Worthy Core

At some unseen signal the two gods on the distant hillside somehow get the message that it's time for them to get down to business, and the pair quickly make their way over to Kahlia's throne. Bizarrely quickly, even - while they get up to their feet and began walking over like two normal people, somehow every step forward manages to pass ten times the expected distance or more, in a maneuver that hurts Xenia's head to witness. They perhaps could have taken a little extra time however as when they arrive Taina is still wiping off her chin, and Palain is fixing the belt on his peasant-like outfit with an embarrassed look on his face. Nodding to Xenia, he excuses his tardiness.

"I'm sorry, it was rather rude of us to carry on like that in front of you, I didn't actually notice your arrival. Taina's skills here are, well...divine, as you might understand."

Xenia finds herself a little shocked for more than one reason. "Wow, I'm not used to gods apologizing to me for stuff. Uh, no worries though, you...did look like you were having fun, yeah. Almost sorry I interrupted."

"Hey, I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on this! Taina, Goddess of Love, pleased to meet you!" The pink-haired goddess reaches out for a handshake, and after a discreet check to make sure that said hand seems clean, Xenia accepts.

"You're pleased to meet me? Okay, now I feel like I'm in bizarro-land. But uh, likewise, I've heard a lot of good things about you?"

"Same!" The dwarf-sized divinity practically hops with excitement. "I'm so jealous of Kahlia, that she got to you first! Almost makes me want to get into the dungeon business myself, except I'm pretty sure none of the others are like you. Been even considering trying to get into the dungeon design field on my own, but the Dungeoneers faction's been strangely rude about not taking our calls lately when we try to ask them about dungeon stuff." Her eyes narrow, her mood suddenly shifting. "There's definitely something up with those lunkheads."

After enjoying Xenia's flustered expression for a moment, Kahlia steps in. "Given that we've had a few successful projects together in the past, perhaps at some point I'll allow you the chance to involve yourself with my favorite dungeon. However, that's not what we're here for today."

Xenia gives her a nod, thankful for the return to topic. "Yeah...I assume everyone here knows about my request to try and get in touch with the pantheon from one of my old worlds? I didn't think I'd need to be involving so many deities to do it, though."

Palain, the God of Harvests, crosses his arms with an unhappy look on his face. "We did assist a little with spreading the word, although finding the pantheon in question turned out to be easier than expected. That's not what we're here for, though. We're here to support dear Kahlia here in case any foolish gods get any bright ideas."

"Yup, pretty much!" Taina's chin nods along at a rapid pace. "Opening a bridge between pantheons, even a minor one, is a big deal. There's a non-zero chance it could be used as a trap, or a trick to try and invade and bypass our defenses, so we're here to help shut things down if it goes wrong."

"Oof, all that risk just to get me in touch with someone? Well, thanks again, I suppose. How's this going to work, exactly?"

The Goddess of Fertility sighs as she turns her attention back to Xenia. "Before we get to that, there's something you should know. We were able to find the pantheon in question more easily than we expected because while we were searching for them...they were searching for you."

The dungeon master's non-existent blood runs cold. "...Crap. Did this just turn out to be a really, really bad idea?"

"If I believed they intended to harm you, or even capture you, we would not even be entertaining the idea any further. You have my protection - our protection, now - and we have made them aware of the fact. They claim they only wish to speak to you. Or rather, in particular, one of their number does. Theolif, Lord of the Shield."

"Theolif?" Xenia winces. "Shit, that was the one whose temple I kind of...extra desecrated. You sure he doesn't have it out for me?"

"Well, I can't say if he'll be polite with you, but he did promise your safety, and he seems like the sort of deity who pays particular attention to such promises. If he does betray you, we'll do our best to bring you back unharmed, although I must warn you - we can not go there with you, no more than we would be willing to allow him to come here."

"Alright. Alright." Xenia takes deep breaths, attempting to shore up her mental will. "Suppose there's no point in drawing this out. Are we doing this now?"

"If you are prepared, then we shall." With a glance and a nod to her companions, Kahlia rises from her throne and begins to cast a spell. As her eyes begin to glow and her hands rise into the air, the sky suddenly turns dark. There's no clouds, nor is it like night falling, but as if the sun itself was turning dimmer. Taina and Palain join in, adding their energy to the casting, and as the wind blows into a spiral before them a portal forms in its center. There's only the vague impression of a ghostly footpath within the horizontal vortex, but Kahlia gestures in its direction.

"The bridge is made, and it is for mortal souls alone. Proceed, but remember - we will be with you as much as we can be."

Heartened by that fact, Xenia steps forward. "Thanks, that really does mean a lot to me. See you again soon, I hope." With that said, the Reincarnator Extraordinaire steps onto the path.

Xenia'd been through many mystical portals in her time, but there was something particularly unique about this one. All around her it was as if there were a howling wind, and yet not even the slightest breeze seemed to touch her. Instead, different sensations assaulted her as she made her way towards an unclear destination. Every ten steps or so her body would begin to feel twisted up as if her internal organs were attempting to find new positions, and then after another step or two there would be a sudden release and the feeling would fade. The dungeon master was pretty sure she didn't even have internal organs these days, but something about it reminded her of the pressure changes one might experience on an airplane trip, just to a much stronger extent and to more than just her eardrums.

It's without warning when she takes one final step and finds herself once again on solid ground. Or solid stone floor, as it were, with a quick look identifying her location as being in some sort of castle's main audience chamber. The ceiling is easily a hundred feet high, and the place is almost as wide, but despite the distance she can still easily make out massive shields covering much of the stonework. There's no unifying theme to them - some of them seem to look like fairly mundane medieval European shields, if perhaps much larger, while others look straight out of a fantasy role-playing game. Others aren't classically European at all, or even metal, with some apparently being made of leather or even woven plant fibers of various kinds.

Beyond that though the massive chamber is practically empty. A long blue carpet does mark the path towards a throne at the other end of the chamber, with two figures at the opposite end. They're far enough away that Xenia can't quite make them out, but with one of them looking like an eight-foot-tall man sitting on an appropriately sized throne, Xenia takes a wild guess that that would be Theolif. Seeing nothing else for it, Xenia begins the hike forward.

She's not entirely sure how close she ought to approach, but the god decides for her, raising a hand and speaking in a deep, loud voice once she gets to around twenty-five paces away. "Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire. Once known in this realm as Prince Xenon Darkstar, Prince of the Fallen Tower."

Xenia bows her head low before responding. "That's me, Lord Theolif. I greet you, and also..." Her voice trails off as she finally gets a good look at the woman standing attentively next to the god's throne, and finds not just a woman, but a green-skinned elf in the garb of a priestess. Her perfect dungeon memory provides Xenia with her name immediately, although it doesn't help with her surprise. "Priestess Opal Brightsky!?"

The elf gives her a smile, but it's an entirely cold one. "It's good to see you again, Prince - or rather, Xenia, I suppose. It's odd seeing you in the form of a woman, but it is certainly still you."

Xenia attempts to keep to the script she was writing in her head, and fails. "Again? But we never actually met? ...Unless..."

Theolif nods. He's a bulky man, wearing an outfit halfway between royal garb and armor, but he clearly has the physique of a wrestler beneath it. His brown hair is kept in place by a gold ringlet, and a braided beard jostles as he speaks. "Indeed, it was Priestess Brightsky you met some months previous, on your investigation into your own memories. As I could not contact you myself, even in a nonphysical plane, the priestess here served as my ambassador. I understand there was not much...communication during your meeting, but it did assist us with locating your current realm."

Unsure which question to ask first, Xenia decides to stay on the matter of Opal's intrusion. "You were a real person the whole time? I mean, I could definitely tell you weren't acting normal for part of it, but...how?"

The elf shakes her head. "Not the whole time, no. Your recreation of me however was the link we needed, a resonance that could create a bridge. Fitting into a soul imprint of one's own self is fairly easy...if you're naught but a spirit and you have a god guiding the way, in any case. But I believe we have more important matters to discuss, do we not?"

Refocusing, Xenia turns her attention back to the Lord of the Shield. "Right, of course. I...I honestly don't even know where to begin. I'm aware of all of the crimes I committed while I lived in your realm, Theolif, and all of the people I hurt...or really, to be more accurate I probably don't know all of the people I hurt. If...if Priestess Brightsky's sitting here in your personal afterlife, I'm guessing she didn't exactly get a happy ending, and I never even knew she existed until recently. I'd like to make amends for what I did, to the people like the priestess and everyone else, too."

The woman's eyes flash as Xenia begins her apology, but Theolif's voice is much more calm. "I am indeed aware of all of your transgressions. What might surprise you more is that I am also aware of your nature as a reincarnator, and in fact always have been." The dungeon master's eyebrows rise a bit at that, but the god continues. "It is in fact a key part of what decided your fate. You were not meant to be a scion of darkness, you know. When your soul first entered our realm, you were on your way to becoming a summoned Hero. A role you've taken before, if I'm not mistaken, although I do not know the full details of your past incarnations."

"Uh, twice before, yeah. Had good and bad experiences with that, I guess. But if I was in the middle of being summoned, how did I end up getting born as an evil baby instead?"

"Because we - myself and some of the others of my kin - redirected you. Replaced you with another in the summoning ritual, and expended no small amount of effort into placing you into that particular developing form instead." Having said that Theolif rises from his throne and steps forward, his inherent majesty managing to intimidate Xenia even just through the simple act of walking. Upon reaching her however he kneels down on one knee, bowing sufficiently enough to be shorter than she.

"And for that, Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire - I am so very sorry."