Gestation by John Gold (love books to read .txt) 📗

should have seen that dragon! It was five times as big as the others, and so strong! I’m not even sure what kind of army you’d have to bring to have a shot at taking it out. He’d survive a meteor strike from all the mages in the clan. The gods all went after him, and all they could do was weaken him and force him to retreat. In return, he incinerated both armies—theirs and ours.”

“Yes, I saw, and everyone’s talking about how you lost. Leon and his followers have taken three more castles in the time it’s taken you to get back here. The war has shattered everyone’s power, so we called a truce that includes all the young gods except Leon. He has a huge advantage now. Soon, there will be just little skirmishes going on, which means it’s time for us to get back to work on raids and quests.”

“What about PVP? The war?”

“Soon, believe me, very soon. If you really want to fight, just head over to the arena.”

“Okay, okay.” The guy held up his hands, knowing how strict the boss was. “It’s up to you.”

“You don’t get it,” Bernard replied, shaking his head. He was trying to tell the stupid guy the ins and outs of war. “Do you think a war like that doesn’t have consequences for the world itself? Soon, we’re going to have a struggle for control within the Golden Hand, with the other young gods fighting among themselves for whatever prana is left over. You’re forgetting how realistic this world is. When two people are fighting, the third can use that moment to attack. Do you get it now?”

“Yes.”

“What do you understand?”

“I understand that you know better than the rest of us.”

Bernard shook his head again.

“Did nobody ever teach you how to think for yourself? You need to be able to evaluate the situation on both a strategic and a tactical level. You want to fight?” The guy nodded. “Well, you have to think about the consequences. If you wear yourself out now or get tired of it, you’ll be no good later. And tell me this—what kind of people are we in this clan?”

“Mercenaries.”

“Exactly. So, get your butt into the dungeon and work with the team. I saw what they did to you, and I was the one who taught you! You couldn’t have made any more mistakes if you wanted to.”

Bernard was actually happy with how the operation had gone. The young gods hadn’t been able to emerge victorious over Margul, though his troops had done the most damage to their opponents. They had diversions, flanking maneuvres, and malefic and necromancer groups, and everyone pushed themselves as hard as they could. The young warriors needed to keep improving, however. Feeling your sword, teamwork, and being able to keep an eye on the big picture are all skills real warriors need. That’s the kind of mercenary army Bernard was building.

Margul headed back to Tanatos. There wasn’t anything he needed to do in the big world for the near future. It was tough on him. He hated feeling like a burden to his brothers and sisters. One of the strongest beings in the world, he was going to be among the last to leave. Just the thought that he might remain alone scared the dragon god to the depths of his being. Bernard knew him better than anyone and understood his friend’s pain.

“How much time will the people need to develop to the level of the dragons?” Margul got in touch with Bernard as soon as he returned to his temple.

“At least four years, I think. There are just a few who can break Level 400, and I’m an exception to the rule. There are less than ten in the world.”

“But they’re there! Waiting for three years…I can do that. I’m a dragon, we’re used to waiting.”

“The smaller divinities of the old generation are on the move, too. They’re moving around the world in search of worthy opponents, and they’ll be the first to leave for rebirth.”

“That’s their choice. I already made mine.”

“Margul, are you worried? I have a bad feeling, and I’m not sure why.”

“No, it’s fine. Tanatos is a place of power, everything’s different here. You know that. We don’t feel anything that’s weaker than us.”

“Yes, I just wanted to make sure.”

But the bad feeling only grew. Over the next month, Bernard started sleeping poorly. He had nightmares about his own death, the river of souls, the Gray Lands, and Tanatos.

The intuition only the gods had told him about a danger so great that they even stopped the war. All the gods felt it.

∞ ∞ ∞

The Golden Hand was celebrating their victory in all their cities and fortresses.

They’d captured new territory and strengthened belief in Leon. Lots of new players were joining the victorious side, and several cities had pledged allegiance to the god on their own. Only one person in the whole clan was practically crying because the war was ending.

Merlen Ruzh, in his stylish shirt and vest as always, was reading the latest expense reports.

“Leon, what a victory! The dragons left, and we were able to capture new territory. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that they agreed to our terms. We’re going to top up the coffers in no time with income streams like these, and we’ll be able to get back to developing culture and tech in the regions. Do you realize what this means?”

“They didn’t know that the dragons left the alliance. Yes, I get it…the big pantheon. The strongest clan in the world.” The god was sitting on the windowsill watching the clan celebrate. Sunlight reflected off his mithril armor and played on the walls in the room, while the golden hand shimmered in different colors. He thought to himself.

“Worried about something?”

“Yes… Margul left, though they didn’t really hurt him that badly. I’m not sure what the real reason was. I don’t exactly get what’s going on, and I have a bad feeling