Path of Spirit (Disgardium Book #6): LitRPG Series by Dan Sugralinov (best free e reader .txt) 📗

the lips. For a few seconds, I forgot the world, and Fortune and I melded into a single whole. Pulling herself away unwillingly, she gazed seriously into my eyes.

“I will suffer no unfaithfulness, young Scyth. You are my chosen one! Do you agree to remain loyal only to me?”

She didn’t mean women. She meant gods. The next quest in the chain beckoned, but first I had to clear this up.

“I can’t abandon the Sleeping Gods,” I warned.

“I do not mean them. The Sleepers are the Sleepers,” Fortune breathed. “But you must concern yourself now with no other gods, Old or New. You can serve them, but none of them can make you their chosen one while my mark is upon you. And if you let them erase it… Oh, that would be a big mistake!” Her figure grew to the ceiling, her voice hardened and anger flashed in her stunning eyes. “Mortals tend to exaggerate or underestimate their luck,” she boomed, “but few would like to lose it forever!”

I gulped. The message was clear — no being the favorite of more than one god. If that happened, the first would interpret it as a betrayal. Well, that suited me just fine. Not counting Morena and the Sleepers, I had no contact with other gods.

The quest window popped up while I was thinking:

Fortune’s Favorite

 

Fortune, Goddess of Luck, invites you to become her chosen one. This is the final quest in the Wheel of Fortune quest chain.

 

Rewards:

 

— divine ability Wheel of Fortune

 

— status Fortune’s Favorite (of all possible timelines, fate will unlock the most favorable to you)

 

Attention! The status of Fortune’s Favorite will significantly lower your chances of reaching maximum reputation with other gods. If you do reach maximum reputation with another, you will lose Fortune’s blessing. She will hate you.

 

Penalty for refusal: your reputation with Fortune, Goddess of Luck, will be lowered by 5000.

 

“Does that count beast gods too?” I asked, remembering Apophis, Orthokon and the Montosaurus.

“No. Beasts remain beasts, even with divine status. They do not concern me.”

“Then I agree.”

The goddess flashed with light, shrank back to her usual size, put her hand on my brow and whispered something. I felt as if wings had unfurled behind my back; an incredible lightness washed over me, along with a certainty that I could achieve anything, that whatever I touched now would be sure to work out!

You have invented the divine symbol: Fortune’s Favorite!

 

Fortune, Goddess of Luck, gives you the Wheel of Fortune!

 

Wheel of Fortune

 

Divine ability.

 

Lifts the fallen and debases the prideful: use it wisely!

 

On activation on target: Fortune judges the deeds of the target sentient, and depending on the verdict, either lowers or increases their level by a random number.

 

Cooldown: 7 days.

 

I stared at the ability description dimly for a while, trying to figure out what exactly it did. A completely random number? What were the lower and upper limits on the level change? Could it be used on players? What exactly did Fortune judge?

I asked the goddess these questions and waited for an answer, but she just smiled shyly and shrugged.

“Use it wisely, young Scyth,” Fortune said, repeating the words from the description. “And be sure not to waste your gifted strength in frivolity, envy or anger. The effect may not be what you expect.”

I swore mentally — no clarity at all! I didn’t even want to risk testing it, definitely not on my own people. If Fortune didn’t like Infect’s envy, our bard would have to start over from nothing. Or maybe she’d do the opposite, launch him all the way up to level one thousand?

“Very well,” I promised, and, fearing that she might suddenly disappear, moved on to what I came for: “May I ask you a favor, Fortune?”

“Whatever you wish, chosen one.”

“I have important business on Holdest. Now that I’m alive, I can’t withstand the cold of the icy continent. The Sleeping God suggested I ask you for advice.”

“The Sleeping God?” Fortune’s eyes widened. “Behemoth? Ah… Because of my friendship with Hodr… No, I fear it is not within my power to help you. Hodr went beyond the Barrier. I have not seen him for some time. Nergal wanted me to lure him out, but I refused. And not because I wished no evil on an old friend… I simply did not know how to do it. And Nergal…” Her eyes darkened, her voice quietened. “He is horrid… I hate him!”

She covered her mouth, as if fearing her own words. Looking around to check that we were still alone, Fortune smiled guiltily.

“I have spent too much time among mortals, become too emotional. What were we talking about? The frost? No, forgive me, I cannot help you.”

“Behemoth didn’t say you’d help directly. But is there really no way? Please think, Fortune!”

“A way…” She looked up in thought. “There is one method, young Scyth. But it is too… powerful. I am not sure it will be suitable. And I do not want to lose my chosen one.”

“You won’t lose me.”

“Oh, Scyth… For a mortal, reaching it would be harder than withstanding that cold, and taking it from where it is kept… It is simply impossible.”

“What is it?”

“Coals of Hellflame, which can be found only in the Inferno,” the goddess whispered. “There are only a few of them, all kept by the higher demons: Belial, Azmodan and Diablo. Their heat is so strong that just one such coal could melt all the snow and ice on Holdest. But no mortal has ever reached the Inferno alive…”

 

 

Chapter 18. Journey to the Inferno

AS SOON AS Fortune mentioned the Inferno, I thought of Flaygray and Nega. Some non-player characters still stubbornly called the Inferno the