safe

Duration: Extended

Restriction: Chakra based entity.

Reward (Step 1): Title advanced from Candidate to Initiate

Reward (Step 1): Practice of the Initiate

This quest had also been automatically accepted, and Ruwen wondered what the “practice” was the reward referenced. Shaking his head in confusion, he opened the Harmonic quest.

Ting!

A quest has activated…

Name: Path of the Harmonic

Description: Stability from balance, Harmonic, the symphony of Verses bends to your power. The seed of commitment yields strength.

Step: 1 of Unknown

Step Description: Alter the balance 50 miles away by three tones.

Origin: Harmonic

Allocation: Rare

Difficulty: Challenging

Risk: Safe

Duration: Extended

Restriction: If an identity lattice isn’t created within the first millennia the Harmonic must choose the Luminara or Radiant faction for revival.

Reward (Step 1):  Minor Prelude

This quest had automatically accepted just like the others. It also had a reward that made no sense to him. What was a minor prelude?

“I’ve finished those first three,” Ruwen said.

“What do you think?” Rami asked.

“They don’t make any sense and neither do the rewards.”

“It’s interesting that a Harmonic has to pick one of the other two for revival if they fail at making an identity lattice. I’m guessing that lattice is the Harmonic revival method. In fact, the Harmonics really interest me because why are they forced into a foreign faction.”

“Their allocation value was rare, while the other two were common.”

“Great point. Okay, check the System quests.”

Ruwen refocused on the quest display and expanded the System heading.

Ting!

A quest has activated…

Name: Architect Level 3

Description: The Star Cluster Architect has the power to create, change, or destroy Star Clusters.

Step: 3 of 8

Step Description: Advance abilities to earn progress toward this quest.

Origin: System

Allocation: Uncommon

Difficulty: Challenging

Risk: Perilous

Duration: Extended

Restriction: Architect Level 2.

Reward: Roles increasing control from Planetary System to Star Cluster.

Accept or Decline

Ruwen didn’t make a choice, thankful for a quest that actually let him decide. He would discuss it with Rami before doing anything. She had already guessed, correctly, that increasing Architect levels corresponded to more control of his surroundings. He expanded the second System quest.

Ting!

A quest has activated…

Name: Harbinger’s Call

Description: The Harbinger is the voice of their Verse.

Step: 1 of Unknown

Step Description: Advance Foundation to Tier 3 Level 2.

Origin: System

Allocation: 2 of 3

Difficulty: Egregious

Risk: Deadly

Duration: Extended

Restriction: Foundation equal to or greater than Tier 3 Level 1.

Reward (Step 1): Legacy shard or paragon jewel

Reward (Final): Title of Harbinger

Reward (Final): Invitation to the Spire

Reward (Final): Prime recognition of Harbinger’s Verse with corresponding protections, processes, and rights for said Verse.

Accept or Decline

Ruwen stared at the quest trying to absorb the new terms and concepts. He already had an almost impossible task, and he didn’t want another.

“I just read the System quests,” Ruwen said. “I don’t really want either. Once I finish returning the Spirit to our the Universe, I don’t want to ever do another quest.”

“The allocation value for the Harbinger quest says two of three. It’s generated by the System which means only three people in the entire Universe can get that quest. What’s even more mind-blowing is that someone else already has it. Doesn’t that worry you?”

Ruwen sighed. “Yes, I guess it does. Maybe it’s your mom.”

“Maybe,” Rami whispered as she pinched her bottom lip in thought. She watched the mist crawl toward them for five seconds before continuing. “I doubt they know about the quest because their current template would keep it hidden.”

That made Ruwen feel a little better, but Rami had a point about the scarcity of the quest. “Should I accept these?”

“They don’t have any downsides, so it seems harmless.”

Ruwen agreed and mentally pressed “Accept” on the two System quests. “Okay, on to the Sentinel.”

Ting!

A quest has activated…

Name: Forbidden Trinity

Description: The Sentinel, by activating this quest, validates my hope that a different tomorrow remains possible. My importance to the Prime will not shield me from the heresy I have committed. Nor will my age provide sympathetic mercy. Even so, I embrace the risk, after all, the seed of commitment yields strength, and I wish to topple the “truth” itself.

Step: 1 of 1

Step Description: Construct the towering silos of faith, enlightenment, and balance, on the foundation of your existence, while braiding the triumvirate into a harmonious unity. Just as the silence abhors the sound, one cannot exist without the other. Find the notes, combine the three, destroy the “truth.”

Origin: Sentinel

Allocation: Unique

Difficulty: Extreme

Risk: Deadly

Duration: Extended

Reward: Hate, contempt, and violence from the infinite Verses. Termination of the false balance, and the power to demonstrate the original truth. And, if I survive this foolish scheme, a drink of your choice.

Accept or Decline

“Uru help me,” Ruwen muttered, “could that quest be any more vague or unappealing?”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Rami replied. “I think whoever made this quest had to hide their true intentions so they couldn’t just state what they wanted.”

“They literally list the hatred of the entire Outerverse as a reward and balance that with a free drink. This is the worst quest I’ve ever seen, and I’ve suffered through some terrible ones. We have enough serious problems of our own, and I think we should deal with the hate and violence we’ve already acquired before shouldering whatever the infinite Outerverse can shell out.”

Rami grimaced. “Okay, I understand all that and there’s no rush. Waiting will give us time to discuss it with others, too.”

Ruwen sighed in relief and closed the quest without choosing. “Okay, just one left. I already felt overwhelmed before coming here, and now it feels ten times worse.”

“This last one probably won’t help.”

“Great,” Ruwen said as he opened the heading labeled Prime.

Ting!

A quest has activated…

Name: Maker

Description: Your Sentinel has triggered this quest on behalf of the Prime. You have crossed a critical mental threshold which requires your immediate presence at the Spire. Your Harbinger, if applicable, has been notified of this summons as required by law. A Spire representative has already been dispatched to your location.

Step: 1 of 1

Step Description: You are hereby restricted to the first six dimensions of your current Universe. Failure to comply will result in catastrophic consequences.

Origin: Prime

Allocation: Mythical

Difficulty: Egregious

Risk: Deadly

Duration: Short

Reward: Testing at the Spire. Additional Prime and Faction rewards if assessment confirms the status of Maker.

Ruwen growled in frustration when he noticed this quest had already been accepted.

“Before you get too upset,” Rami said. “If you look at the logs you can see the Sentinel encountered an error and failed to connect with whatever the Spire is. The error probably occurred because our Universe isn’t supposed to exist anymore.”

“The failed communication is good, but the fact they’ll destroy a Universe if they can’t find me is not so great. And again, those rewards are terrible.”

Ruwen and Rami floated upward, and he glanced to his left. Uruziel had her eyes focused on the mountain top as she used the Gravity Shell to take them, and a small mountain of terium, to the summit.

The quests had opened Ruwen’s eyes to the workings of the Outerverse, and while his curiosity wanted to contemplate this new information, he ignored it.

With most of the terium collected at the top, Ruwen could create his small depression and begin Melting terium to fill it with Spirit.

Ruwen would circle back and discuss the quests with Rami after starting a few other critical items. Specifically, he wanted to discuss her thoughts on Pen’s journals.