Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Drew stood still while rereading The System notification that was cordially inviting him into the realm of... death, to meet with a divine being that was so old, and so powerful, that according to Spock, most other gods just fucked off and left her the hell alone. So, he stood there, thinking that The System had made a serious mistake and sent the invite to the wrong fucking person. It didn't help that even with his sixty-one points in his intelligence attribute, he still couldn't seem to process what was going on. So, his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, as he tried to figure out exactly what to ask the tutorial guide standing in front of him.

"Drew Wright, are you alright? Are you experiencing a stroke?" Spock inquired.

"I... uh...notification...invitation..." He managed to get out.

"You've received a notification for an invitation to visit the realm of The Baleful Lady?" Spock asked in a whisper, as his left eyebrow rose slightly.

Drew nodded his head.

"Interesting. Are you going to accept it then?"

"Uh...I'm not sure that I'm ready to visit the embodiment of death quite yet, I don't even have children yet."

"I see, a misunderstanding would explain your reactions. You're not being invited to die; you're being invited to visit."

"But...why? There's a multiverse full of people, why me?"

"I cannot begin to guess the reasoning behind a Primordial being's decisions. Although, perhaps it's due to you working with and around the forces of death on a newly integrated world? That's the only logical explanation that I can think of, but the minds of the Divine work very, very differently than mortals like us."

"Excuse me, did you say something about Divine beings? As in, God?" Robert interrupted.

"Indeed. Drew Wright has been marked by The Baleful Lady, she presides over the aspect of death, along with several other things."

"But...what about God...as in... you know...God...?"

"Ah, yes, well that's a bit harder to explain. The being you refer to as 'God', is another divine being, although in a different classification than the one that has marked Drew Wright. The Records of that being had bled over into your world prior to The Descent. Whether you will ever meet that being, is completely up to whether he notices you, and sends you an invitation like Drew has just received. It's incredibly rare for any mortal to physically meet a Divine being of any classification."

"Yeah, so um...what should I do about my invitation, Spock?" Drew interjected before Spock went on a further tangent.

"That's up to you Drew Wright. Although, I will say that declining it may be considered somewhat rude."

"But, how will I even get to her realm thing, or get back? What about everyone here? It's the first day of The Descent, and I'm the strongest one out of our group, ya'll still need protection."

*DING!*

The Baleful Lady has added a note to your invitation to her realm

Your friends and family will be under my protection until you return. I will arrange transportation, have no fear.
P.s. I have chocolate chip cookies
~Raynalyr~

"I would imagine The System will..." Spock began.

"Yeah, she just sent me a message. She said that she would handle the transport issue, and... everyone here would be protected. Also, I think she's trying to bribe me with cookies."

"Ah, the sweet disks. Truly, she has a cunning mind to offer such a prize." Spock said as he gazed off into the distance.

"Well...fuck it I guess. I might as well go, if she's offering cookies then obviously, she's a nice person. I need to change my clothes though, it would kinda be rude to show up to someone's house wearing...well, wearing this stuff." Drew gestured to his clothing.

"Good luck, Drew Wright!"

Drew was already running back to his home to change his clothes by the time Spock's parting words reached his ears.

*****************************************

"You clean up so nice dear. I don't know why you don't dress up like this every day." Amber said while admiring her husband's outfit.

"Because, if I always looked like this, it wouldn't be special, would it?"

"No, no. Shhhh, Shhh, Shhh. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Why are you enjoying this so much? You're basically dressing me up to go to another woman's house."

Amber snorted, then she almost fell down from trying to control her laughter.

"Oh, sweet pea, I'm not worried about that at all. I've lived with you for over ten years, trust me. She'll send you back."

"What exactly are you trying to say...that she'd have buyer's remorse?"

"Nooo. No, no. Now, don't you look so smart! Go on, put on that nice cologne I bought you for Christmas."

"...Okay..." Drew said dejectedly.

"There ya go! You smell, and look amazing now. Remember to be on your best behavior for the nice goddess, okay?"

"I'm not a child..."

"Yes, yes, I know. Now, come here and let me give you a kiss."

Drew leaned in and kissed his wife.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too, dear. Have fun, oh and get James Woods' autograph if you can!"

"For the last time, James Woods is not going to be there. He was Hades in one movie, I don't know why you're so obsessed over it."

"It's a classic from our childhood, and who else could Hades be, if not James Woods?"

Drew sighed at his wife's antics.

Amber went back into their bedroom so she could finally get some rest after her exciting morning of killing goblin raiding parties and dealing with newcomers. Drew double-checked himself in the mirror. He wore the same outfit that he had previously for the date night with Amber. It looked good on him. His wife was right, he did clean up nicely. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit worried. Fuck it, if the goddess wanted him to die or something, he probably didn't need to be present for her to do it. She was a god after all, if she was pissed at him, she could just throw lightning or something at him and he'd be toast. Screw it, he'd be fine. Drew opened up the invitation and accepted it.

*POP!*

************************************************

*POP!*

Drew found himself standing in front of a large doorway. Well, he thought it was a doorway, but it really bore a striking resemblance to the Arch of Titus. The depictions upon its surface were far different, and when he tilted his head to view the top, the words "The Halls of Reflection" could be read. It wasn't in English, but The System seemed to translate it for him and beamed it directly into his brain as he took in the majesty of what he was seeing. Behind Drew, oh...that's not a happy thought...there was nothing behind him. Or, rather, he was standing upon a paved pathway that began only ten feet behind him, and beyond that was simply...black. Nothing. He quickly walked closer to the arch, away from the edge of the pathway he was on.

It seemed the paved stone road began in the middle of an empty abyss, and there was nothing surrounding it. No railings, no lights, nothing. Yet, when he turned his head back to the architecture that lay in front of him, he could see glowing teal illumination from the arch itself, and the hallway that appeared to begin shortly after it. Drew walked down the path while looking around at the depictions of beings and animals in various states of life. Building home, having children, war, politics...it seemed like many aspects and points within an individual's life could be portrayed here.

*FUB*

Drew had run into something. Actually, he'd run into someone. Someone wearing black robes in the style of a toga.

"Oh, pardon me, I wasn't watching where I was going. I apologize." Drew said as he rubbed his head with his hand.

"Hmmm...Oh. You'll want to continue down the hall, the line will start eventually as you're walking...wait. A living soul?" The man questioned in a peculiar voice.

Drew lowered his hand from his face to find a perfectly normal looking human in front of him. Wait a minute...large forehead, wide chin, angular jawline, thin lips, and huge nose...SERIOUSLY?!

"Are you...James Woods?"

"Oh? A fan from Earth I see. Welcome, but this place is for the no-longer-living, I'm not sure how you got here but..."

"My wife is going to shit herself; she was right, you really are Hades. Not even on Earth anymore, yet somehow, she's still right. Unbelievable." Drew said, shaking his head.

"Eh? Well, yes, I suppose it's a bit on the nose, but Earth was a nice vacation for me. Well-deserved I might add. But what are you..." James Woods continued.

"So, the Records of Hades bled over to Earth, and you took a vacation and eventually played...yourself in the movie?"

"It was a lot of fun, but seriously, living beings can't be here. How did you get here?"

"Huh? Oh, I got an invitation from The Baleful Lady to come here and meet with her, could you point me in her direction please?"

Hades' face paled as his eyes opened wide.

"Are you...no, of course you are. There would be no other way you'd be able to get here while still breathing. Please, allow me to take you to her."

"Uh, sure? Oh, by the way, could I get an autograph from you for my wife?"

"Hmm? Sure, if you're a guest of The Lady, I'd be happy to. What's your wife's name and class?"

"Her name is Amber, and she chose Archer as her starting class."

Hades waved his right hand and a black dot appeared from thin air, the dot then cracked open as the god continued to wave, out of the dot came a... plant? A seedling! Except, it was black, with black leaves. The plant rapidly grew, and stretched out at an incredible pace that Drew could barely follow. The stalk thickened and branched apart many times, with each shoot thickening to the size of the main trunk. Drew blinked, and it was over. Hades was now holding a black and gray bow...that he had grown, manipulated, and finished in the time it took Drew to blink. He held the bow in his left hand as the pointer finger on his right hand begin to glow and turned into a bright blue flame...like...Hades in the movie. He used the finger to draw upon the limb of the bow. Finally, finished with whatever godlike powers he was performing, he handed the bow to Drew.

"There you go, I think this should be sufficient for a fan of mine."

Drew looked at the bow, it was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. It was a single, solid piece of wood, but not in the way one would expect. Rather, the miniature tree had grown and looped and twisted upon itself to create the weapon. It was...weaved...and upon the limb read "To Amber, may your arrow always strike true. -Hades" Drew quickly stashed it into his spatial inventory before the god thought better of the gift he'd grown for Drew's wife.

"Thank you, she'll absolutely love this. I really appreciate the kind gesture."

"I believe she will as well." Hades chuckled.

"So, I just need to follow the hallway to get to The Baleful Lady?" Drew asked.

"That wouldn't be wise, given that you're still living. Beyond me, lies The Hall of Reflection, where the dead relive their lives as they continue upon the path. Time flows differently there, and the mortal mind is not meant to handle that type of experience, as it's only for dead souls. No, I will take you directly to the lady now, besides, I doubt that she wishes to wait centuries before meeting with you."

"Huh?"

*POP!*