Game Master in Another World

When we returned to our small, hidden camp, I felt refreshed; the exhaustion of hauling too much weight through the air had washed away.

Toby and Igasnov were sitting around the hot stones, conversing quietly.

“We are finished; you may now avail yourselves of the refreshing river,” Juliana said with a smile.

Igasnov and Toby looked up. “Excellent. I think I’ll go for a quick swim; you should come too, Toby.”

The two males headed off, while Vera and I took a seat on a makeshift bench fashioned from a fallen log.

“So, Juliana, do you have feelings for Igasnov?” Vera asked suddenly.

Juliana smiled. “No, dear, I personally am not interested in Igasnov. I am not certain about my lord, however.”

Ugh, no, I’m not interested in men.

“Oh, that’s good. I was worried you would steal him from me.”

“There is no need to worry. I do not harbour any plans to steal your man; my lord is enough for me, after all.”

I squirmed slightly at that. I held no romantic feelings toward Juliana, and I wasn’t sure I would ever love anyone again.

“Oh? And who is your lord?” Vera asked.

“He is my god. He created me, and I owe him everything for my existence.”

“I didn’t know you were so religious. What is the name of your god?” Vera inquired.

“Unfortunately, he has forbidden me from speaking his name, so people now refer to him as the Nameless God.”

“So you are on speaking terms with this god? My, you are close, then. Is he on speaking terms with anyone else?”

“Yes; he has spoken to you through me, in fact.”

Okay, this was turning into too much information. I didn’t want Vera to know that I resided within Juliana, and I certainly would not call myself a god, so I seized control.

“Really? Amazing. You do seem to shift suddenly sometimes... like right now. Are you Juliana’s god?”

Vera was much sharper than I had given her credit for. I suppose I should have picked up on her astuteness after witnessing her success with Igasnov.

“Fine. If you promise to keep this a secret, I can help you remain close to Igasnov for at least the duration of this trip.”

Vera smiled. “That sounds wonderful, but I want more than just this trip. Could you help me become pregnant?”

The request brought immediate flashbacks of watching Ilza bleeding out after childbirth. My face must have betrayed my terror, as Vera looked suddenly taken aback.

“I’m sorry if I offended you; I had no intention of doing so,” Vera responded, her voice quivering slightly.

“No, it is just that your request brought back bitter memories of a time long ago.”

“Oh. How can you have bitter memories as a god?”

“Well, a stray thought of mine resulted in the death of someone I knew during childbirth.”

“Is it truly that easy for you to kill people?” Vera asked, her voice trembling more noticeably now.

“Well, I haven’t tested it, but I suspect so.”

“Wait, tested? Wouldn’t being an all-knowing god mean you would understand the extent of your powers innately?”

“The thing is, I wouldn’t classify myself as a god; I don’t really know what I am,” I replied.

A sudden realisation struck me: Vera was pulling far more information out of me than I would have thought possible.

“So you didn’t create Juliana?”

“No, I did create her.”

“Doesn’t that make you a god, then?” Vera asked in a flat voice.

“Well, I don’t feel like a god, and I still possess mortal emotions.”

“Have you ever met a god before to ask if they possess those things?”

Vera was making several valid points; I couldn’t quite refute her logic.

“No, I have not,” I conceded.

“Well, you can conjure life out of nothing; I would say that is fairly godlike.”

Vera now wore a faint smirk; any hint of her earlier fear had vanished.

“I suppose, but I was originally a human before all of this.”

“So you have ascended to godhood, then, like many of our legendary deities.”

I recalled that in this world's lore, some of the gods had humble beginnings and achieved divinity through extraordinary means.

“So I reiterate: please allow me to fall pregnant,” Vera pleaded.

“I cannot. I refuse to risk your life in the process.”

“But you created Juliana; isn’t that a much larger risk? Manifesting a sentient being with an established background into this world? Won’t that potentially trigger cascading effects to make her reality true?”

“I’m sorry, Vera. I simply don’t want to repeat a tragic mistake from long ago. Besides, you are young enough that falling pregnant naturally will likely be easy for you.”

“But it isn’t guaranteed that I will,” Vera replied, exasperated.

“Well, if you don’t conceive within two years, how about I promise to try and make you more fertile then?”

“But it may be too late. Igasnov might be sick of me by then,” Vera complained.

“If your relationship is meant to last, you will still be together in two years. I do not want you becoming a solo parent.”

I sensed that Igasnov didn’t truly love Vera, but rather just tolerated her presence. Therefore, I refused to be a party to trapping him in a relationship with magical assistance.

“Fine. But if you want me to keep your secret from Igasnov, you had better stick to your word. I suspect there is a good reason you haven’t let it be known that Juliana harbours a god dwelling within her.”

“Okay, you can hold me to it, then.”

I released control back to Juliana, and her serene smile immediately returned.

“Thank you, my dear Vera, for coaxing so much information from my god. I am ever so grateful.”

Vera smiled back. “My pleasure. I’m just pleased I now understand the two versions of yourself.”

The remainder of the afternoon was spent with Juliana and Vera making idle conversation. Eventually, as evening fell, dinner was served.

Given the proper time to cook, the hāngī tasted significantly better this time. It wasn't culinary perfection, but it was a marked improvement over the previous day's attempt.

When our patrols commenced, we once again travelled back and forth between the two camps. The villagers had settled into the exact clearing we had anticipated. Nothing much had changed: they completed their various chores, posted a half-hearted watch, and by morning, they were eating their breakfast.

Our own campsite was quick to dismantle; with not even a fire to scatter, we could set off almost immediately. It had started raining overnight, drenching us completely. I could feel the wet leather uncomfortably rubbing against our skin, but no one voiced any complaints.

Juliana then initiated her shapeshifting. I could feel our form massively expanding, dropping onto four large legs tipped with hooves. Our face elongated as a thick mane sprouted, and our fur darkened to pitch black. I could feel sudden, malevolent thoughts swelling up from within this new form, but they were quickly quashed by Juliana's pure alignment.

Igasnov stepped back, wide-eyed. “A Nightmare. I’ve never seen one of these in person. I hope you can keep this beast's nature under control?”

Juliana nodded our heavy, equine head.

The trio carefully climbed onto our back, and we surged forward. Unlike our previous avian forms, the burden of three passengers was barely noticeable. Somehow, we were able to move incredibly quickly, darting effortlessly through the dense forest.

After navigating the woods for a while, we merged onto the main dirt track and continued at a blistering pace.

It wasn’t long before a settlement appeared in the distance.

Igasnov gave us a gentle pat on the shoulder, prompting Juliana to slow to a halt.

“Juliana, I think it best you enter this village slowly, at a normal riding pace. You might be able to pass as an ordinary mount that way.”

“Won’t the locals be wary of us?” Toby asked.

“No, the caravan hasn’t reached this far yet. Plus, these villagers know me, which should help smooth things over,” Igasnov replied cheerfully.

We carried on down the road at a trot that felt agonisingly slow compared to our previous sprint. Eventually, we entered the quaint settlement.

As we navigated the narrow pathways, people inevitably began to stare. Just like the others, this village looked practically identical to the ones we had already passed.

An elderly man waved at us from a porch.

“Igasnov! Welcome back!” the man called out.

“It is good to see you, Jerome,” Igasnov replied.

Igasnov dismounted and strode over to shake Jerome's hand.

“You have a striking-looking horse there. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a coat as pitch-black as his.”

“Yeah, I found him wandering the forest, and he seemed fairly tame.”

“You are one lucky man. She would fetch a hefty sum of coin to the right buyer,” Jerome noted, looking our massive equine form up and down.

“And who might this lovely lady and young man travelling with you be?”

“Oh, this is Vera and Toby. I’m escorting them safely to Tyre,” Igasnov replied cheerfully.

“Excellent. We plan to form a caravan of our own shortly to head there and merge with several other villages.”

“Ah, yes. We passed them on the road earlier; they are likely still four hours out.”

“Wonderful. Depending on their arrival, we will likely be heading out tomorrow morning, then. Would you care to stay here for the night?”

“I’m sorry, but we cannot. We must press on.”

“Oh, that is a shame. Well, will you at least come over for lunch for a couple of hours? Margaret will be thrilled to see you again.”

“Certainly, I think we can manage that much,” Igasnov agreed.

It seemed that Juliana and I were destined to miss out on the meal this time. I felt a distinct pang of envy.

We trailed them to a simple-looking cottage, where Igasnov, Vera, and Toby prepared to head inside.

“You aren’t going to hitch him to the post?” Jerome asked.

“Oh, I don’t think he would appreciate that. I trust she will stay put.”

“Wow. Such a strong bond so quickly... I am certainly jealous.”

With that, we were left to our own devices, standing awkwardly outside the house. We watched through the window as Igasnov motioned toward Vera; we couldn’t hear what was being said, but we easily guessed he was introducing her.

The next few hours dragged by slowly. The occasional villager would approach, but as they drew nearer, their expressions would harden with instinctual fear before they quickly hurried away. Juliana’s choice of disguise was certainly imposing.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, the trio emerged from Jerome’s house. Toby was being warmly hugged by Margaret, and Vera had her arm linked possessively around Igasnov’s as they stepped outside.

“Well, Igasnov, it was fantastic seeing you again. Please don’t be a stranger; you must visit us again.”

Igasnov smiled. “I will try. It is worth noting that the approaching caravan villagers may hold some rather incorrect opinions about me. Just listen to what they have to say, but please don't take their slander to heart.”

“Okay, I will, my friend. But I’m sure it is nothing serious, and you are just overworrying.”

Igasnov let out a short laugh. “Yes, perhaps. Anyway, we must be off.”

Vera and Toby climbed onto our back before Igasnov vaulted into the saddle.

We headed out of the village, Igasnov waving to several locals as we departed. Once we were well clear of the settlement, Igasnov leaned forward to speak to us.

“Juliana, could you please halt a little out of sight of the village? I would love to maintain our watch and ensure these people make it safely to Tyre. It may only be one more day of travel, but I want to guarantee they don’t meet any misfortune along the way.”

We nodded our massive head before continuing down the road at a leisurely trot that now felt entirely too slow.

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