Previously in NWC-
Reno had a rude awakening when he realized he wouldn't be returning to his world as easily as he had planned. Luna did her best to comfort Reno in his time of need. The Mayor gifted Reno with some hand-me-downs from his son. Reno discovered that while this universe lacks modern technology, it does have some amenities such as a proper bathroom. Wanting to repay the Mayor for his kindness, Reno sets out to have a productive day of repairing fences...
Reno enthusiastically begins hammering away. A couple women from the village greet Reno and thank him for his work. The day goes by relatively quick, lunch time coming quicker than he'd realized.
The farmers return for lunch, one of them calling out to Reno. "Hey, new guy! Wanna' eat lunch with us?"
Reno curiously looks at the group of men. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't have anything to eat."
"What?! We can't have you starving! Now you GOTTA come with us!" Reno nervously makes his way to the group. "My wife makes the best sandwiches in town; You're gonna love 'em!"
Reno chuckles nervously. "I'm already drooling…"
Luckily, Reno's humor doesn't go unnoticed. "I like you already, kid! What's your name?"
"I usually just go by Reno."
"Well, Reno, it's nice to meet you!" The group of men all introduce themselves to Reno and make small talk. They ask him a wide variety of questions, doing their best to get to know him. They stop at a house, eating in the yard. They admire and compliment Reno's work, as it was a house he'd done the previous day. After they're finished eating, everyone returns to their work. Reno makes a stop at the town hall to use the mayor's bathroom before returning to his work. Finally back at it, he makes quick work. He hammers away for the rest of the day, only noticing the time when the farmers return for the night. "Is it that late already? Coincidentally this was the last fence in town." Reno returns to the town hall, storing the hammer and nails.
"Hold on, young Reno!" the mayor calls out. "You must have worked up a sweat today!"
"Yeah… now that you mention it, I didn't notice how hot it was today."
"I don't mind you using the shower here. Can't have you stinking up the whole town after all!"
"(I guess I do kind of smell bad…) That sounds awesome. If it's not too much to ask, I'd love to take a shower."
"Not a problem at all! You remember the room, right?"
"Second door on the right, right?"
"That's the one!"
Reno walks over to the box of clothes. "Old man…" Reno looks at the box of now folded laundry. "You didn't have to fold these… You're already giving them to me and that was more than I could have hoped for."
"You should know by now, kiddo. Arguing with me ain't gonna' change nothin'."
"I guess you're right." Reno sighs and takes a change of clothes. He makes his way to the bathroom, turning the water on. "They really do have plumbing just like in my universe… how does that make sense?"
"Is it safe to assume that magic does not exist in your world?" Luna emerges from Reno's shirt.
"Yeah, that's right."
"If I was forced to guess, the existence of magic has allowed humanity to advance in certain areas that your universe requires technology for."
"Makes sense to me." After he finishes speaking, Reno stares at Luna silently.
"W-what?"
"I ain't takin' a shower in front of you- that's where I draw the line."
"But where am I to go? I cannot simply wander around the building."
"Well you can't stay here either."
"…Fine." Luna hovers over to the clean shirt Reno set aside. "I'll be waiting in here."
"Hmm…" Satisfied, Reno begins undressing. He takes his shower, being mindful of the time. He finishes and dries off, setting the used towel in a basket with others. "Thank you, Old Man!" He says, exiting the hallway.
"No need to thank me! I don't use that bathroom often anyways. My living area is upstairs, so I mostly use the one up there."
"I guess it worked out then…" Reno picks up the box of clothes and begins making his way to the door. "Oh, I almost forgot… I finished all of the fences around town… did you want me to start on the fence around the farm tomorrow?"
"That was quick! If you don't mind then that'd be much appreciated. You can even take the hammer and nails, that way you don't have to come back here in the morning…"
As he was about to speak, Reno has a flashback. He remembers his conversation with Luna about the mayor being lonely. Smiling, he responds. "I think it'll be fine. I don't mind going out of my way to stop by!" Reno opens the door and leaves, waving goodbye with one hand and holding the box of clothes in the other. The mayor smiles as he does, waving in return. A couple steps outside the gate, Reno speaks up. "Alright, Luna. I think tonight we should start coming up with a battle plan."
Luna emerges. "I agree… the longer we wait the higher chance those bandits have of selling off my power shard."
"That's the last thing we want…" Reno rocks left and right as he thinks.
"Especially if the shard gets into the hands of Feyr or Ciryu."
"Who's that?" His attention turns completely to Luna.
"Feyr and Ciryu are the two who teamed up on me and sealed my power."
"Wait… if they're the ones who sealed it then why didn't they just keep the shards, especially if they were just gonna collect them again? None of this is adding up right now…"
"You're right. I'll explain more when we get to the barn." They finish their short journey and climb the ladder. "Home sweet home…" Luna says, sighing with exhaustion. She floats over to her blanket and "sits" on it. "Now, about that explanation- what sort of questions did you have?"
"Why did they scatter the shards if they were just going to collect them again anyways? Why did they seal them in the first place? Why were a couple of gods fighting? Why can't you be seen in public?"
"I had a bad feeling you would be curious…" Luna clears her throat. "How about I just start from the beginning?"
"Sounds good."
"Feyr and Ciryu are twin gods who recently gained a large following. Side note: A god's power is heavily dependent on the number of followers as well as the strength of the followers. Before our fight, I lead one of the largest religions in the entire world. A large portion of their followers began to quarrel with my own followers, leading to a borderline war. In order to maintain their followers' trust and devotion, the twins challenged me to a duel. Unable to deny the angered cries of my beloved followers, I agreed. We fought for 300 days and nights straight, neither side taking a break. Over the course of the battle, they sealed my power 17 times."
"You had your power sealed 17 times?!"
"That is correct."
"Look, not to sound like an asshole, but… that's kind of a skill issue honestly."
"…"
"Sorry. Continue." Reno clears his throat as he tries to move past his comment.
"Throughout the battle, my power was sealed 17 times. This is due to one of the twin's, Feyr's, power. He is able to take one's power and store it in gems created from his body. Through trial and error I found out the weakness of this ability, but unfortunately I was too late. Each time they sealed my powers, I was able to quickly recover them by combining myself with the stones. However, on the last time, they quickly sent the stones away before I could fully regain my powers. Ten of the twelve stones were scattered across the continent, the other two I managed to regain. Having no other option, I used one of my miracles to teleport away from the fight."
"You know, if I hadn't been brought here from another world I'd probably assume you were drugged off of something fierce." Reno gives Luna a skeptical gaze.
"I assure you, everything I tell you is true."
"Oh, I believe you, I'm just saying. So… what happened next?"
"Well, as you can imagine, me retreating upset the vast majority of my followers. I failed them, and in return they abandoned me. I do not resent them, nor do I hold any sort of animosity towards the twins. I simply wish to regain my powers and do what I can for those who still believe in me."
"But if you regain your powers won't the twins catch on?"
"That is precisely why I cannot be seen by any eyes other than yours. That is why I must rely on you to help me."
"I see… if I go around and collect a couple of your power stones, I can just play it off for at least a bit. But the moment you start collecting them, the twins will be alerted."
"Exactly."
"Is there anymore to the story?"
"Yes. After I left the fight, I quickly began losing my believers. Within two years, virtually all of my followers had abandoned their hope, leaving me for the twins."
"You said 'virtually'… You also said the other day that this village is the last one that still believes in you. So, is this village really all you have supporting you?"
"Yes, and it pains me every day knowing that I cannot help them or even show myself to them."
"I see…" Reno spaces off, losing himself deep in thought.
"Reno?" Luna slowly hovers in front of Reno's face.
"Luna… I don't think you're lying. Obviously I have no way of knowing, but I feel like you're being pretty sincere."
"Because I am. I would never lie to someone who's helping me."
"So, let me ask you something. If I help you, will you be able to send me back home?"
"That… is a difficult question."
"Explain to me. WHY is it difficult?"
"In order to be able to send people to and from this universe, I'd need the full extent of my powers."
"Okay, we were going to collect your power shards anyways."
"I did not intend on regaining all of my powers."
"Why not?"
"The twins each have a shard of my power. In order to regain them I'd have to fight them once again. I am not suited for combat; therefore the results will be the same."
"So I have to fight them then."
"…Come again?"
TO BE CONTINUED...