A/N: Some more exposition, and then we makin' pns~

  -x-X-x-

  Otherworlders. Sophia wasn’t bor when her father Law had outwed their summoning. Truthfully, she was retively young as far as deities went at only a few hundred years of age. The a banning the summoning of Otherworlders, meanwhile, had bee down by the King of the Gods thousands of years ago.

  Still, Sophia had heless been educated on the dangers posed by Otherworlders. They were a sce oion and if allowed to run rampant, if left unchecked… the damage they could cause was astronomical. It wasn’t just that their potential was limitless either. No, the real problem with Otherworlders was their fn status to reality itself. They came from outside of the os that her father and the ods and Goddesses of the Heavens stewarded. And that… that led to most of them going insane in the worst of ways.

  It had taken a while for Sophia to her head around things, truth be told. The Minoddess had expio her numerous times before it finally clicked. In the end, the metaphor that worked for her had gone something like… what would you do if you found yourself waking up one day in a pce so far from home that returning was impossible? What would you do if you found out that you were more powerful than most of the creatures in that pd would only get more and more powerful? And most importantly of all… what would you do if you wereirely sure the pce you found yourself in… was even real?

  Even thinking of it now sent a shiver down Sophia’s spine. Apparently, many of the Otherworlders from before the ban had been vihis universe was some sort of ‘game’ that could be ‘beaten’. They hadn’t viewed the people of Creation as ‘real’, whether they were mortal or divine. As far as those iherworlders were ed, everything was ‘Experience’, whi turn could be ‘farmed’ to make them ‘stronger’.

  … Unfortunately, in a twisted and sick sort of way, they were right. The more they fought and killed and ‘farmed’, the strohey would get, until they could even bee strong enough to challehe Gods themselves. And the worst of them… the most psychotic Otherworlders were said to even see an ‘interface’. They talked about ‘levels’ and ‘attributes’ as if they were the most natural things in the world.

  Swallowing thickly and pulling the big sheet of bck cloth Oren had given her more tightly around herself, Sophia suddenly feels the o call out to him.

  “Ah… Oren, a moment of your time…”

  They’ve made it out of the woods by this point at least and are now on the road heading for the settlement. Sophia has to admit, she’s not that enthused about going to a human toossibly being rediscovered by the God Hunters so soon after losing their st, but Oren had beehat she needed different clothes and they needed some extra funds if they were going to make the jouro her refuge in a reasoime frame.

  Admittedly, given how little divine power she had left at this point and how long it would take her to recharge, Sophia was forced to listen to him. For all that he was an Otherworlder, he was also her only form of prote from the God Hunters at this point.

  The scruffy ma stop walking, but he does look over at her, slowing down momentarily.

  “Yes? What is it?”

  How did she approach this without potentially upsetting him? How did she broach this subject without setting him off? Swallowing thickly, Sophia tries her best to lean on her Domain of Wisdom. For all that she’s a Minoddess, she’s still a divine being after all!

  “Ah… I was just w how exactly you saw the world. D-Do you have an interface? Does anything happen when you say… ‘Status’?”

  . Perfectly normal line of questioning, definitely.

  Oren stares at her for a sed as they tinue walking along, before finally his brow furrows in sternation.

  “What, like a video game?”

  Sophia’s mouth goes dry ahroat vulses as she swallows involuntarily. ‘Video Game’. That was definitely a pair of words that had e up iutege.

  “… Nah, nothing like that. I was never much faming bae anyways. I didn’t have time for ‘frivolous pursuits’, had to foy education. Got myself a full schorship too, not that I got to use it.”

  Sophia quietly lets out a sigh of relief and starts breathing again. She holy hadn’t even realized she’d stopped. Still, that was a good sign. That was a very good sign. For all that he was an Otherworlder, Oren seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders. Not like the God Killer.

  Her jaw ches as her mind drifts to the man who sughtered the Heavens and slew her father. Damn it all… now that Oren has put the idea of Otherworlders in her head, it all makes so much more sehe God Killer was definitely an Otherworlder, no doubt about it. And he robably one of the psychoties too who treated all of this as a game and put no value in the lives of those born to this reality.

  Admittedly, she didn’t know why he spared her like he did. Sophia had lied to Oren about that. In actuality, she’d run face first into the God Killer’s chestpte during his rampage through the Heavens and fallen on her ass. By all rights, she should be dead. But… in the end, she wasn’t worth killing. Even the God Killer didn’t think she was worth his time.

  Instead, he’d walked past her without a word and Sophia… Sophia hadn’t even been able to muster up the ce to attack him from behind. She’d just stayed there on the ground, frozen ierror for lohan she wao admit. By the time her body finally respoo her ands and she could move again… it was already too te. She’d had to flee the Heavens and not look back shortly after that.

  Some Goddess she was. She’d certainly failed her father in every possible way. Even still, she refused to just roll over and die now. That would be letting the God Hunters win and Sophia couldn’t allow that to happen, not while she still had a ce of… of doing something about all of this. Though truthfully, she was getting ahead of herself there. Doing anything substantial was little more than a fanciful dream at this point. Just surviving day to day would have to be enough for now. Reag her hidden refuge was the big step in that regard.

  … Still, it wasn’t like she could stop her mind from wandering, now could she? And… she kept going back to the God Killer. An Otherworlder almost certainly. Oren had already said that nobody else had been summoned with him, which was a very good thing. The aales of entire groups of Otherworlders being summoned were rarely aer than solo Otherworlders being summoned. It always ended in tragedy. Always.

  But just because nobody else had been summoned alongside Oren didn’t mean the group that summoned him hadn’t summohers. Someone like the God Killer would have had to have been summoned ages ago to be as powerful as he’d been. Years, maybe. And while it was io think that an Otherworlder had been summoned under her father’s nose while he still drew breath, it was also difficult to accept that the King of the Gods was dead and so were the rest of the Heavens to boot.

  “Apologies, but I must know… the people who summoned you Oren, what were they like? Did they tell you why they summoned you? Did they… do you know anything about their goals? Their motivations?”

  Silence falls and for a moment Sophia questions whether or not he’s even going to answer her. Just when she’s starting to think it’ll be ‘not’, he speaks.

  “… They were kind to me. Apologetic even for ripping me away from my life. They told me I ecial and that they needed my help to fight against monsters. They started training me, but eventually I figured out they were lying to me. That’s when I ran away.”

  Was the same anization that had summoned Oren also the same shadowy group behind the God Hunters? But for that to be the case… they would o be truly powerful. Perhaps a shadow cabal of mortal kings and emperors w together in cert. She would have accused the deities here on the Mortal Pne of being behind it, but the God Hunters were after them as much as they were after her.

  Frankly, Sophia suspected the God Killer of being lio the God Hunters in some way. It only made sense, right? But then where was he? No one had seen the God Killer since his rampage through the Heavens and while Sophia hadly had the time to do anything but flee, it was still rather strange. Was he still up there? Was he just… lounging around the Heavens, treating the blood-soaked ruins of her home like his own personal pyground?

  But then who was behind the God Hunters if not him? It didn’t really make sense. None of it was adding up. Sophia opens her mouth to question Oren further, but before she get a word out, he cuts her off with a raised hand.

  “We’re almost there.”

  Blinking, Sophia furrows her brow.

  “Almost wh-?”

  However, she cuts herself off when she sees what Oren had already noticed in the distance. ey smoke rises through the treeline, and as they crest o hill, there’s a vilge id out before them just down the road. Maybe ahirty minutes on foot and they’ll be among mortals again.

  Needless to say, Sophia shivers at the thought of walking among those who would probably happily see her dead. But she knows that fear isirely rational. Sure, the God Hunters wao kill her and there would be no small number of mortals who would sell out her location aence if they caught wind of her.

  But Oren didn’t want her dead at least. He was direct proof that not every mortal was out for her divine blood. She could trust him, because by this point he would have killed her if he had ill iions.

  “We should talk before we reach Amberwell.”

  Looking over at him, Sophia furrows her brow in fusion for a moment before finally realizing that Amberwell must be the name of the town.

  “… Alright.”

  Keeping his gaze firmly forward, Oren clears his throat.

  “There are only three ways to gain the resources we need iime frame we hem. First is to steal and rob.”

  Sophia gasps at that.

  “What?! We ’t do that! T-Thievery is an unsable act! It’s evil!”

  The loives her makes Sophia flush in response, but she heless stands her ground. Metaphorically speaking anyways, they’re still walking forward.

  “… I thought you might say that. I almost didn’t mention it, but you o know it tion all the same. Do you want to survive? Do you want us to make it to your hideaway without being caught out by God Hunters? Then we might just have to do some things you don’t want to do. Things that offend your delicate sensibilities.”

  Sophia squawks at that st part. They barely even knew each other and he was talking like she was some spoiled brat or something! She wasn’t! She simply had her morals and wasn’t willing to break them at the drop of a hat when there were other options! Speaking of which…

  “What are our other two choices?”

  Rolling his shoulders, Oren sighs.

  “The sed expediehod of getting what we need would be to enter me into a fighting pit. Bet everything we currently have on me ing out on top and then take our iable winnings and utilize them to get the hell out of dodge.”

  That was… well, it was better than ht theft, wasn’t it? Of course, as a Minoddess of Equity, part of her DID balk at this idea as well. It wouldn’t be very fair, now would it? Oren was an Otherworlder, and one of some training at that. She’d watched him cut through that squad of God Hunters like they were nothing, sughtering them like animals. Anyone who wound up fag him in a fighting pit would be at a distinctly unfair advantage.

  A, Oren’s words about doing things that might ‘offend’ her to survive are still fresh in Sophia’s ears. She wants to prove she be a team pyer. Perhaps this is a cession that she make to show-

  “Unfortunately, that’s not an option in Amberwell.”

  Jaw dropping open, Sophia gapes at her male panion in disbelief.

  “What? Why not?!”

  Gng over at her, Oren snorts derisively.

  “That eager to watch me risk life and limb in a pit for your enjoyment, huh?”

  Sophia blushes and sputters out denials at that, but Oren just waves her off.

  “You don’t o defend yourself. A fighting pit would have been my preference as well. Defihe safest and most legal way of pr the funds we need as fast as we hem. But Amberwell isn’t a rge enough town to have a fighting pit. It’s barely more than a vilge. At the end of the day, siright thievery is out, that narrows our options down to one.”

  Scowling, the Minoddess of Wisdom ay crosses her arms over her chest. It felt very much like Oren was leading her around by the this point and she did not like it o.

  “And what is this final optioly?”

  They’ve cleared even mround by now and will sooering Amberwell. Letting out a sigh, Oren rubs a hand through the back of his head for a moment before looking at her more seriously.

  “You’re not going to like it. Just keep an open mind, alright? And no matter what… trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

  A shiver runs down Sophia’s spi that intense look iherworlder’s gaze. It takes every fiber of her being not to swallow involuntarily. She’s not sure if she trusts him, but at the same time, she has no other options. If he was anything like the Otherworlders of aimes, Oren was only more likely to bee a dao her and everyone else iion as time went ht now though, he was her best shot of making it to safety and managing to slip the noose of the God Hunters ond for all.

  She was surely going tret this, but…

  “A-Alright. I’ll trust you.”

  -x-X-x-

  A/N: Famous st words, Sophia. Hm, what do you guys think Oren's pn is?

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