Aspects of the Gods

Prologue

Cycle 103 - Season of Earth - Month of Life - 30th Day

"Cheers!" A big, burly man screamed. His voice echoed through the wooden tavern, which caused the other customers to look in his direction; specifically, they focused on the mug he held up to the lights. From the way he slurred, it was obvious to them that this has been yet another mug that he would down quickly. To see if he would stop, they humored him finally took part in this cheer.

The large man downed the drink with lightning speed, and then returned to the three others he's been sitting with. They didn't seem to be as hammered as him, but they still enjoyed themselves in a buzzed state.

"Why aren't you drinking more? I know you've got the coin for it, so please don't tell me you're going soft now." He mumbled out as he glared at his companions as if he was a madman. One seemed to be offended by his insult, because he threw his hand up to signal another refill. The others though, didn't fall for his trap.

"We still got work tomorrow, ya know. We can't afford to be picking crops all day with half a dead brain." One of the guys, who seemed to be the most sober, lectured while drinking from a glass of water.

The large one rolled his eyes and ordered another drink for himself. Why should he care about how much he drinks, when the two Priests of the Earth God can keep the crops healthy anytime of the year they desire. After receiving his drink, the big man blanked for a moment, as if forgetting what has just transpired. Now, he raises his mug for another cheer once more.

The commotion could be heard throughout the entire village, but they day's exhaustion refused to let the noise hinder their sleep schedules. The houses' lights were out and the surroundings deserted. The only thing that could be seen was a figure coated in black standing in the nearby fields.

The cloak blanketed the person's body, where you could only see a male physique if you've gotten close enough. His leather boots poked out from under and his hands soon joined them as he inspected the soil.

A smirk showed itself behind the hood. It was just as his information had told him. Magic was what made this land rich: earth magic. Since it was obvious that no follower of the Earth God would be casting in the dead of night, he knew that this had to come from a shrine. With that conclusion, he began his search.

Twenty whole minutes was spent scouring the large fields until he saw a monolith twice the size of his body. The stone seemed to be raised from the ground itself, since it had tree roots seeping out in various places. On one of the faces, multiple roots twisted together to form the shape of a tree.

He scowled at what he saw. This was obviously the Shrine of the Earth God, he knew that much, but what angered him was the symbol. It wasn't carved into the monolith, but actually one with the tree roots. His trustworthy source told him that there were two Priests here, but this level of skill had to be done by a Minister.

Ministers may have only been one level above a Priest, but that one level brought much more power. He was confident in his abilities to fight one, as he was one as well, but the problem was fighting them without anyone noticing. He huffed in frustration, and decided that he'd have to just try his best.

Reaching into a pouch attached to his hip, he quietly pulled out a leather glove and attached it to his right hand. The brown glove was old looking and had multiple rips and tears around it. On the center of his back hand, a fading out cloud was engraved into it. He looked at it in amazement and thought it was hard to believe that this was only a month old.

With the damaged glove wrapped around his hand, he now placed it on the symbol of the tree. He could feel the divine energy from it trying to push the glove away, but it was no use. Double checking his surroundings once more, the man prepared himself, and began reciting some words under his breath.