Chapter Twenty-Two: That Little Extra

  Jace stood at the mouth of three diverging paths, each leading into the impenetrable darkness of the Underworld. “Yup, this is just perfect,” he muttered, his voice swallowed by the thick silence. He inhaled the stale air deeply.

  As he debated which path to take, a flicker of green light caught his eye. It hovered in the air before him, bobbing gently like a curious firefly. “Hey there, little guy,” Jace said, squinting at the light. The light pulsed softly in response. “Are you lost too? Because I sure am.”

  The green light floated closer, its glow casting an eerie shadow against the jagged walls. It moved up and down, then side to side, as if trying to communicate. Jace watched it intently. “Are you trying to help me?” he ventured.

  The light bobbed up and down in what seemed like a nod. It circled around his head once, casting shifting shadows, then darted a few feet down one of the paths before pausing, as if waiting for him.

  Jace took a tentative step forward. “Alright, I’ll follow you. Just don’t lead me to my death,” he said with a weak smile. The light responded with another gentle pulse and started moving slowly down the path, ensuring Jace could keep up.

  With a final glance at the other two paths, Jace steadied himself and followed the green light into the unknown. Each step echoed softly in the cavern, the light’s glow offering a small, reassuring beacon in the darkness.

  The light danced ahead, bouncing off the walls like a playful spirit. Jace followed, doing his best to keep up in the twisting passages. The air grew warmer with each step, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool stone surrounding him. Shadows twisted and danced along the rough stone walls, their shapes playing tricks on his mind.

  The path wound deeper into the earth; the heat intensifying. The green light wove through the labyrinth with ease, but Jace struggled to keep pace, his breath ragged in the thickening air. Faces carved into the tunnel walls leered at him from the shadows, their expressions of eternal torment, moaning ancient words that sent shivers down his spine.

  The ground beneath his feet quaked, forcing him to an abrupt halt as a yawning chasm appeared before him. Pebbles scattered and plunged into the depths below, swallowed by the abyss. Spinning around, he found the light had disappeared.

  Ahead, the cavern widened into a grand chamber, illuminated by erratic, flickering flames. The ceiling soared, a canopy of stone stretching into the underworld’s perpetual twilight. Jace’s breath caught as he beheld Hades’ palace at the far end, a fortress of pure obsidian. Its walls gleamed with a sinister sheen, the flickering firelight dancing across their smooth, dark surface like malevolent spirits.

  Drawing closer, the palace’s imposing presence grew with towering columns of black marble. Each was etched with intricate depictions of the Underworld’s somber history, tales of sorrow and torment immortalized in stone. Colossal spires rose from the palace, their tips lost in the cavern’s upper darkness, reaching futilely for a sky that did not exist.

  Massive iron doors guarded the entrance, adorned with writhing serpents and grotesque scenes of eternal damnation. The doors seemed almost alive, pulsing with a dark energy. The air around the palace vibrated with a low hum, a sound that seemed to resonate deep within Jace’s bones. He approached, every step weighed down by the dark majesty of Hades’ domain.

  As he approached, the iron doors creaked open with a groan, revealing a grand hall lit by flickering torches.

  At the far end of the hall, seated at a desk of blackened bone, was Hades himself. The god’s eyes gleamed with an unearthly light as he regarded Jace with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. His presence was palpable, a force that seemed to bend the very air around him.

  Hades leaned back in his chair, his muscular frame barely contained by the dark, flowing robes. His face was rugged, with dark eyes and a smirk that exuded authority. Cerberus, the three-headed dog, played in the distance, but upon noticing Jace, the massive creature bounded over.

  “Whoa, easy there,” Jace said, steadying himself. He watched as the giant creature rushed towards him. Well, this is it. Jace said to himself, accepting his imminent demise.

  Hades chuckled and called Cerberus back, who stopped just short of crushing Jace beneath one of his massive paws. Hades pet Cerberus and pulled a large steak from his desk drawer. “He’s the best boy,” Hades said, tossing the steak, which Cerberus caught with one head while the other two barked happily.

  “Lights,” Hades commanded. Ghouls in the corner turned a knob, and the flames in the room brightened, casting a brighter glow over the atrium. “That’s better. Now we can see what we’re doing.”

  Looking up, Jace noticed the false sky outside through a glass ceiling. His steps echoed through the grand chamber as he approached. The dark splendor of Hades’ palace seemed to swallow him whole, its obsidian walls and skull-adorned throne casting a foreboding aura. The god of the Underworld, perched regally on his throne, noticed Jace’s hesitation. With a casual wave, a chair emerged from the shadows.

  “Sit, Jace. Let’s talk,” Hades said, his voice smooth yet laden with power.

  Jace sat, feeling the cool, unyielding surface of the chair through his clothes. Hades reached for a silver platter on a nearby table. “Scone? My wife makes the best pomegranate scones. Simply to die for,” he offered, extending one towards Jace.

  Jace blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the unexpected gesture. “Uh, no thanks.”

  “Suit yourself,” Hades replied, biting into a scone with pleasure. “Straight to business, then. It’s been a while since I’ve had a Chosen. I’m sure you have a lot of questions. You’re probably wondering why I picked you,” he said, leaning back with a raised eyebrow. “Well, tough cookies. I’m not going to spell it all out for you. It’s a quest - one of those ‘the journey will take you where you need to go’ type things. You hero types should know that by now. But since you are my Chosen, I’ll answer any other questions you have, within reason.”

  Jace’s mind raced, trying to focus. He decided to start with something practical. “How do I take full advantage of my role as the President of the Society?”

  Hades nodded, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Ah, the token.” He rummaged through a drawer and produced a small, intricately carved medallion. “This will get you access.” He held it out but did not hand it to Jace. “As the President of my Society, you are representing me, in a way. Muff it up and you’ll have Tartarus to pay.” He handed him the coin without further ceremony.

  “The Society gains EXP much in the same way that you do, through overcoming challenges and consolidating its gains. You’ll need to complete Society-related tasks and win favor for me among Travelers and Citizens alike. If we ever have more Chosen or people in the Society, you would oversee them. Some gods are unhappy with their current Olympian Banner representative.”

  Jace gave him a questioning look.

  “There are the Thirteen Major Olympian Gods, of course, each represented by one of the Thirteen Banners or Societies. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, a shared society with Hestia and Dionysus, and of course, yours truly. Sometimes, the last one is forgotten as I don’t technically live up top. But these are only the major gods. Many others exist, and they all need a place. So, they form clubs or sects within one of the main Societies. Take Hecate, for example. She’d fit better under me, though Hermes is a decent fellow. She oversees the realms of magic, secrets, and crossroads—a domain quite intertwined with mine. I’ve been out of the game for a while though, and she needed somewhere to go.

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  Hades paused, studying Jace. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You need to prove yourself before you start recruiting. Walk before you run. Glide before you fly. And all that.”

  “For starters, we need to get you an official Profession. And we’ll need to unlock that pesky Affinity of yours. You seem to have used it and scared it away.” Hades flipped through an ancient tome, its pages yellowed with age. “Been a long time since I’ve done this. Let’s see here,” he muttered.

  “Profession? Like a job?” Jace asked, puzzled. It wasn’t included in the primer knowledge.

  “Yes, yes. Your Speaker Rank improves with practice and mastery of your Affinities. Professions are more subtle, like business contracts. Instead of EXP, they earn you a different kind of power—gold and influence.”

  Jace’s ears perked up. This was what he needed. To save Alex, he’d need gold and lots of it. The idea of craving power felt strange to him. His past had taught him to survive on grit, not wealth or influence.

  “A person might be a Bronze Speaker with an Affinity for stealth. Depending on how they use it, they might earn the Class Title of Rogue and gain special boons from on high. Between you and me, I think titles are sort of arbitrary, gifted by the Infinite based on your actions, affinities, and inclinations. But a Profession is something you earn from your peers and employers. Sometimes they align, sometimes they don’t.

  A Profession is a pact in the here and now, between us. Occasionally, a Profession can sway the Infinite, earning you a new Class Title. Sing well, and people might start to call you a Bard. If enough people do, the Infinite takes notice.”

  Hades stood and stepped into a side room. Peeking in, Jace saw him rummage through a pile of ancient artifacts and books, finally pulling out an old TV and something that looked remarkably like a dusty VHS tape. Jace had seen one once in an old holodisc. Hades popped it in, and the screen flickered to life with a grainy video. An awkward though peppy host introduced himself. It was Jerry!

  “Welcome to the Office of Hades!” Jerry began. “As the Chosen, you have access to various Underworld Professions. Our job is to help souls find their rightful place, keep the undead from wreaking havoc, and deal with demonic pests. You’ll start as an assistant or floater, getting a feel for the roles. Now, you’re not working directly for Thanatos or as a harbinger of Death, but there may be times when you’ll be asked to handle tasks for other Underworld deities. Think of it as a sort of inter-divisional work exchange.

  The video cuts to scenes of the bustling Underworld offices. Jerry leaned on a reception desk next to a slightly younger Barbara.

  “Soul jobs fit into standard difficulty ranks, Bronze One through Divine Six. Bronze One involves run-of-the-mill tasks: souls stuck in the wrong place, souls unable to move on. Bronze Three is for demon-possessed and cursed souls - more dangerous, but nothing a Bronze Three Speaker can’t handle. Silver, Gold, and higher ranks deal with powerful curses, demon possessions, and evil specters. Eerie, dark, evil, bleh.” He made a sour face.

  The video panned out to reveal the sprawling Underworld offices. Jerry pushed a cart of papers from desk to desk, pausing as if suddenly aware of the camera. “And don’t be afraid to go above and beyond. After all, you can’t spell extraordinary without that little extra.” He held an awkward smile at the screen for a few seconds too long, then glanced around and asked, “Is it off?”

  Hades clicked off the TV and leaned back in his chair, his piercing gaze fixed on Jace.

  Profession Available

  Hades’ Little Helper - Novice Rank

  Complete Hades’ Little Helper tasks to gain rewards in the form of influence and gold. As well as Society EXP.

  Accept | Reject

  Jace accepted the profession.

  He shifted awkwardly for a moment, then decided to finally ask, “Sir... uh, your godliness... I’m sorry, I have no idea what to call you.”

  “Hades is fine,” he said, a slight crinkle forming around his eyes.

  “Hades,” Jace began, fidgeting before asking, “something has been bothering me. Everyone here seems to know a lot about old Earth. Like, I’ve only seen TVs like that in old holodiscs. How do you have that... down here?”

  “Since the Tethering—“ Hades started.

  “Tethering?”

  Hades shook his head, an exasperated sigh escaping his lips. “Furies, boy! Do they teach you nothing up top? Oh, what should I expect with the state of things?

  The Tethering was the event, many years ago, when our worlds became linked and the first Travelers began to appear in Terra Mythica.

  When it occurred, the first thing the Infinite, or the System as your people prefer, accessed was your holodiscs and data archives. It is there we learned of your ‘Techno-Purge’ and the ‘War.’ “We, too, have struggled with a war for many millennia, between the Infinite and the Endless End.”

  Hades continued, “It is also where we learned of your culture. For nearly eight hundred years in Terra Mythica, you have been studied, much as your people have studied us. Unfortunately, or fortunately, your culture has intertwined with ours in ways that are difficult to quantify. Perhaps even gods are not immune.”

  Hades leaned back, a wry smile playing on his lips. “You know, at first, the Infinite thought it would be a great idea to make things cozy for you. Make it feel like home. We saw your media and figured it was a decent blueprint of your culture. So, we went all in, as you say, trying to replicate it. We even provided you with your User Interface Stones to ease the transition. Sure, the first few models weren’t that great, but over the years we worked alongside your scientists and refined them.”

  He chuckled, shaking his head. “But then we realized - too late, mind you - that your fiction is often just that. Fiction. But the damage was done, and your world had permeated ours in ways beyond calculation, sparking considerable chaos. Not everyone welcomed these changes or the impact on our culture, on our very way of life.”

  Hades paused, letting the gravity of his words settle. “Eventually, we hit a sort of balance, an equilibrium between our traditions and yours. There are people here who don’t even know that they are named after your heroes and popular figures of the past.”

  Jace nodded thoughtfully, the silence between them deepening as he processed the information. Hades, apparently satisfied that the topic was concluded, moved on to his next item on the agenda.

  “Now, for your first Affinity. I can see that you’ve used a Word already, but it seems to have tucked itself away inside you. There’s some soul damage -a bit of scuffing around the edges. Nothing we can’t deal with. We’ll need to coax that out of you.”

  “Um, with all due respect, the Archmage suggested that I shouldn’t try to force it. Just let it come naturally,” Jace said.

  “By the Titans, boy. I’m Hades. And I’m not having my Chosen walking around without an Affinity!”

  Hades’ presence expanded in an instant, his towering figure looming over Jace. Dark tendrils of black flame stretched out from his body like tentacles, emanating a palpable sense of power and danger. Fear welled up within Jace, but he fought with all his might to stand his ground as Hades revealed the tiniest sliver of his true aura. Just as quickly as it had emerged, the aura dissipated. Hades appeared relaxed once again, though a subtle air of menace still surrounded him.

  “So, we have two options here. The first would be to get you a second Word. The alternative is to unlock the one you already have. Acquiring another Word would advance you to Silver. While I expect nothing less eventually, jumping to Silver without practicing your first Affinity could tear your soul apart, a fate from which not even I could restore you. No, it’s better to try our hand at the one you already possess. That way, you’ve got a fifty-fifty chance of keeping your sanity.”

  Jace tried to protest but found himself unable to speak.

  “Now, the quickest way to coax an Affinity out of hiding is brute force. Well, actually, that’s not entirely accurate, but it’s the best we can do without sending you on some epic quest of self-discovery. Beggars can’t be choosers.”

  He flitted through a few books, his fingers tracing ancient symbols, before suddenly exclaiming, “Aha, here we are. We might actually be able to handle two birds with one stone. Based on your Oracle Trial and your current...situation, shall we call it? Hmmm.”

  A list of options materialized before Jace, each glowing with a faint, ethereal light. Dozens of class options flickered past. Hades shook his head at all of them. “Death Knight? Dark Reaper? No, no...let’s see. Shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves. Let’s try some of the basic classes.”

  With a snap of his fingers, the world around them dissolved into a swirl of colors. In an instant, they reappeared in a grand coliseum, its towering walls stretching toward the sky. The stands, carved from gleaming marble, were empty, yet the air buzzed with an almost palpable anticipation, as if the spirits of countless past spectators still lingered, eager to witness the unfolding drama.

  Jace blinked, taking in the vast arena. The sand underfoot was soft yet firm, marked by the scars of previous combat. Overhead, the sky was a brilliant azure, with a few wisps of clouds drifting lazily across it. The scent of the sea, carried by a gentle breeze, mingled with the faint aroma of distant pine forests.

  “Okay, Chosen,” Hades’ tone was both challenging and amused, a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “Let’s test you out.”

  In an instant, Jace found himself clad in heavy armor, a massive sword in hand.