Suddenly, Nova woke up on a bed in a panic. Before a thought could form, white fluorescent lights blinded him.
"Gods, where am I?" he questioned sluggishly.
He rubbed his eyes. Once they adjusted to the light, he took a better look around the room, spotting Ogun—still in the copy—sitting in a chair, staring blankly at a wall. Resting in a chair beside him was Chloe with her arms crossed. Ogun snapped out of his trance and shook her awake.
Chloe, groggy, opened her eyes. "Glad to see you're alive," she grumbled.
Nova threw his legs off the bed to face them. "Where are we?"
"We're in an infirmary within the city," Ogun revealed.
"What did you give me?"
"A mixture that my scientists have concocted. But enough with the questions; we need to get you fully recognized as a disciple."
Nova hopped off the bed. "Right, I did agree to that. Alright, what do I do? Do I, like, say an oath or something?" Nova inquired.
"Something like that," Chloe said.
Chloe stood up, took iron dust out of a side pouch, and rubbed it into her hands. Soon after, she took Nova's hands and rested them in her palms. "I will share the oath with you. I'll need you to say it loud and proud."
"Why an oath?" Nova asked
"Do you have rum or a dog on standby?" Chloe rebutted
"No, why?"
Chloe slapped him. "Stop asking all these questions and repeat after me: 'To Abide-Grymsnow, to defend, to remain, and to accept the almighty one.'"
Nova rolled his eyes. "Really?"
Chloe slapped Nova again. "I said stop with the questions."
"Gods. 'To Abide-Grymsnow is to defend, to remain, and to accept the almighty one,'" Nova pledged quickly.
Ogun shook his head. "No, no, no. You have to say it loud and proud from the depths of your soul for me to recognize you."
"Aren't you right here acknowledging me? Why do I—"
Ogun interjected as Chloe slapped Nova once more. "I'm only an avatar; my true form is elsewhere."
Nova looked her in the eyes. "OK, I get it!" Nova inhaled before vowing, "To Abide-Grymsnow, to defend, to remain, and to accept the almighty one."
Immediately, the iron powder flowed to Nova's right forearm as symbols ingrained themselves into his skin before fading into nothing.
"Hooray." Chloe shoved Nova away and sat back down as Nova stumbled backwards onto his bed. At the same time, Ogun rose from his seat and stated: "You'll be here at Grymsnow, taking care of the entire campus and any personnel who join your sect."
"Campus like a school? Which one?"
Ogun and Chloe looked at each other, smiling. "The city is the campus," they revealed, still grinning. "Here in this city lie multiple institutions meant to develop technologies that rival The Tower."
Nova was shaken by what he heard. "How are two people supposed to defend and maintain order within a city!?"
"That's for you to figure out," Ogun stated.
"Then I'll need proper accommodations."
"You'll acquire them on your own," Chloe butted in.
"Well, I could do that, or I could reject you as my patron and take my talents elsewhere."
"Or a counteroffer," Chloe said, tapping her hilt. "I'll take your HEAD, and your TALENTS will end up in a grave!"
Ogun nodded in contentment at Chloe's words, but Nova spoke again. "If Abide-Grymsnow's order is already stretched thin, then I'm assuming you weren't actually impressed by my skill—you were just buttering me up because you wanted to dump a failure of a sect onto me." Nova gestured to a sleeping Oblivi. "Looking at her and this abandoned post, you must be desperate, aren't you?"
The room went completely silent. Chloe's hand drew her sword, but the god spoke before she could strike.
"You have quite the mouth," Ogun said, amused.
"I do, but survival doesn't leave much room for luxuries," Nova countered, leaning forward. "You need me because I'm content with shitty living conditions; you need someone who actually wants to be down here. I've been through way worse," Nova said dryly. "I can handle myself. But I won't work for free. If you want me holding down the fort, then I need lodging. Proper lodging, not a shabby closet. And I need pay. Nitche on schedule."
Chloe scoffed. "Insolent."
After a short pause, Ogun began genuinely laughing. "Bargaining for room and board. If that's all you wanted, I would've sought you out from the start. You think you can handle it?"
Nova narrowed his eyes. "Of course."
"Very well. The previous seat is vacant, and none of my inner circle care to spend their days rotting away stationed in some forgotten basement. Since you're more capable than Oblivi, you will take the mantle. The Abide-Grymsnow Sect is yours to command."
Nova asked Ogun, "What happened to the old leader?"
"That is none of your concern," Ogun replied, his cold authority instantly snapping back into place. "Chloe, see to them. You know what to do."
Soon after, Ogun took off the crown, severing the link. The copy fell to the floor, bleeding from the ears, eyes, and mouth, its breathing slowly getting raspy as it lost the air in its lungs.
Nova, with a mixture of disgust and disbelief, asked, "What happened to it?"
Chloe picked up the crown off the floor and tied it onto her side. She looked down at the copy. "We developed this artifact so it's easier to get in touch with Ogun, but it's still a prototype. A side effect is that when you take it off, all the information stays in the brain instead of going with the severed connection. Because Ogun has lived for over 400 years, it overloads their mind, rendering them brain-dead."
Chloe dispelled the copy for Nova's comfort.
Chloe moved over to Oblivi. "I know you're awake. Get up."
Oblivi peeked open her eyes. Seeing that it was just Chloe and Nova, she rolled out of bed and stood ready for an order.
"Your quarters and operational budget will be logged," Chloe said, annoyed. "Ogun and I have already talked about your new missions. Oblivi: find your cluster, then inform us when you do. And Nova: your core mission is to lead and reinforce your team, while your immediate mission is to fill this form out." She took some papers and a pen out of her cloak.
Nova took the pen and papers. "Where do you keep all these items?"
"I'll be blunt: I got copies running around constantly, and I'm not even the main body, so if you try any bullshit, I'll know." Chloe turned toward the door. Before stepping out, she said to Nova, "All the instructions are on the back. If you need me, I'll find you." She left, leaving the door open behind her.
Nova stood up, stretching. He looked over at Oblivi, who was glancing at the floor. "Well," Nova sighed, letting out a long, weary breath. "Looks like you work for me now."
He flipped through the light stack until he found a checklist. Nova read the list in his head before looking up at Oblivi, announcing, "Manick Signature Card is the first item on the list. It says to go to 'the wall,' so you're gonna guide me there."
Oblivi sighed. "Gods help me."