Chapter 93: Rolling for Initiative

The showboating lesser god talked to the crowd, giving further details as required of the host, and he seemed to be enjoying the attention. A few devils were asking Dionysus about the finer details regarding locations outside of this ’fragment’ and if they were selectable. And it seemed to be an option, but lesser beings wouldn’t be able to see them.

All Rachel could think about was having a fight in the middle of Times Square against a giant, the people having no clue that they were fighting in the area like ghosts.

Her ears tilted toward Eostre as the woman touched her arm; she wore a thoughtful smile, seemingly figuring she was now, at the very least, a tad safer from Dionysus’ focus as the games went on.

"I was always content with my small role and place in the higher order in everything, yet then my whole world changed. One second, I was spending time in the glades, enjoying myself with some of my worshipers, and the next, my world was falling apart... Crushed into this...mangled mess where all time and perception merged...

"When I was swept into the Nightmare, I was sure my end would be in a twisted and broken state worse than death when my usefulness dried up... Yet you have given me new hope just now. I just wanted you to know that."

"Huh." Rachel tilted her head to the side. "I never thought that god-like beings would feel hopeless or powerless; there’s always someone stronger, I guess. It’s nice knowing you’re not some stuck-up, holier-than-thou spirit without emotion. You’re afraid?"

She held her arm and looked back at the chair she’d been strapped to, swallowing her nerves. "It isn’t only me... Everyone is afraid of these Seeds and Crystals. It is only a matter of time before the chosen humans who received them rise to the challenge or subjugate us, yet...we can also unify with you mortals to participate in that growth..."

Her tone became melancholy as she looked away. "Not that Cerridwen or I have... She blessed you, but that has no bearing on her resonating with your Seed. It is you who must allow such a union and accept it willingly; the Seeds will accept nothing less, and that makes the lesser gods nervous.

"No one knows where these came from, how the greater deities were sealed away, or how we got here. We are looking for answers as much as the mortals. Whatever this was, it came outside of our individual multiverses... Much the same as the Crystals."

Rachel rubbed her chest as she processed the woman’s confession; she was certainly thinking better of Eostre as time went on. In a way, she reminded her of Zoe, only a bunny instead of a cat.

"So...we have two different Seeds, one ’malnourished,’ needing to be unlocked? And there’s another, and one may consume the other? Hunters and prey. We can’t know if any of this is connected...

"Hmm. Two Seeds...and Crystals that force conflict between mortals and, apparently, deities, as well. Probably prompting this ’unity’ or need for divine factions to form in order to protect themselves from the invasions.

"A maelstrom of universes smashed together and a cold war between lesser deities trying to get stronger by using the mortals’ connection to these powerful Seeds.

"Finally, a barrier that is keeping out the gods and whatever is above them... Heh. All of them could be totally unrelated or connected. We have ourselves a mystery," Rachel grinned, ears tilting to the side with sudden excitement at solidifying some useful information. She could get all sorts of concessions from Tom with this news.

Her cheer dampened slightly when the world shifted, and she was standing on a platform in the middle of the stadium across from Conner; it was then that their ’host’ bellowed for all to hear, "Let the crucible begin; prepare your dice!"

Rachel’s lips twitched as she reached out to take the twenty-sided die that floated in front of her; it brought back Zoe’s Dungeons and Dragons explanation.

This whole quest was about more than just winning; it was about entertaining the crowd and host to convince them to spare what was left of this devastated world. She suspected the original crowd of aliens, monsters, or whatever other attacking force had been intended for this battle had been killed by Dionysus, as the Arbiter had.

From what the Arbiter said, Dionysus has to follow the script, and if he doesn’t... Something will come to collect and set things right. You are an entertainer, but how good are you at following the rules?

Shaking the die in her hand, the lesser god presented giant reflections of their die for the crowd to see, and Rachel tossed it at the ground, far below, as Conner did it in the provided little box.

Conner: 16.

Silence overtook them as her slung die skipped and tumbled across the stone until it stopped.

Rachel: 15.

Conner had the first round.

The rolls for the selection came next; a fuzzy, small, blue panda-like creature popped up across from Dionysus—the crowd selection. It blinked its big brown eyes before reaching out to take the die, stuck its tongue out, and chucked it into space.

Rachel lifted an eyebrow as it exited the atmosphere, yet the large die projection above them rolled nonetheless as everyone laughed with the eager blue panda. Allowing her misfortune senses to guide her throw, just as the crowd’s die hit, she rolled.

Conner: 19

Dionysus: 20

Crowd: 1

Rachel: 2

The lesser god grinned and pointed at the sky before looking toward Rachel. "I think we’re all a little curious, so I’ll start with a stone plateau...where we will all be under a black moon."

Eostre’s concerned voice whispered into her mind. "The black moon is not a new moon, void moon, obsidian moon, or any other variant... It is a dark gateway to realms of living nightmares made real, composed of a dream entity that feeds on hope. There’s no way of telling how it might affect you!"