What is a God?

A few hours have passed since they found themselves trapped in GodHaven. Nothing of note has transpired. A few outbursts of panic, a few silences of existential dread, all devoid of hope.

Free Stuff looks at Narco. “What did you do?”

Narco slowly comes to, emerging from his cocoon of disassociation. “Me?”

“You said you didn’t want to leave. And now we’re trapped. I’m just connecting dots.” Free Stuff is clearly angry and confused as is everyone.

“I wouldn’t exactly call those dots.” GG speaks up for Narco. “Besides, we know Narco. He wouldn’t do this to us. Even if this were a prank, keeping us trapped inside here for hours against our will is going much farther than he has ever been comfortable with. He couldn’t even keep a poker face for your surprise birthday party.”

Free Stuff takes a breath to get a hold of himself. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But right now, we need to figure out what’s going on.”

Narco stands up. “Then let’s look at the facts. Fact: we used an outdated console to play a modded game that was underdeveloped to begin with. Fact: I’m starting to think that maybe this world is real. I pinched myself earlier and felt pain as if I were actually pinched, something this console gen wasn’t capable of. Sure it could mimic a vague pain when receiving damage, but my health is still full, and I felt a very focused pain in the region I pinched-”

Gambit tries to be contrarian. “Maybe the game was coded to handle advanced feelings of pain?”

Narco turns around and begins undoing his armor. He then stretches his pants. “Just as I thought. Fact: I have a body part that would make this game be rated Adult instead of Mature.” Gambit goes to say something, but Narco stands firm. “Before you say something. No it wasn’t in the modded files, I checked the mod extensively to make sure it wasn’t a virus or some torture machine. And no, I know age rating systems changed in the last century, but when this game was released, for it to be mature, there had to be no nudity. Can we all agree?” They all nod silently. “Good. Fact: this world operates with the game’s physics and lore, based on the plot points thus far and the glitching mechanics Gambit so graciously demonstrated. Still got that bucket buddy?”

“You know it!” Gambit says with a laugh that fades back into worry.

“And that’s all I got. I would assume there isn’t a way to see what’s happening back in our world from here, as with any Deep Dive game. Furthermore, I can’t say if the rate at which we experience time is the same, nor can I say what will happen to our bodies if we take too long to get back…” Narco trails off at the thought of his body withering away.

Gambit leans back and looks at the stars. “That’s if our bodies are even back there.”

Narco wonders if Gambit knows something. “What do you mean?”

“All I’m saying is that this whole thing is weird. It feels too real to be a game, but too glitchy to be real.” Gambit keeps staring at the stars as he sees one shooting across the sky. “I know we likely won’t find answers in this world, but we won’t find answers sitting here either. Maybe if we complete the game, we’ll be ejected?”

Free Stuff sounds excited. “No. No. He’s right. He has to be right. That makes perfect sense.”

“It does?” Narco asks.

“Yeah, don’t you see it. If we complete the game, the game ends. Don’t you remember how the game ends? It ends with that really long and eerie credit sequence that tries to get all deep and introspective, then it kicks the player to the main menu. That has to be the solution, all we need to do is beat the game.” Free Stuff is bouncing from foot to foot with excitement, causing the ground to shake a little. “And I know just what town to go to.”

After a long trek through the night, the party sets up camp outside the town, eats, and gets some rest before dawn. It was difficult for them to get comfortable in their new bodies, and the idea that this was their new skin further stirred their discomfort, but eventually they all found enough rest for the coming day.

After dawn, they all stretch and begin moving toward the town entrance. Free Stuff jauntily moves in front of the party, and presents the town. “Welcome friends, to our saving grace: Corsilvis.”

Narco looks around as he enters. “I remember this place. Good call. If I remember correctly the main quest is locked behind either a dialogue tree with any shop keep that has the ‘ask secrets’ prompt or guaranteed through a cutscene in Corsilvis. I think we should split up, ask around, see if we can’t jog our memory and trigger the quest.”

“Right!” Free Stuff is more motivated than he’s ever seemed. Narco reflects on the time he and Free Stuff used to do duo raids together in Celestial Combatants. He remembers when they both had all the time in the world, and all the energy to give games their 110% like this.

As the party splits up, Narco feels a strange sensation. He understands immediately, as if the game was hard-wired to his brain, that his class’s warrior instincts have detected someone trying to hide their presence from him. It feels like seeing a face in a pattern only for it to dissolve back into the pattern right before his eyes.

Unnerving as it is, Narco presses on as he has no time to investigate it. He moves up and down the market streets, working up the nerve to ask his questions to the vendors. He has yet to see the Gnome chief of this village. As he walks about, he feels inside his bag and pities his lack of funds. He wonders if the dev room containing all the world’s items exists in this world.

Narco manages to ask a few questions, looking for secrets and quests, but most of the vendors have nothing to offer him. A few do have quests, but they are of nominal importance like helping rescue a kitten out of a tree.

Narco gives up with his search and decides to help the girl save her kitten. After she runs off, he feels a knife press to his throat. “Don’t move. Answer all my questions, and I might let you live.”

He could not see his assailant, but judging from her voice, she seems scared of him. “Ok.”

“Who are you? You’ve been acting strange, and I’ve never seen you in this village before. Are you a servant of the Mad Gods? Or perhaps are you one of them in disguise?”

Narco didn’t feel afraid at that moment. The way her blade is shaking is giving him confidence to take advantage of this situation, and not give out any information about himself or his friends. “And what if I were? Do you think that blade could harm one?”

The woman immediately jumps back. When he turns to see her, he is shocked to see a brunette elf in robes with holy symbols on them. “A member of the Sunrise Church, this far north? I don’t recall ever seeing you before.”

The elf eyes him curiously and cautiously. “I’m only seen when I want to be.”

“Wait, I want to ask you some questions of my own.”

The elf looks at him with contempt. “And what questions might a God ask of a mere mortal such as I? If you know what’s good for you, you’ll disappear from this town before it’s too late.” There is a lot of venom in her voice as she slowly turns invisible.

Narco sighs. “Maybe I should have just asked ‘what is a Mad God?’”

He heads to the chapel in the village from memory. Inside he finds a lone priest in his nineties praying before the altar of the God of the Broken, Durlon. The old priest eagerly stands up. “My child, it brings me such joy to find a faithful still seeking refuge.”

Narco raises his hands. “Sorry, uh, I just had a few questions.”

The priest looks dejected by his answer. “Oh, well I am more than happy to accommodate a traveler, even if he is not of my faith.”

He watches the priest head to a cabinet in the back and grab a bottle of wine. While Narco thinks of his questions, the priest pops the cork and begins drinking directly from the bottle. Narco is caught off guard and looks puzzled. “Is everything alright?”

That single question brings the priest to tears. He falls to his knees and weeps. “No! Nothing is alright! I’ve devoted my life to my faith, and then the Mad Gods descended upon the world! You’re the first visitor I’ve had in years. The townsfolk all look at me like I’ve gone insane, and I must be. To still worship a God that claims to love the broken, when many of those Gods of Madness spit in the very concept of love and compassion. How can I worship a God cut from the same cloth as those debaucherous ilk?”

“Just who are these Mad Gods?” Narco asks the priest. He then mutters to himself. “I don’t remember them in the original game.”

“Hate incarnate. They hate the world, truly they must. They are apathetic monsters who only find joy in the little pleasures they create at the expense of pain and suffering.”

“And where did they come from?”

“No where. One day they just were. Some believe the Gods have abandoned us, exiling the rotten seeds to the garden we took for granted. Others believe they are the Gods we worshipped, cursed and deformed by the Trickster God Jesteph. But I’m sorry child, I cannot give you an answer with certainty.”

Narco looks at the priest who is holding the bottle of wine while curled on the floor of his chapel. He extends a hand to the priest and helps him up. “Thank you… I’m sorry, I did not get your name.”

“My name is of no consequence. I am an old fool reviled by the town, and reviled by myself for my faith.”

Narco looks at this miserable old man that clutches to the embers of his faith no matter how it burns him, and he feels admiration. “You may not think it, but you’ve helped me a lot today. You are a good priest, and I’m sure Durlon the Unbroken would be proud to have your faith.” The bottle slips from his loosening grip. He looks about to cry again, but a new matter of pride holds him firm. Old as the priest is, he hugs Narco like a child would.

“You are a good man, traveler. May Durlon bless your journeys with strength and fortitude of will.” The priest breaks from the hug, and hands Narco his amulet of Durlon, the highest honor and a replica of one of the strongest magical artifacts in the faith of the broken.

Narco immediately recognizes it from GodHaven. “I can’t possibly accept this.”

“You’ve earned it. Even if for a moment, you’ve reminded this old man why he keeps the faith. With or without that trinket, I will meet Durlon unbroken. I am Peter, father of this chapel.”

Narco can’t bring himself to argue such a kind gesture. “Thank you Father Peter, for your help.”

“That’s my line, traveler.”

As Narco leaves the chapel, he hears an uproar in the streets. He follows the noise to find a tavern with a crowd celebrating. Some of the patrons have spilled out into the streets and have begun to celebrate something Narco could not see. As Narco climbs atop a barrel to see the commotion, he finds all three of his friends dancing and singing with the patrons. He is glad to see them having fun and relaxing. He was worried the whole game might be one of anxiety and pity. Narco walks over and says hi, to which he is met with wild cheers.

“Sorry Narco, I saw this tavern and couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Getting rowdy with adventurers in a fantasy bar was on my bucket list.” Free Stuff cheers.

Gambit laughs. “Mine too!”

“It wasn’t before, but now it was!” Even GG is having a good time.

Then, from a clear blue sky with sunshine, came a bolt of lightning.