Gerasmine didn't exactly know how long the gods were gone for. Her mind was frazzled by all the events of the night. Around her the villagers moved using the aid of the bonfire and several torches set up around the village to gather the corpses of the creatures that had fallen in battle within living areas.
The villagers all worked non-stop slowly piling up the corpses in the center of the village.
They were only half done when the portal tore open again. Everyone visibly tensed as the waited for something to step out. Their fear was understandable since they had no clue as to which between both gods was stronger.
While the human god had felt calm and at ease his obvious distaste when the god beast rose again was disturbing enough to warrant their doubt.
So it was with a tender silence that all watched the tear unsure of what would be done if indeed the other came out.
Feet exited the tear first then torso, the villagers were already calming down before the complete body exited the tear before mended shut. Standing in his white that was stained all over with the blood and gore of the beasts was the nameless god.
At least to some he was nameless, to Gerasmjne though he was Erizos. Her kneel gave as she went down on it head bowed. In tandem the entire village followed.
While Gerasmine didn't bother about whether the creature was dead or not she was considering a lot of things and the first was the difference between Erizos and the other gods she had seen.
Given she only met one but he had left a bad taste in her mouth. Literally. Erizos though had fought for them even though he had no reason to. Still when the situation got dire he still faced off against a fellow god.
But while all this was within a god's capabilities it was the last action of getting a very troublesome looking opponent away just to safeguard the villagers that got to her.
Given Erizos didn't know what she was thinking and if he did would have chuckled at the thought. After all he had taken the Quizarmukae away simply because his death was assured if he dared battle out here.
If he had known how helpful his Spatial domain would be, he would have used it earlier to end everything and look cool. But still he liked how it played, since the situation had be proven dire it would male the villagers rely on him more.
Alas he didn't know and had to fight the god in a physical combat. Still though he had learned a lot. Opening his palm he stared at the black core in his grasp which seemingly flashed continuously with shadows rolling through it. Quizarmukae's last struggle had been pretty much nonexistent.
With the domain literally replenishing his spent divinity units the rest was a tale. Only Quizarmukae's corpse and this core was left.
Shifting to the side he waved his arm watching as a second tear unfolded into which he tossed both sword and gem before it sealed.
Then turning I faced the crowd before fixing my gaze on Gerasmine and then on to the rest of the villagers. Looking to the corpses of the mutated beasts I snapped my fingers and watched as their soul essence left their corpses and into my grasp.
Waving a hand again I tore a rift through space and let the corpses get sucked inside. Leaving only half for the villagers.
"Use this as you see fit "
I fixed my eyes on Gerasmine and then walked up to her. My plans were about to begin and I needed to set all the keys. My time here was running out with the fact that the gods would note something like this happening around here. Even more I still had not done enough for the rewards I promised Moira and Carla on completion of their quests.
"I told you I had a proposition." I started and watched her nod.
"It's simple. Join me and ill make you more than a deity. While you are worshipped and known. Soon one day your influence would dim and then you would cease to exist. "
"But I can grant you the divinity all deities seek. Control too over a world of your making"
"My making... gods can't create worlds. The only serve to control and coerce it's laws. " Gerasmine argued.
"Maybe. But I'm more than just a god" I said. I sounded lofty but at the moment I was actually thinking it. If gods were just as she said beings with power to just control and coerce and make the divine laws of a world. Then what was I who made the world or in this case the worlds I would make.
Because from the different things I realized gods couldn't do most of what my inner voice was saying.
Surprisingly for the first time my inner voice was silent to my thoughts. Did this mean he too didn't know.
"Make your choice. All this humans will live and die but you will remain and fizzle away once forgotten. Unlike you they don't have a chance at immortality. You could always do more with what I offered. I will be gone for a while," I turned walking towards the forest edge " ...watch out for me."
"We'll speak when I return. " was his last words before another spatial tear appeared right in his path.
Gerasmine simply blinked as she thought of everything he just said. 'Her own world,'she felt kike scoffing but for some reason she didn't understand why she felt it could all be true.
"What would I choose?" she thought looking to the sky before sighing and turning away.
******
It was a day since the fight in the village of Mount Carion if it would still be called that after the now exposed truth.
To the east within the same region but a normal days horse ride from the village of Mount Carion was a town that stood in between with the plains to the right and mountains to the left.
Unlike the former which was barely protected there was a wooden wall that scanned the boundaries with a gate that was shut tight at the moment.
Wooden houses and a few stone ones were erected all over the interior of the town with a few untouched pathways that served as roads for pedestrians and wagons.
The town was separated into two parts with the central area guarded by more guards adorned in simple leather armors. They were more like mercenaries than soldiers as the lazed and chatted amongst themselves while the night was illuminated by torches hooked to the wooden walls.
Behind them was a section with only stone houses where at it's center stood a stone house with an upper floor. Inside which slept an old man his head bald from loss of hair and his body frail from the plight of aging.
It was here that space split lightning crackling and a soft boom of thunder that awoke the aged man resounding. His weak eyesight felled him as he tried to look in to the spatial tear with the golden light pouring from it.
Finally the light dimmed and a man decked from up to down in white stepped out of the rift. The only out of color thing kn him was his shoulder length hair that billowed in the wind that his manner stirred.
Erizos barely registered the fact that he had stepped out of the portal. His eyes on his stats and his mind elsewhere.
'I wonder what choice she makes. Either way nothing changes. ' With that thought he looked straight down at the old man who stared right back at him unmoved.
"Oh. That's new" he spoke out loud his sight landing on the symbol on the side of the man's face.