Rise Of Myth: Heir To Valor

News of the impending war spread like wildfire. By the time evening came around, the market street was full of weapons and armor. Mercenary companies were recruiting dozens of people, leading them away to begin basic training and integration into their forces. Val observed from the balcony of his room at Boldir's Tavern. 

For the first time, he began to get an idea of just how deep the fortress-city ran, as there were far more people than he imagined could fit on the single ground level of the city. Asha and the two ravens were still with the Senate, sitting in on what he had no doubt were frustrating deliberations. Even Boldir was very busy, he had reopened his tavern but only for drinks. This resulted in the first floor turning into an almost exclusive gathering of mercenary groups.

Val felt incredibly bored. Harken's facilities were full of new recruits, while he had said the Black Dogs held little interest in war, they would apparently take a logistics role. Val was sure Harken's angle was interacting with any American technology he could, especially from the military. In the interest of some practice, Val geared himself and head for the gates.

It did not take long to get out of the city and into the open air. With all the hollering and the crowds of people eager for the first sign of battle in some time, Kar Lodihr was getting a bit stuffy. Val was glad to escape as he walked towards Clear Lake. The large body of water would make for a safe place to practice his magic as well as his sword. He had heard that one of the two major ley lines of the area ran under the lake, creating a magically vibrant location. Val's brand did nothing to help him sense magic; growing his capabilities for detecting and controlling magic was rising on his list of priorities. The memory of Draug hypnosis was fresh in his mind, finding a way to defend against it was a critical concern.

Val reached the lake and found himself on the very same shores he sat on after his first attempt at the wendigo. Taking a moment to enjoy the view of the almost red waters in the setting sun, Val brandished his sword and flew into his routine. 

A day back in the Dwarven stronghold left him feeling in considerably better shape. Tyrfing felt light in his hands again as sword strikes cut through the chilly air. An hour of practice later, he sheathed his blade and took a short break to read the book of runes.

Only a few minutes of reading later, a familiar, curious fog began to roll over the lake. Val looked on with an eyebrow slightly raised, before a smirk appeared on his face. He picked up a smooth stone from the bank and chucked it towards the fog. It skipped across the water, disappearing into the fog before a loud thunk rang out. Satisfied, Val stood as the stone returned the way it came, skipping across the water and landing on the bank only a few feet away from where Val found it.

"Is it really you this time, or is this another of your illusions?" Val called out.

"What difference would it be, to one who cannot discern it?" Coyote's canoe emerged from the fog, with the familiar guardian deity wearing a toothy grin.

"Is this even what you really look like?"

"Like many of my brethren, we take many forms, but this is among my most comfortable."

"Right, well, what's your business this time?"

Coyote drew his smoking pipe from his sleeves. "I understand the Dwarves prepare for war."

"You're well informed. Though I don't know how much they're really preparing. As far as I know, they're still squabbling over 'acceptable costs' as opposed to saving this land."

Coyote hummed to himself, enjoying large puffs of smoke. "You sound concerned."

"Are you not? You must have been around for the first war against these guys."

"Indeed, I was. While nothing like the Crusade, it was a bloody conflict. One where gods fought alongside the people."

"Yeah, well, apparently the gods are all but out of commission now. From what I understood in the history books, it's been the era of mortals for some time now."

Coyote smirked. "Hmm. What do you know about gods?"

"I know there aren't many left in this realm. Many of them died or lost their powers in my world."

"That is true, but I find historians to be amusing. What do you think is the difference between a god and a mortal?"

Val frowned, reminded of his annoyance with Coyote's habit of talking in circles. "What are you getting at?"

"In your world, with very few exceptions, everyone was mortal. Here, it is different. Why do you think the two realms were made one again?"

"Do you know why? Karl— Odin was not sure, suspected it to be a means of halting our progress, or restoring the gods' power."

"Those are plausible reasons. I myself do not know the answer, but I know one more plausibility. The event has flooded this realm with magic, enough to give rise to new gods."

"Gods can be made? In our stories, gods are born into power."

"Most are, but it is entirely possible to gain godhood. You are no longer mortal, something closer to the immortal races. There have been instances of your own kind ascending to demigodhood, and many tried to attain true godhood."

"What is your angle here? Last time we spoke, you wanted something. I can't imagine you are so bored as to simply visit me."

Coyote studied Val up and down, tendrils of smoke wisping from his snout. "I am curious to see what will happen to you. It is a most fascinating creature Odin has made of you. A human body housing the soul of a divine beast and a god. While mere echoes of what they once were, I wonder what will happen as you grow stronger, and they recover within you. Which will emerge... A human sowed with the potential of godhood... Some might think you an abomination, but perhaps you will become something entirely unexpected."

Val folded his arms with a smirk. "Concerned I'll turn into some monster? Like the wendigo?"

"Not concerned, hopeful that you will be a catalyst for positive change. Our world has sorely needed a reason to be better than we were. I've had much time to learn the history of your world, and there's a curious parallel. There's a country of your world, Japan, yes? We know that land as Yamato. For many years, your Japan closed itself off to the outside world and stagnated, only to be forced open by Westerners. While there were disastrous times to follow, they emerged stronger than before, no?"

Val's face darkened. "Disastrous times is an understatement, they swelled with power, and arrogance— they paid for it dearly. You want that to happen here?"

"Perhaps in a more controlled manner. The denizens of our world have all allowed themselves to stagnate, satisfied with their petty power struggles and castes. Your world may be destroyed, but its people will break down ours in time, giving way to something altogether unexpected."

"I still don't see where you are going with this. You use me as an example of something unthinkably pieced together and the entirety of this realm's peoples. Yes, my actions may have accelerated a revolution in Dwarven technology, but I'm not about to travel the world evangelizing my people's technology and culture."

"You set fires everywhere you go. I believe this is a good thing, and so I would see you survive this war. In that spirit, I have roused the other guardians of this land from their slumber. This was our land before any others, and we would see it protected from the Draug."

Val's eyes widened slightly, he heard no mockery in Coyote's tone, the god was serious. "...How many?"

"Rare as it is for us to come together, we will number beyond fifty thousand. We will join the Elves when they arrive."

"Thank you, the more allies we have, the better. Just wish we knew more about our enemy."

"There is little we can do about that, though it is worth knowing that they are not so different from their past. Curiously so, in fact. I have not been able to find much, but know that you have more allies in this fight than you may realize. They are not much more welcome in the oceans than they are on land. We may yet find allies from the sea in this war. Focus on your training, you are, but one man and diplomacy does not appear to be your strength... Instead, I suggest you inspire others through action."

Val paused, thinking for a moment. "Speaking of... You seem very skilled in magic, illusions especially. I was affected by one when I last saw the Draug. I don't suppose you know how to defend against them?"

Coyote displayed a toothy grin. "You are asking for my help?"

Val sighed. "Yes, I'll owe you one if you can help me with this."

The anthropomorphic coyote suddenly snapped his fingers, and without warning, the setting sun began to rise as if traveling in reverse along its course. The evening turned to the bright day, Val even felt the warmth of sunlight on his skin.

"There is a variety of illusory magic, one of which is as you experienced. Capturing your target's senses to manipulate their actions. If you manipulate the surrounding environment, you need only escape the area, dispel the illusion, or possess a means of seeing through it. In this particular case, when your very senses are deceived, it can be much harder to free yourself. Your first problem is that you are not very well attuned to magic itself. You must find another way to identify the presence of an illusion. This one, I imagine, is obvious." Coyote explained in an amused tone.

Val looked around in alarm at the compelling situation. "Right... But it doesn't seem to help much, just knowing this isn't real."

"Indeed. I have already embedded my magic into your body, those with precise control over magic can manipulate your senses freely once they have accomplished this. But you have a perfect counter to techniques that rely on this particular point. As I understand it, your brand lets you siphon magic from your surroundings, converting it into mana for you to consume. Provided the volume of magical power remains within its capacities, you can easily disrupt any attempt to inject foreign mana." Coyote looked at Val expectantly, puffing smoke from his pipe.

After a moment of thought, Val figured out something. He ignited his magic, focusing intently on its flow. He had leveraged his knowledge of the circulatory system for imparting his will upon his mana. It would flow like blood to and from his heart. Now he tried to supplant the heart with the brand. The runes began to glow as it accepted his own mana, creating a different loop where he reprocessed everything that flowed with it, imagining something like a dialysis machine.

In a minute, with the brand beginning to warm uncomfortably, his surroundings began to crumble. The experience was jarring, but the sun started to disappear from the sky, and the day turned back to night. Coyote looked pleased, satisfied with Val's demonstration.

"Remember that trick, it may save you from many threats. Illusions are simply one of many dangerous attacks leveraging mana injection. If you use this properly, you can turn your enemy's power against them, taking it for yourself."

"I see. That's more easily done than I expected."

"It is easy for you, but believe me, the capacity for such a skill is rare. Odin has given you something truly powerful. Usually, this kind of treatment requires another to act as the medium for purging your body of foreign mana. Doing so yourself can take far too long to be practical."

"Thank you. I won't forget this favor."

"Hmm... Though there is much more progress, we can make... When you are able, return here any day at dawn. I will instruct you in what I know."

"Are you serious?"

Coyote grinned. "Yes. Do not be so alarmed. I will consider this repayment for a favor owed to Odin." As he finished his piece, Coyote's form began to collapse into wisps of smoke. Receding with the fog back across the lake. In the now dark night, Val set off back to Kar Lodihr.