Chương 62: Trickster's Dilemma

I stared at the notification, reading it three times to make sure I understood what I was seeing.

"Counter-Attack?" I muttered.

"Gaia, are you actually being helpful for once?" Each of the new bullet points was important. This wasn't just an announcement. This was Gaia giving us tools to fight back against the incursions. The timing was suspicious, but I wasn't about to complain. I focused on the notification again, trying to pull up more details. That was when I discovered that I needed planar crystals to access the store. Of course, I thought. Nothing is ever easy. But this changed things. I just needed to get planar crystals.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a way to get them, at least not yet. Even if I did, what would those crystals buy? I needed to know more, but Gaia wasn't exactly being forthcoming with details, which was typical. As for the other updates, the champions part of it, they might actually be useful, maybe. Technically, I had a pantheon, so theoretically, I should be able to designate one of my followers to give out quests and training as a champion.

However, none of my followers were exactly champion material and didn't have much to teach. More than likely, it was meant for real pantheons, such as Odin's and Zeus's. I was pretty sure that a demigod like Asclepius would have a little more to teach than Pierre or Luke. As for custodians, that was interesting, but I had no idea how to become one or what it required. And experience points from planar energy were interesting, but not immediately useful.

Apparently, people could absorb planar energy and convert it into experience points, probably by killing the invaders or going to their plane and killing them there. Which meant I needed to be a front-line defender or assault another plane. Yep, not going to happen. There were too many unknowns. But the core message was clear. Gaia wanted us to fight back. To counter-attack, as she put it. I was planning to do that anyway, just not on a planar level yet.

Pushing such thoughts aside, I focus on ideas on how to solve the problem Raven had dumped in my lap instead. My first thought was obvious, Ignis. A dragon, even a baby one, would be intimidating as hell. The Raven Mocker might think twice about attacking if there was a dragon involved. The Wild People definitely would. But... I looked at Ignis's sleeping form. But, despite being a dragon, he was only pony-sized. And a baby. I just couldn't do it. He wasn't a weapon.

He was a lost kid who needed protecting, not a tool to be deployed in battle. What about the animals then? My congregation? They'd already proven they could fight. They'd driven off the Wild People and held the line when everything went to hell. Bambi had led them into battle and they'd won. But they'd also died. Even Buck and Agnes' nephew had fallen. Their souls were safe in my Liminal Land, but they were still dead. Gone from this world and never coming back. And the ones who'd survived... Many were injured.

They were definitely traumatized. They'd fought bravely, but they were animals. Squirrels and rabbits and deer, not soldiers. I couldn't ask them to fight again. They'd already given enough. In fact, more than enough. That left my human allies. Pierre and the werewolves. Claire and the government. Shelly and the Druids. Maybe even the Moon-Eyed People and the fae who'd shown up too late to help last time. But did I want to ask them? To put them in danger for problems that were ultimately mine?

As much as I despised the government, I didn't want its citizens to die, even if they were the police and rangers. Even if Claire could probably arrange something with the military, I wasn't sure that was the best idea. Yes, we could report the Raven Mocker as a major supernatural threat. That might, just might, get actual armed forces involved. Helicopters, heavy weapons, professional soldiers who knew what they were doing. But that would also mean revealing more about what was happening here.

The government was already watching. They'd already classified me as a 'Demon Beast King.' How much more attention did I want to attract? And would the military even help? Or would they see the church as part of the problem and try to shut everything down? I rubbed my face with my paws, frustration building. There had to be another way, something I was missing. I stood up and started pacing. Well, waddling. It was hard to pace dramatically when you're a raccoon. Think, Abe. Think. What were my actual strengths?

What could I do that others couldn't? I had divine powers, such as the Web of Wisdom. But that just showed me connections between things. Incidental Causality let me cause... accidental chaos, but it wasn't really under my control. Mask of Many Paws let me change form, but was better at avoiding rather than direct conflict. Then again, being a big bear might help, but then I'd just last a few minutes longer before I got skinned and eaten.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. My divine realm was a sanctuary. But what if it was also a prison? A place to trap enemies until I figured out what to do with them? That was when I realized something and stopped pacing. I was a trickster god. That was my domain. My nature, whether I liked it or not, was chaos and misdirection. And for some reason, second chances. I'd been thinking about it all wrong. I had been planning on trying to fight, or at least to defend.

But that wasn't what tricksters did. Tricksters didn't win through strength. They won through cleverness. By making their enemies defeat themselves or by avoiding combat altogether. What if I don't fight the Raven Mocker? What if I trick it instead? The creature was wounded, probably disoriented. Although it had been awakened by the Wild People, it obviously had no love for them. I had even killed one of them. Since it had already been injured and had been injured even more, it was probably really angry.

It might even be confused with all the changes happening in the world. It was probably operating on instinct and hunger. What did it want? What did it need? The answer was obvious, life force. The Raven Mocker fed on the remaining years of the dying. That was its nature. What if I gave it what it wanted? Not real life force, but something that looked like it. A trap disguised as a feast. Or... What if I turned it against the Wild People? They'd awakened it, but didn't seem to have much control over it.

I could probably use that in some way. I then tried to remember what I knew about the Wild People. From what I understood, they were basically cavemen. They believed they had to die in battle to reach their afterlife. They were also gluttonous. Maybe I can use that, I thought. Lure them in with meat. I could even poison the meat. However, I'd need a poison that would attract the Raven Mocker. If some of the Wild People were helpless and dying, it might cause that monster to appear.

Those who hadn't been poisoned might try to protect their dying friends. I nodded, starting to get some ideas. My divine realm existed between worlds. Tala and I could lure them toward each other. Then we could retreat to the safety of the Liminal Lands. Then again, what if I pulled them into it temporarily? If I trapped them in a space where normal rules didn't apply where I'd have a home field advantage? The possibilities were starting to multiply in my mind. I didn't need an army.

I needed a plan, some type of trick. It needed to be clever and unexpected. That way no one else had to die. But what exactly? I sat back down on the bucket, my mind racing. Let's assume I do manage to make that happen, I thought, working it out in my mind. What about the survivors? I have to do something about them. I wasn't sure how many of the Wild People there were. However, if enough of them died, or if they saw that even something powerful like the Raven Mocker died, they'd probably cease being a problem.

Or at least be something my allies could deal with safely. That meant I'd need to make sure it died. I kind of doubted the Wild People would have woken up the Raven Mocker unless they needed her. While it was possible they might be able to kill her with their poison, I kind of doubted it. Still, they might do a lot of damage. So, how do I deal with a wounded monster like the Raven Mocker? I wondered. A trap. Derek can make it, I finally decided. The Wild People wouldn't be big enough to activate the trap.

So, when the Raven Mocker arrives, it would fall into the trap. Traps were definitely something I knew a lot about. A pitfall trap would be perfect. It also wouldn't cost a lot to make. Derek could dig the pitfall. Something big, twenty feet deep, maybe fifteen wide. Far enough from the cabin that if things went wrong, we'd have a warning. We'd need to work fast. Maybe we could use some of that camouflage netting I had in storage.

"Hmm, I wonder what I could coat the trap with?" I muttered.

"Cold iron, silver, poison? I wonder if it has any weaknesses. Maybe not silver though. That'd be too expensive." Slowly, I started to nod as the plan came together. After a few more minutes, I was pretty sure I was ready. First, the bait. Probably poisoned meat to lure in the Wild People. Not lethal immediately, just enough to weaken them and make them vulnerable. I had rat poison in storage, an anticoagulant, slow-acting and painful. It would be perfect for attracting a death spirit.

Although it wouldn't be lethal immediately, it would weaken them and make them vulnerable. Second, I would need to lure in the Raven Mocker. It fed on the dying, so a group of poisoned, weakened Wild People would be irresistible. Actually, it was entirely possible that it would sense them dying on its own. Third, the healthy Wild People would try to protect their dying friends. They'd fight the Raven Mocker. Fourth would be the trap. A pitfall, hidden under the Wild People who wouldn't be heavy enough to trigger.

It'd be deep enough to contain the Raven Mocker. I'd need to ask Kathy about spiritual poisons. The whole thing would take a few days to set up. Now that I had a legitimate plan, I smiled and got off the bucket again. Before looking for Derek, though, I glanced at Ignis. He was still sound asleep, completely unaware of what was happening around him. Oh, the joys of being oblivious, I thought. Ignorance truly is bliss sometimes. But, not for me. Nope. Give it to me real. I can deal with it.

After that, I left the sleeping dragon behind and went to find Derek. Now that I had the plan, I just needed to get my minions to set it in motion. Dang, no wonder religions want tithes. Maybe I need to start figuring out a way to earn money. I'm almost out of money now, I complained to myself as I waddled off in search of Derek. Unfortunately, everyone kept on giving me different directions.

"Typical," I muttered as I went to the next direction I'd been given. God, what a madhouse, I mentally cursed. I was starting to understand the frustration a lot of the big, bad, evil guys had with their minions.

"Maybe instead of killing the monster, I can capture it and sell it to the government. That would earn me some money. Nah, then they'd just make me pay taxes on it," I mumbled as I angrily waddled through the loud construction zone.