Otherworlders. Sophia wasn't born yet when her father Law had outlawed their summoning. Truthfully, she was relatively young as far as deities went at only a few hundred years of age. The commandment banning the summoning of Otherworlders, meanwhile, had been set down by the King of the Gods thousands of years ago.

  Still, Sophia had nevertheless been educated on the dangers posed by Otherworlders. They were a scourge on Creation and if allowed to run rampant, if left unchecked… the damage they could cause was astronomical. It wasn't just that their potential was limitless either. No, the real problem with Otherworlders was their foreign status to reality itself. They came from outside of the cosmos that her father and the other Gods and Goddesses of the Heavens stewarded. And that… that led to most of them going insane in the worst of ways.

  It had taken a while for Sophia to wrap her head around things, truth be told. The Minor Goddess had needed it explained to her numerous times before it finally clicked. In the end, the metaphor that worked for her had gone something like… what would you do if you found yourself waking up one day in a place so far from home that returning was impossible? What would you do if you found out that you were more powerful than most of the creatures in that place and would only get more and more powerful? And most importantly of all… what would you do if you weren't entirely sure the place you found yourself in… was even real?

  Even thinking of it now sent a shiver down Sophia's spine. Apparently, many of the Otherworlders from before the ban had been convinced this universe was some sort of 'game' that could be 'beaten'. They hadn't viewed the people of Creation as 'real', whether they were mortal or divine. As far as those insane Otherworlders were concerned, everything was 'Experience', which in turn could be 'farmed' to make them 'stronger'.

  … Unfortunately, in a twisted and sick sort of way, they were right. The more they fought and killed and 'farmed', the stronger they would get, until they could even become strong enough to challenge the Gods themselves. And the worst of them… the most psychotic Otherworlders were said to even see an 'interface'. They talked about 'levels' and 'attributes' as if they were the most natural things in the world.

  Swallowing thickly and pulling the big sheet of black cloth Oren had given her more tightly around herself, Sophia suddenly feels the need to call out to him.

  "Ah… Oren, a moment of your time…"

  They've made it out of the woods by this point at least and are now on the road heading for the nearest settlement. Sophia has to admit, she's not that enthused about going to a human town and possibly being rediscovered by the God Hunters so soon after losing their scent, but Oren had been clear that she needed different clothes and they needed some extra funds if they were going to make the journey to her refuge in a reasonable time frame.

  Admittedly, given how little divine power she had left at this point and how long it would take her to recharge, Sophia was forced to listen to him. For all that he was an Otherworlder, he was also her only form of protection from the God Hunters at this point.

  The scruffy man doesn't stop walking, but he does look over at her, slowing down momentarily.

  "Yes? What is it?"

  How did she approach this without potentially upsetting him? How did she broach this subject without setting him off? Swallowing thickly, Sophia tries her best to lean on her Domain of Wisdom. For all that she's a Minor Goddess, she's still a divine being after all!

  "Ah… I was just wondering how exactly you saw the world. D-Do you have an interface? Does anything happen when you say… 'Status'?"

  Nailed it. Perfectly normal line of questioning, definitely.

  Oren stares at her for a second as they continue walking along, before finally his brow furrows in consternation.

  "What, like a video game?"

  Sophia's mouth goes dry and her throat convulses as she swallows involuntarily. 'Video Game'. That was definitely a pair of words that had come up in her tutelage.

  "… Nah, nothing like that. I was never much for gaming back home anyways. I didn't have time for 'frivolous pursuits', had to focus on my education. Got myself a full scholarship too, not that I got to use it."

  Sophia quietly lets out a sigh of relief and starts breathing again. She honestly hadn't even realized she'd stopped. Still, that was a good sign. That was a very good sign. For all that he was an Otherworlder, Oren seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders. Not like the God Killer.

  Her jaw clenches as her mind drifts to the man who slaughtered the Heavens and slew her father. Damn it all… now that Oren has put the idea of Otherworlders in her head, it all makes so much more sense. The God Killer was definitely an Otherworlder, no doubt about it. And he was probably one of the psychotic ones too who treated all of this as a game and put no value in the lives of those born to this reality.

  Admittedly, she didn't know why he spared her like he did. Sophia had lied to Oren about that. In actuality, she'd run face first into the God Killer's chestplate during his rampage through the Heavens and fallen on her ass. By all rights, she should be dead. But… in the end, she wasn't worth killing. Even the God Killer didn't think she was worth his time.

  Instead, he'd walked past her without a word and Sophia… Sophia hadn't even been able to muster up the courage to attack him from behind. She'd just stayed there on the ground, frozen in sheer terror for longer than she wanted to admit. By the time her body finally responded to her commands and she could move again… it was already too late. She'd had to flee the Heavens and not look back shortly after that.

  Some Goddess she was. She'd certainly failed her father in every possible way. Even still, she refused to just roll over and die now. That would be letting the God Hunters win and Sophia couldn't allow that to happen, not while she still had a chance of… of doing something about all of this. Though truthfully, she was getting ahead of herself there. Doing anything substantial was little more than a fanciful dream at this point. Just surviving day to day would have to be enough for now. Reaching her hidden refuge was the next big step in that regard.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  … Still, it wasn't like she could stop her mind from wandering, now could she? And… she kept going back to the God Killer. An Otherworlder almost certainly. Oren had already said that nobody else had been summoned with him, which was a very good thing. The ancient tales of entire groups of Otherworlders being summoned were rarely any better than solo Otherworlders being summoned. It always ended in tragedy. Always.

  But just because nobody else had been summoned alongside Oren didn't mean the group that summoned him hadn't summoned others. Someone like the God Killer would have had to have been summoned ages ago to be as powerful as he'd been. Years, maybe. And while it was insane to think that an Otherworlder had been summoned under her father's nose while he still drew breath, it was also difficult to accept that the King of the Gods was dead and so were the rest of the Heavens to boot.

  "Apologies, but I must know… the people who summoned you Oren, what were they like? Did they tell you why they summoned you? Did they… do you know anything about their goals? Their motivations?"

  Silence falls and for a moment Sophia questions whether or not he's even going to answer her. Just when she's starting to think it'll be 'not', he speaks.

  "… They were kind to me. Apologetic even for ripping me away from my life. They told me I was special and that they needed my help to fight against monsters. They started training me, but eventually I figured out they were lying to me. That's when I ran away."

  Was the same organization that had summoned Oren also the same shadowy group behind the God Hunters? But for that to be the case… they would need to be truly powerful. Perhaps a shadow cabal of mortal kings and emperors working together in concert. She would have accused the deities here on the Mortal Plane of being behind it, but the God Hunters were after them as much as they were after her.

  Frankly, Sophia suspected the God Killer of being linked to the God Hunters in some way. It only made sense, right? But then where was he? No one had seen the God Killer since his rampage through the Heavens and while Sophia hadn't exactly had the time to do anything but flee, it was still rather strange. Was he still up there? Was he just… lounging around the Heavens, treating the blood-soaked ruins of her home like his own personal playground?

  But then who was behind the God Hunters if not him? It didn't really make sense. None of it was adding up. Sophia opens her mouth to question Oren further, but before she can get a word out, he cuts her off with a raised hand.

  "We're almost there."

  Blinking, Sophia furrows her brow.

  "Almost wh-?"

  However, she cuts herself off when she sees what Oren had already noticed in the distance. Chimney smoke rises through the treeline, and as they crest one last hill, there's a village laid out before them just down the road. Maybe another thirty minutes on foot and they'll be among mortals again.

  Needless to say, Sophia shivers at the thought of walking among those who would probably happily see her dead. But she knows that fear isn't entirely rational. Sure, the God Hunters wanted to kill her and there would be no small number of mortals who would sell out her location and existence if they caught wind of her.

  But Oren didn't want her dead at least. He was direct proof that not every mortal was out for her divine blood. She could trust him, because by this point he would have killed her if he had ill intentions.

  "We should talk before we reach Amberwell."

  Looking over at him, Sophia furrows her brow in confusion for a moment before finally realizing that Amberwell must be the name of the town.

  "… Alright."

  Keeping his gaze firmly forward, Oren clears his throat.

  "There are only three ways to gain the resources we need in the time frame we need them. First is to steal and rob."

  Sophia gasps at that.

  "What?! We can't do that! T-Thievery is an unconscionable act! It's evil!"

  The look Oren gives her makes Sophia flush in response, but she nevertheless stands her ground. Metaphorically speaking anyways, they're still walking forward.

  "… I thought you might say that. I almost didn't mention it, but you needed to know it was an option all the same. Do you want to survive? Do you want us to make it to your hideaway without being caught out by God Hunters? Then we might just have to do some things you don't want to do. Things that offend your delicate sensibilities."

  Sophia squawks at that last part. They barely even knew each other and he was talking like she was some spoiled brat or something! She wasn't! She simply had her morals and wasn't willing to break them at the drop of a hat when there were other options! Speaking of which…

  "What are our other two choices?"

  Rolling his shoulders, Oren sighs.

  "The second expedient method of getting what we need would be to enter me into a fighting pit. Bet everything we currently have on me coming out on top and then take our inevitable winnings and utilize them to get the hell out of dodge."

  That was… well, it was better than outright theft, wasn't it? Of course, as a Minor Goddess of Equity, part of her DID balk at this idea as well. It wouldn't be very fair, now would it? Oren was an Otherworlder, and one of some training at that. She'd watched him cut through that squad of God Hunters like they were nothing, slaughtering them like animals. Anyone who wound up facing him in a fighting pit would be at a distinctly unfair advantage.

  And yet, Oren's words about doing things that might 'offend' her to survive are still fresh in Sophia's ears. She wants to prove she can be a team player. Perhaps this is a concession that she can make to show-

  "Unfortunately, that's not an option in Amberwell."

  Jaw dropping open, Sophia gapes at her male companion in disbelief.

  "What? Why not?!"

  Glancing over at her, Oren snorts derisively.

  "That eager to watch me risk life and limb in a pit for your enjoyment, huh?"

  Sophia blushes and sputters out denials at that, but Oren just waves her off.

  "You don't need to defend yourself. A fighting pit would have been my preference as well. Definitely the safest and most legal way of procuring the funds we need as fast as we need them. But Amberwell isn't a large enough town to have a fighting pit. It's barely more than a village. At the end of the day, since outright thievery is out, that narrows our options down to one."

  Scowling, the Minor Goddess of Wisdom and Equity crosses her arms over her chest. It felt very much like Oren was leading her around by the nose at this point and she did not like it one bit.

  "And what is this final option, exactly?"

  They've cleared even more ground by now and will soon be entering Amberwell. Letting out a sigh, Oren rubs a hand on the back of his head for a moment before looking at her more seriously.

  "You're not going to like it. Just keep an open mind, alright? And no matter what… trust me. I know what I'm doing."

  A shiver runs down Sophia's spine at that intense look in the Otherworlder's gaze. It takes every fiber of her being not to swallow involuntarily. She's not sure if she trusts him, but at the same time, she has no other options. If he was anything like the Otherworlders of ancient times, Oren was only more likely to become a danger to her and everyone else in Creation as time went on. Right now though, he was her best shot of making it to safety and managing to slip the noose of the God Hunters once and for all.

  She was surely going to regret this, but…

  "A-Alright. I'll trust you."

  A/N: Famous last words, Sophia. Hm, what do you guys think Oren's plan is? Well, I suppose you'll find out pretty fast heh.

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