Paladin 4: Chapter 43 (Patreon)

The gods of Marsa turned on Darren with hard looks, Sobek in particular.

Rokor took up a protective stance between Darren and the rest of his kin. “Might I remind you that he dealt the heaviest blow against that monster we just faced? How many more of us might have died had he not been there to help us? I know I would have.”

“We wouldn’t have run into the thing if we hadn’t been chasing this thief!” Sobek glared.

Rokor met Sobek’s glare. “There is more to the story than that.”

“I am no thief,” Darren replied. He explained his bargain with Sobek and the items he’d traded in exchange for the Spirit Origin Stone before Sobek betrayed him. Soon, the harsh glares turned from Darren onto Sobek.

“Sobek had no right to sell you our Spirit Origin Stone in the first place,” the tiger-headed goddess explained. “We are saving that so someday one of us may use it to reach the Seventh Order, should any of us grow strong enough to make an attempt.”

“I see...” Darren replied.

“Return the Spirit Origin Stone. Sobek will return the items he traded for it. Then we will let bygones be bygones, and we shall hold no ill will toward you. In fact, Sobek will personally apologize for deceiving you, won’t you, Sobek?” The tiger-headed goddess glared at her companion.

Sobek ground his teeth. “Fine.”

He reached into a pouch at his waist and withdrew the vials of Fountain of Youth water. He tossed them to the ground, where several smashed and spilled their contents everywhere. “Astarte had the transformation item, which means you probably already have it.”

Darren nodded, sweeping the pile of glass vials and his mythic sword into his Inventory.

“Hold on,” Rokor held up a hand. “I think our new friend here is owed more than an apology from just Sobek. We chased him out here with lethal intent, and then he saved me from Gelatinous. He helped the rest of us fight the thing, and I doubt we could have wound it enough for most of us to get away if it wasn’t for his help.”

“What do you suggest?” The tiger goddess asked.

“An apology gift for one, as well as a token of friendship.”

Sobek snorted. “I can sense him clearly now. He’s only a Fifth Order. Why are we treating him like an equal?”

The eagle god nodded in agreement, hand still hovering over the part of his chest Darren wounded.

Rokor shook his head. “If he was truly an ordinary Fifth Order, you wouldn’t have needed our help to catch him. And he certainly wouldn’t have been able to fight Gelatinous. No, I think our new friend here is special and has a lot of future potential. It would be wise to get on his good side now and ensure he doesn’t resent us for treating him unfairly today. Grudges between gods last a long time, and they can result in a lot more mortal deaths than they should.”

The tiger goddess voiced her agreement. “You’re right, Rokor. Everyone, throw out something suitable for our new friend here. And as for you, Darren of the Sacred Seas, the gods of Marsa owe you a favor.”

Rokor gave Darren a friendly pat on the shoulder as the gods reluctantly heaved out various items. One was a staff that emanated great power. Another had a book that felt like a skill book, though the writing and style of the binding were both different.

Sobek threw out a set of skimpy feminine armor ten sizes too small for Darren to ever fit into.

“That belonged to a seraph from your lands straying a bit too far from home. Her search for treasure led her to ruins north of here, and she never left them.” Sobek grinned, knowing the armor would be useless to Darren. Little did he know that to Darren, it looked like it would fit Asuriel perfectly.

The other items would also likely be useful for the rest of his harem, and he was glad he’d have plenty of gifts to share the next time he saw each of them.

Darren returned the Spirit Origin Stone he’d taken, much to the relief of all the gods of Marsa present. He no longer needed it now that he had the one from Gelatinous, so he was perfectly happy to give it back if it meant peace between Marsa and the nations of the Sacred Seas. For being a lone city-state, Marsa had a surprisingly large group of gods and would probably be a match for the Prime Saints, if not for Kalaziel.

Marsa was far stronger than a pantheon that controlled a single city-state should be, but Darren didn’t think that was the case. More likely, the war between the Seven Heavens and the Seven Hells had done more harm than he previously thought. Perhaps neither faction had ever truly recovered.

“We won’t forget this!” Rokor promised. “And next time you want to trade, please come straight to me! I won’t give you the run around like Sobek did.”

Darren and Rokor shared a friendly handshake while Sobek turned with an angry stomp and started flying back to Marsa.

“I am always willing to trade in good faith,” the tiger goddess smiled at Darren. Judging by the rest of her body, it probably would have been a very beautiful smile if not for the fact that she had the head of a feline.

Darren gave her a nod.

Just as they turned to leave, the sky lit up with bright white light. Darren jumped back in alarm, but Rokar gave him another friendly pat on the shoulder.

“Ah, looks like the Omniscient Codex finally got the message that his curse failed,” Rokor grinned. “You’re in for a show. It’s not often you get to witness the full power of the Seventh Order.”

The tiger goddess stopped to watch as well. She shaded her eyes and peered up into the sky. With the other two calmly watching, Darren relaxed and studied the elaborate pattern of runes in the sky. It reminded Darren of summoning circles, though this was on a far greater scale. And whoever had created that circle up above had no need for rings of salt, blood, or candles. They just painted their symbols right onto the sky.

Blindingly bright white light enveloped the entire area, and soon Darren was shading his eyes as well. Whatever the Oracle Codex just cast was an extremely powerful Divine-aligned spell. Darren expected widespread destruction for miles all around, considering the power charging there, but besides the bright white light, there was only silence.

The white light washed over Gelatinous’ wobbly body, and wherever the light touched, the monster’s flesh simply disappeared. It evaporated into the air as though it had never been there at all, leaving only the slightest ruffle in the nearby trees and an empty gap in the mountain range to show its presence.

“Pity. I was hoping we’d get to pick apart the corpse. Maybe we could have gotten a second Spirit Origin Stone! Then we could have sold one of them to Darren here...” Rokor grinned at Darren.

“Pity indeed,” Darren chuckled. “Who is this Omniscient Codes?”

“They are an entity in the city you know as Angelless,” Rokor replied. “It’s an interesting city. The wizards there are second to none, though don’t walk the streets calling yourself a god. Nobody there is going to worship you.”

“The Omniscient Codex itself is... well... it’s a strange being from long ago,” the tiger goddess explained. “The only way to understand is to see it in person.”

Darren thanked the two of them, then bid them goodbye. It was time to return home. He cast one last look at the empty space between the mountains.

“The Omniscient Codex...”

***

Darren soared over the verdant landscape outside of Limedeep, marveling at how different things looked from above. He would have to drop in and explain to everyone that a few mountains had turned into a giant monster, fought him and a bunch of gods, and then was vaporized by an even bigger and stronger god.

He just popped in for a quick explanation and then be on his way. No need to bore them with the details. They were even more confused when he left than when he arrived, but he was gone all the same.

As he flew on, he noted how much the lands of the Sacred Seas had changed. The roads of Limedeep smoothly blended into the roads of the Blackwind Empire, and already the same was happening from the Blackwind Empire into Whiteguard. The northern shore of the Sacred Seas was less developed, but the Northern Trade Union was getting there. Darren controlled Salsroth outright and ruled the other trade union cities in all but name. Eastwood Kingdom was a vassal state under his control.

The Sacred Seas were no longer a feuding group of petty nations but one cohesive kingdom under his banner. He hadn’t even intended to conquer the place, just root out Kalaziel. But here he was, and it seemed the people of the Sacred Seas were better off for it.

He returned to the Blackwind Empire’s capital. He passed along some of the gifts he’d gotten from the gods of Marsa to Thalia and Cassandra, who were in attendance.

“Darren, you’re back!” Cassandra gave him a kiss on the cheek. Thalia soon did the same for the other cheek.

“I can’t stay, but I did bring presents,” Darren replied.

“There is only one present I want from you, big guy!” Cassandra cupped his chin.

Thalia coughed to get Darren’s attention. “It is probably for the best that you weren’t here. With how busy things have been, we need Cassandra distracted.”

“I understand.” Darren nodded in agreement, much to Cassandra’s disappointment.

After dropping off gifts for them, Darren continued to Whiteguard, where he found Sasha and Morgana. He gave them what he had left over from his travels.

“I want the cool crocodile transformation thing!” Morgana hopped up and down when Darren told her about the item he’d made. He no longer had any purpose for it, since it was a custom item for Sobek.

“Why?” Darren asked. Its power increases were modest at best.

“Pranks!” Morgana explained. “Imagine Cassandra finding a giant crocodile in the bathtub! It’s going to be hilarious!”

Darren had to agree that it probably would be pretty funny, so he gave Morgana the crocodile transformation necklace. Sasha got a nice new shield. It was beyond her level, but she would grow into it when she reached the Fifth Order.

He kept a careful eye on all his women. They were reaching the minimum requirements for the Fifth Order, though he didn’t quite trust his own abilities yet. When he reached the Sixth Order, guiding them through their transformations to the fifth would become a lot easier.

And with the Spirit Origin Stone in his pocket, that was exactly what he planned to work on.

He focused on the idea of becoming the Prime Saint of Vengeance, picking up right where he left off before. But like before, his best efforts failed him.

He took a seat in his empty family vault, surrounded by the trappings of his ancestors and hidden deep within the castle of Whiteguard where he would remain undisturbed.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, this time visualizing the Sixth Order like a shimmering barrier. All he needed to do was push through it, and he would be there.

But as he reached out to touch that invisible barrier, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his skill. Back in the real world, he stumbled back as though struck and was left lying on his back, covered in sweat and gasping for breath.

He’d failed again.

Darren sank to the ground, mind reeling with disappointment and frustration. He needed this, and he had trained hard for this. And yet still success eluded him.

Normally the requirements to use Limitless Evolution to enhance himself were clearer than this. And most other times, when he had a goal to accomplish, he had other angles to attack his problem from. This was proving to be a rather confounding experience.

So when he got a notification through his sigil, his mind leaped at the distraction. He’d gotten another hit from his quest, this time for an Ancient Artifact.

***

It turned out that his quest had been completed by none other than Morgana herself. He left the Heavengrace family vault to find her, but she wasn’t where he expected.

Instead of roaming the castle or helping with the rescue effort with Sasha, she was in the city jail.

“What did you do?” Darren sighed.

“Nothing!” Morgana protested. “It was just a little fun, is all.”

“It wasn’t nothing,” the guard at the end of the row of jail cells snorted. “She became a giant crocodile monster and terrorized half the city!”

Darren could practically feel the disappointment on his face. Morgana must have seen the look.

“Alright, I got a little carried away! It was all in the name of fun though...” Morgana pouted.

“Why haven’t you escaped already?” Darren asked. He knew Morgana had a skill that let her walk right through walls. No jail cell could hold her."

“Well...” Morgana licked her lips. “I was thinking that since we’ve got a real jail cell and real manacles, we could have a little fun! Besides! I was talking to my new friend here in the cell across from me when I completed your little quest. You see, my new friend Angor is a wizard!”

“A wizard?” Darren raised an eyebrow as he looked at the cell across from Morgana. A gaunt, bearded man sat in it, stroking his long beard. He flashed Darren a smile, revealing a big gap where his front teeth used to be.

“Yes, a wizard!” Morgana cheerily confirmed. “And he knows all sorts of things! He was born in the city of Angelless, which is to the southwest of Limedeep. Apparently, they have many kinds of ancient artifacts! So, what do you say? Give me a quick punishment, and then you can reward me for completing that quest of yours!” Morgana batted her eyes at Darren.

Darren turned to the guard standing just outside the jail cells. “How long is she in for?”

“A week of community service,” the guard explained.

Darren turned back to Morgana. “I will check in to make sure you’ve done your week of service.”

Morgana ran up to the bars and grabbed them. “Wait! Darren! You won’t leave me here to rot, are you?”

“I will reward you in a week,” Darren waved at her. “Don’t try to escape.”

“No, Darren! I’ve never been caught before! This will ruin my flawless record!” Morgana shook the bars in frustration, but Darren had already turned to Angor.

“I have some questions for you,” Darren began.

***

As it turned out, Angor was only in the jail cell because he was homeless and didn’t have the coin for a roof over his head or food to eat. The city guard had arrested him just to keep him off the streets and keep him from starving, but he’d been free to leave at any time.

He was more than willing to answer Darren’s questions for a bit of coin to get back on his feet.

“Aye, I think that’ll jog my memory...” Angor said, eyes wide at the pile of gold Darren had laid out before him. “I’d expected a few bronze coins, but--“

“No. Be satisfied with the gold,” Darren gave Angor a flat stare. The vagrant wizard gulped.

“Right. As Morgana mentioned, there are quite a few Ancient Artifacts in Angelless. It’s a truly ancient city. One of the few that’s remained stable despite the passing of centuries, all thanks to our savior and protector, the Omniscient Codex.” Angor shook his head in wonder and admiration.

“There are many Ancient Artifacts?” Darren asked. That sounded perfect. He was worried he’d run into another situation like he had with the Spirit Origin Stone. The gods of Marsa only had one of them, so they were naturally unwilling to part with it.

And given this Omniscient Codex was a being of the Seventh Order, Darren knew stealing the Ancient Artifact wasn’t an option. But if the Omniscient Codex had more than one of them, it would be a lot easier to convince him or her to part with one of them.

“Yes, there are quite a few. But not all Ancient Artifacts are the same. What kind of artifact are you looking for?” Angor asked.

Darren didn’t know. All Laura had told him was to get an Ancient Artifact, though now that Angor mentioned it there probably was more than one type of Ancient Artifact. All he could do was shrug.

“Well, if you don’t know what kind of Ancient Artifact you need, the Omniscient Codex can probably figure it out! There’s no place better for you than Angelless!” Angor grinned at Darren as he swept Darren’s coins into his pockets.

“Can you guide me there?” Darren asked.

Angor considered the proposition but shook his head as he glanced at his full pockets. “Suddenly, I think I want my stay in the Sacred Seas to last a little longer. I’m spreading the good word of the codex here abroad!”

“What aspect does the Omniscient Codex claim?”

“Logic and reason, of course. The great book teaches that what is known should be recorded, and what is unknown can be divined through a series of logical deductions it calls the scientific method. To learn of its teachings is a truly religious experience. As a wizard of Angelless, I must share that experience! Hope you don’t mind. Some regions don’t want any other gods, but the Omniscient Codex’s teaches can overlap with those of most other gods without issues.”

Darren waved off Angor’s concerns. This Omniscient Codex sure sounded like an interesting fellow. They had to be to take such an odd name. He just hoped this trip would go better than the last one.

<Note>

Accidentally posted the previous chapter again instead of the new one. Here's the real chapter for the day!