Tribulations, p.2
Tribulations, page 2
(You must lead this army on a holy war as you work to convert all who come into your path. At this time, you as the head priestess are about to give a rousing speech before your forces attack the city behind you.)
Gale wanted to scream at the system for doing this to her, as she had been extremely happy to remain an obscure existence to the followers of Freya in the main ED world. All any of the clergy there knew of her was that she was a promising cleric who had long since started down the Odr path and had no desires to partake in the more pleasurable forms of worship that was common. If they knew that she was actually Freya’s divine scion, there was no doubt that she would become their rallying cry, but it would almost certainly cause her to become the target of many. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she would have to fight against many tier-8 assailants who saw her very existence as a threat. Even if she had the protection of a few tier-8s herself, it would still mark the end of her days being able to adventure, or even grow stronger, without a major hassle.
Still, Gale had long accepted that she would one day have to fulfill this very role with how the winds were blowing. As Xeal liked to put it, first ED’s countries would tear each other apart and then the churches would seek to establish themselves as the main religions of the world. This was especially true for the gods of war, who would seek battle for battle’s sake at times and that was especially true of Freya. As a goddess of love and war, there wasn’t a battlefield that she was opposed to stepping onto. It was part of why her clergy was predominantly made up of women and they were blessed for joining freely with stronger mates. It was also why the Odr path was rarely taken, as in this world where battle and war often meant the death of their partner, it was easier to have a dozen lovers to fuel your power with. Still, it was gaining more traction now that players had become common, as the worshipers of Freya were particularly popular with a subset of them. It was with the resolve that came from knowing that she would need to be the one to lead the reformation of Freya’s faith one day, that Gale began to speak to her forces in as loud of a voice as she could muster.
“None of you here today need to hear a rousing speech from me to perform at your best! All you need do is look to each side of you and to the heavens to receive the motivation needed. It is your brothers and sisters in arms, and our goddess Freya who gives us the cause we have to put our all into our task today!”
As cheers and battle cries rang out from the force before her, Gale paused for it to end before continuing.
“That’s right, we are here to do Freya’s work. Never forget that! She is the god of war, but also of love. As such, we must love our enemies for allowing us to display our devotion to her! Remember that we are here to bring as many as we can to her and that it isn’t their fault that they have yet to feel the joy that comes from following Freya. As such, ensure that we spare as many as we can once we have captured the city. Now, in Freya’s name, I command all of you to perform your duties and bring the light of Freya’s love to them!”
As Gale finished, she raised her staff high and unleashed an AOE buff spell that fell onto the 1,000 members of the army that was closest to her. While this increased the morale of those affected, it was the visual of her raising the staff while it emitted a bright light that she was going for, as the army cheered even louder as the sub-commanders took charge. Within the hour the city was surrounded and putting up a fierce struggle to avoid falling, as Gale was relegated to being a glorified ornament. It was clear that she wasn’t the general, or even in the chain of command for the actual battle plans and at most she would be asked to heal a wounded enemy soldier after the battle in a propaganda move.
This frustrated Gale as everyone present was level 199 or lower and while she took a back seat when Xeal was around, she was perfectly capable as a combatant as well. Both her strength and dexterity were much higher than a typical cleric due to her being Freya’s vessel. Both had received 120 extra points from being so and she had matched that plus what she had before, to reach the point of having over 300 points in each. While not quite on the level of a warrior who focused only on those, it was still higher than most as everyone also needed points in constitution and SP, else they would lack the tools to be effective. Gale’s base ability points were set with 205 in constitution, 305 in strength, 385 in dexterity, 100 in MP as her skills only required a small bit of it, 205 in SP as most of her skills relied on it and 400 in charisma. Like bards, almost all of Gale’s skills and abilities were only as effective as her ability to be persuasive, or at least attractive. She had also stunted her SP in favor of dexterity to help ensure that she would be able to dodge attacks during her tier-up efforts. After all, she had to be ready to stand alone if needed, or as she smiled while charging into the area that was seeing the greatest struggle, join the frontlines of any battle.
As she reached the area that was around the front, Gale unleashed a healing spell followed by a buffing spell, as those on the ladders cheered at noticing her. A few minutes of a one-sided struggle later, they succeeded in breaching the walls as Gale made her way up a ladder, before standing atop the wall and casting the same spell that she had used atop the platform at the end of her speech. What followed was a massive surge from her followers, as the battle turned into a rout as the defenders abandoned the walls and started to fall back to the city’s keep.
As Gale walked through the empty city, it was clear that the people, at least the middle class and up, had been pulled into the keep. When they reached the slums, what they found was starving kids, elderly, the sick and other so-called undesirables. Gale hated looking at these issues in reality because they always made her feel so helpless as even now that she could be considered rich, she had no idea how to handle seeing someone with next to nothing. Here in ED, it was even worse as there was literally magic that could ease much of their problems, yet laws prohibited clerics from healing those who didn’t approach them. This was out of fear of any religion trying to turn the destitute and helpless into fanatics. Even if they came to any church, payment was required. Furthermore, while Xeal was welcome to hand out all the gold he liked, as were most players who weren’t tied to any god, churches had to operate through a third party that would hide where the funds came from. It was for this reason alone that most faiths gave very little in charity as unlike in reality, not all faiths were so selfless, or at least seeking to be seen as such.
It was only in nations like the Zapladal Theocracy that ignored this, at least for the church in power as it used these zealots to stay in power. It was with this thought that Gale realized that was what she was doing in her tribulation. She was establishing a theocracy, or expanding it and it was those very zealots that she was leading into battle. So, as she looked at the armed, scared and frightened crowd, or poor and needy, she smiled as she raised her staff and cast a healing spell that would also take care of a bit of fatigue and minor illnesses. As the crowd felt the effects of this, they were confused as those in the front who were wielding makeshift weapons lowered them slightly without thinking about it as Gale started to speak.
“Fear not, we are not here to conquer you, but to liberate you! Too long have you been denied basic treatments out of fear that those providing it would seek to use you against those in power. I mourn every life that has been lost on each side of the battle, as they all were simply doing their duty. Worry not, the only change that I am making is that of bringing unity to you. Under the Goddess Freya, all who serve her are ensured to at the very least live with their wounds and illnesses being handled!”
Gale felt like she was a cultist as she spoke, but she treated it like she was roleplaying what one would expect of the leader of a religion. The effect of which was the bloodless surrender of the slums as her army prepared to assault the keep. Only now they had local help and it was about the best form of it that they possibly could have, as they knew where the people would be held up and a secret way to reach them that was meant for escape. Thus, as her forces made like they were going to assault the keep, several of those in the slums went to show a few others the point where the escape path would open. Meanwhile, Gale found herself being summoned to meet with the general.
As she entered the tent that was serving as the command center, Gale found herself looking at more than a few annoyed faces. In there was not only the general, but also several others who looked to be either high-ranking officers, or clergy of Freya from their dress. Among those present besides the general, one stood out as she was definitely in her twilight years, yet you could only tell it by the look in her eyes. It was this woman who spoke first, not the general, as she cast what Gale knew was an anti-spying spell that would ensure that none but those present would hear what was said. Following this, she fixed Gale with a cold glare as she spoke.
“Your actions today were unacceptable. You may be our lady’s chosen vessel and in line to replace me as the true leader of our faith, but you are still to listen to orders from me!”
“No, I don’t think I will,” retorted Gale. “As you say, I am Freya’s vessel, not yours or anyone else’s. If she herself doesn’t order me to stand down, then I will not!”
“Shall I withdraw my army then?” asked the general. “I mean, how am I to plan my battles when you are prone to rush off haphazardly and ruin my battleplans by allowing too many of their numbers to fall back to the keep. Had you not interfered our losses would have been slightly higher, but only half of those defending the keep would be doing so now.”
“The goal isn’t to kill them, it is to convert them,” retorted Gale. “If you think your army will leave as I march on, go right ahead and withdraw!”
Gale just smiled as the looks around the room grew complicated as she was confident in her position. It no longer mattered to her who was in charge on paper, as she knew that none of them could go against her so long as they followed Freya and Gale would use this as she started to dictate terms.
“Now send those in the keep a letter. Tell them that we wish to end this in one-on-one combat. If they win, we will leave. If we win, they bend the knee and begin worshipping Freya.”
“And I suppose that you will be taking the field on our side?”
“Unless you can produce someone who is more likely to come out victorious. I am well aware that while I may be the most powerful one here, there are those who are better suited to fighting.”
Gale could see the room visibly relax as she said this and they seemed to drop the subject as she left as a messenger was summoned. The next hour passed as Gale joined in the efforts to heal the injured from both sides of the conflict, even as the captured prisoners looked at her with hatred. Finally, the response came, though it was a refusal and Gale just smiled as two hours later the gates opened on their own, as the rulers of the city were handed over and the occupation of the city began.
Once the people learned that a chance to have it all decided by a single fight had been turned down, and that the enemy army had no plans to rape and pillage anything outside the treasury, the whole city turned on their leaders. Put simply, most people just wanted to live a comfortable life when it came right down to it. Though once it became clear that conversion and conscription was in the cards, many began to have second thoughts. This was when the general and the old woman made use of Gale once more, as they treated her like some kind of idol as she found herself giving one speech after another. All of this was in the name of peace as they started off towards the second city, only as Gale took a single step, time seemed to shift as she found herself already there.
Like this one battle after another commenced, as Gale found herself never getting more than a quick nap after each of them before it was time for the next. Sometimes the moment that the walls fell it was on to the next one, as she found herself in a near constant state of battle as the mental fatigue began to build up. At the same time, she began to grow used to being cheered and idolized and the sight of the death that accompanied battles ceased to affect her even slightly. She was also vaguely aware of the fact that years seemed to be passing as many faces aged and new ones came into view. Gale could even see many young women that had been just little girls in the first slum that they had liberated become clerics or champions of Freya in their own right.
The contrast between this and her time in reality was stark, as she spent every moment of it with her daughter Moyra. Gale found the contrast so drastic that it kept getting harder and harder to transition between the two of them. More than once, this had occurred mid-battle and Gale had been caught slightly off guard as she returned and took hits that she normally wouldn’t. At the same time, she had returned to reality and almost freaked out a few times, as it took her a moment to remember that anything outside the reality her tribulation was taking place in even existed.
Finally, she reached a city that seemed vaguely familiar with its walls and what looked like a market directly outside of them. The intelligence she had to work with showed three rings of walls that would create a long path to victory and rather than just humans, beast-men defended it as well. By this point Gale was almost operating on auto pilot, as she started to inspire her forces as they chanted her last name.
“Bluefire, Bluefire, Bluefire, Bluefire, Bluefire, Bluefire, Bluefire!”
Gale paused as she remembered that it had been her husband that had given her that name. The same one that had given her Moyra as the thought of her daughter that she still only saw as a baby despite years clearly having had passed. Her head was fuzzy as she tried to remember anything but the last few cities that had fallen to her forces, only she couldn’t. It was like they were nothing but the crusade that she had led. Even when she tried to picture her husband that she knew she still loved, it was a fuzzy image that came up of a man wielding two swords surrounded by many women. For some reason she didn’t seem to mind the women. If anything, she felt a longing for them as she re-centered herself. She was just about to call for the attack when a single individual jumped off the wall and started to approach her forces like nothing was the matter.
As Gale watched this fool walk towards them with no raised flag for truce, neither of his swords drawn and a completely unguarded head, she felt something was off. She kept thinking of her husband, but he had to be back where she came from, only where was that, where was even this? She couldn’t remember and the way this man looked at her was different than any other before her, as it wasn’t with fear, contempt, admiration, or even devotion. No, he looked at her with pity and sorrow in his eyes. Once more the thought of her husband returned to her mind, as she questioned where he was and why it had been so long since she had seen him raced through her head. Had she left him for this war and never returned, or had he left her and she had used this war to fill the void that was within her. As she struggled to remember and grapple with this, the man stopped and shouted a challenge directed at Gale.
“I, Duke Xeal Bluefire, issue a challenge to my wife and leader of this army, Gale Bluefire, for one-on-one combat. To the victor goes all!”
Gale blinked as it hit her that this was her husband and she had arrived at her home, only to prepare to rip it apart. What was she even doing? When did she become such a paragon of war and why was she attacking her own home? As her forces started to cheer and shout, Gale found herself stepping forward on instinct as she almost unconsciously arrived before Xeal. As she just looked at him blankly, he sighed before he spoke to her.
“As I said long ago, if you decided that you wished to leave, I wouldn’t hold it against you and I never have, but today you crossed a line. I still love you even now as I do with all my wives, but I can’t just stand by and let you turn my city into another source for your war machine. You have lost your way and let war consume you, and I should have come to knock some sense into you long ago. Now defend yourself.”
Gale just zoned out as Xeal came charging at her and her body seemed to move on its own as she avoided his attacks while counter attacking. This continued for a while as Gale struggled to understand what was going on and how she was fighting with him on even ground. Even with the boosts that came from being Freya’s vessel she knew he was stronger. That was it, Freya had taken over her body and she was just a passenger on a ride as she realized that if this continued, that she would destroy everything that mattered to her. She needed to take control of her body back and stop this. It was time for the bloodshed and aggressive conversion tactics to end, even if it cost her everything. As she fought, all she was met with was laughter in her head from what she assumed was Freya and the next thing she knew she was in a white space as she stood across from herself. Before Gale even knew what was going on, her other self spoke.
“Just sit back and let me handle this. Once I am done, I promise that you will have your husband back and all of your sisters with him. Only, you will be seated at that head seat rather than him, as you should have been from the start.”
“No! I don’t want that! What have you done to me?”
“Nothing, unless you count leading you to your destiny as my vessel to bring others unto me.”
“Am I even me anymore?!”
“Hmm, I suppose it is more of a we situation, and I will admit that I am looking forward to tasting Xeal through your body now that I have this level of control over it.”
“That’s it, I am evicting you and restoring my memories, which you have taken from me!”
“Silly girl, I have taken nothing from you. You simply lost yourself to the world as you embraced my power and the feeling of being worshiped as the manifestation of me. With each city that came under my control, I gained more and more control over you as my power increased and with it so did your own. Even the husband that you thought invincible will fall to our combined might at this rate!”
Gale didn’t even think of answering as she charged forward armed with nothing but her fists. The other her just smiled as she focused on dodging while continuing to speak.
