Chương 13: What in my name?

Joshua Steel was in his dragon form, lazing on a mountain. His magic made sure that no one, be it humans or digital cameras, could see him. The reason was simple. It felt good. Being in his human form felt stuffier than it used to nowadays. He really needed to stretch in his actual form. It was similar to finally scratching an itch that had been bothering you all day.

"Ahhh… this is just nice." He let out a contented sigh. His tail casually played with the canopy of a tree while his wings slowly folded and unfolded. There was another thing that bothered him. At first, when he had gotten this massive body, he had been hungry almost all the time. But now? He had seemingly lost his appetite and his need for drinking. He figured that this had to do with him not being a literal dragon, but a god seed.

"Do gods even need to eat, sleep, or drink?" He poked his nose thoughtfully. Now that he thought about it, he had only gone to sleep because it was night, not because he was actually tired.

"Hell nah. I'm still going to eat and drink. Who would cut out two of the best joys in life?" He chuckled. Then he heard something about a mile away in the forest. In less than ten seconds, he was back in his human form, wearing his hiking outfit, and casually walking down the trail.

"Afternoon," the first hiker waved at him.

"Hi. Have a good trip." Josh waved back at the duo. As soon as he was out of earshot, he sighed.

"I'm so happy my hearing is crazy good." Even with his invisibility, he was still there, right around the trail, talking to himself. He decided to leave before they noticed anything strange. Better not to cause a problem. He still drove his car, not out of necessity, but simply because he enjoyed it. When he got home, he kicked off his shoes and was immediately greeted by Princess, who nearly tackled him with her enthusiasm.

"Good afternoon, master. I made a nice quiche for dinner." Kate placed a plate on the table. Beside it sat a chilled beer. On Kate's finger was a magic ring he had made for her. It only did one thing: anyone looking at her would see a young, normal woman instead of the calico cat maid. The same ring was on his butler's finger as well. Felix looked relatively human, although his gaze and unnatural hair were still a dead giveaway that something about him was not quite normal.

"Sir, I deplore to state that I could not find any work around this small home," Felix said with a sad tone. He looked almost desperate to do something.

"Well, why not walk Princess in the park? She can be a handful. Bring her toys too." Josh waved him off.

"Also, I might look up a bigger home. Maybe a small manor of sorts."

"I would advise a castle at the least." Felix's eyes glinted.

"Yeah… maybe not. That's a bit too much." Josh shook his head as he took a bite of the quiche.

"Oh, this is five-star quality!" He chuckled. Felix, meanwhile, was already thinking about how he could change his master's mind. But as a butler, his life's goal was to fulfil his master's wishes. So he kept his thoughts to himself… for now. - - - - - - - - - - - Piur stood on top of the hill. It was the same hill he had first seen after hatching. Down beneath that same hill was a small settlement of kobolds.

No matter how far a kobold gets from their place of birth, the place imprints itself in their mind so they can always find their way home. The memory of human knights razing this place to the ground and bagging up newborn kobolds was still vivid in his mind, even though several years had passed since then. He raised the gnarled staff he had gotten along the road and let out a majestic, if somewhat high-pitched, cry.

"Raaaaa! Prophet Piur has arrived! All this world will be conquered in the name of our god, Joshua Steel!" His indomitable faith literally turned the light behind him into a faint outline of his divine god, making all the kobolds in the settlement fall to their knees. - - - - - - - - - -"Oh boy," sighed Josh, who was actually checking up on the small warlock.

"I really should do something about this…" He scratched his chin for a second before shrugging.

"But then again, he is having the time of his life." Josh thought about it for another moment.

"Nah, what could a handful of little guys do? I'm sure nothing bad will come of this." Instead, he was having an issue of his own. Trying to take a look at Gaix had suddenly become a problem. The warlock's prayer alerted him as he was checkin on Piur. The system alerted him that, due to the time dilation, he would have to step out of his realm to see him. After a few seconds of hesitation, he shrugged and simply pressed "OK."

Time seemed to freeze in the real world as his soul took a step out of his body and the window opened. Gaix and his party were barely breathing on a beach, surrounded by a ton of dead monsters, with a colossal turtle lying dead beside them. The reason Josh needed to go and check on Gaix was simple. The man wanted to burn a thousand points for a major wish. - - - - - - - - - - - - Gaix had been sitting for two hours now before his offering bowl.

The boss had used some kind of crazy attack, and the item the party had specifically bought for this occasion had not worked. The wave attack hit everyone. Bastion had jumped in front of him, sacrificing two legs and almost his life, giving Gaix just enough of a chance to deliver the killing blow to the boss. Rubeon had one leg sitting at an awkward angle, while Rook's shield had shattered and taken his arm with it. Mira had managed to dodge the worst by flying away, but she was still hit and knocked unconscious.

The faun and the dwarf were both at death's doorstep, and only the potions that had survived on Gaix's belt had saved them from dying. Still, the party was in tatters. Gaix knew that only one person… or rather, one god… could help. So he decided to just burn it all. A whole thousand points. The system had told him that, due to the time dilation, his Patron might need a bit of time to contact him. So he gritted his teeth and used all the bandages he had, even sacrificing a shirt to stop the bleeding of the others.

"Gaix! What happened?" A majestic voice came from the sky.

"MY LORD!" Gaix fell to his knees.

"I used up a thousand Wish Points. Please save everyone. That is all I ask!" He begged as he hugged Bastion, who was still out cold.

"Not a problem. This is the least that I can do when my favourite warlock is in a sticky situation." Joshua's voice came through, clean and loud. A moment later, a green wind blew in from the ocean. Anything it touched began to heal or regrow. Wounds closed, limbs either reattached themselves or simply grew back, broken bones snapped into place without any pain, and vitality flooded through the entire party.

"It has been a long while since I gave you a spell, this is something I had been planning on giving you once you made a wish. Consider it a bonus." Joshua's voice faded, and the godly aura disappeared. Gaix stared in awe before his system window suddenly popped up. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Divine wish granted. Bonus magic has been granted: "Absolute Zero." He immediately checked the spell's description.

"Absolute Zero - Ice Spell - Archmage Level Projectile which, on impact, freezes the target's insides. Times of use per day: 2" Gaix's jaw almost hit the floor. This was a boss-killing spell, just like the one Rubeon had used. - - - - - - - - - - - - Since Josh was already checking on people, he also took a look at Wren. Thankfully, the late teen had taken his advice and used the money he gained from the few raids he had been on to study.

Monster lore, butchery, and dungeon traps were the main books the kid was reading. He had gotten a major fright when he nearly died from an obvious trap, and his party had decided to drop him because he was a liability. At least the boy was persistent, as Josh himself would have snoozed off while reading these books. They were less about teaching and more about explaining everything in a super-dry tone. Whoever had written them was likely a person who cared little for their readers.

Josh chuckled as he closed the window. Just as he was about to ask for a homemade pizza, a new window popped up.

"Gaix Tahinor reached maximum faith level. 10, 000 Patron Points have been awarded. Level Up. Patron Level Eight reached. Patron may bless statues built in his image. Blessed statues may grant long-lasting or instant blessings to praying followers. Blessed statues drain Patron Points daily based on the blessing stored within them."

"Okay… this is new." Josh smiled. - - - - - - - - - - - - Gaix had seen priests heal others before. Even divine saints could not regrow limbs more than four times a day. His deity had saved the entire party and had even granted him an Archmage-level spell equal to a Hero skill. His heart fluttered as he felt something new. He no longer simply trusted his Patron. This was far more. He knew that if Joshua asked him to kill himself, Gaix might do it on the spot. Absolute faith.

His system window appeared, and his eyes darted from line to line.

"Gaix Tahinor reached maximum faith. Due to deeds and standing, Lawful Good, he is rewarded with the title: White Warlock. Randomly sacrificed items may now grant Wish Points based on quality." He read further.

"Bonuses for title include: Minor Physical Boost, Minor Regeneration, Major Vitality Boost. Warning: Losing the title will include losing these bonuses."

"White… Warlock." Gaix grinned. This was something he had only read about once.

"The Arch Magister will lose his mind hearing this." He laughed out loud. The team woke two hours later. Gaix counted the time, and they still had another two hours left on their paid dungeon slot. He was quite sure, however, that nobody would be pressing onward. Their armor and equipment were all messed up, and everyone looked like they had barely survived.

"H… how are we alive?" Dalius looked down at his legs, which he remembered losing right as the item failed to protect them.

"No idea." Aborna sat up, his axes still buried in the sand beside him. Rook also woke, expecting his left arm to be gone. Instead, there was a fresh new limb in its place. None of his old battle scars remained on it. He gently touched it with his gauntleted right hand and felt the cold metal against his fingertips. His gaze then landed on Gaix, who was sitting beside a pile of monster cores. His clothes were dirty, his hands were still shaking, and Bastion was leaning against his side.

"Gaix?" he asked, his mouth dry.

"Did… did you do this?"

"Yes, well, no…" Gaix shook his head.

"It was my Patron god, Joshua Steel. I sacrificed half a year of accumulated standing with my god to save you all."

"Mira is in Gaix's debt." The bat woman suddenly hugged Gaix from behind. Rubeon did not say a word. Instead, he walked over to Gaix, pulled out a green gemstone about the size of an acorn, and handed it to him.

"This is a Wish Stone from my Patron, Cthulhu. I ask you to sacrifice it for your god. Your Patron saved my life. As honour demands between warlocks." Rubeon knelt down and waited for the deed to be done. If his Patron found this way of being saved by another warlock's Patron unacceptable, he was willing to take the punishment. Gaix bit his lip. He also knew that Patron gods were usually at odds with each other. Having an enemy save one of their accepted servants was normally a black spot on their ego.

This meant that if Cthulhu was not okay with Joshua's intervention, Rubeon might be punished… severely. Still, he had to do it.

"How about we also sacrifice the core of the boss?" Rook added.

"It might help. Might as well, you know? Money doesn't matter as much as a possible way out for our friend."

"You guys…" Rubeon sniffed, wiping his eyes. They carefully placed the massive core onto the offering bowl. The enormous gemstone almost tipped the bowl over, as only its base could actually fit inside. - - - - - - - - - - - - Not even ten minutes had passed since his last interaction with Gaix when Josh was alerted to a new offering. He only managed to ask Kate to whip up a nice pizza for him before checking on the incoming items. One was a core of a size he had never seen before.

It was quite easy to guess that it had come from that massive turtle boss monster. The other one was a tiny object. A Cthulhu shard.

"What the?" Josh poked the strange stone when a salt-smelling portal suddenly opened in his living room. Felix appeared in a cloud of purple mist, a set of deadly-looking daggers already in hand and his body standing in a battle-ready pose. Kate rushed out from the kitchen a moment later, her fur bristling and a kitchen knife clutched tightly in one hand.

"Calm down, guys. I think this one is a friend." Josh raised his hand.

"Indeed I am his bestest of friends," came the voice of the man walking into the living room. He wore a casual outfit with a long green scarf draped around his neck.

"Cthulhu." Josh smiled.

"Been a while." He offered his hand for a shake.

"Was it? Couldn't tell." The newcomer raised an eyebrow as he shook Josh's hand.

"I see you have a shard of mine. May I have it?"

"No problem." Josh gently placed the shard into his palm.

"You have no idea what you could have done with this, do you?" Cthulhu rolled the object between his fingers.

"I am guessing I could have asked for something crazy in exchange for it?" Josh smirked.

"Bingo." Cthulhu nodded.

"Saving another god's warlock comes with a few rules, you see. If your enemy god saves your warlock, they can humiliate you or ask you to give them a percentage of your followers as food. All your warlocks summon a shard of you when they are saved by another Patron. If you deny the request, they can shatter that shard, which deals permanent damage to your soul."

"Well, it's a good thing I wouldn't ask a thing from my BFF." Josh gave Cthulhu a thumbs-up. The eldritch god blinked. Then he laughed so hard that a minor earthquake rolled over the city. Several car alarms went off nearby.

"Oh, you are a joy." Cthulhu patted Josh on the shoulder.

"Hmm… I cannot say what, but something will happen to you in the near future, and you need to be ready. Steel your heart and your will, as even I will be unable to help during it."

"What?" Josh stared at him. But the god simply put a finger over his mouth before walking through his portal. The portal closed behind him.

"Shit." Josh muttered to himself.

"That sounded ominous as hell." - - - - - - - - - - Gaix watched as the offerings disappeared, and his newly acquired title immediately granted him fifty Wish Points for the boss core. Next to him, Rubeon's eyes rolled back for a moment before his entire body began to shine. When the light faded and his eyes opened again, he blinked several times before finally speaking, his voice shaking.

"You… you absolute menace." Rubeon grinned at Gaix.

"You had no idea that Joshua Steel and Cthulhu are literally best friends?!" The whole team almost fell over from the shock.

"SAY WHAT?!" The team decided to pack up and leave. If they sold all their loot, this whole trip might just break even. Also, despite the joy of being alive, there was a very important matter they needed to handle. A merchant had sold them a faulty item. In any other case, this would already have been a massive issue, but this was not some minor item. It had been specifically designed to be used during the second boss's last phase. Meaning this could easily be called attempted murder of an entire team.

As they walked out, some adventurers looked stunned. This team, whose armor looked like it had gone through hell and back, did not have a single scratch on them.

"Their healer must be a beast," one person muttered from the side. The whole team was on edge, but Mira was the best at spotting trouble. She suddenly noticed a man in an alley who rushed away as soon as they walked out. Mira immediately took flight. Ten minutes later, she returned with a frown.

"Mira lost them," she sighed.

"No worries, Mira. The fact that this was sabotage already helps us," Rook noted as he sat down in the inn's gathering room.

"So what's the plan now?" Bastion asked, his tail flopping from side to side.

"We report the merchant and also tell them that we suspect sabotage, not simply a failed object," Rook said as he pried his dented armor off piece by piece.

"Shouldn't I sniff them out?" Bastion asked, his tail shooting up.

"No." Gaix petted him on the head.

"You are a defender. Besides, I would be devastated if I lost you. Might even get punished by Joshua." That did it... Bastion quickly sat back down.

"Well, you turned me into a believer," Rook laughed.

"Same here, lad." Aborna rolled his shoulder.

"His healing even fixed the shoulder pain I had been carrying for years."

"Mira will offer a prayer to Joshua Steel," the bat woman said cheerfully.

"Right." Gaix nodded with a smirk, but his expression soon turned serious.

"I would bet neither of our Patrons would be happy about this news." He turned toward Rubeon, who had been rather quiet ever since they left the dungeon.

"Oh… sorry." The warlock shook his head.

"I was thinking."

"About what?"

"Two new spells were granted to me by my Patron," Rubeon admitted.

"You got spells too?" Gaix chuckled.

"I got Absolute Zero, an Archmage-level spell I can use twice a day." The whole team went wide-eyed.

"I got a summoning spell for a tentacle beast and… a healing spell." Rubeon paused.

"Ironic." The team then continued discussing their plan, figuring out how to get the situation under control and, more importantly, how to find whoever was responsible for the sabotage.