Chapter 20: Through a Glass, Darkly

In a little box of a room, under the Courthouse of a certain city…

The terrible voice above him made ‘tsk’ noises. “Daxerris Stoneboro.” The voice was cold — like burning ice — and deep. The rich and luxurious pronouncement of death itself. “You could’ve just disappeared. But here you are, tempting fate in our jurisdiction. Weaving conspiracies…” The voice trailed off, pondering perhaps what those were.

Gentam Cutter sobbed with his cheek on the cold floor and his eyes squeezed shut, sobbed because he’d had the truth scoured out of him like a hot knife. He’d spilled it all after that brand of pain, to avoid its intensity, to run from the lies.

Only truth stopped the burning, so he let it all out, out and out and out, all of his guilty dealings, particularly to do with the events surrounding that stupid cat boy and the vile merchant, the ones that had ruined his life. And the woman, the one that had kidnapped him.

“Please,” Gentam managed to mutter, hand sliding to reach for a slippered foot, or the hem of a white robe, to beg, but not quite getting there. Just as he’d not quite asked for anything. His fear. He didn’t know if he should.

“Hmm?” came the voice, and then the voice made a scoffing, admonishing noise, as one might to a child acting up. But the owner of the voice knelt down. Knelt and pet at Gentam’s hair. The action made Gentam sob uncontrollably, unable to look up from the floor. It had to be mercy, didn’t it?

“Poor, wretched soul,” the voice called sadly, like a lament for a sick animal, “It’s well I was here, isn’t it? I came as soon as I heard, as soon as I smelled the wrongness and falseness in this incident. When I but laid my eyes on you, I knew you were worthless, dysfunctional trash of negative value to society. That truth wasn’t in you, nor wisdom.”

The words were delivered matter-of-factly, not judgmentally at all. ‘The sky is blue,’ ‘You are trash.’

Gentam tried to deny it, opened his mouth to do so, and to promise all he’d learned and how he’d changed, but the one above him made gentle shushing sounds to calm him.

The voice continued, “Now that I have found you and exposed your illegal ways, your despicable life can change. You can’t be trusted with choices in this malformed psyche, so we’ll fix that. It will be so, so much happier and easier for you soon, and you’ll be a productive member for the first time. Won’t that be grand? Hmm?

“And you’ve already, through truth, exposed the wickedness of others. The impersonation of the sages. A high crime. That certainly can’t go unpunished, now can it? Look at you, Gentam: an instrument of law and order. You will be so very proud, soon. Now. Would you like a candy, for your cooperation?”

A hand reached down, to hand Gentam a little wax paper-wrapped candy, a twist of orange and white within.

Gentam took the candy between his shaking fingers, saying nothing further, staring at it. He cried. He cried and he gave up all hope, knowing that the Inquisitors of the Dominion had no mercy — none but their own, twisted brand.

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Sammy sat on her throne feeling deeply disturbed by the revelations of Redberry, haunted by the gravity and weight of her trauma as well as the implications it had on her own existence. The avatar, that ability to walk the world she was increasingly hopeful for… It seemed likely it was the worst of mental vulnerability, having that psyche wrapped in a more tangible form.

It’s just life, though. Of course there is risk. We still have to go out in it. Eventually.

Redberry seemed to catch something of her troubled mood. “You are not assailed yet, if you ever will be. I simply don’t know what those connections could allow. We don’t know their abilities well. Ideally, you simply remain beneath the notice of the greater powers until you are stronger.”

“Yeah… I wasn’t trying to get noticed. I just wanted intelligence.”

“That’s their specialty.”

“Intelligence? I think you mean wisdom.” Sarcasm.

Redberry had a mental scowl. “Don’t use that word! It is banned in my presence.”

“Oh. Sorry. Of course.” They really did a number on her… “So. I guess I am going to be a secret religion. Unless you’re okay with me muscling into your territory of the Southlands?”

“It is not my territory, Moth. The central marsh is — loosely. But only for those that mean harm to what is within. Nature is available to and enshrouds everyone. Inescapable. The to-and-fro is as one wills, from the insect, to the wyvern, to the man. The same for you.”

Wyverns?! “Thank you, Redberry.”

“It’s nothing. I suggest you do both: a secret society blossoming in all lands, a mystery of old, entrenched in the lives of the rich and the bored and the lusty of secrets and specialness. Make yourself the precious jewel, the forbidden fruit. The untouchable desire. Lay the groundwork and then they will come to you.”

Sammy blinked and blinked at the insightful suggestion. “Whoa,” she said out loud.

“So this ‘mystery’, it’s like a cult?” Sammy asked. “I remember reading about something similar in my world. The Greeks or Romans or both. But isn’t it like a sex thing?”

“That is quite narrow-minded on the range of subjects that could be explored.”

“But was your experience in this a sex thing?”

Mental exasperation. “Not on-... Let’s not get into it.”

Sammy snickered. “Whatever you say, Goddess of Fertility…”

“I’m disconnecting now-”

Fighting her grin, Sammy sent, “Wait, wait, wait! Sorry — I’m sorry. Moving on! I feel like I could easily rope in rich pieces of shit types with this kind of play. Not sure I want any pieces of shit as Followers.”

“Then be judicious in your requirements. Or leverage their riches for charity or something. The control is yours. Just because they come to you doesn’t mean you have to accept.”

Redberry continued in a dramatic voice, “What does someone see when they look in the mirror? The truth, or a lie; both, or either? Regardless, it exposes. No one should come to you unless they are ready for what the mirror holds, for the truth and lies within them that will be revealed. Even if no one has the whole truth. Therein lies the mystery to follow.”

Sammy was a bit awed by her once more. “I might steal that.”

“You cannot steal what is freely given.”

“Those are domain ideas, too, eh?”

“Choose very carefully on those. Your next should be what you lean on as power. You already have incredible informational advantages. You want something to use it for. You want something to eventually empower your priests. But it must also be tied to another domain. Bridge to it.”

“Illusion,” she sent almost immediately. “One that holds the truth has mastery over lies? As the magician tricks the eye with control, poise, and applied knowledge… knowing what none other does?”

“Not bad, Moth.”

“Thank you! Besides, I like the idea of dumping my nonsense into the world.”

“Oh, is my Moth a clown, as well? Perhaps Foolishness can be your third domain. It suits you.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“I must go now, Goddess of Mirrors. There is a disturbance: bickering satyrs and dryads. Once the yelling reaches a certain octave, it’s time to intervene or there will be fighting. And if I am too heavy-handed it solves nothing and results in unbearable sulking.”

“I see. Lovers’ quarrel-s?”

“I’m not answering that.” She vanished.

“Sys!” Sammy called out immediately. “How do domains work? How do I get my second?”

Domains must have a conceptual connection to one of your existing domains to materialize as a selection. The bulk (2/3rds majority) of your Followers must believe you provide/have provided/will provide/are representative of some element of the domain to them, and pray and worship to this end.

You must invest the FE gained from prayer and worship into a specific domain bank, of which the FE must be tagged with the domain to be invested (the tag is unlocked after majority belief). For your second domain, the FE necessary to unlock it is 25, which will be consumed.

“Well, that sounds doable! I think I’m gonna go for it. I can sell that for sure. I’ve already done it! I’m going for the Illusion domain.”

New Quest unlocked: “Through a Glass, Darkly” — Obtain the [Illusion] domain.
● Rewards: +10 FE (Illusion) rebate; Powers (Create Illusion)

“Fuck yeah! Hmm, what good is the tagged FE after the possession of the domain?”

Any use for the specialized purpose is doubled, i.e. 1 FE counts as 2, and it can only be used for the purposes of that domain. It cannot be removed from the bank, either.

“Ah. And I have to allocate it when they pray and stuff?”

Correct. If not set to be allocated elsewhere, it will go into the main pool, and the tag will fade away in 5 minutes. Though technically manual, you can set the conditions within your mind easily, i.e. ‘anything with this tag is immediately allocated to this bank.’

“Got it.” Sammy tapped a finger on her lips, thinking about how she’d get what she needed. Obviously, the first step was breaking it down to her existing base, to get the majority to believe what she needed them to. And it didn’t feel terrible in that sense, considering she had already utilized such trickery, limited as she was.

So she did something she hadn’t yet done. She opened the pathway of mental prayer up to her Followers all at once and sent a group-wide communication. A live memo, a magic ‘cc’ email from the deific supervisor. Epic.

Drawing on the Goddess class, but trying not to be too epic (Estara was sleeping so it needed some dream energy), Sammy declared, “Believers, supplicants, friends, I come before you to reveal and reward a glorious truth in our new order, our new mystery. What do you see when you look into the mirror? A confrontation. Truth or lies, you must face yourself and be ready for what is revealed.”

She projected an image of herself on her throne, then it split into six more mirror images to either side, slightly back to make her the point of a arrow. All were different, however. In one she was blonde in silver armor, in another her skin was like a shining mirror, in still another she was like a dryad on a throne of wood. False images.

“Be so ready, and you shall have mastery of what you see — what you see and what you reveal to the world in your wake. The truth within shall be your power and through it the falsehoods beyond can be turned and fashioned into whatsoever you desire.”

Each image of her thrust a scepter of power up high, gleaming brightly in crystalline radiance. “I am Samantha, Goddess of Mirrors and Illusion! Seek me, seek yourself, and so the mystery shall be made manifest in you. When you turn back to the world it shall be illumined, you with dominion over whatsoever mere mortal minds ken.”

The final word resonated like an echo and ended the effect. She quickly realized she had gotten far too epic, her declaration getting away from her…

Estara awoke, the imagery and words branded into her head, excitement and possibility filling her like a thirsty pitcher spilling over. She fell all over herself praying and whispering fervent worship, crying and grateful for such a power to call her own, should she be so diligent and true to earn it.

Orswyth on the road, had knelt and listened, and to it he smiled and nodded in simple acceptance and faith, certain and believing in what she promised, as she had already rescued him from death itself. He would lean on her and in the power she saw fit to give him, thankful for so great a boon to buttress his coming weakness.

Bast laughed. Cackled like a madman, for this power and resourcefulness she offered. Oh, he’d use it to its fullest alright — and more besides! With his muses’ provision, he’d paint reality like a mural fit for such a beauty to inhabit. His Grand Work would soon commence!

Even Dax was kind of awed, in a subdued, practical manner. Appreciative of the execution. She believed out of the desire for a powerful tool in the toolbox — ‘That’s just fine, darlin’, let’s do it, then.’ It made sense to her, and she’d already seen the evidence firsthand.

Majority belief obtained. [Illusion] tag unlocked.

Sammy smiled triumphantly. She was just getting started in the world. Her enemies might be learning more, might be sniffing mysteries on the periphery, but she aimed to race them to the finish line of power such to snub her nose at their efforts when they finally discovered the truth…

She would have already found hers, and her Followers with her — with hope, it would be enough to meet them finally. As equals.

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