Alien Evolution System

Chapter 164 - Old Gods

"All you did was stay underground," said Kandak. As usual, his voice was rather emotionless and gruff, so it was difficult to tell whether he was bantering or criticizing.

"Haha! I merely acknowledge that you are the best at bruting your way into fights and holding things in place, brother," said Goromir. "You did well, Loktal, and you too, Thokk."

"I did nothing," said Thokk. "But strike the final blow."

"And without you to strike it, we would have had a far longer, far more grueling battle," said Goromir. "Your role in this battle was as integral as any of ours was."

"Really?" asked Thokk. "Even though all I do was hit at the last moment?"

Goromir smiled and nodded. "Of course! You think too little of yourself, young one. Had you not landed that precise strike, the mighty beast would have broken free of us, and then our plan would have collapsed upon itself."

"Guess that makes me feel a little better," said Thokk.

"No, you should feel more than better. We have just triumphed over a mighty foe," said Goromir. He gazed at Loktal, at how the Amorak stared at the charred chunks of what must have been a creature somewhat related to him. "I am sorry if you felt any connection to him."

"None at all," said Loktal. "It has been close to five hundred years since my kind broke off from the Old Kin. I merely wonder why he was so savage. So feral. He was not undead, but he would not speak to me. Our tongues are still the same, ordained to us by Amorakius."

"Amorakius?" asked Goromir.

"Our god. The Old Wolf. He is said to reside here, and from him, all wolven kind descend," said Loktal.

"A…a god?" said Thokk. "We will have to face a god?"

"Not exactly," said Goromir. "The gods you know, the Twelve of the Protectorate, the Four Gatekepeers, and the Ascended are New Gods. Gods that came upon this world from afar or their descendants. What Loktal speaks of is an Old God.

Gods derived from the world. By nature itself. The one we mention as Gob was also an Old God.

Of Amorakius, I am somewhat familiar, though I thought him slumbering or slain by the New Gods."

"That is true to my knowledge," said Loktal. "But Amorakius was not killed. At the least, he was alive five hundred years past, when our peoples split.

The New Gods purged many of the Old, but the Old Gods of the North largely escaped their wrath for Common flesh dares not intrude on this harsh land."

"Then your god is still here? Alive?" said Goromir. "As are all the Old Gods of this land?"

"Not here, exactly. Simply in the Rift, or perhaps beyond, I know not." Loktal shrugged. "From what our shamans tell, Amorakius entered a deep sleep from which there was no waking.

As did most of the Old Gods of the North. Many of them waiting for an age without the New Gods or, as some said, to awaken and face the New Gods in final battle. That was one event that our shamans were fond of speaking about.

The end of the New Gods. The Eternal Winter where Grain falls upon the world and drives away the New to bring back the Old once more. The Fimbulvintr."

Loktal twisted his head from side to side. "Just stories of course. Those of us that split from the Old Kin so long ago knew that the Old Gods were never waking.

But if Amorakius was asleep, his whispers should still reach the Old Kin here, for the Old Kin are closest to Amorakius, able to divine his words and intent through their dreams.  They should know our tongue, our existence, and at least try to be friendly with us.

This one was utterly savage and feral. No better than a normal beast."

"That is odd indeed," said Goromir. "I should guess that your kind here have lost the guidance of their god, but then does that mean he has been killed? What possibly could fell the might of an Old God? To even find the Old God in the first place?"

The question hung in the air for several seconds as the goblins and Loktal attempted to piece together what could have possibly killed an Old God or even found one.

For Goromir knew well the might of an Old God. All seven of the Titans of old were Old Gods that had been uplifted even further by the world's will, and their combined might was enough to greatly threaten the entirety of the New Gods and the stability of all the realms.

But a powerful Old God was immensely strong, embodying a environmental aspect or natural force that made them nigh untouchable to any ordinary being. Yet, there was a large range of Old Gods, and their power was variable.

Some Old Gods held power over just one forest, or perhaps were the guardians of a lake. They were not all kingdom ending threats. Of Amorakius, Goromir knew not too much, for he was no scholar nor had he ever had assignments to this area.

Still, even the weakest Old God was more than capable of decimating the vast majority of beings.

If Goromir had to roughly guess, he would have put the Sovnar on the low to mid end of the Old God power spectrum, though again, he was no expert, and he knew that the Sovnar had infinite potential for growth.

"We must still fulfill the Sovnar's will," said Goromir. "And explore this dungeon more, for direct danger, we are yet to face."

"Right," said Thokk as he took a step forwards before freezing, his expression turning blank, then concerned.

"What is it?" said Goromir.

"The Sovnar…the Sovnar tells us that the rest of the swarm is coming towards us. That we should guard them here."

"Guard them? What?" Goromir cocked his head.

"The Sovnar faces a threat. A great one."