“Diablo, devour me… This is an ancient reptile!” Flay breathed. “But it’s so small…”
The former beast god endured Nega’s advances, covering her with vile breath, then loudly sniffed Flaygray and Anf, and approached Ripta. The reptiles exchanged brusque chirrups. The noise caught Sharkon’s interest, who ambled over, shaking the earth. Then the ground vibrated beneath us—Crash headed toward us. The party wouldn’t be complete without Iggy and Storm, so I summoned them.
Time was ticking. The Supreme Legate would revive soon. But I couldn’t help but spend a few minutes to hang out with those who I’d already lost once, and might lose again in the battle for the temple. They were my friends! Maybe some thought of them just as NPCs controlled as AIs, but for me, they were personalities. They knew they existed. And they could die.
“Alright, have fun,” I said to the zoo around me when it was time to go. “And feed Monty. I know you have something for him. I need to talk to the Sleeping Goddess.”
“Good luck, boss!”
As I climbed the temple stairs, I saw Tiamat waiting at its threshold. I could feel her presence even when I spoke to the guardians, but the goddess didn’t rush me. She waited while I traded jokes with my friends. Would Nergal have done that? Would the Nucleus?
“Greetings to you, our Initial! Behemoth told me that you would come later. It is right that you have come sooner.”
The goddess, now feeling no lack of faith, had gained power. Her avatar seemed more beautiful to me than ever. She had gained flesh. I could even smell perfume, feel the heat from her attractive body. There should have been laws against AIs playing as gods driving men insane with beauty, I thought. Maybe the artificial intellect dug around in my mind before incarnating herself as the perfect woman, and her avatar changed for everyone she spoke to. Did Flaygray see Tiamat as a perfect divine satyr? Or satyress…?
The Sleeper took me by the hand, led me into the temple. Saying nothing, she took my head in her hands and kissed me on the forehead. I felt the cold vacuum of space and the heat of a star’s core in her touch; Kingu’s favor, Abzu’s encouragement and the restrained joy of Leviathan. Behemoth stood in the background. I felt his pride for his Initial.
The quest that I’d had since the day I left the sandbox was now complete:
Sleeping God Behemoth quest complete: Second Temple.
You have created a new temple in the Lakharian Desert and conseci’ated it to the Sleeping Goddess Tiamat.
Rewards:
—
divine ability: Sleeping Justice
.
—
divine ability: Aid of the Sleepers
.
Experience: +1 tidllion.
Experience at current level (567): 281.34 bil/ 737-29 bil You leveled up! Current level: 567.
5 free attribute points available!
Your reputation with Tiamat the Sleeping Goddess has increased: +1000.
Current reputation: trust.
Your reputation with Behemoth the Sleeping God has increased: +200.
Current reputation: respect.
Your reputation with Kingu the Sleeping God has increased: +200.
Current reputation: friendship.
Your reputation with Abzu the Sleeping God has increased:—200.
Current reputation: friendship.
Your reputation with Leviathan the Sleeping God has increased: +200.
Current reputation: friendship.
Tiamat gave me time to familiarize myself with the rewards and think about how to use them.
Sleeping Justice, level 2
Divine ability.
This ability’s level is always equal to the number of active Sleeping God temples.
If you or your allies are attacked, your primary characteristics and vindication amount are doubled for every level of this ability.
Aid of the Sleepers, level 2
Divine ability.
This ability’s level is always equal to the number of active Sleeping God temples.
When an enemy dies, recover 20% health, mana and vindication for every level of this ability.
Threat rank increased! Current class: E.
My Threat level had increased—four ranks remained to my maximum potential. I might get another three for building the new temples and the abilities that Abzu, Kingu and Leviathan would grant me, but what then? What would the five Sleeping Gods’ final quest be? It was too soon to think about it, but I had to. What if Kiran Jackson was right? When the Sleepers awoke, would that mean the end of Disgardium?
Casting away my dark thoughts, I started figuring out my new divine abilities.
Sleeping Justice reminded me of Crag’s talent. Not as powerful as Nergal’s gift, but it didn’t just influence attributes—if I got attacked first, my vindication supply would quadruple up to almost nine million! Enough to finish off any player but Mogwai.
As for Aid of the Sleepers, right now, with two temples, each enemy I killed restored by resources by foil} percent. The skill was far better than it seemed—my Sleeping Vindication now had a range of over a mile, and if it killed someone, then… Nether, I could just stand there casting it over and over without even getting near my enemies— vindication would just keep filling up! Considering the explosion of Sleeping Vindication spread in all directions, I could just fly into the sky and fire it off from above!
Suddenly, I had a veiy good feeling about the upcoming battle.
“Thank you, Sleeping One!”
“There is something that you must know, Initial,” Tiamat answered. “My gifts will have power only when you are free of the undead curse. You are still under the control of the Nucleus of the Destroying Plague, although Behemoth holds it back. I cannot risk giving such power to one who may use it against us at any moment. Are you ready to live again?”
“Can you remove the undead curse from me and my friends?”
“Without doubt. The nature of the Destroying Plague’s weavings is not of this world. Dead flesh is dead. Its resemblance to life is unnatural, and has strength only with a direct connection to the Nucleus. I will cut it and reverse the rotting of your flesh.”
“Another very important thing. Do you know that I and some of my friends are not from Disgardium either?”
“The multiplicity of worlds and universes is at the foundation of all, Initial. We dream different dreams, and sooner or later, we wake to move and then sleep again, thereby
