Pantheon of the mortal gods

y. Vance, his fangs tingling with suppressed hunger, approached alongside Elia

roup, stepped forward, its voice a guttu

tened his posture. "We seek refuge. I am Vance, and this is E

air and piercing green eyes spoke, her voice laced with a hin

no gold, just the skills honed in a thousand virtual battles. "I have nothing

"He speaks the truth. I saw him fight.

well," she said finally, "but know this – reso

makeshift cooking fires. Children, their faces haggard, chased each other around makeshift playpens. A sense o

ere a wizened human sat behind a cluttered desk. He wore a leather jerkin

gh with age. "The elf, Lyrica, tells me you clai

fought with real weapons,

Here, even a spoon is a real weapon. But tell me, boy,

s exploits against virtual enemies. The man lis

re about these creatures than we do. Perhaps you

scouting the ruins. Picking up scraps of information. We need

his unique knowledge to fight back, understand the enemy, and exploit their weaknesses. Maybe, just ma

und determination hardening his v

flickered in his lone eye. Perhaps Vance, the enigmatic vampire lord born from a broken game,