William sighed after leaving the garden of the Goddess Astrid. He thought that he would be able to come to an agreement with her, but the latter was firm and wouldn't yield to any of William's proposals.
'Aamon,' William thought as he followed behind Lily, Issei, and David. 'Just what kind of God is he?'
Astrid had told him that if he wanted to lift the curse that was placed on Est, Ian, and Isaac, he must meet with her twin brother, Aamon, in the Kraetor Empire, which was located in the Central Continent.
Although William had planned to go to the Central Continent, it was only for his battle with Rebecca. Now, he had no choice but to go there earlier than planned in order to free his lovers from the curse that bound them.
"Lily, just what kind of God is Aamon?" William inquired. Currently, Lily was walking beside him and matching his pace.
The Loli Goddess smirked as she pondered how to answer William's question.
"Many consider Aamon to be one of the most notorious troublemakers to be born in the Temple," Lily answered. "He is part of the Hell Faction that opposes the Heaven Faction. Ah, before I forget, Astrid is one of the Gods that belongs to the Heaven Faction."
"Sounds complicated."
"Very complicated indeed. However, what you should worry about is his unpredictability."
Lily grinned as she glanced at William. "Simply put, Aamon hates losing. However, when you catch him in a good mood, he can be a very amiable character. So, pray that you meet him when he is in a great mood."
William nodded and then asked the question that really mattered, "What if I meet him when he's in a bad mood. What then?"
"Big Brother, don't jinx it." Lily shook her head helplessly. "If you happen to be reaaaaaally unlucky and met him when he's in a foul mood, be prepared to be given a Quest that is near
impossible to complete. Like I said earlier, Aamon hates losing. Since he doesn't want to lose, he will do his best to prevent you from winning."
"What a troublesome God."
"Well, he is a sour loser."
Issei and David chuckled at the same time because they were also acquaintances of Aamon. Being part of the Neutral Faction, the three Gods enjoyed mingling with the different factions, and oftentimes befriending them.
The Neutral Faction also served as intermediaries to help resolve conflicts between the opposing factions. In fact, Lily and Aamon were close friends. The reason why Lily didn't mention this to William was because she didn't want her close friend, Aamon, to give the boy any kind of special treatment.
The Loli Goddess was a firm believer that those who were able to endure hardships were stronger than people who had it easy in life. She didn't want William to take shortcuts in order to help his lovers undo the curse that was placed on their bodies.
Right now, they were on their way to visit Gavin's Hut on the outskirts of the Temple.
William was worried about him and the three reluctantly agreed to his request to visit their fallen comrade.
"This is as far as we go," Issei said as he pointed at a small hut in the distance. "Gavin is still recuperating, so don't be shocked by what you're going to see."
William nodded his head as he walked towards the hut in the distance. The moment he entered the hut, the three Gods gave each other a knowing glance.
They were quite curious about how the red-headed boy would react after seeing the True Form of the God he had chosen as his Patron.
-----
"So you're finally here."
A crisp and sharp voice greeted him as soon as he entered.
William blinked once then twice as he stared at the man in front of him.
A man wearing black padded armor, with sharp and hawkish features, sat in the center of the hut. He then pointed at the spot in front of him and ordered William to sit. The red-headed boy subconsciously obeyed the command because of the man's intimidating aura.
"It's good to see that you're doing well, despite your spiritual world getting destroyed," the man said after giving William a hard long look. "However, you can't fight for more than an hour in your state. Make sure to finish all battles before the time limit. Understood?"
"Y-Yes," William stuttered.
The God in front of him was like an unsheathed blade that was radiating a certain sharpness that demanded absolute obedience.
"Have you mastered the use of Issei's and Lily's Divinities?" Gavin asked. "Have you upgraded your Shepherd Job Class to the next stage?"
"Yes," William answered. This time his answer was firm. He then stared straight at the God in front of him and voiced his thoughts out loud.
"Gavin?"
"Mmm."
William couldn't believe that the chubby patron God he had met in the Temple was the same man who was sitting in front of him. The difference between the two was like Heaven and Hell.
"I know what you're thinking, but this is my original form," Gavin commented. "Of course, the one you met is also me. Right now, that version of Me is currently injured and has to recuperate."
A short silence descended inside the hut before William asked another question.
"How long will it take him... you to recover?" William inquired.
Gavin answered without batting an eye, "A year. During that time, I will be unable to do anything to help you in your world. So, make sure not to get yourself killed. Unless you want to be reincarnated as a Monkey in your next life. Do you want to?"
"Of course not."
"Then don't die. Simple, right?"
William nodded his head repeatedly. He had no intention of dying anytime soon, so he affirmed Gavin's words.
Gavin glared at him, but the Half-Elf only gave his Patron God a sheepish smile. In the end, the God of All Trades sighed and pressed one of his fingertips against William's forehead.
"In order to keep what happened last time from happening again, I will unlock a special feature in your System to allow you to merge five Job Classes into one," Gavin said with a serious expression. "Know that you can only do this once. So make sure to only choose the Best Job Classes to merge together."
William felt a Divine power enter his soul. However, this feeling didn't last long. He understood that Gavin had made a great compromise to ensure his safety and he was very thankful for it.
Merging ten job Classes was a high hurdle in his current state. Being able to merge five of them would allow him some leeway and to obtain a Job Class that would definitely be a level stronger than the Prestige Classes he currently had.
After passing his power to the boy, Gavin took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Go," Gavin ordered. "I'll see you in a year."
William stood up and bowed his head to show his respect to the God that had sacrificed a lot for him. "Thank you, Gavin. Do not worry about me. I'll do my best to unlock the full power of the Jack of All Trades in the future."
Gavin opened his eyes momentarily before he closed them again. "I believe you. Now, go."
William looked at his Patron God one last time before leaving the hut. A few minutes after he left, Gavin vomited a mouthful of blood before he collapsed on the floor of his hut. He was still injured and he had transferred more of his Divinity to William in order to bestow a new ability upon him.
This took a toll on his already weakened body. Because of this, he would have to seal himself within his hut for three years in order to have a complete recovery. He lied to William because he knew that the boy would worry about him if he told him the truth.
Gavin knew that Issei, Lily, and David would look after William, so he was able to impart his power to the boy without worries.
"Stay safe, William," Gavin muttered before he lost consciousness. The God of All Trades hoped that the next time he opened his eyes, his devout follower would be able to accomplish the things he had set out to do.
He believed that a day would come when William would be able to keep his promise.. His promise to unlock the full power of the Jack of All Trades and let his name be known far and wide within the world of Hestia.