Chapter 47. The Lightkeeper (3)
Yukhar stayed frozen, resembling the motionless shepherd’s crook he was holding. However, Isaac sensed a presence behind him.
Just as Yukhar tightly clung to the shepherd’s crook, a translucent figure appeared to be squeezing him with a grip that could crush him. It looked like a weird mix between a pig and something else, making it hard to pin down its true form.
“What’s your name?” Isaac asked.
The translucent pig squirmed and whispered, “[But it wouldn’t be fun to just tell you. I’ll give you a riddle.]”
“A riddle?” Isaac raised an eyebrow.
“[Yes… I am the cold sun…]”
“The treasure god Golruwa,” Isaac took a guess.
Golruwa seemed surprised, unable to respond.
Isaac immediately recognized the pig-like form. Golruwa was a notorious event monster in the game, known for issuing riddles and unleashing deadly monsters on players who failed to solve them.
“How did you know my name, hybrid? It should have been forgotten by now,” Golruwa questioned.
“Planning on asking an unanswerable question? You’re nuts,” Isaac retorted.
Isaac wasn’t shocked by the existence of an ancient god. He had a feeling when he learned about the sanctuary. The Nameless Chaos sensed not only the sanctuary but also the ancient god.
After absorbing the sanctity of Zihilrat, the Nameless Chaos desired more divine power.
Isaac glanced around the lavish sanctuary, realizing Yukhar had twisted it for his own gain.
“What were you up to here? Never mind, just go away,” Isaac said coldly.
Isaac’s tentacles lashed out towards Golruwa, while Zihilrat sprang from a hiding spot to join the attack.
Caught off guard, Golruwa couldn’t defend itself.
Or perhaps it lacked the ability to defend.
Isaac’s tentacles pierced through Yukhar’s chest, and Zihilrat swiftly ended his life. With fatal wounds in two places, Yukhar met his end almost instantly.
“You’re impulsive, hybrid paladin.”
Let’s try this:
Hey there, with his neck all twisted up, Yukhar somehow managed to get some words out. Even though it was Yukhar talking, Isaac could sense Golruwa’s vibe in there. Golruwa was still hanging on to Yukhar in this see-through form. Isaac wasn’t liking it, so he pulled back his tentacles.
“You’ve got power… But lucky for me, I’m not fully back yet. I’m stuck between what’s real and what’s not. Can’t take me out physically.”
This meant that Yukhar wasn’t the anchor keeping Golruwa a bit alive. Not even the shepherd’s crook. It just wasn’t a strong enough charm.
Golruwa, squeezing Yukhar tighter, spoke up.
“Let’s skip unnecessary fights, Paladin. I’m not big on battling.”
“Then why not just end yourself?”
[“…I’m the god of greed and treasures. Paladin, how about a deal?”]
Golruwa, also known as the god of wealth, had followers among traders until the Golden Idol showed up. While the Golden Idol, in whatever form, stood for deals, markets, and financial stuff done with others, Golruwa was all about straight-up greed, going for that monopoly.
“An old wicked god wanting to strike a bargain with a paladin?”
[“Don’t know who you follow, but you aren’t from the Light crew. So, what’s the harm? I don’t care about your background. I can give you what you’re after.”]
Golruwa reached out a hand to Isaac.
[“I see that greed in you, paladin. Want people to notice you? Craving that win in your hands? I got your back. Wouldn’t it be nice having a god by your side?”]
Isaac found this whole thing pretty funny.
Yeah, the Book of Light might have some issues with this, but other religions didn’t see deals as bad, long as their fundamentals weren’t messed with.
“What kind of deal are we talking about here?”
Isaac asked, pretty much knowing what Golruwa was gonna lay down.
And sure enough, Golruwa spilled the beans.
[“Help me become the big shot god of the Golden Idol.”]
***
Yukhar thought there wasn’t any divine being hanging out in the Golden Idol gang.
Now, there was definitely something protecting the followers of the Golden Idol, sort of felt in coincidences, luck, and hunches by Yukhar too. But it was more like a vibe, not a full-on god you can point to.
He wanted a god.
Just like followers of other faiths, he wanted a deity who’d answer prayers, do miracles, give guidance through priests, and send a paladin with a sword to fend off rival god-worshippers.
So, when Yukhar found the shepherd’s crook and traces of the god of wealth, he figured maybe he could step up and fill in the Golden Idol’s spot.
“Yukhar wanted to bring the god concept to life.”
“Bring it to life?”
[“To think, talk, judge, feel, get mad, reward, and punish. Like Elil, the Red Chalice, or the Immortal Emperor. Yukhar thought he could be the living version of the Golden Idol. With me as the fuel.”]
Golruwa chuckled as he spoke.
[“So, he went around borrowing hands to get me back in the game. Looks like he tapped into the Immortal Emperor’s crew’s power.”]
‘Not a surprise. When the old gods are involved, it’s usually got the Immortal Order’s prints all over it.’
Who else but the Immortal Order could lend a hand?
Seor, a city buzzing with trade at the edge of the White Empire. Strangers coming in, unidentified stuff rolling in. Just like Zihilrat, Yukhar probably didn’t need help from a Wallachia hunter.
But ended up roping one in, in a way.
“Man, for my big comeback, he totally sparked a fire of greed in Seor. I chipped in too, giving him the inside scoop on where to find the shepherd’s crook and riding the whole Lorekus craze for some sweet speculation. Gotta admit, chasing after money is one heck of a thrill, the more the merrier, am I right?” Isaac found Golruwa’s plan pretty darn reasonable.
The ancient gods couldn’t make a comeback because they were old news and had no followers left. But Golruwa had a plan to gobble up the followers of the Golden Idol, starting with the greedy folks in Seor.
Struggling to avoid going broke, the Golden Idol followers would latch onto the Loracus craze, fueling Golruwa’s power with their greed.
‘But Golruwa doesn’t actually make a comeback, huh?’
Even though Golruwa could pop up as a boss in the game, like Zihilrat, it was basically just a mid-level nuisance. It never got to full-on deity status; at best, it ticked off and frustrated players.
The flop of Golruwa’s plan was bound to happen, but the exact why and when were still a mystery to Isaac.
“But this feeble human is too frail and ancient to be my vessel. And the moment you figured out who I am, he came groveling, begging for a way out.” Golruwa sneered down at Yukhar.
“So, you wanna house my spirit, huh?”
“That’d be perfect… but you’re not up for it, are you?” Behind Golruwa’s see-through figure, a pair of eyes gleamed with avarice. A fit, young body, maybe even one with a touch of divinity, was the ideal vessel.
Yet, Golruwa wasn’t dumb enough to blow its chances by being too greedy. It excelled at slowly wearing down and then engulfing its targets with greed. Just like it did with Yukhar.
“Well, what do you say?” Unexpectedly, Isaac threw Golruwa off guard with his response. He spread his arms as if to say, go for it. Golruwa stared, puzzled.
“You offering up your body?”
“A savvy ancient god who can chat beats some random tentacle monster. And you wanna gobble up the Golden Idol guild to ascend to godhood? That’d give me a power boost in a flash.”
[The Nameless Chaos has its eye on you.]
[The Nameless Chaos is losing it at your wild comparison.]
Isaac brushed off the messages from The Nameless Chaos and approached Yukhar as if he was totally cool with the deal. Golruwa wondered if Isaac had a trick up his sleeve. But even if he did, Golruwa wagered it wouldn’t do any harm.
It was already feeding off the greed in Seor and could linger in a state between life and death as long as that greed fueled it, until it found a body to inhabit fully.
Isaac didn’t seem like he’d pull a fast one on himself right after the possession either.
Most of all, Golruwa sensed a massive hunger for power within Isaac. He actually believed he could swallow Golruwa up and claim it as his own.
Just like he did with Yukhar.
Golruwa cackled maniacally and pounced at Isaac.
“HAHAHA! Your greed’s got me hyped! Alright, we’re gonna make a killer team! Let’s take over the world together!”
As Yukhar’s body dissolved, Golruwa’s see-through form surged toward Isaac like a tidal wave. Isaac stood there with open arms, welcoming Golruwa’s takeover. Golruwa sensed endless potential and profound divinity within Isaac.
And then, it stumbled upon an unimaginable abyss.
***
‘What the heck is this? What in the world?’ Golruwa was thrown for a loop by a vast emptiness unlike anything it had ever experienced within a human.
Even a dead god still had some divine vibes going on. Souls were so huge and grand, it was like comparing a minnow to an ocean for Golruwa.
‘Dude, seriously, what is happening here?’
Golruwa felt this weird vibe creeping up on it for the first time.
Yep, it was fear of the unknown.
To the god of wealth, knowledge was as cool as finding buried treasure. It loved picking up new info and exploring. It was down for new stuff usually. But this darkness, this void, was a whole different deal. Golruwa knew that once it grasped what was beyond the darkness, things would go irreversible.
Fear started to kick in.
It was shook by the idea of knowing, not knowing, and the whole idea of getting to know stuff. The shiver it let out was as weak as a fading whisper.
But someone woke up to that whisper.
[The Nameless Chaos is keeping an eye on you.]
In the vast darkness, just as endless as the darkness itself, countless eyes were fixed on Golruwa. It took Golruwa a bit to spot a being drifting in the dark abyss.
A familiar one.
The plague god, Zihilrat. A god’s corpse just drifting. Then, bam, like minced meat, it got wrecked by huge tentacles shooting up from the darkness.
Before Golruwa could even wrap its head around what was happening, it got torn apart.
***
“AAAAAAAH!”
It was like less than 3 seconds before Golruwa lunged at Isaac and got tossed away. At least that’s how Isaac saw it.
Back in Yukhar’s body, Golruwa squirmed on the ground, screaming like it was being ripped to shreds, trying to scurry away.
“Ughhh.”
Crunch, crackle!
Isaac didn’t get through this unscathed either. Tentacles shot out from his bod like the Nameless Chaos was going wild. Normally, those tentacles only showed up on his left palm unless stuff got serious, but now they were sprouting from everywhere.
Isaac was just engulfed in squirming tentacles. And the Nameless Chaos, still in a rage, was trying to wreck Yukhar.
Isaac had to get mad too.
[“Get back in your place! Go back in!”]
He scolded like he was talking to a naughty pup, hitting till the tentacles finally withdrew. Even though it was planned, Isaac was kinda surprised by the over-the-top reaction.
Finally, as the tentacles backed off, the Nameless Chaos put out a warning.
[The Nameless Chaos wants to make it clear you’re its property.]
