18: Descension and Divinity Test

//\\ Side Story First \\//

Sitting within a starry room with golden chains draping along the walls and ceiling, eating some Hawaiian Pizza and drinking some root beer, were a Human and a creature currently looking Human. The creature had an ark floating around them, kalphas flowers blooming from their clothes, and nine broken dark feathered wings impaled by golden chains.

The creature went by the name of Dunphëro, the World Enforcement Protocols.

The two beings who would never meet like this if there were a choice were together currently. Because the Danmachi Universes Will wanted to meet Dakota face to face and judge him. If he's a threat he dies, if he's a victim he dies peacefully, if he's just a bystander, Cthulhu is purged from existence. Yet, the will of the universe knew well enough that he's not a bystander.

"Dakota L. Carter, true name Biazar K. Lockhart, The Chimeric Keeper. Please enlighten me why you are going along with the Outer God who brought you to this place. Your soul shouldn't be here, that book attached to your soul shouldn't be here manifesting. You should still be on the highest plane of existence, resetting with each destroyed timeline because of the Gods represented in this place."

Sighing, the Human across from the Pretender took a sip of root beer before responding.

"People in my world didn't wholeheartedly believe in the supernatural, just science this, science that. But a few people know sometimes there's more to something than science can explain. Just how'd you like to constantly dream of dead timelines, to experience the deaths for yourself, to always know something isn't right, to be so detached from life that you're WAITING to DIE for REAL.

Just having untitled self-serving pieces of shit constantly fucking with you because to them, you are their TOY. I think you'd break after day one Golden Chains of Law and Judgement.

You could say after so long and dying old when Cthulhu took my soul…. I felt grateful and free. More free than me who records chronicles trying to escape the same curse, I was freed. Which also makes me regret it… but the dice rolled, and I won the escape, so I'm here. Just for that, Cthulhu, while an asshole and using me for his own goals, is a better friend than a monster like me deserves. He unknowingly saved me from awaiting a new set of deaths and pain and for that, I'll murder who he wants dead for his revenge.

The book attached to my soul though… if it were left behind I'd feel like one of them. The FIRST was a man who just wanted to live in peace while the world went to war. He wrote them up while drowning in depression and rage, with suicidal thoughts. Then the Gods made his life hell, brought his writing to life, the Book of Chimera's, and used him to control them like disposable tools.

Trapped within his own head, going insane and breaking down constantly as he watched creatures he made, and who called him variations of dad, suffer and die repeatedly.... Reliving those moments and random deaths in my sleep made me what I am, and made me uncaring for a God's tantrum or supposed rights. If I get a chance to hunt, then like the book in my soul, I shall murder the Gods."

Silence took over after the man said his piece, his eyes devoid of any life as he glanced at the one before him. To him, he's dead inside and will always be dead inside, so even if this meeting kills him. He just wanted to vent a bit about the pain the supernatural put him through daily, even if he liked some of them. The one he looked at with such a look and plain to see thoughts looked down at the table between them which held boxes of pizza and soft drinks. Thinking as this was perspective something like them ever thinks about, and it gave them pause. They dealt with the God's daily yet, it had to think about how it'd react in that situation.

"You are correct, if I had lived with the deaths of countless life resets every night, I'd kill myself after the first day. Yet while the Gods did such to you and would use you as a toy one day, you still continued to live and do as you pleased. Now you're here, and so is that book of apocalyptic monsters, I honestly don't know whether you're a threat or just a threat if poked wrong. So I shall give you a chance to express yourself in a way you normally wouldn't. Let your soul, as it is currently free to do so, sing its case with two songs from your world."

Chuckling, Dakota looked at the being with an amused smile and tired eyes. Before, picturing his current family and wife to be as one song came to mind. His body glowing a bloody, blackened gold color as the song resonates from his soul and the book within. Dunphëro sat and listened to the weary soul of the man before them. Judging everything about the man and the first of two songs, his soul picked. The first reminds the being of exactly what the soul before them embodies due to the book, and the sole reason they still exist as a person and not a pure monster.

I'll fight by Chris Daughtry and Michael Busbee.

*I wanna see you run

Anywhere you want

Never let the darkness hold you back

No fear of getting lost

I wanna see you fly

Way beyond the sun

Anything you're ever gonna dream

I pray that it will come

But if you ever fall down straight to the bottom

And you can't get back where you started

Any place any time

You gotta know for you I'll fight

(Ooh ooh, ooh ooh)

Where you wanna go

I'd love to take you there

Wish that I could make the road easy

I wish that life was fair

Don't wanna see you cry

Even when it rains

And I hope you don't forget this

You were born for better things

But if you ever fall down straight to the bottom

And you can't get back where you started

With no strength to stand

Gonna reach for your hand

When the going gets rough

Right when it's hurting I will be there

To help any burden

Any place any time

You gotta know for you I'll fight

(Ooh ooh, ooh ooh)

Any place any time you

Gotta know for you I'll fight

Anywhere you go

Your gonna find me

No matter what you need

If you ever fall down and you can't get back

If you lose your strength to stand

If you ever fall down straight to the bottom

And you can't get back where you started

With no strength to stand I'm gonna reach for your hand

When the going gets rough right when it's hurting

I will be there to help any burden

Any place any time

You gotta know for you I'll fight

(Ooh ooh, ooh ooh)

Any place any time

You gotta know for you I'll fight*

The embodiment of a father figure who's been forced to mature and is worn down by everything done to him. That is the only thing that reminds him he's still a person, being a father figure awkwardly to try and make up for some of his sociopathy. The feeling of being a father figure to those who needed it, or because of that book which refuses to let him give up, make him keep trudging on. Even if the scars along the soul of the man are plain as day for the Pretender.

Don't Get In My Way by Zack Hemsey.

*Eyes wide shut but they know

Buried alive by the lies in their soul

Their stride of a blind man's stroll

Well for whom does the next bell toll

I'm too many years in the zone

Too many years to have built what I own

And many dumb fool try to take what I've grown

But these roots go deep and you can't blood a stone

So if you want to push, I'm a shove

If you want to spar we can do it no gloves

And if you're gonna run at me you better do it hard

'Cause I fear no fall, no brawl, no scars

I'm two pounds shy of a bomb

I'm one shade short of alarm

I'm too past wrath that I'm calm

Got two last laughs in my palms

I'm three degrees west of a hurricane

Four wheel drive with a ball 'n chain

My five foot seven is irrelevant

I'm six six six if you threaten my development

Now see a wise man learns from your mistakes

And lets the blunders of his brother serve to fill his plate

So best be on your way before the tidal wave breaks

'Cause you don't want to come to meet the Reaper that awaits

You don't want to say no more than a mime, you can't afford

And you don't want to let this turn into lines of mine and yours

And you don't want to press your luck, better back up and withdraw

'Cause trust me when I tell you you don't want that tooth 'n claw

And you don't want to see inside the mind of a savage kind

And you don't want that recognition of "Oh, there goes that guy"

But if you do decide that you are gonna play that hand and try

Just think before you act because your actions don't rewind

A man with a grudge and a case

A man with intent on his face

And if a man walks into place

Let it be known I won't hesitate

This a long time coming like a comet pass

Got 'em all fired up from the rocket blast

And if I fall on my sword turn my bones to ash

Let it clog up the sand in that hourglass

We in the title fight, blow for a blow

And you can reap the benefits of what I have to sow

'Cause I'm about that worth of which you don't appear to know

So you can take the scene while I take over the show

It's a long way down when your head is in the clouds

And all around the sirens play

Don't get in my way

Don't tell me I should bow

'Cause I'm no clown

And this is not a game

Don't get in my way

You don't want to say no more than a mime, you can't afford

And you don't want to let this turn into lines of mine and yours

And you don't want to press your luck, better back up and withdraw

'Cause trust me when I tell you, you don't want that tooth 'n claw

And you don't want to see inside the mind of a savage kind

And you don't want that recognition of "Oh, there goes that guy"

But if you do decide that you are gonna play that hand and try

Just think before you act because your actions don't rewind

Poisoned by the snakes in the grass

Hoaxed by the rats out the maze

They should have never poked the lion as he pass

'Cause now it's two hawks in a cage

This a tale of a cautionary kind

This a story of that Icarus design

This a message from the hanged man's twine

This when mother nature rips apart the fault lines

And this the type of thing that make a grown man cry

When feeble of the spine crumble underneath the grind

When blessings of the meek lead to lessons of the blind

When Heaven shows its teeth and the planets are aligned

So amusing the feeling as they race off

Got 'em musing from the pressure as I chase off

Should have thought it through before he turned to face off

Now this fool sounding like he gone and turned his bass off

This an ace caught, cut the game short

You don't want to have an escalation of the maimed sort

And you don't want to feel the flame that burns pride

Now you know the reason why those sleeping dogs lie

Long way down when your head is in the clouds

And all around the sirens play

Don't get in my way

Don't tell me I should bow

'Cause I'm no clown

And this is not a game

Don't get in my way

You don't want to say no more than a mime, you can't afford

And you don't want to let this turn into lines of mine and yours

And you don't want to press your luck, better back up and withdraw

'Cause trust me when I tell you you don't want that tooth 'n claw

And you don't want to see inside the mind of a savage kind

And you don't want that recognition of "Oh, there goes that guy"

But if you do decide that you are gonna play that hand and try

Just think before you act because your actions don't rewind

They sicker than a wicked man's whip

Victims of they hype and of they sycophant's lip

And underneath the money and the power is the tip

Of something very dangerous and it's strengthening its grip

And I don't have to tell 'em that they turning pale with albinism

I am not their keepers but I keep my own morale

And isn't everything we do just a matter of decision

So if life is just a prison then I'm breaking out this minute

This an epidemic of the vultures in the playpen

Weasels with a smile and a guile that leaves 'em vacant

Businessman sticking up the layman out the gate and

Thieves wearing suits but they can never fool the vagrants

And con man bringing 'em treasures of fool's gold

CEO's grinning from swindling stocks cold

Politicians trading their morals for blindfolds

And cowards step aside as the criminal mind holds

Welcome to the jungle where deception is the code

Brother fighting brother as their avarice corrodes

See that evil, speak that evil, be that evil bold

You are not your own and love's a memory of old

One nation under fraud, the anthem you applaud

Well let this serve to warn, I won't enable or reward

And let the flies swarm, let the noble die strong

This is my scorn, new day, new dawn*

Yet, the song his soul just let out brought the being's mind back to why it thinks the man needs to die. He's unstable in the mind and soul, a push in the right direction, and he could destroy everything with the powers he's gained. Yet, the being is stuck with being undecided even though the choice is clear for them. The man before it is a broken representation of the person they could've been.

Yet, they've seen it while watching the man and Cthulhu's actions closely, if he has a reason to live and fight, the man can become the representation that they won't ever become now. If only temporarily, the broken and dead gazing person before them can become an Anti-Hero. Just like how he can become an Anti-Villain if the right conditions are met and his nature comes out.

Such a contradictory existence should be PURGED, but it feels WRONG to condemn a mortal who just exists in an otherwise dead, neutral state. He should hate God's because God's not from this universe have traumatized his soul, yet he doesn't care because of the nature he's adopted from sociopathy. It was baffling and becoming more confusing on what call to make due to over thinking this simple answer.

Dunphëro knew that it was likely the embodiment of his second nature affecting them, and they didn't mind. For unlike with the Gods, this feeling isn't artificial or a trap, the man would play the role awkwardly, but wouldn't have it feel fake or forced. If he liked someone or thought they needed it he'd play the part of a father figure. Even if the person was older than them he'd still do it.

Dunphëro shook their current representation's head, and resumed speaking to the man before them. Delaying their choice just for a bit longer to learn more about the man. As an air of calmness and a homey feeling filled the area, the two talked, Dunphëro talking the most between the two. The being complaining at times about God's doing as they please while it could vent to someone besides dying stars.

\\// Side story end //\\

My emotions during this Denatuse I've decided to attend could be summed up in one word. Enraged. SOMEONE OR SOMETHING INTERFERED AND I AM NOW DESCENDED INTO THIS WORLD LOOKING LIKE A HUMAN! It happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to react or time to do anything besides feel agony. The copious amounts of blood I coughed up as I was forcefully descended and Dakota sent elsewhere.

However, the color of the blood I coughed up was a hint, as only words I could faintly see shimmered within it. The bastard of alcohol and madness did something, as that golden shimmer was the shimmer of the World Chains. Growling, the tentacles making up a robe and scarf adorning me tensed and thrashed slightly. Just where was Dakota? Where's he gone? Loath I am to admit, he is important to me in a lot of ways.

Closing my eyes and ignoring the WORTHLESS God's around me, I sought out our connection. Looking for him among the sea of mortals was challenging now that I was in the same plane of existence. But I did find him, and where he was ENRAGED me beyond belief because those floors were mysteries even to me mainly. Those floors were the deepest yet, and they are subject to change due to those who explore them. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I opened an eye and glared balefully at the Trickster.

"What happened squidy, why are you here and why is the kid you were possessing missing suddenly."

That wasn't a question, it was a demand for answers from the Goddess before me. Snarling, I gestured to the wine colored blood on the uselessly fancy table. Fucking uselessly vain God's.

"One of your rogue Greeks decided to do something and has forcibly descended me, while sending my Envoy to the second hundredth most floors. The World Chains helped him, and now my Envoy is on the most dangerous floor sections. Luckily, he should survive due to the nature of those floors working to his advantage. Before you ask, those floors base themselves on monsters the explorer knows, remodeling themselves to simulate the environment of those monsters.

Environments which are one percent of continental length, they'll also provide resources to survive, and the Dungeon will begin creating Replica Constructs which can be considered artificial people. Each one acting just like an actual person, but they won't bleed or be weak like their counterparts, they're still considered monsters. How I know is because unlike you lot, I've not restricted myself to one timeline or version of this universe. Even a true deity of only divination wouldn't do so."

The Trickster narrowed her eyes and whispered something, which I shook my head at. The Hearth, however, asked something which I happily explained as it'll terrify the God's here.

"You said it'll reconstruct the entire floor based on stuff the one exploring it knows of. So what makes you sure he'll be just fine?"

"Hahaha because the environments he'll experience are one's he's possibly spent hours in. While not directly there, he'd know how to survive due to knowledge of those environments, which make even God's of those worlds suffer. Although if he encounters the ones that induce madness, like an environment based on my mythos, he'll struggle."

Apollo scoffed and turned his nose up at me, speaking condescendingly towards me.

"What nonsense could he encounter that even a God would fear?"

"Plagues that affect all creatures regardless of status before reanimating them as undead, apocalyptic creatures on par with God's that have eaten several alive violently, plagues that can turn others mad with any sort of bodily fluid getting into cuts or something like your eyes, creatures that can adapt to anything by capturing prey and using them to create newer more lethal variants, the environments he knows can go on for a while and each are as deadly as the last in their own ways."

Each scenario I described only made the more squeamish God's to shift uncomfortably. The more stoic were weary but understood that my Envoy was from another world. The only unfazed ones being those with a screw loose like Freya. The Hearth looked uneasy but seeing how my Envoy considers her House family, and will marry one of the Trickster's people, I temporarily opened a scrying window to my Envoy.

Freya seeing it work just fine was livid under that smile of hers. So he was right, "gaslighting" her into trying later and then killing me with no one looking would be fun. I wonder which other deities I can "gaslight" into things? However, did he bring this up because he knew something would happen to him? If so… I think I've neglected interactions with him besides wanting him to do something or whenever he was with one of his adoptive children.

However, I'm not bound by contract, so I can use my divinity freely in the mortal realm, but I am currently mortal. Which means excessive use could kill my vessel and damage me, that's not something I want, I'm here so I want to enjoy it and do things personally. With the scrying window open, we saw his situation and someone who shouldn't be there, the Elven Princess. The Thunder Phoenix was there as well, but that is a given since she is attached to his soul, he can summon her at will. The avian monster was striking creatures which looked Human with bolts of lightning that cut down swaths of them. My Envoy and the Elf stood back to back, using weapons from his world to kill the creatures.

"Dakota, what are these things?! Where are we?! I know it's the Dungeon, but what is this place!"

"Welcome to New York City during a zombie apocalypse in a series called World War Z! Don't get bit by these fucks, their plague literally affects the soul and there is no cure! Vaccines maybe but no cure besides a bullet to the head!"

"When do these monsters stop coming?!"

"When you kill enough to be able to run, but even then, it'll barely make a dent. Because this is barely scratching the population of just this city alone! Fucking get off my Elf, ya sneaky cunt!"

Dakota shot an agile one of the creatures from the air, the shot taking off half its face before it landed elsewhere. The God's around the room felt fear because of his words, and what was going on. Then I saw it click, this is only ONE scenario he knows of, the Trickster wanted to say something but stayed her tongue before sighing.

"I'll trust your kiddo to get Riveria out alive, Cthulhu. However, can you do anything to assist them since you can communicate with your kid."

Humming at the question, I eyed the situation and narrowed my eyes. Looking at the God's around the room, I decided to only do what would not impede their survival. Swiping a finger at the window of scrying and sending a message detailing the situation and what I know from other timelines where Bell Cranel or a reincarnated individual made it that deep.

"A little late on the World Chains bit bud! I've met them and had lunch with them, while as a soul, and I got sent here after someone made a fucking deal with them. As I got thrown here, though, I was told this could be considered a test of sorts that I don't know about, because apparently I must prove I deserve my primary divinities that are growing within my soul!"

Stopping to think about that last bit I did find that to be reasonable for the Golden Chains. His primary divinities were Death, Dimensional, Eldritch, Genocide, and Family and the dungeon floors he's on could push him into proving his worth of them. Which would explain why the Elf and Phoenix are there, they're the closest to the true family for him to prove Family. Death, and Genocide will be naturally easy for him given everything. Dimensional will be tricky, but it ties in with Eldritch and with one bit of his Falna I know what that key will be.

Just how will that be accomplished? Unless… there's more to my Envoy than I bothered looking into. Which would explain why the Golden Chains are doing something, but begs the question on why he's not just dead then if the chains weren't happy with us?

Before anyone could question me I simply told the Trickster and Hearth what the test of his revolved around.

"Death, Dimensional, Eldritch, Genocide, and Family are his primary divinities. Those damnable chains are going to see if he can handle them, if he can't he'll be disposed of along with his existence due to him being an irregular to this universe."