In the streets of Jamil, the capital city on the demon continent, named after there god in a show of respect, it was always bustling night and day, many people came in and out of the city every day.
But there rumors to be a man who's been seen all around the capital for hundreds of years and he only shows up when its a big event or a party, people think its a spirit who likes to party, but it was disproven last year when someone tried to talk to the spirit and it actually responded.
As the man who talked to him sat in his house looking out into the bustling streets a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
It was a slender hand that had a glove with messy words written in a language he didn't know, he already knew who it was who had come in from just the glove.
" Easel, what are you up for? " He was very curious why his friend was up so early, this was the so-called mysterious spirit of partying, he learned later on that it was actually a living man who just didn't talk to others because he didn't find them interesting, and he went to parties because he liked the free food and drink and no one stopped him.
He also was very interested in how he had apparently lived so long but still looked so young, but many people had secrets and he was never one to intrude.
" Got a bad omen recently, nothing much other than that, so I may have to head on a trip soon. " Easel said while moving over to the couch and laying down.
Jared sat down in a lounge chair, " So your finally going to go somewhere instead of insisting to live here? " He snarked.
His friend of a year Easel had insisted that he stayed here after he talked to him, he had no idea why but he also didn't mind having someone to help pay the expensive rent of a home in the capital. Plus Easel was an alright room-mate if you didn't consider his neediness of having at least 3 conversations a day. He didn't even know how Easel paid rent since he hadn't seen him work a day in his life when he asked about it, apparently, he works a On-Call job that has highly-complex situations but they are few and far between, so he only works every now and then.
He just assumed Easel was a secret high ranking member of the Mage Corps, it wasn't unheard of and they don't act unless something requiring them happens, especially with him being high ranked it would make sense he has a lot of money but barely works until he's called.
He grabbed a drink from the fridge and sat back down in his chair and put another one on the table for Easel.
" Well at-least your working, bumming around forever cant be good for you. " He'd laugh and drink.
" Uh-huh, whatever, you can come along if you want, its nothing too important. " Easel sat up and grabbed the drink.
" Mmm, I might come along then if it's fine with your boss, Id like to see you actually working for once, it'd be a damn sight, once in a hundred years kind of thing right? " He'd chuckle to himself.
" You could say , more or less a hundred years thing. " He'd nod, Easel wasn't happy-go-lucky as usual, it seems he actually takes his work seriously at least, maybe it'd be good to see how he is at work to get to know him better.
" Alright, I'll go with you to work, I have this week off as vacation anyway. " He set his drink down and before he could get up, easel jumped.
" Alright! Off we go then! " Easel grabbed my arm and dragged me by the arm outside, I let him drag me since this was his usual personality, happy and eccentric, I'll just let him take me to his office then I'll watch him work.
But before I knew it, we were at the city gates and were soon in the badlands, a rocky desert made from a ancient volcano long ago. Then, Easel talked in that weird language he always uses, I asked him about it once and he said he's the best in the world at it, soon a Giant Turtle game out from the ground by breaking through the jagged rocks of the badlands, it seemed Easel was a summoner, he may be right about him being a High Ranker in the Mage Corps, while summoners weren't especially rare, good ones were one in a million, maybe not even that.
As soon as he hopped onto the turtle he was pulled up by Easel and we started heading towards the Northern Peak, that was away from any Mage Corps outpost he knew of.. maybe it was a field mission?
[ 1 Day Later ]
Easel had been pretty quiet the whole trip, we played a game of cards while we were traveling but that's about it, it seems he takes his work more seriously than I could have ever thought, even during travel he seems to be laser-focused.
Little did he know, Easel was just thinking about how he was going to explain some things to Jared, he didn't think he'd inform him this soon, and was hoping it wouldn't ruin the friendship he's built up.
As easel was thinking on this, Jared looked out at the boundless ocean, it was truly a beautiful sight, but instead of stopping at any nearby port cities, the turtle instead started walking towards a slope and was making its way into the water.
Jared shot up, " Easel, why are we going into the sea?! "
Easel looked back, " Huh? Cause I have to get to work. "
Jared just shook his head, " Why would you even live on this continent if you work in another nation. "
Easel shook his head, " Worksites can change, I live here, then I go to where ever work is called. "
Jared thought about it and it made sense, there could be a situation anywhere in the world, but it also wavered his thoughts on him working for the Mage Corps sense they were domestic and only went out during wars, so does he work for foreign affairs? What is easels job?
[ 3 Days Later ]
We had already past the human continent and beastmen's coastline, it seemed we were heading to the elven continent when I asked why Easel would always avoid the question and just told me he will tell me when we get there.
As I waited It was a very boring trip since he wasn't talking much like usual, I tried starting many conversations but he seemed fully focused on thinking, It is definitely a new sight to see him so serious.
He soon saw the coast of the elven continent which had a thick woods on it, it seemed they were arriving on the western side of the continent.
Once they touched down the turtle suddenly stopped and Easel looked back at me,
" Jared, how do you perceive the gods? "
This was a question Easel had asked him many times, it made him very confused the first time he asked and it made him think he was a dedicated believer, but he soon scratched that from his mind since he never saw Easel pray, not even for others, while it wasn't too strange when you combine that fact with this question he brings up every once and a while, it makes for a very weird situation.
" The Gods created the heavens and earth, so they deserve respect, they give us benefits for doing nothing for them, we believe in them and they give us blessings, what's not to like about a good patron? " He chuckled.
He had the blessing of the god of incarnations since young, this he knew but never told others since he didn't want to be brought in by the church, sure theirs nothing wrong with the church but then he'd have to take massive responsibilities and may even have to go out to wars if one starts to be the healer or preacher to boost morale, and he was never one with words.
So of course he was a believer, but was he all that dedicated? No, he could live with or without the blessing, he didn't really ever use the benefits it gave except maybe being healthier, he hadn't been sick in a while.
Soon Easel seemed to stare at me for an eternity, " When you meet my co-workers you will know my identity and job, you must not freak out, and if they ask you questions in private, then you are my friend, do not lower yourself. "
It may have been an easy guess for readers, but for Jared, even now he couldn't think of the possibility, Easel was Jamil, the god of incarnations in disguise.
What kind of person would guess such a thing? You'd be a mad man to suddenly ask your friend if he's a literal god. Jamil knew the importance of positions and how people put the difference between the gods and the mortals. They may be revered but the gods were just people with overbearing power, they may not die, but how can they live an eternity in complete silence and loneliness, as creatures with sentience they're exactly like others, and all the gods had by now given up prejudice, why discriminate race and color when they all have sentience? Your actions are your own, other things were chosen for you and don't display the real you.
So he had done this for many of hundreds of years, he took mortals as friends by being in disguise, but this time he met a mortal he had blessed when young and enjoyed spending time with him, but this wasn't the first time he told his mortal friends he was a god, but he always did it later on into the friend-ship so they wouldn't treat him differently, but he also didn't purposefully hide it, if they ever asked he would always say yes, he wasn't much for lying to friends, so if they asked and he didn't want to tell, he just wouldn't say, its better than lying.
[1] Conceptualization can be hard for many, so an image for what I imagine the turtle as will be posted in the comments so you can copy and paste the link:
https://www.wallpaperup.com/uploads/wallpapers/2015/02/17/623958/03652305b3103ca2698776cc0470e15a.jpg