Out of all the deities that the list had spit out, one of them immediately stood out to Credonz. However, he took the time to look over the others before definitively picking. Indeed, while there were others that did tempt him with their sheer strangeness, such as Swelc, God of Morals and Civility, as well as others that were sheer power, like Teltaj, God of the Wind and Storms, there were some that downright intrigued him because of their involvement. There was Yaou, who was the progenitor of all Kobolts such as himself, and he never really expected her to ever hear a prayer from one such as him, who went against the traditional ways of Hunt and Hearth. Even then, there was Invalda who was also another one he didn't quite expect, as he didn't think he much held many values that the Goddess of Heroism and Strength would like. His eyes glanced over one name in particular, which caused him to scoff out loud. The name, that of Pelur, didn't really make himself feel any better about what he was doing. He was the God of Martyrdom and Lost Causes after all. He thought upon it for a little bit, as there were some advantages to be had if he chose this god's help, both for good or ill, as while he could pray to him and gain his personal aid in whatever thing that he may need with, it was of course all a matter of luck whether or not that Pelur's dominion would hold sway over his mission, causing an immediate failure towards his goal. He tossed the thought around in his mind for awhile before he decided that he'd rather not take that chance. The one that seemed really out of place though, and the one that stood out immediately to him, was Ounder. Why of all beings, did Ounder have any interest into how this whole thing went down?

Credonz thought back to the outcome of his plan, as well as, the steps he took leading up to it. Throughout it all, he couldn't find one reason that the God of Beasts and Wild would want to help him, which seemed, to him at least, trustworthy. Out of everyone else that had been given to him that would be willing to listen to his plight, they all had something in common, that being all of them were against someone else in this fight. That was slightly suspicious to him, as he viewed gods to be, in almost all cases he'd heard of, self-grandiose. If it helped them against their rival, then it was perhaps the easiest choice they could make, but the content of the list he'd been given had a hidden value he immediately noticed. All of the gods seemed to be at each other's throats. Invalda despised what Pelur had done to many that she'd shown favor, be made into a joke. Yaou was against Teltaj, simply because one of her dominions would always be put to the test by both of Teltaj's. And to him, getting help from Swelc would be a death sentence, when he was surrounded by priests of the opposite god. Out of all of them, none would hold immediate cause to hurt him in the future if he chose Ounder. So that is what he did.

At first, he didn't know if he had chosen correctly. Where before, while he was walking he'd just tap on the screen given by God's Voice, and there'd be some kind of confirmation that someone would or wouldn't have heard it, but now there was just nothing. Then the screen shattered into motes of light and began swirling around him.

He closed his eyes, in fear of what this might actually do. Was it possible that he had chosen wrong? This hadn't happened to him before, but then again he'd only ever gotten a reply from a god once before, and it was just the screen displaying the god itself to answer his query via holy text. This was different, stranger, than he was used to. Once the light could no longer be seen through his eyelids, he tentatively opened them.

There, lying before him, wasn't the room he had come into. Gone were the white walls, floor, and even the pillow he was laying on. The altar had stayed though, and that was probably the strangest thing about this, as he was surrounded in greenery. Trees seemed to be surrounding him on the horizon while flowers bloomed around the circular cropping of stone underneath him. He could see a river off to the side flowing down the hill he'd gotten himself onto to, and then, there it was in front of him.

A monolith of earthly proportions, utterly natural towards the landscape. It almost had a cliff-like quality to it, if it were not for the naturally carved steps set into it, most likely caused from centuries of rain and wind. And then, there was the thing lying on top of it all. There, it had laid upon a throne of stone and wood, inlaid with runes he could not understand or comprehend, and absolutely covered in overlaying pictographs. The thing itself, had managed to be in the most recognizable avatar for the god himself, Ounder. And it was staring down at him.

"So, I hear that you need help with a cannibal?" The god's voice seemed to reverberate across the entirety of the enclave, making the animal noises that Credonz had once heard fall towards silence.

"Uhh, yes! Yes, if it isn't too much trouble." Credonz's voice seemed to tremble at being in the presence of a god, which was understandable. His aura was seeming to press down upon the mortal, but it was only enough to show the amount of disparity between the two beings. If Ounder had really wanted to harm Credonz with his aura alone, it would've only taken a couple of seconds before all of the lizard's bones would be snapped in half.

"...You said you were willing to give anything in exchange for this?" The wolf stretched himself out upon his throne and cracked his neck before sitting back down. Credonz, not expecting the question, began to rapidly nod.

"Yes! This is something I have tried to right for a long time now, and I can't die before I finish this." The wolf seemed to look down upon him before nodding once.

"Ok then. Know that no time will pass while we're here, if that was a concern for you. I have a lot of things I must discuss. Don't worry though, as it only pertains of two things I ask of you." At this, Credonz balked. Two things for a god was quite a lot for someone like him, but, this was the only option he had. He had forgone all the other gods who were willing to help him in this matter, so he put his fear down and asked his question.

"What are they?" He tentatively let out.

"The first comes in the manner of help I am giving you. I am currently sending my [Chosen] towards you. He is...new to his station, but still has the power he had from before he was proven to be able to withstand his new station. I want you to watch over him until such a time that he's fully capable as a [Chosen]." Credonz gasped. A [Chosen] would guarantee his place in the realm of the living far easier than any temporary power, boon, or miracle. The added plus of this, was that if Ounder had instead sent a [Priest] or [Acolyte] to give aid, they would probably not be all that helpful in terms of battle experience against Bide. Ounder considered the added time sink being added onto him, and as soon as the thought entered his mind, he knew he would have to do it.

"It shall be done...and the other one?" Ounder finally looked Credonz in the eye, as his claws seemed to etch something into the stone. He couldn't really tell what it was from down below, but he did know it was with definite purpose, as the stone underneath Ounder's claws suddenly began glowing, whatever causing it seeming to make it flow in a river down the steps and towards his platform.

"My [Chosen] is travelling with an...oddity that he's bound himself to for the rest of their foreseeable life. They have something...important that belongs to the realm of the gods. It is not an item, but something...somewhat magical and spiritual in nature. I want you to banish it out of them once you have the right materials. The sooner it is out of their body, the better." Credonz put the question out of his mind on how the god could have found out about his class. He was a god, it was better to just leave things to omnipotence than any other reason. Banishing was...a but of a hard task to pull off, but he could do it once he got a higher level in his class. Maybe through an evolution of it as well, or a perhaps through a skill purchase.

"I will try and accomplish this as fast as possible. Can I add something on to the nature of the second clause?" Ounder looks curiously down towards him and motions for him to continue. All the while, the glowing river had snaked around the stone dias, the remnants of the magic still fading away from the stone mountain that Ounder laid upon.

"As I don't exactly know how long it will take for your [Chosen] to become fit for his station, can we use the second job I have to do as a way for me not to be in debt to you? As I am now, I would have no hope to even accomplish something that could affect the spirit, but I could be able to do it when I hit my next class milestone. Once I finish it, I will be free from my other duties, as I would perhaps like to teach my trade to those who can learn it, rather than be stuck in the wilderness with your brethren." Ounder doesn't seem to react at first. His movement is as still as it could possibly be, making him out to be a living statue. And then he speaks.

"Yes. That is agreeable. Once you've accomplished the second task, you will be free of your servitude to the first, and you will be out of my debt. So it is, so it shall be." With this his paw hits the ground causing all the sounds of wildlife around him to begin once again, almost in earnest as a sort of unyielding chant started to happen through the trees. Credonz looked down to find that the river was floating up off the ground before it all came rushing towards him, suffusing him. Something then seemed to appear with a shimmer in the air coming along with the Voice of the Gods.

You have been issued a Heavenly Mandate containing the following:

1: Protect Ounder's Chosen until they have grown into their own

2: Dispel the spiritual effect on Dave

a: Heavenly Mandate will self-terminate upon completion of clause two

Reminder: Breaking the Heavenly Mandate will label you as a [Sinner] You may fulfill this Mandate once you've accomplished the second task given to you

There, appearing in front of him, was parchment of the highest quality and calligraphy. Details all along the edges contained gold and platinum, while the parchment itself seemed to be made up of leaves. Then, once he had witnessed it in total, it dissolved and flew directly into him, marking his soul.

"Now, do your best with your fight. Belun's [Loyal] isn't exactly going to make it easy." At this, Credonz's eyes widened as the world seemed to vanish around him leaving him in darkness. This was out of Credonz's plan entirely. A [Loyal] was only a non-religious title for the class of [Acolyte] often only having the person bestowed with it, one step away from becoming a [Holy Warrior]. This was entirely bad, but then again, he had been promised a [Chosen], and he could only hope that they would be battle ready.

Light seemed to stream down again from that skylight, and he found himself back in the marble room, still kneeling down on a pillow. He got up. Thoughts raced in his mind following the last line from Ounder. The decree for the church finally made sense to him. If Feldur was a [Loyal], then this was probably his last stage in becoming a [Holy Warrior]. In his mind, it only made complete sense for the promotion itself by a goddess who'd just lost all her [Priests] and other clergy.

"I just hope that this [Chosen] is battle ready." Credonz mumbled under his breath as he raced to get out of the church. Feldur would only be minutes, if not, seconds behind him. His goddess probably whispered into his ears that his quarry had gotten himself into her newfound church. He only hoped he wouldn't be too late getting out.

He kicked down the door, and ran for it. His feet seemed to pound against the marbled floor, as he spared glances down along the hallway he was led. If the goddess was actively against him, it wouldn't be long until clergy would be down his neck. He was only thankful that she had to take more time getting the message to church members she didn't directly have access to. As he dashed past scaffolding and broken pieces of history, he could finally see the door in front of him, the grand entrance into this trapped temple. Where before it seemed to shine with a holy light inviting him to comfort his weary body and listen to his requests, now it seemed darkened, more antagonistic. This building had transformed under the white marble that was a part of it, now almost seeming to shift into glistening obsidian glass.

He rammed himself into the door that was two stories tall, opening it with a bang that rang out into the courtyard in front of the church. It also seemed to meet with someone, as a shape seemed to fly off down the stairs, landing in front of the statue of Feldur in his prime that had been erected in the center of the fountain in the courtyard. It was not a thing that Credonz was familiar with, until he realized what that exact shape was that was lying on the ground. It was a wolf, although unlike any that he might've seen before. Its claws seemed to become sharp thorns at their points, its fur almost seemed to be covered in moss, if not made of it itself. Its legs seemed to be made entirely of wood, and its ears seemed to be hidden behind wooden knots. This, with all of its appearances, could only have been Ounder's [Chosen], but to Credonz...that couldn't be right. It could only go up to his shin. It was clearly a baby. How could this help him? However, some modicum of decorum, he reminded himself, was still necessary.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I did not mean for that to happen. I just wanted to mee..." And then he noticed that there was somebody else he had knocked over. It wasn't an animal, though at least not like anything he'd heard of or seen before. It seemed to be as tall as an ev, although it didn't seem to have any affinity, for it would have long changed into some manner of natural phenomenon long ago. Its ears were also of a different sort, not being long and pointy, but rounded down. It also seemed to be in pain right by the door. Perhaps this was the [Chosen]? It didn't exactly look like any of the civilized races or any bide he knew about.

"Why did you have to go right for the nose?" He seemed to wheezed as he held his nose.

"I didn't mean to. It's not like there's windows to the door. Usually, it should just be kept open all day anyway." The thing seemed to steel itself before retching its hand causing a loud click to occur.

"It's fine man, but you should at least apologize to Kojo, you clear sent him flying." He pointed towards the little wolf pushing itself onto its feet, trying to stop dizzying itself from the motion, before it seemed to open its mouth.

"Don't worry Dave. This is the one I was sent to meet." Credonz, while all for the civility of a good conversation, was in a bit of a stressful situation, so it could be understood as to why he decided to go about asking as directly as he did, the following question. After all, it was proven that the [Chosen] was in fact the wolf pup, which seemed to very much go against what a [Chosen] exactly was.

"Quick, what are your classes?!?!" To Credonz, it seemed to be the only thing that this [Chosen] would've been good for. After all, if it had a unique [Class], besides strangely being part plant, it would explain the god's decision. The two both seemed startled a little bit, before both looking towards each other and back to him.

"I do not yet have a class besides the [Chosen] that was granted to me by my god.", responded Kojo, as he stepped back up the stairs towards the two.

"I have [Arcanist], but I have the option for a second one I still haven't decided upon yet." At this, Credonz's heart seemed to crack in twain.

"We are all so royally-" And then, something rushed out of an alleyway. There, in all his rocken glory, stood Feldur, looking as angry as he could've been. Searching the area, he stopped when his eyes came across Credonz's.

"There you are. And I see you brought yourself some little friends. By the way, your distractions been taken care of, so I would suggest not fighting me when I kill you. Since you two seem to be with him, the same warning goes to you both as well, albeit a little less dire. I won't be eating you after I kill you two, after all." And, without anymore words being spoken, his feet seemed to become one with the ground, as he shifted through the earth, reaching the stairs at the blink of an eye.

Almost as fast, did Dave rush out in front of the assailant as a fist seemed to ram straight through a stomach causing blood and viscera to stain the stone-laden streets. Feldur almost seemed surprised that it happened, but that did cause him to stop for but a moment. That moment, was all it took for Kojo to realize exactly what had happened.

"NOOOOOOO!" He screamed as he watched his friend get impaled. In that split second, something seemed to snap within him, and for the first time in a long time, he finally began seeing red again. His moss rose in tendrils as he launched himself towards the thing that was destroying his friend. His claws sought to find purchase as he tore away mounds of rock and earth, all the while the moss on his back tried to grasp anything to tear apart. And it seemed to be working.

Feldur shrieked in pain as his arm pulled out of the hole he'd put into the stumbling Dave. The rock seemed to almost be pulled apart before a glow rang out from within, pulling any loose rock towards him. His health seemed to gradually get better as he started absorbing the very streets they were on, all until finally the statue was wrenched from the ground and pulled straight to him, the statue's face forming what used to be his own.

"You cannot stop the city itself! Not by wild scratching and biting!!" At this, he reached and tore Kojo out of him, leaving behind roots that had been implanted into the cracks in the boulders, trying to wedge them apart. He then threw the wolf high into the air, and jumped after him following with a series of punches and kicks upon the tiny wolf pup, who seemed to be struggling to keep himself whole.

Credonz was, perhaps, in the most stress he had been in for awhile, and it seemed to be only growing. Then he remembered exactly what class Dave had said he had been. The exact same that he was. The question of what his level was could wait, but that did mean he had a way to help the gushing man who seemed to be struggling on two feet. He had one last device he held for times of emergency. One that was meant to help stop constant damage ticks, like bleeding, poison, or corrosion. He had imagined he would have been using it against the monster tamer hiding somewhere in the city, but it would definitely be better to help the currently dying man in front of him, as he wasn't too sure whether or not it would work for the wooden wolf. He reached into the pack on his back, to bring out a disk with a glowing runic crystal embedded within it, before implanting it within Dave's hole.

In moments, Dave seemed to regain his wits, and also through some weird magic, his entire flesh, as it seemed to hold the disk in place for a way to better hold the man upright. "What did you do to me?"

"It's just a device meant to help stop constant damage to the body that I cooked up. Whatever else that's happening, I don't know." Dave seemed to flex his fingers a bit, as he heard the reply. Not long after, both contenders in the fight fell from the sky into the fountain, one groaning in pain, while the other steadily rebuilt itself using the rubble around it.

"Well, I got one hell of an mp boost, and I don't have to constantly cast regen on myself. So I guess that means I could do something rather impressive. Keep in mind, I might be out of commission for awhile once I do it." At this, he seemed to steady himself before closing his eyes and breathing in cycles. Energy began to...somehow flow into the man in front of Credonz, before he suddenly began coughing up blood and falling over, the disk dislodging itself from the cavity before its crystal grew dim.

"I hope that was enough to take him out. Dear merciful God, why didn't I listen to the coin? Be safe little buddy." wheezed the pale-stricken Dave, as he finally collapsed into a huff onto the floor, blood slowly oozing out. Credonz kneeled down to inspect the man and prepare to give both him, and the wolf funeral rights, as he noticed something happening within the air, originating from the man himself.

Credonz wasn't a magic virtuoso by any means. He knew the basics, sure, but more often than not, he didn't exactly have a handle on how to perform any major magical feats. Most people tended to just scrape any excess mana that they produced from their shell to perform simple spells, like telekinesis or conjuring a mana weapon. Sure, most spells didn't last long, but it was what people could do without breaking themselves. And Credonz could tell that this was a spell that couldn't have been performed without doing that, so he was beginning to question the sanity, and the actual job class, of his company. However, his attention was drawn away from that line of logic, by which way the spell had been directed. Towards the [Chosen] that was lying in the ruined fountain.