Temple of Agveyr

As they enter the temple of Agveyr, Gray observes the magnificent and glorious vicinity that makes up the interiors of the holy building.

As expected of a temple dedicated to the War God, there are various weaponry and armors of every kind and design hanging everywhere on the walls, showcasing it as more like an armory rather than an establishment dedicated to religion.

Well, in Gray's perspective at least.

But for the devotees of the Divine God Agveyr, each aspect of all that is shown here in the temple is dedicated to the belief to the said god, a characteristic truly befitting for a Divine that is the persona of warfare and victory.

Stained glass also makes up the temple's design, showcasing arts that depict the struggles of bloodshed happening throughout a whole battlefield.

The elf could also see some of the town's citizens in here as they offer their prayers in religious worship by sitting at the row of Pews.

But what caught the Elf's attention the most is the altar that stands right at the very front end, most probably representing the God, Agveyr himself.

"So, this is the temple of Agveyr." Gray comments as his eyes wander all over the place with sheer curiosity and admiration. "Forgive me for sounding strange but I sincerely thought that this is a storeroom for weapons and armor."

"It's for the purpose of religious worship" Isamu answers him, understanding the elf's uncertainty regarding the matter. "Weapons and armors are also what symbolizes Agveyr in his mighty divinity."

"Right." Gray nods as he merely dismissed in discussing the viewpoint of said religion further. After all, it's their belief, so he wouldn't question it if it entitles no sort of harm whatsoever.

But on the basis of practicality, he still asks. "With all the weapons and armor being displayed here for everyone to see, isn't it kind of impractical? After all, it might attract thieves and other criminal elements in the temptation of stealing the equipment."

"Heh, you may be right." Isamu nods at Gray's logical remark. "But no one would dare to perform such an atrocious act. Here at the temple, there are warriors from the guild who are stationed here as they are tasked to guard the equipment, see?"

Indeed, Gray saw around three warriors patrolling around the place vigilantly, clearly on the lookout for anything that is out of place and anyone who has the audacity to defile the sanctity of the glorious temple.

"Alright then." Gray was convinced as he and Isamu proceeded to explore further inside the temple to look for a certain orc.

Throughout their endeavors, disappointment hit Isamu straight to his furry face as they were not able to find the orc after scouring the entire interiors.

"Tsk, it looks like he is most likely at the farmlands then." The cat-folk clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Hehe, a wasted journey for you." Gray teases him a bit while crossing his arms.

"Maybe," Isamu stated with a smirk. "Since we're here, we might as well offer our prayers to the temple shrine."

"The shrine huh," Gray said as he points at the altar at the front. "You mean that statue over there?"

Isamu nods in response as he gestured the elf to follow him at the Pews on the front row for them to sit and pray.

As they reached their sits, Gray could not help but notice at the spectacle that is the altar.

The huge sculpture embodying the Divine is truly a work of art. Unlike Wynather's silver statue back at Oakwood, Agveyr's characterization is leagues ahead in terms of the substance being used, sporting its material made solely out of pure gold.

Every detail is indeed crafted to perfection as if the sculptor himself pours all his dedication for the sake of creating a masterpiece that is worthy of portraying one of the 12 Divines.

The altar shows what it seems to be an imposing and muscular human male figure. His equipment shows something very similar to an exquisite armor set of what an accomplished Roman General would wear in his time.

The plate of chest armor is also a complex wonder that offers both design and protection. Emblazoned across the chest is the insignia of a lion, along with some additional embellishments.

An array of ornaments adorns the apron-like belt and two more act as a grip on the front. Under his chest armor is a wool tunic.

His lower equipment consists of the mentioned belt with leather strips that protect his lower body. Heavy weights on the bottom of each layer kept the strips in balance.

The helmet that he wears is what Gray recognizes is a Galea, a headgear that is worn by the soldiers of the Roman Empire from what the elf remembers in his original world's history.

The god also possesses two weapons wielded in each of his hands.

His left-hand showcase a long spear with dragon-like design as he rests its blunt end on the ground while the other hand holds an intricate-looking sword with a slightly upward curved guard.

Gray indeed was amazed by the Godly figure witnessed before his very perceptions.

"That's the God, Agveyr, right?" Gray inquires in clarification as he directed his gaze at the altar.

"Yes." Isamu answers. "What you see is indeed a depiction of the War God himself."

Gray simply nods in acknowledgment as he witnesses Isamu closing his eyes with the intention of prostrating himself right at the God's holy presence.

'Well, I'm not exactly religious myself, especially on my time back on Earth.' Gray comments inside his mind as he saw every person in his vicinity performing the quiet act of prayer. 'But hey, shrine blessings are nice. I wonder what a God of War such as him has some benefits in store for me?'

[+1 CHAOS]

And with that, Gray closes his eyes as well, mimicking the actions of the people around him as he kneeled down in deep meditation in hopes that he can request for Agveyr's divine blessing.

After some time and much to his complete confusion, he could feel some spiritual presence overwhelming within him, resulting in his connection with the mortal plane being severed in the regions of this reality.

***

"Fucking shit, now what?"

Clutching his head in slight pain while opening his eyes, Gray could not help but be utterly confused at the unfamiliar setting of where he currently finds himself at.

The elf felt disoriented, most probably caused by the ordeal of him having arrived here for unknown reasons.

Feeling the utmost necessity to observe his surroundings, Gray does so to gain a clear setting or a speck of an idea on where he is.

"Woah, what is this place?"

The elf's massive shock, evident by his gaping mouth and disbelief expression, is truly justifiable indeed at the marvelous features that are sporting at his current surroundings.

The sky is the very first thing that the elf noticed, gold polar lights adorning the blue sky in its majestic wonder. As such, the entire area is engulfed in a goldish heavenly tint, taking up most of the background's ambiance.

Gray finds himself standing at what seems to be a grassy field, with various kinds of flora adorning all over the area. Of course, it's not exactly as magnificent as Estelthyr, slightly comparable with the Boscage in a similar setting.

As he turns around to find more of the place, his eyes suddenly widen with extreme astonishment at the spectacle being presented before him.

"What…in…the …actual…fuck."

His eyes could not shy itself away at the enormous grand castle of gold as he witnesses the magnificent structural oddity in a seemingly far distance away from his spot.

'Alright, this is getting weird.' Gray rubs his chin with a serious appearance. 'Where am I really? What is this place? How did I even get here?'

'Wait.' The elf added in his thoughts. 'Is this another realm of a god, who I assumed to be Agveyr? It definitely looks the part. Did the god summon me here, just like what Wynather did? If so, then why is he not meeting me here at this very moment? And what does a god want with someone like me this time? This calls for an investigation.'

<QUEST START!!>

<Divinity's Warfare>

[Lost in a location unknown to you, you decided to examine the surrounding area in hopes of finding answers with regards to your current situation.]

<Quest Completion> - Investigate the place

<Quest Bonus> - None

<Quest Rewards> - (????), (????)

'So, it turns into a quest.' Gray mentally stated. 'Very well, let's see what this place is all about.'

The castle seemed to be a key location in this domain. As such, Gray decided to head on there first to find the answers he is looking for.

After walking for some time at the castle's direction and marveling at the sights, Gray then hears the sounds of footsteps that seemingly grew stronger with each second passing by.

Looking immediately at the source, he spotted a group of Warriors running towards his location, a hostile and wary look on their faces as they eyed viciously directly at him.

'What the hell!?' Gray's eyes widen at seeing them charging straight at him, with their weapons dangerously unsheathed. 'What in shit's name is happening right now!!??'

"Wait, I'm not your enemy!!!" Gray attempts to reason with them.

SPEECH CHECK: 29

SPEECH REQUIREMENTS: 50

<PERSUASION FAILED!!>

Gray's voice of reason was fallen to deaf ears as the warriors did not spare their time hearing him and continue their stampede.

'This is bad!!'

Instinct told him to run away from them in an instant. But upon turning around at his every side, his panic skyrocketed abruptly as more of the warriors are seen in all his direction, with the intent of cornering him.

'Alright, no biggie.' Gray controls his breathing in an attempt to remain his composure. 'When one of their group approaches right at me, I'll use <Blink> at the precise moment to get past and outrun them with the speed boost resulted from my skill of <Rabbit Swiftness>.'

Unfortunately, though, his plans were shattered into pieces as an arrow suddenly pierces directly to his knee, sending him in deep pain while stumbling to the ground.

Gray could not help but scream in utter agony caused by the surprise attack.

'Crap, they have archers!!'

And just like that, Gray was surrounded with no hopes of escape as all of the warrior's different weapons pointed straight right at him.

One of them approaches the elf with a cautious expression and question the now injured elf.

"Who are you and how did you get here in our sacred plane?"

Gray solely gulps in fear, hoping that these armed men would not slay him at the very ground that he achingly limps at this very moment.

'Damn arrow to the knee.'