3 Meeting a God

Within minutes, Kai heard strong knocks on his door. He jumped up in fright at the sudden noise, all frayed nerves and tensed muscles after hearing Kara's proclamation that he could be in danger.

Snow bared her fangs, her hackles raising. She stayed quiet, though, understanding that making a noise was dangerous right now.

"Is this the residence of Kai Li? This is Kara Thordottir. We spoke over the glass, remember? Open up - you're safe now."

"How do I know it's you?" Kai raised his voice tentatively.

In response, his door splintered apart down the middle with such force that a 'here's johnny!' would've been perfect for it.

Kai immediately jumped backwards, Snow prancing in front of him. He pointed his hand forward, ready to cast [Mana Bolt], a basic projectile spell that basically everyone knew.

Torn from its hinges, the door creakily fell forward, a cloud of dust and splinters rising in the air with sawdust fallout.

Kara's blue eyes stared at him from the open door. She sighed, dismissing Kai's efforts. "Look, kid, you can fire a million of those at me and it wouldn't even breach my magic resistance. Also, even if it wasn't me, you'd have been helpless anyway because, damn-," She eyed Kai with pity. "You're weak. Really, really weak. Like, so weak that-,"

"I know, I know." Kai rubbed his face in his hands before peering up at Kara. Snow continued to growl at the powerful Ascender.

"Tell that mutt to calm down," said Kara. She was dressed casually in a white button up shirt and formal dress pants, but the tailoring was just right, hugging her training toned curves quite nicely.

A black star lay etched onto a band on her arm, indicating that she had come to the Trials as an elite fighter.

"Snow, it's alright." Kai blinked, hard, getting the more, uh, primal thoughts out of his head. It was probably a side effect of having been a hopeless bachelor for years.

And because Kara was a perfect beauty. That was standard, though, among Ascenders that grew strong enough. They cast away their bodily imperfections and began to mold into ideal images of themselves.

Snow quieted down, though she remained standing in front of Kai.

"A loyal mutt, though, I'll give you that. Now then, come here." Kara reached an open hand out to Kai. A rune on her palm glowed bright blue.

"W-what is that?" asked Kai.

"Huh? I'm telling you to hold my hand. You know, there are plenty of men here that would literally kill for this opportunity," said Kara impatiently.

"You just said I could be in danger. How do I know that you aren't the danger?"

"You're awfully paranoid." Kara shrugged. "Let me just say this: I could force you to hold my hand and there's nothing you could do about it. So just do it while I'm asking nicely.

I'm just teleporting you to the Guild."

"Teleporting?" asked Kai, dumbfounded. Teleportation was a mode of travel reserved only for the wealthy or powerful. As a white star, he would never, ever dream of teleporting anywhere. "And the Guild? Am I going to get my reward there?"

"Reward?" Kara blinked. "Oh right, there's a coin reward for finding the key. Yeah, you'll get it there. But more importantly, Loki wants to see you."

Kai's jaw almost dropped to the floor. "Loki? THE Loki? The god himself?"

"Yes, yes. Now come on." Kara waved her hand towards Kai, her patience wearing thin.

Kai had to acknowledge that Kara was right in this case. The sheer pressure emanating from her, even as she tried to keep it as hidden as possible, was overwhelming. It felt like gravity got more intense, weights piling down on every inch of Kai's skin.

If Kara wanted, she could force him to hold her hand or rip him from limb to limb before he even took a single step, whichever struck his fancy. It reminded him again how starkly weak he was.

How much he needed to get stronger.

How close he was to getting there with the reward.

With the vision of his stronger future self in mind, Kai reached out, but stopped before he touched Kara's hand.

"What is it now?" said Kara.

"Snow comes with me," said Kai.

"The mutt? Sure, whatever. Hold on to her, then. The teleportation should take us all away."

Kai did as instructed, hoisting Snow in one arm while reaching out for Kara's hand with the other. The moment his fingers interlocked with Kara's, he felt rough, stone-like calluses scraping against his skin like cheese graters.

'Yeah right, nobody in their right mind would pay for this crap,' thought Kai, wincing, though, thankfully, a bright light engulfed him, whisking him away from his troubles.

===

In the next instant, Kai found himself blinded with intense golden light.

Snow whined, also blinded, and Kai got down, hugging her to comfort her and also to get a hold of something physical. The ground underneath him felt unstable, like sand, and whenever he moved, he heard metallic clinking.

"Hullo there, my child!" A radiant, androgynous voice radiated outwards, underlined with a reverberating echo that served as a tell-tale sign that it belonged to a god. "Oh, my apologies. This place can get a little bright, so I'll strengthen your eyes for a bit."

Kai felt magic surge into his eyes, making them feel warm under his lids. He opened them and blinked in wonder. He was atop an enormous pile of gold and jewels.

Before, when he thought the ground was shifty like sand, it was because the ground was just made up of a mass amount of coins.

All of them golden. In earth terms, a single gold coin was a hundred dollars. The sheer amount of value in this hoard here, just counting the coins, not the artifacts and jewels, was mind-boggling.

It was wealth that Kai could never even begin to dream of.

"Are you alright? Say, Kara, is he broken? He does seem awfully weak."

Then that voice must be Loki. Kai looked up and beheld the god. He was a tall, slender man in a posh, gentlemanly black suit. He lay seated higher up the mountain of gold, his hands clasped together as he inspected Kai.

Loki's eyes were hidden under a pair of emerald crusted shades while his hair flowed down to his shoulders in a wave of gold brighter than any of the coins around him.

"No, considering the place I fished him out of, he's dirt poor. He's probably just getting used to seeing what real money looks like," said Kara.

"Hahaha! Taken a liking to the gold, have you? You're quite like me - I do love all things shiny and valuable. Though I do have to say I am definitely not as weak as you." Loki laughed again. There was no derision or pity in his voice. Just a faint hint of amusement, but cold amusement, the type you gave to a mediocre joke and forgot about after a couple seconds.

The type that made it very clear that Loki was an existence far, far above Kai and could never relate to his lowly status.

Kai heard Snow whining, still closing her eyes. He forgot all about the gold around him in an instant. "Can you strengthen her eyes too?"

"Oh, that critter? Sure, why not!" Loki snapped his fingers, and Snow opened her eyes. "Do I smell the blood of Fenrir in her? Very, very faint, but wow, it's there! It's incredible how generations of diluting that mighty blood can yield such a fragile thing!"

"She's not weak. She's strong," said Kai. He looked Loki dead in the shades, his heart beating almost right out of his mouth. Unlike with Kara, Loki did not project any sort of aura, but that was even more terrifying.

That meant Loki's mere existence was so transcendental that Kai could not even begin to register his pressure.

"Do not talk back to our god like that, white star." Kara glared at Kai, releasing more of her pressure, and Kai stopped breathing, his chest tightening like a vice had clamped down on his windpipe.

Snow also struggled, her chest heaving up and down as she tried her hardest to suck in air.

"Stop that." Loki pointed at Kara sternly, and she collapsed onto a knee, her eyes wide. With just a finger, he had laid Kara - a hero eons ahead of Kai - down low.

Loki smiled warmly and clapped his hands together. "Come on now, this is a celebratory moment. I heard you got the Midgate Key. Tell me, where was it?

And don't bother lying to me, I am a trickster god, after all. I can see through any lie you can even dream of cooking up."

"Why am I being threatened?" said Kai. He had done a good thing, hadn't he? So why was the situation so unwelcoming? He had never interacted with the gods or heroes, but he had always thought they were supposed to be better than the average man not just in strength, but also in heart.

"The key's the way for humanity to move forward! The fifth wave's only gotten to the thirtieth level so far, but we're going to hit fifty again, just as all the other waves did.

This key…it'll put us one step forward to going back home. To saving everybody!"

"One step forward for humanity, maybe," mumbled Loki, and Kai furrowed his brows, not understanding what the god meant.

"But in any case, I'm here to take that key and give you your reward!" said Loki. "Oh, and anything you want, if that sweetens the deal. As long as it's within my power, I can give it to you."

"Then make me powerful. Give me and Snow divine blessings," said Kai.

"Except that." Loki shrugged helplessly. "You're too weak, my child. And the critter, too, in spite of what you believe.

Any amount of power I give you would blow the two of you apart into microscopic smidgens."

"Artifacts, then," said Kai.

"Sorry, no can do. All my artifacts are strictly given to battle ready followers, and you, my child, are a long ways from that." Loki tapped his shades. "Look here, anything that increases your personal power, I cannot do."

"Then…then the coin reward," said Kai, grasping for something good to come to him. If he had enough coins, he could buy potions and gear and the best training manuals to boost himself.

"Coins? Oh, sure. What was the reward value again…? Eh, whatever." Loki pointed to the piles of gold everywhere. "Take however many coins you can carry. If it comes short of the reward, I'll send the rest to you later.

Remember, no artifacts - I'm keeping my eyes on you."

Kai took out his trusty rucksack and opened it, ready to shovel gold coins in. But before he did, Loki raised his hand.

"The key," said Loki.

Kai paused, unwilling to lose the leverage that was his key. But he knew deep down that it did not matter. Loki could smite him off the face of the planet with zero effort and take the key by force.

The fact that Kai was given a chance to take gold coins at all was a blessing.

"Come on now, don't be so dreary," said Loki. "This is just the start of your good fortune. Once I convene with the gods, we'll broadcast your achievement to all of humanity.

They'll recognize you as a savior. You'll have it all - the fame, the wealth, the women, the men, too, if that's your thing."

Kai mulled over Loki's words for a bit. Then, he declared, "I want you to call Dane Denholm here."

"Dane Denholm? One of the Worthies? I am curious: why?" said Loki.

"Because I know he's looking for apprentices. I want to be one of them," said Kai.

It was a shot in the dark, but he figured if he could get Dane here with his heart of gold and his sympathy for white stars, the Worthy would protect Kai by taking him in as an apprentice.

A standard apprentice to master pact had a clause that stated that the master would do their best to protect their apprentice. If Kai was allowed to make that pact, then Dane would be obligated to protect him.

"Sure, why not. That is within my power. And Dane does happen to be in Newerth right now," said Loki. He snapped his fingers, and an intricate blue magic circle appeared in front of Kai.

From it, Dane emerged, a surprised look on his stubble covered, square-jawed face. Dressed in a plain t-shirt and shorts, it was obvious he had been resting up at his home.

"What am I…" Dane muttered before he turned to Loki. "Loki? Why is a god calling me to their personal domain?"

"This boy here has found the Midgate Key." Loki pointed at Kai.

"Really?" Dane turned to stare at Kai with disbelief. "The Midgate Key? The one humanity's never been able to find?"

"Yes. And to reward his efforts, he wants to be your apprentice," said Loki. "So, what do you say?"

Dane stared at Kai for a few lingering seconds with a neutral expression before he grinned. A wide, hopeful grin that Kai had seen broad casted many times from a magic crystal that mimicked televisions back on earth.

The smile of a real hero. It put Kai at ease. Even Snow looked at Dane with friendly eyes.

"You've saved humanity, young man. With this, we'll finally make it to the end!" Dane patted Kai's shoulder, and as he made contact, his voice telepathically beamed into Kai's head.

'You're being threatened, aren't you?' said Dane.

'…How do I know you aren't an illusion?' said Kai.

'You can sense my strength, right? Not even Loki can create an illusion as strong as me. You can trust me.'

Kai knew Dane was right. His pressure outweighed Kara's by an order of magnitude, though coming from a mortal, it did not transcend recognition like with Loki.

'I think I am. I don't feel safe. I want you to take me in as your apprentice,' said Kai. 'Pact and all.'

'Loki, huh. Never trusted the snake. But got it, that's a smart way to do things,' said Dane.

"I will take you in as my apprentice! It's the least I can do for you, when you've found the very key to humanity's survival!" declared Dane out loud. He clasped his gloved hands together, creating a red magic circle in front of him. "I, Dane Denholm, swear by this binding pact to be your master.

I will defend you as a master should.

I will see to your growth to the very best of my abilities.

All I require is your name to seal the pact."

"Kai Li."

The magic circle fluctuated as Kai said his name. It then faded away, leaving behind the mark of a golden wing on both Kai and Dane's hands. This was Dane's personal seal, indicating that the pact had been fully established.

Now, Dane was obligated to protect Kai lest his soul be rendered asunder.

"Is that all?" said Loki, slight irritation leeching into his voice.

"Not yet." Kai knelt down and shoveled in as many gold coins as he could into his rucksack. When the sack was positively bulging with coins, he nodded. "Now I'm done."

"Then the key?" Loki held an open hand out, expecting it.

'Give the key to him,' Dane projected his voice as he put a hand on Kai's shoulder. 'Now that I'm a witness, Loki can't get away with keeping it for himself. I have the Seraph and Imperial Guilds backing me, and combined, they've got much more pull than Loki.'

Kai nodded. He withdrew the Midgate Key. Loki waved his fingers forward, and the key floated from Kai's hand right into Loki's grasp.

"Heh. That was a good wish you made there, boy." Loki pulled down his shades a little, revealing eyes that burned with fiery green light. "Let's hope it works out for you. Now then, off you two go."

Loki waved Kai away and Kai felt the blinding light of teleportation sap away his sight.