Amazon Apocalypse 5: Chapter 50

With my schedule clear, I decided to pay a visit to the Goddess in Jade. Perhaps I should have done so sooner, because as soon as I arrived at the outskirts of Mayor Wiglaf’s village and from there onto the shrine, Sir Sandon’s knights stepped aside.

Each of them was in full uniform. Their breastplates shone like mirrors, and their boots were polished for a parade. And when trumpets blared and banners were raised, I realized I was being given a very warm welcome. Someone had even rolled out a red carpet for my arrival.

“What’s the occasion?” I asked the nearest guard.

“Your arrival, your holiness,” the guard replied, head lowered.

“Huh. So, do I need to write my name down for time with the statue? How long is the wait today?” I asked.

“We have been waiting for you all day. You will see the Goddess immediately.”

“I would have thought there would be a schedule or something.” I shrugged, eyes roaming each knight and squire standing at attention.

“We know who you are. And time within the shrine has already been set aside for you,” the guard said.

“By who?” I asked.

“By the Goddess,” the guard replied reverently. The way his pulse quickened, I could tell he was honored by being able to carry out his patron god’s orders so directly. And probably more than a little jealous at the fact that I would be getting a direct meeting with her.

“I see.”

I was equally disturbed by this news. How had the Goddess in Jade known I would be coming?

I looked around me for strands of unfamiliar energy. Or any form of magical tracker. This sort of thing wouldn’t have bothered me when I was weaker since, of course, someone as powerful as her would work in mysterious ways. But these days, I knew a lot more about the underpinnings of magic. And yet, I couldn’t conceive of how the Goddess in Jade predicted my arrival so accurately that there was practically a parade waiting for me.

With that uncomfortable thought bouncing around in my skull, I continued on to meet the Goddess in question. The last time I’d been here, something had come up for her, and she’d stopped answering calls. Or prayers, as the Omikyr liked to call them. Truthfully, I’d expected her to still be absent when I came to check on her, but apparently, that was no longer the case.

With moderately sweaty palms, I knocked on the door to the shrine, which slid up and revealed a large statue carved from solid jade. The woman in the statue looked a lot like Mimiko, now that I saw it again, though the Goddess in Jade had a older and wiser look to her.

I approached the statue, hand extended. There was a kneeling pad before the statue, but I remained standing.

“So... those undead are dealt with. Thanks for the blessing. I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m Carter.” I waved awkwardly, though naturally, the statue didn’t return the gesture.

“I remember you, Carter. I remember you very well,” the Goddess in Jade said. The way she spoke was pleasant enough, but I couldn’t help but feel a bad tingle crawl up my spine. It was the sort of instinctual feeling that I was about to get involved in something dangerous. And I wasn't sure how much choice I was going to have in the matter.

“I figured you might from the parade you had going outside. There’s no need to trouble them with the big show, really. I’m not one to stand on formalities. A simple ‘I’d like to speak with Carter’ message delivered to my home is enough to get my attention,” I said.

“I knew you’d be coming here. The winds of fate whisper your name in my ear, even now,” the Goddess in Jade said. Her words seemed all the more cryptic and otherworldly as they echoed through the small chamber. The lips on her jade statue didn't move, but I heard the words clearly nonetheless.

“Fate told you that, huh? Is that the name of one of your fellow goddesses?” I asked.

The Goddess in Jade let out a light and airy laugh. “No, I speak of the will of the universe. I know you’ve touched upon it as well. Many cultivators would be jealous of the karmic weight you carry.”

I looked down at myself, then realized she was probably talking about my bloodline.

I shrugged humbly. “It serves its purpose.”

“I’m sure it does. I have a favor to ask of you, but I sense you came here to ask one of me. Let us exchange pointers then, aid for aid. I think you’d prefer that sort of interaction,” the Goddess offered.

“I would. I came here to ask about resurrecting the dead. I need to bring back some old friends of mine. They weren’t too high leveled, just E and F-Grades. I’ve made contact with them on the other side, but I have to bring their souls back to the material plane. I have a few leads on how to do that, but once I bring them over, finding them bodies is going to be troublesome.”

“Do you not have criminals where you’re from?” the Goddess in Jade asked. “Convicts, miscreants, or people of ill repute?”

I chuckled. “We used to. Sadly, at the moment, our rehabilitation efforts are just a little too effective. And I don’t want to steal bodies from anyone who doesn’t deserve to die, since that’s pretty much what stealing a body would entail.”

“Hmm... What of monsters?” the Goddess in Jade asked.

“I don’t think my friends would appreciate waking up in the body of a zombie. The less-human things would be even worse.” I shook my head.

“Why?” the Goddess asked innocently.

“Ah... well... the human form is very convenient. Two hands to hold weapons and tools. A mouth to talk with. Not to mention a lot of the people I want to bring back are married and have significant others waiting for them. They need certain parts fully functional to resume their old relationships,” I explained awkwardly.

The Goddess in Jade let out another light and airy laugh, almost like a giggle. “You’d be surprised. I’ve seen all manner of beasts court the ladies of the Eternal Spring Sect. The only thing that really matters is whether or not they can take humanoid form.”

“Monsters can do that?” I asked in surprise.

“Beasts can. I understand you are enduring one of the System’s integrations. You’ve likely encountered both monsters spawned by the System and beasts that have gained levels fighting both monsters and one another. The former are always hostile, while the latter can evolve beyond their base instincts. It is these that can someday become companions to the thinking races of the multiverse. All they need is the time and knowledge to reach their full potential.”

But I was already shaking my head. “Monster or beast, I think it’s all the same. My old friends were once human. I can’t see some switching themselves out for beast bodies, even if they’ll eventually be able to turn those beast bodies into human-looking ones. Truthfully, I was hoping you’d have some sort of spell that would allow me to sculpt bodies out of magical energy or something.”

“Ah, but you see, that is what I’m offering. How else would beasts create their human forms, after all? The Humanoid Transformation Technique does exactly what you are looking for, and most beasts seek it eagerly once they are intelligent enough to understand its value. And I would not be so quick to make a decision on behalf of your friends. Many cultivators have sacrificed the bodies they were born with to gain the form and bloodline of a powerful beast. A dragon, given the soul of a person, can become a fierce protector. And for powerful beasts increasing in power is merely a matter of eating and breathing. It is an enviable position.”

I frowned, thinking over what the Goddess in Jade was implying. It seemed dragons were not at the top of the food chain in cultivator lands if cultivators would eagerly hunt them down and hollow out their bodies to trade out their own. The way the Goddess said it likened it to stealing a pair of boots.

“You heard we have a shard full of eggs and juveniles?” I asked.

“My knight, Sir Sandon, has spoken often of your battle against your Torchdragon and the actions of the Chaos Raven’s worshipers to possess it. You fought well in that battle and surely saw how fierce a foe that dragon was. Would having a few such creatures fighting by your side not be advantageous for your people? Your dead comrades will have missed much of the integration and will be far behind in stats and levels upon their return. It would take something drastic for them to return to their former prominence.”

“Something like gaining the body of a dragon,” I said, suddenly realizing what the Goddess was hinting at.

I hadn’t even thought about how weak Ben would be if he came back at level one. He used to be a leader, but with that kind of level disadvantage, he wouldn’t be able to lead anyone. Heck, everyone who’d been murdered by Craig had been a brave and fearless soul willing to do what needed to be done to ensure a safe and prosperous future for the survivors of Crownhill. How pitiful would it be for them all to return as low-level fodder?

Worse, they would probably return with a Death Curse, just as I had. Such a curse would make it extremely difficult for them to gain levels. I got around that problem thanks to the free skills and early levels the System gave away for free during those early hours of the integration and lucking into my Fabulous Phallus skill, which synergized with the unique Soul Vampirism title I gained by taking stats from others.

Ben and everyone else I wanted to revive wouldn’t have that. They would only be able to level against other sapient races. And all the sapient races we'd be fighting against would be far higher level than them. In other words, they were screwed.

“You mentioned races like dragons leveled up naturally, right?” I asked.

“As they grow, their souls expand to fill the might of their growing bodies. Many powerful beast races are the same. In System terms, that equates to passively gained levels,” the Goddess in Jade said.

In the end, I could not fault the Goddess in Jade’s logic, and I was impressed by her words. She hadn’t given me the solution I wanted, she’d given me the one I needed. That showed a surprising amount of care and forethought.

I still wasn’t keen on the idea of worshiping someone, but the Omikyr could have certainly chosen a worse goddess for themselves. I would certainly take the Goddess in Jade over any of the Chaos Gods.

“You bring up an interesting proposal. And you’re right, it isn’t my place to make a choice for them. I will offer the drake bodies to them, along with the promise that they could gain a human form in time.”

“Then I will give you the Humanoid Transformation Technique. In exchange, I would like to ask you to hear out my request. You need not accept it, though my heart would be warmed if you did. Also, I ask you to keep this conversation private and not to share it with others.”

I nodded along slowly. “I can hear you out, and you have my word of silence. What is it you need from me?”

The Goddess in Jade took a deep breath. “My people’s conflict with the System will soon escalate beyond its current level. The Black Beast Sect has rampaged across hundreds of border worlds, depleting the local forces and drawing any adherents of the System who desire to fight far beyond their defensive positions and exhausted the Vaust family matriarch's ability to issue quests and recruit other A-Grades to help her. Soon, we will strike and liberate hundreds of worlds from their grip. Only... in the short term, such a thing will leave them at the mercy of our Black Beast Sect allies, who are not known for their kindness. There are several worlds in particular that I would not wish to see fall to them. Will you help them, Carter Smith?”

The Goddess in Jade’s words rocked me for a moment. I was pretty sure what she just told me was the cultivator equivalent of highly classified information. I looked around, wondering if Lyra was listening in.

I leaned forward to the statue and whispered. “The local System Administrator is very nosy around me. You should be careful about stuff like that.”

“There are no others I could entrust this task to,” she replied.

I sighed, frowned, stroked my chin, and nodded.

“Fine. I’ll help.”

“I am relieved. And grateful that you accepted the offer before I told you of the rewards. You are a good man, Carter Smith. But rest assured, I will not allow you to go uncompensated. For every congregation of my faithful you deliver to me, I will repay you handsomely. On this, you have my word.”

"I think I’m already involved in the war you’re talking about, and I have a few other promises to keep. I was planning to return to a world named Ladwick anyway. If I can take care of that quickly, then I can help keep a few other worlds safe, as long as you don’t expect me to fight anything stronger than mid B-Grade. I can’t promise I’ll devote my life to this cause, but if there’s a reasonable way for me to help, I’ll take it."

“Thank you. When the moment is right, you will be given all you need to succeed. And I truly do look forward to our first meeting in person. Now, for my part of the bargain, get yourself a quill and scroll. I shall recite the Humanoid Transformation Technique to you...”

***

I spent the next hour recording the Goddess in Jade’s Humanoid Transformation Technique, which consisted mostly of a lot of meditation and a twenty step long series of visualization exercises.

A powerful enough soul would be able to use those visualizations to swap their current form with one of their choice, granting them a new body that they could switch into, keeping their true body safe in the Kindling dimension. In this manner, powerful beasts could gain human bodies and become almost indistinguishable from cultivators and join their sects as equals.

When that was done, I left the shrine feeling a bit odd. As far as the System was concerned, had I just conspired with the enemy against it? In a certain light, it could be seen that way. If I really helped the Goddess in Jade as she wanted, I’d be stealing people from it and giving them to the cultivators.

“Thankfully, we went unheard...” I muttered to myself. Things would probably be bad if—

New Quest Available!

Rescue survivors for the Goddess in Jade.

Your patron goddess has asked that you rescue her followers across several border worlds that are in danger of becoming collateral damage during the upcoming war. She has promised rewards proportional to however many of her people you save.

Reward: Unknown.