CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG (Book One: Duelist)

Chapter 80 - Roen's Secret

The newcomer walked down the steps slowly, with refined grace. She was tall, petite, and very pale looking. Her ears were pointed in a much more conspicuous manner than Roen's own ears. Her hair was long, shiny, and jet-black. Her azure eyes were like sapphire gems and sparkled. There was an aura surrounding her that bespoke of power.

Roen quickly met her at the bottom of the stairs. After receiving a small peck on his right cheek from the woman, the signmaker introduced her. "This is Valatea, my wife," he said.

I slowly approached the couple and held out my hand. As we shook hands, I joked, "I didn't realize I'm that popular."

Kalistra remained at her spot near the bench. She simply waved her paw at the elven woman.

I tried to discretely trigger my spirit sense. When I looked at Valatea, I was bombarded with a strong golden aura emanating from her. It was so powerful that the aura had encompassed the entire floor of the shop. I couldn't tolerate the sight for long, and I quickly released my spirit sense. "Spirit sense SUCCESSFUL. +50 XP." I dismissed the pop-up.

Valatea smiled at me as if she knew what I just did.

"Are you a goddess?" I blurted out my suspicion. Perhaps she was sired by a god just like Jasla was; this would explain why her aura was so much more powerful than any mortal being I ever met in this gaming world. Her aura put Bishop Canterbury's to shame.

The mysterious woman laughed; her laughter sounded like xylophones. "No, milord, I'm not. You're probably wondering why my aura seems overpowering," she surmised.

Caught red-handed, I nodded.

"My formal title is Valatea Ti'Jurvdof, Linemistress of Gaea. This world is full of ley lines of power. I have studied them for over a century and I have access to many different ley lines running throughout this continent. The aura that you sense is a reflection of the reservoirs of raw energy under my command. And I serve Gaea, the greater goddess of Life," she explained.

Oh! I looked at her in shock and awe. When I played the PC game Merlin, Linemaster was one of the advanced arcane professions, with access to many area-of-effect spells as well as transportation spells. With her spells, she could literally rearrange a battlefield. "How can I become a Linemaster?" I asked. It was one of the professions that I was very interested in along with Enchanter and Spirit Magi.

Kalistra's ears perked up but she remained silent.

Valatea smiled. "You will need to strike a bargain with her, like the way you've done with Bane, Musa, and Luck," she replied.

I frowned at her answer. This was great! Not! In other words, to become a Linemaster I needed to become Gaea's lackey! Enab's caution that other gods were interested in branding me was proving to be accurate.

"If you want assistance from The Elven Nation to deal with the drows, then you need to reach an agreement to serve Gaea in some capacity," Roen spoke up. "But don't worry, she won't demand exclusive servitude from you. Gaea is mindful of the other gods and she is fine with sharing you with them."

I immediately whipped my head in his direction. "How did you know about the drows?" I demanded to know. The Watch had kept news of the encounter with drows a secret from the commoners.

Roen chuckled. "You humans are silly. Bishop Canterbury placed spies at The Noble Lady and followed my brethren all over town. It was only fair that we spied on the Church in return. I get all this information because I'm the spymaster for The Elven Nation," he revealed.

"The Church thought you were the ambassador," I replied.

"I serve many functions on behalf of my people: ambassador, spymaster, and gatekeeper," he nodded to his wife.