The path back to the surface is of no difficulty to traverse; corpses of the foolish dead are tread underfoot as I follow the winding paths. Foolish, I say, not only because all who are dead are foolish but because they ran with such feverish cowardice as to trample themselves to escape the kindest and most wonderful creature upon this world!
Sure, Rahvert's killed a lot of people. And? The people of this world are evil, he is merely a bringer of justice, much like myself! In fact, I had only recently thought that I would never meet a man of justice other than myself, to think that I'd find one among those reviled as the greatest of villains?
And it is not even necessarily his punishing of evildoers which makes him so great – it is that he supported me immensely! I am the incarnation of justice, as well as the standard around which morality is determined, as proven many times over. To assist me so openly in my goal, whatever the stated motives, can only be the deed of the just and good, the moral and righteous; thus, Rahvert is the greatest among these! Accept myself, of course.
Seriously! My name issue has been resolved, and I was not even forced to part with a single copper coin for such a shocking result! Then, beyond that, I have received a great and mighty skill, and ultimate skill, in fact, that may well decide the trajectory of my life! Add in these new proficiencies, and I am set for almost certain success!
And the medallion! This may well be the grandest of these mighty gifts – to use the authority of one of the great beings of the world to ensure my own safety. In fact, he hadn't mentioned this specifically, but I reckon that such an item shall allow me to pass through many parts of the world which are generally precluded from the wanderings of man.
Think about it. The draconic kingdom, already accepting of visitors, would certainly welcome me now. Much more interestingly, I should be able to visit the Demon Coast, the undead lands, and perhaps even the seat of Lector's power, Shi'vat itself under its authority. Not to mention the lands of Karnateth in the North, not that there's really any reason to ever go there.
After all, I am associated with the friend of the ruler of all the demons in this world, if nothing else, that should ensure my physical safety while passing through the demon coast. After all, don't most demons avoid attacking Aren due to its relation to the dragons, the children of Karnash who is the ally of Kairon? If that relation is strong enough to not be attacked by the majority of demons, surely I would be safe! The draconic kingdom and the lands of Karnateth are each ruled by the children of Karnash, Rahvert's other friend. Furthermore, Rahvert's disciple Reishvart is the master of the mages of Shi'vat, surely they wouldn't attack me… unless Lector orders them to, it would be interesting to see how that turns out. And, of course, the undead in the undead lands are the remnants of Rahvert's forces, forget not harming me, they might even help me out if needed! So, indeed, this is a most useful item!
All of these, from a fortuitous encounter; why, such luck seems almost necessary to be ordained by fate! How could anyone experience such great luck as to stumble across a cave with a confined deity just itching to give his powers to whoever first encounters him? Why, if heaven is balanced, I must surely die in the next instant to maintain this balance!
[Though,] I reason, [if it is taken as fact that such a fortuitous encounter could reasonably occur to one of the countless beings comprising existence, perhaps it is simply the case that one being had to get lucky enough, and, in this case, that was me… still, fortune to an almost mesmerizing extent!]
Beyond the odds of coming across such an encounter, one must closely consider Rahvert's intentions. It would hardly be without narrative precedent for an evil being to offer powers with an evil, hidden cost. Yet, I am not particularly suspicious of Rahvert. And why? Well, simply put, I can't name a reason for him to scheme against me. He could have killed me at will, if my death was his aim; if taking me as a slave was more his style, I already let him name me – though that was still of little risk considering his perfect undead followers; and if he intends to use me as a puppet beyond his cage, what would he have me do that Reishvart would be incapable of?
Of course, his claim that it was merely for his own entertainment may sound fishy to a mortal audience; but he is a god, who is to claim to comprehend his nature? To a being for whom eternal existence is almost a given, for whom comfort and power is nigh-eternal, who is to say that entertainment may not take such an important role as to give away such mighty gifts?
Furthermore, one must remember that said gifts, while mighty to me, are insignificant before the godly brilliance of Rahvert's expansive abilities. While a mortal would have to derive a seemingly endless amount of entertainment to make the giving of such gifts seem reasonable, in the case of Rahvert, such powers are inconsequential, if it amuses him to give them away, then why should he not?
Lastly, perhaps it is simply the case that Rahvert sees the beautiful and perfect nature of my aims, and thus, comprehending the brilliance of my goals, he saw fit to bless me, the great bringer of justice, with the gifts necessary to begin my journey; thus, by this understanding, Rahvert is my great and mysterious benefactor, he who orchestrates justice from the shadows. And, if such is the case, how much more lucky am I to have stumbled across such a being?
Oh? I had a similarly convoluted argument for why Lector was also trustworthy? Why, I don't know to what you refer; I never trusted that snake for even a single moment! Anyone who would insinuate otherwise is a slanderous coward who would never dare say such a thing to my face, as, if such were true, I would very well be a fool! And, as I am not a fool, such simply cannot be true, no matter how much one may insist otherwise!
As I continue on, trampling the corpses of the monstrous creatures which had once inhabited this secretive mountain, I am again hit with the amazement of my freedom. I had struggled for so long, and now I am free, compelled no longer to engage with the world in a manner I find unpleasant; rather, I can pursue power as I wish, free of Lector's shadow, hunting down the ever-greater might which may enable me to accomplish my simple goals; life everlasting, and punishment for those sinners who have differentiated themselves from the righteous by contributing to my struggles and standing in my way to some extent.
No longer am I a slave; no longer am I bound to Lector by name; no more do I have his lingering threat hanging menacingly over my head. I am free to pursue my powers as I wish/
And powers! While the fact that there are levels that must be progressed through with my new ultimate skill hampers its present functionality somewhat, such is probably for the best, assuming that I have any interest in actually learning the extent of what this skill shall allow me to do; after all, I will presumably be limited to certain abilities depending on the skill level, which will allow me to master certain aspects before advancing onward.
The temptation to activate the skill immediately is strong; however, the ever-unhelpful skill description only says 'Lvl 1. - basic recognition of souls,' whatever that means; without any more information, I can only assume that that means that I'll have to have some victim to test it on. Even if it would work on myself, I wouldn't be dumb enough to activate an all-new ability that requires a designated target upon myself. For example, imagine if I had practiced with my wrath ability in such a manner, I would have put myself into quite the unfortunate predicament! Which is to say, I would have been scorched to death by those terrible and vicious flames!
So, however eager I may be, I cannot activate such a skill at this very moment - but soon! I certainly do not lack that eager intrigue which desires the unveiling of all pleasant secrets, I too desire the knowledge of to what extent my power has been increased!
A fortuitous encounter - fortuitous indeed, by any and all standards, beyond anything which hath ever been experienced by a mere mortal before! Or, I suppose, at least to my own limited knowledge. But still; how great an encounter this has been!
In the future, I must be sure to employ these powers to the full extent of their abilities! I will train for a thousand years, nay, a thousand lifetimes if that is what it takes to master them; then, I shall pursue ever greater power, on and on, until my two great goals may be brought to completion!
Jorgenson, Reinhart, and even Lector, through the twisting of his heart; taken by this cruel, twisted world! Slavery, torture, starvation, poverty, and war; racism, hatred, and every other despicable impulse of man and these other beings of manlike condition – all stand as key pieces of evidence in this world's condemnation.
So, I will end it. In the name of these whom I have lost on the part of this world, in the name of the victims of the evils I have seen, I shall swear it: I will pursue power until I can bring an end to this world! I shall see to justice for others – and, much more importantly, for myself! I will bring the just desserts of this world's cruelty to it with glee!
And I shall live forever; for goal two shall only occur when goal one has been properly and eternal secured; for everything is meaningless when one dies, for my justice to be of consequence I must live forever! Eternal life, and the damnation of this world; two goals intertwined forever in my pursuit of bringing justice to all!
And so, with such lofty aims in mind, I walk out of the mountain, into the morning sun, free for the first time to begin on that long and perilous journey which surely lays ahead.