Chapter 116: Always Something

Did I really need to do that? Any of that?

No, not really. I didn't need to order personally order Leon to lock up the Diviner, I didn't need to flare up with power and warn Matthias, I didn't need to kick him out of his own place as I wrest power from his hands like taking candy from a baby.

I didn't need to do any of that. I could have just as easily encouraged him to do as I say, like I did with Leriva at the beginning, and afterwards I could say that he's indebted to me and have him carry out my orders…slowly and unquestioningly.

I could have done that instead of pulling his pants down and designating him powerless in his own mini-Kingdom.

But I did anyway, because there isn't a second of time to be wasted now. Kaylin and Aren are in trouble and I've just put Kaylin on the stand, forcing her to choose between freaking kidnapping kids and finding a better way out of the mess I've made.

Both aren't easy choices to take.

With an exasperated huff I shift through the drawers, pushing papers out of the way until I find what I'm looking for. 

The rings.

His desk and these three rings all have a magical feel oozing off of them. There's a distinct difference to what I'm feeling but I'm not sure what that is yet, I'm sure I'll find out eventually.

The mana ring is useless to me since I can't use someone else's mana. I entertained the thought of destroying it but that would likely end up being counterproductive, I might need him battle ready in the future after all.

I decide to keep it. I'll hand it over to him once I know I can trust him with…his power, even now I half expect that proud man to barge into the room and start firing magic at me.

The other two intrigue me though, one could be a communication ring with the blue glow but I'm not feeling the same magic I feel from mine on it, and the other has a purple tinge to it, what could that mean?

Well, it doesn't matter. These enchantments and rings are meant to work on a single person at a time, it's useless to me. 

However, if it's something rather useful to a Mage, I think I'll like to make an order for myself.

All this and likely more. Matthias is certainly rich. I suppose Perlman and Leriva don't match up to him or the riches in his vault. A city is far different from a village after all.

Although, I wonder, with all these accessories he still got pushed back by the Cultists. If I had these as a certified B-rank Mage I don't think they'll be much trouble.

'Maybe he used all his skills and the Cult adapted to it all' I think. With a shrug I accept that it's possible, although it does lower my opinion of him as a Mage. 

My defeating the Gamma here means I could mop the floor with him now and likely tie with him before my levels and proficiency went up after defeating the Gamma here.

With a huff, I set the rings aside and get off the comfy desk chair and start wandering around again. I've seen all that there is to see in the main room, the office, but there's still the second room. 

I haven't been in there yet.

Expecting nothing, I push the door outward and I'm greeted to exactly that. Well, not exactly.

The second room is far larger than the main room, and reasonably so since it acts as living area for the Mayor.

An excessively large bed with a quilt that looks as soft as butter yet appropriately thick for the weather in Frozia. Like back home the floor is heated, I can feel it warming up my bare feet already.

There's one more door, although I'm sure it leads to the bathroom. The bit of wonder in the room however, are the windows.

For a medieval world I didn't expect to see such modern aesthetics here. The windows are large, wide and spread out in place of what would be the fourth wall of the room.

I do see why they're here though. The view it gives of the city from up here, with the snow and the dim lights…it's beautiful. 

Overall, it's not a bad place to stay in. 

Exhausted, I head over and start a bath, the bathroom is clean and tidy, I'm fortunate not to see any unpleasant things. With the water set at nigh scalding hot, I leave it to cool for a bit and head over to the bed instead; there's still something left for me to do before I can relax even for a second.

Lotar.

Sitting on the bed monk-style I close my eyes and clap my hands, ready to give the best approximation of a prayer to the damned Wolf.

"…Lotar, Great Spirit Wolf become Deity, I call on you, bring me to your presence and come to my aid."

…

Peeking an eye open to check, I find I'm still in the bedroom, sitting on the bed and not the floor of some mountain or valley or something.

Inhaling, I give it another shot, "…Lotar, Great Spirit Wolf become Deity, I call on you, bring me to your presence an-"

"Alright, alright, I hear you loud and clear."

Gasping, my eyes fly wide open and true enough, I've been transported to the mountain with the tree at the top once more. The sky is clear and sunny, the wind is mild, blowing gently against the land and rustling the leaves of the tree.

There, Lotar stands, the deity is different again. Still possessing a humanoid shape but now, instead of the androgenous stark naked look it had on before, it has…a wolf head and a very furry body.

…It turned itself into a werewolf of sorts.

"It's tricky getting prayers from here…ugh, what a hassle. I thought you were going to head back after killing that Cultist, why did you have to stay here and pray?"

I tilt my head, confused, "Here? Why is it tricky receiving prayers from Fro-"

"Ah-aha!" It yells, looking very odd with that wolf head sitting on a human body, "Don't mention her name here, I'm under enough pressure as it is…stingy."

Stingy?

"You mean…the Goddess of this place?"

It nods, "Yes, I'm pretty new the Deity business, but Gods and Goddesses are very territorial." He groans, rubbing his snout, "This particular Goddess…is pretty scary when it comes to her territory, I'm not nearly up to her strength even though she following in this area reduced to a pin drop nearly five hundred years ago."

"Five-hundred years ago? When Saia began to fall?"

Lotar gives me a look, like it's trying to read me, "Yes, I'm surprised you know that. Anyway, don't pray from here anymore, anywhere else outside here is good, Anera rules most of this Continent so she isn't afraid of a small pup like me." It chuckles.

Five-hundred years ago Frozia lost a large amount of her following, during that time Saia, Anselm's Kingdom, the Kingdom that existed in place of Ire back then, was beginning to fall.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the Synagogue came to power during this time as well. Staring at Lotar and his awkward werewolf like body, I know with all certainty that it knows what happened back then, it can fit in all the missing pieces for me, but it won't.

That's fine, I'll figure it out myself, but I've got other pressing questions for it.

"I've called you because we didn't finish our conversation before, we have to finish it now." I say firmly, standing to my feet as I say so, sure to meet its eyes. "Get rid of the hunger."

If a wolf head on a human body could smirk then that's exactly what Lotar does. "The hunger…it's a very effective incentive isn't it?"

"It's a liability. I can't focus on the things I have to get done, I've lost so much time and now I've got to pull in drastic measures t-"

It scoffs, "Your focus should be entirely on killing Cultists. You should hunt them…" another smirk, "…like a wolf, killing the Cultists should be the only thin that matters, it's the only thing that matters to me, even more so as I've become a deity."

"I obviously can't have it circle up my life, I've got other things to d-"

"That's not my problem, we had a deal…didn't we?" His snout wrinkles in a frown and it's lip is pulled over rather sharp looking teeth, "That deal didn't include your life. You wanted power; I wanted the Cultists dead. There wasn't anything in there about making our personal lives easier."

I can't help but tut at the Wolf deity, "So you're telling me that there's nothing you can do to make this deal of ours…more amenable?"

It looks surprised and put off by my smug attitude. It's my turn to smirk, "You shouldn't be so mean, Lotar. I can kill the most Cultists for you and you know it, it wouldn't be fair for you to lose me, not at this…crucial moments."

"You've only taken out four…only four after all this time. Your track record of killing them isn't as good as you think." It rebuffs.

I keep my smirk on, "Oh but I think it is. If you've been listening close and keeping an ear to the ground, you should know that Phien wants me to become an Alpha Warrior. How do you think it's going to accomplish that?"

Silence. The Wolf doesn't say a thing as I say this, just glares at me with an air of annoyance.

"You didn't think I prayed to you to remove the hunger intending to go on my knees and kiss your…feet? Paws? Both?" I shrug, "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but eventually even without me doing a thing and simply staying in one place, Phien will send his minions after me."

"Hahahah!" Lotar suddenly bursts into laughter, holding its stomach and wiping tears, the whole bit.

"What's so funny?" I ask a frown marring my face. 

"Oh, nothing. It's just, if I knew you were going to be so annoying, I wouldn't have given you a pact."

"Ugh, can you remove it or not?" I groan, for a second there I thought there was some major flaw in my thinking, but I'm glad and scared that I'm right. 

Lotar shakes its head, "Removing the hunger isn't as easy as you think, I may be a deity now but I am no God…at least…not yet. I can reduce the intensity by a bit but don't expect much, I am expending a lot of my strength just for you, if I fall any lower in power than this, I'll go back to being a Spirit Wolf and pet to HarlFary."

"Okay then, just do it."

It tuts at me, waging a hairy finger my way, "You haven't received a boon from me yet, if I reduce the hunger now, I won't have enough power to keep up the end of my deal and not keeping deals drains divinity. You have a choice to make."

There's always got to be something.