World Keeper

Chapter 1094: The Fallen Forge

A golden pillar rose into the sky, a lycan figure sitting in the center rof it with his legs crossed. This was a rather common sight in the modern world, so much so that the venue was often rented for those seeking to make breakthroughs in their divine ascension. For this reason, it was known as the God-Chasing Platform, which consisted of a large, round cushion atop a high pedestal.

What made this location so special was the enchantments done on the pedestal itself. These enchantments isolated the energy of the outside world, preventing anything that could cause a disturbance at a critical moment. They had first become popular in Lorek under the name Immortal Ascension Seat, but their names were changed when used by those aspiring to become gods, rather than immortals.

Once the pillar faded away, the lycan slowly rose to his feet, taking a deep breath. He had short, brown hair and golden eyes, the eyes a result of his recent ascension. It was common for new gods to not fully control their divinity, leading to golden eyes for a period of time.

Nearby, another lycan walked over, this one a female, looking at the first expectantly. “Did it go well?” She asked, to which he nodded his head.

The male Lycan held out a hand, a golden parchment forming from his divinity. This was a manifestation of his domain. “Exploration, just like I wanted.” He said with a grin, the woman throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I knew that you could get it, Clover!” The woman, Lydia, said happily. The two of them had gotten their divinities forged at the same time, but Lydia had managed to complete the process weeks before Clover. This was due mostly to the choices that they picked in their domains, with Clover’s requiring significantly more training before he was satisfied with his chances.

Clover gave a small grin, pleased with himself as well. The two of them left the platform, which locked itself down to begin dispersing the divine energy that he released during his ascension. This was to prepare the platform for its next user.

“Does this mean you’re ready to head back to space?” Lydia asked in excitement, Clover giving a small nod.

“Now that we can safely travel outside of the Hyperlane Network, and the two of us have ascended, there isn’t anything holding us back. It might do good to take a job to make a name for ourselves. I can’t sense a connection to him anymore, so I am not expecting any surplus of energy to come on its own.”

Lydia pursed her lips at that, but nodded her head. She was glad that Clover was no longer connected to the Keeper, as that meant that he was safer than he had ever been. Originally, they had three ideas for what might have happened if Clover ever ascended to become a god.

The first risk was that the strengthening divinity of his soul would cause him to be automatically re-absorbed into the Keeper again, essentially killing him. This option alone would have made ascending an unappealing prospect. The second option was that he would be locked into the same domains as the Keeper, like how when a mortal incarnation of the Greater Pantheon revealed their divinity. Finally, the last option was that he was able to get a new domain, but it was also forced onto the Keeper, which could have dangerous consequences.

Needless to say, any one of these risks would have entirely prevented Clover from ever attempting to ascend. Thankfully, the Keeper took the initiative to fully sever the ties between the two of them, allowing him to achieve today’s result.

“Who should we apply with?” Lydia asked excitedly. “I think our old ship got destroyed in the first round of memetic shield testing, so we’ll need to find a new one to join.”

Clover nodded, already pulling a terminal out to make a call. From the other end of the connection, a young, feminine voice spoke up. “Oh? Clover, that you? Long time, bud! How you been?!”

“I’m good, Vella.” Clover chuckled, shaking his head. “You still working at the agency?”

“Yup! As a Priestess of Aurivy, it is my duty to bless those seeking to travel to unknown lands. Does that mean that you’re back in the game? I heard that you’d retired.”

Clover hesitated for a moment, before confirming it. “I’m thinking I’m back. Lydia and I are looking for a ship that we can join together. You can update our applications, too. I’ve taken on the role of a God of Exploration, so I can help navigate dangerous terrain. Lydia is the Goddess of Explosions, so she’ll be useful as a more active combatant.”

“I see, I see! Are you both still wanting to take on a role as advisors, as well?” Vella asked, though Clover hesitated again. This time, it was Lydia that spoke up on his behalf.

“Unfortunately, Vella, I don’t think we really qualify for that position anymore. The only type of advisor anyone would be wanting nowadays is one that has a high ranking in Codex Chaotic.” There was a long sigh from the other end of the call after Lydia said that.

“You’re right. They’ve actually started to issue a form for that. If you want to be an advisor, you have to disclose your highest cleared level of CC. I thought that the two of you might have done some work on that while you were off the rosters, but I guess not?”

Clover readily confirmed it. “I’ve spent all of my time going around Deckan, Lorek, and Fyor, so I haven’t had the time. And, as for Lydia…”

“I’ve been making everything explode to train myself!” Lydia said with a wide grin, causing Vella to chuckle.

“Well, got it. Let’s see… a ship that’s looking for both a navigator and a combat specialist, willing to pay for at least two more deities added to their roster. There are three that you can choose from. You can join the Arbiter, the Falchion, or the Last Laugh. They’re all exploration vessels, and all planning to leave in between three and six days. Aside from the Last Laugh, all of them have at least one other deity on board, whether fallen or otherwise.”

The two of them looked at one another, silently communicating. Additional deities would mean a higher level of security, and there could even be those that they could ask advice from. “We’ll go with the Arbiter.” Clover answered, and they could hear the sound of Vella typing.

“Got it. The Arbiter is planning to disembark from Earth in four days. Make your way to Orbital Station Two and give them your names. They should be expecting you by the time you arrive. Anything else, while you have me?”

“That’s fine. Thanks again, Vella.” Clover replied with a smile, closing the connection. He took a deep breath, calming himself down. If they were really doing this now, that meant that they would likely be fighting against more memetic monsters. He could still remember what happened with their last ship, the bridge full of corpses.

Lydia reached over, gently grabbing his hand and giving it a small squeeze. She knew him well enough to know when he was worried about something. “Let’s take the next couple days to brush up on Codex Chaotic?” She suggested, earning a nod from Clover.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” There was no telling what sort of memetic entities they’d be facing in the future, so learning some more tricks to deal with them would definitely not hurt.

A deep, clanging echo could be heard from deep within Olympus, sounding akin to a giant’s roar. This echo sounded every few seconds, sometimes sending vibrations throughout all of Olympus. In his forge, Tubrock grit his teeth, bringing his hammer down upon the anvil, shaping the reddened metal.

His eyes were bloodshot, the muscles in his arms tensed with every strike, more so than his usual work. He had been among the first to know what happened to the March golems. He was their creator, after all.

First, the Geer turned to tyranny, eventually being removed from the universe. Now, the March had all but met a similar fate. Of the three types of golems he originally created, only the Metong still stood at the height of their power.

His forge shook every time Tubrock smashed his hammer down, divine sparks scattering in every direction. His mind was filled with all of the golems that he had created in the past. Whether they were the Metong, March, the Geer, or his personal projects, they all flashed through his mind.

Perhaps he wasn’t in his right mind, feeling the pain of a father that just watched their son pass away. He wasn’t that connected to any one golem, but when there were so many of them…

Soon, the metal beneath his hammer blackened, turning gaseous with each strike. Small explosions echoed in the air, but he paid them no mind. His thoughts were focusing, every swing of his hammer shaping the material beneath him.

The gas seemed to flicker in and out, and it was almost as if Tubrock was directly striking the anvil itself, which cried at the impact. Its screams became more blackened gas that wrapped around Tubrock’s hammer, until finally, the hammer itself shattered.

Tubrock’s cheeks were cut by the shards of his oldest divine artifact crashing into his face, but he still refused to stop. He balled up a fist, and began to slam it down onto the anvil, shaping the formless material with nothing but his raw strength and divine authority.

After nearly three hours of nonstop hammering, he stretched his fist out, seeming to grab the intangible mass, which was drawn to his hand. His hand glowed and emitted a hissing sound. When he unclenched his fist, there was a black burn mark on his palm.

“Are ye there?” He asked in a gruff tone, the air around him seeming to twist in response to his words. “Ye won’t be dyin’ on me, will ye?”

Again, the air distorted, and Tubrock nodded his head. “In that case, go. Eat yer fill, and remember… I’m watchin’. Don’t you go misbehavin’ now.”

The air behind Tubrock caved in on itself, a black portal opening up before immediately closing. An instant later, a silver-haired elf ran into the office with wide eyes. “Tubrock, what did I just sense in here?”

“New project. Nothin’ ye need to concern yerself with for now.” He said with a grunt.

“Tubrock… did you make a void golem?!” Leowynn asked, Tubrock shrugging his shoulders and moving to pick up the fallen remains of his artifact hammer.

“Gotta do somethin’. The world’s evolvin’, Leo. We gotta either get ahead of it, or it’ll get ahead of us. Don’t worry, this won’t turn out like yer little Guardian project.”

“Are you sure about that?” She asked, and Tubrock gave a firm nod.

“Aye, I am. I’ll be keepin’ an eye on him personally. I set up enough defenses in that lad to make Chelsea blush. If he goes wrong, I’ve got twenty different ways to end his existence without a major show.” Tubrock had a surprisingly firm tone, and Leowynn’s gaze softened as she walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Let me see your hand.” She said in a gentle tone. “I can still sense the trace. If you don’t get that looked at, it will fester in your divinity.”

Tubrock grunted, holding up his blackened hand, which Leowynn took and began to carefully extract the void energy from. “Just… just tell me that this wasn’t spur of the moment, and that you’ve been thinking about this long enough to know what you are doing.”

Tubrock let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping. “Aye, lass. I’ve been thinkin’ about a void golem since V-Day. Golems are similar to the void monsters in that they’re creatures initially established on a hard set of rules. Just been holdin’ off till now because I wanted to make damn sure that I knew how to control what I created and stop it from turnin’ into one of them Void Gods.”