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6/7/8-Goddess of the Foreign Land
🕑 Added 2024-02-12 22:51:00 +0000 UTC.
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/High in the sky…/
/Shuaa…/
"Hm…"
'As he controlled the boat, letting it soar above the trees, Silver's gaze momentarily fell onto the swamp they had just landed at moments prior.'
'There, he noticed how the purple waters moved, and how tentacles seemingly rose from its depths, dragging the rotten carcasses of the monsters he just slew back into it, as if they were never there.'
It seems this is indeed the work of a monster, or maybe a group of said monsters working in tandem, albeit that last part is more unlikely.
It could also be a mix of the factors I thought about before... And a few more I'm unaware of...
How interesting, I don't remember ever seeing or reading about a monster with such characteristics…
High Corrosion resistance as it can remain in the swamp, it can control the water to a certain extent and infect the carcasses of monsters, allowing it to control them by moving the water inside and around them.
It possesses tentacles, which isn't common in the Dungeon, at least not like this, but I need more of an in-depth look to say anything else...
Still, this must be one of those cases… Yes… A unique one.
A Monster that is either the sole one of its kind, be it from birth or growth... It could be both.
Nothing impedes a unique monster from growing past its limits and becoming an Enhanced species or even an Irregular.
I wonder which of these and their combinations this creature is...
'Over millennia, the Dungeon produced all kinds of monsters, but some came out as being more special than others, the biggest example being the three great ones.'
'No one can confirm if there are others like them deeper down in the Dungeon, so until the time comes he can dive there himself, any such existence shall be deemed one of a kind.'
'It could also be that they used to be part of the Dungeon, but over millennia, it stopped producing said creatures for some reason.'
'Silver knew that the Dungeon had changed considerably since ancient times, after all, in the ancient past, the Dungeon didn't even have floors properly mapped out, it was but a deep hole leading to darkness where monsters were spawned non-stop.'
'Now, there are systematic floors leading deeper into the unknown, and with the way the Guild retains and erases traces of the past, it's hard to say for certain which kinds of monsters the Dungeon stopped producing and which are the newer ones.'
'Together with its reasons for doing so.'
"Hm? Is that…?"
"Woah!"
"..."
'While Silver was deep in his thoughts as always, Artemis and Hestia were quick to notice a city rising in the distance, built upon the sides of the mountains…'
'A beautiful place full of life and people, thousands of stone and wooden houses constructed side by side with architecture no less than that found in Orario.'
'An ancient city hidden in the mountains!'
(Image?)
"To think there was such a place…" Silver muttered as he looked down at the people on the streets
For a moment I thought we were too late to find anything, that the swamp had corroded what life there could've been here long before we even arrived...
Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case, which is even more alarming.
I can tell that were it not for the swamp, this place might've been a good place to live, though I still can't say for certain why anyone would want to live here.
Above all, there are also monsters around… The standard monsters, albeit I saw a Minotaur walking at the edges of the Swamp.
This place isn't safe like the other ones…
This means that the people in here need to fight for their lives, there are clear traces of that in the outposts and trees of the Swamp, whatever old they may be.
To some degree, this makes me remember the depictions of how the world was in Ancient times...
"I'll be landing soon, it would be too bad if we made a bad impression by landing directly inside it."
"Hold tight!"
/Shua!/
'Silver steered the ship, tilting it down slightly, and soon enough, they landed a few steps away from a rather tall stone wall, directly above a stone path that extended to the swamp before branching out into many paths.'
'Everywhere he looked, he saw stones and trees riddled with wounds and scars.'
'This place was no stranger to fights.'
'The more he saw, the more interested he became, so with a curious smile, he approached the city's walls.'
…
/Step…/
"Okay… This place looks better than the Swamp." Artemis pointed out as she looked around
'She was happy to see the state the city was in as it gave her hope the people here lived happily despite all the death and decay around them.'
"... It's not safe here, let's get in."
"How? There's a massive gate in front of us!" Hestia said as she pointed forward
"Don't worry about it."
"You don't plan on blowing it up do you?!"
"Of course not… Where did you even take that option from?" Silver asked as he patted her head
"... I'm an advocate of linguistical problem-solving, aren't you two aware of that?" He added with a smirk and a laugh as he approached the gate
"WHHHAAAAAAAAAAA…"
'Hestia exclaimed out loud, her face completely and utterly red.'
"Hestia… Don't scream…"
'Artemis also didn't seem completely okay either, it was good Hestia was looking elsewhere.'
"Hm? Hello?" Someone suddenly said from atop the wall
Did someone go outside? The cleanup squad? They don't go out at this hour nor do they return...
'It was a knight clad in full armor, like a standard medieval knight.'
(Image)
"I apologize for the commotion, but we got lost as we made out way through the mountains, and as we crossed the swamp, we saw smoke in the distance so here we are." Silver with a blunt expression as he looked up
"..."
""...""
'As if he's going to believe that…' The two goddesses thought at the same time as they looked at Silver
"... THAT'S TERRIBLE! QUICKLY! GET INSIDE! The outside is not safe!"
"You're all extremely lucky for making it so far without encountering any monsters, I'll get the gates open so please hand in there!" The guard exclaimed out loud as he vanished from view
'HE DID!' The two goddesses thought as their expressions twisted slightly
'In the end, they all quickly got inside before monsters appeared and the gates were closed behind them with a loud "thud".'
…
/On the other side of the Wall…/
'A large town unfolded itself in front of their eyes as a wide road went into the horizon, curving slightly due to the mountain's side.'
'Having seen the city from both the sky and ground, Silver could now more accurately estimate its size.'
'He thought that there should be at least a few thousand stone houses built over the slope of the mountain, with an outer wall separating it from the swamp.'
'Once they got inside, the knight they met before was quick to introduce himself to the trio, leading them to a small house next to the wall where he began questioning them.'
'It wasn't anything serious, but it was protocol, nothing Silver wasn't willing to do.'
'During this process, Silver managed to take a deeper look at the city and its people, trying to catch a glimpse of their culture and way of living.'
'He saw dozens of soldiers in similar armor, and from Hestia's words, they all had a blessing, it didn't seem very strong but it was above the standard, meaning they were all likely Level 2 or stronger.'
'It was a force he didn't expect to see in such a remote region.'
...
/A bit later.../
'Inside the house, Silver and the rest finished recounting their story after being questioned by the guard, and with a silent but pensive nod, the guard permitted their stay by saying:'
"... Travelers huh… It isn't the first time we had travelers pass by."
"From time to time we do have visitors as they make their way to Orario, although you guys are by far the smallest group we've ever had."
"It's not easy to cross the mountains, and we usually see large convoys pass by, much less one that passed directly through the swamp, there are many better paths through the mountains, you were all unlucky… Or should I say, very lucky..."
"Well, not that's my business… That was all I wanted to ask. In any case, it's about time."
"Welcome to Beltane, the country of Mist and Springs." The guard said with a smile as he got up from the table
"Stay for as long as you'd like, we have our own currency here but we do accept Orario's if necessary, although that may be hard to see amidst the busy market streets…"
"Still, you can always pass by the counting house to exchange currency, it's a large building towards the North, just follow the largest street in the city, and it'll lead you to the large central plaza fountain, from there it a slight walk uphill, you can't really miss it."
"I have to go back to my post now, enjoy your stay!..." The guard said in a positive tone as he left through the entrance of the room, leaving them alone
"... People here are really nice." Artemis said with a smile as she got up from her seat
"That is certainly true, he was very welcoming, but… I feel like it was more a…"
"Distraction." Silver said as he completed Hestia's sentence
"The people here seem to have bigger problems to worry about, and in a sense, it was even as if he wanted us to leave quickly."
"He emphasized how Beltane had little to offer throughout our talk, saying it was a simple town, he wants us to sightsee and then leave… That was the impression I had from him."
"Ahw, you're being pessimistic, we don't know them and you're talking like that!" Artemis said as she puffed slightly
"That's not what I meant to say, I was just pointing things out… But you're right."
"Then… What now?" Hestia asked as she got up as well
"Now? How about we take a look around? I'm a bit tired from moving the boat around, sitting somewhere and having a meal seems nice to me, in the way we can try to learn more about the city and its people."
And sometime along the way try and figure out what that monster was about.
"That seems like a good idea, I'm particularly keen on learning more about the reasons why these people live here, I can't see how they would stay here, much less build such a place…" Artemis said with some sadness
"I've heard that before, people seem to love butting their noses in other people's business without even understanding them." ???
""Hm?""
'While both Hestia and Artemis looked towards the entrance of their room in surprise, Silver eyes sharpened as he looked at the newcomer.'
'A God.' He thought as he looked at the lady who had just entered
'Just from her aura alone, it was clear she was divine, but Silver also had another method to identify one...'
'Gods were often very easy to notice amidst the people as they usually adorned their own Divine garments, Hestia herself usually wandered around her white dress with the blue lace which was one such piece.'
'The woman who just entered the room had salmon pink eyes and teal blue hair.'
'She wore a black dress along with a black cape with gold accents on its edges, together with a gold beaded necklace composed of many smaller necklaces.'
'In addition to this, she wore flowers in her hair as an ornament, flowers commonly seen during Spring.'
(Image)
"I can't quite refuse that, I used to be quite upfront in the past, but still, rather rude." Artemis replied as she looked at the Goddess
"Used to? Ahhh… Congratulations I guess? Looks like you finally 'unstuck'." The woman asked with a light smile as she looked at Artemis
"..."
She's just as I expected huh…
'Artemis looked a bit bothered by Bhera's words, but seeing there was no malice in them, she let it go as she kept her cool.'
"And I guess you changed little, still the same as always "Honest" Bhera." Hestia said out loud as her expression went into one of helplessness
"Aha! Hestia! I still remember you and your deplorable guts very clearly." Bhera said with a smirk as she closed one of her eyes, making a teasing expression as she looked at the Goddess
"..."
She doesn't hold back at all, huh...
"Nah-What?! What did I ever do to make you hate me?!" Hestia asked as she opened her eyes wide
"Are you asking me a question? Very well, I'll answer it for you."
"Your cheap, so-called "unconditional love" gets on my nerves." She said with the same easing expression as before, although this time it even sounded as a form of mockery
"..."
Unconditional love?... Hm...
Oh! I know what this is about now.
She must be talking about Hestia's attitude while in Heaven.
I don't think the Gods would lie to me about this, and I honestly believe in their words as well. But from what I heard, Hestia was one of the Goddesses said to not have grown bored with their life back there… Which can't be said to be many.
And her reason for that was because… She loved it, she loved the world and its people.
There was little to hate, she was the Goddess of Warmth and that can never be extinguished.
… I think I know why she hates her.
'It's jealousy.' Silver thought quietly as he watched the discussion unfold
"KYAA?! A-After thousands of years and we have finally met again eye to eye, and you give me that?!" Hestia exclaimed as her cheeks grew slightly red
"Well, you asked me and I answered it, not like I can't do that. I can't lie after all."
"?"
She can't lie?
'Silver was caught by surprise by her strange remark, prompting the Goddess to remark:'
"Oi Hestia, it seems your child is having trouble following our conversation."
"Boy, when in doubt, you should ask questions shouldn't you?" She asked with a grin as she looked at Silver
"I didn't plan to butt in… Much less in your... Thousand-year reunion…" Silver said with a slight smile as he shook his head
Thousands of years huh... Being a God sure is a pain...
And from the looks of it, that'll be mine also. It's hard to even think about such an impossibly long time.
"Heh… Aren't you a cheeky one? Hey, Hestia, your child is calling you old~…"
"HUH?! Is that true Silver?!" Hestia asked with a frantic expression as she turned around to grab his collar
"W-Why are you asking such a question to me?..." Silver asked with a helpless expression as he let her swing him around
She's playing with you... Gods can't really be called old anyway.
"Well… Never mind that, what was that about her not being able to lie?"
"Are you just going to ignore my question?!"
"If I may… From what I know, Bhera is a peculiar type of God as she must answer every question asked to her truthfully." Artemis replied as she touched her chin, trying to remember things she heard eons ago
"Everything?" Silver asked as he raised an eyebrow, thinking about something stupid
"Heh, try to use the right head this time." Bhera said as she noticed his expression
"..."
Luckily, it seems neither Hestia nor Artemis noticed her sarcasm...
"Sigh… She does answer everything truthfully, but the way she answers it plants seeds of doubt in its listeners, so she got the nickname "Malicious Honesty"." Hestia said as she continued Artemis' words
"The truth hurts I guess…" Silver said with a pensive expression
"I still hate this nickname, it's awful, I merely enjoy living an honest life."
"It's just that the people a persecution paranoia are the loudest." Bhera said with a serious expression, clearly displeased
"That or people enjoy listening to conspiracy theories more than the truth." Silver mumbled to himself as he scratched his head
"..."
'Bhera was silent despite hearing Silver's words.'
"Besides, you don't like me either do you Hestia? I say we're even as you have no right to berate me." Bhera said as she turned to Hestia, her expression serious
"TSK! Once again you're correct, but… That's exactly what I don't like about you!"
...
"..."
'While it seemed their conversation had come to an end, Silver remained pensive as he remained within the confines of his mind.'
"Oi, it seems you have something in mind, didn't I just tell you to speak your doubts out loud?"
"What have you been teaching him, Hestia, letting him be silent all the time, he looks like those boring guys back in Heaven, only ogling all the time without the balls to say anything." Bhera said with a bored expression as she looked at Silver and then Hestia
"Wh…? Silver is just…"
'But before Hestia could reply, Silver said:'
"I'm more of a listener than a talker, but you seem like a girl who enjoys the latter more."
"Very well, I do have some questions in mind, so here it goes:"
"You're not part of the Olympian Pantheon, so I was wondering how you two met." He said bluntly but formally as he knew Bhera wasn't being rude, at least not out of malicious intent
"That's not a question, try again." She said with her usual teasing expression as she looked at him
"How did you two meet?"
"Finally, a question I can answer."
"It was all because of the Staff of Winter..." Hestia said as she began narrating the events
"Huh? Who gave you permission to talk?" Bhera asked with a frown as she looked at Hestia
"If I leave it to you to tell the story you're going to distort it all over!"
"I only tell the truth, it's not my problem if you can't bear it." Bhera replied with her usual teasing expression
"Tche! As if!"
"Anyway! I was all because Bhera didn't want to stop waving the Staff of Winter around, causing Winter, Blizzards, and Snowstorms to ravage the mortal world, so I was called by Bridgit to have her stop so Spring and Summer could resume as per normal." Hestia said seriously as she remembered the past
"At first, she said it was because it was more convenient to her, but that's just her trying to divert my attention, in truth..."
"Now aren't you saying 'too' much? If you add such details such as the complexities of a God's mind, how do you expect this story to ever end? Move on."
"Besides, you're fairly mistaken about something, so don't try to justify my actions through the lenses of your 'unconditional love' it sickens me." Bhera said as her expression twisted
"Huh?! Is that 'embarrassment' I hear?" Hestia teased with a distorted cheeky smile
"Think what you will, finish your story so we can move on."
"Humph, what more is there to say? With the power of communication, I managed to have you stop and left, done."
"Power of communication? As if, you pestered me for days on end and to kick you out I dropped down my Staff, that's more in line with what happened."
"Pestered you? I don't remember asking you to stop doing anything though?"
"Don't try to play me, you..."
"Can we leave that for later? I'm getting a headache." Silver said as he scratched the back of his head
"... Just when things were starting to get fun." Bhera said with a smirk
"If possible, may I ask some questions?"
"That's up to you, don't tell me what to do."
"Okay... This city, it is located next to a terrific swamp, why build it here out of all places?"
"There was no other choice." Bhera replied quickly
"No other choice?..."
Interesting, how come someone has no other choice than to stay here?
And even if they had no chance before, then how come they had no chance to leave after?
This place is only a week away from Orario, as long as you have a bag of rations and a few water bottles you can make your way to the city if necessary so it's not like they couldn't leave.
Instead, they thrived.
This means something is preventing them from leaving...
"Then why is that the people can't leave?"
"Because they'll die if they do so."
"Die?"
"Yes."
"... That wasn't a question but okay, if they'll die, what would be the reason for it?"
"A chronic disease."
""?!""
"A chronic disease?... Are you telling me everyone in this city has a unique chronic disease that can be healed here?"
"No."
"... I see, so the people are truly trapped here... I still have one last question, if you are willing to answer me that is."
"..."
"What is..."
"WHAAAA! This is getting on my nerves!"
""...""
"This is so dull and it feels like it's going to go forever! This feels like a broken crank!" She said with an upset expression as she looked at Bhera
"And you're not helping! Playing along with her! Just ask a broader question already!" Hestia said as she pointed at Silver
"..."
"What's all of this about?! The Swamp, the Disease, the city, and the strange monsters we saw outside!"
"How does it all connect? When did it all Start? Spill it all out in chronological order Bhera!"
"As always, its gotta be the Loli Cow to ruin my fun." Bhera said as she exhaled loudly
"Very well, I'll tell you, but I'll be warning you, it's a long story."
"It all began with a singular monster."
"An ordinary monster, the kind found anywhere that anyone could easily defeat."
"By a trick of fate, it fell into the Spring of Life."
"The Spring of Life? What is the Spring of Life?" Silver asked as his eyes sharpened
"It's one of the many Springs of Beltane, one that holds substantial power."
"Its waters can heal wounds, recover stamina, and cure illnesses, very much like a Special Potion, a naturally occurring one."
"..."
I see now, so that's the reason why the people can't leave....
"Until a few hundred years ago, the people of this country praised and worshiped the Spring."
"When they arrived here, they said this was the Spring of Miracles, "Let's make a country here. This is our Paradise."."
"But one day... A terrible Miracle occurred."
"The monster you just mentioned?" Artemis asked as she crossed her arms
"Indeed, the monster that fell in the Spring by chance clung onto its source, and the rest is obvious."
"It began absorbing its power."
"..."
So it wasn't a unique monster... This is an Irregular existence.
An Ordinary monster that went beyond its limits, becoming something else.
This may in fact be the most extreme case of an Irregular ever recorded. If I'm interpreting this story correctly.
"Decades... Centuries passed as the monster silently absorbed the Spring's power."
"Before anyone noticed, it finished its transformation, and the Swamp King was born."
"There are no villains in this story, it was purely all an act of coincidence."
"So this entire swamp..."
"It's an extension of the Spring of Life, any ordinary monster that falls within it absorbs its power, becoming stronger than normal."
"But as the Spring was corrupted, the country panicked. "Something's wrong with the Spring of Miracles. What should we do? What should we do?"..."
"And that was when I showed up."
"..."
I pretty much understand what's going on now.
"So pretty much, the people can't leave because the Spring is their only sure way of dealing with their inherited disease, since in the centuries they lived here, under the protection of the Spring, there was no need to fear it, so I imagine they never really tried to deal with their disease's root."
"They have to fend off the transformed monster or die, is this what you're trying to say?" Silver asked as he looked at Bhera
"Not quite, they did try to solve their problems, something they still do to this day. One might even say they had never spent so much effort trying to solve it."
"?"
"When I first descended in this land, the people asked if there was a way to save their country."
"I was asked, and I answered them, and that was how the Departure Ceremony came to be."
"... What is the Departure Ceremony?" Artemis asked as her face began to twist, growing serious
"Oia... You're likely not going to hear it, you sure you don't want to go outside for a little bit of fresh air?"
"Just... Answer the Question... Please."
"... It's a sacrifice."
""!""
"And not just your run-of-the-mill sacrifice, it has to be a special one. Crafted solely for said purpose."
"Created? How do you create this Sacrifice?"
"How else? Through breeding of course." She said with a smirk as she looked at Silver
"..."
'Artemis' face began to grow red, and not due to embarrassment...'
"Chienthrope, Cat People, Werewolf, Boaz, Hume Bunny, Renard, the list goes on and on... Ordinary people with a bit of Elf Blood as well?"
"Over 30 bloodlines were fused together for the creation of the Sacrifice."
"It took generations to achieve the right balance, as if one side was too dominant we couldn't make a mistake with the other..."
"That is quite... Incredible, how did you manage to breed so many different species together when only Humans and Amazons can have descendants with other species?" Silver asked with a degree of amazement and morbid curiosity
"What an inhumane question, of course there are ways to do it, as unconventional as they may be..."
"You just need to reach the right balance, to the point certain traces can be passed on without being rejected. Something nigh impossible to do."
"As I said, it took generations for the right combination to be achieved."
"I see..."
How gruesome and barbaric... I think I can understand how they did it...
If I human has a child with a member of the werewolf tribe, the result will be a child with the genes of both species, regardless if one side is more dominant than the other.
If the Child is taken as Human and it has a child with another werewolf, and the child retains the Human appearance, its genes will unconditionally tilt to that of the werewolf side more, regardless of how little resemblance it may have to its parent.
There must be a point where the child can then be considered neither Human nor a Warewolf, this becoming a Half beast-man, something that doesn't exist.
Following this method, you keep on breeding these unique existences in the right order until the right balances are achieved, and eventually, something new is created.
This is probably one of the cruelest and vilest experiments ever conducted in the mortal world, of course, only if the people were forced, which doesn't seem to have been the case, the people here seem happy.
Maybe they did it through consensual pairings... Not that I care.
What I'm wondering about is the unique heritage of each species and the... Appearance of the individual...
"What about the purpose of this ceremony? What is the purpose of the sacrifice?"
"Like that of a 'bomb'."
""...""
'Like before, they all went silent, Artemis' expression was especially cold.'
"She will manifest a certain kind of magic, a 'poison barrier', a magic strong enough to pierce the Swamp King."
"This was the creation of a Unit with unique special Abilities!" Bhera said with a smirk as she raised her tone slightly
"So this... Is all meant to kill the Swamp King?" Artemis asked as she held in her emotions
"Moreso, killing it is impossible but we can put it to sleep by using the sacrifice to "feed the monster the barrier"."
"The "sacrifice" we made is a "poison bomb". It'll shatter its connection with the "Spring of Life" and force the beast into natural recovery, stopping the monster for a few decades, a process we've repeated many times."
"And will continue to do so for centuries to come." Bhera said as her smile grew wider
""...""
/Silence.../
'The hard truth was laid bare.'
'Hestia looked at the side, looking at her friend with sympathy.'
'Silver was in deep thought, more curious and amazed than anything, albeit he didn't show it as much.'
'While Artemis...'
"This... I can't accept it."
"What's there to accept? The people chose this, they asked me and I answered, this path was one they chose themselves and one they continue to tread on out of their own volition."
"This is unbelievable!" Artemis exclaimed as her eyes grew resolute
'Oh no...' Silver and Hestia thought as they looked at the blue-haired Goddess
'It seemed she had walked past the point of hearing a 'no' for an answer.'
...
.
.
.
Notes
Comments
Everbond
And let me guess silver also has that kind of unique magic
![gal ha had[The Sir]](https://runfaps.com/kistorage/53465.jpg)
