"That is a very brave statement," Taaia said as it floated toward him.
"I think I'm dying," Richard replied with a smile as he collapsed on the floor.
He didn't faint or anything; he simply sat down with such force that it was shocking, even to Taaia.
Understanding why he had done so, it immediately began to scan him to determine how serious his injuries were.
Richard, on the one hand, didn't know if he should ignore all this because his mind still told him that it was fake.
On the other hand, it told him that it was real; the pain he felt was proof of that. The things that should normally wake a person from sleep, he had experienced, and yet he was still here.
"You have multiple small injuries; however, based on your biology, they aren't anything serious. You can manage for now," Taaia replied after a while.
"Thank you," he said as he pulled off his shirt.
The more it touched the scrapes, the more it burned, so he needed it off. Finally, he paid attention to his new environment.
Richard found himself before a set of giant doors; they had reached the true entrance to the temple.
"Congratulations to you three who have made it to the top. In compensation for all your troubles, you are allowed to pick a Patron God who shall be in charge of you and your well-being from henceforth," the voice returned.
"Ayo… Before you continue being all God-like and stuff, can you at least tell us why we are here?!" Richard shouted in anger.
He had had enough. His entire body was full of injuries, and he had yet to even learn why he was doing all of this.
He understood that he was doing it because he hoped to learn whatever it was that language was, but even the most optimistic person would get angry at some point.
"Brazen, but I do not think you want to be using such a tone when talking to a God."
"Okay, I'm sorry, but can you at least tell us something? I mean, you guys dragged me from an entirely different universe here, so I believe I am entitled to know why."
"Choose your Patron, and they will explain. It is and has never been my place to tutor another's protégé," the voice replied before suddenly going silent.
"The Cthurian says that you are braver than you look; you only need to have the strength to back it up," Taaia suddenly said.
"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Richard asked genuinely.
"Says you should take what you have."
"Of course," Richard said as the thought of drowning the big cat passed through his mind.
"Cthurians, just like the cats of your world, are excellent swimmers. That wouldn't work. You would have a better chance of killing it by going through its impenetrable skin."
"I see."
Richard initially thought about it before, but now that he thought about it again, this big guy was Nature telling the entire universe, 'f**k you.' It was ridiculously large, fast, and even more durable.
Unlike him and Taaia, who had used elements in the temple to either break their fall or regain their balance, it had fallen directly and was the least affected among them.
If he were some smart or crazy scientist, he would be collecting as many DNA samples as he could to find out what made them what they were.
While the three bickered, a small spark of blue light was seen as what looked like magic circles appeared before them.
There were three of them, and they were made for them. The three didn't question it or even bother to check if it was a trap as they all entered each magic circle and stood there.
"Scanning… Based on attributes and wishes, here are the recommended patrons. Choose wisely," a new and almost robotic voice spoke.
"That's new," Richard remarked as he turned to see how the other two were doing.
He did so, only to find out that he was now in what could only be described as a world of void. There was nothing around him apart from blackness and the small blue holographic screen that had just manifested before him.
"Okay!" Richard said out loud to try and overcome the new awkward situation.
Focusing on the screen before him, Richard saw it grow larger as several markings similar to the ones on the board appeared again.
As usual, he couldn't recognize any of the symbols or markings, but he understood them perfectly. They were a list.
A list of gods he could choose from. Looking at the list and scrolling as much as he could, the list just continued to go on.
Thankfully, they were categorized based on type, age, and more. He could barely see a name he was familiar with, even after what felt like an hour of scrolling.
"So, no Earth gods then?" Richard asked out loud.
He didn't expect an answer and instead simply changed his style of search based on his preferences.
If he was allowed to choose any god as his Patron, that meant that those gods had no choice but to accept him no matter what, so he had to pick the best of the best.
"Tiamut… Isn't she like the titan mother of all dragons or something?" Richard said when he finally came across a name he was familiar with.
"Would she transform me into a dragon or what?"
Thinking about it carefully, this was probably a bad choice. Dragons, based on the media he had consumed, were lazy beings. Though they held great power and knowledge, they were beings that only had innate abilities.
Could one even learn innate abilities?
"Guess that's not it for me," Richard said but still bookmarked the option since it was available.
He spent the next hour scrolling again, learning about each god he thought was interesting. However, that all stopped when he came across a certain name.
It shouldn't be on the list because everything he knew about it pointed toward it being an artefact rather than a god.
However, if it was here, then it was the most obvious choice. Without any hesitation, he selected it as the world of black dissolved from around him.