GodWithWings
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Ch 19 - Faith Has Its Favorites
🕑 Added 2025-05-22 16:16:40 +0000 UTC“Thank the Goddess you’re alive,” Vaelari exclaimed, rushing to Teryo and slipping under his shoulder to help him in.
Teryo was still gasping for air. He glanced around the cave, and the moment his eyes landed on the Tharuun, the color drained from his face.
“W-what is that Tharuun doing here?” His voice was low, wary. He didn’t look away from the beast, and the beast didn’t look away from him.
Tharuun made a sound - rough, guttural. Not quite hostile. More like… annoyed. It didn’t even lift its head, just stared at Teryo with one eye, chin resting on its paw like it couldn’t be bothered.
“He saved our lives. Then sent the Tharuun to protect us,” Vaelari explained briefly, guiding Teryo down and checking him over. “Your injuries are not serious, but I’ll heal you anyway.”
“No. No need.” Teryo raised a hand, stopping him. “I’m not injured. Just tired. And you can’t help with that.”
His gaze darted back to the Tharuun. “Still… is it safe having that thing around?”
The beast ignored him completely and returned to napping.
“The Tharuun is a gift from our God. It shall stay as long as it wants,” Ninali cut in, sharp and cold. There was a glint in her eyes - zeal, sudden and unhidden.
Oh. So she has no issue with Aria, but with Teryo.
I’d assumed she disliked Aria. But maybe she just feared her. Or respected her too much to speak against her.
Teryo and Vaelari both froze, caught off guard by Ninali’s tone. Teryo muttered something under his breath, too quiet to catch.
“More importantly, what happened to you?” Aria asked, ignoring the tension. “What did you mean when you said you knew where the spiders come from?”
“I saw the spider mutants' corpses outside. Thank Goddess you managed to defeat them,” Teryo said, smiling faintly. Then his expression turned serious. “The monster chased me nonstop. I used everything I had and still couldn’t escape from it.”
He shook his head, eyes lowering. “I was slowing down. I thought it was over. But then... it just stopped chasing me. It just turned around and left.”
Teryo looked up again, meeting Aria’s gaze. “I thought maybe it was heading back here, that you wouldn’t be able to stop it. So I followed.”
“But it wasn’t coming here… There’s a tunnel not far from this cave,” he continued. “The spider went straight inside, and I did not dare follow.”
He finished his story and glanced at Avenor, who was finally beginning to stir.
So the spiders really are coming from underground. And whoever that scream belonged to is probably also there.
I wanted to check, but I couldn’t.
The Window didn’t reach below ground.
Even if I couldn’t see what was happening beneath the surface, one thing was obvious - the spider mutants were getting more proactive. It had only been one monster a few days ago. Now, three of them had attacked together.
And I had a feeling this was just the beginning.
I can’t wait until my vessel returns from the dungeon. I need to raise the tribe’s strength as fast as possible. It’s time I start blessing more Velmoryns.
But I wasn’t going to do it at random.
Now that Avenor was finally awake, I didn’t need to split my focus. I could start looking for the best candidates among the tribe. I’d still keep an eye on his party, of course, but there were limits to what I could do at once with divine power.
I learned that the hard way while blessing the Tharuun and saving Vaelari at the same time - lost too many Divinity Points trying to do both.
I can’t bless several Silver Ranks yet. But maybe just one? Yes, I should try at least one. And I need to prioritize those whose devotion is high enough to show I reward the faithful.
I had a few criteria in mind, but class type was the most important.
Aria, despite being Gold Rank, had struggled. She killed one of the spiders with ease, but if two or more had attacked her at the same time, she wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
I knew why - her fighting style wasn’t suited for multiple enemies. She excelled at duels. Single, powerful targets, but struggled against several opponents.
Ninali was the opposite. The magic she used against the Varnikeths was perfect for massacring a group of weaker enemies.
So I had to be smart.
Divinity Points weren’t infinite. And I knew that on top of increasing ranks, I’d need to start providing better weapons too. Teryo’s attacks had been completely useless against the spider mutants, and he was supposed to be one of the strongest in the tribe. But what if he had the same bow as Roy? Maybe then he'd not be as helpless.
I’ll bless several Bronze Ranks and one Silver. Just to test the effects and the cost. But first, I need to check every single believer’s stats, class, and devotion.
It was going to be a boring process. I wished there were a list or anything that let me apply filters and skip the part where I had to check over 250 Velmoryns one by one. But there was no shortcut.
At least with Avenor finally waking up, I’ll have something to keep me entertained.
…
My head still throbbed when I opened my eyes. The memories had already settled, but everything still felt a little hazy.
I sat up slowly, glancing around the cave.
“What happened?” I asked aloud, my voice raspier than expected.
“We almost died, that’s what happened,” Teryo snapped, clearly still annoyed I’d been unconscious through it all.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know the memory stone would knock me out,” I replied half-heartedly. I wasn’t actually sorry. I was the one who’d saved them in the end, and besides, my headache, paired with Teryo’s tone, was already starting to annoy me.
“Oh, he didn’t know…” Teryo muttered, leaning forward slightly, like he wanted to press the issue, but he froze mid-sentence.
Tharuun had stood up.
It locked eyes with me, crimson gaze sharp. Then it began walking forward, completely ignoring the others. It even growled a little when passing Teryo. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I still enjoyed the way the older Velmoryn flinched.
The beast stopped right in front of me. Half a step away. It sniffed me once, then bumped into me with its shoulder and started purring. It kept rubbing its head against my chest until I raised a hand and scratched it behind the ear.
Its fur was soft, but damp with sweat, uncomfortable to the touch. Still, I didn’t mind. It was warm, and I liked how gentle the beast became when it nuzzled against me.
Everyone was staring. Wide-eyed. No one said anything for a moment.
Then Ninali smiled - smug, like she’d just won something.
“I was right,” she said, glancing around. “Avenor is His blessed one.”
“Is that true?” Vaelari asked quietly, stepping forward. His voice had dropped so low, it bordered on a whisper.
“I don’t know,” I answered, shrugging. “He helped me when I was trapped. But I’m not sure if that counts as a blessing.”
I wasn’t ready to fully confirm anything. Not yet. Better to keep it vague.
“Where did you get that shield? He used it to protect us,” Vaelari asked again, pointing toward the crimson-marked shield still embedded in the cave floor.
“Who cares about that?” Teryo cut in, clearly irritated. “What kind of memory did you see that took you so long?”
He was really starting to get on my nerves. But this time, even Vaelari frowned at him.
“The shield is His gift to me,” I said, answering Vaelari first. My tone stayed calm, but I let a small smile slip through.
Then I turned to Teryo, and that smile shifted into a smirk.
“It was the Goddess’s memory, left behind for me,” I said plainly. “And it showed Her demise.”
Normally, I would’ve made something up, something safer. But I wanted Vaelari to know the truth. And also I wanted to piss Teryo off.
Unless you do something that changes my mind… you're not going back to the tribe.
My eyes stayed locked on Teryo. I had already decided his fate.
I was sure now, he hated me. Not for who I was, but because of the connection I had to the new god he refused to acknowledge. He’d be a problem later. I was certain of that.
“That’s nonsense! How dare you!” Teryo barked, trying to stand, but his knees gave out and he collapsed again. Now that his body had finally relaxed, it would take time for his strength to return.
“I just answered your question. Whether you believe me or not is up to you,” I said, brushing him off. I tried to stand, but Tharuun had decided he wasn’t done being pampered. He leaned on me again, purring louder.
“Avenor… is that true?” Vaelari asked in a low voice, stepping closer.
I could tell he wanted me to say no. If I said that I lied to them, he’d probably jump with happiness. But I wanted him on my side.
“Vaelari,’ I said, holding his gaze. “Do you think I’m lying?”
Vaelari didn’t answer. He stared for a few moments, then let out a slow breath and turned away.
He walked to his mat and sat down. Quietly. He pulled out the wooden carving again, the same one I’d seen before. Still unfinished.
I watched as his hands trembled slightly, and then the tears started falling. They dripped onto the carving, landing on the face of the female Velmoryn he’d been shaping.
I left him alone.
Tharuun finally allowed me to stand, and I made my way toward the entrance.
“I’ll take the first watch,” I said, rubbing my shoulder. “You’re all exhausted, and we can’t trust those runes anyway.”
To my surprise, I noticed Aria moving too, quietly fallowing behind me.
I stepped outside, needing some fresh air.
I already knew no beast would come close to the cave. The spider mutant corpses still reeked nearby, and Tharuun was stronger than most predators in the forest. Unless Kurraghal showed up or something on that level, we’d be safe.
I took a slow breath and looked up at the sky. The stars were sharp and bright, scattered like dust across a dark blue canvas. That’s when I noticed it - two moons.
One was golden. The other shimmered somewhere between green and silver. Then, I noticed that one of them wasn’t round. Either a chunk was missing, or it was just the way the light bent around it.
“You really don’t remember anything about this world, do you?” Aria asked.
She’d been watching me study the sky like a toddler discovering their own hand.
“You thought I was lying?” I asked without turning. My eyes were still locked on tiny colorful dots above me.
“Yes. I doubted you,” she said plainly, then sat down, leaning against the cliff wall with a faint exhale. “Don't mind Vael Teryo, he has lost too much recently. He does not trust easily, but in time, you will see he is very reliable.”
“Aria… how does magic work?” I asked, completely ignoring her attempt to justify Teryo’s actions. “I noticed you and Ninali use some kind of runes. But my skill doesn’t require anything like that.”
She chuckled softly, probably surprised I was still in the mood to ask questions.
“There are many types of magic,” she began, her voice relaxing into something a little warmer. “Skills, spells, alchemy, potions, inscriptions, artifacts... Skills are the most effective. You get them as your rank increases, or through blessings.”
She shifted her posture a little, her voice gaining energy as she spoke.
“Skills are the easiest form of magic. You just use them. No chanting, no diagrams. They don’t have drawbacks, but they come with limits. Some can only be used once a day. Others require you to speak the effect aloud. Some just… burn out.”
Her eyes were starting to shine again - not from power, but from the joy of explaining something she clearly loved.
So, skills are like shortcuts that rely on the system? Or at least that seems to be the case when I use divine power through the system.
“I don’t know much about alchemy, potions, or the engravings,” Aria continued. “There are a few in the tribe who make decent potions, but we don’t have anyone who understands alchemy, or how to craft artifacts. No one who can engrave runes either.”
She gave a faint, bitter smile at that. Not shame, just frustration.
“My favorite magic is spellwork,” she said, her expression lighting back up. She leaned forward and began forming a few runes above her palm. Crimson light shimmered between her fingers, but this time, it didn’t form a full diagram.
“There are all kinds of spells. Different methods are used by different races and sometimes even cultures. Velmoryns use runes and diagrams. But every rune has to be remembered exactly - size, shape, form. If you get even one wrong, the spell collapses. And in the worst case, it can kill you.”
One of the runes in her hand flickered, then warped slightly.
A sharp snap of lightning zapped her fingers.
“Haha, see?” she laughed, shaking her hand out and rubbing the sting away. “You can’t lose focus when forming a diagram. Even a fraction of a second’s distraction can trigger a backlash.”
“Ninali, for example, always closes her eyes. It helps her focus, but it’s dangerous. Makes her vulnerable. She can’t cast otherwise, though.”
Reminded of the others, I glanced back toward the cave.
Everyone was asleep, except Teryo. He was watching us from the shadows, eyes half-lidded, face hidden in darkness. The way he looked at me… it was like Grima, quietly scheming how to make my life miserable.
I ignored him and turned my focus back to Aria.
“Does that mean I can learn runes too? And cast spells?” I asked.
Aria smiled again, this time with a touch of hesitation.
“Anyone can learn if they’re willing to put in the time and have the talent. But… there’s something you need to know before you start.”
She paused, then added with a quieter voice.
“Magic comes with a price.”
Her fingers brushed against her palm, where she was zapped just seconds ago.
“Every rune you learn has a cost. The more you master, the more it changes your mind. Alters your personality. That part can’t be avoided.”
