Chapter 154: Side Story – Natio 1: Just a Janitor

GamingWolf

Hello! While it is still a bit before Book 5 starts, there are some other things you can read. There will be three sides stories that will come out (two about Natio and one about the Vinmaiers) over the next week or two. These introduce you to some characters that will play a more active role in Book 5 and also give you something to read in the meanwhile.

Toodles!

Natio glared at the bucket for a moment longer before he closed the cupboard. Scrubbing fucking floors, he thought to himself as he left the supply room and made his way to the cantine.

He was mortal once more and had to partake in the most disgusting task of eating again. All because those fucks lied to me. He had trusted Vigil and Inanis, and why shouldn't he have? Ever since he had killed the Drake that had repeatedly destroyed one of Vigil's churches, they had helped him.

They had proclaimed him a knight in service of Vigil and, after years of hard work, he had finally managed to take the first steps towards divinity. And that bitch just took it away.

The woman he had come to know as Laelia glared at him as the thought crossed his mind. He was fairly sure she could not read his mind — Yet — but Natio also knew she was well on her way to becoming a Goddess. That always changed people. He was also certain he had seen her on one of his many visits to Vigil. One of his test subjects, if his mind did not deceive him.

What Vigil was testing, he did not know. Natio's old mentor had never told him. All he knew was that it had something to do with Souls, which was probably the reason the All-Mother of all people had gotten involved. And they said she was dead… And I fucking believed it.

It had been foolish of him to believe that the literal creator of the universe could even be killed. But then, when he had encountered her, she had seemed just like a new Goddess. A new Goddess that can strip your divinity...

Natio looked down at the food that had almost magically appeared complete with a tray in his hands as he was lost in thought. He did not like to eat — or do most things mortals had to, for that matter — but now he had to. At least it doesn't taste too bad.

With a sigh, he sat himself down at one of the empty tables in the room — far away from anyone else. Natio was about to take his first bite when his attention was taken by that accursed Dragonkin appearing at his table. The reason she was here was also quite easy to deduce.

Qhinya Il'Jheem was, for all intents and purposes, the guardian of the newcomer, and she knew that he knew something she did not. Namely that the newcomer was a [Veil Walker] and did not suffer from Etherical Rejection. Well, mostly.

Technically, Adam did suffer from that particular ailment, but only because he came from a world that had little mana. Epemirial can't get this one, he thought to himself with a small smile.

"Something funny?" Qhinya asked, poking at her own food. Why she still chose to eat was beyond Natio, as he knew that she was far beyond such silly needs. At least I didn't lose everything. His [Identify] was still pretty good. It didn't give him all the information it once did, but he still got a name, level, and title.

Natio simply sighed and placed his cutlery beside his tray. In the past he would have yelled at the woman for her insolence, but the lessons he had gotten from Mister Penbrooks stuck with him.

"I just remembered something," he said, sitting a little straighter. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," she replied, absentmindedly circling the grip of her fork with her finger. "Just waiting for you to tell me what you know about Adam. You are creeping him out with your stares, you know."

The fallen God gave a shrug in reply. "I have nothing to tell you, Miss Il'Jheem."

"Want to tell me something about your past, then?" she pressed. "I know there is something. Laelia knows, of course, but she said it's up to you to tell me."

"And why would I divulge my past to a random stranger?"

Qhinya leaned back in her chair. "How about your name, then? We have known each other for weeks now, and I only know you as 'The Janitor'."

"That's because I am the janitor," Natio replied. Telling her his name made her figuring out who he was a certainty. He was very lucky that Qhinya wasn't there when he had been cast down, and that most members of the House of Healing had no interest in telling the world who he was. He would have to thank Mister Penbrooks for that later. Again. Good thing I lost the green in my hair…

He had given himself a rather striking appearance as a God. The reason for that was quite simple. The more people that knew him, or simply knew of him, the stronger he would become. But now, despite more people knowing his name due to that infernal System message, there was no influx of mana to satiate his need. Nothing but the weak flesh of a mortal.

"Are you, though?" Qhinya asked, taking a bite of her food. "I get the feeling there is more to you then you let on. Much more."

"Please don't interrogate your colleagues, Qhinya," Mister Penbrooks said from behind Natio. "If you continue, I will have to make some room on your schedule to attend my etiquette lessons."

The former God stiffened a little at the presence of Mister Penbrooks. He had a tendency to just appear inside the House of Healing; something that was too close to how he had moved through his own Dominion for his liking.

"Greetings, Mister Penbrooks," he said, taking a breath and trying his best to relax a little. Scared of a mortal. Ridiculous. "How are you today?"

"Fairly well," he replied, gesturing to the seat next to Natio. "May I?"

Natio gave a shallow nod before he froze once more; Laelia stepped up to the table and took a seat next to Qhinya without asking.

"Manners," Mister Penbrooks said, looking at Laelia. "Please."

Laelia just stared at him for a moment before she shifted her gaze towards Penbrooks. "You are being too nice. You know what he has done; what he wanted to do."

"I do, but he is already serving his punishment," Penbrooks replied with a calm voice. "It might seem too lax to you, but I can assure you that it is working quite well. He is here to learn, after all."

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"I stand by what I said when he arrived," Laelia said, starting to go through a stack of papers that had appeared next to her.

"I know," the purveyor of the House of Healing said. "But the choice was left to us, and all but you wanted to teach him how to behave properly."

Qhinya shifted in her seat a little as she leaned forward. "Who brought him here?"

"My Goddess," Laelia replied, a little too fast for Natio's tastes. "She let the people he wronged decide his punishment. A few of them, at least."

The Dragonkin blinked at the words and leaned back in her chair. "Isn't your Goddess Aperio? Creator of everything we know and source of all life? Looks like a big winged Elf that could break you in two?"

"Yes."

"She was on Procul recently," Qhinya said, almost placing her feet on the table before a sharp glare from Penbrooks convinced her otherwise. "Destroyed Fel'Erreyth's dungeon and injured him, according to my friend."

"I know," Laelia said, placing one of the papers on a new stack. "That Dragon was smarter than I thought."

Natio finally started eating as he listened to the conversation. He did not know much about what the Creator had done after she had cast him down besides also ridding the world of Vigil and Inanis; something he was actually thankful for.

"Of course he is," Qhinya said, now looking at Laelia. "Fel'Erreyth is an Ancient Dragon. You don't become one by being stupid."

The other woman merely shrugged lightly before she looked directly at Natio. "So far, everyone else who has been involved in this has been a total idiot."

Qhinya followed the woman's gaze, raising an eyebrow as it settled on the fallen God. "What does the Janitor have to do with any of this? Was he the chief temple cleaner?"

"No," Natio replied, quickly swallowing his bite in hopes of stopping Laelia from revealing who he was. "I was not."

He took a deep breath. At the moment, all he wanted to do was make these stupid mortals go away. They didn't deserve to be in his presence; they should be cowering on the ground to offer up their life to him instead.

A rather rough pat on his back banished the thoughts from his mind. "He had been deceived, like many others," Mister Penbrooks said, removing his hand. "But he also made his own mistakes that he will have to answer for. The All-Mother left the punishment up to us, and we want to heal him and offer him a second chance at life."

"By cleaning toilets?" Qhinya barely managed to get the question out between small fits of giggling. "What did he do?" The Dragonkin was met with silence and sighed. "Do I really have to wait until the literal Creator of everything comes back and ask her? I will do it, even if she throws me into space for it!"

"She'll probably tilt her head, raise an eyebrow, and not answer you when you do that," Laelia replied. "Aperio is… Aperio. Quite unlike what I have been told to expect of her, that much is certain."

"Definitely doesn't seem like she would be the one who made all this," Natio mumbled as he poked at his food. Did not feel like it, either.

Aperio had felt fairly strong when she had fought him, but nothing like the literal Creator should. He had even managed to injure her. Even if that hadn’t seemed to do anything to her, he had drawn blood. Now she was beyond his mortal senses and even if he met her again, he wouldn't be able to tell if she had gotten stronger or not.

Before anyone else could speak, Laelia stood up, the papers on the table simply vanishing. "Thank you for your time Mister Penbrooks, but I have to leave."

"Duty calls, I presume?" the man asked. Laelia only gave a curt nod in reply before she vanished, a few wisps of oddly silver mana dancing in the air for a moment before they, too, disappeared. Penbrooks sighed as his eyes lingered on the space the woman had occupied moments before. "That one could use some time off," he sighed.

"Don't we all," Natio mumbled, taking another bite of his food. He'd have to block the showers for a few hours later so he could actually feel clean again. Can't even go and level to rid myself of this stupid need.

"Well," Qhinya said, standing up. "One of my charges is here, so it is time to leave." She offered a small wave as she moved towards the twins at the other side of the room. "Toodles!"

Natio's expression soured as he looked at the two boys. He had known of their affliction, had thought that Vigil was trying to heal them. As with many other things concerning the late God, he had been oh so wrong. Vigil had not wanted to help them, but had used them to get Laelia into his service. She had been very clear about that when she had cornered him shortly after arriving here.

At the time, Natio had thought she would kill him, but she did not. Laelia had made it quite clear, however, that she wouldn't hesitate to do so if he ever did something to endanger her family or any of the other mortals in the House of Healing.

He knew the threat was very real. Every time he did something that even had the slightest chance of injuring someone, Laelia was somewhere close by, waiting. How does she do that, though? He knew that she wasn't a Demigoddess yet — though probably just as strong — but she still had this slight bit of divinity in her aura. Guess that's what a blessing of the All-Mother gives, huh?

Natio had spent a good few decades to get to the level the All-Mother's Scion had achieved in mere months. But then, as a Scion, she will probably be stronger than most Gods in time. He shuddered slightly at the idea. What he knew of the woman told him that she would make the same mistakes he did, though probably in the other direction. Try so hard to be good that you become evil…

As the last bit of food disappeared from his plate, Mister Penbrooks closed the book he had been reading and smiled at Natio. "Ready for your next lessons?"

"Yes," the fallen God replied with a small sigh. He had not even noticed that the man had gotten himself a book, as he was lost in thought. Disgusting.

GamingWolf

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