Got into a writing mood after so long and randomly read a god-system story while I was in a very Greek myth mood. This kinda just got stuck in my head as a bit of silly fun.
Chapter 1
When I came to while standing in a random forest I sort of just wandered in a daze. It wasn't until I found a cliff and sat my ethereal butt down on a rock and stared past its edge and out towards the distance that I managed to collect myself. The view was nice all things considered, the mountain (well, actually a super tall ramped cliff-side towards the ocean that bordered being mountainous) I was on gave an incredible sight of the gorgeous hilly landscape further inland, the walled city between my new mountain and the smaller one across from me, and the bright blue sparkly ocean said city was built up against.
My form wasn't something my mildly fuzzy memories were used to. Instead of a flesh and blood body, I was greeted with a body made up of some kind of dim light that also seemed to be made of some kind of mist or smoke. "At least my body was human-like in shape," I thought to myself while giving my hands a curious once over.
I didn't really remember how I got here, just some vague flashes in my memories told me that I had spoken with someone or something. No, wait, that didn't feel right… Well, even if I couldn't recall everything I still felt that I was now something more than I was before. It was hard to describe this feeling, it was just something that I knew.
I felt a connection to this area that I was certain wasn't something normal. Not too far away I had sort of awakened near some kind of stone altar surrounded by a couple of derelict columns hidden in the forest that made up this nearly mountainous cliff side. The altar and columns were situated inside the forest just south of this absolute unit of a relay tower that sat not far from the sort-of mountain's tip that faced the ocean.
I might not be able to recall much but I was certain that I hadn't ever been here before and that nothing in my immediate area was familiar. The only thing that was was the city down below but it wasn't that I'd ever been there before but that I knew it from a show I only really bothered to watch for the cute girls.
It was the coastal city of Argus in the world of RWBY.
I felt oddly calm about it all things considered but maybe it was because I was focusing on these new feelings of mine. An urge tugged at me, to speak out. To do something.
And, as if to provide an incentive to follow this strange new feeling, a random text box appeared in front of my face, blocking my view of the city and landscape below. It was white, like marble, and shone with a soft glow.
New Quest!
The Tutorial!
Obtain a basic understanding of your new place in life!
Objectives:
Explore your Status (0/1)
Choose your domains (0/1)
Check out your Divine Powers (0/1)
Reward:
One free Faith Point!
Failure:
An easily missed Faith Point.
I decided to bring out this status thing it wanted me to look at. Plus, it was important to know what I was dealing with here.
"Status," I said aloud, my voice seemed to rumble out into the world yet was… muffled. Was I even speaking normally and was I even technically in the real world? Or was I some sort of ghost-like my ethereal body seemed to suggest?
Name: N/A
Titles: None.
Divine Rank: Divine Spirit
Divine Power: 100/100 (+1/sec)
Major Domains: None.
Minor Domains: None.
Sacrifices/Offerings: 0
Faith Points: 0
Demigods: 0
"Huh, this is something alright…" I muttered as I stared at the screen before me. I poked the name of my rank, hoping to have some light shined on what it was supposed to mean. A new text box then quickly appeared over my status with a short description of what a Divine Rank was.
The Divine Rank is the measure of how powerful a divine being is or can become. Divine Spirits are at the lowest rank yet don't be fooled, they are still capable of destroying mortals with ease.
Raise your Divine Rank by spending Faith Points gained through worshippers and offerings.
I was now something called a "divine spirit", which was some sort of proto-god/baby-god or something. Or maybe it's like a Pokémon/Digimon kind of thing where I evolve into a different form? Judging by its name my earlier theory about being a ghost of some kind wasn't too far off.
I tapped Divine Power but just quickly skimmed the text. It boiled down to basically being increased with something called Faith Points and the size of my area of influence which itself was determined by how many people worshiped me in an area, if I had any temples or shrines there if people were worshipping in the shrines or temples, and also my divine rank.
It was a constantly expanding (and sometimes retracting) thing, this area of influence. But apparently, it gets easier to maintain and grow the stronger I get.
At least the regen for this Divine Power was per second, which was nice. I couldn't imagine being a godly figure and needing to regain mana every hour or day like I was one of those dungeon core stories. At any rate, there were only three other parts of my status that I needed explaining as I could pretty easily guess what the demigod number was for.
I put domains on hold until I looked at the rest. I tapped my finger on Faith Points and then on Offerings. They were grouped together and if what I learned just before was any indication they were probably pretty important.
Enough prayers and devotion to you, either answered or unanswered, will award Faith Points which can be used to empower your godly powers. Be aware that while answering prayers can award additional Faith Points you will be affecting the world in some way. So answer wisely… or don't. You can also obtain Faith Points as you gain more genuine worshippers through converting or inspiring faith through Divine Actions.
Offerings work in several ways. First, they can be used as temporary Faith Points, allowing you to save normal points and not spend them on increasing lower-ranked skills. They may also be spent to regain Divine Power or for a temporary empowerment of your godly abilities. All uses of your offerings will remove them from your temple(s) and none may be regained until more are offered. Some may disappear on their own and animal or human sacrifices will provide a certain amount of offering points depending on the quality of the sacrifice but will fade much more quickly with time.
"That's… quite a bit to take in," I said to myself. "So I'm supposed to be trying to get people to worship me in order to get stronger instead of killing stuff like some gamer?"
I rose from my seat and paced the edge of the cliff, thinking. Cute girls in an underwhelming animated show aside, I didn't want to be caught with my pants down here. This world, I'd admit, was pretty damn dangerous all things considered. And as some new god, I could potentially do a bit of good in it if I put my mind to it.
I mean, I live here now too, right?
I paused my pacing and touched the last part of my status page that I needed to check.
Domains are what a god rules over. You will always have the two major domains that you first choose while minor domains may be obtained if enough of your followers believe you rule over them. Minor domains can be lost and regained infinitely over time. If a minor domain remains as a firm belief over a long enough span of time it may be turned into a more permanent Major Domain with enough Faith Points.
You currently have 0/2 domains available.
(Tap here to choose your domains)
I gave an amused grunt as I looked over the list of domains, "I should be choosing carefully here but who wouldn't choose Sky and Lightning if they were in my shoes? Zeus all the way!"
Well, it also wasn't like it was a bad choice anyway. Lightning was pretty damn strong, especially the divine kind, and the sky was literally all over the world. Then, after I had chosen my new domains and shouted my little proclamation, I suddenly received a new quest.
Domains chosen: Lightning, Sky.
New Quest!
King of the Heavens!
You have decided to rule over the world from your lofty throne in the Sky. Wielding Divine Lightning you may choose to smite all those that oppose your Divine right to rule or offer leniency with your infinite mercy.
Objectives:
Become "Major God" Divine Rank (0/1)
Be widely worshipped in at least three large cities (0/3)
Have at least one Grand Temple (0/1)
Have at least two Minor Temples (0/2)
Have at least one demigod child (0/1)
Forge at least one Divine Tier Weapon (0/1)
Forge at least one set of Divine Tier Armor (0/1)
Reward:
"King of the Heavens" title awarded.
10,000 Faith Points awarded.
Area of Influence permanently expanded to cover the world.
Ability to grant and strip godhood unlocked.
Failure:
This quest can not be failed.
"Huh, interesting," I said as I finished reading through the quest objectives.
Suddenly my ethereal body shone with light when power and authority slammed into me, I felt reinvigorated and giddy as this new connection with my chosen domains slammed into what I could only think was my own soul. My form seemed to glow brighter and have some new properties to them but I wasn't paying it much attention. Riding this new high of mine I just burst out into laughter and with a grin I shouted out to the city below even if nobody could hear me, "Then, if I am to be King of the Heavens, I shall henceforth be named Zeus!"
Needing to do something with this newly acquired energy I channeled some of this Divine Power of mine in a bit of a blind attempt to try and give this proclamation some needed fanfare. Really bring out my inner Chunni. Thunder loudly boomed down from the sky above me as lightning arced across it as well despite the rather clear day, and coming from the cliff's edge where I stood a short but heavy blast of wind blew across the town from somewhere behind me. Evidently, I was able to do something after all.
-20 DP
Electrokinesis Skill Acquired!
Atmokinesis Skill Acquired!
Aerokinesis Skill Acquired!
Name accepted: Zeus.
I finally calmed down a bit once that surge of power finally faded away into a much more manageable sort-of presence in the back of my being and turned to head back to the spot I originally appeared in. If I was to be a god then my place of worship needed to be a bit better than a slab of rock and some dirt. Besides, it's better to get a good running start on completing my new quest. This place can't really be called a grand temple of any kind.
It was only when I was about halfway to my destination that I realized I hadn't yet finished the tutorial quest. With a bit of embarrassment, I pulled up the last thing it required of me and looked it over. It was a good thing I did because it was going to help me a lot when making this little shrine of mine into something better.
My list of godly powers was a tad small at first glance but it seemed to cover a lot of ground here in the beginning. A second box of text appeared over the list and explained a few things.
These are the skills and powers that you have available to use! You may unlock more through dedicated experimentation, worship, or through Faith Points! Skills that are part of a major domain automatically increase in rank when ranking up. All others that are not part of your major domains must have Faith Points spent in order to rank them up. The higher the level the skill has before it is ranked up the less Faith Points that are needed to do so and the less Divine Power needed to use them at their current rank.
That was good to know after I had taken a moment to read it and look at my skills and powers, it means that I have a reason beyond reducing Divine Power costs to level them up.
Bless, Level 1:
(Rank: Divine Spirit)
Bless something with your godly power. This skill's rank is of the Divine Spirit rank so only minor or insignificant blessings and their effects may be granted.
Cost: 100DP
Curse, Level 1:
(Rank: Divine Spirit)
Curse your target and punish them with your divine wrath if you don't wish them dead on the spot. This skill's rank is of the Divine Spirit rank so your fury can only extend to minor effects.
Cost: 100DP
Empower Yourself, No Level:
(Rank: Divinity Required)
Consume Faith Points to increase your godly power. Each Faith Point and Offering Point equals one Divine Power.
Cost: X Faith Points / X Offering Points
Atmokinesis, Level 1:
(Rank: Divine Spirit)
(Major Domain)
Absolute control over the weather and atmosphere within your area of influence. Create storms, tornados, hurricanes, rain, anything you wish. As this power comes as part of a major domain its costs when using it are reduced and are also more powerful.
Cost: Variable
Electrokinesis, Level 1:
(Rank: Divine Spirit)
(Major Domain)
Absolute control over lightning and electricity. Such forces may never harm you unless they come from a divine power greater than yourself. As this power comes as part of a major domain its costs when using it are reduced and are also more powerful.
Cost: Variable
Aerokinesis, Level 1:
(Rank: Divine Spirit)
(Major Domain)
Absolute control over air and all that entails. As this power comes as part of a major domain its costs when using it are reduced and are also more powerful.
Cost: Variable
Divine Magic, Level 1:
(Rank: Divinity Required)
Miscellaneous spells, effects, and tricks that gods may use to affect and shape themselves or the world around them. Shapeshifting, conjuration, observing distant locations, and creating objects, plants or creatures with pure Divine Power are just some examples of the effects in this skill, imagination is the only limiting factor. As its level increases so does its efficiency when using your Divine Power.
Notes: Crafted objects of the Divine Tier can not be made with this skill, such items must be forged by a god's own hands. This skill can work alongside your other domain-related skills, boosting the desired effects and reducing costs.
Cost: Variable
Quest "The Tutorial" Complete!
Reward: One Faith Point.
I held off on checking out what I could do with that point for later. Instead, I inspected the altar/slab of rock that sat in the center of a small clearing inside the forest. It wasn't anything special, looking like a simple, if flat, boulder. If I was going to have people worship me then I needed something with a bit more flair to it.
I knelt down and placed my hand on the side of the flat rock. Now was as good a time as any to practice using my powers and I figured that Divine Tricks was what I needed to carve some pictures into the stone. I had a feeling that I was a bit of a painter in whatever old life I had and hopefully, that experience would help me with putting whatever pictures I had in my head onto the stone.
-1DP
The pictures that came out were pretty Greek-like in style and I was kind of proud of them.
On what I had chosen to be the front of the altar was a picture of me, or at least a possible future godly version of me, standing on a cloud overlooking a bunch of people with lightning in each of my hands as they fought against some random monstrous enemies that I made to vaguely look like the Grimm here on the planet. The other sides of the altar were mostly me doodling variations of the Greek myths with godlier-me overlooking them all.
Then I added some stone eagles on top of either end of the rock slab and fused them onto it like little gargoyles, making sure that they were as weather-worn as the altar they sat on and all that junk.
-18DP
I was about to start working on some of the mossy and vine-covered columns surrounding the clearing when I heard some yelling come from the forest. I quickly made my way toward them, jogging through trees and brush like a ghost while cursing this slow-moving speed of mine, as I heard what sounded like combat. As I went further in I happened upon two teenagers fighting a pair of well-armored boney beowolves and a massive Ursa.
As I got a good look at them I noticed that they also seemed rather worn out. Their clothes were worn and ragged and they had dark circles under their eyes as if they hadn't slept in a long while.
One, a young man whose face I couldn't see but had dark brown hair and blue highlights, swiped at one of the beowolves with a warcry, catching it in the arm. It was a hard enough blow but all it did was scrape against its bone armor and knock it back a bit but not kill it. The other, a young and pretty red-haired girl with short hair and green eyes, tried to stab the second with her long spear. The other beowolf didn't seem to agree with that and swiped its claws at the weapon's tip, knocking it to the side and into a tree and making the girl almost lose her weapon when it rattled in her grasp.
"Keep falling back, Elena! We need to at least get to a clearing!" the young man shouted to his partner. I could hear the tiredness in his voice, they must have been out here for a while. I didn't know why they hadn't already retreated towards Argus but it doesn't matter too much right now.
The girl, Elena, gave a hesitant nod that the young man couldn't see but did her best to retreat away from the Grimm with the young man whose name I still don't have. She didn't seem to be enjoying the battle with the Grimm, or enjoy fighting at all. Her attacks were always a bit too hesitant as if she didn't want to hurt even the literal monsters in front of her.
Still, that hesitation of hers cost her.
With a roar, the stronger Ursa swiped down at the young man as he was trying to cover their retreat. Its claws dug into his chest and blood poured from the wound in great arcs, his breath came out in a dying rasp as he crumpled into a heap on the ground.
Elena cried out in despair when she saw what had happened and the Grimm zeroed in on her negative emotions.
Sadly, it was only then did I realize that I probably shouldn't just be watching all of this like some sort of spectator. When the first beowolf started to near her frozen form I did the first thing that came to mind, pointing my hand at the beowolf and using my newfound power for the first… second time. I didn't know how much power to put into summoning this lightning of mine to smite this monster so I just put a tenth of the amount of Divine Power that one of my other powers had, Bless.
-10DP
The result was a thin bolt of lightning falling from the sky and striking the beowolf that neared the young woman so hard that it was flung back fast enough that I thought I heard a crack of bone. Thunder rumbled above and it soon began to lightly drizzle rain, I looked at the spot where the beowolf was originally struck by the lightning to see a series of burn marks in zig-zag patterns on the ground, similar to how lightning looks in the sky. The lightning wasn't as powerful as I thought it'd be, but maybe that's because I'm at a pretty low rank when it comes to gods and didn't put a whole lot of power, relatively speaking, into it. I mean, just blessing something took my entire current stock of Divine Power!
Still, the Grimm was now a charred, smoking, broken, and dissolving corpse and that seemed to have made the other Grimm pause at the random defeat of their ally and, heh, shocked Elena into action.
Meaning that she bolted away from the Grimm towards where my altar was.
The Grimm didn't take long to get over their own shock and gave chase. I didn't want to be left behind and tried to run after them but I wasn't all that fast running with this damn ethereal body of mine. This lack of quick movement frustrated me until I felt a tingling sensation over my body and suddenly light flashed around me and I found myself standing over my altar, staring down at Elena who was draped and crying over it in exhaustion.
I looked towards the forest line as the other Grimm barreled out of it, Elena fearfully whimpering as she held her spear towards them in desperation. Not having much time left, as I was certain that she didn't have any aura right now just like the other guy, I raised my hand again and sent two more bolts of lightning at the remaining grimm.
I used a bit more for each bolt of lightning than the amount of Divine Power used against the first beowolf. Mostly to see what they'd do.
-30DP
-50DP
Electrokinesis has risen one level!
The first bolt of lightning hit the lead beowolf and was noticeably larger than the first one. It simply sheared right through the monster and left a decently sized fissure in the earth where it struck, a similar burn lightning mark was left on the ground leading from the point of impact. The two halves of the beowolf were also turned to ash by the power of the lightning not long after they were separated from each other.
The second struck the Ursa and when it descended down the area around us almost seemed to get a tad bit brighter. The ursa was simply vaporized by the force of the lightning, nothing but a crater the size of a small car and much larger burn marks on the ground was left of its existence. Thunder rolled and boomed loudly across the sky above the city below as the rain slowly picked up in intensity.
Elena stood there gasping for air, staring at the charred and destroyed spots the now dissolved grimm used to be at. For a moment I thought she was going to say something but then she just sort of fell forward and passed out. I stood in the clearing a bit awkwardly as I thought about what to do now.
Well… I did need worshippers. I guess I gotta start this cult of mine somewhere and saving someone's life through literal divine intervention should be a good way to get my foot in the door, right?