I paced.
I paced...mentally, that is.
Ever since Jaune, that Faith girl and the Hands entered the forest, I had lost most of my awareness of them. I could...sense them vaguely, but it was like I was looking at a blurry screen from across the room that went to static every few moments. There were sensations of...resolve and determination every so often.
I worried and paced and prodded at the barrier separating me from my Blade. He was the easiest to sense...relatively speaking. I knew he was alright; steady on his path and...damn, he was utterly doubtless in the belief that I was with him and his men.
I was just glad I pressed my blessings upon them before they entered the...huh…
...my other Hands were on the move.
I turned my attentions back to the village and saw them gathering near the eastern edge of the settlement. They were getting ready….to face the three hellhounds stalking closer and closer.
Fuck.
Now that they hounds were out in the open, I got a clear look at their size and they out-massed four men in armor combined. The rippling muscle and various spikes...my Hands would have a hard fight ahead of them.
I refreshed the blessings I had placed upon them and hoped for the best.
Wait, one of them is doing something. He's taking a knee and praying...and...whoa, I just got a plea for a decent portion of power. Enough to power the same blessing for an army of thousands. Not something that would put a severe dent in my pool of worship, so I gave the power to the praying man freely.
I watched as he began to glow with my Light and...fuck, is he casting Smite using my Light?!
The pooled power I gave him shot up into the sky...and crashed back down on the hellhounds like the fist of an angry god...this here angry god, in particular. The hounds staggered and...fell over, dead.
Guess Smite in this reality is literally calling upon a deity to smite the enemy…
...why doesn't Jaune do something similar? Hmm, maybe he never learned to Smite? This guy...a red head with an awesome beard had a tinge of another god. One of...uh...feels like justice and order. Dunno which god that is...not yet.
I sent a...pulse of approval to him and the belief in return began to restore the used up worship. Good man, that...uh...Maximilian of House Gellesch of the Anderfell nations.
...wait, is this guy a noble or something? I peered in and...yep, a minor noble. Just landless and the second son of the fifth son of a count. No chance of inheritance or anything. Glad he was with me. He had a very competent air about him and...looks like Jaune named him the second-in-command.
Good choice.
I peered deeper to get a better idea about Maximilian and...he wasn't a pure man, but he was a good one. He had less than noble thoughts concerning wealth and power, but he's...ah, he's seeking redemption.
Redemption for causing his family trouble…
...he wanted to marry a peasant girl...they refused and…
...
...he denounced his blood relations and eloped with her...and she's back at the keep my Hands called home. Huh, I like this guy. Sure he ain't the greatest looking or strong, but a good man all the same.
I feel like this guy will go far. He's certainly charismatic and passionate enough. Once the Hands get more men, I'll likely encourage Jaune to give Maximili...Max more responsibilities, maybe as a commander of a regiment or small settlement.
Maybe I'll even get Jaune to...hmm, getting ahead of myself. Let's just get Altria and Jaune ready first.
…
...wait, what day is it?!
I shifted a portion of my awareness back to Altria, who was standing out in a field outside of Calth. She looked...lost. I sent a pulse of questioning to Esme and got...huh, it's Altria's nameday.
My lack of attention seems to have shaken her faith, just a bit. She was expecting...an extravagant and showy sign of her ascension…
...this reminds me of something…
...wow, either this is all a big coincidence or I'm being railroaded by a higher power…
Altria stood forlornly in the middle of a field. The city of Calth is off in the distance, the flags fluttering in the breeze. She gazes up at the sky, not really at me but I can feel her gaze...and the question it carries.
'Are you there, Lord Kadmon? Are You still watching me? Or has this all been...has my belief in Your presence been a fantasy…? It's the evening of my nameday and yet...there has been nothing. No sign of Your Will or Sir Jaune...am I not Your Champion!? Have I not done as was required of me? I've studied and prayed and spent all these years readying myself for Your service. Have I done wrong?'
If I wasn't able to sense the innermost thoughts and emotions of the girl, I'd almost think she was angry. But she's not...just lost and starting to feel doubt. She had woken this morning believing either Jaune or I myself would appear in the sunrise with a hand extended. Then the whole day of whispers of her friends and neighbors and shouts of defamation from the priests of Calth.
She spent the whole day looking for a sign...even a knowing nod from a shadowed figure. But I was distracted and...I need to make this up to her. She's finally letting it all out and I need to make this THE most memorable moment of her life.
...sorry Nasu, but I'm stealing a scene from FATE.
Gathering a very considerable portion of my pool of worship, a literal mountain's worth compared to the house-sized portion I gave to Max, I carefully shaped the massive amount of energy into the perfect shape.
A sword.
It was a longsword with a hand-and-a-half grip. The cross guard was that of the Aquila, the two headed eagle with its wings spread. The pommel had an iridescent golden jewel shaped like an arrow. The colors were simple; shining steel for the blade, golden filigree and deep red for the grip.
As an afterthought, I crafted a deep red scabbard with wording etched into the side.
'Terranis Holds'
There. A marvelous weapon and a surprise for later all in one. Granted, the power within each one is more than enough to take on any enemy is a great feature.
Nodding to myself, I took up the sword and sent it hurdling down to the planet, aimed perfectly at the large stone Altria stood by. Thinking again, I surrounded the blade and its path with shining, golden light.
Let's see how she likes this…
---------------------------------------------
Altria, daughter of Madline, daughter of Din and descended of the line of Altia, stood in the outlying field of Calth. It had been years since she'd even felt a shred of doubt. Always, she could feel a...presence at her side. It was warm like a well-fed fireplace on a winter's night and never did she once believe that Lord Kadmon was not by her side.
But today, the one day she'd been waiting for...that she'd prayed would arrive...she felt nothing. Where there was once a presence of warmth was a void of cold ice. The confidence she once had seemed to have fled completely and…
...with the gaze of everyone in town, Altria doubted.
She lost her belief that she had a great destiny before her, one equal if not greater than the legend of her ancestor, Altia, the Hero-Maiden of the Land of Parth.
Looking up one last time, she got up and began her trek back to Calth. Hopefully she'd get home without running into an-...
Suddenly, the sky brightened as if it was the morning come again and a pillar of light engulfed her. Warmth, oh so familiar warmth surrounded her and she felt it once again:
Kadmon was watching...He is here!
Turning her gaze to the sky, she watched as a star fell from the heavens and impaled itself into the stone she had been sitting on. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed upon the blade.
It was an exquisite weapon, a masterwork beyond anything mortal hands could craft. A peerless edge adorned with golden filigree and the Aquila of Lord Kadmon. It seemed to shine with an unseen light and…
...the golden light and warmth disappeared and she was left once again in the cold of the world. Altria shivered and could faintly hear the echoes of people making their way here from Calth. A chilling breeze whipped about her and she could hear a voice…
Looking around, she spotted an old man shrouded in robes made of dark feathers. She balked and took a step back at the sight of him and his gnarled wood staff in hand. Altria was ready to grab the sword when he spoke…
...she could do naught but listen.
"Look upon the sword, Altria… Gaze upon its magnificence but do not ignore what lies beneath its wondrous light."
And she looked upon the sword again, shining glow and all. There was a sense of foreboding now that she really looked. The old man spoke again as she gazed upon the now-imposing blade.
"The sword is a not a gift, but destiny clad in peerless steel. Take up the sword and you will begin your journey. Take up the sword and you will be blessed with the full might of His Light. Mortal weapons will not harm you and never shall your blood be spilt. With a single swing, you shall topple castles and shatter armies. Truly, you will be a Champion not seen in centuries."
It was truly awe inspiring. Altria could see what the old man described. She stood at the head of an army clad in yellow and red, sword shining in her upraised arms as armies parted before them. But she had to ask…
"But what lies beneath the glory…?"
He smiles sadly and gestures at the blade...and it becomes stained with blood…
"The sword, though wondrous and all but assures your destiny as His Champion...is still a sword. It is a blade made for rending of flesh and cleaving of bone. It will bring untold glory...but immense death. Should you take up the sword, you will no longer be human, but a Champion of His Light and the Herald of His Kingdom Beyond the Stars."
There was a brief pause and the world seemed to grow darker.
"Never shall you age nor shall be tainted by disease. Time shall pass you by as you watch the world crumble and your comrades age to dust. Truly it is a blade of victory...endless, unceasing victory. Shall you take up the sword, Altria...or shall you turn back and live the life you should have lived, had Lord Kadmon never chosen you?"
Already she could hear the hoofbeats of the coming knights and the cries of the men astride their steeds. She turned her gaze from the sword to the old man...and saw not a beggar shrouded in a robe of dark feathers, but a young man clad in golden armor of the purest light.
"Lord Kadmon…!"
She could not speak as he...He kneeled before her! She could not help but cry to see her lord...her God kneel at her feet. He looked deeply into her eyes as He spoke again.
"This is your moment, Altria. Take up the sword and take the first step on the path I have set before you. It will be long...and it will be bloody. The people shall cry both for your glory and your blood. Countries will burn and be uplifted by My Light. You will be My Champion and the Herald of My Kingdom…
...but you can turn back. You can turn back now and deny the path I've created. You have this choice, dear one. You do not have to cast aside your humanity…"
Crying softly, Altria watched as Lord Kadmon dissipated into golden motes of light and lifted back into the heavens. Yet still the sword remained. Stepping forward, she traced the grooves of the Aquila.
"Take up the sword...or turn back…"
She mumbled and shivered against the cold of the world. In moments, the knights would arrive and she'd…
...she could be a normal girl. She could have a family...and…
...and watch as the land changed and the gods clashed and…
...she steeled her resolve…
...and took up the sword.
With a great heave, she lifted the sword clean out of the stone. Light once again fell from the skies above. Warmth and golden presence enshrouded her. She felt His hand upon her shoulder and His smile…
Altria took up the sword and embraced her destiny.