Chapter 165: Prep For War; Enlighten Me

Putting aside the plans and hopes for the future, what stood in front of us was the present and present problems required present problem solving.

So, while we travelled all through the first day and camped out at night, I took the opportunity of everyone's slumber to pray to Lotar. The damned Wolf owes me some explanation on several fronts.

Most pressing would be the fact that the system was somehow bypassed and I was left fully vulnerable to the illusionary attacks of Serue. Even now I shiver when I think about what would have happened had he had enough mana to keep me down for even half a minute longer.

It's annoying that it is only the Deities that can answer these questions for me, and though Lotar has never bothered mention anything about the System, I know the Wolf knows far more than it lets on.

If he does not answer again tonight, I will be left with one other alternative…Frozia. Which is why Anselm is seated next to me, cross legged and patient, the icy aura around him cools me, a thing I am silently grateful for.

He's actually seated here to pray to Frozia but I have asked him to wait a bit, for me to try and get on the line with Lotar, if I do not, we'll both shout out to Frozia.

The winter Goddess is the only other Divine contact I have, which is strange given the fact that Lotar says I have met three others.

Perhaps I shouldn't have chased off the Merchant of Blue Death? 

No, I am not about to make precarious deals I do not truly understand the consequences of, even if those consequences were to happen a thousand years from now. Being a God and still serving under someone else is not a very Godly lifestyle

It's one thing to be hurt by your current actions, but the past coming back to bite you in the ass is a whole other ball park of annoying.

With the night's crickets singing I huff and ready myself to manufacture some words of prayer.

"Lotar, Deity of the Wolf, I call unto you as your humble Warlock and follower, I call unto you in search for guidance. Lotar! Here my call, I beseech you!"

Quiet.

Absolutely nothing, I don't feel the natural wind of the Wolf's mountain top nor do I see the iconic Tree that sits in his domain.

The crickets sing still, almost mocking me with their creaking. Annoying, supremely annoying; this hunger isn't making things any easier.

"Did it work?" Anselm hums, poking at my head.

Slapping his head away with a low growl I pull at the grass and toss it in the air, the fact that it doesn't fly off to the distance and merely floats barely an inch away infuriates me the more.

"I guess not." He mutters awkwardly.

"Okay, the Wolf is still ignoring me. I think I know what to do to get its attention, yeah. I know exactly what to do."

"And what's that?" Anselm asks, guardedly curious.

I smile mischievously, "I'm going to make a deal with Frozia, she's an actual Goddess, with powers more viable than the Wolf's. She can overwrite this bullshit pact I have with it and give me her powers!"

I take Anselm's hand in mine and grin even wider, "I'm surprised I didn't think about this the moment you came back looking all white, I should have taken her previous deal too. Anselm, let's pray and set everything right, we're going to be serving a single Goddess!"

Anselm simply stares at me like I'm mad. But he nods and grips my hand, "If you say so…"

As Anselm begins, his hands take on an almost freezing cold as he prays, "Lady of the Crescent Moon, the cruel yet fair Winter, the Goddess of all the Freezes, the Goddess of the Cold Night. I, your servant seek you as you have taught me, I seek you with the promised one, the one you seek, the one the world wishes."

At this point the grass beneath Anselm has begun to freeze. Wait…this is not what happens when he usually prays.

Shit, Frozia must actually be listening.

What do I mean actually? She always is!

"Coming of his own will I bring him to you so you may- ow!" Anselm yelps, his eyes fly open and the freezing comes to a halt.

"Did you pinch me?" he says rather accusingly, "I knew this was a joke."

"What? No! I mean yes, it was a joke, didn't think she was going to start summoning us, but no I didn't pinch you; my hands are stuck to yours!"

Our hands have been frozen together, although now that the prayer has been interrupted the cold glue is quickly melting away.

Looking out to the grass I see something…interesting.

"I think I know what hit you though."

Anselm nods, a deadpan look on his face as he pulls a strangely stiff grass out of his arm and looks in the same direction I am.

Out in the bushes and tall, slim grasses is a creature. A creature being born. 

The green around it swirls to give it mass, its legs, are made up of bundled grasses, it's long snouted head also of the shrubbery.

Before our eyes the large, nearing eight feet tall creature takes its first solid step toward us, a single paw set in front of three others, then another, and another.

It's obvious who this creature is, Lotar. The form is made roughly and rapidly, so it doesn't have a jaw, and parts of the body have holes large enough to have a clear view of the sky through it.

But it walks toward us nonetheless, a light of power where it's eyes would be.

"Asher." It speaks, somehow without the use of a complete maw.

"Long time no see, Lotar." I greet in turn, wiping my wet hand on my hair.

Time to get some answers.