Chapter 81

I had brought my fellow keelish's bodies back to the den more from a sense of stubborness than because I'd had some sort of plan of what to do with them. But now there were five bodies laid out in the middle of the communal area, and I had no idea of what I'd ever thought of doing with them. We hadn't buried any of the bodies before, and once we'd grown a little we no longer ate the bodies of our fallen (praise Nievtala for that). I didn't want to reintroduce that.

However, looking at the bodies, torn and shredded by the teeth of wolfstags, I felt there was some… nobility in their sacrifice. They had followed me into a trap, and hadn't questioned me, but instead rushed onward. That willingness was something to be promoted, from a leader's point of view. Beyond that, however, I simply wanted to show some measure of respect towards my subordinates.

As I stood and contemplated the bodies, I felt the divine presence descend over me. I stood tall, and I could feel that the rest of the pack was feeling the same influence that I was. All stood at attention when I began to speak.

"We are the keelish, the appointed of Nievtala to carve out victory and possibility from defeat and hopelessness. We are forged in the blood of our foes, and we are tempered in the blood of our sacrifice." The presence lessened, but I felt I needed to continue, "May the fires of the lives of these who sacrificed themselves for us burn within us forever! Never forget those who came before, that their blood runs through us! Victory!"

"Victory by fang and blood!"

"Victory!"

"Victory by fang and blood!"

As the cheers began to die down, I noted the [System]'s flashing message.

[The user has discovered the first iteration of the Second of the Words of Power of Nievtala. The user has been blessed with the lesser blessing of zealotry. The user has been provided with the Title: Chosen of Nievtala.]

I read the notification and could hear a sigh of relief from the voice that always accompanied these moments. "Well done…" I felt like the voice wanted to say something else, but it was cut off, and though there was a moment of attempted clarity, the curtain of uncertainty was forcefully thrust back over my mind, and I found myself forgetting even what I had been thinking before. Forcing myself to refocus, to remember where I was and what I was doing, I began to look into the actual effects of my new [Title].

[Title: Chosen of Nievtala; a Title that shows that the holder is one of the currently living beings that can receive direction and influence directly from the Goddess Nievtala. Effects of Title: +5 to all Stats, and the ability to receive additional guidance from Nievtala. This Title can evolve.]

Did this mean, then, that I would receive visions?

I paused, waiting for some sort of a response. No answer came from the [System]. Not wanting to begin ranting to a "god" out loud where I would be heard and seen by my pack, I internally began questioning. What is this? Is it, somehow, supposed to be helpful to me? My belief in a god was entirely conditional, and I didn't want one dictating to me what to do, where to go, and how to act.

[The Administrator laughs. She wonders if you think something or someone else could change your mind or any decisions you make.]

Of course? Without considering what being a goddess meant, and that she was the origin of these Words I'm involuntarily speaking, even an Administrator could do so. After all, an Administrator can set [Quests] that will change the way I act, since I want to grow stronger.

[The Administrator sighs. There are things that she cannot share as an Administrator, but she assures you that she, as an individual, cannot influence the way that the System itself functions. Beyond that, the Administrative Body can occasionally shape the rewards presented from Quest completion, but by and large, they are observers of the System, wholly unable to affect its workings. The gods are similarly limited in what they can do to or how they may influence those who are yet dwelling among those yet mortal.]

That did bring me some measure of comfort. So far as I could tell, she had always been completely honest with me, and I hoped there was no reason for her to change that any time soon. Regardless, I didn't like the title of this newest blessing. "The Zealot". So far as I knew, that was someone who was obsessed with their god, and I refused to be that. I could and would accept all the benefits that came my way, only so long as I remained myself through my "blessings". Having taken issue with this "blessing", I, for the first time, truly looked at all the blessings I had received.

The blessing of power from the first of the Words, zealotry from the second, conquest the third, and victory the fifth. From the first, how to get my sonilphon, now the [Chosen of Nievtala] Title from the second, the way to evolve to khatif from the third, and the [Adversary] [Skill] from the fifth. What was Speaking these Words making me? What was it shaping me to be?

Looking at them, all I could see was that these blessings were, for lack of a better word, blessings. They all helped me, and I hadn't seen any adverse effects from them. Could I trust them? Was there even anything I could do to stop them from coming? So far as I could tell, no, there wasn't. I shook my head, shaking the thoughts from my mind as I did so. 

I wouldn't hate Nievtala for doing this, however she was involved with the [System], but I wouldn't trust her either. The frustration set in–what could I trust? What could I do? Was it even worth it trying to deny an influence I didn't know if I felt?

Finally, I settled on the reality that, for now at least, I couldn't tell if I was being influenced by some greater being, but I did know what I wanted to do–continue to raise my pack, and then my swarm, to khatif, then to Keel. And from there, if there was a god who wanted to pull my strings, they would find that my fangs and claws could be bared at them, just as well as at the creatures that stood in my way.