The Gamer Chapter 1143 – Three Words (Patreon)

“If their bullying becomes too much, tell me,” Momo insisted.

“Y-yeah, you can rely on Momo,” Gnome supported her friend’s statement. Those two were helpful for Lorelei to find her footing in this new environment. Not that she seemed to need it. The seer had quite a bit of willpower under that adorable surface.

“I thank you,” she responded and lowered her head slightly. “I assume you will head out to the Adventure immediately upon finding the three words?”

“No,” John responded honestly. “At the earliest we will head out this evening.” He paused for a moment, to wait for Lorelei’s reaction. Pleasantly, whatever judgement she had for that delay while a life was on the line, she reserved speaking it until she had heard his explanation. “I know it is selfish, but I can’t change my entire lifestyle to save an individual. If my ultimate goal was to save everyone, I’d never be able to sit down and rest. I have too much power to ever not have an opportunity to save someone. I do good where I feel like it’s necessary, because I want to. I won’t let that desire to help overpower my desire to live a good life.”

“It is selfish,” Lorelei confirmed, without sounding judgemental, “but it is also understandable. You are one of the Lady’s chosen and your decisions have earned you tokens of her approval.” The Gamer looked at his shirt, cloth blessed by the supreme deity. “I put my faith in your choice, Master.”

“Well, I can hardly do anything but good if the reward is you, can I?” the Gamer responded, trying to keep his horniness down. They still had a bit of distance to walk and an erection certainly would have made that more difficult. By now, Lorelei used that title as if it was completely natural. She adapted quickly and got along with all the haremettes splendidly. Too quickly, for John’s paranoid brain, had he not known that Lorelei was a seer. Reading the souls of those around her allowed her to get intimate quicker and respond in ways that they would be more receptive to. There was also the prophecy at play. Gaia probably wouldn't show Lorelei her future with a partner she wouldn’t be compatible with.

It was the potential determinism that annoyed John more than the swiftness with which a woman he had a mutual interest in integrated herself with the rest of his loves. How old was this prophecy? Several years? Were all of his and her decisions up until this point part of an unwavering course of action?

Prophecies were an instinctive combination of knowledge a seer had into a larger picture than their waking mind would have been capable of. Lorelei was a special case, because she didn’t exclusively rely on her own knowledge, but could tap into that of the Lady, in other words Gaia. The supreme deity was omniscient, even if she herself chose to not perceive everything she could actively.

As long as all was known about a happenstance, the outcome could always be determined. 1 plus 1 always equalled 2. That was the simplest form of it. Introducing more and more factors into a formula would make the calculation more involved. Ultimately, a definitive outcome could be reached. Whether this was the case in reality was a philosophical dispute.

John had learned over a year ago that fate wasn’t real. There was no guiding will, not even Gaia wrote what should happen next. It took no guiding will for determinism to be the de-facto state of affairs. That was just the observation that things would occur in ways according to the factors at play. No will required, just information and analysis.

“Are you upset?” Lorelei asked. “Your mind is in turmoil.”

“Well, if you don’t mind me asking, how accurate are your prophecies – the one regarding your love in particular?” John put forward his question. “I need to know whether I have free will or not… call it advanced paranoia.”

“You have free will,” Lorelei asserted immediately. “The Lady would never determine a path for us, only guide our way with her radiant example.”

“Is that what we call her fat fucking ass now?” Eliana asked.

“I humbly request that you do not speak like this about the hallowed avatar of our supreme deity,” Lorelei shot back.

John looked over his shoulder, tense regarding the next sentence that came out of Eliana’s mouth. Her hatred for religious behaviour ran pretty deep, and if there were any blows to be had between Lorelei and any haremette, it would be between these two. “It’s a really big ass is all I’m fucking saying,” Eliana returned. The words were far from diplomatic, yet as good as one could get from the blood mage.

It was a fortune that Lorelei could read intentions.

They crossed the bridge to the Light Island, and John continued the thought, “I’m just wondering if your prophecies being always accurate wouldn’t mean that there is a determined chain of events happening and our free will might as well not exist.”

“You have free will,” Lorelei insisted again. “The decisions that lead to the outcomes I foresee are taken of your own volition. Me knowing what will happen next does not influence your decision to do it. That which you do not know cannot serve as motivation for that which you do. The Lady knows all of us better than we do ourselves, for her love for us runs to the core of existence. She can predict our paths and we are not pulled by string.”

John sighed and scratched the back of his head. All of that was true enough, but he still didn’t like that there was a will out there that could determine where he would be at various stages in life. ‘Then again, I do live in a dream… maybe,’ he thought, which didn’t exactly do well for the existential dread that was creeping in on him. “You usually see images when you divine, right?”

“I always see images when I divine,” Lorelei corrected him softly. “This prophecy regarding my love is unusual in that regard. If it assuages your fears, Ma- honoured Gamer,” she switched back to the previous title due to a pair of other people that passed them at that moment, “the wording of the prophecy is vague. It does not give a specific date, location, name, or face. The prophecy may merely be a hint from the Lady what type of man I am most compatible with.”

“That does actually calm me down,” John admitted and smiled at her. “Thank you.”

Lorelei squirmed a little bit. Not from the gratitude alone, but from John’s attention. His presence always had an intense effect on her and his desiring gaze pierced her down to the core. Squirming turned into a struggle to walk straight. Her breathing turned audible. When he suddenly did tear his attention away, he could hear her needfully whisper, “M-more….”

There was no doubt about their compatibility. She was smart, gorgeous, submissively minded, and wanted the best for humanity. Lorelei didn’t possess that sass that was so common in his harem, but that wasn’t a requirement. John had a thing for sassy women. John also had a thing for women that were sincere to a fault. Primarily, John had a thing for exceptional women, particularly those that had a rare mixture between agreeableness, strength of character, and bisexuality that allowed them to enjoy being part of the peculiar social dynamic of a harem.

John was torn once again regarding what to do with Lorelei. He wanted her and he wanted her badly. At the very least he yearned to find out what level of firmness her ass had under that dress. Walking over and just grabbing it was most likely something she would like him to do. Despite that, the Gamer doubted she would let him. Lorelei wasn’t easy, she was highly certain that he was her ‘chosen one’. As long as she still had any doubts, however small, she would likely want to retain her purity.

‘Better to just keep my hands to myself and enjoy all of her when I prove myself worthy,’ John thought. His eyes were fully drawn away from her when he noticed golden particles filling the air around them. Infantile light elementals, many smaller than a golf ball, rose from the dunes, scattered from the leaves of palm trees, or hovered off the sandstone plateaus that were scattered through the artificial desert. They followed the group while they made it over the bridge to the island holding Stirwin’s monument, growing more numerous in the process.

Lorelei asked, “Why are they accompanying us?”

“Hard to say,” John responded, holding a hand out. One of the tiny light spirits landed on his finger. The radiance toned down until the shape of a tiny winged serpent became visible at its core. With its tail, it secured itself on the Gamer’s hand and hissed in a friendly way. “Small elementals like this usually just act on instinct. Since we’re talking light spirits, I guess they’re attracted to difficult questions and patience.” The Gamer made a tossing motion and the winged serpent flew off, rejoining its siblings in drowning out the sky with their shifting lights. Most were gold or silver, with other colours mixed in at random.

“Could also be me,” Rave added. As a Lightbearer, she was naturally interesting to any embodiments of this element.

From the statue, they took the bridge that led east. That side of the Light Island was covered by the Oasis of Enlightenment. Dunes only stretched along the pathway that led further towards the Light Shrine, otherwise the golden sand of the area was compact and covered with palm trees. Three clear lakes were surrounded by lush green.

Each of them got a pop-up, reporting that the Building’s effects were in swing, while they walked towards the northernmost lake. It was furthest from the road and less frequently visited. There wasn’t a lot of traffic at this hour, but John wanted his privacy to discuss the matters of this visit. He had even sent two of the Ohmior Sentinels there to clear out the area ahead of them.

The large golems, spawned by the Sentry Station, appeared like they belonged to this island. Animated, silver armour, one armed with an axe the other with sword and shield, they stood regally. Their presence enforced an invisible line between the middle and the northern of the three lakes, letting everyone know that they would have to stick to the two larger lakes for the moment.

“Alright, we need three words,” John said while sitting down by the lakeside. The grass along the shore was incredibly soft, rivalling cushions. Without much thinking, he laid down and let the clarity of the quiet surroundings help him ponder. The Oasis of Enlightenment increased Wisdom by up to 100, depending on the amount of time one spent there. That was a minor but not insubstantial increase for John. For him, it was more about the quiet environment, dedicated to thinking.

Of his girls, several got a larger benefit from this. While few could compete with him intellectually, their suggestions may work out better than his. They weren’t debating some existential question and, even if they were, someone of lesser intelligence could still provide the best answer in a specific instance.

About two minutes passed, with nobody suggesting anything. The harem and Lorelei got comfortable by the lakeside. One large group, separated in small pockets. None of them said anything. Some laid there with their eyes closed, others stared at their hands or looked out to the lake. The swarm of light spirits had swollen into a dome that surrounded them, as if they were sitting on the inside of a disco ball. Reflecting the myriads of lights, the calm surface of the lake.

“Anyone got any bright ideas?” John asked when his impatience overcame his enjoyment of the tranquillity. All answers that came in response were either denial or phrases the Gamer thought of previously. None of them were good enough for him to say that there was one that was the definitive best, even if many had the potential to get them where he wanted.

“Uhm,” Gnome spoke up, “so… Lorelei, you say you only see things, right?”

“Yes,” Lorelei confirmed with a simple nod.

“And you saw that John had to save a life earlier?”

“I saw a woman in pain, covered by necrosis, a chain of doctors and specialists shaking their head in resignation, and John stepping through a gate into a world of chemicals and metal.”

The Gamer perked up, that was not how he had understood what she had said earlier. “I thought you could see that Delicia was an alchemist.”

“This was not part of the revelation. I apologize if my words were unclear. You can always ask for further details.”

“Alright, so… I mean, couldn’t we…” Gnome swallowed and blinked a couple of times. “Three words would fit ‘What Lorelei Saw’, right?”

“That’s genius and concerning,” John said, feeling his earlier concerns regarding determinism flow back in. “If we go to the Kingdom that we were supposed to go to because of a set of information we only have because Lorelei saw the Kingdom we were supposed to go to, doesn’t that mean that we are moving on rails?”

“The Lady’s grace is boundless. She will always guide you where you need to, provided you place your feet appropriately,” Lorelei answered firmly. “Perhaps you are overthinking what is required? As long as you utter three words that could take you where you want to, the Lady will oblige. She is a generous goddess, after all.” Two metres away, Lee snorted.

“Sorry… memes…” the young Fateweaver excused herself. “You didn’t necessarily say anything wrong there, it’s just that I ruined my brain with internet humour.”

“If you desire, I could divine whether there is a noticeable difference in your future depending on what three words you plan to go with,” Lorelei suggested.

“That’s an option?” Rave wondered.

“It will take time and concentration, the visions will be vague, but if the factors remain constant, then it will reveal that the Lady will guide you to your desired outcome,” Lorelei responded.

This was the most logical path forward. Plus, he got to gauge the accuracy and ease of her foretelling a bit better. Whether Lorelei would be an ally or a lover in the future, her telling the future was an invaluable strategic asset, if utilized correctly.

The two of them sat opposite of each other. John offered his hands and Lorelei took them between her own. It looked like she was praying, eyes closed, forehead resting on her thumbs. “I’ll go with the phrase ‘What Lorelei Saw’,” John declared. He wasn’t sure how strongly he had to believe something for it to affect the future.

“I see… nothing,” Lorelei answered after roughly ten minutes of contemplation, sounding undisturbed. “The Lady would not acknowledge this as viable. I have seen too many different visions, for this to be valid.”

“That’s nice to hear,” John answered, feeling relief. That debunked the rail thought he had earlier and also confirmed that his decisions did have some influence on the future. It could have been the case that the decision he would end up with was still determined, but there was no standard of evidence that could completely knock that idea out of his head.

“Soul To Crystal,” John voiced another choice phrase. While Lorelei sunk into deep concentration again, he saw Rave bow over to Lydia. The queen seemed annoyed with whatever was whispered into her ear and returned a quiet answer. After the first of the harem offered another response, Lydia’s expression turned thoughtful. Then she nodded. The two parted and spread whatever they had talked about to the rest of the harem.

Lorelei was still in her contemplation while the other girls around them quietly stood up and started leaving. Rave raised a finger to her pink lips in response to her boyfriend’s raised eyebrow. Then she followed the rest. Soon, they were past the dome of lights.

“I see you step through a marble gate and into the world of iron,” Lorelei finally reported.

Waiting a few seconds, curious if she would notice on her own, John asked, “Do you think anything is off?”

Lorelei became rigid and inched a little bit closer towards him. “If we are in danger, I must rely on you all,” she said, a little bit louder than she would have needed to if it was only John around. “Forcing visions exhausts my second sight somewhat. It will soon return to me.”

“I see… Do you want to continue?”

“I trust you,” was all Lorelei had to say.

‘A bit of a mistake right now,’ John thought and continued on with the future sight. “Two more tests then. What if I used ‘Soul Crystallization Device’?”

Lorelei took a bit longer this time, almost fifteen minutes. Patiently sitting there was difficult for John. Lorelei smelled sweet, like rosewater, a fragrance that was especially powerful today and only seemed to intensify while they remained there. ‘Is it a side effect of her using her powers? Would be odd, but so is a paladin that gets horny the more she fights,’ John theorized, trying to distract himself from the way her soft hands held his.

“The vision is the same,” Lorelei finally exclaimed. Her butt wiggled in a way that made John doubt she did it for a more comfortable sitting position.

“Is it difficult to discern something specific?” John asked, wanting to give her second sight a moment of respite. “I mean that in both ways. Is it taxing on you? Is the information reliable?”

“It is a burden I can carry,” Lorelei responded firmly. “What the Lady ordains to show is only as reliable as I can interpret it. I’m only granted images and moments, less clear the further I try to see, all else is intuition and knowledge.”

“You must be quite outstanding at interpretation then,” John complimented her.

Lorelei blushed softly. “Such accomplishments mean nothing to me, I only wish to serve. Please, speak the last combination you wish to test.”

“Metal Bound Souls.”

Again, fifteen minutes passed, before Lorelei returned with the same answer as the last two times. “Iron and chemicals.”

“Well, guess I will just place my trust in Gaia then,” John conceded. This was reassuring, even if it fundamentally disagreed with his Gamer instincts that min-maxing made no difference here. “We’ll use any of those three.”

Lorelei nodded, then tilted her head slightly. “The others are being oddly quiet.”

“They aren’t here anymore,” John revealed to her.

That caused a stronger reaction than he would have guessed. Lorelei suddenly turned completely tense. That exhausted second sight of hers intensified for a flash with such drasticness that John could feel it pierce his being like the travelling wave of a sonar. It was gone a moment later.

“Sorry, I like teasing people a bit too much.”

“I… do not mind… I…” Lorelei took a deep breath and opened her eyes. The pearly white, empty irises focused on him. Through their touch, she could still sense him. “The prophecy, it’s words are: at the end of conflict…”

The Order and Fusion were at peace, the appointment of Lorelei was the last official act that had been required.

“…where you will make a new home…”

Lorelei had left what she had known to serve in this place.

“…drowned in many lights…”

The light elementals drifted continuously around them, isolating them from the rest of the world.

“…and left alone by your future sisters…”

Easily, John could understand why this was so serious for her now.

“…ravished by the purple and golden man.”

The colours of his soul.

John could feel the expectation in the air. There was only one action to be taken to make this come true. Lorelei understood that nothing about this was instigated. She would have felt it in that final surge. Even the rest of the harem leaving was typical behaviour for them. Giving each other space when needed was part of why all of this worked.

“Use the proper title – who will ravish you?” John demanded to know, using his dom voice.

Lorelei shuddered and whispered, “You, Master.”

John rushed forwards and claimed her lips.