Logout Error: My NPCs Now Worship Me

While the Kingdom of Elysia spiraled into a self-destructive frenzy, an atmosphere of calm, productive anticipation filled the Great Tomb of Nexus.

Kaelus sat upon his throne, not observing the kingdom through a proxy's eyes this time, but through his own enhanced senses. Since unlocking the [Divine Power] system, his [Domain Awareness] had grown. He could now feel the pulse of his new worshippers in Oakhaven—a constant, gentle stream of faith energy flowing towards him. It was a pleasant, ambient hum at the edge of his consciousness.

More importantly, he could feel the shift in the lands beyond. The gathering of the Holy Crusade was like a massive concentration of static electricity, a clumsy, noisy buildup of energy that was impossible for a being like him to miss. He didn't need spies to know they were coming. He could feel their prayers to Luminara, weak and scattered though they were, like sparks in the dark.

Before him stood his primary Guardians, giving their reports. The mood was distinctly different from their last meeting. The three female Guardians he had rewarded were practically glowing with pride, while the others were burning with a renewed ambition to prove their own worth.

"My Lord," Rose began, her report as crisp and efficient as ever. "Our agents have successfully integrated into Oakhaven. The 'Church of the Silent Sovereign' has been unofficially established. The first scriptures, detailing the 'Night of Shattered Jade' and the 'Miracle of Silver Restoration', are being disseminated. The townsfolk are... receptive. The former church of Luminara has been abandoned, its priest having fled in the night. Donations are already pouring in."

"Good," Kaelus's voice rumbled. "The city's resources are to be used to fortify its walls. Use golem-crafting and earth-shaping arts. Turn Oakhaven into a fortress."

Rose bowed. "It is already being done, My Lord. The Head Artificer has been dispatched."

Next was Spidy, who slinked forward, a predatory glee in her eight eyes. "The little hero and her pet knights have scurried back to the capital, my Lord. Just as you predicted, their report has thrown the human leadership into chaos. The fat-headed priest is screaming for a 'holy war'." She giggled, a sharp, dangerous sound. "They're gathering an army. Ten thousand of them. All shiny armor and blind faith. They're like a banquet marching to the slaughterhouse."

"Ten thousand?" Flora chimed in, her sweet voice laced with excitement. "Oh, what a wonderful number! The sheer volume of blood and bone... I could fertilize the entire Elysian plains! We could grow a new forest overnight!"

"A frontal assault is inefficient," Gravity stated coolly, clutching her new Orb of Starlight. "Why bloody our hands? I could simply alter the local gravity along their line of march. Increase it tenfold. They would be crushed into paste inside their own armor before they ever saw our lands."

"Where's the fun in that?" Boom roared with laughter. "Let 'em come! Me and Blast will set up on the high ground. We'll turn their entire crusade into a smoking crater before they get within ten leagues of the city! It'll be great target practice!"

Force, the stoic monk who had been silent until now, finally spoke, his voice a low, disciplined baritone. "My Lord, I request permission to meet their champion. This 'Sword of the Morning'. Allow me to face her alone. I will break her body, her spirit, and her sword with my bare hands to prove the absolute superiority of your strength over their 'goddess'."

Ravi listened to his Guardians debate the most efficient way to slaughter ten thousand men. It was like listening to chefs argue over the best way to prepare a meal. Their power was so absolute that the enemy wasn't a threat; they were an ingredient. A resource.

He let them speak, gauging their temperaments, their desires. The jealousy was still there, but now it was channeled. They were competing for the glory of the coming battle, each one proposing a strategy that would showcase their own unique talents and earn them his favor.

He raised a hand. Silence fell instantly.

"Your enthusiasm is… noted," he said, his voice cutting through their plans. "But your strategies are all flawed. You think on the scale of mortals. Of war. I am thinking on the scale of worship. Of faith."

The Guardians exchanged confused looks.

Kaelus elaborated, his voice taking on the tone of a master strategist explaining a complex concept to his students. "If you, Gravity, crush them from afar, the world will only know a mysterious tragedy occurred. If you, Boom and Blast, annihilate them with artillery, they will speak of a powerful new weapon, not a god. If you, Flora, turn them into a forest, they will fear the woods, not worship me. And if you, Force, simply break their champion, it is a victory of one warrior over another."

He leaned forward on his throne, the twin silver lights of his eyes seeming to intensify. "They will not see the hand of a god. They will see the work of monsters and mages. We will gain their fear, but not their faith. Fear is a barren currency. Faith is the gold of the gods."

The Guardians listened, a dawning comprehension on their faces. They had been thinking of how to win a battle. He was thinking of how to win a religion.

"This is not a war," Kaelus continued. "It is a passion play. A story we will write upon the canvas of this kingdom. And in this story, the Holy Crusade are not our enemies. They are the villains. And we... we are the saviors."

He turned his gaze to the one Guardian who had not yet spoken, the one who existed only as a patch of deeper darkness in the corner of the room.

"Killer," Kaelus commanded.

The shadowy form coalesced, the red runes on his gauntlets the only color on his void-like body. "I... await... your... command... Master..." the dry whisper echoed.

"I have a task for you. A subtle one," Kaelus said. "The Holy Crusade will march for Oakhaven. Along their path, they will pass through many villages and towns loyal to their kingdom. I want you to move ahead of them. Unseen. Unheard."

Kaelus paused, letting the order sink in. "I want you to leave a trail of terror. Not for the Crusade, but for the villagers. Slay their livestock, but leave the carcasses arranged in my symbol. Taint their wells with a shadow that causes nightmares. Whisper my name on the wind so that children cry it out in their sleep. Do not kill a single human. Just fill their hearts with a creeping, nameless dread. Make them afraid of the dark. Make them afraid of the very shadows that the approaching 'army of light' will cast."

A low, rattling sound came from Killer's form. It was the dry, rasping sound of a chuckle. He understood his role perfectly. He was not to be a soldier. He was to be a ghost story made real.

"The... fear... will... ripen... for... the... harvest..." Killer whispered, bowing his shrouded head before melting back into the shadows and vanishing.

Kaelus then turned his attention to Rose. "The stage is being set. Ensure our agents in Oakhaven report these 'demonic' occurrences to the city. Frame them as the work of the approaching Crusade. The 'Holy Army' is marching to punish Oakhaven, and they are terrorizing the countryside as they come. That is the narrative. Spread it."

Rose's smile was one of pure, intellectual admiration. "Brilliant, my Lord. Utterly brilliant. By the time the army arrives, the entire region will see them not as saviors, but as a ravenous mob. The people of Oakhaven will be begging you to protect them."

"Precisely," Kaelus confirmed.

He settled back into his throne. The plan was in motion. He would turn the kingdom's greatest strength—its Holy Army—into the instrument of its own downfall. He would not defeat them with overwhelming power, but with masterful psychological warfare. He would make them the monsters in the eyes of their own people.

And when the terrified citizens of the Elysian plains cried out for a savior from the very knights who were supposed to be protecting them, he would be there to answer their prayers. And the Divine Power he would reap would be magnificent.

He looked at his remaining Guardians. "The rest of you will wait. Your time to act will come. Be patient."

He could feel their burning desire to prove themselves, a powerful resource he could wield at will. Force clenched his fists, Boom gripped his hammer, Flora tended to her new seed with a dangerous smile. The great game was afoot, and he was the only one who could see the entire board.