ã€ŠThe Call of Adventure [A Feel-Good Adventure LitTTRpg ]ã€‹


 Chapter 1-Be Careful What You Wish For

    Chapter 1

    Roden woke up, his forehead pressed into the crook of his arm. As he sat up, the sounds of the tavern around him invaded his ears. The smell of old beer, timber, and acrid smoke accosted his senses. Looking around, he recognized the familiarity of the setting, but couldn¡¯t remember just how he got there.

    ''What the hell is going on?'' He thought.

    Roden scoured his mind for the last clear memory. He could remember sitting in his friend''s basement at the table. They had just finished their latest session of Adventures and Antics.

    He remembered standing in Lee''s backyard as Lee smoked his cigarette. They talked about the session from that night. The actual words were fuzzy in his mind, but he remembered the gist. The session had gone good. They were excited with how the party was moving forward.

    As his mind groped for the next part of the conversation it struck him. It had changed from the current campaign to wishing that for once he could actually be a player in a real campaign. Lee had been apprehensive about starting up another campaign while this one was currently going.

    Roden loved Lee like a brother and he was the only other Game Master he knew. That night Roden left his friend¡¯s house saddened. Missing the thrill of being a player, it had been years since he had the opportunity to be a member of a party. Roden remembered in a moment of self-pity. While he sat in his car driving home he had wished to finally be able to play.

    Shaking his head, Roden pushed away those thoughts and took stock of what was going on around him. He looked down and saw that he was wearing simple pants of a durable construction. Not quite denim and definitely not jeans, but sturdy. He had high top boots of rugged leather. On top, he wore a rather sharp doublet with a soft silk shirt beneath. Looking around, Roden saw that the other denizens of this tavern were dressed similarly.

    ''Had he stumbled drunkenly into a Renaissance fair and not remembered? He hadn¡¯t been anywhere near that drunk when he had left Lee¡¯s.''

    While deep in thought, one of the women working this strange establishment approached Roden¡¯s table.

    ¡°Hello, love. Can I get you anything?¡± The woman said with a lilting accent.

    Dumbly, Roden looked at the woman. He opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a dull

    "Uhhhhhhhh," full of uncertainty.

    Seeing his pathetic attempt. The woman took pity on him.

    "You must be new here. We have ale. I could get you a spot of food. Is there anything you''d like?"

    Roden gathered his wits.

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    "Ummm yeah, where am I exactly?"

    "Why you''re at the famous Adventurer''s Outpost. The last sanctuary among the Timber Wilds." She rattled off as if by rote. "A little strange that you made it here if you don''t know where you are, but I¡¯ve seen stranger yet, so I ask again Love. Is there anything I can get for you?"

    "Water would be wonderful, for now." His parched lips and tongue reminded him of his great thirst.

    "Okay, I''ll have someone bring it over."

    As the woman walked away, things started to fall into place. ''The Adventurer''s Outpost, the Timber Wilds. Those were both locations on his Adventures and Antics World Map. His clothes, the look of this place, even the speech of the barmaid. There was no way, but all evidence pointed to one conclusion.''

    This was Mir, his Adventures and Antics world. This tavern was the Outpost he created so long ago.

    ''What the hell was he doing here? He was just a guy and that was just a game that he played with his friends while they drank, smoked, and most of all cracked terrible jokes until tears came from their eyes.''

    ''What the hell was he supposed to do by himself in this strange place?''

    Just then he heard a soft voice in his mind that said,

    "You have arrived at the Outpost after a few days of travel. Exhausted, you found yourself at a table and in the waiting for service. You fell asleep with your head in your arms. You awaken, take in your surroundings, now, what do you do?"

    ''No, no, no, no, no.'' he thought.

    The voice in his head sounded suspiciously like himself, but slightly different, more feminine. The language and syntax of it all felt so familiar, yet there was something procedural about it.

    With everything going on around him, Roden resigned to try and take this world seriously, but the question of who he was plagued him Those weren''t his clothes. He didn''t walk there. In that brief moment of uncertainty and confusion, all of the sounds and movement around him came to an abrupt halt. And then he heard that same voice again.

    ¡°Are you ready to create a character?¡±

    ''Go fuck yourself,'' he thought at the voice. ''Oh great. I''m arguing with myself,'' he thought, but with nothing else better to do. He said loud and clear "Yes."

    His mind swam and he got incredibly tired and was forced to put his head back in his arms on the table. In the blackness, he must have lost consciousness. As he found himself in a dark space, the only light came from above and created a small circle around himself. If he had to guess, it looked to be approximately five feet in diameter. It was then that various objects became visible as they received their own spotlights.

    At first glance, many of the objects seemed uncannily familiar as they floated in the air. The first light on the left revealed a set of clothing made of some kind of animal furs and a large ax with a stone blade. The next beam of light illuminated, a beautiful stringed instrument of cherry wood. Undoubtedly, this was a lute.

    Floating next to it was a thin sword, presumably a rapier. Moving down-the-line, the next item was a little perplexing, as it held a little trinket. It wasn''t until he approached it and looked closely that he saw and recognized it as the symbol of his world''s pantheon. The idea struck him like a brick to the face. ''These were Character classes!''

    "You have got to be kidding me." He said out loud to no one in particular.

    He threw his hands into the air.

    "Great, just great. I finally get to create a character for real and I have to be them, not just play as them."

    "Hey GM!I don''t usually choose my class until I know my stats. How the hell am I suppo..." His words cut off as a table appeared in the middle of the dark space. As he approached the table he saw that there was in fact, a set of four six sided dice and a blank sheet of paper.

    "So what kind of method are we using?"

    He waited a moment, but of course, there was no sound and he was indeed talking to himself. With nothing better to do Roden picked up the dice, gave them a shake and rolled.

 Chapter 2- Character Creation

    Chapter 2

    Four, three, two, one...

    ''Well, that''s a nine. Off to a great start,'' he thought with way too much sarcasm. He looked and saw a number nine appear on that blank piece of paper. He rolled again. Five, four, two, one.

    "Eleven...come on! Please tell me that I get to reroll. If it doesn''t reach seventy total!"

    Three, three, one, one. "Oh, for fucks sake!" The dice bounced lazily across the table, the first stopped, six, "Fuck yeah!" Four, three, three...

    "Thirteen...Don''t tell me I''m just gonna hit the minimum and not be able to reroll."

    "Come on, daddy needs a big roll here." Six, five, four, three.

    "Okay! Fifteen I can work with that."

    Roden gathered up the dice for one last roll. "Come on, daddy needs a new pair of shoes." He said as he cast the dice. Five, four, three, two..." He did a quick bit of math.

    "Hey! Wait, that''s a twelve! That''s only sixty-seven! I get to reroll right?"

    A question mark appeared on the page just under the sixth number. The dice on the table gathered themselves as if asking to be rolled again. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Roden grabbed the dice and cast them one more time.

    Six, two, two, one... Dejected, Roden stared at the paper.

    ''It was just his luck that the one time he got to play he rolled utter trash stats.''

    It was then that he noticed the writing on the paper was changing. The seven he just rolled disappeared and he watched as a line appeared off of the second one of his eleven and then a small curve sprouted from the bottom changing his eleven into a fifteen.

    "Hey! Alright! I like your style, GM." With that small tweak, it brought his total to seventy one, a much more reasonable total in his mind. Looking up from the paper, he saw another series of lights illuminate another series of objects opposite those that represented the classes. Even with just a cursory glance, Roden could identify these represented the various races he could choose from: human, elf, hillfolk, dwarf, and all of the other less human looking races.

    Taking everything into account, his first instinct was to go human.

    ''If everything matched up to Adventures and Antics, he could get a bonus to every stat and be in pretty good shape with his modifiers, but these are all just numbers, what kind of campaign was this even? What am I even supposed to do here?''

    "Am I really going to have to live out this decision?" He said into the empty space. Without a response, he thought long and hard.

    "That rules out barbarian for sure. There is no way I''m running around without armor and taking all of the damage." No sooner than the words left his lips did the light that represented the barbarian class disappear.

    Intrigued at the place''s reaction to his words he said, "You might as well take fighter, paladin, and ranger too cause none of that''s happening either." The three classes mentioned also vanished.

    Looking over the remaining classes. Roden mused aloud. "That leaves wizard, warlock, sorcerer, rogue...monk! Hey, monk could be cool."

    Next came druid, cleric, and bard. Roden sat on the table as he contemplated his options.

    "Well, if I''m gonna be walking around all by myself then there''s no way I''m gonna be a Wizard or a Sorcerer. That is a sure fire way to die accidentally. Aye GM, get rid of Warlock too." No one likes warlocks.

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    "Okay, so what is that leave us with? Bard, cleric, druid, monk, rogue." Looking at his remaining class options, Roden began to run through his mind list of characters he made and never got to play. After considering his list, Roden shook his head in frustration.

    "Hey, GM. How am I supposed to come up with a character, If I don''t even know the campaign I''m in. What kind of crap is that?" He waited for a response, but none was forthcoming, so he continued his rant, "Okay, if it''s my world, at least tell me when we are. I''ve run campaigns up-and-down this world through hundreds of years of in game time."

    After a moment that soft voice rang through the silence. "It is early spring in the year 93 A.O. " As soon as the year registered in Roden''s mind, he immediately knew what campaign he was in and excitement exploded through him causing a goofy grin to spread wide across his face.

    Seizing the paper from the table Roden spoke clearly into the air.

    "Okay, GM I know what I want. Make me a cleric." As he spoke, the lights representing the other classes faded leaving the light illuminating the holy symbol he saw before. Then a series of lights illuminated behind the one that represented the cleric. Roden approached and looked over the option before him realizing that these must refer to the Clerical Orders, knowing the God he needed to follow, he quickly selected the one he had in mind. After a moment of contemplation, he made his selection.

    Looking at the piece of paper. He noticed ink appearing to be bubbling up through the page scrawling itself into the proper place as the blank page with his random numbers of stats. Oriented itself into a familiar design. He was undoubtedly holding his character sheet.

    Looking at the page, everything seemed to be in order. His stats were still blank, he assumed he''d have to fill those in at some point. Then Roden was hit with a sinking feeling.

    "Hey, GM. Do I get a back story? Or am I just supposed to bullshit my way through this as some extra dimensional traveler?" He waited but no response came.

    "Okay... I''m gonna come up with one anyway and I''m just gonna keep it in mind in case you decide you want it at some point?" His voice became more and more pensive as he spoke.

    Turning back to the character sheet, Roden considered his options. He knew he had to be a cleric. That would make what he needed to do the easiest and truth be told he liked the idea of having healing spells at hand just in case.

    Looking over the sheet, he saw his race had been filled in as half elf, which with the right bonuses could round his stats out nicely. Glancing at his numbers he saw that yes, indeed, it did round out his stat''s nicely.

    "Okay so I guess strength is our dump stat on this one. We''re gonna want one of those fifteens going in wisdom. Probably should put the other fifteen in constitution. Yeah, but that means we''ll be terrible with weapons and our AC will suffer. Alright, fifteen in dexterity, thirteen in constitution. Now where to put the twelve." He mused aloud as he tapped the table deep in thought.

    "Well, a twelve in charisma gives me a fourteen with the bonus from being a half elf. Hmmm...a plus two is nice, but that means my intelligence would be nine and I''m not really sure how this whole situation works. If I have a nine intelligence. Does that mean I actually have a nine intelligence?"

    ''Fuck that,'' he thought and immediately put his twelve in intelligence. The nine in charisma and that was that. He ended up with a seven strength, fifteen dexterity, a fourteen constitution, a twelve intelligence, a sixteen wisdom and an eleven charisma.

    Next came background. Normally when making a character, Roden would consult a long list of all of the available options, but seeing that was not available here.

    "Hey, GM, what do you think should be my background?"

    That soft soothing voice rang out, "Considering your backstory, Wanderer seems like the best fit. "

    Roden looked at his sheet and saw the section labeled background filled in with the word Wanderer. Immediately, Stealth and Survival were added to the skill section of his character sheet. It was then that he noticed the phrase one musical instrument. A brief moment of excitement went through Roden. As he most definitely was not a musician in his real life, but perhaps he could live out that dream on Mir. The question was what instrument?

    "Hey, GM, If I say lute can I play anything lute-like? I really don''t want to lug around a massive instrument." In response, the phrase changed to lute.

    "I''m not sure what that means, but okay."

    Thinking back to the list of skills from Adventures and Antics in his memory. Roden selected investigation, history, performance and persuasion.

    Next in line was equipment. A series of pyramid shaped dice appeared on the table next to him. "Oh, you''re gonna let me roll for gold!" He said with a bit of surprise. "Alright, let''s see what happens." Four, four, three, two, two. When the last die stopped rolling, they were replaced with a pile of gold pieces.

    "Okay, let''s see. What am I gonna need? I''ll definitely need an explorer''s pack. I need a holy symbol. What should I do for a weapon? Well, I''m gonna need some distance, you know. I wouldn''t mind having something with a little reach, give me a whip and let''s go with a range weapon. I''ll take a light crossbow and bolts. That should fill in for my lack of consistent ranged damage and keep me out of harm¡¯s way. With this dexterity, give me studded leather armor." He watched as the pile of gold slowly became smaller with the mention of each item. "Oh I forgot an instrument!" With that the pile of gold shrunk to half of its current size.

    "Okay GM, that is everything on the sheet, now what?" Even as he spoke he could feel his eyes close and he was once again consumed by sleep.

 Chapter 3- Meet the Band

    Chapter 3

    Roden woke up with a start. He sat up abruptly, he looked about the room. He noticed that sitting on the table within an arm¡¯s reach was a wooden mug. Upon pulling the mug closer to himself, he recognized it was full of water just as he had asked.

    Looking down into the mug, he saw his reflection and observed that his clothes were different. He was no longer in a sharp colorful doublet and durable pants. Now he wore leather armor with a short sleeved white shirt. His pants were a darker green color and draped over his shoulders was a long cloak of black and white with accents of very faint golden colors near the bottom.

    Oddly enough, it was all just as he imagined. He closed his eyes and focused for a moment looking deep within himself, grasping for what he hoped was there, Just as he hoped, he felt a power. A warm, kind of power that seemed to be missing something.

    His mind began to fill with thoughts of magic, faith, and spells. The intermingling of the three and how strange it was to have faith in a being of your own creation. It was in that moment where Roden felt a connection to that being. In that dark space with his eyes closed, he began to see an image of a sunrise.

    Then the light of a new day pierced through the utter darkness of his closed eyes and with that light, he felt knowledge passing through his connection with the divine of this world. Roden needed no time to consider his choices. It was as if the power knew already what he wanted and in a matter of moments it was done. The power he felt before was now whole.

    That magic was now his to command. He could feel it and knew it would come when he called for it. Roden opened his eyes once again. He felt great. Even the sensations of being in the world of Mir somehow made sense, as if he did in fact belong there. That uncanny familiarity was no longer present and was replaced by a sense of nostalgia for the world. The one he had spent so many hours building in his mind.

    Truth be told. He had great love for this world. He had put so much time into building it and had spent hundreds of hours in it with his friends. Somehow, he now had the opportunity to live in it and while exciting, that came with its own fears. Mainly, how the hell to get home.

    It was then that Roden heard the sound of the tavern door opening and in walked just who he was waiting for. Two figures moved into the tavern. One stood quite tall, perhaps two meters in height. The definitive gray scales and draconic features made it clear the man was a Dragonkin. He wore a brown traveling cloak over his shoulders with the hood down, matching dark brown pants, and a dark green shirt with a generous neckline that exposed a good portion of the man''s muscular chest.

    Muscles that undoubtedly assisted in wielding the large hammer strapped to his back. By his side was an equally strange figure. A Birdfolk with white feathers and the face of an eagle. He wore a loose fitting orange and yellow shirt, with pants tied at the waist with a blue strip of cloth. In his hand was a full height wooden staff whose head was carved in a pattern reminiscent of symbol of the goddess of the sun.

    As strange as these two figures were, Roden saw them and felt an overwhelming sense of camaraderie. Memories of sitting at a table with his two friends, Lee and Jo, flooded his mind. All those hours playing in his small apartment. So much time was spent creating these characters and going through all of their exploits.

    If Roden was being honest with himself, he had to admit, there was no surprise that this was the campaign he found himself in. If he had to choose one, out of all the campaigns he had ever run. This is the one he was the most proud of and of course, if he was going to do a self-insertion. It only made sense that this was the one to do. That campaign was full of action and drama. Now, there he was with all of those memories inserted right at the beginning of that very campaign. It was as if it was a strange form of time travel now that he found himself in what would be the past of his fictional world.

    The thought , ''Will things behave in the same way as time travel did in fantasy stories?''

    All the complexity made his head hurt. He considered all the implications and came to the conclusion that it would be best to attempt to maintain as much continuity as possible.

    ''Of course, small things will change along the way, but as long as the big picture remained the same, it couldn''t cause too many problems, right? Or wait, is that the point? Is he supposed to change things because he''s supposed to be a new addition? hell, maybe now, isn''t the time to figure this out.''

    Roden knew that he needed to get these two characters to agree to bring him along. ''Why else would he be here at this moment, right at the beginning of their journey?'' That is why he made the choices as he did moments ago. Knowing what he knew, Roden believed he had selected the perfect character to blend into this campaign.

    Now was the time. Roden stood and made his way across the tavern portion of the Outpost toward the door and raised his hand in greeting to the men.

    "Hello mates, name''s Roden. I was told I could meet up with you here by a mutual friend." He said trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, knowing that these two were going to inevitably be suspicious.

    The two non-humans looked at him quizzically. Eyebrows raised with suspicion evident across their faces.

    The dragonkin spoke, his voice deep and resonant with deliberate enunciations and inflections that made his voice commanding and unique.

    "And who would that mutual friend be?"

    "Oh yes, I''m sorry I was sent and told to meet you here by Master Rolan. However, I know him by a different name. I call him father."

    At the mention of their master, both showed signs of surprise.

    The birdfolk spoke up, his voice had a childlike quality to it full of energy and upbeat.

    "Why did thaster Rolan send you? He never said he had a son or any thamily."

    Initially, Roden was shocked at the way this birdfolk sounded. He remembered during character creation way back when, Lee had discovered that birdfolk couldn''t make certain sounds because of their lack of lips. Being unfeasible for a player to do at the table on the fly. They agreed that instead of trying to do a full birdfolk accent, Lee would just talk normally. However, they did have a little joke that whenever Lee would talk in character, he would end his sentences with a cacaw so that it was clear he was speaking in character.

    "Hello?" The bird folk waved his hand in front of Roden, who was lost in thought and didn''t respond in a timely manner.

    "Oh, sorry, I zoned out there for a second. You will have to forgive me I am incredibly tired and It''s wild finally getting to meet you two. My father sent me because he had a feeling I would benefit from having you two, his star pupils, around guide me. I also suspect he thought my skill set would be a good addition to your team on your adventure."

    His answers seem to defuse the situation. A little of the suspicion his friends'' characters had dissipated as the conversation continued.

    "If I''m being completely honest, My father told me very little and really didn''t have much to do with my upbringing. I lived primarily with my mother who took very good care of me. Rolen provided for us, but he lived the life of a monk. When he found out I was heading out on my own pilgrimage after completing my training he suggested that I head here and wait for you two to arrive."

    Roden knew that the entirety of this story was fictional until a few moments ago, when he came up with this backstory during his character creation. He wasn''t positive that it would stick or become truthful in the world, but he figured it would buy him some time. Mainly, because he knew these two never once contacted the temple during their campaign, he hoped that wouldn''t change now.

    Roden continued, "My father spoke very warmly of you two, the illustrious Errrkkkk and Riakon. I imagine he had great aspirations for you too and was probably hoping I could come along for the ride." Errrkkkk and Riakon looked at each other. Riakon shrugged his large shoulders, moving them up-and-down jostling his equipment.

    "Well then, I guess you''re along for the ride, cacaw."

    Errrkkkk¡¯s sudden change in syntax and pronunciation was both humorous and unexpected. Roden had a hard time keeping a straight face. Now that this character in front of him in the flesh, well, feather, was speaking just like the player at his table.

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    "Oh well, excellent, great. I have a table, but perhaps we could get one, maybe not so much in the open. I just grabbed a random one because I was dead on my feet when I walked in and then we get some drinks and take a load off."

    "Yes, now we''re talking," said Riakon in his resonating voice.

    The newly formed group quickly found a booth off on the side of the tavern section of the Outpost.

    "So Roden, what exactly were you training for, cacaw?"

    "Oh I was undergoing the initial training to be a Cleric Of Era."

    "Oh, then why weren''t you at the temple with the rest of us?"

    This was exactly the question Roden had prepared himself to answer. When he made the character for himself, he knew he needed a way in with these two. While his initial instinct was to play a Bard. Once he knew he''d be meeting these two, it only made sense to be a Cleric.

    With these two being raised in a monastery deep in the mountains, a monastery dedicated to Era, the goddess of the Sun, among other things. It would just be significantly easier to integrate himself if they worshiped the same God.

    "Oh, it''s actually quite simple. My father is a very secretive person and didn''t exactly want everyone to know that I existed. If he had put me at the temple with him, it might make it a bit too obvious. So instead, he had me train with the priests and priestesses in Port Sept and Coastall. My training was also a bit different from the training that went on in the Monastery.

    "Different, how, cacaw?"

    "Oh well, you see, I''m led to believe that there was a lot of emphasis on Era¡¯s domains of the dawn, nature, and justice. The monastery put a strong emphasis on martial combat. Whereas my path had more of an emphasis on being a guardian, the last light in the dark, and the protection of those who need it when the Sun goes down."

    "So what can you do?"

    "Oh well, as I''m sure you''re well aware, I can prepare a few spells. Each day, I usually will prepare some healing and some that can do some damage."

    "Healing! That''s always handy."

    "Okay. What about if someone gets up close, cacaw?"

    He let some uneasiness slip into his voice. "Well, I''ll be the first to admit I''m not the best in a fist fight, but in that case, hopefully I have a spell handy. If not, I''m gonna do my best with this." Roden reached back along his belt and set on the table a coiled whip.

    "I know it''s not the best thing, but I always kinda hoped it would be intimidating enough to keep something far enough away from me." He said sheepishly, not at all feigning the sentiment. Roden had been in a few fights in his day, but didn''t relish the thought of being raked with troll claws or having the jaws of a dire wolf clamped around his thigh. There was a pretty big difference between taking a punch and having a six inch talon stuffed into your chest.

    "What about the two of you? What is it that you do?"

    "I hit things with this large hammer until they stop moving." Riakon said with little fanfare. A quick glare from Errrkkkk caused Riakon to continue. " Ummm yes well I can also do a bit of healing as well."

    "I hit things fast, I''ve also got some energy attacks in the works."

    Of course, Roden already knew all of this already. Riakon was a paladin, the typical knight in shining armor, but replace the armor with hard Dragonkin scales. He was going to take hits and deal massive amounts of radiant damage when he could get a critical hit. Errrkkkk, on the other hand, was the opposite, He was the flying martial artist who eventually was gonna be throwing around chi powered energy blasts, but it was too early in the campaign for that.

    This moment was their humble beginnings, before they would reach their full potential.

    "I gotta say guys. I''m just really looking forward to being able to travel with you all. I was not excited to be walking around on my own."

    "Yes, well I can''t say I''m disappointed to have a cleric on the team." The dragonkin said with a laugh.

    From there, the conversation devolved into musings about their journey to the Outpost. During their chatter, they ordered food and drinks. In the midst of they''re respite, Errrkkkk¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    "Hey, Roden. Did you get a room yet, cacaw?

    "Oh no, I hadn''t had the chance yet. Why?"

    "I just don''t see any gear with you or is this everything you brought, cacaw?" He said gesturing at Roden with one of his claw like hands.

    ''Shit...'' He thought to himself.

    A cold sweat began to break out across Roden''s forehead, he hadn''t considered his equipment. Just as he began to look around he heard a familiar voice.

    "Are you looking for this love?"

    Roden saw the barmaid from before who''d taken his order for his water. She was holding up a large backpack with a bedroll strapped to the top of it.

    "Oh my God, thank you so much." The relief evident in his voice.

    Taking the pack from the woman, Roden opened up his pack to find it contained all of his equipment except the things he was already wearing. However, inside the bag Roden found something curious. There was a small case that looked to be about two feet by one foot; the case itself only a few inches deep. Roden pulled the case out of the bag and set it on the table in front of him.

    Feeling around the outside of the case. He quickly located two latches that opened with a flick, carefully he opened the lid and in the case he saw a small guitar like instrument with four strings. This truly was an amazing experience. It felt like moments ago, he had come up with this vague backstory for this character he was embodying and yet here he was having the memories that this character would have.

    He got images of his younger self, practicing with an instrument, just like that one. He had flashes of learning simple songs and playing them for his mother.

    ''Well, not actually his mother, but the character''s mother, but he was the char-. The fictional mother that he invented for the back story.''

    Between his own thoughts and the memories of this fictional backstory, all flooding together was starting to give him a headache.

    Cutting through the disorienting static was Riakon¡¯s voice "Oh, you play an instrument! Well, go on and play something." He goaded.

    Roden''s palms grew sweaty. He knew in his mind that he did not know how to play this instrument, but yet he had memories of playing this instrument. He had a foreign sensation of wanting to grip and touch the strings and before he knew it, he had pulled the instrument out of the case and was holding it.

    Roden had always felt there was something intimate about holding an instrument. Perhaps that was because he didn''t know how to play them. He had tried playing various instruments throughout his life, but none ever stuck or came easily. He loved to sing, but never loved music itself. All of that was probably why every one of his Adventures and Antics characters always had the ability to play some kind of instrument. Here he was with an instrument in hand and the skill to play. Yet, he had no idea what to actually do.

    He scoured his mind for a melody that he could remember and when his mind latched onto that song from the Lion King, his fingers started playing. The music just sounded like fun to his ears. He played softly, only loud enough for the song to carry to the most nearby tables. He couldn¡¯t help but hum along tot he song about sleeping lions. His instrument had a bright sound. Definitely different from the lute music he remembered, but not quite the same as other instruments Roden knew.

    In the few moments he played, it was a dream come true. He was able to close his eyes and just feel the melody and allow the music to flow out of him. As his song continued, he knew that he was nearing the ending, but didn''t want to stop. He decided the lions needed to sleep after all and couldn''t if he kept playing. He had to consciously force himself to not repeat the melody and end the song. His two new companions gave him a small seated clap reasonably impressed with his display.

    "Well, it looks like we will have some music on our journey! Aye brother.¡±

    "I think so, cacaw."

    After his song, the three men grew were more comfortable with one another and the night slowly slipped into something more casual. The men ordered more food and ate. At one point in the night, one of the barmaids came by with a round of drinks purchased by one of the nearby tables as a tip for the song. After that, the night divulged into a spirited bit of revelry. After a few drinks, Roden summoned up the courage to head to the stage where he played one of the few pieces he remembered from his time, attempting the piano. Lucky for him, he imagined that would also be a melody his character would have practiced on this instrument.

    The familiar beginning rang out across the tavern. His fingers tripped the strings, the sound beautiful and complex. Just as he threw himself into the song, his fingerings went to shit and the song fell to pieces.

    ''Okay perhaps Fur Elise was a bit too much for my second performance.''

    An unfathomable sense of embarrassment washed over him like a torrential wave smothering him in its attempt to drown him. He could feel himself go bright red. As the audience laughed and clapped, he looked toward Errrkkkk and Riakon. He could see Riakon giving one jeering tavern patron a look that demanded he shut up which he did. In his shame. he started to move off stage before he heard a raucous grow from the back of the room and when he looked up, he saw Errrkkkk trying to rouse the tables around him to cheer Roden on.

    It was then that Roden went to his go-to karaoke song. When he started to strum, it sounded incredibly strange to his ear. The jazzy tune was not made for this instrument, but he powered through and started to sing "Fly me to the Moon" just like Frank. He pitched his voice down giving it a mellow smooth quality. He sang out putting all of himself in every word and note. By the end of the song, he had the attention of the majority of the room by the time he sang the final word and the song came to an end.

    Overly enthusiastic clapping could be heard from the back of the tavern, which very quickly picked up into what became a mostly seated ovation, but he''d take it for his first live performance. After a bit of back peddling, he made his way back to the table. They were bombarded by a plethora of drinks. To the point where they had to start a tab of credit with the bar, banking the drinks for another time.

    As they headed off to bed, Roden spoke with the bartender and was able to exchange some of his credit for three rooms. He hadn¡¯t earned much, but it was enough to cover the rooms and maybe there would even be enough to cover some breakfast in the morning.

 Chapter 4- The Journey Begins

    In the morning, the newly formed party gathered at a table for a light breakfast. All three had succumbed to some effects from the previous night''s celebration. While they talked over what to do next, the conversation revolved around the various contracts available on the Outpost¡¯s Adventurer board.

    Roden tried to sit back and let things play out as they had at his table. Hoping Errrkkkk and Riakon would choose the same missions. Fortunately they did just that. They selected the fungi retrieval mission that required them to gather a couple specific types of mushrooms and a mission asking for a group to investigate a cave where a few individuals had gone missing. Contracts in hand with bellies as full as they dared, the party set off. Roden couldn''t help, but feel elated at the prospect of what was going to come. He couldn''t wait for that first encounter.

    As the three men walked down the well-worn path that was not quite a road, they shared stories. Roden found it interesting to hear stories from those two that he and his players had never put together. Errrkkkk shared stories of learning the basics of his martial arts over the course of a year. Roden almost forgot that Errrkkkk was only a few years old, his birdfolk physiology gave him rapid maturation making him an adult despite his juvenile age.

    On the other hand there was Riakon who has detailed stories of growing up at the monastery, devoting himself to the goddess of the sun all the while wondering why he was left there and why he was the only platinum Dragonkin. Many assumed him to be silver due to the natural variation in color; it wasn''t until he was asked to produce his Dragonkin breath that it became clear he was unusual. Rather than the usual stream of elemental magic in breath form, Riakon shot a gout of what seemed to be water, but to the trained eye it had the unmistakable glow of holy divine magic.

    When the conversation turned and the two began to direct their questions toward Roden. He found that his backstory came to him as though it were memories. As if he had lived it, as if he was there as a young child learning the ropes of the congregation of the goddess of the sun.

    He could remember practicing the various skills and hobbies, he could remember his mother, but not his real mother. Not the one who would take him to football practice as a kid, but the one from that world. The one who helped him practice his instrument and would sit there lovingly while he plucked away at the strings or would take him on walks down by the port so he could see the ships in the harbor. It was a confounding thing to remember a life that wasn''t his own. Yet it all felt so familiar and real.

    A few hours into their trip with the sun dipping below the trees, the three men decided it would be best to make camp for the evening. They stepped off the path a little ways and found a small clearing underneath a large tree with long branches that hung over the grassy patch at its base. Errrkkkk immediately began gathering sticks and fallen branches. While Riakon set out to scout the area.

    It was then that Roden remembered. He hadn''t actually prayed for his spells that morning. He figured it was as good a time as any. He sat down and crossed his legs.

    He focused on his breathing. He listened to the breeze and closed his eyes. He assumed that was what he was supposed to do. Preparing to pray as he just did garnered a strange mix of sensations. He was met with nostalgia and deja vu, but also awkwardness and hesitancy. However, once he got situated, he felt a warmth wash over him. As if bathed in sunlight without the abrupt brightness that should accompany the rays.

    He opened his eyes to find himself in that familiar dark room. He came to think of it as his room of character creation, except that time in the center of the room about ten feet up off the ground was a small sun, glowing brightly while casting a warm light. Roden approached the sun, raising a hand, and to his surprise, it wasn''t hot or burning. It was merely warm and comforting. Before he could touch it, the sun rose higher, illuminating more of the dark space.

    Roden saw different objects to his left and right, then in front of him and behind him as if marking the four cardinal directions with him at the center of the compass. Taking it all in, Roden couldn''t quite make out what was going on. Confusion scrawled across his face as he whirled about.

    To the North, he saw a small patch of grass with a great tree bearing fruit with flowers about its base. He closed the distance, stepping onto the grass. He could feel a connection with the soil and the tree. It was almost as if he could feel a slight breeze. As he walked to the East, the sun above moved opposite, casting the eastern object in shadow, leaving a faint glowing lantern that grew brighter as he approached. Moving into the light of the lantern gave him a sense of awareness and alertness. Moving to the West, he saw an altar before a large stained glass window, casting its colors of various shades of yellow, orange, and red onto the altar.

    An image of Era''s holy symbol glowing brightly. He felt immense appreciation of life and its preservation. Placing his hands on the altar, he was consumed by the feeling. Lastly, he turned his attention South. There he saw a suit of plate armor with shield and a double bladed battle ax, both embossed in gold and silver. Returning to the center, the sun above followed his path and perched above him once again in the center of the room.

    The realization of what these objects represented struck him suddenly. He had not picked a domain. He took them all in once more, trying to parse out what each side could represent.

    "Well, presumably the North here is nature or plants, and on the right has gotta be darkness or maybe dusk."

    Turning to the South he said, "This one''s got to be strength or protection, maybe... Uuuugggghhh" He trailed off exasperated.

    There was no question in his mind that the Western object was life and healing.

    He pondered for what seemed like the better part of an hour, contemplating all the things he could possibly choose. If he was being honest with himself, he had to admit he didn''t actually know how this would play out. The rules of this game were fluid, and he changed and added many things.

    Nearly every campaign he ran had a player introduce something new to the world that hadn''t been there before. He liked it that way. It added life to his world, and it made it feel like it wasn''t just his world, but everyone''s at the table.

    Roden thought long and hard about the choice. He found himself staring up at the floating miniature sun, and then a thought crossed his mind.

    These four couldn''t be his only options. The goddess of the sun had many domains and subdomains. It was then he sat crossing his legs and said only one word. "Fire"

    The Sun above him brightened and lowered. He felt a warmth in his face as the divine power of the fire domain coursed through him. He couldn''t help but hop to his feet, the energy nearly too much. He could see a wispy flame-like glow coming off of his hands and the rest of his body. He immediately felt divine knowledge seeped into his mind.

    He instinctively knew he could cast magic in the same way he knew he could play his instrument. He expected that would be the end, but to his surprise, the sun rose above him once again, and then a path emerged beneath his feet, heading off into the darkness. With nothing better to do, and really no other options. Roden set off down that path. As he walked, he felt the path beneath his feet, giving him strength and energy. He felt strong as he walked that path. He felt at home. It was an odd sensation as his home was nowhere near his current location. Once again, he felt divine knowledge seep into him. That time, from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

    Sudden realization crossed his mind. It was another domain, but he didn''t pick it. Memories flooded past him from his backstory of the times while training he would walk the roads with the older priests, some of which belonged to the Adventure domain and how they would share in the lessons that came from being a pilgrim of the goddess of the sun. When Roden came up with this backstory, he did it as an easy way to explain why he wasn''t at the monastery. He didn''t really think it would become such an integral part of his abilities.

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    ''What the hell even was an adventure domain? Well, it''s too late to complain now,'' he thought.

    He found himself nearing what appeared to be the end of the path before him. The path opened up into a clearing of grass surrounded by trees that had the familiar miniature sun.

    Floating above the ground, at waist level, were small wisps. Roden approached the scene cautiously. Uncertain what exactly he was walking into, but knowing deep down that it was a place of his own, he had nothing to fear there. He reached a hand out to the closest wisp, and his mind was flooded with the knowledge of divine magic.

    It was more faint this time. It was more of an echo of the true magic behind it. Instinctively, he knew this was a healing spell. He grasped it and pulled it into himself as the spell melded into him. He could feel the spell being pulled in two directions toward each of his domains. As if each made up half of his total magical aptitude. He felt the spell move toward his domain of Adventure. He felt the spell become a part of it. Adapting to the spirit of the domain. Whatever the spell was before was unclear to him. For Roden, the spell was now Triage. It healed less than the original, but granted a small temporary barrier as well, which acted as a slight damage buffer.

    A base spell that allowed him to heal someone with a touch seemed pretty standard, but what came before was beyond strange.

    ''That was not what was supposed to happen. When a cleric picked their spells. they weren''t supposed to get two domains either. The spells weren¡¯t supposed to change when a player added them to their characters'' spell list, but for some reason his were.''

    ''He had to admit it was pretty badass, and if he was being honest with himself, he didn''t really care. He usually gave his players something cool that made them unique anyway, and if his players came to him with a cool idea to re-flavor a spell to better fit their theme for their character, why not? It looks like the GM was just doing it for him.''

    "Okay, so what is next?" He said to himself.

    He walked past a few floating wisps that contained utility spells for conjuring water and detecting "evil" entities. He knew he could only pick three more spells, and for what was to come, he didn''t need either of those. He brushed against the next wisp and saw it contained a spell for seeing the aura of magic. Given the group he was with, he decided it was a solid choice. With his mind set, the spell seeped into him. He knew the spell. He knew it to the bottom of his toes. Unlike the one from before, it didn''t change at all.

    The spell he touched was the spell he knew. He shrugged, figuring it made enough sense to warrant dismissal. He continued down the path. In the end he had selected; Triage, the healing spell, Sight of the Magi, for detecting magical effects, Wounding Touch, a spell absorbed into his Adventure Domain that delivered a surge of necrotic energy at a touch, and last was Ignition Bolt. The spell was originally the quintessential cleric damage spell. The one they get that is just better than most to make up for the fact that the rest of their spells don''t do a ton of damage.

    Once he selected it, he felt it get consumed by his Fire domain. The result was Ignition Bolt, a spell of compressed fire magic held in a stasis of pre-combustion that is fired by the caster. Upon impact, it exploded, damaging the target and showering them in cinders.

    Once his fourth spell was prepared, two more spells immediately worked their way into his mind. One, a warding spell of preparation useful for staying safe on the road. The other was a mesmerizing display of pyromancy. A stable fire spell re-flavored ever so slightly to better fit his style. The spell was now Burning Finger, a slight change in the somatic component was all that one needed in order to be infinitely more fun.

    ''Who doesn''t dream of shooting fire from their fingertips?''

    Roden opened his eyes and saw that nothing had changed. He could still see the silhouette of Riakon in the trees, him having just left. Everything was as it was when Roden sat down.

    ''Well that went quicker than expected.'' He thought to himself.

    He pondered for a moment before setting out to try that new spell of his. He measured out thirty feet from the edge of camp and set to his work. The spell work wasn''t hard, just time consuming. He was laying down the spell''s ward at a rate of two cubic feet per minute. After completing the first twenty feet of the spell''s casting, Roden realized making a contiguous wall around their camp was going to take, in his estimation, way too fucking long. He imagined he had to be thirty yards from where the opposite end of his wall would be so he set to a different approach. He went back to camp and began drawing in the dirt using one of Errrkkkk''s cast off sticks. He drew in the circle of the camp and then drew a square denoting where the ward he just constructed was located.

    He scratched different squares into the dirt to represent the area warded by the spell each time he cast it. He tried dozens of different arrangements before realizing he could turn the cube at an angle and utilize the full length of the cube making an array of nearly interlocking wards around their camp; the casting alone took over an hour. When Roden finally walked back into camp, his task completed, he saw Errrkkkk had built a man-sized nest of branches, leaves, and whatever else he could find.

    "Well I''ll be damned. Errrkkkk I must say that is the largest nest I have ever seen."

    "It''s alright...cacaw." the Birdfolk said with a twinge of frustration.

    "Everything alright there?"

    "It''s fine, cacaw... there isn''t any cordage, cacaw. No vines, cacaw." The feathered man ranted as he jammed and squished his nest. After twenty minutes of fastidious pruning, Errrkkkk declared the nest as good as it was going to be. When Riakon returned, he held up the limp furry body of a good-sized raccoon.

    "Looks like we eat good tonight!" The joy dripped from his resonant voice.

    Seeing another opportunity to use his new spells, Roden built up a teepee of thick sticks. He wasn''t being picky. In fact, calling what he made a teepee would be quite generous. What he had was mostly just a pile of wood by the time he pulled out his flint and steel.

    Grabbing a handful of leaves, he crushed them until he had a small bundle ready to take a spark. Roden struck his flint a few times until a hot ember caught amongst his tinder. Roden blew on his little spark and drew the magic from within himself, putting his intent into his casting of the simple Common spell granted him by his fire domain.

    As he willed it, his spark quickly grew into a flame. Waving his hand, he guided the flame over to his pile of sticks, which popped and cracked at the sudden heat. For such a simple spell, it truly was an awesome feeling to control the flames. While out setting his wards, Roden had discovered he had a few simple spells of this nature.

    He had one that he could use to give someone a moment of focus, which felt a bit like a very brief dose of Adderall. He had one Common spell he could use to stabilize a person on the verge of death. Then there was the one for controlling fire he had just used and another one that seemed like a bit of a catch-all basic magic spell that could do a lot of mostly useless things like raise his voice or create a tiny puff of smoke.

    They almost didn''t even feel like spells to him. It was more like they were just part of his nature. From his fictional memories, he knew they were called Common spells as they were the lowest tier. In Adventures and Antics, spells were labeled Common, Trainee, Initiate, Apprentice, Journeyman, Mage, Master, Grandmaster, and Archmage. The classifications didn¡¯t necessarily translate to power or damage, but were more of a description of their complexity in their casting. For now all he could cast were Common and Trainee.

    With the fire started, it wasn''t long before the racoon was cooked, eaten, and the men were hashing out watch detail when Roden''s voice cut through.

    "We can have a watch if yall want, but I took the liberty of setting up a nearly interlocking array of wards that cover us out to about fourth feet at the shortest sections and fifty five feet at the furthest. We are also covered ten feet on either side from the center of camp." He felt pretty good about himself. It was nice to be useful in a world that made him feel so lost.

    The two non-humans looked at each other and shrugged. It wasn''t long before all three men had their bedrolls out and were tucked in the nest. Roden slept that night with his eyes full of stars and thoughts of home tickling at the back of his mind.

 Chapter 5- Random Encounters

    Chapter 5

    In the morning, the men shuffled around gathering up their things. Roden dug through his pack, locating a small pot. He filled it with water from his water skin and placed it on the fire he had just reinvigorated with a wave of his hand. While waiting for the water to boil, the three all sat down for their morning prayers.

    Errrkkkk took to the trees climbing up high to get a good view of the sunrise. Riakon sat stoic and resolute amidst the camp. Roden put his back to the base of the tree, closing his eyes fully intending to pick the same spells he had prepared the day before.

    As he came out of his prayer meditation, he thought he felt a rustling in the tree. He looked up and saw the branches moving ever so slightly. It wasn''t until he was pouring the hot water in his mug that he realized Errrkkkk wasn''t the source of the rustling as he had leaped off the top and flew down on his wings.

    "Did either of you notice that movement?" He said in a hushed voice.

    "Cacaw"

    Riakon took a few steps forward, putting himself directly in front of the tree.

    "Hello there, is anyone in there? Come out now, there is no need to hide."

    There was a moment of stillness before the bark of the tree began to shift and contort. In moments, the texture of the tree trunk had morphed into that of a face. A decidedly feminine face with higher cheekbones and soft eyes, despite their dark brown color. The mouth was not much more than a thin line. Surprisingly, it opened in a melodic voice.

    "Oh drat. I''m so sorry I didn''t mean to disturb you. I tried so hard to not move." The voice had a twinge of disappointment mixed with its lilting rhythm.

    "Oh, that''s okay, cacaw. Can''t say I''ve ever spoken to a tree, cacaw."

    "Oh yeah, not really supposed to talk to people. I just couldn''t help it." As the tree woman spoke, the branches shifted back-and-forth in a jerky uncomfortable motion.

    "Is something wrong?" Roden asked, having remembered this encounter from all those years ago. He made the decision to influence this as little as possible. He knew this encounter was pivotal and had long reaching effects on this campaign.

    "Oh, yes, you see, I have this itch and it just won''t go away. It started off small, but over the last few years, it''s gotten so much worse. I just don''t think I can bear it anymore." Her branches shifted more dramatically.

    "So where''s this itch? I can scratch it for you, cacaw. "

    "Oh, that would be wonderful. It''s up near these branches here." The tree shook, opening her branches revealing a crux of branches. Errrkkkk spread his wings and leaped up quickly. Arriving at the offending itch. His hand reached into the crux of the branches before leaping down, relief washing over the tree''s face before he even touched the ground.

    "Oh, goodness, that feels so much better. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you." Her voice dripped with gratitude.

    "Well, here was your problem. cacaw" Holding up what appeared to be a small knife, no larger than Roden''s palm.

    "It looked like someone had carved their initials in you and stuck this knife in there as well, cacaw."

    The tree gave a deep sigh of relief,

    "I''m just glad it''s over. I wish there was some way I could repay you." As the words left her, what served as her eyebrows shot up and the branches near the top began to rustle the movement cascading down until one of the branches reached out holding what appeared to be a softball sized fruit.

    "Here, take this. It is one of my fruits. I don''t grow many, and they are precious to me. I hope you will enjoy it." Roden wasn''t positive, but the tree appeared to blush as Errrkkkk took the fruit from her.

    "Thank you, we will. Oh, and sorry about sleeping in you last night. We didn''t realize you were more than just a tree, cacaw. "

    Roden had decided that the tree was most definitely blushing now.

    "Oh, it''s okay, it wasn''t bad. I kind of liked having company, but I''m not really supposed to be talking, so thank you again and goodbye." With that, the face on the trunk vanished back into the texture of the bark.

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    "Well, I can cross talking to a plant off my bucket list." Roden said, sipping from his mug.

    "Yes, that did not go how I expected."

    They finished packing up camp, stowing away any left out equipment, and found their way back to the trail they had been following the day before. Over the next two days, they traveled north following the paths when possible, resorting to game trails when necessary. On the third day of travel, the party expected to arrive at the cave just before midday. All morning, Roden had been preparing himself for the encounter to come outside the cave. This one was a little fuzzy. He knew it was spiders. Giant spiders, to be exact, but the details of the fight were lost to history.

    At the first sign of spider webs, he alerted the other two.

    "Hey, guys, keep an eye out for spiders. I''m seeing a lot of webs."

    "Cacaw" and a nod were the respective replies.

    It wasn''t long before the trail opened up to a small clearing that revealed the mouth of a cave embedded in a jute of cliff wall. Riakon being in the lead stepped out into the clearing. His foot picking up various lines of web hindering him enough to draw his attention to the offending obstacle. Just then white ropes of web shot out covering Riakon in the sticky substance from shoulder to clawed foot.

    In a flurry of feathers, Errrkkkk leaped into the air, his staff glowing a faint green. A spider with a body the size of an average dog leaped from the bushes towards Riakon, only to be caught mid-air by a swift strike from Errrkkkk''s staff.

    It took a moment for the scene to register to Roden. He had been in fights before having learned to fight in his youth, but the abruptness of the situation caught him completely off guard. Something stirred his awareness, which spurred Roden to whip around just in time to see one of those unreal spiders rushing towards him fangs chittering.

    Out of instinct, Roden pulled back his foot and tried to kick the thing to minimal effect. The spider continued forward, overwhelming his stance, nearly knocking him to the ground. Instead, he merely took a couple of steps backward. The creature rushed towards him only to have a massive hammer come crashing through its body. Roden looked up to see Riakon still covered, mostly in web, had dug himself free enough to move. He had gotten ahold of his hammer in time to deliver a crushing blow.

    "Do something!" His resonant voice booming.

    The resonant boom shook Roden out of his surprise. He had spells! He wasn''t just a normal guy with fists and feet. Riakon, having drawn his hammer back, charged towards Roden intent on engaging the enemy''s behind him. Roden remembered his spells, grabbing onto one in his mind. He knew the spell required two things. Words and a gesture. Roden turned and saw what could only be described as a nightmare of what had to be a dozen of these massive spiders. Errrkkkk was holding his own, swooping in delivering powerful strikes before zipping out again.

    Roden threw his hand forward towards the mass of spiders. His index and middle finger locked together jutting out of his clenched fist and shouted, "Burn!" The conditions having been met, the magic leapt to his will, flames billowing out of his fingertips. As awesome as it looked, the spiders didn''t seem as bothered by it as he hoped. His mental image of them being roasted into ash in an instant, quickly fled his mind as panic entered it once again.

    Still holding his hand out he shouted the spell again, "Burn!" This time, as the flames reached spiders, he felt one of his new domain powers rise up in him. "Blaze" The word left his lips almost on instinct and he watched as the flames of his spell took on a brighter hue coating the spiders in sticky flames that burned with a greater intensity than before.

    The spiders caught in the spell for the second time quickly popped and sizzled their death a certainty. Roden could feel himself drained of his magic ability. He knew he could still use his basic spells, but he wouldn''t be throwing any fire around any time soon. Breathing heavy, Roden took in his surroundings. He spied Riakon wiping spider guts off the head of his hammer using the plentiful thick grass of the forest floor.

    Errrkkkk on the other hand, was still airborne with an intense expression on his face. His taloned hand struck out, and a bright streak of yellow energy flew toward Roden. He dived to his left, avoiding the blast that collided with a spider that had survived his flames. The energy pierced the creature¡¯s tough exoskeleton, leaving a melon sized hole in the creature where its eyes used to be.

    ¡°Thanks mate!¡± Roden said from his position on the ground.

    With the fight over, the men regrouped and decided it would be best if they rested before exploring the cave. Roden was a little apprehensive of this plan, but had to agree with its necessity. He tried to remember if his friends had investigated the cave their first night, but the memory escaped him. The difficulty of the encounter was bothering him. He remembered the spiders being the first real combat encounter of the campaign and he had deliberately made it a non deadly fight.

    The fight they just had was anything, but non deadly. Had he hesitated any longer, they all might be hanging in a spider¡¯s web. Overall, Roden was happy with how the fight went, Errrkkkk and Riakon handled their own and even saved his hide when his inexperience almost cost him.

    Having spent all his magic had drained him more than he had ever expected possible. Roden felt like he had spent the entire day doing hard labor in the hot sun. Once they found a suitable space for them to camp in the cave, Roden set to putting up his array of wards and quickly tucked into his bedroll and drifted off to sleep.

 Interlude

    Interlude

    ¡°Is he asleep?¡± Riakon said, his deep voice barely capable of whispering.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s out, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Did you see him hesitate today with the spiders?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I flew past him because he was just standing there like a deer in torchlight, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a dangerous thing out here in the Wilds. Do you think he has what it takes?¡±

    Errrkkkk thought for a moment resting his head on his talon. ¡°If Master Rolen sent him then he must have the potential, cacaw. Even if he isn¡¯t ready now, I¡¯m willing to bet he will be some day, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope he doesn¡¯t freeze up again. That could have been much worse.¡±

    ¡°We will keep an eye on him. He might just need some real combat experience, cacaw¡±

    ¡°Training is one thing, but there is little that can prepare you for contact with a real enemy.¡±

    ¡°Things went pretty well with the spiders. Those fire spells came in handy once he got them going, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°It feels like he¡¯s not quite at our level. His powers seem a bit behind.¡±

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    ¡°He saw some real life or death combat today, there isn¡¯t anything better for growing your power than facing real danger. He needed to be tested, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more brother.¡±

    ¡°What do you think about his story, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know just yet. You would think Master Rolen would tell us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, unless he really was keeping his family a secret. He never did bring up his family or his life before the temple really¡­cacaw¡±

    ¡°I would bet there is a lot we don¡¯t know about Master Rolen.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking the same thing, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°The boy is worth keeping around, as much of a liability as he almost was, I don¡¯t know if we could have managed all of those spiders without him.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not you, I could have just flown away, cacaw.¡± His face breaking into a smug expression

    ¡°All the more reason to keep the boy around then!¡±

    ¡°What do you make of this cave contract, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Seems odd that locals are going missing. Foreigners, sure, but locals should know to avoid the place if it¡¯s known to be dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Something must have changed then, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m betting something new has moved in¡±

    ¡°Or someone, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°That is a great point brother.¡±

    ¡°I just hope they¡¯re strong, cacaw! I didn¡¯t come out here to knock off weaklings, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°If they are strong that means the contracts will pay well and some gold in our pockets before we get to a town would be a welcomed sight.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I am going to get some sleep brother, you finish up the watch then wake me. We¡¯ll let the boy take the last watch. He needs the rest.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw.¡±

 Chapter 6- A Deep Dark Cave

    Chapter 6

    Roden was jostled out of sleep by a clawed hand. Panic coursed through him as he grabbed the offending wrist.

    ¡°Easy there, big guy. It¡¯s your turn for watch.¡±

    Relieved to see it was just Riakon, Roden loosened his grip and sat up taking in his surroundings.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got the last watch.¡± He said while shoving a small candle towards Roden.

    ¡°When the candle is burned all the way down, it is time to get a move on.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense¡­Hey Riakon, I wanted to thank you for the save yesterday with the spider.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you are one of us now. Just don¡¯t make a habit of needing to be saved.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­I¡¯ll try.¡±

    ¡°Either do or don¡¯t. Fuck trying.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Roden said with a chuckle.

    Riakon tucked himself into his bedroll and was snoring a few moments later. Roden was left alone, but for the sounds of the cave and the forest outside it. The men had made camp just inside the mouth of the cave. They found that once they walked in a ways, there was a drop off of about thirty feet with no easy way to climb down without belaying down, a feat that they hoped would be much easier in the morning.

    Roden peered over the drop, his eyes naturally adjusting to the darkness giving his vision a grayish overlay that made everything colorless, but much brighter overall. This must be the work of his half-elf night vision. What a strange thing it was to no longer be human. He had no way to compare the differences. Where he came from everyone was human and there was no question about it.

    How strange it was to be living out what was technically someone else¡¯s life. He most definitely wasn¡¯t Roden¡­It was then he realized that he had not been using his real name. His name was August, but that name didn¡¯t feel like his name in this body. It was odd that before he even realized where he was, he had already been thinking of himself as Roden.

    Poking at the edges of his reality in this way gave him a powerful sense of vertigo. It was as if he was on a come up of too big of a dose of magic mushrooms. His vision blurred and he had to put a hand out to brace himself against a stalagmite.

    ''Okay I am never doing that again. I am Roden.'' With that mental assertion, his dizziness subsided.

    He shook his head a little to clear the fog and set to making some tea. He dug through his pack and was delighted to find quite a few things he hadn¡¯t picked out. He found a good supply of tea in a small pouch, which couldn¡¯t be more welcomed. Roden loved a nice hot drink in the mornings and had settled for hot water thus far.

    He was usually a coffee person, but that required a lot more doing in this world so tea was going to be his best option for his morning pick me up. The only thing he was more excited to find was a beautiful pipe and herb box set made for smoking and storing the various herbs available in this world.

    He pulled out the pipe and packed the bowl with some of the brownish green leaves. He lifted the herb box to his nose and took a sniff. The smell wasn¡¯t entirely unknown, but not completely familiar either. It smelled of lavender and citrus.

    He could recognize the stripes of tobacco mixed in adding a light cigar like smell. He was slightly disappointed. He had hoped the box would contain something a bit stronger.

    He used the little flame of the watch candle to light a small twig to transfer the flame to the bowl of his pipe. He took a couple puffs drawing in the smoke. He let it linger in his mouth tasting it before taking a small inhale. It was actually quite pleasant. The flavors were pretty light, almost lemony.

    Once his tea was ready he took his cup and pipe out to the front of the cave to take in the sunrise. His wards would alert him if anything tried to sneak up from within the cave, so he figured what better way to get accustomed to his new world than to take in a sunrise.

    Once outside Roden could see that the tree line was going to put a serious dampener on his dreams of a beautiful sunrise. He looked up at the cliff wall behind him and saw a decent sized ledge about ten feet up. With a little finagling he managed to pull himself onto the ledge.

    While not an amazing view it at least gave him somewhere to sit and enjoy his morning tea and pipe. As his tea grew cold Roden remembered he had that awesome spell that let him manipulate small fires. It was too late to save his tea, but the tiny embers in his pipe were easily stirred back into a flame with a flick of his hand.

    As he blew out a cloud of fragrant smoke he took in the orange glow that caressed the tops of the trees. He had to admit his current situation was quite peaceful, down right tranquil. In that moment of calm he let his eyes close. His mind immediately took him to that place in-between time and consciousness.

    He found himself once again on a path in that dark space. This time with a sunrise to his back casting its warm colors on the path in front of him. Not much changed as he walked the path selecting the same spells he had the previous times he had been here, except this time he realized he could take one more with him. His gamer brain exploded with delight. Another spell means he leveled up.

    After yesterday, he knew just what spell to take. He had to double back to take it, but he knew it would be well worth it. As had happened before, the spell changed as it was pulled toward his Adventure domain. It went from a spell that gave his targets greater accuracy and reactions into the spell, Blessed Traveler. A spell that granted a substantial boost of alacrity without any bonus to accuracy.

    While not exactly what he wanted when he took the spell he had to admit it wasn¡¯t a terrible trade. Sure it didn¡¯t grant a direct offensive bonus, but speed was king when it came to this group. With that final spell chosen, he stepped out into the clearing that was the end of his path, but instead of leaving he was presented with two versions of his holy symbol.

    It was pretty evident they each stood for one of his domains. The fire domain gave off an ephemeral flame with the holy symbol in the center, while the one for his adventure domain was shrouded in dim light with the holy symbol acting as a sign post on a forked path.

    At first he thought he had to choose one, but quickly came to realize this was his tutorial. When he reached for the symbol for his fire domain and grasped it his mind was flooded with the details of the ability. It was different than when he chose his spells. The knowledge of those came to him as a possibility. This was a certainty.

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    The power he was given was a once per rest type of ability. One he could pretty much only use once a day, at least at this level. That had its drawbacks, but a restriction like that usually meant that the ability would be impactful.

    His fire domain ability was called Moment of Ignition. When he activated the ability it would grant him an aura of fire magic that could burn up enemies and incinerate their ranged attacks. With this up, arrows were as good as useless against him and melee attackers would have a rude awakening when they walked into its range.

    Once he had fully assumed the power he was nearly giddy to see what his Adventure domain had to offer. Grasping that symbol introduced the ability Pilgrim¡¯s Rebuke, an ability that generated a shockwave of force to ripple out in front of him that could injure, and push the hostiles away, but it also came with a secondary effect that conjured a visage of divine dominance that made anything that took damage from the shockwave terrified of him. Roden was shocked that his Adventure domain had given him a power actually useful in a fight.

    ¡°Hell I wish I had that with the damn spiders.¡±

    After absorbing the power into himself he was left standing in that empty clearing in the dark space. He sat down crossing his legs and closing his eyes. When he opened them he was looking out over the serene scenery once again. It wasn¡¯t long before Errrkkkk woke and leaped up by Roden¡¯s side, a single flap of his large wings easily covering the distance. They exchanged morning pleasantries and discussed their plan for the day when Errrkkkk raised the questions,

    ¡°What are we going to do about the mushrooms, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well I was reading through the field guide and I noticed that the mushrooms we need release spores when touched, cacaw.¡±

    Roden remembered this problem. It actually wasn¡¯t a problem, but these two didn¡¯t know that. What was about to come next would have lasting effects in his world. All because of an overly complicated solution to a perceived problem.

    ¡°Oh what do you propose we do about that?¡±

    ¡°I was looking around at all this moss and spider silk and thought we might be able to make some masks to help filter the air, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a good plan, I bet that spider silk will catch the spores quite nicely.¡± Roden was doing his best to sound genuinely intrigued and impressed, but it was kind of like watching a movie for the second time. Errrkkkk flew down and around gathering up moss and silk. Roden helped cut stripes off Errrkkkk¡¯s spare shirt in order to make straps. By the time they were done they had three makeshift masks to wear as they collected their mushrooms. By the time Riakon joined them the sun had been in the sky for a couple hours.

    ¡°I took a look deeper in the cave. It looks like there are some large mushrooms just around the corner before the path splits in a couple directions.¡± His deep resonating voice booming out of the cave entrance.

    ¡°Well now is as good of a time as any, cacaw.¡±

    The three men made their way through the cave. As much as he didn¡¯t want to be, Roden took the lead. He was the only party member with dark vision so it fell to him to trek ahead just out of the reach of Riakon¡¯s torch light. Lucky for him, there wasn¡¯t anything to worry about for the first three quarters of the cave. Whenever they approached a mushroom of the correct variety they would gather the specimen and tuck it into Riakon¡¯s dimensional bag.

    After a few hours of steady spelunking Roden arrived at a high rise that overlooked a large circular chamber that held a small pool in the far northern corner. While waiting for the others to catch up Roden began casting his magic detection spell. He reveled in the ritual used to cast the spell. It was like casting in slow motion each movement an exaggerated version of the instant casting.

    When the spell actualized, Roden''s vision was filled with various auras and clouds that signified the various magical effects at work in this cave. He could see the secret entrance to the chamber under the pool and he could also see the cloud of conjuration magic set as a precaution by the necromancer in that secret chamber.

    Roden thought back to when he designed this encounter for his friends. He had pulled the mushroom cave idea from one of the first games he ever got to play in. At the time he loved the idea that even though he wasn¡¯t a player for his friends they shared some experiences.

    He knew once they reached the bottom of the rise they would trigger the trap that would generate a fog that would obscure two ghouls hidden beneath the pool. He had designed this encounter so that there was no avoiding the ghouls. He cursed his past self for coming up with such a simple plan. When the other two caught up Roden filled them in on the situation.

    ¡°Okay boys here is the deal, I¡¯m seeing some magic at the bottom of this slope that is going to trigger a trap of some kind. I anticipate there is going to be some type of guarding creature. If I had to guess based on the magic I am seeing I would say they are going to be undead.¡±

    The two nodded their understanding, Riakon drawing his large hafted hammer from his back and Errrkkkk bringing his staff up to guard.

    Knowing the other two couldn¡¯t see in the dark, Roden lit a couple more torches off of Riakon¡¯s and had the dragonkin throw them around what will be their battle field. As they took their first steps onto the chamber floor the fog started to waft up.

    ¡°Be ready boys, here they come!¡±

    Roden could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins as the impending fight drew nearer. He was ready this time. He had his Ignition bolt at the forefront of his mind and as soon as he saw movement out of the fog he released it with the word ¡°Ignite!¡± Fire magic swirled before him before coalescing into a bead resembling a hot coal that hung briefly at eye level for a moment before hurtling off in a streak toward the necromantic aura of the ghoul in the fog.

    Roden couldn¡¯t see the spell make contact with his target, but he knew it had when the explosion rocked the cave and he saw the silhouette of the ghoul burst into flames. He activated his Fire domain power with its incantation ¡°Blaze¡±. The image of the ghoul became even more distinct as the flames covering its skin burned brighter. In seconds the ghoul succumbed to the flames dropping to the ground in a smoldering heap.

    Errrkkkk and Riakon made very quick work of the other ghoul. Riakon blasted it first with a torrent of his holy water breath weapon, this being one of the few instances where it was not only useful, but incredibly effective. Errrkkkk finished the ghoul off with a quick strike of his staff.

    ¡°That was a bit anticlimactic.¡± Riakon said, hefting his maul to his shoulder.

    ¡°Not even enough for a warm up, cacaw.¡±

    Roden had to just shake his head at these two. Yet again he could see the difference in mentalities. These two were characters born of this world. They prepared their whole lives to become adventurers. They trained day in and day out to be warriors for good. It was nothing for them to crush a dozen giant spiders.

    Roden couldn¡¯t help, but feel out of place a bit as he had not grown up training unless you count all the martial arts he did as a kid, but even that didn¡¯t prepare him to fight to the death. He learned to fight in his real life so that he could stand up for himself and those he cared about, but that rarely resulted in anything half as dangerous as he dealt with in this world. Simultaneously, he had more power now than he ever could in his real life.

    ¡°Yo Mir to Roden! You good man, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°huh, oh what? Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°ahhh yeah I was saying we should look around here and see what we can find. If there was a trap then there must be something here, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Oh no need. Now that we are down here I can see there is a magic entrance right over there.¡± He gestured toward the pool.

    Errrkkkk¡¯s eyebrows went up in surprise ¡°well alright cacaw¡± excitement in his voice

    ¡°How does it work, cacaw?¡±

    Roden knew what needed to happen to access the door. The problem was he couldn¡¯t just tell the guys or he would have to answer questions he wasn¡¯t sure he was ready to answer just yet. Roden had faith that the guys would believe him if he could just build a rapport, but he wanted to get his feet under him in this world before he broached that topic with them. For this reason, he had a simple plan to make this work.

    ¡°I¡¯m not positive, maybe we just take a rest while I look it over more closely.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me¡± Riakon interjected.

    Roden set to work giving his Sight of the Magi spell plenty of time to take in all aspects of the magic on the pool. From what he could tell it functioned just as he imagined all those years ago. As long as a creature could see the entrance they could interact with it. While Roden was working by the pool, Errrkkkk and Riakon had done exactly as he had hoped they would.

    They laid out their bedrolls and took out some rations, most importantly the fruit from the animated tree. He needed the two of them to eat that fruit or more accurately he needed them to eat the spores that clung to the outside of the fruit. Those spores will give them a short-lived version of his Sight of the Magi and allow them to use this entrance.

    A few minutes later, the two men were looking about the cavern wide eyed, the spores finally taking effect. Roden remembered he had given the mushrooms a mild psychedelic effect as a way to complicate the process.

    At the table this choice had resulted in minutes of hilariously improvised trippin from everyone at the table. Once they stopped laughing they had kind of just moved on. Roden watched Errrkkkk and Riakon from a distance as they stared at their own hands for minutes. Roden couldn''t help but chuckle at these two characters.

    He had to admit to himself that being in this world was crazy and intense, but having those two with him made him feel like he had his friends with him, not just their characters. He kept himself busy while their high wore off. He hoped it wouldn''t be too long, but he also wasn''t exactly looking forward to what they would find in the chamber under the cave.

 Interlude

    Interlude

    Kazan worked tirelessly deep into the night scratching away at some calculations he had been working on for the last several days. Mid equation the light of his glow globes when out, the spell¡¯s ten minute duration having run its course.

    The spell was simple, requiring only enough motion to direct where he wanted the four spheres of light to appear. He had become so practiced with the spell he could cast it without missing a stroke of his quill.

    Kazan was used to having to work without permanent lighting. It seemed to always be that he found himself working in the dark and often abandoned places. Kazan was a necromancer and despite being a graduate of Guivern University with his degree in Abnormal Magix, his work was never met with much enthusiasm especially among mundane folk regardless of species.

    His specialty of animation and reconstruction was particularly unfavored due to its long history of use in the subjugation of the entire population of Mir, but there were so many benefits, people just couldn''t see all the applications. The undead could be round the clock laborers never needing to take breaks or tend to bodily functions.

    Current Magix can produce menial laborers only capable of the simplest tasks. He was on the brink of a breakthrough. Kazan figured out that by adjusting the ritual he could implant an artificial construct spark into the core of the specimen and transform them into a hybrid undead construct, an undead android in some respects. He had even worked out the decay problem. By embalming the specimen prior to and after its animation he could preserve the organic portions nearly indefinitely. At least that was his theory.

    He had a tremendous amount of individual data, but the problem came when he realized the magi-meridians of the corpse couldn''t maintain connection to the artificial spark. He needed to seat the artificial spark inside a living spark in order to allow for proper flow of energy without the breakdown of the specimen¡¯s meridians.

    He dismissed the idea until he ran across that man in the woods. By all accounts the man was already dead. The spiders had gotten to him. He was barely alive, the spiders clearly hadn''t gotten around to eating him and it had been a few days. Kazan had judged that trying to get the man out of the woods and back to civilization alive was an improbable task.

    Statistically, the man was likely to die on the journey from any number of complications arising from his spider situation. It was then that Kazan decided to put the man out of his misery, but as he raised his hand to do the deed, he remembered his research. In hindsight, it was all quite a stroke of luck for the necromancer. He had just found his current lair. A secret chamber under the main cavern where no one would disturb him and his work.

    The cavern was a once in a lifetime discovery in itself. At the back of the chamber, Kazan discovered a large stone slab carved with ancient arcane symbols. Kazan was no expert on the Magisphere, but he recognized a conflux of planetary Magi-Meridians when he saw one. The magic was so thick here that he could see the distortion of the space and taste the subtle hint of vanilla on the air, a tell-tale sign of high magic concentration.

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    A positive Conflux like this could produce immense amounts of energy if harnessed with the right rituals. That stone table was created for just such rituals. His first experiment using the living spark worked spectacularly. The result was an undead construct hybrid that could function at a much higher level than the average of either single type of creation.

    He quickly discovered his creation was much too powerful for a standard body. While testing, the android had managed to rip its own arm off while trying to lift a large boulder. It was then that Kazan set about creating his Zolem. He did some calculations and gathered up the extra things he needed; one skeleton of a troll, three hundred feet of spider silk, ten liters of resin, and at least one more living spark. He rationalized it was for the greater good and the furthering of the field of necromancy.

    He created a couple of Ghouls to do the dirty work and set a little trap in the main cavern above his lair. It wasn''t long before someone wandered in and was captured by the ghouls. With everything at hand he had done exactly what he had set out to do: meld the second living spark into his first creation and then translate that whole core into the body he had reconstructed.

    His creation was remarkable on all accounts; it was nearly eleven feet tall and weighed around five hundred pounds, he had no way to know exactly, but given the amount of materials that went into it, he felt pretty confident in his guesstimations. Using spider silk to augment the musculature was a moment of brilliance he had patted himself on the back for, for the better part of a week. Everything was going perfectly until the other guy showed up.

    ¡° Aye moron.¡±

    The man''s voice grated at Kazan''s mind. It was a voice like gravel. The deep scratching indicative of a lifelong smoking habit.

    ¡°Aye moron¡±

    ¡°What is it you want you insufferable oaf?!¡±

    ¡°Well excuse me, I figured you''d want to know that despite you not giving me any food or water for the last twelveish hours. I need to take a leak.¡±

    ¡°Well whatever would you have me do about that?! I would never stoop so low as to help you relieve yourself.¡±

    ¡°Hey man, I just said I had to take a leak. I didn''t ask you to stoop low and help me relieve myself. Although I suppose rape aint too big of a leap for a psychopath who digs around in corpses all day.¡±

    ¡°My word! I never said! I do not have time to deal with this!¡±

    Kazan threw his hands up and turned back to his work. His frustration with the man at an all time high. This man showed up a few days after he had completed Zolem One. He was in the testing phase when this fat bearded man confronted him in his own lair.

    Turned out the man was an aged adventurer. He had lost a few steps, but had it in him to go check out a missing person''s report in his area. He happened to have enough magic to cast Sight of the Magi and get through the secret entrance.

    It didn''t take much for Zolem One to subdue the man, the problem was what to do with him now. He initially planned on just leaving him tied up down here, but Kazan figured the old adventurer would get out somehow and notify the Adventurer¡¯s Outpost and there goes all of his hard work. Then Kazan got the idea to incorporate the man¡¯s spark into his creation.

    The problem was he needed to place limiters on the Zolem¡¯s body or the extra power would cause it to rip itself apart. So here he was frantically working out the equations so he could transfer the spark and be on his way with his walking breakthrough. It was then that Kazan could hear the trickling sound of liquid on stone.

    Kazan whirled around fury in his eyes as he raised his hand up to strike the man. He saw a glint streak out of a shadow on the ceiling. A beam of bright golden energy crashed into Kazan¡¯s chest.

 Chapter 7- The Fight Begins

    Chapter 7

    At the sight of Errrkkkk¡¯s beam, Riakon and Roden broke into a sprint, both men activating their personal buffs. The plan was simple, Errrkkkk was to sneak up and see what that light at the end of the cavern was about and come back.

    In the event of instant combat, the others would just have to close the distance as quickly as possible. Roden¡¯s memories of this encounter were of very little help here. He knew that a fight was most likely coming and tried to prepare as best as he could, but so much was different already.

    When Roden finally got eyes on the situation, he saw Kazan the necromancer reeling from Errrkkkk¡¯s blast, an older bearded man was chained to the wall on the far side of the cavern opposite of Kazan¡¯s workbench, and a hulking humanish figure was face down on the large eight sided stone table.

    There was a flurry of motion as everyone began acting at once. Errrkkkk fired off three more energy blasts towards Kazan, one struck him in the shoulder as he set to activating his Zolem. In those brief moments, the table began to glow, using both hands in a push up motion the undead creation launched itself into a standing position. Its speed was terrifying and unnatural. Something that large was not supposed to move that fluidly or fast.

    As Kazan directed the Zolem. Roden brought his hand up unleashing his Burning Finger spell. The spell bathed the natural alcove in bright flames made all the more intense by his Blaze ability. The spell did not have much range, and despite the flames the Zolem charged through straight towards their source spurred on by its master.

    Roden¡¯s Moment of Ignition took effect as the Zolem swung its massive fist right into Roden¡¯s body. The blow left a crater in Roden¡¯s chest, he imagined his hit points were instantly brought to zero in a single blow. Pain coursed through Roden as the Zolem¡¯s attack instantly killed him. However, in this world, death was an inconvenience if you had the right abilities.

    Roden¡¯s first level Adventure domain ability, Never the Time and the Place, was just such an ability. The ability allowed him to confer the benefits of a period of recovery in an instant. Fortunately for him the ability automatically activated on himself if it was available and he was knocked unconscious or killed by taking damage.

    Just as he lost consciousness, a surge of divine magic coursed through his body. He felt his bones reknit and shift back into place. His crushed body began reverting back to its previous condition. It was an interesting sensation as Roden could feel the ability work its course.

    He realized he had a modicum of control over the magic. He instinctively knew the more he healed now the more fatigued he would be later and potentially even tomorrow. He also knew it probably did not matter how much he healed, he could not take another hit from that monster.

    Once the magic had fixed him as much as it could, Roden took in the scene. He saw Errrkkkk and Riakon doing their best to pick apart the Zolem and avoid the ranged spells coming from the necromancer hiding behind the stone table. His friends were doing well, they had fallen into a rhythm of Riakon absorbing the hits and Errrkkkk dishing out as much damage as possible from his high vantage point.

    Roden knew he needed to do something to turn the tide. As good as things were going he had a feeling Riakon couldn¡¯t hold out forever. Roden got to his feet and rushed toward Kazan.

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    As he neared the stone table, the mage turned on him and fired a bolt of crackling purple black necromantic energy. The spell first connected with his aura, which absorbed some of the impact before it caught Roden in the shoulder. The spell felt like a million icy needles dug into his arm. As much as it pained him, it was the best he could hope for given how little damage he actually took from it.

    His first plan was to get in close and cast Wounding Touch as many times as he could until either the necromancer or he couldn¡¯t go on. When he had closed the distance enough, Roden focused on his holy symbol and activated his Pilgrim¡¯s Rebuke.

    A shockwave exploded out in front of him slamming into Kazan the necromancer hard. The blast caught Kazan off guard and sent him cartwheeling through the air, landing in a heap on the side of the alcove by the bearded man. Roden had a strong suspicion that wouldn¡¯t be enough damage to finish the mid-level necromancer so he didn¡¯t waste time.

    Roden rushed up to the old adventurer and cast a Wounding Touch on the chains; the lack of an incantation made this spell a perfect choice for the job. The dark gray energy acted like a plasma torch off the ends of his fingers and cut right through the chains.

    ¡°Behind you!¡±

    At the man¡¯s words, Roden spun around just in time to see the necromancer getting to his feet. Before he could act the bearded man swarmed the bookish mage. He delivered a series of strikes to the man¡¯s head that left Roden in awe at the fluidity of his movements.

    Before the onslaught could continue an earsplitting boom shook the cavern. Kazan had cast a thunder spell knocking his attacker back a number of feet. In the moments after, as everyone¡¯s ears rang, Roden noticed Kazan signal for his minion to change tactics and go after his former prisoner.

    Roden seized the opportunity, raised his hands and shouted his last spell for the day. ¡°Ignite!¡± flames whirled into existence before his outstretched palms forming a thin circle of fire.

    The circle crashed in on itself launching its bead of concentrated fire magic. The flames engulfed the necromancer, just as the Zolem reached its target. A sweeping backhand sent the beared man sprawling. The downward hammer fists that followed shattered his leg below the knee. The screams of the two men mingled into a cacophony of misery.

    One man scrabbled madly, pulling the stopper of a potion with his teeth, taking a swig, then dumping the rest directly on his stump. The other man managed two full steps toward Roden before falling to the ground in a charred heap of smoldering flesh and robes. The Zolem raised up to its full height above its de-limbed target. The silhouette of the Zolem was distinct in Roden''s view as he looked on in horror. He had nothing left. He could barely pull enough magic from the Magisphere to cast a Common level spell. A steady glow came from behind the Zolem, casting a long shadow.

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    Errrkkkk''s cry followed a continuous beam of bright golden energy that crashed into the Zolem''s back. The full might of the blast staggered the Zolem drawing its attention. Ignoring the rents in its skin, the Zolem focused on the source of the beam, its eyes landed on its feathered attacker.

    A torrent of holy water washed over the creature, overloading the necromantic matrix holding its sparks together. Unbound the sparks shot out in different directions bouncing around the cave before burning themselves out.

    Without its sparks the body was completely harmless. Unless it fell on someone as it almost did its last victim. Luckily, the bearded man was able to shimmy himself far enough away to avoid the falling Zolem. As the dust settled, the fight over, the four men looked around at each other. Roden''s excitement got the better of him and he shouted out,

    ¡°Wooooo!!!! Let''s fucking go!!!!¡±

    The other three men stared at him with relatively blank expressions.

    ¡°Hello, good Sir, what is your name and who are you?¡± Riakon said to the bearded man.

    ¡°The names R¡­ just call me Bo.¡±

    ¡°Okay Bo, what exactly is going on here, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Well, I had a report of people going missing in this area. Now I don''t live too far from here. so I took it upon myself to come check it out. I was a pretty capable adventurer in my day figured I could handle a simple missing person. What I didn''t expect was to run into a goddamn Necromancer psychopath who tapped into the goddamn meridians. As stupid as it was for you guys to get involved, I have to thank you. Without you guys, I''d probably be dead or at the very least part of that thing.¡±

    ¡°It also looks like you''re going to need another favor, old man.¡± Roden said, gesturing towards his leg.

    ¡°I suppose you''re right.¡± he said begrudgingly ¡°my place ain''t too far, but I doubt I can get there on my own.¡±

 Chapter 8- Training with Bo

    Chapter 8

    Bo was true to his word, his place was not far, but the path was not an easy one as it required they traverse a series of switchbacks and ford some small fast moving creeks that disappeared into holes in the land.

    After arriving at his home the party was able to get some much needed rest. All four men rapidly grew comfortable with one another. Bo immediately took on a father figure-like role for the other three providing input as they would go about their morning routines.

    It was through those simple comments and pieces of advice that Bo revealed his vast knowledge of various things from obscure martial arts to monster lore and even the workings of divine magic.

    When Bo offered to mentor the three as adventurers, all agreed wholeheartedly. The days turned into weeks as each man set to improving their specific skill set and adding new abilities as well.

    Errrkkkk was able to learn a powerful chi ability that allowed him to draw on the sun to multiply the energy he put into it. Riakon spent his time reading the multitude of bestiaries in Bo¡¯s library. In the reading he picked up the framework of a spell that made tracking down one''s prey all, but certain.

    Roden spent his time a little differently. He dedicated himself to embodying the role in this world. He needed to become Roden and it was then he decided he would never share that he didn''t come from this world. This game was his life and he was not going to metagame by treating it like a game as strange as the concept was in his current situation.

    Day after day he would meditate and practice his castings. One morning, after a couple weeks of training, he was meditating and he felt a surge of energy flood through him. His fingers began to tingle and his whole body felt like it was vibrating. There was a faint glow about him and as it faded he knew he had leveled up.

    Once more he was taken to that dark place in his mind, that place of spell selection and character creation. This time the dark path was familiar and welcomed. Roden had returned here repeatedly over the course of his trying testing out many of the spells to get a better grasp of what was at his disposal.

    As a cleric he had the luxury of being able to change his spells daily during his meditations. However, this time he was arriving after a fresh level up that came with some next level domain spells.

    His new Fire domain spell was a nerdy dream come true. That spell was Flame Blade. A spell beautiful in its simplicity, it allowed him to extend his hand out to the side manifesting a pillar of flame three feet in length, about six inches of which rested in his hand serving as the handle.

    Roden couldn¡¯t wait to get out of here to try out this beauty so he quickly moved over to his Adventure domain spell, Instant Destination. With the knowledge of the spell coursing through him Roden couldn¡¯t contain himself

    ¡°I can fucking teleport!!!!¡± he shouted throwing his hands in the air.

    Sure it was an Initiate level spell, but who doesn¡¯t want to teleport? His mind racing with the possibilities.

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    With both of those tucked away, he continued down the path to the wisps of next level spells. Over time he would undoubtedly study each of them to their fullest, but currently he was looking for an old trusty. When he found it a big grin spread across his face.

    The spell was subsumed by his Adventure domain and molded into its new form, Hero¡¯s Armament. The spell was altered in a way Roden did not imagine. The original spell let the caster remotely control a weapon constructed of divine magic.

    His new spell had that feature but required the weapon to remain within fifteen feet of him. He still had to direct it to attack, but it followed him on its own instead of requiring Roden to consciously move it.

    The other change made the first make all the more sense. He had the option to take a hold of the weapon, increasing the damage. With this new knowledge Roden was lost in daydreams of whirling around with his two glowing blades like Anakin in episode two, he hoped he could manage it without losing a hand.

    Coming out of his meditation Roden immediately set to casting Flame Blade. The flames erupted in his hand, his fingers closing over the hilt of fire. Inspecting the conjured blade Roden noticed it had the faint shape of a double edged hunting sword with a short crossguard.

    He waved it about briefly getting used to the weight or lack thereof. This sword was nearly weightless, but still offered enough resistance that he behaved like a regular sword.

    He took a couple practice swings, the flames making the typical whoosh as it cut through the air. He tried placing his feet in different configurations to better facilitate his new weapon, but nothing felt quite right. By the time the spell''s duration ended. Roden¡¯s enthusiasm over his new spell had diminished quite extensively.

    Bo¡¯s voice rang out from behind him ¡° What the hell was that?¡±

    ¡°Uuuhhh, it was my new spell. I¡¯m trying to get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah poorly. You ain''t doing it right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah that was pretty obvious to me too, but I haven¡¯t spent much time with flaming swords so.¡±

    ¡°Nah you shithead, that spell should be doing all that work for you.¡±

    ¡°Come again?¡±

    ¡°That spell you just cast ain¡¯t used by folks who usually have a lot of weapons training. So built into the spell¡¯s matrix is a work around.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°Just cast the damn spell and focus.¡±

    Shrugging, Roden went to cast the spell, a blade of flame appearing in his hand.

    ¡°Now focus on the magic in the sword.¡±

    Roden closed his eyes and focused intently on the sword. He could feel something like the sword had an opinion or intent that he just couldn¡¯t translate. When Roden opened his eyes to ask Bo what to do next, he saw Bo right in front of him swinging a staff made of wood at his head. Instinctually Roden danced backwards and dropped into a guard stance, his right foot forward and his weapon between himself and his attacker.

    Before he could say anything Bo rushed him, this time Roden lunged forward, his back leg extending and he brought the point of his blade up under Bo¡¯s swing, piercing his shoulder through. Surprised at his movement he let go of the handle causing the flames to abruptly vanish. Bo dropped to the ground clutching his shoulder in pain.

    ¡°Holy shit! holy shit!¡±

    ¡°Quit your bitching and heal this already.¡±

    A quick cast of Triage and Bo was back on his feet a little scorched, but no worse for wear.

    In the coming weeks, Roden kept practicing his new spells becoming more familiar with their idiosyncrasies. When each member of the party had completed their individual training it came time to say goodbye to Bo. The four men shook hands warmly and Bo handed over a small flat stone the size of a smartphone.

    ¡°If yall ever need to get a hold of me, you just tap that there stone and say what you need to say. I¡¯ll receive your message on this one¡± He said, holding up an identical stone.

    ¡°The same to you, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°If you ever need us, just say the word and we will be there.¡± Riakon¡¯s voice heavy with the grief of leaving.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see you round Bo.¡±

    Bo nodded and the men walked off down the path. As the party walked out of sight Bo shook his head to himself.

    ¡°Fucking shitheads.¡± his grief stricken voice matched by eyes straining mightily to contain the impulse to shed a tear. For Bo knew those men are setting out into the thick of a dangerous world with minds set on making it better than they found it. No nobler path has ever been sought and no path has led more good men to their death or worse. He had hope for those boys. ¡°fucking shitheads.¡±

 Chapter 9- A Fight Among the Trees

    Chapter 9

    ¡°Does a bear shit in the woods?¡±

    ¡°Well I suppose, they would.¡± Said Riakon tilting his head quizzically.

    Roden''s palm met with his nose in what was becoming a frequent mannerism around Riakon.

    ¡°No mate, it wasn''t a question I was saying, yes to ¡®would you like some wine?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Well then just say yes and forget all this bear nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Would you two focus. I think I heard something cacaw.¡±

    The two men straightened, expressions of utmost seriousness plastered across their faces. Roden discreetly cast his spell Immediate Focus and listened intently allowing the magic to power his awareness beyond its normal levels. Roden had come to love the sensation of that spell over his time at Bo''s, the fact he remembered to use it here showed that repetition was worth it.

    ¡°Guys, something is coming.¡± the sound of his voice accompanied by the cracking and creaking of branches in the distance.

    ¡°Let''s move, once we are across the river up there we should be back on the trail that led us to the cave, cacaw."

    The water was cold, but thankfully it was only knee deep. However, Roden and Riakon were its only victims as Errrkkkk glided over with ease.

    ¡°If you grab him, I''ll help you hold him under.¡±

    ¡°I would, but he''s a slippery bastard.¡±

    ¡°This shit is so fucking cold.¡± Quick breaths escaping in ooos and haas

    ¡°Could be worse. At least we aren''t in a desert.¡±

    After dragging themselves up the small bank, the men set to wringing out their clothes and emptying their boots.

    Errrkkkk came gliding down from above his shadow briefly shading their impromptu rest stop.

    ¡°We have a problem. I scouted ahead and figured out we are right by our old campsite, the one with our tree friend. You have to see it.¡± Roden got a sinking feeling. His memory of this situation was bubbling up and while much was different, he knew where this was heading.

    Moving with a purpose the three men quickly made it back to the clearing with the large tree and the far end. However, now the tree had multiple large branches broken at various points.

    ¡°It looks like she was hit by a bad storm.¡±

    ¡°But none of the other trees have damage¡­¡±

    ¡°What would do this, cacaw? Hello, Tree? Who did this to you, cacaw?

    The bark of the trunk contorted and arranged into a face. Unlike before the face was missing part of its upper right eyebrow as if it had been chopped off by an errant ax swing.

    ¡°Please, just go. Hurry.¡± The voice barely a whisper.

    The men exchanged glances.

    ¡°We can help you, cacaw. Tell me what happened, cacaw.¡±

    The tree began to shake and shudder.

    ¡°No no no, please just go.¡± This time the voice was more of a cry than anything else.

    A horrific cacophony of snapping and cracking was followed by successive booms as something large ripped its way through the trees. The men instinctively put their backs to the tree and readied themselves.

    The silhouette was the first thing Roden could make out. It was at least thirty feet tall, whatever it was its head was in the canopy. Except Roden knew better. He knew this creature and he also knew this had the potential to go very wrong.

    Two tall oaks came crashing down at the far end of the clearing where the men had entered before. Lumbering over the remains of those oaks was wriggling roots and thick branch-like limbs attached to a massive trunk sporting a face reminiscent of the old man in that famous painting, spectacles and all.

    ¡°Daughter! You best not be talking to more strangers now!¡± the trees voice was deep and as unyielding as its trunk.

    "No daddy, no I wasn''t. They were just leaving.¡±

    ¡°No daughter of mine will be fraternizing with bipedal filth. Move out the way, I need to teach my daughter a lesson, again.¡±

    ¡°It seems we have gotten ourselves entwined in a family matter. I see no need for us to intervene.¡± Riakon said dropping his guard.

    Looking back at the tree, Errrkkkk addressed the face directly ¡°What do you want, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Just go.¡± The words barely a whisper, the eyes of the face clamped shut. Shudders ran through the branches.

    With a pained look of defeat, Errrkkkk stood and began to follow his brother in departing. By the time the party had all made it around to the path out, the older Treant had made it over to his daughter.

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    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? When are you gonna learn?¡± Each question punctuated with the slam of branch on branch. The older Treant used its thick limbs to batter the younger.

    ¡°I thought the lesson I gave you after the fruit incident was enough, but if you''re going to keep whoring yourself out to every biped that walks through here then I guess I''ll just start over with you.¡±

    At the sound of branches breaking, Errrkkkk stopped walking. At the mention of fruit, he flew up and raised his hands to the sky. Chi gathered between his palms in a sphere of pure energy. In the direct sunlight, its size and power began to increase instantly.

    ¡°Riakon, I think we''re in this one.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I would say so.¡±

    ¡°When he goes, we go. Oh, and if you''ve got fire, use it.¡±

    It took immense restraint for Errrkkkk to hold back his Soul Sphere, but he knew he needed extra energy, and that only came with time. He gritted his beak against the snapping of the young tree¡¯s branches.

    By the time the Sphere was the size of a soccer ball, the young Treant was nearly stripped bare. He steadied himself, hefting the weight of his Soul Sphere onto one of his outstretched arms. With a pivot of wing and shoulder, Errrkkkk launched his Soul Sphere straight toward the elder Treant. The orb ripped into its branches.

    In a flash, Treant was left with a gaping hole through part of its trunk and canopy of branches. Riakon and Roden leapt into action. With a blessing from Riakon, and some surprise, Roden was able to land an Ignition Bolt leaving the massive tree folk suffering from his Blaze ability. That left it ripe for Riakon to land a crushing blow with his maul wreathed in fire magic.

    The Treant swept a large branch out toward Riakon missing on the first pass, but slamming him on the back swing. Roden raised his hands for another Ignition Bolt. Once the spell was off, he sprinted along the perimeter of trees. He needed to get closer without it seeing him coming.

    At the impact of Roden''s second Ignition Bolt, Riakon thrust his massive hammer high above his head before driving it down into the base of the truck, shattering thick hardened roots into twigs and splinters.

    His glory was short-lived as two huge branches crashed into Riakon one after the other. His body lost contact with the ground briefly, but when the Treant withdrew, Riakon was still standing battered and bruised, holding himself up with his maul.

    ¡°Yall think yall can tell me what''s right! Yall think I ain''t handling my daughter right! This is how I handle her!¡± Reaching out with its two largest branches, he grasped the smaller tree. With a swift yank and a crack, the younger tree folk was snapped off at the root, leaving a rough stump where there once lived a kindly tree.

    Roden knew this was going to pass and remembered what it was like to be GM in this situation. Now, it couldn''t be more different for him. That tree was the epitome of what it meant to be good-natured. With the old tree focused on Riakon, Roden had his moment.

    He threw his hand out as he ran, flames sputtered briefly before erupting into a blazing sword. Roden covered the distance between himself and the Treant in a full sprint. One of the major benefits of his conjured weapon was its lack of weight, impeding his movement. Instead, he was able to be light and fast.

    His attack came in the form of a two-handed overhead chop that seared and popped as he lopped off the majority of the branches that served as the tree''s left arm. As the Treant flailed about, Riakon tapped into his divine healing ability, Faith Healing.

    A warm golden glow radiated out from Riakon as his wounds visibly healed in seconds. The Treant locked onto Riakon. It drew itself up straight with the intent to make Riakon the nail to its hammer. Roden had found himself in the horrific position of only being able to watch as the Treant began its downward journey.

    From his perspective, all he could make out was a glint that became a bright orb of energy careening towards the creature''s trunk. That concentrated orbs erupted into a trunk rending explosion. In the aftermath of Errrkkkk¡¯s second Soul Sphere, the clearing was covered in splinters and a pile of branches where the base of the trunk had been.

    He had had plenty of time to charge it up while Riakon and Roden kept the Treant busy. Errrkkkk was a man on a mission the second his talons touched ground. He immediately began scouring the area as if he had lost something. It didn''t take long before he proudly presented a good-sized branch placed in a sack of dirt.

    ¡°We will grow them back, cacaw¡±

    For the rest of the day, the men gathered up as much of the Treant wood as possible. There were two reasons for this; first, Errrkkkk wanted to pay respects to their tree friend by making a massive nest using all of their remaining pieces. Second, Errrkkkk wanted to make sure they burned all of the older Treant¡¯s wood, so there was no chance it grew back.

    After assigning Riakon and Roden to the latter of the two tasks, Errrkkkk set himself to building the greatest nest possible. Roden could feel how much all of this meant to Errrkkkk. Roden knew what his friend¡¯s motivation was for his actions during their campaign, but here in the moment, things felt different. He waited until the three men were jovially laying in their nests around the massive bonfire that was the old Treant. At this point, he couldn¡¯t help himself. He had to ask.

    ¡°Hey Errrkkkk¡±

    ¡°Yeah, cacaw?"

    ¡°What made you stop there?¡±

    ¡°Stop where, cacaw?¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes ¡°What made you want to help that tree? They were nice to us and all, but it didn¡¯t seem like our fight until you made it our fight. I¡¯m complaining either, I was ready to throw down too, but I¡¯m curious about your reasoning.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy, cacaw. My whole life I was raised under the teachings of Era and one of her major lessons is that nature is everything. That we must protect it if we can. In my mind, our tree friend is exactly the type of nature that needs protecting, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I would agree, but wasn¡¯t that old Treant, nature too?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but that is old nature attempting to suffocate the new. Sometimes, what is old must die in order for the young to flourish. I just wish I had acted faster, cacaw.¡± a dejected expression flashed across his face at his last words.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, mate. You have your piece, and we will grow them back just as you said before.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but we wouldn¡¯t even need to do that if I had stopped them sooner, cacaw.¡± His hands balled into fists, and Roden could tell there were a lot of emotions going through the birdman.

    ¡°If I was stronger, I could have acted sooner. That Treant was so strong I wasn¡¯t sure we could win. That made me hesitate. I shouldn¡¯t have hesitated, cacaw.¡±

    There was a moment of silence among the men. Errrkkkk¡¯s sudden bout of regret filling his voice with anguish at the loss and his perceived mistake. Roden laid there looking up at the stars really taking in this foreign sky for the first time since he came to this world.

    The parallels of the situation and his real life were not lost on Roden. In fact, laying as they were reminded him of when he was in college. He and his friends had taken a camping trip up to the national forest.

    At night they would lay on their sleeping bags and stare at the stars while high on LSD. Roden was quite thankful that there was no LSD in his current situation. He had little faith in his ability to keep his shit together if his thoughts got away from him during a trip.

    While lying there, Roden couldn¡¯t help, but start to think of home. His real home, not the one in Coastall, a port city of this world. For the first time he let his home sickness wash over him. He thought of his wife, Joy.

    It had been so long since he had seen her. Up to now he had pushed it all down. He had needed to focus on surviving in this dangerous land, but he felt things were changing.

    He had a few levels now and had some real practice under his belt. He was bolstered by the fact they had just beat a full grown Treant. From what he could remember, Treants were high level creatures and that would have most definitely have been a deadly encounter.

    To him, it seemed that Errrkkkk was devastated at what had transpired and here he was uplifted by their success to the point where he cracked the door on his longing for home.

    Roden could only chuckle at how wild the situation he found himself in truly was, but the thing that tripped him up was the fact he didn¡¯t know how to get home or if he would even be able to get home.

    He missed his old life, being in this fantasy world was cool and he could manage the loneliness, but he couldn¡¯t help, but despair at not seeing his wife.

    When he thought of her all he could do was smile. They were quite the pair. She was organized, he was sloppy, she was anxious, he was more go with the flow, she was an introverted extrovert, and he was an extroverted introvert.

    She was science and hard evidence, he was creativity and interpretation. He openly admitted she made him better. In his mind, it was their differences that made them work so well together. Sure they had their scraps, but that was to be expected when two strong willed people spent so much time together.

    Roden could feel the tears begin to well up in his eyes. His chin pulled back involuntarily prompting a single tear to spill over his lashes. He let himself weep for a moment, but he knew he had to reel it back in.

    He couldn¡¯t explain his current state to Riakon and Errrkkkk. He didn¡¯t have a wife in this world. He pulled himself back together and sat up. He saw Errrkkkk and Riakon had both fallen asleep.

    Roden¡¯s wards were up so they didn¡¯t necessarily need a watch, but they had all agreed they should have one anyway given how big of a fire they were having. Climbing out of his personal nest, Roden stood and took a big stretch.

    If he wasn¡¯t careful he would fall asleep too and then who knows if anyone would wake up until morning. He figured he only had a few more hours on his watch anyway. Now on his feet he wandered around their camp a bit, tossing more wood on the fire and peering out into the dark woods.

    He still hadn¡¯t gotten used to his ability to see in the dark. It was a mind-boggling thing that seemed so simple. To him the strangeness came from it being part of his biology instead of some kind of technology.

    It¡¯s one thing to put on a pair of night vision goggles, here it was a whole different situation to just step outside of the bright light of the fire and peer out into the dark and see as if the moon was at its brightest made all the more unnatural as the sky was overcast with a blanket of dark gray clouds.

    While on his walk about the camp, Roden started to feel like there was something he was missing. It was similar to feeling watched, but whatever it was never got close enough to give away even that much. After a few hours Roden woke Errrkkkk and settled himself into his nest.

    ¡°Aye Errrkkkk, there might be something far out there. I haven¡¯t seen anything, but I just have this feeling. I don¡¯t know mate, maybe it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out, cacaw.¡±

 Interlude

    Interlude

    Errrkkkk¡¯s watch started as it usually did, he added wood to the fire, no need to conserve this wood. It all needed to burn to ash before they left in the morning. Once the fire was back to a dull blaze, he walked the perimeter of the camp while stretching his wings. Once that was done he located the tallest tree just outside of the fire¡¯s brightest light and flew up with a few powerful flaps of his wings.

    He found a large enough space for him to perch and watch over the camp and its outlying areas. It was moments like this that made him thankful they had Roden with them. As great as it was to have his high vantage point, he had to admit he couldn¡¯t see much of anything in the dark. With his scouting being futile in the presence of Roden¡¯s wards, Errrkkkk set to meditating. He prayed to the goddess Era,

    ¡°Please forgive my hesitation, I will get stronger so I never have to hesitate again and make you proud, cacaw.¡±

    Out of the darkness came a soft feminine voice that sounded like a breeze,

    ¡°The Lady Era is proud of you, young one."

    ¡°Cacaw! What the hell!? Cacaw!¡± The sudden intrusion of the silence had taken him off guard and nearly caused him to slip off his perch, only his outstretched wing kept him from tumbling out of the tree. He looked around vigorously searching for the source of the voice.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I am right here, feathered one. I mean you no harm. I was sent here to speak with you.¡±

    Errrkkkk could just make out movement in the direction of the voice. When he strained he could see a humanoid shaped silhouette sitting on a thick branch to his left. He could just make out the vaguely feminine features, the figure had long hair that flowed past her shoulders. From what he could make out it had a lithe body that easily held it stable on the branch.

    ¡°If Era sent you, what¡¯s the message, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°I already gave you the message, dear one. She wants you to know that you did well. That you were faced with what could be seen as a crisis of faith and you prevailed in a way that was beyond what the Goddess expected from one so young.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t strong enough. If I was stronger I could have saved her, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°That may be true, but by your sacrifice, demonstration of purity, and conviction something far greater has come about. You see in its final moments that tree was comforted by your kindness and with its last thought it thanked the goddess for having met you. This gave the goddess a rare opportunity. She has placed a blessing upon you. All you must do to confer that blessing is care for and nurture your little root and it will grow into a strong guardian. One that will protect you as you did for its mother. ¡±

    ¡°By the Goddess, I will do this, cacaw.¡± His voice taking on a solemn tone.

    There was a moment of silence followed by the feeling of soft hands wrapping around him from behind. In that gentle embrace Errrkkkk felt a sense of warmth and comfort.

    ¡°The Goddess loves you dear one. Never forget that.¡±

    As her grip of him loosened she faded back into the branch they shared, her body slowly being absorbed into the tree itself until Errrkkkk was alone once more.

 Chapter 10- Manéˆ¥æªš Best Friend

    Chapter 10

    Over the next few days the party continued their travel from Bo¡¯s to the Outpost where they had taken their contracts. They spent the night at the Outpost resting and collecting their reward.

    Riakon and Errrkkkk managed to convince the contract attendant that the mission to investigate the missing people was much more dangerous than the contract stated and got a hefty bit of hazard pay on top of the listed amount. With their new found wealth the men enjoyed a night in one of the Outpost¡¯s cozier rooms before setting out towards the port city of Coastall.

    After spending the day on the long winding path the men set to making camp for the evening. By now each man knew their assignment, Errrkkkk set to assembling the nest shelter from sticks and available vegetation.

    Riakon gathered firewood and got the fire going, all while Roden set his wards around the camp. Roden was in the midst of setting a ward when he heard Riakon¡¯s voice from the trees.

    ¡°Gentlemen, come here I have found something you must see.¡±

    Roden returned to the camp proper and noticed Riakon was seated on the ground with a small furry creature nestled in his lap that was gnawing on a piece of dried meat with little success.

    ¡°What is that, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk said as he drew closer.

    ¡°Well while I was out collecting firewood I came across this little guy.¡± he said while giving the creature a scratch behind its disproportionately large ears.

    It was then Roden got a good look at the thing. It was about the size of a small raccoon with large ears that reminded Roden of a fennec fox. Its face was otherwise rounded, with big eyes and a large mouth that nearly split its face in half. Roden had to admit the thing was adorable just as he had written it all those years ago.

    This was a creature of his own devising. However, he was not prepared to see it in the flesh, or fur as it were. Its fur was mottled shades of brown with a light patch of whitish gray fur on its belly. With the tiny wings on its back it could¡¯ve passed for one of Stitch¡¯s cousins from that Disney movie.

    ¡°I think I am going to keep him.¡±

    ¡°Riakon, you can¡¯t just keep any animal you find, cacaw. Its parents are probably looking for it as we speak cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yes, about that. It practically ran into my arms when I found it. I tracked its path back through the trees and found what I assume was its mother. She had some pretty big gashes in her. The poor little guy must have watched her die, I couldn¡¯t just leave him there.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but you¡¯re the one taking care of it, cacaw.¡±

    A big toothy grin spread across Riakon¡¯s face as he looked down at his new furry companion who seemed to copy his new friend with a toothy grin of his own.

    ¡°Do either of you know what this little guy even is?¡±

    ¡°You know I haven¡¯t seen one, cacaw¡± Errrkkkk said, giving Riakon a flat look.

    Roden struggled internally, his natural inclination was to give a lore dump about everything he wrote for these homebrew creatures. He had come up with these furry gargoyles a decade ago while making a random table for this section of The Wilds.

    At the time, he wanted something to rival the Owlbear in lore. Eventually he came up with the Garg.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a Garg. I¡¯d have to see the adult to be positive, but I am pretty sure.¡± He figured it was less suspicious if he played it cool rather than come right out. After all, no one likes a know-it-all.

    ¡°What the hell is a Garg cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Well if I remember correctly, they are essentially furry gargoyles. They were created by some wizard in the War of the Barons. They used them as guards and sentries. That little guy has better vision than all of us. He can see in complete darkness as if it were day and a limited ability to see through illusion magic. Their sense of smell ain¡¯t too bad either.¡±

    ¡°If they were created how¡¯d they get to be in the Wilds cacaw?¡±

    Roden feigned a thoughtful look before continuing,

    ¡°Well when they were created they were instilled with a great sense of loyalty. When the War was over, the wizard was gone so any of the remaining Garg had no one to look to for direction. I¡¯m sure some stuck with their handlers, but those who had no connection dispersed. It hasn¡¯t been all that long, only about eighty years or so since then so there isn¡¯t much research on their behaviors.¡±

    ¡°Are they dangerous?¡± he said as the baby Garg pushed his face into Riakon¡¯s scratches.

    Roden hemmed and hawed, ¡°They definitely can be dangerous. That little guy will grow to be about seven feet tall and nothing, but hard muscle. Those wings will let him fly which adds a whole other dimension to their ambush style of attack. The thing that made them particularly deadly during the war was their uncanny ability to learn by mimicking their handler.¡±

    Riakon¡¯s face lit up with unadulterated joy, ¡°You mean, I can teach him to fight!?¡±

    ¡°If you wanted, yeah, you could teach him to fight with you. Given how young he is and that he seems to have latched onto you as his handler. I¡¯d say it¡¯s very likely his ¡°wizard given¡± instincts kick in.¡±

    Riakon lifted the Garg into the air like a baby. ¡°Do you hear that little buddy? You are going to be a big strong boy. You¡¯re going to rip faces off for sure,¡± he cooed.

    Tandem face palms came from the other party members.

    ¡°Just make sure you keep him fed. Garg are prolific carnivores with big appetites and he is a growing boy.¡±

    ¡°Okay Mom, I will take good care of him. C¡¯mon little guy, let¡¯s go get some firewood and see if we can find some dinner too¡±

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    Roden and Errrkkkk glanced at each other and just shook their heads back and forth in an unspoken what-the-fuck moment and went back to their tasks while Riakon set out, the fur ball with teeth close at his heels.

    After leaving the Outpost and finding the little Garg, they walked for seven long days before they were able to abandon the trees and finally walk the rolling hills colloquially known as the Green Sea. A name Roden had arrived at when considering it was most likely sailors from the port cities who would have named this area.

    Long before the time of the current King and the Dark Times, during the reign of the Lich Orvell, this land was known as Southern Fallown, but Roden had been forced to rewrite his map after that first party failed to stop his Big Bad Evil Guy.

    All three men were visibly relieved to be leaving the forest. They were met with a strong cool breeze that carried the scent of the sea deep inland. Roden was beyond flabbergasted how far they had come in a week. If he remembered correctly they had walked over a hundred miles since leaving the Outpost.

    While he wouldn¡¯t say it was easy, he had to admit it wasn¡¯t nearly as rough as he would have expected. It made sense when he thought about it. His superhuman constitution made him less susceptible to fatigue and made him recover that much faster. Not one time did he feel any sign of soreness from his muscles.

    There hadn¡¯t been much time for training or practicing his spells, but he couldn¡¯t help, but play with the flames in the campfire using his first common spell. He would make them hop about and try to bend them into different shapes before they extinguished from lack of anything to burn.

    Sure Roden felt a little childish to use magic to play with fire, but Roden couldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity to flex his new found magic especially in these little moments of down time.

    This was something Roden had always found truly fascinating about roleplaying characters in a magic world. He had always played casters with a sense of awe at their magic. His thought was that even people who grew up around magic would still take pride in their use of it, or at least in his mind they should.

    Undoubtedly, there would be people in the world who took magic for granted, but Roden made it a point to bask in the feeling of on demand wonder.

    Over their travels Roden had practiced casting his other Common spells. His spell Immediate Focus quickly became his favorite to cast on repeat. He found that whenever he needed to do a quick task he could whip that spell out and a sudden and powerful sense of competency would rush over him like the first cup of coffee in the morning, but all at once and at the moment of casting.

    In some ways it was an addicting feeling to be so locked in on a task. The other spell was Theoturgy, a common spell for clerics that did random little things, lately all he had used it for was to change the color of the campfire while he played with the flames.

    A few hours past midday, the party finally found the river that would lead them all the way to Coastall. With their future path secured, the three men went to work establishing a camp. The sky was clear of clouds and the warmth of spring made a shelter a bit overkill, so they made the plan to lay out their bed rolls and sleep under the stars with a small fire for warmth.

    While Roden set his wards and Errrkkkk searched for firewood from the sky, Riakon and the little Garg made their way to the river¡¯s edge to fish. While casting his spell Roden would peer over and see how Riakon was doing. Roden had fished a fair bit in his life. He knew which end of the pole to hold and even had a nice collection of lures for fishing the inland lakes near his home.

    On the other hand he knew Riakon had little to no fishing experience having lived in a mountain monastery for all of his life up to a month or so ago. Roden gave him the benefit of the doubt, assuming he at least knew the general idea. His first observations proved true as Riakon had fashioned a pole out of a straight-ish stick. He¡¯d put a line on it with a strand from a scrape of rope and seemed to be working on a hook.

    It took about an hour for Roden to finish his wards. Once completed Roden went to see how things were going with Riakon. At this point Riakon had waded knee deep into the river and had his eyes locked on the water as it flowed by at a leisurely pace.

    ¡°Aye Riakon?¡±

    ¡°Shhhhh I am trying to concentrate.¡±

    ¡°Right, but¡­¡± Roden trailed off as it was clear Riakon was not listening.

    Figuring if you can¡¯t beat¡¯em, join¡¯em. Roden tracked down the pole Riakon had been using and set to making a lure to go on the end of the line instead of a hook and dried piece of meat from their rations.

    Roden found a piece of driftwood about the size of his thumb and judged it to be the correct size for his idea. He sat down to begin carving his hunk of wood into a more fish-like shape when he remembered to cast Immediate Focus.

    With the spell¡¯s boost he mapped out what he wanted to do in his mind and put knife to wood. After a few minutes he had a wooden fish, his spell had inspired him to craft an angled tongue at the head of the lure to hopefully give it the ability to dive under the water as he reeled it in.

    He knew it would naturally float which was good, but being able to dive and float gave him more chances at getting a fish.

    Every few minutes Roden would have his concentration interrupted by a splash followed by groans of frustration. Riakon was having no luck in his attempts at hand fishing.

    The best thing to come from his attempts was the unreasonably adorable moments when the little Garg would try to do the same. He would slap the water with his paw and then stare at it quizzically, unsure if he wanted to tolerate the water on his fur. One thing was certain, the Garg remained on the bank of the river, only getting close enough to dip his paw in and then shuffling back while shaking his paw dry.

    With the body of his lure complete Roden¡¯s next task was to secure a substantial hook. In his mind only a treble hook would be worth the effort. By luck he ran across some small bones along the bank of the river and was able to make an abomination of a hook, but a usable abomination nonetheless.

    After a few practice casts, Roden put all his effort towards catching a fish. It was quite the novel feeling for Roden to be fishing for his dinner. In his entire life fishing was always just a form of recreation and relaxation.

    Everything about fishing was calming to him. He¡¯d cast out, give the line a tug to make his lure dive a little, let it sit, and pull it all the way in when nothing took it. Roden had to give Riakon his credit, he put in the time. Riakon had to have stood in the river for over an hour, when Roden heard a loud splash.

    When his eyes locked in on the source he saw Errrkkkk floating in the river up to his neck as he swam towards the bank to pull himself out. Riakon saw this and took it as a challenge. Roden saw this and started laughing.

    These two really did remind him of his friends back home. Roden continued to chuckle as Errrkkkk dragged his body up the bank and shook off. The moment of comedy was broken when the pole in Roden¡¯s hand was yanked so hard it nearly fell into the river. Roden cursed as instinct took over and he leaned back while giving the rod a yank of his own to set the hook.

    With no reel on his makeshift pole, he grabbed the line and started wrapping it over his hand while attempting to drag his catch to shore. After a few moments of intense struggle he was able to get the thing on the bank. With the fish on the grass beyond the bank Roden was able to let out a sign of relief.

    When he approached the fish he recognized it as a Bass, he figured it was most likely a largemouth as it had a dark stripe running across its body. It wasn¡¯t a huge fish, but he figured he could get a couple filets off of it. Roden set the fish aside.

    ¡°Aye we got one!¡±

    His outburst was met with grumbles from the other two men who looked to have redoubled their efforts at catching a fish of their own. Roden understood the sentiment and grabbed his pole to try again with the bit of daylight left. Over the next hour, they had some excitement.

    Riakon¡¯s patience paid off and he snatched a largemouth bass out of the water with his bare claw. He nearly dropped it back into the water, but managed to secure it by the lip and wade back to shore.

    Errrkkkk had by far the toughest time circling above doing his best eagle impression, dive bombing the water and coming up empty each time. Roden pulled in two panfish that fit in his hand. He almost tossed them back out of sheer habit, but caught himself and put them with his other catch.

    As the sun got low in the sky, Errrkkkk and Riakon gave up on fishing and turned their attention to cooking up their fish. Roden figured a couple more casts would do it for him too. He was rewarded for his effort with another strong tug signaling he had something.

    After a few tense moments of struggle, both Errrkkkk and Riakon rushed over to see what Roden had, it wasn¡¯t until he had the fish on shore were they able to tell that it was another panfish.

    ¡°I swear it put up a hell of a fight¡± Roden said sheepishly.

    ¡°It¡¯s cause you¡¯re weak¡± Riakon and Errrkkkk said simultaneously followed by Errrkkkk¡¯s lone ¡°cacaw.¡±

    With that, Roden gathered up his pole and fish. It was time to get cooking. When the men got back to their makeshift camp Riakon and Errrkkkk began looking around. Roden tensed.

    ¡°What¡¯s up guys?¡±

    ¡°My fish is gone. I left it right there.¡± he gestured toward a flat rock at the edges of their camp. Realization struck all three men at once. Roden and Errrkkkk couldn¡¯t help, but chuckle at their conclusion.

    It didn¡¯t take long before Riakon found the little Garg with his face covered in a pink sheen and the remains of Riakon¡¯s fish at his feet and a toothy grin across face. The little guy had eaten the majority of one side of the fish bones and all.

    ¡°Can we even be mad cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Probably not, scavenging is in his blood, especially being so young.¡±

    Riakon grabbed what was left of the fish in one hand and scooped up the Garg in the other. He carried both back to his rock and set to cleaning the rest of the fish. He¡¯d toss the undesirable parts to the Garg and when he was done they skewered the fish meat on sticks next to the fire.

    Roden used his Common spell to keep the fire from burning the fish while they cooked. Over dinner the conversation drifted back to their new companion.

    ¡°Aye Riakon, don¡¯t you think the little guy needs a name cacaw?¡±

    Grabbing the Garg, nestled in his lap, Riakon lifted him into the air like a baby.

    ¡°What should be your name, little guy?¡±

    ¡°Grrrokk¡± the sound was garbled and gravelly in the little non-human¡¯s voice, but unmistakable. The three men sat in silence for a moment.

    ¡°Did he just answer you cacaw?¡±

    ¡°They are quite intelligent, ¡± Roden said, trying to be nonchalant. He already knew the Garg¡¯s name as he was the one who gave it to him, but to watch the situation unfold in front of him was a wild experience.

    ¡°Are you saying your name is Grok?¡±

    The furry little creature flapped its little wings and wiggled its whole body in delight.

    ¡°Then Grok it is!¡±

 Chapter 11-The City of Coastall

    Chapter 11

    The city of Coastall was a quintessential port town along the southern coast of Mir. It would be more accurate to say it was the southern coast of Vairhon, which was the name of the piece of the continent of Mir that it sat upon.

    When the Dark Lich took over he shattered the continent into four main pieces. The largest was to the west and retained its name, Fallown. Technically, Fallown was the name of the entire continent prior to the Dark Times, and it was broken up using the cardinal directions. The current Fallown was originally broken up into North and West Fallown. What was once East Fallown was split in half.

    The northern portion was completely cut off from the rest of the continent and became a haven for the races of Mir that enjoyed living in the cold dim tundra that arose after the shattering. The dwarves of Mir took it upon themselves to build the sunken city of D¡¯Oreizahn.

    To call it sunken was a bit of a misnomer, but it was one that had stuck given the fact the city was built at the bottom of a hole in the ground. To most the city became known as Orestown as that was a bit easier on the common tongue.

    Vairhon came from the remains of East Fallown and South Fallown. In the wake of King Roderick¡¯s defeat of the Lich and the end of the Dark Times. The Vairh family used their influence and wealth to position themselves as the de facto leaders, while Roderick consolidated his power and established his monarchy. If it wasn¡¯t for the stabilizing guidance of the Vairh it is unclear if things would have gone as smoothly for the new kingdom.

    Because of their benefit to the kingdom the Vairh family was given near absolute power over Vairhon in exchange for joining the kingdom and giving fealty to Roderick. The one caveat to the situation was Coastall.

    It existed long before the Dark Times and was one of the few cities that remained relatively safe during the reign of the Lich. The main reason for this was its function as Mir¡¯s greatest port city. This was partially due to its position along the coast, but also its access to vast amounts of farmland just outside the city limits.

    The vast meadows known as the Green Sea surrounded Coastall on three sides. To its north and east there was ample space for huge swaths of agriculture. To its west was a major delta where the Wild¡¯s River emptied into the Southern Sea.

    With its position as an indispensable piece of land, Coastall has always been able to keep its head above water no matter what has happened around it. A major factor in its success has been its unique form of government. Coastall was technically loyal and answered to the Vairh, but was overseen by the Council of Merchants made up of the most successful merchants in Coastall¡¯s harbors.

    This made Coastall essentially a city-state that held more property and wealth than any other city in the kingdom and as long as they paid their taxes everyone was happy to let the merchants do their thing. However, this all led to the city being a place of passing.

    Those who lived in Coastall were mostly merchant or wealthy farming families who no longer had to work their fields. The majority of Coastall¡¯s population at any given time was people on their way to somewhere else.

    All of these facts rushed through Roden¡¯s mind as he got his first look upon the city from atop a massive hill that led down to the last meadow.

    Over the course of this last leg of their journey to Coastall, Roden began having flashbacks of his life in Coastall with his mother. He was raised in this city. His father, Rolen, had purchased a plot of land and had built a good sized home on the east side of the city.

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    His mother never had to work much and their needs were met. He remembered his father would visit on rare occasions and as strange as it was he recalled missing him as a child when he wasn¡¯t around.

    When his fictional memories would get too intense he would shake his head to clear it. Those memories were a constant reminder that this wasn¡¯t his life, but he could completely remove himself from the story. The presence of his fictional mother in Coastall made Roden incredibly uncomfortable.

    He didn¡¯t know this woman yet he would undoubtedly have to bring Errrkkkk and Riakon to his home at some point. His mother would kill him if he didn¡¯t stop by¡­ He had just done it again.

    It became very clear to him that the longer he was in this world and the more he engaged with his backstory the more he became a part of this world.

    His mind was constantly absorbed with the trappings of his life here and found his thoughts of his real home would get pushed aside. Maybe that was a survival mechanism to help him focus on the story at hand or maybe he was just going crazy. Roden wasn¡¯t completely sure which was the case, but figured when in Rome do as the Romans do, except hopefully he didn¡¯t have to kill Caesar.

    When the party first walked through the main gates to the city they were greeted by Coastall¡¯s famous Main street. On either side of the cobbled road were shops and food vendors. As they walked along the side of the street they were propositioned by countless people selling street food or trying to entice them to enter their shop to look at their wares.

    They were able to make it through the main street without losing too much coin. Neither Errrkkkk nor Roden could pull Riakon away from the roasted gull on a stick, or the fried rice balls, or the stuffed clams.

    Even Errrkkkk couldn¡¯t resist the street corn slathered in butter, salt, and a red spicy powder the vendor claimed was a secret recipe. It was the vendor selling fresh lobster rolls that broke Roden.

    Sure he had gotten something at each food stand, but once he saw the man whip together that lobster sandwich and his mouth started watering, he had to insist on the small detour. As Roden ate he had an incredible sense of nostalgia as if he had done this very thing.

    He hadn¡¯t recognized anything in particular and he still felt as if he was experiencing everything for the first time. Yet, in the back of his mind something tickled at his consciousness. With bellies fuller than they had been in over a week, the men made it to the Adventurer¡¯s Square. A place near the middle of Coastall that held shops and resources an adventurer would need.

    Roden knew that the shops in this main square were the franchise style shops. Sure, anyone could buy their most basic healing potions, rations, and other equipment, but if an adventurer didn¡¯t want to settle for the fast food of supplies they had to work their way a little deeper into the city, but that¡¯ll come later. For now, they needed to pop in and register up with the Outpost in the city.

    The Outpost was a large semi-replica of the Outpost in the Wilds. It had the same octagonal shape and was at least three stories tall with a large windmill at the top. The large double doors in front were held open, granting access to the main room. That is where the similarities ended.

    Where the Outpost in the Wilds was primarily an inn, tavern, and resupply. This Outpost was the DMV of adventuring complete with lines, waiting areas, and contract boards.

    The look of utter horror on Riakon and Errrkkkk¡¯s faces was priceless. Roden wasn¡¯t worried. He knew this place forward and backward. He ushered his companions to the proper line, gave the attendant the correct information and in a matter of minutes they all had their badges that identified them as bottom tier adventurers.

    ¡°Roden, I could kiss you.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t."

    ¡°I am not kidding, I thought I was going to lose my mind waiting in endless lines.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me just yet. We¡¯ll have to go back once we have a place to stay and get set up with some contracts.¡±

    The two nonhumans looked at Roden and each put a finger to their nose in the unspoken game of nose-goes.

    ¡°Okay okay, I will go back and register our room and set up some contract options.¡±

    Roden had instinctually been leading the group down a side street that led toward the inn he was looking for when he noticed both Riakon and Errrkkkk had stopped in their tracks. When Roden back tracked to see what they were looking at he nearly laughed.

    They had looked down a road that had given them a full view of the Coastall Adventure Arena.

    Roden knew full well that now that they had seen it, that is where they were going. If there was one thing that drove these two more than anything it was sweet sweet experience points and this was the one campaign he ran with pure experience points.

    He had put this arena here in Coastall for that very reason. If he hadn¡¯t there was a one hundred percent chance that these two would¡¯ve pulled a ¡°South Park¡± and spent session after session killing boars or whatever else they could find in the Wilds. At least with the Arena he could manage them a bit and keep things¡­

    At that thought a cold sweat ran down Roden¡¯s spine. His realization hit him like a ton of bricks. His presence on their team was going to mean their fights in the arena were going to be completely different.

    ¡°You good man, cacaw?¡±

    Roden snapped out of his moment of shock, ¡°Yeah I¡¯m good.¡±

    ¡°Great! We want to go check out this arena, cacaw.¡±

    Resigned to his fate, Roden followed his two companions with a fraction of the glee radiating off the others.

 Chapter 12-Arena Time

    Chapter 12

    Upon entering the Arena lobby, Errrkkkk and Riakon were overtaken with the commotion. People of all sorts were rushing about, some waving tickets and cheering, some distraught saps dragged themselves towards the exits, and then there was a third type of people dressed in armor moving through the crowd.

    With a sigh, Roden dragged his two companions over to the combatant registration window. When they reached the front of the line they met with a middle aged human woman with half moon glasses attached to a chain around her neck and her light brown hair done up in a curly perm.

    ¡°Names.¡± her voice came out as cold as a winter¡¯s day.

    ¡°Hello, ummm we are new and want to sign up for an afternoon slot.¡± Roden said with a smile.

    Unflinching the woman pushed forward a baseball sized ball of clear glass.

    ¡°Place your hand on the ball one at a time. We need to log your power levels.¡±

    After each man completed the scan, they gave the woman the rest of their information.

    ¡°Okay and what is your group name?¡±

    The three men looked at each other for a moment before Errrkkkk piped up.

    ¡°We are ''The Sons of Era-rchy'' cacaw¡±

    ¡°Is the cacaw part of your name?¡±

    ¡°No¡± Riakon and Roden said simultaneously as Errrkkkk raged silently.

    ¡°Okay I have a space for the Intermission bout. I can only schedule ya if you¡¯re willing to take on a creature fight. Do you accept?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is perfect thank you.¡±

    ¡°You have about an hour to get ready. Your power signatures have been added to the system. Place your hand on the door plate and it will let you into the preparation rooms. In there you will find potions which you can bring into the fight or save for after. Someone will come get you five minutes before the start. Any questions? No, good. Next.¡±

    Over the next hour the men sat in their preparation room and discussed their plan for the upcoming fight. Which to say, there wasn¡¯t much of a plan. The gist of it was Errrkkkk and Riakon would charge the creatures and beat the hell out of them until they won.

    Roden was a little apprehensive of this plan considering he couldn¡¯t take the same kind of damage they could. They figured his best bet was to hang back and cast from a distance, which was all well and good except everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth and in this case it was more likely he¡¯d be bitten, slashed, or crushed.

    He imagined the plan would all go to shit once that happened. However, as the time drew closer Roden had a thought. If he had to fight, these were the two friends he wanted with him. He wished he could remember what this fight was during their campaign, but nothing came to mind when he tried to recall it.

    They all pocketed a potion with Roden taking two of the four available. When the time came a small man knocked on the inner door calling them to join him. Riakon sat down with Grok and tried to explain to him he needed to stay in this room until they came back.

    It wasn¡¯t clear if the creature understood, but after their talk he hopped up on a chair and curled up into a ball. They had to walk down a long hallway that led to the mouth of the tunnel that opened up into the arena.

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to activate any pre-fight abilities now is the time.¡± the small man¡¯s voice barely cut over the rumble of the crowd overhead.

    With that Roden casted his Blessed Traveler spell with the incantation ¡°speed be with you.¡±

    ¡°And also with you.¡± A hint of mocking to Riakon¡¯s voice.

    The irony of the comment nearly caused Roden to short circuit as the spell washed over all three of them leaving an ephemeral glow about their feet and Errrkkkk¡¯s wings. Riakon as a character didn¡¯t understand the reference yet here he was making it. The incongruity of the interaction had Roden spiraling.

    Riakon had cast his Faith Shield spell granting him further protection, while Errrkkkk activated the magic on his staff causing it to glow a faint green. When the small man gave the signal the three walked out of the tunnel and into the afternoon light of the arena.

    The arena was a flat slab of hard stone with no cover of any kind. This was going to be a straight up fight with no frills. As they walked to their marks designated by a large rectangle labeled ¡°Red Corner¡± a booming voice rang through the arena.

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    ¡°Innnnnnnn the Red Corner, we have a brand new group ready for their first fight in the Coastall Adventure Arena. They are the strong, the powerful, the faithful, Sons. of. Era-rchy!!!!¡±

    The crowd erupted with practiced enthusiasm, Roden knew they magically pumped in artificial crowd noise to make things more exciting, but he kept that bit to himself as the goofy grins on his companions¡¯ faces were too good to tarnish with a truth so meaningless.

    ¡°Innnnnnnnn the Blue Corner, we have a pair of vicious creatures from lands far away. They terrorize their prey and are known to kill for the sport of it. I give you the nasty, the terrible, the scourge of fey forests, thhheeeeee Phantom Ferox!!!!¡±

    With that introduction, two cages lifted out of the ground. Each cage held a dark brown panther-like creature with glowing yellow eyes and what looked like three tails, one short and two much longer each tipped with a forked claw. Roden knew what these were. They weren¡¯t just simple beasts.

    ¡°Guys, watch out. Those things look like tails but are completely prehensile and they¡¯ll use them to grab onto you. If I remember right, they use optical illusions too. They appear in one place when they are actually next to it. ¡±

    Riakon looked at him with a blank expression.

    ¡°Prehensile means they can move it like a hand.¡±

    Riakon nodded in understanding.

    ¡°Ready!!! Set!!!! Fight!!!!¡±

    It was in that second, Roden realized he forgot to activate his Moment of Ignition. Which he did, causing a cloak of flames to erupt around him as the cages opened and the fight began.

    Errrkkkk and Riakon took off their enhanced speed allowing them to cover the distance rapidly as the Ferox mirrored their charge. Just as they were about to collide in an epic clash, Errrkkkk and Riakon both sailed right through their targets having fallen for the illusions the Ferox projected.

    At first, Roden assumed the creatures would whirl around and strike, instead they barreraled forward at increasing speed straight towards him. These damn things had correctly assumed that he was the squishiest of the three and would likely make for an easy kill.

    As the Ferox drew closer Roden figured he had two choices; he could stand his ground, bring out his Flame Blade and meet them head on, or run like hell and hope to Era that the others would get to him before the Ferox did. Then he did neither of those things, gathered his resolve, waited as long as he dared, and activated his Pilgrim¡¯s Rebuke.

    The shockwave caught the two Ferox sending them tumbling across the stone, their illusionary selves flickering before fading away. The creatures rolled to their feet in a picture of feline grace when they were hit with the secondary effect of his ability. In their minds, Roden had become a much more terrifying figure, his magic crafting a vivid hallucination.

    As the Feroxes backed away, the one to Roden¡¯s left was battered by a barrage of golden energy blasts courtesy of Errrkkkk from his wing given vantage point. While the Ferox to Roden¡¯s right was introduced to the business end of Riakon¡¯s two handed hammer.

    Both Ferox suffered greatly from their mistake and lashed out at their attackers. Errrkkkk was too high for his Ferox to reach even when it leapt into the air and whipped out its tentacle-like tails. Riakon was able to fend off one of his opponents strikes, but took a hit to his unprotected forearm. The forked claw dug into his scales before pulling back leaving two shallow, but wide scratches behind.

    Not wanting to waste his chance, Roden shouted ¡°Ignite!¡± the bead of red hot magic careened toward the Ferox focused on Errrkkkk. The spell caught the creature off guard and it was engulfed in cinders that quickly stuck to the creature¡¯s short fur. Roden¡¯s ¡°Blaze¡± ability came next, turning the cinders into a full fire.

    Errrkkkk followed up with a swooping combination of a staff strike to the creature¡¯s head and a flipping kick to its spine only capable by someone with powerful wings to generate the kind of force necessary for it to be practical.

    Riakon was not having the same kind of luck as his companions. His follow up hammer strike had missed and buried the head of his hammer into the stone, leaving him wide open for the Ferox¡¯s attack. He managed to duck the first, but the second tail got him again, this time narrowly missing his neck and instead dragging across his collarbone and down his left shoulder.

    Riakon gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the Ferox as it began to flicker again, its illusion coming back into effect. On the other side, the flaming Ferox managed to strike out and catch Errrkkkk with both of its tails drawing a squawk from the birdfolk more in surprise than pain.

    However, instead of simply slashing at him, they latched onto his leg and dragged him to the ground. Roden found himself faced with a difficult decision and no time to make it. Knowing that Riakon could heal himself made the decision to help Errrkkkk a bit easier, but he was a little worried for his friend.

    They needed to finish the Ferox on Errrkkkk and make this a three on one. Roden drew on more magic than was necessary and pumped it into his Ignition Bolt. The equation was simple; more magic equals more power equals more damage, it was essentially the Associative property of magic.

    ¡°Ignite '''' the incantation spoken, the spell was launched and just as it was about to hit its target, the creature hopped back causing Roden¡¯s spell to sail beyond the Ferox and burst against the far wall of the arena.

    In the commotion Errrkkkk chose to go on the offense instead of dealing with the beast¡¯s grip on his leg. He spun his staff up over his head and slammed it down in a mighty blow to the side of the Ferox¡¯s face. His follow up claw missed its mark, but the Ferox was looking worse for wear.

    Riakon had to admit, things were not going his way. He watched as the Ferox circled around him, its tails flicked back and forth preparing to strike. With its illusion back in place Riakon wasn¡¯t sure how to handle this creature, then an idea came over him. He closed his eyes and gripped the shaft of his hammer.

    The weapon began to glow with a bright yellow light. His ability Sanctify granted his weapon divine guidance. He didn¡¯t need to see the creature, he just had to have faith.

    In one powerful motion, he ripped his hammer from the ground and swung it in a wide arc toward where he thought the Ferox would be. The maneuver nearly worked as the Ferox narrowly avoided the attack. Unfortunately for Riakon, it left him wide open for a counter attack.

    Both of the Ferox¡¯s tails dug into his shoulders and raked down his back tearing his cloak. It was Riakon¡¯s guttural roar of frustration and rage that drew Roden¡¯s attention.

    Roden took stock of the magic he had left, his magic was at about half of what he started with. He couldn¡¯t manage much more than one more at initiate level and maybe a couple at trainee level after that. He hoped he was making the right decision.

    He started running, mid run he threw his hand out and cast his last initiate tier spell for the day, his Flame Blade erupted into his hand as he slid into place, putting himself at Riakon¡¯s back. He readied himself, figuring a counter attack was his best bet.

    With his back covered Riakon grinned devilishly and attacked the Ferox with reckless abandon. The move paid off instantly as Riakon was able to connect with his sweeping hammer. It ripped through the illusion and caught the Ferox in the shoulder. The creature responded by lashing out wildly with its tails, both of which pierced Riakon¡¯s forearm as he shielded his face from the creature¡¯s strike.

    In that moment of distraction Roden countered, his Flame Blade spell guided him into a thrust that pierced the Ferox¡¯s side, the flames burning and sputtering against its flesh. The Ferox cried out in a feral growl and hiss. It leapt back from its two opponents.

    Roden immediately shifted back, putting Riakon between himself and the beast. From there, he saw Errrkkkk deliver another powerful strike with his staff that had the Ferox reeling before he clasped his hands together at his hip before and drove them forward unleashing a torrent of chi energy,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    When the blast dissipated the Ferox was left in a smoldering heap unable to continue. The crowd around them erupted in utter amazement. Hearing that, Riakon found a renewed sense of vigor.

    This time when he swung the Ferox didn¡¯t have its illusion to protect it from his Sanctified weapon, as Riakon connected he dumped as much of his divine magic as he could into a massive smiting blow. The attack was exactly what Riakon was waiting for.

    His magic infused strike exploded against the Ferox and despite it having not taken much damage prior to the attack, the front portion of its body was nearly torn asunder as it flopped and bounced across the stone of the arena floor.

 Chapter 13- VIP Treatment

    Chapter 13

    ¡°Did yall hear those cheers cacaw!? Did you hear them when I blasted that cat cacaw!?¡±

    The birdfolk could barely contain himself after they had won their fight. Roden had to admit it was an addicting feeling having so many people cheering for them.

    ¡°Do you guys see when I flipped around and hit¡¯em with that kick cacaw?!¡±

    Roden was still buzzing from the climax of the fight. By the time they made it back to their preparation room he realized it was because he had leveled up again.

    The realization made him chuckle to himself a bit as that was right on track with how this campaign went. Rapid level advancement in a short period of time. He¡¯d have to take care of that level up later as now that the fight was over they had a few things they still needed to do and really none of them were going to be quick.

    First they got paid, which Roden almost forgot about. They ended up making a tidy some as most people in the stands had bet against them and the odds were not in their favor. Being that competitors were not allowed to bet on their own fights, the arena paid out a percentage of the profit in the event of an underdog win, which were generally pretty rare.

    The coin bag the small man dropped off at their room was bulging with gold coins. They all stared at their winnings for a few moments before cleaning up. Riakon healed himself and Errrkkkk with his own ability so they could save the potions.

    Existing the Arena lobby the men stepped out into the late afternoon sun. An ocean breeze ruffled their clothes and cooled their sweat soaked bodies.

    ¡°Where to next?¡±

    ¡°We need a place to stay cacaw¡±

    ¡°I know just the place, but we need a change of clothes first.¡±

    Both men looked down and tugged at their clothes mildly affronted at Roden¡¯s insinuation. While Roden couldn¡¯t remember everything about Coastall he did know the main streets to some degree.

    In this case, he knew he wanted to go to the Golden Dew Inn which was located on Port Street near the docks, but before they went there. They needed clothes of a better cloth, which he knew they could get at the tailor shop just north of Port Street.

    It didn¡¯t take them too long to make the journey and when they arrived they spoke with an older elven man who helped get them clothes that better suited VIP members of the Golden Dew. It was in the tailor¡¯s shop that Roden got a good look at himself for the first time in this world.

    He hadn¡¯t really thought about it before, but of course he looked different. His brown hair was longer and hung down much more than it did in his other life. His eyes were a deep green instead of his natural blue.

    He was less stocky and quite a bit more fit in this half-elf body. Then there were the all important ears, which of course were pointy and long. If he showed up to Ren Faire like this he¡¯d be bombarded by people asking where he got them.

    When the tailor was all done Roden had to admit the party was looking snazzy. Errrkkkk traded in his traditional gi for a set of silk kimono style ivory robes with a satin wrap in a deep blue. The tailor had managed to craft the wrap to go around his wings leaving him the ability to fly while wearing it.

    Riakon went for an ivory cotton shirt with an even deeper V than his normal one. Which he paired with a black satin vest and pants.

    Roden opted for a more elven style. He wore a forest green robe cinched at the waist and a matching overcoat with gold embroidered filigree. As ready as they were ever going to be Roden marched the three down the street to the Golden Dew Inn.

    When they arrived on the street the line to get in was unreal. When the jaws of his friends dropped, Roden dismissed their concerns and strolled right up to the elf passing judgment on those who got to the front of the line. Before he could open his mouth Roden cut him off,

    ¡°My friends and I have heard this is the only place worth providing our patronage. Is that true?¡±

    He gave the elf a deliberate once over trying to look unimpressed.

    The elf took in the three men and looked like he was about to shake them off before Riakon pulled out their bag of gold and began tossing it up and down. The distinct jingle of gold unmistakable to the elf.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Well good sirs, for fine gentlemen as yourself there is none finer than the Golden Dew. I can assure you membership here is worth every coin.¡±

    ¡°If this is the best then I suppose give us three memberships.¡± Roden was shocked at how well his charade was going. He guessed the old saying ''clothes maketh the man'' was true even here.

    After gold was exchanged Roden, Errrkkkk and Riakon were led inside. Just as he had imagined all those years ago, the Golden Dew was the epitome of a high end club, tavern, and inn. When they were brought in they were taken through the members only entrance that avoided the main floor and took them along a mezzanine directly to the VIP area.

    From there Roden could see the entire club, there was a main stage where a band of performers was playing a strange magically produced version of house music that had a crowd of people dancing, a massive bar in the center of the room was surrounded by thirsty patrons waving coins, and the various areas scattered about the room with booths and tables for seating.

    The lights were mostly red and blues, except on the dancefloor where the club had an array of magical light projections from dazzling multicolored rays to strobe light effects.

    No sooner than they were seated was a young elf woman at their table delivering the house wine and ale, she poured the ale into three frosty mugs before she took their orders for food and left to retrieve it.

    ¡°I must say being VIP is fucking awesome.¡±

    ¡°Caaa,caaaw¡±

    ¡°Let''s toast to our first win.¡±

    ¡°To the Sons of Era-rchy!¡±

    ¡°Here here!¡±

    With that a night of reverie commenced, the three men drank more than they had ever in their lives. Their prodigious constitutions withstanding the low alcohol beer just fine. It wasn¡¯t until Roden introduced whiskey into the equation that things started to get a little dicey for everyone involved.

    From time to time, Grok would poke his head out of Riakon¡¯s pack and they¡¯d feed him some of their scraps as discreetly as possible. After the majority of their first bottle of whiskey was gone and the night creeped into the darkest hours, Errrkkkk and Riakon began goading Roden to go play a song.

    Roden wanted no part of performing at that moment, but the thought of adoration from a crowd like that sounded good to him. He considered the list of songs he knew and realized none were suited to the raging party atmosphere.

    As the poet Jelly Roll once said, ya boy was living in Adele land, all the songs he could remember at that moment were ballads. He promised the guys if it started to slow down on the dance floor he would go up and give it a try. He had one song he could do that wasn¡¯t completely out of place.

    It gave him a chance to sober up a bit as well. Sure enough, it wasn¡¯t long before the band began wrapping up the performance.

    Roden had a sense of this and worked up the courage to open his case and pull out what his memories were now calling a Ni¡¯kiku. For some reason, he was flooded with memories of this instrument. How his father had purchased it for him and told him how it was a traditional wood elf instrument. By learning it he was becoming closer to his heritage.

    While those memories were not all that helpful; the ones that followed where he had played his next song for his parents while they danced brought a smile to his face. Roden worked his way up to the stage and spoke with the rather stern looking woman who served as the stage manager.

    ¡°Hello, I was hoping I could play a song.¡±

    The older looking elf looked him up and down as if critiquing every decision he had ever made that led up to this moment.

    ¡°One song?¡± the dryness of her voice could have ran the oceans parched.

    ¡°Uhhh yeah, pretty much.¡± he said putting on his best smile.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll give you a chance.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Roden climbed the stairs to the stage and parked himself center stage. A stage tech came over and set up a stand with a ball of clear glass at the top. He could only assume that was what passed for a microphone here.

    He instinctively tuned his instrument ever so slightly making sure he had it just perfect. The lights came down and the crowd hushed, leaving him in the spotlight and near silence. He started to play.

    The song he had chosen started off with a tinkling intro that started in the midrange and worked its way down in scale before repeating once. The smooth plucking had some in the crowd swaying to the tune ever so slightly as he started to sing,

    ¡° We get it on al-most eve-ry night, When that moon___is big and bright___its a sup-er nat-ur__al___de-light. Eve-ry bo - dies dan -cing - in___ the moon___ light.¡±

    The flow of the music picked up and the couples in the crowd started turning into each other¡¯s embrace. It wasn¡¯t the raucous melody of before so it took a moment for the crowd to find the groove. Once Roden reached the chorus he sang out, putting his whole being into building the crowd up slowly.

    He wanted to take them on a journey of notes and lyrics. The crowd responded in sync with his display of musicality. Every moment in the midst of his melodic maelstrom was simultaneously pure elation mixed with complete disbelief as he sailed through the climax of the song. He was actually doing it.

    People were dancing and a part of the story he was telling. This was the feeling he always wanted, but he knew the song was coming to an end. It wasn¡¯t a long song, which is probably why he knew all of the words.

    He brought about the end of the song gently, wrapping up the chaotic mixing of sounds to a final complete harmony giving each listener a gentle end to the dream he had crafted for them. As his final notes dissipated the crowd erupted in boisterous clapping and cheers.

    Roden stood in the lights, taking in the product of his effort. He remembered all the hours he had slogged away at various instruments to little effect. He had the memories of a young Roden practicing everyday by the light of a morning sun. All for this moment.

    He gave the crowd a small bow and small wave as he exited the stage to the crowd''s groans of disappointment. Part of him wanted to go back up for an encore, but he remembered the old saying it''s best to leave them wanting more. He made it back to the table with Riakon and Errrkkkk to see they were both spent.

    If he was being honest with himself, he was in no better shape after putting his all into his short performance. Roden signaled for a waitress to bring them their room keys and once they were in hand, they headed up the stairs to the VIP rooms.

    They had to walk to the end of a long hallway that only had one door. Once at the door, Roden placed one key in the lock and opened it. Inside was a lavish sitting room complete with marble floors, high ceilings, and luxurious couches.

    The room was lit by magelights from above bathing the room in a warm glow. The sitting room had four doors, three of which led to bedrooms and one held a toilet and shower. However, when Roden had created the Golden Dew he had devised, what he considered a pretty brilliant solution to a complex problem.

    The issue he had was to reconcile the real estate space an establishment like the Golden Dew would need. It didn¡¯t make sense to him for the building to be a skyscraper in a city of at most three story buildings.

    His solution was demiplanes. Each room key held a private demiplane, all that was necessary to activate it was to place the key in a viable door. Another benefit of this concept was the ease at which patrons could create adjoining rooms.

    Roden gestured for Riakon and Errrkkkk to unlock the doors on either side of his main room. When each man opened his door and was greeted by a room just as large and magnificent. They both broke out into wide grins before saying their good nights and shuffling off to bed.

 Chapter 14- Shopping Day

    Chapter 14

    In the morning, Roden exited his room to find Errrkkkk in the main sitting room picking at a spread of fruit and other breakfast foods laid out on a wide tray on his coffee table.

    Roden eyed a kettle and immediately poured himself a mug of hot fresh coffee as the two exchanged half grunted good mornings. Roden sipped at his coffee, he liked his coffee black without anything added.

    Once in a blue moon, he would throw in some nutmeg or cinnamon if he was subjected to subpar coffee while out and about. The coffee in his mug needed no such additives, it was hot and delicious. It warmed him down to his soul.

    He had not had a cup of coffee for over a month, which went against his nearly pot a day habit back home. As he was contemplating whether it was the best coffee he had ever had; he remembered he still had a level up waiting for him.

    He snatched a couple pieces of bacon and a few soft boiled eggs, the latter of which drew a sidelong glance from Errrkkkk, and headed off towards the shower. The water warmed as he finished his breakfast and was hot by the time he got in.

    It felt tremendous to finally be able to take a real shower. While on the road hygiene was something that was brought down to the basics and never involved hot water. Under the torrent of water from overhead, Roden sat in the middle of the shower floor and closed his eyes.

    When he opened his eyes he found himself in that familiar dark space, except this time there were various stations cast in their own light surrounding him in a circle. There was no path as there was when he would select his spells. He shrugged and walked to the closest illuminated option.

    On their own each of his available options were confusing. One contained a series of books on history, lore, and scholarly research, another held his instrument case and the crystal ball microphone stand from the night before.

    The one he found most interesting held his holy symbol and a collection of wisps that usually represented his spells.

    Some time passed while he considered his situation and then it dawned on him. He was at the level for an attribute increase! That realization made the station that consisted of a series of small pillars with white crystals at their peaks finally make sense to him. Those were his Augmentation options.

    He considered his current skill set and immediately narrowed his selection down to either increasing his spell casting by increasing his Wisdom or he was going to take an Augmentation.

    By his estimation, both were great options especially if he could select an Augmentation that gave his spells another effect or boost. With his intent set the undesired options vanished and were replaced by more detailed versions of his Augmentation options.

    The one that immediately drew his eye held a crystal that projected an intense white orange flame reminiscent of the sun in its color and intensity. He considered all of the Augmentations he could think of and only one made any sense to him. It had to be the Elemental Specialization.

    If he took this Augmentation he could cut through fire resistance and his fire spells would burn a bit hotter dealing more damage. After that, none of the other options had the same flare. Sure, the Skill Augmentations were appealing, particularly the ones that would¡¯ve made him a better musician.

    Unfortunately, this was not that kind of campaign. As fun as it was for him to live out his crooner fantasy, he needed to make sure he survived this ordeal so he could get back to his wife and the beautiful life they had built together.

    His decision made, the spotlights disappeared and he was left in the dark briefly as his usual path was laid out before him. This time through he had a difficult time selecting a new spell. Much of his needs were met by the spells he already prepared.

    It took him a long time to narrow down his selection to two spells. Both were Initiate tier healing spells that served different purposes. The first in its base form granted those around him a boost in their vitality and a bit of healing. A truly phenomenal spell, but his two companions'' whole shtick was they avoided damage so it felt a little unnecessary.

    The second spell was a bit more niche and let him remove a debilitating condition from the target. Another great spell when it was needed, but was otherwise essentially useless. After some more contemplation, he selected the first of the two figuring more healing was better for everyone including himself. He absorbed the spell and was surprised to find it was pulled toward his Fire domain.

    The result was a spell called Basking Embrace. The command of the spell granted him told him the spell was nearly identical to its original form except its duration was a fraction of the original and it produced a fiery aura over the targets. That aura acted as a shield against damage, but also granted a slight boost to damage. If they took enough damage, the magic would be used up and the effects would end.

    Roden was incredibly satisfied by his selection and the resulting spell. Now he could boost up his own fire spells with more fire and give Errrkkkk and Riakon a little boost as well. With his selections made and nothing left to be done here, he closed his eyes until he once again felt the hot water of the shower dancing across his body.

    Roden finished his shower and donned the cotton robe on the back of his bathroom door. When he entered the sitting room he saw Riakon and Errrkkkk seated on the couch with an empty breakfast tray in front of them and a small stone glowing dimly.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on guys?¡±

    ¡°It looks like Bo has a message for us. We waited for you to listen and respond, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Right on, spark it up.¡±

    Riakon tapped the stone and Bo¡¯s voice was projected from the stone,

    ¡°Aye shitheads, I have word from a buddy there is a werewolf in the Wilds by yall. Check it out, bring silver weapons, and go during the day, you shitheads.¡±

    ¡°Alright! We got ourselves a mission cacaw!¡±

    ¡°We need silver weapons.¡±

    ¡°You need a silver weapon, Roden and I don¡¯t have that problem, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°You have a point, in Bo¡¯s bestiaries it said werewolves are highly resistant to non-silvered weapons.¡±

    ¡°Why did he say to go during the day? There isn¡¯t any full moon for at least a week.¡±

    Riakon took on a quizzical look., and said ¡°I remember there being something about some werewolves get stronger in any moonlight.¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm, so what¡¯s the plan? We take the day to procure Riakon something silver and grab some potions before setting out tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°How long does it take yall to walk to the Wilds from here, cacaw?"

    ¡°If I remember right it was about two-ish days from the trees to the city.¡±

    ¡°So we should plan to do our hunting on the third day.¡±

    ¡°Good plan¡±

    ¡°Great plan¡±

    ¡°Shopping day it is, cacaw.¡±

    The plan was set, the three prepared themselves for the day and set out. When Roden was preparing his pack for the day, he made sure to pack his leather armor. He remembered how this day went and knew they were going to end up at the arena. Before that could happen, they had to go around asking about some silver. This was a mistake, but a necessary one.

    Roden was wary of affecting the story too much and this was one of those moments where it would be easy for him to avoid what was going to come about from their actions today. In the grand scheme of things, it was a pretty minor mistake that didn¡¯t have a campaign changing consequence, but Roden couldn¡¯t shake the fact that his situation felt like time travel, given his knowledge of the future of this campaign and everybody knew about the butterfly effect.

    While Roden knew the concept was technically not related to time travel and was instead created as a weather theory involving small seemingly innocuous events such as a butterfly flapping its wings in South America producing a hurricane in Florida. There was always that damn Ray Bradbury story he used to teach about the guy who stepped on a butterfly in the past and changed the future that would bubble up in his mind.

    The last thing he wanted was to change this campaign so drastically it deviated from the path he knew. There was also the experience points dilemma. Roden figured any situation that guaranteed experience points was paramount to their survival. Whatever level his friends were when they reached key milestones was the level they needed to be at when they reached them now. The only way he could ensure that was to take a hands off approach.

    The first part of their shopping day was going from blacksmith to blacksmith looking for someone who was willing and able to create the modification Riakon wanted. Riakon had decided he wanted a silvered cap to attach to his hammer instead of a separate weapon.

    Every shop they went to that morning either wouldn¡¯t do custom work, didn¡¯t work with silver, or had a waitlist that was weeks long. As the party was losing steam Roden suggested they check a small forge shop on the corner of a nearby side street. When they approached, all they could see was a small open air forge. The building lacked anything that could be considered flashing. The sign was plain gray metal embossed with the words "J.B''s Forgeworks and Refinery¡±.

    Drawing closer they could hear the distinct ringing of hammer on metal. Each blow rang out with a sharp clang. The man working at the anvil was a burly human man with a bald head and massive braided black beard. When the man saw the three approaching he drove the piece of metal he was working on into a quench and took off his gloves. In a deep gruff voice he addressed the party.

    ¡°Welcome to Forgeworks, what can I do for ya?¡± his accent came with an unmistakable country twang that would¡¯ve pegged him as a hillbilly in Roden¡¯s world.

    Riakon detailed exactly what he wanted from the man, it wasn¡¯t until Riakon mentioned he wanted the item by tomorrow that the man¡¯s eyebrows drew together and a frown spread across his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s a rush job. I could do it, but it¡¯ll cost ya.¡±

    They haggled on price for a bit, before they shook hands and agreed. While the blacksmith took measurements of Riakon¡¯s hammer, Errrkkkk dug in his pack and produced the small knife he had retrieved from the tree.

    ¡°Hey Sir, is there anything you can do with this cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I aint no Sir, the names Jehb. Let me see what you got there.¡±

    Jehb took the knife and inspected it with the curiosity of a true craftsman. He reached into his apron for a cloth and wiped off the blade. When his ministrations revealed a shimmering pattern on the blade his eyebrows shot up his forehead.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned, you got yourself an Opal Steel knife son.¡±

    ¡°Is that a good thing, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Uhh yeah, Opal Steel is arguably the best you can get for enchanting. It''s a real pain in the ass to work with though.¡±

    ¡°Can you work with it, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°I have a few ideas, truth be told I have only seen a few samples and worked with even less. The stuff only comes from the Twin mountains in northern Fallown and it requires a very precise hand to shape it.¡±

    ¡°So you are saying you can¡¯t do it, cacaw.¡±

    A look of irritation crossed the burly man¡¯s face at his words.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I said it''s hard, but I can do it. Whatchu want outta this?¡±

    Errrkkkk glanced at his party members and thought for a moment.

    ¡° Can you divide it three ways, cacaw?¡±

    Roden had thought about this moment long and hard. He knew that there wasn¡¯t much metal to work with and they had originally only produced two items from this knife. Roden figured as long as he got something small they might have enough metal to go three ways.

    ¡°I could, but it depends on what you want.¡±

    ¡°Could you make me a ring?¡± Riakon said holding up a hand.

    Jehb nodded.

    ¡°What about a necklace, cacaw.¡±

    Jehb nodded again, ¡°and you?¡±

    ¡° Would you have enough to do another ring?¡±

    Jehb shook his head, and Roden¡¯s heart sank.

    ¡°What about an earring, cacaw?¡±

    Roden shot Errrkkkk a side eye. He didn¡¯t have pierced ears.

    ¡°Yeah, there is probably enough for an enchantable earring.¡±

    ¡°Perfect, we''ll take it.¡±

    There was a bit of haggling over the price, but everyone left satisfied with the arrangement. With that part of their shopping out of the way they started looking for potion shops. When the topic came up in conversation Errrkkkk insisted they avoid the common shops and head directly for the smaller privately owned businesses. Roden took the opportunity to bring the party to the place they would have inevitably found anyway.

    While they were walking down the street towards the shop Roden had in mind, he noticed Errrkkkk had stopped walking. When Roden turned to see what had caught Errrkkkk¡¯s attention, he nearly lost his composure and broke out into hysterical laughter. Errrkkkk was enthralled by, of all things, a tree.

    To be fair Roden had to admit, it was a beautiful tree. It stood in an alcove between two low buildings. Its light brown truck grew tall and wide. Its branches grew up and over the buildings, but some hung down just enough for some of its light pink flowers to be within arms reach. Its fallen petals gathered up around its roots and when standing close enough one could smell a faint bit of vanilla on the air.

    ¡°Mir to Errrkkkk?¡± Roden said in a mocking mimic of Errrkkkk¡¯s gestures in the past towards him.

    ¡°Huh, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°You like that tree brother?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one sexy ass tree, cacaw¡±

 Chapter 15- Géˆ¥æ©µaddleéˆ¥æªš Potions and Other Things

    Chapter 15

    Roden finally stopped in front of the shop he had in mind for their shopping adventure. The front of the shop seemed normal enough. It was the sign that stretched above the front window and door that set this shop apart.

    The wooden sign read ¡°G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s Potions and Other Things¡± in an overly embellished script carved into the surface that was bookended by two oversized potion bottles recessed into the sign each filled with shimmering liquids that swirled continuously. Roden opened the door and entered the shop with the others in tow.

    Their entrance was signaled by a series of tones, reminiscent of the ostentatious doorbells from the nineteen nineties. Just when the tones reached their conclusion they began again as Riakon had paused at the door to open and close the door repeatedly triggering the tones.

    Roden and Errrkkkk shared a glance and shook their heads. By the third round of the incessant ringing, a small older man appeared behind the counter,

    ¡°Welcome to G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s Potions and Other Things! I am G¡¯Vaddle, how can I help you?¡± The small man¡¯s voice was a surprise on its own as it would start at an unreasonably high pitch before dipping down and rising back up. As G¡¯Vaddle took in the three men his keen nature revealed itself.

    ¡°By chance, do I have the pleasure of tending to some adventurers?¡± His voice dripped with excitement.

    ¡°You would be correct good sir.¡±

    ¡°Splendid! What is it you are looking to take on your next adventure?¡± He clapped his hands together and rubbed them as if he was about to dig into a scrumptious meal.

    ¡°We need healing potions, cacaw.¡±

    Before Errrkkkk could finish his sentence, G¡¯Vaddle had a crate of red potion flasks on the counter.

    ¡°You can always count on G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s for all your healing potion needs!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t until the men approached the counter that G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s gnomish features became evident to all three men. Roden of course knew G¡¯Vaddle. He was one of his favorite non-player characters from this campaign and quite possibly in his whole world.

    Riakon and G¡¯Vaddle haggled over the price of some healing potions and reached an agreement that netted the party two greater tier healing potions and two basic tier in exchange for a discounted price that included a promise on their behalf to only patronize G¡¯Vaddle for all their potion needs.

    Just as it appeared the men were wrapping up their business Errrkkkk dug around in his bag and produced the face mask they had constructed before they had entered the cave over a month ago.

    ¡°You sell other things than potions, right ,cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Why yes, what do you have there?¡±

    ¡°It''s a mask that can filter out poisons in the air.¡±

    ¡°Oh really! Are you sure?¡± his initial excitement tempered by his inscrutable business sense.

    ¡°Yeah, we used them to avoid the spores from these cacaw¡± Errrkkkk produced the field guide they had used to identify the mushrooms and pointed to the page.

    ¡°Hmmmmmm, interesting.¡± G¡¯Vaddle thought for a long moment.

    ¡°And what do you want to do with this?¡±

    ¡°I want you to sell them, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Me! Sell this? How many do you have?¡±

    ¡°We have three, but I bet they are easier and cheaper to make than the potion that does the same thing, cacaw.¡±

    Errrkkkk had G¡¯Vaddle there. It was true, the potions that negated airborne poisons and diseases were costly, they also negated the other types of poison, which was overkill in some situations. Riakon saw his opportunity and pounced.

    ¡°What if you take the ones we have and do your thing with them. If you sell any you give us a small cut off of each one.¡±

    G¡¯Vaddle was checkmated, he couldn¡¯t pass up such a riskless business opportunity nor did he want to tarnish the start of such a profitable relationship.

    ¡°You have a deal, you are a crafty business man and I love it.¡± he said while shaking Riakon¡¯s hand as Errrkkkk harrumphed, having stepped aside while Riakon negotiated.

    Roden gave the birdman a consolation pat on the back. The men left the shop with a spring in their step having secured a possible steady source of income.

    ¡°That went well. We got everything we needed and it¡¯s not even dinner time.¡±

    ¡°I think that means we have time to pop over to the arena, cacaw.¡± he rolled his shoulders and stretched out his wings as the words left his beak. A clear sense of frustration in his body language after being forgotten during the negotiations.

    ¡°That is a fantastic idea brother!¡±

    And there it was just as Roden had assumed and remembered. His memory wasn¡¯t perfect when it came to the small details of this campaign and being here didn¡¯t give him any greater memory of the events. Unfortunately for him, he had not even a wisp of a memory of the fight they were going to get on this visit.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the party to reach the Arena and get themselves set up for a fight. They were fortunate and there was an opening for a monster fight at the end of what was considered the preliminary card.

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    Once again they found themselves in the preparation room with some time to kill. Errrkkkk stretched and meditated as usual. Riakon pulled a sleepy Grok out of his pack and played with the little Garg and fed him some of the snacks laid out on the table for the waiting adventurers.

    Their status as a team with a winning record afforded them a slightly higher quality preparation room, which only boosted the ego of the party as a whole.

    Roden took the time to consider his best option for buffing the team. Technically, he could hit them with both his Blessed Traveler and his Basking Embrace before the fight even started, but that meant he¡¯d have used a third of his magic before the fight even got going.

    He thought all the way up to their walk down the tunnel to the arena floor. Just as they were being announced, but still shrouded in darkness he cast his Basking Embrace giving each man a faint flame-like aura, which he imagined looked fucking awesome coming out of the dark tunnel.

    ¡°Innnnnnnn the Red Corner, we have a tenacious group with a record of one and oh in the Coastall Adventure Arena. They are the strong, the powerful, the faithful, Sons. of. Era-rchy!!!!" The crowd cheered at the sight of their flaming auras and grew all the louder as their introduction reached its climax.

    ¡°Nice touch, cacaw.¡±

    Roden nodded in the affirmative, his attention was fixed on the Blue Corner. He had decided that he would cast Blessed Traveler if the creature was fast and the party needed the boost to stay ahead of it.

    ¡°Innnnnnnnn the Blue Corner, we have a malevolent monster from our very own Timber Wilds. This monster ravaged travelers and even killed the first group of adventurers sent after it. I give you the horrific, the violent, the Timber Terror Manticore!!!!¡±

    Roden¡¯s heart nearly dropped out of his ass at the announcer''s words. His palms started to sweat as he remembered that damn creature. He immediately casted Blessed Traveler while Riakon started talking

    ¡°A Timber Manticore is no joke, I read about these at Bo¡¯s. It¡¯s a subspecies of Manticore, they can¡¯t fly, but instead of wings they have big fucking pincers on their backs, an extra pair of insect like legs, and their tail spikes have a poison on them that is painful as hell.¡±

    Everything Riakon had said was just as Roden remembered. Unfortunately for his memory this party never fought one of these. He had created this monstrosity for a completely different campaign in this same world. Even though that campaign fizzled out, the things he created for it stayed.

    Unlike the Ferox from their first fight, the Timber Manticore walked out of the tunnel on the opposite end of the arena. Its humanoid head was held high, nearly scraping the fifteen foot high ceiling , its thick lion¡¯s mane hung in waves back towards its feline body. It even stopped on the mark at the opposite end of the arena. Roden had a sinking suspicion it had done this before.

    ¡°Ready!!! Set!!!! Fight!!!!¡±

    With that the fight began, Errrkkkk zipped off into the air, his glowing staff a blur as he rose up and launched a barrage of beams at the manticore scoring multiple hits as it tried strafing to its right. Roden took the opportunity to run to the opposite side as the creature and sent an Ignition Bolt towards it from a safe distance. ¡°Ignite!¡±

    His spell shot across the arena, the Manticore dug its two insectoid legs in and lunged across the ground causing Roden¡¯s spell to just miss his target and slam into the far wall. It then raised its tail and shot a barrage of its own towards the airborne Errrkkkk.

    He batted one away but two still managed to pierce Errrkkkk¡¯s wing mid-flap. His team couldn¡¯t see, but Errrkkkk winced in pain as his aura granted by Roden disappeared.

    Riakon was the last one to engage. He beared down on the Manticore in a head on charge, his hammer already glowing with his Sanctify and the shimmer of his Faith Shield projecting over his other aura. He brought his hammer down directly on the head of the beast.

    The blow itself was crushing, the thunderous boom that followed made it all the more devastating as the Manticore was blasted back in a tumble landing a number of feet away sprawled out. Errrkkkk didn¡¯t miss the chance to draw back his hands while swooping in to deliver a powerful chi blast at point blank range

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaawwwwwww!!!!¡±

    From Roden¡¯s vantage, the creature was getting its ass kicked. Riakon and Errrkkkk were one hell of a team. They complimented each other near perfectly in a fight. Roden on the other hand wasn¡¯t a perfect fit.

    For example, Riakon had downed the creature which was great for those two as their game was all close range. Roden was a ranged guy, shooting spells at downed targets was not a great situation. Rather than close the distance and risk getting ripped apart. He activated his Moment of Ignition giving him his full flame cloak and then he cast a spell he hadn¡¯t had an opportunity to cast.

    He brought his hands together at chest level as if he was holding a sword handle with the sword pointing up and spoke the incantation, ¡°To Arms!¡± Once spoken a sword made of golden light appeared in his hands filling the space he left during its casting.

    The weapon was beautiful, it had a long straight crossguard above his hands. The blade itself was three and a half feet of undulating waves that came to a sharp point giving it a fantastical appearance, despite its design being wholly earthly in origin.

    When Errrkkkk¡¯s beam dissipated the Manticore took advantage of his closeness and lunged snapping out with one of its back mounted pincers. Errrkkkk just managed to knock the scorpion-like claw to the side narrowly avoiding being snatched out of the air.

    Having missed its first target, it used its momentum to crash into Riakon. His Faith Shield rebuffed the foreclaw, but it didn¡¯t save him from the creature''s massive jaws lined with two rows of needle-like teeth.

    The bite was brutal, as the thing crunched down on Riakon¡¯s entire left side, the Manticore having shifted its head to allow it to angle itself just right for the nasty attack. Trapped in the Manticore¡¯s maw, Riakon couldn¡¯t get a full wind up, yet still managed to swing his hammer around in a looping motion into the monster¡¯s leg causing it groan in pain, but it did not release him.

    When Errrkkkk dropped out of the sky delivering a crushing axe kick to the Manticore¡¯s spine, it had no choice, but to release its prey as it yelped in pain.

    With that opening Roden rushed across the arena, he threw his newly conjured sword into the air taking advantage of its independent feature. Once he was within the weapon¡¯s fifteen foot range he directed the blade to strike the distracted Manticore as he raised his hand and shouted ¡°Burn!¡± flames leapt in a swirling wave from his finger tip, bathing his target in fire, while his sword drove itself into its haunches.

    Roden finished his combination by invoking his Blaze ability causing his flames to stick to the beast. The seemingly coordinated assault on the Manticore had it wary and slightly dazed. It spun itself around lowering its head and forelegs to the ground in a crouch.

    Its new position had its three opponents surrounding it on three sides as it backed towards the wall of the arena. It raised its tail up and using a whipping motion hurled its tail spikes in a swath across all three combatants. The spikes targeted at Roden burned up into nothing as they encountered his Moment of Ignition cloak.

    Errrkkkk got the worst of it. After deflecting one spike to his face, a second spike in his blindspot struck him cleanly in the neck eliciting a groan of pain from his beak. Riakon was nearly unfazed by the three spikes that pierced his upper body, his thick dragonkin scales absorbing the majority of their kinetic energy leaving shallow wounds.

    Fury burned in Errrkkkk¡¯s eyes, Roden could just make out the faintest surge of something emanating off of him that cause the air to crackle, when Riakon interrupted his thought,

    ¡°All at once?¡± he said gripping his hammer in two hands.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go high, cacaw!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go low.¡±

    ¡°That leaves the head for me.¡± a predatory grin spread on Riakon¡¯s face, his draconic features making it all the more menacing.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    At once all three men charged the wounded monster. Errrkkkk shot into the air up over the Manticore and brought his staff down in a dive bomb attack at the creature¡¯s back from directly above. Roden directed his sword to strike at the foreleg while he ran straight for the beast¡¯s broadside.

    As futile as his plan felt he hoped it would work as he had visualized it. As cool as it would have been to use either of his swords, neither was his most damaging melee spell. His Wounding Touch held that title, thus that was the spell he chose. The spell only required him to touch the creature in some fashion.

    Unfortunately, the Manticore was so damn tall he didn¡¯t think he could punch it from the ground and he decided he would rather slap himself than slap the thing on the belly to activate the spell. That left one option in his mind.

    When Roden was close enough he jumped into the air with all he had, pivoting as he jumped and extended his lead leg in a picture perfect flying side kick that connected with the beast¡¯s ribs.

    His spell exploded at the point of impact. Necromantic energy surged out of his touch and blasted a hole through its body the size of his foot. Riakon was slower than the others, but that worked to his advantage as the creature was wholly distracted by the time he was in striking range. The head of his hammer whizzed through the air as he spun. His strike crashed into the Manticore¡¯s jaw.

    On impact, his spell and extra divine energy put into his smiting blow lifted the Timber Manticore off its feet and launched it back into the wall of the arena with a crash that shook the arena. There was a moment when the creature appeared finished and the crowd went silent.

    The silence was broken by a rage fueled roar of a creature about to fight to the death. The Manticore dragged itself up one paw at a time. Just as it straightened on its second foreleg, the crowd gasped as Errrkkkk came from out of the light of the sun overhead with his signature,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    The chi blast smothered the flagging Manticore in its golden light. The cheers were deafening before his attack had reached its conclusion. Everyone knew the monster was not getting up from that assault. Errrkkkk soaked in the adoration of the crowd once their victory was secured.

    Riakon raised his hammer in celebration and embraced his brother. Roden clapped his hands and pumped his fist at their win, but couldn¡¯t shake the suspicious feeling he had from before the fight even started. He studied the creature and saw its wounds from their fight. When he made his way around to its face something about the look of the thing laying there with closed eyes made him reach out to touch it.

    As his hand neared it, one eye opened and he froze in his tracks. However, instead of lashing out the damn thing winked at him and closed its eye again, beaten, but alive to fight in the arena another day.

 Chapter 16- A Day on the Green Sea

    Chapter 16

    After a night of celebrating at the Golden Dew, the party woke in the morning with travel on their minds. First they had to collect Riakon¡¯s silvered addition to his hammer. The blacksmith had done great work creating the thing to Riakon¡¯s specifications. It covered one side of the hammer with a plate of silver.

    On the other side was a metal spike that Jehb had forged in steel and then had finished it by silver plating the steel. A pair of thick metal bars held the two sides in place on the top and bottom of the hammer¡¯s head. When attached to the hammer and locked in place to the shaft it didn¡¯t even budge when Riakon swung it around.

    Payment was exchanged and Jehb informed them their Opal Steel items would be ready in about a week and to stop back around then. Roden made sure they topped up their food and water supply before they left the merchant district of Coastall. By midmorning, the group had everything they needed to head out to track down a werewolf.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the men to grow comfortable while trekking across the vast meadows to the northwest of Coastall. Roden hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but his companions both seemed to have relaxed significantly since leaving the city.

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    It made sense when he put some thought to it. They had both grown up in a mountain monastery with little contact to other places of civilization and definitely nothing as vast or populated as Coastall.

    It was moments like these where Roden found it easy to get caught up in this place. Watching Errrkkkk glide gently through the air instead of walking, or seeing Riakon toss an entire strip of jerky into his toothy maw and chomp it down like a komodo dragon in a nature documentary only reinforced the sureness of this world.

    Roden had a realization while plodding along. He felt a bit dumb for not having realized it before, but this was their life. Since arriving, he had always had a sense that this was all a game. That while it all felt real, it couldn¡¯t actually be real. Yet, here he was, having spent a month in this world with the sole goal of survival.

    He had moments where he could forget and just live in that moment, but if he was being honest with himself it always felt like there was a barrier between him and the world around him. If he was going to get through this he needed to live as they lived. He needed to enjoy the little things and treat this world as real as the one that held his other life.

    A thought crossed his mind. Perhaps this experience was supposed to teach him something. Perhaps his wish was more than satisfying a whim. He loved his life back home. He had a fulfilling job, amazing friends, a solid family, and a beautiful wife who filled in all the gaps left by everything else in life.

    In his mind he wasn¡¯t running from anything nor did he ever feel like he wanted to run from his life. Things weren¡¯t always that way especially when he was younger, but he had worked hard and built a life he was proud of. Maybe that was it. Maybe, he needed to do the same here.

    Maybe, he needed to build a life as Roden. Except this wasn¡¯t a comedy, he knew he was in a tragic story. There was no happy ending in the cards for Errrkkkk and Riakon. Maybe, he could change that.

 Interlude

    Riakon took a deep breath of fresh clean air and let out a sigh of relief as they walked the vast green meadows of the Green Sea outside of Coastall. While he enjoyed what the city had to offer, he could never truly feel at ease when in such close proximity to so many people.

    Being back on the road gave him a sense of calm and put his mind at ease. It felt good to give little Grok a chance to stretch his legs and tiny wings. He felt bad having to keep the fur ball in his pack or hidden away in their room at the Golden Dew.

    He watched the garg bound alongside them as they traveled. He kept up on his own for a long while and when he would start lagging behind Riakon would hoist him up to sit on his shoulder. That was becoming a bit more of a task as Grok had grown a fair bit in the week or so since they had found him.

    It was moments like this that made their decision to leave the monastery all the more worth it.

    He had lived there for nearly thirty years before venturing out with Errrkkkk to strike out on their own. Sure he had gone with his teachers into the nearby town to purchase supplies or sell goods, but the majority of his life was spent at the temple on the mountain.

    Now that he was in the wider world Riakon hoped he could get some answers to the questions that plagued him since he was old enough to understand his situation. Just by looking at him most people assume he was a silver dragonkin.

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    Silver being one of the many metal dragonkin derived from the good dragon god, Basmu. However, it was his belief and that of his teachers at the temple that he was not silver or any of the common varieties of dragonkin.

    Riakon believed with his whole heart that he was platinum. Part of his belief was based on his ability to spray holy water instead of an elemental breath like those of other dragonkin. The other reason was his origin.

    Master Rolen, the founder of the monastery, said that not long after the formation of the temple an egg was found at the base of Era¡¯s Tree, the tree that was given to Rolen by the Goddess Era when he dedicated the temple to the Goddess. That was over one hundred years ago.

    His egg had stayed unhatched in Rolen¡¯s private chambers for nearly seventy years before one day all those years ago when baby Riakon came into the world. He had a good life at the temple. He had great teachers and was cared for, but it was his seeming connection to Basmu that nagged at him.

    No matter how much he prayed or gave offerings to either Basmu or Era, he was never given an answer. He was reaching a breaking point in his ability to just sit around hoping for an answer when Errrkkkk came into his life. Errrkkkk was a kindred spirit. He had hatched at the temple just like Riakon. For the last three years they trained and lived together.

    Errrkkkk quickly became his little brother. While everyone at the temple was like one big family, Errrkkkk and Riakon understood each other on a level the others could not. They had no parents, no lineage, and no path to acquire the answers to their questions.

    Riakon would occasionally find himself overwhelmed by these thoughts. It was in those moments he would look to his brother Errrkkkk and things would get better. Being on the road and away from the temple made a world of difference and gave him a renewed sense of faith that they might just find the answers to their questions.

 Interlude

    Errrkkkk glided through the air above the green grass that stretched for miles. There were few things in life Errrkkkk loved more than stretching his wings out wide and gliding on the winds. He always felt at home among the gusts and gales.

    When at the temple it gave him a sense of peace and tranquility. Now that he was out and about it reminded him of home. As they traveled, Errrkkkk let his mind wander. Since leaving the temple things had been going great.

    They¡¯d completed a few missions and made it to the big city. Most of all they were making a name for themselves. Errrkkkk longed for the adoration of fans.

    He wanted to see his name on banners and hear the cheers of those he had saved. Errrkkkk wanted to be the epitome of a hero. He wanted the big damn quest and everything that came with it.

    He had his brother Riakon to lean on and they were a team to be reckoned with when they were at their best. Errrkkkk¡¯s life up to this point was one of obscurity. Sure he was only three years old, but by birdfolk standards he was an adult. He could make his own decisions and forge his own path.

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    Riakon used to say he was lucky that he only had to wait a few years before leaving the temple. Errrkkkk would never admit it, but he knew Riakon was right. He couldn¡¯t imagine having to stay at the temple as long as Riakon. However, Errrkkkk was different from Riakon in multiple ways.

    Errrkkkk was a prodigy, he mastered his martial arts in just a year. He was able to tap into his chi well before the other students his equivalent age. Where everything came natural to Errrkkkk, he watched Riakon struggle.

    When Errrkkkk was blazing through his forms and studies, Riakon worked tirelessly to achieve just enough to get by. Errrkkkk was glad in some way, because that meant Riakon was around when Errrkkkk had hatched from his egg in his nest at the top of Era¡¯s tree.

    During those years at the monastery Errrkkkk could tell Riakon was bothered by his lack of answers. Errrkkkk figured if he was meant to know then the Goddess would show him the way. It wasn¡¯t his place to question what the Goddess had in store for him. Riakon was the one who put the idea of adventuring in Errrkkkk¡¯s mind.

    He used to talk about the great heroes of the past and their exploits. Errrkkkk would imagine himself as the hero in those stories and bask in the glory they received.

    It didn¡¯t take long before they came up with their plan to leave the temple and go out on their own. Errrkkkk hoped that Riakon would find his answers someday, but he hoped they would become renowned heroes more than anything. He knew if they could do that, Riakon would get his answers.

 Chapter 17- Wolves Among the Trees

    Chapter 17

    Their few days of travel back to the Timber Wilds was as easy going as they could have hoped. The party had agreed to rest for the night on the banks of the river then head into the trees in the morning. After their usual camp duties were taken care of, each man tried their hand at fishing for their dinner, partially to conserve their rations, but partially out of pride.

    The men spent hour after hour giving it their best effort to land a fish. Errrkkkk repeatedly splashed into the water and came up empty. Roden would get a bite on his lure, only for the fish to get off or spit it out before he could get them to shore. Riakon nearly had one when something completely unexpected happened.

    Riakon¡¯s claws were coming up empty when Grok leapt from his back and dove in head first after the elusive fish. All three men saw the garg disappear under the water and abandoned their task.

    Errrkkkk shot overhead heading far downstream to grab the garg before he was swept into the faster currents.

    Roden flung his pole and shirt up the bank before diving in. He cast Immediate Focus before he hit the water so he could see better while beneath the surface. However, by the time he opened his eyes there was nothing to see.

    When Roden came up, he saw Riakon holding a struggling Grok, who was holding a struggling pike by the head with his teeth. It wasn¡¯t until they were on the bank that Riakon was able to convince Grok to let go of his catch. The three stood in a mixture of disbelief and pride at the fish.

    The pike was longer than Grok by at least four inches and had to weigh nearly as much as he did. Riakon set to cleaning the fish and they made sure Grok got the fish heart as soon as it was ready. They all enjoyed a hardy meal of fish and trail bread before laying out on their bedrolls.

    They had decided to keep a watch even with Roden¡¯s wards. They all agreed the presence of a werewolf in the area warranted a rotating watch. Errrkkkk took the first watch, his non-existent ability to see in the dark made it a necessity.

    Roden unfortunately found himself as the designated second watchman given his elven night vision. Roden had planned ahead for this watch though. He remembered what came on the night before the party searched for the werewolf in the Wilds, so he had set wards farther than normal so he would be alerted when their night time visitor inevitably came by.

    In the meantime, Roden stared at the night sky. If he knew more about the stars back home, these stars would have been foreign and strange. Instead they were simply beautiful and mysterious just like the ones back home.

    It was small times like this that made him long for his simple life. He missed waking up in his bed under a warm blanket fending off the chill from his cold room. He missed air conditioning and the comfort of not sweating when standing still.

    In his deepest parts, Roden was a homebody. He loved staying in, whether it was reading a good book or playing a game, he was happy to be at home. His hobbies brought so much meaning to his life that he didn¡¯t need much more than what he could find surrounded by those walls.

    Adventures were cool and exciting, but they only made up one part of life. Roden had figured out early in life that the majority of life was spent in the in-between. Most people spent a third of their life sleeping and a third of their life working. The final third is left for everything else.

    Only so much of life could be spent on adventures especially when there were other things that needed doing. Roden believed the greatest thing a person could do with their life was to create something of value that outlived them. Some people did this by raising children, while others did this through some kind of production.

    If all a person ever did was create memories of the things they have done then there would be nothing left when they are gone. That was one reason why Roden loved being a teacher. Knowing that he had changed the life of even one student a year made it all worth it. Yet, here he was, far away from his wife and home.

    Stripped of his hobbies, and torn away from his career. If the purpose of this whole thing was to make him grateful of his life back home then mission accomplished.

    Not to say he wasn¡¯t grateful for everything before landing in this place, but he had found a new sense of gratitude for all of the little things that made his life comfortable, safe, and easy.

    In some ways this whole adventure felt like a way for him to have to find meaning in the journey. What better way to learn to find meaning in the doing than by doing the doing.

    Thankfully, his convoluted thought was interrupted by the ringing of his farthest ward. The abruptness of the alarm in his head caused him to flinch violently in his bedroll before dragging himself up, Grok perked up and stared into the darkness in the direction of Roden¡¯s ward.

    His fur stood on end and he crouched while letting out a low gravelly growl,

    ¡°Guys wake up, something tripped my ward.¡± he said just loud enough to rouse the sleepy adventurers.

    ¡°Huh what? I already did my watch.¡± Riakon said while attempting to roll over.

    ¡°Wake up, cacaw!¡±

    Riakon¡¯s eyes popped open, his full attention on looking around.

    ¡°Which ward was triggered, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°The one over by the treeline. I hoped it would catch anything coming out of the trees towards us.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw¡± Errrkkkk¡¯s stern demeanor gave Roden pause. He didn¡¯t want the birdfolk to rush off after the culprit.

    Luckily, it didn¡¯t take too long before the men started seeing pairs of glowing yellow eyes seemingly blinking into existence amidst the darkness of the trees. Minutes later four legged figures would be seen slowly walking out from the trees. They gathered just outside of the tree line.

    ¡°What are they?¡± Riakon asked while squinting hard into the darkness while placing a hand on Grok holding him back.

    The little guy was fully locked in on whatever was there in the dark.

    ¡°Those are wolves.¡±

    ¡°Werewolves!? Cacaw!¡±

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡°They look like regular wolves to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen or heard of wolves doing that.¡± Riakon was gesturing at the pack that had formed up in two loose lines. After which, a massive white gray wolf advanced down the makeshift aisle.

    Its red eyes shone brightly in the night. It threw its head back and let out a howl that rattled Roden¡¯s bones. He could feel the intensity in that wolf¡¯s great voice.

    ¡°Was that a challenge?¡± Riakon said while he reached for his hammer.

    ¡°I think it was a warning.¡±

    ¡°Either way, its night and they have the advantage, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Aye Riakon, when you were reading about werewolves did it mention anything about white ones with red eyes?¡±

    Riakon thought for a good while as they watched the pack of wolves slowly disappear into the trees.

    ¡°Actually, yeah I do remember something. It was something about a purebred werewolf. One born from two werewolf parents.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean for us, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°It means that this hunt just got way more serious.¡±

    After the commotion of the wolves, the night went by quietly. Too quietly in the sense that Roden and Errrkkkk reported hearing no birds or other usual sounds coming from the trees for the rest of the night.

    There was an air of tension among the men while they packed up their camp and began heading toward the trees. They agreed to head into the trees expecting contact. Riakon would take the lead and search for tracks, Errrkkkk would stay high up in the trees to keep an eye out for any far away threats. Roden¡¯s job was to be the eyes in the back of Riakon¡¯s head.

    The entire situation was nerve racking to say the least. Each man was a coiled spring ready to unload at the slightest trigger. Roden nearly blasted a fat squirrel that skittered through the leaf litter, but managed to pull back just before giving the incantation that would have sent the spell flying.

    Unlike in Adventures and Antics, real tracking was hard and the least glamorous thing Roden could think of in that moment. At the table it was roll dice, time passes, congratulations you found your McGuffin and the story goes on.

    Currently, he was in the time passes phase and it sucked. After what felt like an eternity of trekking through bush, branch and leaf, Riakon stopped moving and a quizzical look appeared on his face.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°The tracks stop here and just turn around.¡±

    ¡°So we need to back track?¡±

    ¡°I thought so, but then I felt this¡± he said, holding out his hand in the direction they had been heading. Roden watched as his hand met some resistance slowing unnaturally before a shimmer appeared around his outstretched palm.

    Roden approached the invisible barrier and did the same. He found the wall of magic with his hand and pushed on it. It was like moving his hand underwater, there was resistance, but he could still do it without any issue. Riakon unceremoniously walked through the barrier head first. Errrkkkk dropped down and Roden filled him in on the situation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see how high it goes, cacaw.¡±

    When Errrkkkk touched back down, Riakon was doing his best bloodhound impression as he scoured the area just inside of the barrier for any signs of activity.

    ¡°It¡¯s a dome, cacaw. It goes up about fifty feet and has a slight curve. I¡¯d bet there is something in the center, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking the same thing. Lead the way Riakon, we are heading for the center place¡± Roden did his best to keep a smug grin from spreading across his face.

    It took them another couple hours of hiking through thick woods before Riakon started seeing the signs that signaled a humanoid settlement. The men were wary of just stumbling out of the bushes and into their camp, so they did their best to circle around and walk up in as wide open of a space as they could.

    When they approached the camp they saw it was a sprawling collection of teepees, wigwams, and cabins. People of every race and species milled about dressed in homespun cotton clothing. Some of the women wore dresses dyed in a variety of colors. Many had beads or other accoutrement as decoration on their clothes or in their hair.

    It was the strangest thing for the group as they walked into the camp and no one gave them any particular attention. By normal standards that might have been strange, but it was down right bizarre for this party that had a two meter tall dragonkin and a boisterous birdfolk.

    Riakon¡¯s impatience got the better of him and he asked one of the villagers if he could speak to their leader. They kindly directed the group to one of the larger teepees and went on their way.

    With a shrug the three made their way to the entrance and ducked inside. The inside had a sloped floor at the entrance that led down a few feet giving the room inside the teepee a higher ceiling and low earthen walls.

    In the center of the floor was a small fire and an old elf with skin the color of onyx. His white hair stood out in wisps here and there as if his head couldn¡¯t quite decide if it wanted to go bald or not. There was an unmistakable skunky fragrance wafting through the air in a thick haze of smoke.

    The old elf turned around to see the men. He was in the process of pinching something up to his lips and inhaling hard enough that the small ember at the end of his small joint burned bright red. He pulled his fingers away from his mouth and while trying to hold in as much breath as possible spoke in a deep voice strained from holding the smoke in his chest,

    ¡°Ah, mai brodas! Sidon. We get a lot to yan wey concern. I am Mu¡¯tumbo, I knew you de come.¡±

    The three men looked at each other and gave a simultaneous shrug before joining Mu¡¯tumbo around the small fire.

    ¡°It na gud to meet you boys. We no get many visitors.¡±

    ¡°Right, well we aren¡¯t exactly here for a visit. We didn¡¯t actually know you were here.¡± Riakon said tentatively, still trying to piece together what Mu¡¯tumbo was saying.

    ¡°Oh I sabi why you de here. You de find Seven.¡±

    A blank expression crossed Riakon¡¯s face. At that point Roden took over. He knew what Mu¡¯tumbo was saying despite his dialect being quite different from what he had used at the table. He was actually thankful that Mu¡¯tumbo wasn¡¯t saddled with his horrific attempt at a Nigerian accent.

    ¡°Who is Seven?¡±

    ¡°Oh Seven na di boi who bin kill dat adventurer who com through here.¡±

    Roden paused to look at the other two before continuing,

    ¡°Are you saying Seven is the werewolf?¡±

    ¡°Haha everyone here na werewolf or sontin. No worry boys you de safe, we are no injure odas¡±

    As he was talking Mu¡¯tumbo had pulled over a wooden board with a mound of a coarse greenish powder. Without missing a beat, he rolled the herb into a conical cigarette using a dried rectangular leaf. He set it down to dry and continued,

    ¡°Seven na different, im na pureblood.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a pureblood werewolf?¡±

    ¡°Ya.¡±

    ¡°So he isn¡¯t from here, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Oh no im na from here, but im na orphan. We found am as per pup for di woods¡± in the midst of the conversation, as the tension was building among the party. Mu¡¯tumbo lit his freshly rolled joint using a small twig from the fire, took a long drag before handing it to Roden on his right. Who did the same without hesitation. There was a halt to the conversation as the joint went around the four men. Roden breathed out a cloud of smoke,

    ¡°So what makes a pureblood so different?¡±

    ¡°Oh a pureblood na born from two true werewolves. Di werewolf trait runs deep for im blood. Im no fit control imsef now wey im get tasted a fresh heart. Once a pureblood go bad di wolf takes ova. It na mata for taim before im na all wolf¡±

    ¡°Does that mean he needs to be put down before that happens?¡± Riakon said between drags.

    ¡°I hate to tok it, but yes. Seven na risk go di safety for di vila. We exiled am afta im bin kill dat man. We no kill here. Killing brings di animal.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying you want us to handle it, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but you must sabi sontin. You no go find Seven. Im go hide until di Blood Moon.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the Blood Moon?¡±

    ¡°Di Blood moon, na di last moon for spring. It na taim wen alpha werewolves fight for di pack. Dat na wen im go de for im strongest. Im go com for we here. Under a blood moon, im fit pressure di odas into im pack and control dem.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a good time to fight him then.¡±

    ¡°I would agree, what do you think brother?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take him whenever, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Mu¡¯tumbo, do you have any way to track him down?¡±

    The old elf thought for a moment while rolling another of his long joints. When he struggled to light it with the remnants of his twig, Roden cast his spell and floated a tiny ember in the air. Mu¡¯tumbo leaned in and quickly got a bright red cherry on the new joint and gave Roden an expression of gratitude.

    ¡°maybe, we would need to yan go di spirits.¡±

    Riakon leaned into Roden and whispered, ¡°What does yan mean?¡±

    ¡°It means to talk.¡± with that Riakon straightened and nodded.

    ¡°Okay let¡¯s talk to the spirits. Can we do that now or?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, we fit only yan go di spirits reply say ceremony. We fit don one for seven days. We fit only yan go di spirits under a full moon.¡±

    All three men went stiff at the idea of being in a camp of were-people during a full moon. Mu¡¯tumbo noticed their reaction and laughed,

    ¡°No worries boys, di barrier keeps we from transforming under a full moon. We do get parti though to celebrate.¡±

    ¡°Okay, great. We will have the ceremony and speak to the spirits about Seven. They will tell us where to find him and we can handle it from there.¡± Riakon was attempting and failing to not sound incredibly high.

    ¡°We go need some tins for di ceremony. You go need to get some tins from town.¡±

    Roden looked to the others for confirmation before they all agreed on the terms of the arrangement. With the plan set, Mu¡¯tumbo took them on a tour of the village and introduced them to a few people here and there. They all seemed so wholesome and happy.

    ¡°It must be a relief for a lot of these people to not have to worry about their curse, cacaw.¡¯

    The elf nodded, ¡°We find dem a safe place, mai family don been here for generations. Tey tey before di Dark Taim.¡±

    When the tour of the village reached its conclusion Mu¡¯tumbo turned to his guests,

    ¡°Abeg dey for di night and rest. You fit leave for di morning. We go get dinner for ya honor as you de doing we a big favor.¡±

    ¡°We would love to, cacaw!¡±

 Interlude

    Interlude

    That night during the party, Mu¡¯tumbo pulled Roden aside and they took a walk along the edge of the camp, much to Roden¡¯s surprise. For once, he truly had no idea what this was about.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Mu¡¯tumbo?¡±

    ¡°Ya papa na wood elf, yes?¡±

    The question caught Roden off guard, ¡°Ummm yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahhh yes wella i sight it for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± he said touching the pointed tips of his ears.

    ¡°No bi dat boi, I sight di blod for di forest for you.¡±

    ¡°I am sorry Mu¡¯tumbo. I have no idea what you are getting at.¡±

    ¡°I am tok say you get a powerful blodline for elf mixed for you. I bet ya mama na sontin else too.¡±

    ¡°Mu¡¯tumbo, I hear you. Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you are thinking.¡±

    ¡°Haha straight to it den. I believe you get di gift for di trees for ya blod. I fit help you reach it if you wan.¡±

    Roden was struggling to keep up with the conversation. Before, he already knew the gist of what Mu¡¯tumbo was going to say. Here he was on his own, a little drunk, and pretty sure that fireweed from before never wore off. Knowing Mu¡¯tumbo was genuine, he figured fuck it.

    ¡° Okay Mu¡¯tumbo, let¡¯s make it happen. What do I gotta do?¡±

    ¡°Haha com wit me.¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo led him through the village, passed his teepee, and into the woods. Roden was second guessing the situation until his night vision kicked in and he could see clearly. When they stopped Mu¡¯tumbo gestured for him to sit at the base of a humongous tree. Roden was in awe at the sheer width of the thing.

    ¡°Dis na di tree for mai ancestors. Dem planted dis tree long before di sundering for di forest. Long tey mai family close di wood elves. No bi all elves don di dash. I sight it for you. Now sidon, close ya eyes and I go begin.¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Figuring he had nothing to lose here, Roden sat and began meditating like he always did. He swayed a bit as he felt like the world was spinning from all the drink and smoke, but he held it together. He could faintly hear Mu¡¯tumbo mumbling softly, but couldn¡¯t make out the soft elvish words.

    After a few minutes he felt himself settle into the tree at his back. It felt like a warm hug. It reminded him of when Roden¡¯s mother would hold him as a child. The nurturing feeling of comfort and a mother¡¯s embrace. Then he felt the tree give way and he was falling. His eyes shot open, but he saw nothing. His eyes only saw blackness.

    When he came to a halt, he realized he had closed his eyes again bracing for an impact, but there was none. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was in a circular clearing surrounded by a grove of trees. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light, but when he was finally upright he could see clearly.

    The sky was a vast deep blue speckled with more stars than he had ever seen. The light from those stars was enough to illuminate the clearing around him, casting the scene in a soft glow.

    It was strange as each tree seemed to call to him. It was the same feeling he got when he¡¯d see a dog on the street that clearly wanted to say hello. He approached the closest tree on his right and placed his hand on the bark.

    He saw flashes of forests, his vision narrowed as his perspective flew through the canopy leaping from branch to branch. He realized he was seeing things from the point of view of someone else. He could feel the bark beneath their feet when they landed. He could feel their connection to the forest.

    His host placed a hand on the trunk of a tree and his vision flashed again and he was back in the clearing. He moved to the next tree and found himself swinging among the treetops. He would kick out at the right moment and fling himself forward. Just when it seemed like he would fall like a stone he would flick his wrist and a vine would grasp the next branch and he would swing once more. Each tree held a different memory.

    To Roden they felt like dreams. The abrupt wake up from each was just as jarring as any dream he¡¯d ever had about being late for something. That was the worst he got until the memories of all the fighting. Some of them were quick simple affairs where he was firing a bow or clubbing huge insects.

    Then came the visions of the Dark Times. He saw so many of these guardians die. Some were lucky and died before they knew what happened. Others were buried under a horde of undead, those were the unlucky ones. Roden bore witness to it all. He lived each moment until he reached the final tree.

    It wasn¡¯t the largest tree in his clearing, but it was hardy. The trunk was already showing signs of being unusually thick. The vision he received when he placed his hand on the final tree was different from the ones before.

    He found himself among a group of wood elves as before except this time they were kneeling on a massive tree stump repurposed into a stage.

    On the ground below him was a crowd of people, it looked like enough people to fill a village. They were all waiting with baited breath at whatever was going on. On the stage before him was a figure. At first Roden recognized it to be a Dryad, but something wasn¡¯t quite right.

    This one appeared regal. She stood tall, much taller than the elves on stage. Her hair was a cascade of petals in a myriad of colors. Her skin was light brown with a faint hint of green. She wore a dress made of overlapping dark purple leaves.

    She looked every bit the queen she had to be. When she walked forward Roden heard her speak,her voice was a warm breeze on a cool day. She was the embodiment of femininity and her flower like voice came sweet and motherly,

    ¡°Children of the forest, I commend you all on your commitment to our home. I see a great threat on the horizon and we must stand together to face it. These children have proven themselves to be exceptional and have earned the blessing from the great tree. Through me unto you, I bless thee, Grove Guardians.¡±

    The queen dryad moved from elf to elf touching each one with a flower. After each had received their blessing she directed them all to rise and assume their role as Grove Guardians.

    Upon reaching his feet could see that each elf in his group was being encased in bark starting from his feet crawling up to his head. Roden was panicking particularly because he had no control over his host, who seemed unconcerned by the creeping wood.

    Once fully encased, bark was all Roden could see until he felt himself raise his hand to his head and pull back a visor that gave him a three inch window to see out of like old medieval helmets. Roden could finally see what had happened.

    While yes he was encased in bark, it had formed itself into a head to toe set of wooden armor. Roden could feel himself being pulled back, the last image he had of the vision was that of the elves on the stage shouting ¡°For the Grove!¡± with fists over hearts.

 Chapter 18- Spiderman, Mead, and Fireweed

    Chapter 18

    Roden woke in the morning to find himself nestled in his bedroll. The events of the night before slowly dripped through his consciousness as the lingering effects of the celebration revealed themselves.

    He peered over the edge of his bedroll and saw both Riakon and Errrkkkk in similar states as they slowly wormed their way back to the land of the living.

    ¡°How you feeling, boys?¡±

    ¡°Like hot doo doo cakes, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°What he said.¡±

    ¡°Riakon, make with the Faith Healing before I yak.¡±

    Both of his companions looked at him bleary eyed uncertain they heard him correctly.

    ¡°To yak means to throw up, not turn into a yak.¡±

    ¡°Well just say that then.¡±

    ¡°Just come on and get rid of this hangover already.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Your Faith Healing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it only works on diseases and poisons.¡±

    It was Roden¡¯s turn to give a bleary eyed stare.

    ¡°Riakon, alcohol is poison.¡±

    ¡°No it''s not.¡±

    ¡°It is if you think it is, cacaw.¡±

    The concept dawned on the paladin and in a moment he glowed a faint yellow light. Once the light dissipated Riakon looked much more alert and less like he had run a marathon.

    ¡°Well ain¡¯t that a bitch.¡±

    ¡°Dose me up mate.¡± Roden said with a cheesy grin.

    With their hangovers cured and their things packed they met up with Mu¡¯Tumbo once more before heading back to Coastall.

    ¡°Ahh boys, I shey you enjoyed di parti.¡±

    ¡°It was a great time Mu¡¯Tumbo thank you for having us, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°We just need the list of items for the Gathering of Spirits.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, I get it right here.¡± Mu¡¯Tumbo handed over a tiny scroll the size of Roden¡¯s thumb.

    ¡°Is there anything else we can get for you from town, cacaw.¡±

    Mu¡¯Tumbo thought for a moment,

    ¡°Sugar¡±

    ¡°Sugar, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°yes, sugar na one for di few tins we no fit comot here. I go pay you for how ever much you bring.¡±

    ¡°Sugar it is then, it was wonderful meeting with you Mu¡¯tumbo.¡± Riakon put out his clawed hand for Mu¡¯tumbo to shake.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    With their goodbyes said and tasks set, the party set out once more into the Timber Wilds heading west towards Coastall. After about an hour they passed through the barrier surrounding the lycan camp. As they continued to push on, Roden started sifting through his memories from his time with Mu¡¯tumbo the night before.

    After his visions among the trees, Mu¡¯tumbo christened him a Grove Guardian. It turned out that his latent blessing was most likely stirred when he helped protect their tree friend from her Treant father. That gave him the idea to give his new abilities a try.

    ¡°Hey guys, check this out.¡±

    Roden found a thick root snaking across the ground and looked for a branch high above. His two companions paused. Errrkkkk perched on a branch, while Riakon simply waited with a quizzical look on his face. Roden visualized what he wanted to do and let his instincts guide him.

    When he felt the power welling up in his legs he knew it was time. He leaped into the air soaring up twenty, thirty feet before he whipped his hand forward and a vine shot out of his palm. He held on as the vine grasped a sturdy branch and pulled him to it.

    That part wasn¡¯t as graceful as he had hoped as he ended up having to pull himself up onto the branch by hand, but lesson learned. If he wanted to land on a branch he needed to lash onto the branch above his landing spot. Either way, he couldn¡¯t fight the face splitting smile plastered across his face.

    He leaped around the trees in this little area to show off his new abilities. Errrkkkk was impressed and nodded in approval. Riakon however, had a look of frustration on his face. Before Roden could ask, Riakon shouted at them,

    ¡°Just great, now I¡¯m the only one on the ground! One of these days I am going to have wings!¡±

    Grok gave a little harrumph from Riakon¡¯s pack, while Errrkkkk and Roden burst out in a round of incessant cackling. Errrkkkk¡¯s laughter made Roden laugh all the more as they were laughing for different reasons unbeknownst to Errrkkkk.

    ¡°It¡¯s not funny, you shitheads!¡± Riakon shouted at them while trudging through the brush on a determined journey to Coastall.

    His leaping ability took a bit to get used to, and Roden nearly launched himself into the trunk of a tree he didn¡¯t see, but his Instant Destination spell saved him from the impact as he teleported himself to a safe limb.

    That close call gave him pause going forward. Using the vine to swing was a wild experience, his instincts told him it would hold his weight and then some.

    His human mind told him he was going to fall to his death every time he leapt off. He felt like he was some combination of Spiderman and Tarzan as he would shoot out a vine and swing from one tree to the next.

    He made the mistake of trying the hand thing like Tobey did on the roof top only for his vine to get caught up in his fingers and fail miserably. By the time they reached the edge of the forest he felt pretty good about his leaping.

    It was an ability made for the forests, so it would have limited use away from the woods, but he was pretty sure any wood would do. Before they left the forest completely he grabbed a thick limb about the size of his forearm.

    He gave it a few swings and smacked it against his palm, testing the weight. When he was satisfied, he tucked it into his pack.

    They had forced themselves to march a bit further than they had on previous trips. They knew they were on a time crunch.

    By their schedule they would arrive back in Coastall on their third day. They¡¯d have the remainder of that day and the next to acquire supplies then they would have to hit the road again.

    Technically, they had a bit of wiggle room on that last day because they needed to wait for the full moon to be high in the sky, but they didn¡¯t want to take any chances. A pureblood werewolf under a blood moon sounded like a worst case scenario and this gathering seemed like their best bet. They slept under an overcast sky that held whispers of rain to come.

    The rain came the following morning. They packed up early and tried to get as much walking in as possible before it started coming down in sheets. Seeing the rain coming Roden had grabbed a few twigs from the remnants of their small campfire.

    As the rain started coming down he took the opportunity to enact the other ability he received from his blessing. He held up one of the twigs he¡¯d grabbed before and focused on the feeling of the bark on his skin. He let the twig become an extension of him.

    He brought forth the memory of the vision where he saw the elf being encased. He opened his eyes and saw the twig had bent to his will and was expanding to cover his fast and arm. It crawled like a snake up his arm and across his chest. In seconds he was completely covered in a suit of wooden armor.

    ¡°When in the world did you learn how to do that, cacaw?!¡±

    Roden flipped up his visor exposing his goofy grin, ¡°Mu¡¯tumbo was able to help me tap into a special wood elf magic. Turns out I had some special blessing from long ago tucked away in my bloodline.¡±

    ¡°Did you really just do that so you didn¡¯t get wet.¡±

    ¡°Why yes I did.¡±

    The two soaked adventurers looked at Roden annoyed and with a hint of envy as they trudged along, fat raindrops bouncing off their heads and shoulders.

    ¡°How long does that armor last?¡±

    ¡°From what I can tell, it¡¯ll last until it can¡¯t take anymore damage. It¡¯s not nearly as sturdy as metal. It¡¯ll take the brunt of an arrow or sword, but it¡¯s not impervious by any means. I don¡¯t know for sure, but I¡¯d bet either of you could get through this stuff pretty quickly if you put your mind to it.¡±

    ¡°Well now I want to try.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t, I don¡¯t relish the idea of getting hit with that hammer.¡± Roden said quickly.

    ¡°F I N E, I won¡¯t.¡± He said with dramatic annoyance.

    Roden gave him a long searching gaze before deciding he probably wouldn¡¯t get hit with the hammer, at least not while everyone was sober.

    Later that night, the men stopped on a high rising hill, the last such hill before entering the valley of Coastall. They had chosen the high ground for their camp as they figured the rain would have drenched the ground below and no one thought very highly of the idea of sleeping on soggy grass.

    Even the grass where they had chosen wasn¡¯t completely dry until Roden let off a couple Burning Fingers. After he was done, the ground even had a nice warmth that radiated up through their bedrolls.

    There was no campfire that night as there was no wood to burn. Yet, in the last light of the day Roden noticed Riakon was futzing with his flint and steel.

    ¡°Whatcha doing over there Riakon?¡±

    ¡°Oh uhhhh well during the party last night I was talking to one of the villagers and he sold me some of their fireweed. And look, he even taught me how to roll.¡± Riakon held up a relatively cleanly rolled joint complete with twisted ends.

    It was nowhere near the quality of Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s, but for a beginner it was a solid attempt. Roden judged it would smoke well enough.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you bought drugs, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Oh so you don¡¯t want any?¡±

    ¡°I never said that, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Riakon, give me that and I¡¯ll get it started.¡±

    As it turned out Errrkkkk had purchased a couple bottles of the mead that was popular among the camp from an old woman who tended the bees. As the day turned to night, the three friends sat on the hill smoking and drinking, having a small party of their own.

    Roden had to admit things were going well, but he knew there were events on the near horizon that would change everything, forever.

 Chapter 19- An Uncooperative Baptism

    Chapter 19

    Immediately upon returning to Coastall the men headed to G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s to see if they could snag the things on Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s list. The door of G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s rang with the same precession of tones.

    There were a few other customers in the shop which made the cramped aisles in the front of the small store incredibly unnerving. When the men reached the counter G¡¯Vaddle was leaning over and greeted them in his singsong high gnomish timbre,

    ¡°Why hello! It¡¯s always nice to see repeat customers!¡±

    ¡°Hey G''Vaddle, we are kind of in a hurry. Do you have any of the things on this list?¡± Roden said, passing over the scroll given by Mu¡¯tumbo.

    ¡°Ooo okay, let me see here. Hmmmmm yes, yes, yes, oh drat. Well I have a few of the things you need. The rest you will have to get elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, we will take whatever you have. Do you know where we could get the rest?¡± Riakon said, taking the scroll back from G¡¯Vaddle.

    ¡°Hmmmmm, usually I¡¯m not one to promote the competition, but in this case I¡¯ll make an exception. I would bet my hat you could find all of those things at the Cracked Cauldron.¡±

    G¡¯Vaddle paused for a moment in thought and continued, ¡° I will warn you boys, it''s not a great neighborhood. Whatever you do, don''t linger about over on that side of town. Now let me gather your things.¡±

    G¡¯Vaddle was the ever reliable professional, in minutes he had everything they needed packaged up. While Riakon and G¡¯Vaddle haggled over the price, Errrkkkk and Roden stepped outside so Errrkkkk could stretch his wings.

    They walked down the street to the tree they had stopped by on their first trip to G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s and sat under its shade.

    ¡°Hey Errrkkkk?¡±

    ¡°Yes, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering, do you ever worry about Riakon?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯ve noticed that he seems to be preoccupied with something. Like whenever he is truly idle there is something eating away at him.¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡­ Well Riakon is just Riakon. He has a lot of things he doesn¡¯t know about himself and wishes he did. That¡¯s why he was all over Bo¡¯s library, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I know he mentioned before that he was found and hatched at the temple. That kind of stuff?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I think its hard on him to not know anything, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I hear that, a man can only stand so much uncertainty in life. You seem to manage just fine.¡±

    ¡°I figure, if I¡¯m meant to know then the goddess will make it known to me.¡±

    ¡°That is pretty pious for a monk who shoots chi at monsters.¡±

    Errrkkkk shrugged his big wings, ¡°I take things as they come, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°What about Riakon? Does he have faith like you?¡±

    Errrkkkk thought for a long moment, ¡°Nah, he¡¯s not a very good paladin, he believes in the gods and all. He just isn''t as diligent as most, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s not as diligent as most?¡± Riakon¡¯s voice cut through the conversation as he settled into the shade of the tree.

    ¡°You, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon thought for a moment then conceded, ¡°Fair enough, are we ready to get going? G¡¯Vaddle threw in the directions with our purchase.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw¡± the others responded in unison, with Errrkkkk giving Roden a dirty look, while searching for any mocking in his tone, with none to be found the men carried on through the streets of Coastall.

    Riakon took the lead, while Errrkkkk and Roden walked side by side in his wake. After too many blocks to count, the architecture of the buildings made a dramatic shift. Brick and mortar structures were rapidly replaced by timber and nail.

    Nearly all of the buildings leaned one way or the other, some even leaned into one another creating an equilibrium of falling. This section of the city stood as a perfect example why not to use untreated wood near the sea.

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    Roden knew this section of the city was incredibly old and had been rebuilt time and time again. Roden also knew they were being followed. He was proud of himself for spotting their tail without even knowing for sure if he was actually back there yet. They were walking into an ambush.

    A pathetic ambush that barely qualified as a nuisance, but an ambush nonetheless. Roden elbowed Errrkkkk and discreetly pointed out the assassin on the roof up ahead. Errrkkkk nodded letting Roden know he was prepared when Roden made his move.

    As they neared the point Roden knew the ambush was set to take place, he sprung an ambush of his own. He whipped around and flung his hand out. A vine sprang from his hand and wrapped around the forearm of his target.

    The figure he struck was a man in a dark robe with a hood covering his face. When Roden yanked on the vine, it activated and pulled the cloaked figure toward him in a rush.

    ¡°Riakon catch!¡±

    As Riakon turned he was confronted with the cloaked figure stumbling at his feet. He looked up in confusion as Errrkkkk flew past him towards his target¡¯s hiding place. A crossbow bolt sprouted from Riakon¡¯s shoulder as he looked on.

    Roden followed the trajectory the bolt most likely took and made a guess at where the shooter had to be hiding.

    He ran towards the nearest building, when he was within reach he stepped onto the side of the building as if he was going to run up the wall, but instead of running he jumped up the side of the building and landed on the roof.

    The sensation of propelling himself through the air under his own power as if he was bounced on a trampoline was still new to him, but in the heat of the moment it was as easy as breathing.

    Once on the roof, Roden could see the poor excuse of an assassin huddled behind a half collapsed chimney. In the middle of his run to engage the hiding assailant, Roden had a terrible realization.

    While yes, these men were trying to kill them. It really was all just a misunderstanding. He couldn¡¯t kill this man over a misunderstanding.

    So instead of conjuring his flame blade and driving it through the unaware man. With a flick of his wrist his vine snatched the man from behind. Rather than just yank the man to him, Roden unceremoniously stepped off the roof dragging the man down with him.

    Before he crashed into the ground Roden cast Instant Destination and vanished. He reappeared completely unharmed just as his victim slammed into the hard packed road with a thud that forced the man to release every wisp of breath in his body.

    Roden knew a fall from that height wouldn¡¯t kill the man, because he was no commoner. His prior knowledge was confirmed when the man¡¯s hood slid back revealing a furry ratlike face beneath. Roden knew all three of them were from the White-tail gang, a sketchy gang of wererats who mostly worked as pickpockets.

    Nothing made for a better pickpocket than one who could steal something valuable, then when out of sight transform into a rat and disappear up a drain pipe or into a sewer. Roden¡¯s man was barely clinging to consciousness after his tumble.

    That wouldn¡¯t do for his purpose so Roden drew back his boot and kicked him hard in the head. The wererat gave a squeak as his eyes rolled back. Roden used this opportunity to cast his last unused Common tier spell, Cling to Life.

    It did as its name suggested, it healed a person just enough to keep them from slipping into death throes. Roden looked around to see how the others had fared. He wasn¡¯t surprised to see Errrkkkk had returned from his rooftop scuffle, which by the looks of Errrkkkk wasn¡¯t much of a scuffle. Riakon had his man cowering in his clutches.

    ¡°What do you have there Riakon, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Looks to me I have found a rat.¡±

    ¡°Okay rat, what do you have to say for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Aaaahhhh, I¡¯ll never talk.¡± The rat man said in a near squeal.

    ¡°Ohhh he doesn¡¯t want to talk, aye? Well then boys I think it¡¯s time for a baptism.¡±

    Roden laughed, ¡°I saw a fountain a street or two down that would work perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Aaahhhhh, I won¡¯t tell you hunters anything.¡±

    ¡°There, there, friend, a life of faith will do you some good.¡± Riakon¡¯s calm intonation made the statement all the more concerning to his captive.

    When the men reached the fountain, it was one of a very simple construction and was clearly in need of repair. On the top of the central pillar were three fish sculpted in a jumping motion that were supposed to serve as spouts for three separate streams of water.

    In its current condition only the largest fish had what could be called a stream. The others merely gave a trickle of water that dribbled down their fishy lips and clung to the stone. With his prisoner in tow Riakon stepped into the basin of the fountain.

    Their disturbance caused the build up of silt at the bottom to cloud the water giving it the look of a too creamy latte. With a firm grip on the man Riakon began his questioning,

    ¡°Why did you attack us?¡±

    ¡°Fuck y...¡± his word cut off as Riakon plunged his head under the water. While giving the invocation ¡°In the name of the Sun.¡± when finished he pulled the drowning rat back up.

    ¡°Why did you attack us?¡± This time Riakon put more venom in his words.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never betra¡­¡± bubbles escaped his lips as he tried to finish his reply. ¡°In the name of the Sky.¡±

    ¡°Last chance, or your baptism will be permanent.¡±

    ¡°Okay okay, we attacked you before you could attack us.¡± The ratman said sputtering and spitting out water.

    Errrkkkk and Riakon both looked incredibly confused. Roden slapped a hand to his forehead in a move of feigned revelation.

    ¡°The silver!¡± The other two paused for a moment as they considered it.

    The dipping rat nodded his head vigorously, ¡°yeah you damned hunters were buying up silver weapons to come after us. Well you¡¯ll never get us all. We will get our reven¡­¡± Riakon gave the man a quick dunk to cut him off.

    ¡°Look at me and listen, we were not coming after you. We do not care about you nor are we hunting you. We needed silver for a different job in the Wilds.¡±

    Realization dawned on the wererat like a tidal wave and the expression on his face rapidly shifted from disbelief to horror.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me, we didn¡¯t know!! We¡¯ll leave you alone!!! Please please please just let me go. You¡¯ll never see me or ours again! I¡¯m sorrrrryyyy!!¡± the groveling continued, but was indecipherable between sobs. Riakon looked to Errrkkkk and Roden who both shrugged.

    ¡°Okay okay we won¡¯t hurt you. Go back and tell your people there was a misunderstanding and we meant you no harm.¡± the rat tried to agree, but Riakon spoke over him, ¡°However, if you come for us again. We will hunt down every last one of you and call it a holy mission to clean up the streets.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes of course¡± the man nodded vigorously at Riakon¡¯s words. With that Riakon released him and he scurried off, his gait had a ratlike motion even in his hybrid form.

    The three men stood around a moment taking in what had transpired.

    ¡°I feel like we handled that pretty well.¡± Riakon said with a grin,

    ¡°It could¡¯ve gone worse, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°They were so weak.¡± they all nodded in agreement.

    ¡°We should probably get moving, this place looks like a dump.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t long before they managed to retrace their steps and make their way to the Cracked Cauldron. The sign outside was a literal cracked cauldron with the words painted on the side with white paint in a shaky script. They entered the shop that was more like a closet.

    The walls were jammed with hastily built cabinets and drawers that held seemingly random collections of things. The shop was barely big enough to accommodate all three men inside and it was unlikely any of them would say it was comfortable.

    The obsequious man behind the counter was ecstatic to have customers and set to filling their order rapidly. The clerk was a human man in his middle years. His beard had gone gray in parts and was patchy along his jaw. He spoke very little when Riakon gave him their list.

    He practically ran about the shop snatching herbs and vials from what looked more like hiding places than proper locations for selling purposes. While the man moved quickly it took him nearly a half of an hour to gather up everything in the correct amounts, the man repeatedly had to reference the list to make sure he had the right ingredients.

    In a few cases he did not and had to backtrack for the correct item. After all was said and done the man presented them with a collection of everything left on their list. Riakon dropped the silver coins in the man¡¯s dirty hands without a hint of haggling and the party quickly rushed out of the door.

 Chapter 20- A Fight to Remember

    Chapter 20

    The Sun was high in the sky by the time they made it back to the more well-off part of Coastall. When they walked through the city, Roden naturally took the lead, the expectation being this was his hometown. However, as soon as they reached familiar roads, Riakon and Errrkkkk took a detour down a side street.

    When Roden caught up, he saw the Coastall Arena in the distance and figured it had caught their eye. Roden knew this was bound to happen and even was aware of which fight they were in line for this time. He sighed to himself, and started mentally preparing for the near death experience that was most likely coming.

    While they waited in line to register for their fight they got to witness a prime time fight between a combatant in heavily embellished plate armor and a massive greatsword against two massive bear-like creatures.

    The creatures had to be undead in nature as bones protruded from all over the things making them look like two macabre pincushions. The fighter deftly flipped and twisted between his foes delivering brutal chops to their limbs, heads, and bodies.

    The creatures were clearly outmatched, but the way the fighter dispatched his targets made for a thrilling fight.

    The armored combatant would narrowly avoid a strike with a twist or duck. At times, they would toss a small wicked looking knife from their belt and teleport to its new location. They would reappear with a thunderous boom, rocking the arena, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

    As the creatures began to slow from their various wounds, he managed to leap off of one¡¯s back and soar through the air. The move created more spectacle than force, but they used the motion to slice the other in half, severing its spine in a falling slash.

    The other was quickly done in by a strike that let off a thunderous boom on impact that turned the undead monstrosity into fragments of bone and muscle. The climax brought about an equally thunderous applause from the crowd.

    Not long after the fight ended the men made it to the front of the line. They went about the usual process of checking in, but when Riakon placed his hand on the small crystal ball it produced a reddish glow.

    ¡°What¡¯s that about? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, everything is fine.¡± the younger elf woman behind the counter said as she hastily swiped at her stone tablet. ¡°It appears there is a special note placed in here for your next fight.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean it''s a main event, cacaw!?¡±

    ¡°Well not quite, but if you were to accept it would be a main card on our pay to view event. The rules are a little different and the stakes are higher, but the payout is quite large.¡±

    She spun the tablet around and used her finger to direct their gaze to the base payout, a number listed in myrtium pieces instead of gold to save on the number of zeros that would need to be used.

    Roden asked the question on his friends'' faces, ¡°Just to be clear, myrtium to gold is one hundred to one, correct?¡±

    ¡°That is correct, if you were to accept this fight your payout would be well into five figures of gold pieces. Our standard is to use myrtium when payouts get above four figures as no one wants to carry thousands of gold coins.¡±

    ¡°Why do you keep saying, if we take the fight, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Well it looks like you are being given an exotic opponent in addition to them being given an accommodation.¡±

    All three men stared at the woman blankly.

    ¡°If I am reading the note here correctly, the creatures are going to be incredibly dangerous on their own and they are going to be given a magical advantage to make them even more dangerous to create a more thrilling fight.¡±

    ¡°Any idea what that might be?¡± Roden said, his mind raced with all of the things he imagined he would do in this scenario with the creatures he had used.

    ¡°Well the last time I saw one of these fights, they had an air elemental equipped with an item that let them throw full grown sharks at the adventurers.¡±

    Roden put his face in his palm in utter embarrassment, that looked more like distress to everyone else given their context.

    ¡°What do you say boys, do we take the fight? I think we can handle it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk¡¯s determination nearly crackled off of him in an aura.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Roden did his best to keep his reluctance at bay, but a tiny bit leaked into his words.

    The men had a few hours to wait for their fight and used that time to prepare in their room at the arena. Riakon spent time with Grok, he would make a show of swinging his meaty dragonkin claw at the dummy in the room and try to get Grok to do the same.

    Grok was a fast learner and had gotten the gist of what Riakon wanted. He was determined to make Grok a fighter, but wanted him to do it safely and Grok lived to please Riakon.

    Errrkkkk took a different approach than usual. He meditated for the entirety of the time they had, but instead of sitting on the ground he perched atop his staff and balanced. Ever since the incident with the treant Errrkkkk had been a little different. He was evermore driven to get stronger.

    Roden was not nearly as calm as the others. He paced the room and pondered what could happen. He frantically tried to imagine what could happen and how the fight would be different. Eventually, he gave up on trying to guess the outcomes.

    As the time drew near he got the idea to pray. He figured it couldn¡¯t hurt so he reached out to his Goddess, Era.

    ¡°Lady Era, please give me strength in this fight to come. I shall make you proud and shine a good light on your name and church.¡± There was a moment where he paused and considered what to do next.

    So he made up a prayer ¡°Hail Era, full of light, You are with me, blessed art thou amongst all who thrive under your light, Holy Era, Mother of Stars, Lady of Life, the Fairest Fire. Guide me.¡±

    A soft feminine voice whispered in his ear ¡°Your prayer is under review.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck.¡± Roden said at the sudden intrusion to his private moment, the realization of what had just transpired was like a cold shower. This was the first time he received confirmation of a prayer.

    Sure, it was the first time he invoked the Goddess through a bastardized Hail Mary, but was that really all he had done diff¡­His line of thought was interrupted when it occurred to him what made this prayer different. This prayer was one made on faith.

    Until now his prayers were made with knowing, not faith. He knew the Goddess existed in whatever capacity the Goddess permeated the Magi-Sphere, when they weren¡¯t manifesting on Mir. This prayer was made on the pure hope that Era would protect them in some capacity.

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    He was pretty sure what he just had was considered a religious experience usually reserved for psychedelics, so he figured the best thing he could do was soak in the moment and examine all aspects of his faith. It wasn¡¯t long after, when their representative knocked and escorted them to the arena floor.

    ¡°Innnnnnnn the Red Corner, we have a group of rising stars with an undefeated record. They have dominated everything we have thrown at them. They are the strong, the powerful, the faithful, Sons. of. Era-rchy!!!!¡±

    With their introduction made, their flame like auras giving a flickering glow in the darkness of the tunnel, they strode out to their mark on the arena floor. Errrkkkk waved at the crowd and made various gestures to rouse their cheers.

    Riakon raised his hammer high when they reached their place. Roden clad in his Grove Armor, surrounded in his Basking Embrace and Blessed Traveler activated his Moment of Ignition. His cloak of flames erupted from his shoulders and swirled behind him as if blown by a slight breeze.

    ¡°Innnnnnnnn the Blue Corner, we have a treat for everyone this evening. We have a special rules match to up the stakes of this one. Tonight, we have a pack of creatures captured from the island of Eisil. These creatures are voracious hunters in their own right, but they have been supplied with bands of intelligence.¡±

    ¡°Oh. fuck.¡± Roden said under his breath because he knew what was coming.

    ¡°Does that mean they are going to be smart?¡±

    ¡°Wicked smart. They¡¯ve got raptors.¡±

    ¡°Raptors, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°No not the bird kind, these are warmblooded pack hunting reptiles. Think five foot tall, scaly wolves with scythes on their feet.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like we are in for a fight, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°And then some, they are going to be smarter than us with those headbands.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a challenge, cacaw.¡±

    Out of the blue corner tunnel came three raptor each one nearly five feet tall and eight feet long. They were covered in a mixture of colorful feathers and scales. Their arms were adorned in feathers in what appeared like a poor attempt at wings.

    On their head was a large plumage that stuck straight up in a powerful display of defiance. Just beneath was a thin band of silver colored metal, each held a tiny blue gem in the center. They walked out and lined up as if they were no different than their humanoid opponents. Roden had a bad feeling about this.

    ¡°Ready!!! Set!!!! Fight!!!!¡±

    Errrkkkk launched into the air and immediately began charging up a Soul Sphere, the orb of chi formed between his raised hands. Riakon readied his hammer and charged toward the center of the arena.

    Roden had a strong feeling this was going to be a close quarters fight and with a raptor for each of them. He was going to have to get his hands dirty. He fired off an Ignition Bolt, hoping to get in some chip damage before his raptor could close the distance, but the reptiles were much too fast.

    They darted in a V- formation straight for Riakon. When Roden¡¯s spell neared, they changed into an inverted V, their focus intent on Riakon, who wasted no time and swung his sanctified hammer towards the raptor to his left. His blow connected with a boom and sent the raptor sprawling, but he was immediately set upon by the others.

    The one on his right leapt onto his back. Riakon ducked and backed into the creature¡¯s attack causing the beast to tumble over him and land in the dirt of the arena floor. The center most raptor barreled into Riakon snapping with its razor-like teeth.

    Riakon managed to get the shaft of his hammer between its jaws avoiding the bite, but the raptor used the leverage to lift its powerful legs and slash at his midsection with its sickle claw, leaving twin gashes across him.

    The two downed raptors were enveloped in an explosion of golden energy as Errrkkkk¡¯s Soul Sphere crashed into the space between them.

    Seeing Riakon in trouble Roden shouted ¡°To arms!!¡±, summoned his holy flamberge and rushed the raptor attacking Riakon. He allowed the spell to guide him, when he practiced his flame blade at Bo¡¯s he had come to think of the spell¡¯s knowledge as flowing into him through the blade, this spell was no different.

    He gripped the hilt and let his attacks flow. His first strike pierced the creature¡¯s side through, when he withdrew, he spun and slashed across the raptor horizontally. The wounds popped and sizzled with all of Roden¡¯s buffs adding extra fire damage to his attacks.

    The raptor released the hammer¡¯s shaft and danced away, regrouping with its pack. Errrkkkk from his high vantage launched a barrage of chi blasts towards the creatures, who responded by moving in a seemingly random spiraling pattern. Then they burst from their tactic and sprinted towards Errrkkkk. Before he could react they all leapt into the air, soaring, their infantile arm wings stretched out.

    There was nothing Riakon or Roden could do as the raptors latched on to Errrkkkk and dragged him to the ground, their combined weight too much for him to keep aloft. Riakon and Roden rushed to their friend¡¯s aid as the raptors ripped at the monk with their claws.

    Riakon made it first, his upward swing connected and sent his target flying through the air. Roden wasn¡¯t far behind and lashed out with his vine. It wrapped around the raptors neck only to be slashed through by its pack mate. The distraction was enough for Errrkkkk to roll out from under the beasts and propel himself backwards while shouting,

    ¡°¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    The blast was perfect, and point blank, except the raptors saw it coming. One darted to its right, away from the beam. It regrouped with the other who had been sent flying by Riakon, and they continued to pursue the resilient birdman. The center raptor renewed its attack on Riakon, who defended himself with swift side steps and kept his hammer between himself and the raptor.

    The flow of this fight had Roden sweating both figuratively and literally. The pace the raptors kept was unlike anything they had seen up to this point. The decisions he needed to make were dire and there was no time to think.

    Roden knew Errrkkkk needed help, his wings were cut and he was bleeding from his arms and legs. His white feathers were speckled with red, but he was moving fast. Roden couldn¡¯t keep up with the raptors or Errrkkkk.

    He was already running when the solution came to him. He veered towards Errrkkkk and cast his last Initiate spell for the day, Instant Destination. He appeared in front of Errrkkkk, putting himself between the raptors and his ally.

    When they were within range Roden slammed his blade down and activated his Pilgrim¡¯s Rebuke, sending a shockwave of magical energy.

    The lead raptor took the brunt of it and was sent wheeling back. The other avoided the pushback, and lashed out at Roden. Before he could react the beast¡¯s jaw was firmly wrapped around his bark clad forearm.

    He could see his aura was burning the raptor¡¯s plumage, turning it into a slow smoldering ember.. The crunch of wood filled his ears, followed by the sound and vibration of the dino¡¯s claws ripping into the armor at his belly.

    Just as he was about to lose his balance and fall back, Errrkkkk slammed into his attacker with a wing powered flying side kick. Errrkkkk spun and flapped his wings, throwing a combination of whirling kicks, with no success, the raptor¡¯s reaction was too fast.

    Errrkkkk and Roden could see the other raptors had teamed up and were tearing at Riakon from two sides.

    ¡°Go help him!¡±

    ¡°Cacaw!¡± Errrkkkk shot high into the air, before plummeting towards the two on one fight.

    Roden gripped his blade in two hands and charged his raptor with a battlecry. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!!¡±

    His target all, but ignored him and took off towards the others. Figuring he had a clear shot at its back Roden threw out his hand, his battle cry turning into the incantation, ¡°Ignite!!!¡±

    The explosion at the spell¡¯s impact with the creature was amplified with Roden¡¯s Blaze ability giving the flames a brighter color. The raptor emerged from the flames scorched, its feathers singed and burning.

    Errrkkkk and Riakon were fending off their two raptors back to back with some success when the third joined the fray. From Roden¡¯s perspective Errrkkkk was the clear target. One raptor would engaged Riakon, then two would attack Errrkkkk simultaneously.

    He was forced to take a defensive stance and focus on dodging their attacks rather than attacking himself. He was managing to avoid the majority, but some were still slipping through.

    Roden joined the attack by using his leaping ability to send him high into the air; he figured the raptors weren¡¯t expecting him to come crashing down from above. He brought his sword down mimicking the strike from the earlier bout.

    He slashed into the raptor¡¯s neck, but failed to score a killing blow. The party had finally managed to regroup and formed up back to back to back. As the raptors slowly circled their prey.

    ¡°I think this is going well.¡± Riakon quipped, his dragonkin blood running in rivulets down his body.

    ¡°Caa¡­caw¡­¡± Errrkkkk response was filled with a mixture of exhaustion and determination.

    ¡°Jeez , Errrkkkk you look rough. Here.¡± Roden placed a hand on Errrkkkk¡¯s wing and cast Triage, healing some of his wounds and giving him a faint shimmer over his body. Riakon began to glow as well, healing himself with a touch.

    The raptors continued their attack by increasing the speed of their circling into a frenzy. They whipped by in a blur.

    ¡°Guys, I¡¯ve taken no damage, I¡¯m going to pull aggro, cover me.¡±

    Roden rushed into the raptors¡¯ formation swinging his blade like a baseball bat. He felt his blade just nick his target before they broke formation and swung around focusing on Riakon. Just when it seemed Riakon was their sole target, the center and left most raptors pivoted towards Errrkkkk.

    His only option to avoid their attacks was to launch himself into the air. Roden saw it play out in slow motion, Errrkkkk¡¯s wings spread wide as the two predators crashed into him. Teeth and claws ripped into Errrkkkk. Feathers and blood littered the air about them in a cloud of carnage.

    ¡°Nooooooooo!!!!!!¡±

    ¡°Brother!!!!¡± Riakon¡¯s concern distracting him from the claws and teeth sunk into his dragonkin hide.

    The collection of feathered figures crashed to the ground in a heap. Errrkkkk unmoving under the claws of his assailants.

    In a blind fury Riakon threw his raptor off and gave everything he had to reach his fallen comrade. Roden felt a rage like no other. To him, it wasn¡¯t Errrkkkk on the ground, it was his friend, his chosen brother, Lee. It was his friend Jo¡¯s shouts of anguish at the sight.

    With reckless abandon, the two threw themselves at the raptors. The fight became a brawl as they tore into them. Wild swings and an unrelenting push forward was met with teeth and claws. Both men gave it their all, defense and their own safety far from their minds. Roden¡¯s armor was savaged in the flurry.

    The sound of wood cracking and snapping filled his ears. He barely felt the cuts and rake of claws as the raptors ripped into him. His sole focus was saving his friend. Riakon¡¯s wounds were reopened and made all the worse by the time they made it to Errrkkkk¡¯s lifeless form.

    The raptors gave them no chance as they continuously snapped and punished them for the briefest moment of inattention. There was no circling or reprieve. Errrkkkk was at their feet, but there was no time for anything, but staying alive. Riakon roared in unbridled emotion that sent shivers through Roden.

    A powerful wind rushed through the arena whipping up dust and debris. The force of it nearly knocked Roden and Riakon off their feet, both having to dig their weapons in the ground to stay upright. The gale was like a tsunami and tossed the raptors back.

    Around the party, the air began to crackle with small sparks of lightning. A powerful aura surrounded the three as the wind rushed in and lifted the body of Errrkkkk high above the others. Errrkkkk¡¯s head snapped forward and the aura coalesced around him in a torrent of wind and golden energy.

    A massive grin spread across Roden¡¯s face as tears of joy welled up in his eyes. Errrkkkk was alive. With a deafening avian screech, Errrkkkk rocketed toward the raptors. His blinding speed was too much for them as he unleashed a deluge of strikes.

    Claw and talon ripped into the raptors as they tried to close in on him. He flipped over them in a move Obi-wan would be proud of and unleashed a blast of epic proportion with an ear splitting,

    ¡°¡°Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±

    In the aftermath of the blast, all that remained was three silver bands with blue gems in the center.

 Chapter 21-A Time for Celebration

    Chapter 21

    Errrkkkk had lost consciousness after delivering his finishing blow, and was swiftly revived by Roden¡¯s Never the Time and the Place ability. When Errrkkkk regained consciousness and rose to his feet in the center of the arena, the crowd exploded into a frenzy like never seen before.

    Spectators threw whatever they had in their hands from hats to coins to towels. Roden was pretty sure he even saw undergarments, but was too tired to investigate any further. Roden and Riakon propped Errrkkkk up under their shoulders and together they held their fists in the air in triumph. They stayed in the arena taking in the boisterous crowd whose cheers never seemed to end. Eventually, the clean up crew entered and they were ushered back through their tunnel.

    They made it back to their room to find Grok scratching at the door. If the garg could look horrified it did at the sight of Riakon covered in scratches and dried blood. Grok immediately set about licking Riakon¡¯s wounds even before they could deposit Errrkkkk in a chair. When they were all finally seated and resting Grok would retrieve a potion from the table and deliver them to each man starting with Riakon.

    ¡°So Errrkkkk, wh...¡±

    ¡°I have no idea, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you could do it again brother?"

    ¡°Maybe, but not today, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m doing anything else today.¡±

    ¡°Gentlemen, we have to celebrate this victory!¡± Riakon was clearly pushing through the pain as he spoke. The men hemmed and hawed until there was a knock at the door.

    ¡°Come in¡± Riakon¡¯s deep voice boomed.

    When the door opened a stout dwarf with a short beard in a sharp black suit strolled into their room pushing a small chest. Roden noticed there were two guards outside the room as well who must have escorted the dwarf.

    ¡°Hey boys, great fight out der.¡± his accent sounded like he grew up in Brooklyn, which amplified his mobster motif.

    ¡°I has, a bit of a surprise for ya. You see, the fight you put on exceeded our expectations and per the contract. Yall are due ten percent of the overall profit made off lost bets placed against you. In this case, your cut exceeded your participation fee. Congratulations, you have broken the record for the largest payout. Keep putting on fights like that and you¡¯ll be as rich as the king of Vairhon.¡±

    His spiel over, the dwarf departed the room and closed the door. Riakon immediately rushed over to the chest and lifted the lid. Inside the chest was a pile of obsidian black coins. The coins simmered in the light as it danced across the raised surface of the coin markings.

    ¡°Myrtium¡± Roden said in awe.

    ¡°Caaa¡­Caaaaw.¡±

    Riakon began counting the coins when Roden stopped him.

    ¡°Just shove them all in your dimensional bag.¡±

    ¡°But, I want to know how many¡­¡±

    ¡°I know, watch.¡± Roden shoved all of the coins in Riakon¡¯s bag, then proceeded to produce the coins in piles of fifty at a time. They all knew there should be at least one pile. The second pile was a shock and led to goofy grins among the party.

    The third pile produced slack jaws. A fourth pile didn¡¯t materialize until Roden reduced his request to twenty. There were a few stragglers he emptied back into the chest, but by then the others were transfixed on the piles of coins that amounted to a six figure gold payout.

    ¡°We are rich!!!!¡± Riakon shouted with glee.

    After receiving their winnings, everyone was in the mood to celebrate.

    The three burst into the Golden Dew, all three singing,

    ¡°We______ are the cham-pions, We______ are the cham-pions, no______ time for los-ers, cause We______ are the cham-pions.¡±

    They spared no expense as they ordered an expansive lavish feast for themselves and Grok, who Riakon sat on the back of the booth seat between Him and Errrkkkk. When one of the elven hosts came over to address the situation Riakon flipped him a myrtium and said,

    ¡°He¡¯s our mascot, he stays.¡±

    The host bowed deeply and extricated himself from Riakon¡¯s glare.

    After their meal, that same host approached their table meekly,

    ¡°Hello gentlemen, I wanted to apologize for my intrusion earlier and offer you the chance to purchase a bottle of one of our finest wines. There are not many in circulation at any given time, so we only sell them on special occasions. Am I correct in assuming you are celebrating something special.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯z are correct, hic, cacaw¡± Errrkkkk¡¯s drunkenness barely masked by his words, but exposed nonetheless by his comical hiccup.

    ¡°Well then I offer you our Dragonblood Fallow, a truly magnificent red, with notes of¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take it, caaa¡­caaw.¡±

    Roden could tell the elf was put off by the interruption and displeased with their decorum, but set the bottle on their table and bowed in leaving. The wine was indeed ruby red in the glass and much thicker than a typical wine.

    Roden had to work himself up to drinking it as he knew how it was made and didn¡¯t love the idea of drinking dragon blood even if it had gone through a proprietary process. However, he knew it came with certain benefits that he couldn¡¯t pass up. This wasn¡¯t just any wine. It had magical properties that infused a person with a pinch of dragon vitality. As he finished his glass, he could feel his body absorbing the magic and becoming hardier. He felt great, still drunk, but great.

    ¡°Guys, this stuff is amazing!¡±

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Amazing enough to sing a song about, cacaw?¡± he wagged what passed for his eyebrow feathers,

    They had ribbed him about playing something tonight on their way to the Golden Dew and Roden had dismissed it as they were celebrating, but now he had a few drinks in him and his previous objections were a distant memory.

    ¡°You know what, I think I will play something.¡± with that Roden stood and went to his room to grab his instrument. When Roden returned he stopped at the table, ¡°Wish me luck.¡±

    ¡°You-z got this man, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yes, do good things.¡±

    Roden nodded then headed to the stage manager.

    ¡°You¡¯re just in time, we have a scheduled break here. Are you only doing one song again?¡±

    ¡°Yep, unless you want a repeat?¡±

    ¡°One would be just right I think.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    When the band of bards on stage finished, the space was rearranged for Roden¡¯s set up. His solo crystal mic was prepared and the spotlights came down as he found his place in the middle of the stage. He let the silence hang for a moment. He took a deep breath to steady himself and let his fingers do their thing. He strummed once, and began to sing,

    ¡°She packed my bags last night, pre-flight__

    Ze-ro ho-ur, nine A.M___

    And I¡¯m gon__na be high___________ as a kite by then.¡±

    His fingers calmly moved along the neck of his instrument crafting a calm easy melody. He knew this song well, he would belt this out in the car by himself all the time. The cords were a mystery to him even as he played them, courtesy of his newly found musical inclination. But, it was the next part of the song that made him choose it.

    ¡°I miss¡¯the Earth. So much I miss¡¯my wife.__ It¡¯s lone¡ªly out_in space.____¡±

    It was moments like this shut away from the crazy world of Mir that his thoughts would drift to his wife, Joy. He missed her dearly and this was the longest they had ever been apart since they had met all those years ago.

    Tears welled up in his eyes and poured over. The mix of alcohol and sadness was too much for him to hold back. He did his best to hold the song together. He repeated a section without vocals to buy time so he could collect himself. When he was finally able to swallow the lump in his throat he sang the chorus with his whole heart.

    ¡°And I think it¡¯s gon¨Cna be a long_long time.____ ¡®Til touch-down brings me¡¯round a¨Cgain to find.__¡±

    His song was full of undeniable emotion, the crowd was taken aback by his tears, but slowly fell into the wholesome back and forth swaying of couples wrapped in each other''s embrace. It brought him happiness to see each pairing for what they were. Some clearly had been together for some time and moved with practiced ease, their love a steady and solid rock built up over years.

    Then there were the new couples, whose infatuation burned hot, even as they danced slow. Each movement teased at a whirlwind to come. When Roden had a moment he glanced back at his friends and could¡¯ve swore he saw both men wiping their eyes, but staring into the spotlights was ill advised for anyone who ever found themselves on stage.

    He wrapped up the song with a slow trill letting his audience know he had finished. The applause wasn¡¯t raucous or thunderous, it was a steady heartfelt clapping. Many of his listeners were still gripped in the embrace of their lover. The sight of so much love was all the applause he needed. As Roden left the stage, he was stopped by the stage manager.

    ¡°Great work as usual. I wanted to speak with you about your donations.¡±

    ¡°Donations?¡±

    ¡°Yes, from the last time you played and presumably you will accrue some more from tonight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have no idea what you mean.¡±

    ¡°When you play, patrons will give donations as thanks.¡±

    ¡°Like drinks?¡±

    The woman rolled her eyes ¡°Perhaps you would get that in a lesser establishment, but here at the Golden Dew, performers are given donations in the form of credit.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right on. Can I use it to cover some of my tab for tonight?¡±

    ¡°Some?! I imagine you will still have some left over after those performances. Our patrons are quite generous. Check with one of the Bartenders, they keep the ledger.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I will.¡±

    Roden figured he would wait until the morning to check in. They settled their tab at breakfast the last time they celebrated this hard anyway. His friends congratulated him when he made it back to the table.

    It wasn¡¯t long after, that their weariness was too much and they all found themselves nodding off at the table. After Roden caught himself snoring with his head down. He shook himself and called it a night. The others followed his lead up the stairs before pouring themselves into their respective beds.

    When Roden woke the next afternoon, his whole body was tingling. At first he felt completely numb as if everything had fallen asleep. Once he opened his eyes he recognized the glow to be from another level up. This one felt much stronger than the previous ones. His hangover and grogginess was unruly. Roden closed his eyes hoping his level up would rid him of his current afflictions.

    Roden arrived in his budding divine grove. However, things had changed since his last visit. He found a large tree had grown on one end of the clearing. In the center of the clearing was a campfire that burned strong and bright without any sign of something to burn. The naked flame danced of its own accord. When he peered into the flame he saw the holy symbol of Era.

    In that moment, he realized he¡¯d acquired a new domain spell. He nearly threw himself into the flames as he reached out for the spell. The pure unadulterated delight that coursed through him with the spell¡¯s knowledge was uncontainable. The spell was called Conflagration, but in Roden¡¯s mind, it was fireball. From what he could tell this was an unforgiving version of the old Adventure and Antics spell.

    This one did not care if you only needed to cover a small room. This spell did what it did and if something was in its way it was getting burned. The spell itself had two parts to it. The first part was the formation of the spell. It manifested as a bright, white orange, flame in the palm of his hand. While in his hand, it was no different than a torch that didn¡¯t require any fuel as it sucked in ambient magic and oxygen. From there was the delivery method.

    For the duration of the spell he could either cast the spell away with a hand motion sending it flying toward his target or he could reach out and touch a target. Both options resulted in a fiery explosion, the only difference between the two was shape. The thrown spell erupted into a sphere that completely filled a set volume, in most cases this meant the spell would create a large hemisphere of fire as the ground would prevent the formation of a sphere. The touch version blasted out from his palm in a cylindrical form from point of contact.

    Roden imagined it in the sense that if an enemy was hiding behind cover the sphere would wrap around the cover and do the trick. If he had an enemy in his face a Conflagration at close range should handle his target and anything behind them. When Roden pulled his hand out of the flames, his excitement was radiating off of him. He could see the usual path of spell selection was behind him that held his new Adventure Domain spell, but there was something about the tree on the other side that drew him to touch it. He placed his hand on the bark of the tree and was absorbed into a memory.

    He was once again leaping through the trees, clad in Grove Armor. His host appeared to be the leader of this group of Grove Guardians, they held up a fist in a halting gesture and to Roden¡¯s amazement they all began sinking into the trees they stood upon. Just like before when he had these visions with Mu¡¯tumbo, he instinctively knew how to accomplish the same feat.

    He remained in his host for a few more moments. His vision was blocked, but he could hear the world outside of his hiding place. It was as if he had become one with the tree. When his host focused, he could feel everything the tree touched. He could feel the branches of the canopy swaying in the wind. He could feel the cool embrace of the soil against the tree¡¯s roots. He rapidly was pulled out of the vision and found himself once again in his grove. He now knew this tree was a representation of his Elven magic and his connection to the forests of Mir.

    Roden gave himself a shake, the visions of previous Grove Guardians always left him a bit dazed as if he had just woken from a vivid dream that felt all too real. When he had gathered himself, he approached the path on the far end of the clearing. His holy symbol hung in the air in a small floating ball of light that reminded him of old street lamps. He reached his hand up into the light, the spell that flooded his mind took him a bit off guard. It was called Adventurer¡¯s Refuge.

    The strange part of the spell was that it came with little information other than it produced a safe comfortable place for an adventurer to lay their head while on the road. He had grown used to his Adventure Domain having the more finicky of his abilities. They also seemed so straight forward, yet had incredibly practical applications when applied creatively.

    His first Adventure Domain spell Resting Ward seemed at first to be a simple magical trip wire that could be placed on a door or window. However, Roden quickly figured out he could place them end to end to create a space in the center completely surrounded by wards. This new spell felt very similar in that regard.

    He tucked his new found spells away and continued down the path. It was comforting to see the wisps that represented his spells; he double checked his Trainee and Initiate tier spells and found them to his liking. It was when he came to the Apprentice tier wisps that his excitement grew. He went from wisp to wisp to gain a basic understanding of each spell. He knew whatever he chose would be subjected to his domains. There were many great options, but his recent experience in the arena drove him to choose a spell that could pull an individual back from death¡¯s door.

    When he began absorbing the spell, he felt it being pulled in four directions instead of just two as his spells had before. He realized the pull for each was not equal. His domains pulled the strongest, they made up the vast majority of his magical acumen. He could feel his Elven magic tugging at the spell ever so slightly, attempting to assert its influence. The fourth was less of a tug and more of a vacuum.

    Roden recalled this feeling from when he had chosen his Sight of the Magi spell. It had remained unchanged by his domains. Not all of his spell selections came with that option and Roden wasn¡¯t quite sure why that was, but figured magic is magic and wasn¡¯t about to question it. The spell at hand eventually nestled itself within the space of his Elven magic. At first it felt unnatural to have his Clerical magic pulled away from his domains, but once the change was made it became a more natural feeling, like when receiving a gift that has sentimental value to the person giving the gift.

    The spell became Blooming Recovery, it maintained its original feature of pulling its target from recent death, but it could do it from a distance. It gave them a surge of healing over time to help get them back on their feet too. Roden was blown away at how much the spell was improved by his Elven magic until he saw the cost. The original spell required a sacrifice of an expensive gem as an offering to the gods.

    His new spell did away with that and required a seed from a plant blessed by elven magic or a deity. He didn¡¯t relish this revelation, but when he gave it some thought, he knew of a few places he could get his hands on such a seed. He had a sinking suspicion that whatever was controlling this world was taking advantage of his prior knowledge, which amounted to a level of metagaming that made Roden¡¯s head hurt both figuratively and literally.

 Chapter 22- The Gathering Begins

    Chapter 22

    The route back to the lycan camp was becoming a familiar one already given their repeated treks to and from Coastall to the treeline of the Wilds. Each time they would stop along the same section of river to camp and fish. Grok was getting bigger everyday. They had decided to purchase the little Garg a stockpile of his own high quality meats with their new found wealth.

    Riakon was worried his little buddy wasn¡¯t getting enough to eat as he was a rapidly growing boy. In fact, eating and sleeping was pretty much all Grok did on any given day. Gargs had a nifty ability to completely digest anything organic. However, they were strict carnivores, which meant they would refuse to eat anything plant based. In the event some got in their mouths they would spit it out as if it was the worst thing they had ever eaten.

    Once they got situated Roden was excited to try out his new Adventure domain spell. It took ten minutes for him to work through the spell. It wasn¡¯t a ritual like his ward. It just took that much time to craft the framework of the spell out of magic. It was in the midst of casting that Roden got a better idea of what he was doing.

    When he started casting, he had very little idea what was going to be created by the spell other than a place to stay. It was during the process of laying out the spell¡¯s matrix that he realized he could create anything he wanted as long as it adhered to the restrictions of the spell. He knew what he wanted instantly.

    The minutes he spent casting felt like hours as he carefully planned and designed what he wanted from the spell. When the structure began materializing, it started with thick roots that grew out of the ground that converged and formed the trunk of a wide tree. As the tree grew it sprouted a myriad of branches that reached out in all directions. At first glance, it looked like any old tree until Roden grasped the gnarled knot protruding from the trunk of the tree and pulled. The trunk swung open the knot acting like a doorknob to the secret door within the trunk''s surface.

    Inside was a circular room about eight feet across. There was a kitchen table and chairs. Along the wall was a fireplace with no chimney, the absence of smoke in the cozy room gave away the magical nature of the flames. Roden had to descend a few stairs to reach the space. Riakon and Errrkkkk crowded around the door as he entered the room. It had little decor, but the walls themselves seemed to be crafted from the tree itself. The floor was even done in a snazzy dark hardwood and a forest green run laid in front of the fireplace. The two men stood at the door mouths agape.

    ¡°And wait, there¡¯s more!¡± Roden said putting on his best infomercial voice.

    He strode over to the center of the far wall and pulled a dangling cord. A hatch opened above him and a ladder dropped down. He quickly scampered up to see the second of the rooms. This room was identical in shape, but was furnished as a bedroom, complete with bed, trunk, and fireplace. On the wall opposite the fireplace was a door. When Roden opened the door he found himself stepping out onto a large branch. It served as a walkway that led to a small treehouse nestled among the green leaves of the canopy.

    The room among the leaves was still part of the tree and was covered in smaller branches and leaves. This room was yet another bedroom completely identical to the first albeit for the two hatches. One was in the floor and served as another entrance and exit with a knotted rope that could be lowered to ground level. The other hatch was in the ceiling and led to the roof of the room. As Roden led his companions up the ladder he said,

    ¡°Errrkkkk this one''s for you.¡±

    The round roof had raised edges giving it a bowl shape. It was completely covered from above by the tallest branches of the tree, and wholly concealed by its greenery.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s not a homemade nest, but I figure it¡¯ll do in a pinch and you can always make it better if you¡­¡± Roden was cut off as the birdman gave him a crushing hug.

    ¡°It''s perfect, cacaw.¡± his voice cracking ever so slightly.

    ¡°That is some view.¡± Riakon said, looking out towards the sea. From their treetop vantage they could just make out the colors of the setting sun on the calm waters.

    Their first night in the tree house was a game changer for everyone. Dinner was a breeze with the magical fireplace and a table. After dinner, they all went up to the nest to take in the night sky. Errrkkkk even brought out his project plant to take in the cool night. The vast majority of the time, just the top half of the branch stuck out of Errrkkkk¡¯s pack while they moved about from place to place. Sometimes Errrkkkk would leave it in their room at the Golden Dew.

    Compared to Grok it didn¡¯t look like the branch had grown at all. It did however, have the tiniest little buds just starting to form, signally the promise of more branches to come. When it was time to turn in for the night, Errrkkkk naturally took the nest. While Riakon took the branch room with Grok, who found his spot sprawled out in front of the fireplace. Roden took the trunk room above the kitchen. Roden felt much safer in the treehouse when trying to sleep. There was something about being surrounded by a magical tree and sleeping behind a secret door with a lock that makes one sleep easier.

    Everyone woke up renewed. The night in the tree house was a massive improvement when compared to sleeping on bedrolls. After gathering their belongings the party set out for another long day of travel. They didn¡¯t arrive at the lycan camp until mid evening. They were greeted warmly by the villagers as they entered the camp. Most were sitting at low tables in front of their homes and gave a wave. The men dropped off various sacks of supplies.

    The three men had decided they would grab some extra things like rice, ale, oil, exotic spices and herbs from the Coastall markets to bring to the village as a gift. They brought the last sack to Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s tent. When they peered inside Mu¡¯tumbo was seated on the cushions around the small fire. A haze filled the upper levels of the teepee accompanied by the skunky aroma Roden began to associate with Mu¡¯tumbo specifically.

    ¡°Ah, mai brodas! Sidon. com smoke sontin.¡±

    All three men couldn¡¯t sit down fast enough. Before anything else was said Mu¡¯tumbo had a spliff in rotation.

    ¡°We brought your sugar.¡± Riakon said before taking a drag.

    ¡°Awe you guys are wey dey best. I get been dying for some gud puff puffs.¡±

    Everyone stared at him blankly, Errrkkkk looked between Mu¡¯tumbo and the joint in his talons. It took a moment for Mu¡¯tumbo to register the confusion.

    ¡°No bi fireweed ya mumus, dem be little balls for dough.¡±

    ¡°Ooooohhhhhh.¡±, they said in unison followed by the ever present ¡°cacaw¡±.

    Roden took a long drag and spoke through the smoke ¡°So Mu¡¯tumbo, what¡¯s the plan for the gathering?¡±

    ¡°ahhh di gathering na going be tomorrow night wen di moon na high. Many for we go go di haus for di ancestors and perform di ceremony. Which for you na going to call di spirits?"

    The three men looked at each other their eyes drooping ever so slightly, when Riakon piped up, ¡°I will call the spirits.¡±

    ¡°then you go tanda wit me as we bring dem for. You two go de a part for di chant. Juss follow along wit di odas and you go de fine.¡±

    ¡°How does calling the spirits work?¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°I go do di dey call through you and you go do di dey ask.¡±

    ¡°I think I understand. Then I am asking the spirits where to find Seven?¡±

    ¡°Dat na wetin I am thinking.¡±

    ¡°Maybe ask if they know how to beat him, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Or a way to track him.¡±

    ¡°it na possible di spirits no sabi di ansa to ya kweshion.¡±

    ¡°Any help they can give is worth the try.¡±

    The remainder of the night was spent relaxing with the villagers and Mu¡¯tumbo. Laughing and enjoying the treats the villagers put together from the supplies the men brought from Coastall. That night Roden set up their tree house and they slept soundly as preparations for the gathering didn¡¯t begin in earnest until the following morning.

    The preparations were an extra addition to their usual preparation for the full moon. Roden found it a bit ironic that an entire camp of lycanthropes would celebrate the full moon, but he could understand the sentiment. Every full moon night where they didn¡¯t end up turning into an uncontrollable beast was a night to celebrate.

    Roden knew the barrier that covered the village and surrounding forest was ancient magic established to create a haven for the lycans. In the days of old, a long forgotten church hunted their kind to what seemed like extinction. Even during the Dark Times, they were hunted ruthlessly by the minions of Orvell the Lich. Mu¡¯timbo¡¯s clan had established this place as a sanctuary so no one would be caught out in the night.

    As the day moved into evening Roden grew nervous. He was pretty sure things were going as planned, but that meant things were about to go horribly wrong in just a few hours and there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to be prepared for what was to come. For him this was a true butterfly effect moment. If his presence here changed anything it would have a massive ripple effect through the world and the campaign.

    When the sun neared the horizon and the sky turned to shades of pink, red and orange it was time for the pre-gathering events. There was traditional music and dancing around the fire. The villagers who would take part in the ceremony drank a special drink that tasted like cocoa and paint thinner. When it was finally time and the moon was near its peak in the sky Mu¡¯tumbo rose and guided the men into the circular building known as the home of the ancestors.

    Everyone entered wearing simple homespun tunics and loin cloths. Riakon, Errrkkkk, and Roden had left their belongings in the tree house except Riakon. Who had the habit of always carrying his hammer around, even in the village. He was reluctant to leave it behind, but Roden convinced him it was necessary and had him leave it just outside the door of the hut.

    Inside the home, was a round room. The walls were covered in bones inscribed with various symbols, which would have been alarming on its own if it weren''t for the massive skeleton that hung from the ceiling of the structure.

    At first glance it appeared to be of a huge wolf, but closer inspection revealed it to have some abnormal features including a third eye socket in the center of the forehead. The hindlegs were distinctly lupine in construction, but the foreclaws were more bearlike. The teeth of the skull were more saber-toothed tiger than like any wolf the party had ever seen.

    The villagers entered and took their places along the walls in a U with Mu¡¯tumbo in the open section of the shape. Each villager took a long bone hanging from the wall and held it like a clarinet waiting for their cue. The room had a small fire in the center. As soon as the door shut them in, Mu¡¯tumbo begin stoking the fire before adding powders and herbs from a bag on his waist. Smoke began to fill the upper levels of the chamber.

    The villagers began to blow into the bone instruments creating a low resonant sound that vibrated Roden¡¯s bones. The sound was deep and seemed to cause the very air to shake. As the song grew in intensity, Mu¡¯tumbo took a vial and doused the fire with its contents casting the entire room in a dense acrid smoke. Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s voice cut through the darkness,

    ¡°Oh great ancestors we dey call you to gather, we get a fren who needs ya guidance. Abeg com and ansa im kweshion.¡±

    At his words the smoke began to swirl. Mu¡¯tumbo brought Riakon forward into the center of the smoke. It whipped around him violently, it engulfed his entire form just as the fire erupted, casting off the smoke. The room was a complete haze.

    There was no evidence they were in a building as the smoke covered the structure as thick as the densest fog on a moonless night. All Roden could see was Riakon in the center illuminated by the visage of a dragon¡¯s head made of roiling flames. Riakon looked on stoically. He had prepared himself for anything and despite the surprise he held firm. A voice came from the flames in a hiss,

    ¡°Whoooo caaalllllssss meeeee?¡±

    ¡°I called you, I have some questions and was hoping you could answer them.¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhh, and whoooo are yoooouuuu?¡±

    ¡°I am Riakon, paladin of Era.¡±

    At the sound of the Goddess¡¯s name the flames grew brighter and sizzled,

    ¡°Do not speak her name in my presence.¡± the dragon snapped, the voice taking on a more feminine tone.

    ¡°Can you answer my questions?¡±

    ¡°Haaaa there we have it. The thing is, which questions, hmmm?¡± the flames began twisting and snaking in front of his face.

    ¡°I have answers to so many of your questions. Even the ones you keep deep down.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I know everything there is to know about you, son.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I am the great dragon goddess, Tiamat and I am your mother.¡± She said the last words with a firmness reserved for stating facts. Her words left Riakon stunned.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeessss!¡±

    ¡°You were taken from me! But here you are a grown man.¡± the flames moved like a serpent around Riakon to his back, ¡°But, how?¡±

    ¡°One day, we will be together again. Until then, here my son, know that your mother¡¯s love is always with you.¡± With that the flaming mouth opened wide and bit down on Riakon¡¯s shoulder. Riakon felt the flames burn his scales and flesh. He could feel a power leech into his bones. His whole being shuddered as he felt a myriad of sensations that ended in a shock of electricity. He dropped to one knee.

    ¡°There my son, now you will always have your mother with you. I must go, I will see you again. Come find me and we can be a family.¡±

    ¡° Wait! I need your help to find Seven. He¡¯s a werewolf¡­¡±

    ¡°Oooh my boy, I have helped you already. He is coming to you now!¡± With those final words the flames rose up and plunged down into the fire from whence they came leaving the room in complete darkness.

    A loud bang came from the door of the house followed by a vicious snarl. Each bang seemed to rouse the villagers who had played their song through the entire ceremony. The smoke dissipated revealing the structure once again. Roden reached out with his spell and stirred the fire to life once more casting the room in light. The door cracked under the weight of the next blow. Errrkkkk hopped to his feet and helped Riakon up. Roden joined them, the three of them standing resolute, the fire at their feet.

    ¡°Get back! We will handle this, cacaw.¡±

    No sooner than the words left his beak, did the door burst into splinters. In the doorway stood a hulking figure with glowing bright red eyes that seemed to float in the shadows. It opened its toothy maw, drew in a breath and unleashed a deafening snarl that sent shockwaves through the hut. Everyone in the room was launched back into the far wall. With blinding speed, the beast rushed in and snatched Mu¡¯tumbo by the throat and pinned him to the wall.

    ¡°Finally, I can take what is mine old man.¡± The figure of Seven was that of a nearly twelve foot tall werewolf with whitish fur. His voice was a cross between a wicked wolf¡¯s growl and a grave man¡¯s. In a flash, Seven squeezed his claw and pulled. Blood scattered across the ground painting everything in red. A cacophony exploded in the room as everyone moved. The villagers made a break for the door, Seven clearly too much for them to have any effect.

    Riakon followed on their heels, protecting their retreat and going for his hammer. Errrkkkk leapt at Seven, his aura crackling with rage. Without his staff, Errrkkkk delivered a series of blows that struck his target. Any other foe would have at least flinched at his strikes, but Seven merely backhanded Errrkkkk with his skillet sized claw, knocking him back. Roden knew the situation was dire, so he cast Basking Embrace and pumped enough magic into it to grant the effect to the party and Mu¡¯tumbo.

    The spell¡¯s shroud surrounded everyone and Roden could see Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s wound close and breath fill his chest. Seven¡¯s eyes locked in on Roden, but before he could act, he was met with Riakon¡¯s charge. A flurry of sanctified hammer strikes slammed into the werewolf, each blow bolstered by wisps of flames, sending a ripple of pain through the wolfman.

    In the face of Errrkkkk and Riakon¡¯s assault Seven sucked in a breath and unleashed another shockwave. Both men were blown back despite their best efforts. Their fiery cloaks took the brunt of the blast and vanished. Roden placed a hand on the wall of the hut and drew the branches up his arm forming his Grove Armor. He held out his other hand while shouting, ¡°To arms!¡± his golden sword descending into his hand. Roden had to grit his teeth and steel himself. He really did not want to rush a twelve foot werewolf.

    Every fiber of his being told him to get the fuck out of there. He remembered what Bo had taught him. He gave himself over to the spell through the sword in his hand. The blade filled him with the instincts of countless warriors who had come before him. He wasn¡¯t a warrior by trade, but he had to do what needed to be done. After all, if he failed it might cost him his life.

    He felt himself move, at his first step he opened his eyes and prepared a thrust. However, instead of continuing his charge, he thrust out his sword and let it fly from his hands guided by his magic. It caught Seven off guard and struck him in the abdomen. He let out a howl of pain before lunging towards Roden. He was met by Errrkkkk, who swooped in from above in a falling axe kick at his head and neck. The wolf managed to raise an arm to block the strike, but its power knocked him off balance. As Seven stumbled, Errrkkkk flipped, bringing his hands together,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±driving his signature chi blast straight into Seven.

    Before the blast cleared Seven cut through the beam. His claw raked across Errrkkkk¡¯s chest, before he could dodge Seven was on top of him, his jaws going at his throat. Riakon swarmed the pair. He raised his hammer high and brought it down in an arc. The smiting blow exploded rocking the hut and sent his brother¡¯s attacker tumbling. Roden took the opportunity to call his blade back and unleashed a series of strikes at the downed opponent. He hacked at the monster like he was chopping wood for a fire. He struck flesh, but each strike barely cut into its flesh, leaving shallow cuts across his back.

    Roden didn¡¯t see the blow that sent him flying through the air and into the far wall of the hut. His vision swam as he gathered himself. He looked down and saw his breastplate had been cracked to shit and barely qualified as armor anymore. Roden could see Errrkkkk and Riakon stood shoulder to shoulder in the center of the room, both men ready to clash with the foe before them. When Seven began to laugh. It was nearly a bark when he raised his hands and howled.

    The skeleton on the ceiling began to rattle and shudder. The bones ripped themselves from their tether and flew toward the wolfman. The massive skull thrashed about the roof cracking and snapping as it rocked in its constraints. When it finally broke free it slammed into the wall above the door before heading towards its master, the spinal column slithered behind.

    The various bones formed around Seven in a sort of exoskeleton. The glow of his red eyes intensified and spread to the bones themselves. The skeleton was too large to assemble in its natural form; instead it encased Seven from head to toe resembling a suit of armor. The skull slid over his own like a macabre helmet. Roden knew the real fight was about to begin.

 Chapter 23- The Real Fight

    Chapter 23

    Seven dropped down to all fours. The bright red glow around him pulsed as his claws dug into the floor of the hut. The tension in the room was on a knife¡¯s edge. Riakon casted his Thundering Smite spell over his hammer with a wave of his hand. Errrkkkk stood stoic, his eyes closed, the air around him crackled and sparked with golden chi energy.

    Roden itched to blast this monster with his Conflagration ,but the cramped space had him incredibly concerned about blowback. With his golden blade floating at his shoulder Roden cast his hand to his side. Flames erupted in his palm and stretched out forming into his Flame Blade. Riakon cut through the tension,

    ¡°Okay boys, we go all at once. I¡¯ll go for the head.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go high, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I guess, I¡¯m going low.¡±

    Seven rocked back on his haunches, and opened his boney maw exposing a building red glow from within.

    ¡°Guys, I think something is coming!¡± Roden shifted his stance to be lighter on his feet, anticipating the incoming attack.

    Errrkkkk shifted back and began charging up an energy attack of his own,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡±

    In a flash, Seven released the gathered energy in a condensed ball of pure arcane energy.

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    The two energies collided in an eruption. The resulting explosion sent stray arcs of energy tearing through the building. The roof of the structure took the brunt of the blast. When the blast dissipated, Roden could see the night sky through the gaping hole left in its wake.

    Seven launched himself from his crouched position. The massive creature hurled through the air towards Errrkkkk, his jaw wide ready to clamp down on his target. Errrkkkk flapped his powerful wings and shot into the sky as wicked teeth snapped in his previous location.

    Riakon saw his opportunity and slammed his hammer into Seven¡¯s armored ribs. The sound of bones cracking and snapping could be heard as the beast was lifted from his feet and sent flying. Roden saw Riakon¡¯s strike and knew it would result in Seven coming towards him. In response he activated Pilgrim¡¯s Rebuke, crushing Seven between the two shockwaves.

    Roden had to admit things weren¡¯t going too bad, but they had already strayed from the original fight. He couldn¡¯t rely on his memories. He knew that bone armor was a problem for Errrkkkk. If he couldn¡¯t land solid strikes on Seven things weren¡¯t going to go their way.

    The boney form before them spun and lashed out at Roden. His two blade spells granted him some combat instincts and he danced backwards in a couple hops until his back was against the wall of the hut. His foot caught on something nearly causing him to stumble.

    It was then he noticed Mu¡¯tumbo was at his feet unconscious. Seven was bearing down on him. Panic coursed through him, if Mu¡¯tumbo died here it could change everything. Riakon was too far away to make a difference and he couldn¡¯t see Errrkkkk. Roden braced himself and prayed to Era Seven¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t going to hurt too bad.

    He was wrong, they hurt a lot. More than anything he had ever experienced. His armor was mangled as he was battered back and forth before he was sent careening through the wall by a brutal strike from a bone-covered fist. Roden¡¯s head swam as he tried to sit up. At his second attempt he lost consciousness.

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    Riakon watched on in horror as Roden was cast out of the hut in a brutal assault by Seven. In desperation, he called up his breath weapon in the hopes it would have some effect even if just a distraction. A gout of holy water escaped his mouth, showering the beast in divine magic. Seven¡¯s connection to the bones must have done something as the holy water sizzled and he howled in pain. In an instant a barrage of golden beams slammed into a reeling Seven.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go brother!¡± Riakon charged and brought his hammer around in a sweeping strike.

    Errrkkkk swooped in continuing the barrage with fists and feet. The two men stood and traded blows with the werewolf. Riakon and Errrkkkk worked in unison to take down the larger foe. Neither could spare a moment to check on Roden, but they figured he still had his ability to keep him from dying. The two fought the werewolf to a standstill until Riakon managed to shatter some bones around Seven¡¯s torso.

    Errrkkkk took the opportunity to drive a fist through the gap and into Seven, activating a technique he had been working towards for a long time. Through his punch Errrkkkk could feel the roiling chi circulating in Seven¡¯s body. With a twist Errrkkkk latched onto that energy and sent a shockwave through it.

    The injection of his own chi caused Seven¡¯s meridians to shut down, cutting him off from the magic coursing through him. Seven was left shuddering, without his magic to bolster his strength. With their target unable to attack or defend himself Riakon and Errrkkkk poured everything they had into their attacks.

    When Seven finally regained control the mid to lower portions of his exoskeleton was in ruins at his feet. His first movement caught his opponents off guard as he dodged a strike from Errrkkkk by dropping to all fours, focused on Riakon. The blast left his maw quicker than before and caught the dragonkin squarely in the chest. The raw arcane energy ripped through his scales and hide.

    Errrkkkk raged at the scene unfolding before him. He unleashed his aura with an avian screech full of anguish. The golden glow emanating off Errrkkkk lit the room as if it was day. Seven turned around to face the Birdfolk and was met by a torrent of chi energy. Errrkkkk could feel the energy racing through him. He needed to open the flood gates. This beast needed to pay for what it had done to his friends.

    Seven charged Errrkkkk swinging wildly. It was a fight between Errrkkkk¡¯s speed and Seven¡¯s power. When Seven would connect Errrkkkk was able to slide with the blows lessening their impact. When on the offensive, Errrkkkk¡¯s strike connected, but Seven was sturdy and absorbed his shots. In the midst of claws and teeth, Errrkkkk caught sight of Riakon. He was bloodied and had a wound across his chest, but was sitting up.

    A glow radiated from his hand as he clutched the gash on his chest, his wound closing rapidly as a result. When Errrkkkk dared a glance over to where Roden had crashed through the wall, he saw the silhouette of a man standing in the dark with a small flame in his hand. Errrkkkk wasn¡¯t exactly sure what he was doing, but fire was fire and he needed to get the hell out of the way.

    ¡°Conflagration!¡±

    Roden¡¯s ability had finally kicked in by the time he saw Errrkkkk in his golden form. The fight had taken an unfortunate turn after he was taken out. His sacrifice served his purpose though and Mu¡¯tumbo was still lying on the ground untouched. Roden stood and peered through the opening of the hut he had created with his body and saw the fight taking place. He had summoned up the flame of his Conflagration spell and was waiting for his moment when he caught Errrkkkk¡¯s eye. Roden knew this was his chance. He shouted his incantation and threw his fireball.

    Instead of fleeing, Errrkkkk stood his ground and delivered a powerful strike to Seven¡¯s core. He once again sent a ripple through his chi and shut down the massive wolf. Errrkkkk dropped down and covered Mu¡¯tumbo with his body and wings as the flames enveloped its immobile target and blasted outward scorching the ground and the remains of the room.

    At the epicenter of the blast, amidst the dust was Seven. He stood, his fur torched black, smoldering. It was the red glowing eyes in the cloud that told everyone he wasn¡¯t done just yet. The burnt wolf slowly began to regain control over his body when Riakon tore through the smoke, his hammer raised up high. He brought it down like a meteor. The silvered spike on the end glowing a bright yellow crashed through the skull and pierced straight into Seven¡¯s forehead. The massive skull fell to pieces around Seven¡¯s lifeless body as he fell to the ground.

    The werewolf form slowly shifted and writhed as it withdrew and shrunk. In seconds, Seven the werewolf was gone. The body was replaced by that of a young human boy, who to Riakon looked no older than sixteen or seventeen. The fight over, Errrkkkk¡¯s golden aura faded, his eyes rolled back and he dropped into a heap of feathers. Roden rushed over and immediately cast Triage on the unconscious birdman, rousing him back to bleary eyed wakefulness.

    In the aftermath of the gathering the village was in shambles. Before Seven assaulted the home of the ancestors, he ripped through the camp. The barrier prevented the villagers from transforming under the moon, but did not prevent them from doing so voluntarily.

    Many of the men threw themselves at Seven and were injured, maimed, or killed. Roden and Errrkkkk walked through the camp dejected. The gravity of the situation was crushing after such a brutal and violent fight. Roden had tended to Mu¡¯tumbo, who thanked them for saving him, but rushed off quickly to tend to his people.

    Riakon, however, was not well. Once Seven was dealt with and Errrkkkk was on his feet. Riakon ran off into the woods, his shouts of anguish could be heard throughout the village. Roden and Errrkkkk could hear their friend, but both knew it was best for Riakon to get it out before they could do anything to help him deal with a revelation so shattering.

    Errrkkkk and Roden had to hold back Grok as he mewled in his attempts to leave the treehouse to find his friend and handler. Roden¡¯s heart broke as he witnessed the scene unfold before him. He knew there was nothing he could do. He also knew there was no lie in Tiamat¡¯s words. Riakon was her son, and was far more important to her plans than he realized.

 Interlude

    Interlude

    The darkness of the woods was his only sanctuary. Branches tugged at his shirt and pants as he ran through the trees. Thoughts raced through his mind faster than he could run. The words of Tiamat¡¯s flaming avatar were burned into his mind as if they were etched into his soul.

    She was his mother. He knew it was true. It was the deepest truth his life was nested upon. She was his mother and that piece of information fit into the puzzle that was his existence. He railed at the thought he was so wrong for all these years. He had believed he was connected to Basmu. He had served Era. All those beliefs were meaningless to him now. At his core, he was a child of Tiamat.

    ¡°Baaaaaasssssssssmmmmmmuuuuuuuu!!!¡± He yelled, his head thrown back

    ¡°Era!¡±

    He was met with nothing except the sounds of the forest, he gripped his hammer. He swung, slamming his hammer into tree after tree. Some burst at the force of the blow, others merely dented. None of this mattered to Riakon. He took out a lifetime of frustration on the world around him until he had nothing left. He dropped to his knees exhausted, his arms heavy, his legs jelly, and his voice horse from his screams of pain and desperation.

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    As his hope for answers dwindled, he felt a burning in his shoulder. He had all, but forgotten the gift Tiamt had given him. He slipped his arm out of his shirt and angled his shoulder into a beam of bright moonlight.

    There he could see an image of a five headed dragon. The front of his shoulder held the body of the creature made up of a pale scar. From there sprouted five heads on long twisting necks. The whole thing looked like a cross between a brand, scar, and tattoo with the five heads resting on top of his shoulder.

    He could feel the mark grow hot. It glowed with a dark purplish black light. He felt power well up inside of him. It bubbled up as he clamped down on it. The pressure built inside of him. He felt like he was going to burst if he did not release it.

    A cold sweat broke out across his whole body as the power morphed and changed. He knew this power belonged to Tiamat and something within himself told him nothing good could come from using her gifts.

    A voice hissed in his ear,

    ¡°Don¡¯t deny who you are.¡± The words grew fainter and fainter as he pushed the power down. It finally stayed buried as the words trailed off. He was once again surrounded by nothing, but the sounds of the woods and the rapid thundering of his own heart.

 Chapter 24- A Much Needed Victory

    Chapter 24

    In the aftermath of the gathering and Seven¡¯s ambush, the village slowly began putting things back together. Roden, Errrkkkk, and Riakon did what they could to help fix up the house of the ancestors, but the damage done from their fight was going to take much longer to fix than a single afternoon.

    Riakon was quieter than usual, still clearly reeling from his encounter with Tiamat. Helping around the camp seemed to do him some good, but Errrkkkk and Roden had decided it was best to get him back to Coastall. When they told Mu¡¯tumbo of their plan, he agreed that a change of scenery was in Riakon¡¯s best interest.

    ¡°No be strangers now, com by anytime.¡± he said as they said their goodbyes.

    By the time they made it out of the trees and back on the meadows of the Green Sea, Riakon was already looking a little better. They set up camp in their usual place by the bank of the Wild¡¯s river. Roden would still place his wards, but now he also had the added job of conjuring their treehouse. While Roden was busy, Errrkkkk did his best to get Riakon¡¯s mind off of his troubles with some light sparring.

    In terms of hand to hand combat, Errrkkkkk¡¯s skill was far superior. However, with his hammer Riakon was the epitome of a knockout artist. Their fight was a contrast of two styles. Errrkkkk would dart inside Riakon¡¯s guard and deliver rapid punches before darting back out of his range. While Riakon would try to anticipate Errrkkkk¡¯s rushes and counter with a big shot from his hammer. For every two hits Errrkkkk would land, Riakon would follow up with a strike of his own.

    Roden watched from the sidelines with Grok, who was riveted by the action. His eyes were glued to the exchange between the two men. Roden had to admit it was pretty cool to sit and watch these two trained warriors go at it. They clearly had done this often and knew each other''s tricks and traps. Before coming to this world Roden wasn¡¯t much of a fighter. He hadn¡¯t been in anything that could really count as a fight since High School.

    He had learned some things and had dabbled in a lot of different martial arts, but rarely found himself actually having to fight. The thing that all that training had done was give him confidence and an appreciation of being able to fight if necessary. His past experiences allowed him to follow these two. The interesting thing to him was how much his magic had changed him.

    All of his conjured weapons granted him a different insight into fighting. His Flame blade instilled a philosophy of fighting that took advantage of the fact he was using a weapon made of fire. It emphasized quick cuts and powerful thrusts reminiscent of fencing. If Roden was being honest, every time the weapon formed in his hand he thought of Count Dooku from episode two when he dismantled Anakin and Obi-wan.

    His other sword was a different story. Rather than instilling him with forms and a particular fighting style, it granted him the instincts of a warrior. It made it so his body would move and adjust as needed on the fly.

    It was a strange feeling to have something directing his movements and influencing his decisions. It was a shocking discovery for him as those effects were not part of Adventures and Antics. They were just spells that had an effect, no more no less.

    It wasn¡¯t terribly necessary for a player to consider how the spell took someone with minimal weapon experience and made them more effective than a seasoned fighter. Yet, here he was a full blown caster with a skill set that required him to get up close and personal.

    The benefit of that was now he could watch these two and keep up with their movements. He had used the spells enough that their influence was bleeding into his skills even when the weapons weren¡¯t active. Their sparring session grew more intense and had Grok and all fours, his excitement no longer able to be contained by sitting.

    Errrkkkk¡¯s speed was difficult to follow so Roden cast Immediate Focus. His improved sense caught something interesting amidst the exchange. Errrkkkk had set up a devastating combination.

    He fainted a low kick, which caused Riakon to block low then twist to counter with a power shot. However, Errrkkkk was way ahead of him. He had leapt into the air and rotated himself around. He used his wings to generate more and more torque as he brought his kick careening towards Riakon¡¯s head.

    With Roden¡¯s enhanced vision he could tell it was over. Errrkkkk was too fast, his kick would be devastating. It would disrupt Riakon¡¯s strike and leave him vulnerable to a finishing combination. Except, at the last second Errrkkkk pulled back ever so slightly. His kick just grazed Riakon¡¯s cheek. Errrkkkk continued to rotate and spun directly into Riakon¡¯s hammer blow. Riakon¡¯s attack sent him sprawling across the ground.

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    ¡°Okay, you got me. I yield, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon and Grok both let out shouts of victory. Before Riakon helped Errrkkkk to his feet.

    ¡°It was a great fight brother, you just missed on that kick.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it was close, cacaw.¡± Roden could just make out the tiniest hint of deception in Errrkkkk¡¯s voice. Roden knew in that moment his suspicion was correct. Errrkkkk had let Riakon get the best of him.

    Roden had to admit, perhaps it was for the best. Riakon hadn¡¯t been himself since the gathering and his encounter with his mother. A little boost to the ego would do him some good.

    ¡°Hey Roden, spar with me.¡±

    Roden was taken off guard and could only manage a bewildered ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Errrkkkk and I got some practice in. It¡¯ll be good for ya.¡±

    ¡°Oh ummmm I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m more of a ranged guy.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, I see you out there with your swords. I want to see what you can do for myself.¡±

    Roden knew he was cooked. There was no way out of this. ¡°Okay, okay as long as you¡¯re alright with me using my swords.¡±

    ¡°Sure, it''s only fair.¡±

    Roden pulled out one of his hunks of wood from the last time they were at this camp and conjured his Grove Armor. It spread across him, the helmet formed seconds later obscuring his vision. He flipped open the visor and saw Riakon take his stance.

    ¡°To Arms.¡± Roden¡¯s golden sword sprang into existence in the air to his right blade down. He grabbed the hilt and twirled the weapon around before bringing it up to a guard position. Man he loved magic.

    ¡°Fancy, but can you hold up to years of training?¡±

    ¡°Begin, cacaw!¡±

    Riakon charged at Errrkkkk¡¯s signal. Roden waited until Riakon raised his hammer then he dove to the ground to Riakon¡¯s left. He rolled when he hit the ground and popped up on the other side of Riakon. He was facing away from his attacker so he twisted and swung his blade in a wide looping attack. Riakon used the momentum of his swing to spin himself around and caught the blade on the shaft of his hammer.

    ¡°Good move there.¡±

    Roden knew he couldn¡¯t win a war of attrition with Riakon. That would be playing into the Dragonkin¡¯s game. Roden felt like his only chance at a win was to flurry and hope he could overwhelm an already tired Riakon.

    Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong weapon for the job. His golden sword was heavy compared to his Flame blade. It made his style a little more knight of the round table and less Inigo Montoya. This afforded Riakon enough time to begin an assault of his own.

    Their swings met in the middle. Each man attacking and defending at the same time. Riakon would expertly block his sword with a swing of his hammer and then close the distance for a follow up before Roden could get his footing.

    Luckily, for Roden his sword wasn¡¯t just a sword. On one such exchange, Roden tossed his blade forward when Riakon blocked. It sailed behind Riakon out of reach, he then drew it back towards him with a thought. A smug grin had spread across Riakon¡¯s face as he went to deliver a power shot that was interrupted by the sword jamming itself in his right shoulder from behind.

    ¡°Oww¡± Riakon said flatly, ¡°You¡¯re going to heal that later.¡±

    Before Roden could answer, Riakon pulled himself off of the blade directly into another attack. Without a weapon to guard himself, Riakon was able to batter Roden¡¯s armor. Roden did his best to fade with the blows so he didn¡¯t take the full force, but even still they were enough to crack his layer of wooden protection.

    Riakon was taking advantage of his weaponless opponent. He poured everything into a series of powerful strikes. He knew the next hit was going to be the finisher. He had used a downward strike, he was sure would most likely miss to build up an unstoppable amount of momentum.

    His hammer was cutting through the air at such a rapid speed Riakon had to lean away from the hammer¡¯s head in order to maintain his balance. He had planned it perfectly.

    Roden was right where he wanted him and the attack would shatter his breastplate ending the contest. Just before the attack connected, Roden vanished, Riakon¡¯s swing cut through the faint shimmering image left behind by his teleportation spell.

    Riakon whirled around, frustration and dismay all over his face ¡°Hey no spells!¡±

    Roden allowed his armor to recede back down his body to reform into the disc of wood he used for the ability¡¯s activation ¡°Oh I know, I yield. There was no way in hell I was going to eat that attack.¡±

    A grin spread on Riakon¡¯s face ¡°Haha fair enough.¡±

    Roden went to take a seat next to Errrkkkk, when Grok trotted out and stood opposite Riakon as both men had done before. Despite the teeth and claws, Grok was adorable and he was too smart for his own good. Roden had a suspicion the garg knew they wouldn¡¯t let him fight for real, but he suspected the garg also knew they couldn¡¯t deny him if he did it just right. The sight of Grok on all fours crouched with his game face on, ready to pounce was too much for Riakon to ignore.

    ¡°Okay okay little guy. We can wrestle.¡±

    The garg let out a squeal of delight and bounded at Riakon. The two tussled, Riakon being way too big for it to be a fair fight. Grok was growing rapidly, but was still only a few months old, but was gaining a pound or two a day depending entirely on how much food he could get out of Riakon. Even in the last week he was noticeably longer and was starting to spend more time crouched on his back feet than on all fours.

    By Roden¡¯s estimation Grok was probably around four months old. If he remembered his notes correctly, gargs were fully grown around a year, but were considered mature around six months. It felt crazy for him to think this ball of fur the size of a large dog would be standing nearly five feet in just a couple months. The impromptu wrestling match was entertaining to say the least. Grok was a handful, but actually followed the unwritten rules of sparing. He never clawed at Riakon¡¯s face or bit sensitive areas.

    As Riakon tired, he had decided to let the garg win, but just as he was about to feign defeat the garg rolled over belly up and let his tongue hang out. Roden wasn¡¯t positive, but he had a feeling Grok knew what he was doing. He had watched the other two fights and had seen what the others did.

    Errrkkkk gave Riakon the win in the only way he could. Roden had given him the win by disqualifying himself. Now here was Grok, giving up in the face of a staged victory. Errrkkkk and Roden could only laugh at the situation and the dumbfounded look on Riakon¡¯s face.

    It was a truly sweet moment between the garg and his chosen savior, Grok had known what his friend needed and had supplied it in his own way. Roden was positive, that little guy was too smart for his own good.

 Chapter 25- Zamira The Goddess of Death

    Chapter 25

    Returning to Coastall afforded the party a much needed break. While of course the treehouse was quickly becoming a home away from home. There was something to be said of good food and the sanctuary of the city to put a troubled mind at ease. They decided to take it easy on their first day back and enjoyed a quiet evening in their rooms at the Golden Dew.

    In the morning, Riakon and Errrkkkk practically dragged him to the arena in the hopes of getting a fight. Instead, they came across a series of banners and signs advertising The Coastall Arena Champions Tournament. Errrkkkk read the sign and was buzzing with anticipation. He immediately began rolling his shoulders and limbering up. Which lasted until Roden read the rest of the signs and saw the tournament wasn¡¯t to be held for another month.

    At the urging of Errrkkkk and Riakon, Roden went to the window and got them signed up for the Tournament in the team section. Roden had a funny feeling about this whole situation. Something wasn¡¯t quite right with the timing of everything. He had already been feeling like events weren¡¯t progressing just as they had during the campaign he had run before, but now he was sure they were off track.

    That tournament was originally held pretty quickly after the gathering. A whole slew of consequences flew through his mind. All he could do was hope things would be okay in the long run. Looking at his team and remembering all they had done already gave him confidence they could handle whatever this world threw at them.

    ¡°We should get a fight for some practice, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°That does sound good, brother.¡±

    ¡°That does pose a bit of a conundrum though.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Think about it, a lot of the adventurers here are signing up for the tournament, right?¡±

    The two nodded in agreement.

    ¡°If they are signing up, we may have to fight them at some point. If they¡¯ve seen us fight, they can figure out our strengths and weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°You have a point.¡±

    ¡°Ca, caw.¡± Errrkkkk said dejected.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad, we have plenty of time to do some training.¡±

    Both Errrkkkk and Riakon perked up a bit at Roden¡¯s idea.

    ¡°I suppose the question is, where?¡± Riakon said thoughtfully.

    After a moment of thinking both men looked at Roden expectantly

    ¡°Why are you guys looking at me like that?¡¯

    ¡°This is your city, cacaw. Where can we go, cacaw?¡±

    Fuck, his damn backstory coming back to haunt him again, he thought. He put his mind to the problem and let the memories come as they may. Whether fortunately or unfortunately a perfect place came to mind. It had a wide open space, away from buildings, and it wouldn¡¯t be too big of a deal if they damaged the area a little. The problem was that the place was his mother¡¯s house.

    The home he grew up in as Roden. He had been putting this off as long as possible. He figured being around family would be the hardest thing for him to fake. He was thankful he hadn¡¯t included any other close relationships in his backstory or that would have further complicated the situation. Part of his trepidation was the vagueness of the memories of his mother.

    It was strange, he remembered moments of her presence in Roden¡¯s life as a child, but he couldn¡¯t narrow his perspective down enough to say he truly remembered the woman. He figured now was as good of a time as any.

    With a big sigh he said, ¡°Yeah I know a place. I think it''s time I take you guys home.¡±

    His companions'' eyes opened wide at his admission.

    ¡°Oh how fun, we get to meet the woman who managed to catch master Rolen, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°What is your mother¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°Her name is Lady Miriana of Coastall. Priestess of Zamira.¡± He let his words hang in the air. He knew they knew what that meant. His mother was a priestess of the Goddess of Storms and Death. The Goddess who was in some ways the antithesis to Era the Goddess of the Sun, Travelers and Nature.

    In the mythos and teachings from the churches, Zamira was the younger more impulsive deity compared to Era¡¯s more mature considerate demeanor. Zamira¡¯s storms would block out the sun or prevent travel. In some versions of the stories, Era was Zamira¡¯s aunt through Era¡¯s sister, Mirohna, the Goddess of the Seasons and Life.

    ¡°The Goddess of Death, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­It¡¯s not as macabre as it sounds.¡± Roden said meekly.

    ¡°How in the world did Master Rolen fall for¡­¡±

    ¡°Watch it. That¡¯s my mother you¡¯re talking about.¡± Roden found himself saying a bit sternly.

    Riakon raised his hands in defense ¡°Okay okay, no judgment.¡±

    ¡°Yeah brother, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s a nice lady, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ Keep an open mind. It¡¯s going to be an interesting experience for everyone involved.¡± Roden said sheepishly.

    There was a pause in the conversation as they left the Arena lobby and set out on a trek across the city of Coastall. It was an interesting experience for Roden, as soon as he put his mind to the task of going home, he knew exactly how to get there.

    It was like remembering something he had forgotten, yet never knew. Memories of his mother¡¯s teachings bubbled up to the surface of his mind. By Roden¡¯s memory, the clergy of Zamira did their best to shine a positive light on their goddess¡¯ domains.

    They would tell stories of Zamira conjuring up storms to guide ships through harsh seas caused by her father Dezu the God of Waves and Rage. They would play up the idea that as the Goddess of Death she was a gentle hand that consoled the spirit of a recently departed before sending them to the afterlife.

    Unfortunately, all of their positive propaganda was never enough to completely remove the stigma of her more malevolent aspects. In a society that relied on sailing the sea, storms were a serious problem that killed many and cost merchants their fortunes when ships sank or went missing.

    As a Goddess of Death, she took the blame for nearly all death, regardless of the circumstance. He could remember his mother saying that many religious scholars believe it is these incongruities in reverence and scorn that have prevented Zamira from manifesting in an avatar. All of the people of Mir would at least pay lip service to the malevolently portrayed deities, but none of them were celebrated in the same way as their counterparts.

    His mother would always use the examples from the Dark Times. Like when Era had manifested after the defeat of the Lich Orvell and blessed King Roderick the First for banishing the darkness and allowing her light to shine on her people once again. Her manifestation was legendary and made her a prominent figure in the new kingdom¡¯s religious practice.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    During the Dark Times, those who worshiped Byote the God of the Hunt, reported stories of him manifesting and leading them on glorious hunts through the Wilds against Orvell¡¯s minions.

    The followers of Aur the God of Magic and Knowledge had their religious libraries hallowed and sealed, preserving their contents for future generations. Zamira had no such stories. The only account of Zamira revolved around her birth, which was said to have caused treacherous shifts in weather and vast floods.

    The myths are so old even the oldest elves were not alive to witness the events, but it was a tragic tale as her father had tricked her mother. The most commonly told origin was that Dezu told Mirohna he was just a God of the Sea and courted her by taking her on many adventures across the waves. It wasn¡¯t until Mirohna was pregnant that Dezu¡¯s embodiment of rage came to light.

    When Mirohna saw how Dezu punished those under his dominion, she knew he had lied. Things get fuzzy around there, but the consensus is that Dezu stole Zamira and raised her away from her mother. Some believe Mirohna created fall and winter as a way to call out to her daughter, but no stories are told of them reuniting.

    Most non-followers believe the story as a sign Zamira had nothing good to offer the living. Roden knew all of this when he revealed his mother¡¯s status as a priestess to his friends. Their faces told him they also knew at least some of it.

    ¡°So what exactly were you guys taught about the Goddess Zamira at the temple?¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm now that I think about it. Not much really. She¡¯s the Goddess of Death, what more do you need to know?¡±

    ¡°We learned she isn¡¯t as good as Era, cacaw.¡±

    Roden gave Errrkkkk a flat look.

    Errrkkkk¡¯s eyes narrowed ¡°She can¡¯t be that great, you didn¡¯t join her clergy, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yeah what the fuck is up with that? That is your mother¡¯s goddess and all.¡±

    Fuck, is the only thought that crossed his mind. Roden hadn¡¯t really come up with a reason for that when he wrote the backstory. He cursed himself for not thinking through the implications of choosing a rival God as his object of worship. He had to come up with something fast.

    ¡°Oh, well I mainly wanted to get out of the city and travel the world a bit. Most of the pilgrims are from Era¡¯s church, plus I had the connection through my dad so I just rolled with it.¡±

    ¡°I bet mommy wasn¡¯t happy about that.¡±

    Roden had a feeling this was one of those rare moments where he could shape what has yet to be. Just like in Adventures and Antics, there were times when something from a character¡¯s backstory was never quite set in stone. It was the beauty of improvisation.

    If this were a game he might lean more towards a choice here that generated some conflict or made the upcoming interaction more interesting, but this wasn¡¯t a game right now. He didn¡¯t want any more conflict. It was bad enough they were making a detour that never happened.

    ¡°Oh she was a little disappointed, but she understood my reasons. I think she was just happy I went into the church.¡±

    He led his companions along the harbor and up the hills that dominated the eastern portion of Coastall. Many wealthy families built their houses on the east side of Coastall specifically so they could place their home on top of one of the many hills. The first few miles were made up of homes built into the sides of the mounds in a sort of condo style that maximized the living space.

    Past all of those were the hilltop homes. Roden took his friends up a path that led along the edge of a cliff that overlooked the Southern Sea. About halfway up the climb, Roden caught sight of his childhood home. Moments like that always gave him a sense of Deja vu and nostalgia. The two feelings would conflict with one another like water and oil before they would inevitably morph into a feeling of familiarity usually followed by flashes of memories from his backstory.

    His mother¡¯s home was more beautiful than he remembered. It was built among a small grove of trees his father had planted when he began its construction. It was nearly all wood, and done in a style reminiscent of some old Japanese buildings with its high peaked roofs and sliding doors. The structure had multiple sections that stood on thick wooden beams above gardens or patios.

    ¡°Well now we know why Roden¡¯s treehouse looks the way it does, cacaw.¡±

    Roden had to admit, Errrkkkk was right. The house before them looked like a much larger, more spacious version of his conjured treehouse. The estate itself was littered with colorful plants and walkways. Once on the same level as the building they could see the various bridges that extended from balcony to tree to cliffside.

    The landscape was immaculately maintained, which only added to the truly stunning view of the sea from their vantage atop the hill. Roden¡¯s instincts told him his mother would most likely be around back of the house at the shine to Zamira.

    When the party rounded the side of the house, they could all see a woman, kneeling before a magnificent shrine. Two stone pillars rose up on either side, both were sculpted to look like bolts of lightning coming out of the clouds carved at the pinnacle of the pillars. In the center of the shrine was a stone slab with writings and proverbs from Zamira¡¯s clergy.

    Errrkkkk and Riakon were both blown away at the beauty of the scene. Everything about this place spoke to the beauty of life, and the view from the shrine was no different. Roden was stunned for a completely different reason.

    The kneeling woman turned toward her visitors, Roden saw his mother in person for the first time and all of his memories with her became clear. This woman was his mother, but even more so than that, this was the Goddess Zamira in the flesh.

    As a Game Master, he had chosen to create this world. Part of that creation was to develop his own pantheon. In that process, he had to decide what each god looked like in their manifestations. There was no doubt in his mind the woman in front of him was the Goddess he had dreamt up all those years ago.

    She had long wavy black hair that looked like silk and flowed like water. Her features were sharp including her ears, denoting her half-elven heritage. She had dark green eyes that glowed brightly in the afternoon sun. She rose to her feet, a warm smile spread across her face. Her eyes sparkled as she took in her visitors.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be, the prodigal son has returned.¡± Her voice was light and playful, ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d come back and see your dear old mum.¡±

    Roden was at a loss for words. The familiarity in her voice gave him a sense of home in a way he never really had even in his real life outside of this world. His memories of this woman were so wholesome and comforting.

    They also had the luxury of being fantastical. They weren¡¯t tarnished by conflict or the drudgery of day to day life. They had lived a wonderful life just the two of them. They hadn¡¯t wanted for anything. It was hard for Roden to grasp just how perfect his childhood was in this world.

    ¡°Hi mom, it''s good to see you.¡± Roden managed to make it sound genuine. The parts of himself he had written were smoothing out his uncertainty.

    Miriana walked the short path to the men. She opened her arms inviting a hug from her son. Roden, acting the part of a good son, obliged and gave her a big hug. He breathed in her perfume, which set off numerous memories of growing up and being comforted by similar hugs when he¡¯d fall out of a tree or hurt himself in any number of ways.

    ¡°It''s so good to have you back home.¡± she whispered to him,

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be home.¡± Roden felt himself mean it too. It did feel good to be there. It felt just right.

    They broke their hug, ¡°And who are these fine gentlemen with you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, this is Errrkkkk and Riakon. They are the ones from dad¡¯s monastery.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Oh how nice, I¡¯m glad you were able to meet up with them. Your father¡¯s message came with no warning. I was worried you wouldn¡¯t make it in time.¡±

    ¡°Oh I made it, it wasn¡¯t too bad of a hike.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s good. Well, as beautiful as it is out here I¡¯m sure you boys are famished. Why don¡¯t you come in and I¡¯ll get you some snacks, hmm?¡±

    At the mention of snacks, Grok poked his head out from behind Riakon¡¯s leg. He had grown too large to comfortably fit in the pack anymore and instead clung closely to Riakon¡¯s heels.

    ¡°And what do we have here?¡± her voice rose ever so slightly in comforting tones. Grok the ever lovable garg practically melted when Miriana reached down to give him a pet. She scratched behind his ear and he nuzzled into her hand.

    ¡°Well, I guess we will have to find a snack for you too, little one. What¡¯s his name?¡±

    The ball of fur under her ministrations responded to her question with a gravely, ¡°Grrrrrrrokkkkkkkkk.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, well aren¡¯t you something.¡± she looked up from the garg, ¡°How about those snacks?¡±

    All three men nodded vigorously at the invitation. There was something about this woman that pulled them into her motherly sphere. She guided them through the sliding door on the back of the house, Grok following closely at her heels.

    She led them to an incredible sitting room with high ceilings, lush couches, and soft chairs. The decorations were in a mix of dark wood and gray marble. Large windows dominated the walls letting in warm sunlight.

    Roden took his usual place on the right side of the couch, a habit he didn¡¯t know he had until he was doing it. Riakon sunk into the big armchair, while Errrkkkk took the daybed in front of the wide bay window. Miriana came back carrying a tray of various cheeses, meats, and warm bread. In her other hand was a pitcher of a dark purple liquid with chunks of ice floating throughout it.

    ¡°You boys get started on this, I¡¯ll be back with glasses and the rest.¡±

    The three grown men attacked the tray of food as they were told despite none of them being particularly hungry. When she returned a few moments later, she had a tray covered in sliced fruit, and common h''orderve veggies like carrots, pickles and olives. She filled each glass and passed them out taking the last for herself.

    ¡°Now eat your snacks and tell me about your adventures.¡±

    For the better part of the afternoon, Roden and his companions told his mother all about their journey together. Miriana was the perfect audience, she giggled when they told the bit about the tree who had an itch. She was distraught when they told of Roden¡¯s first fight with the spiders and when he was nearly killed by the Zolem.

    She grew stern when they mentioned the necromancer and nodded approvingly when Roden told the story of his defeat. She even slipped in ¡°serves him right.¡± as any good priestess of Zamira should. Miriana was disturbed when they talked about their time at Bo¡¯s, but came around to the idea when they mentioned how helpful their time with him was for them.

    When they got to the part of their journey when they encountered the treant, sadness crossed her face at the destruction of their friend. Errrkkkk brought out his little plant from that day. It had been a few weeks since he planted it and it was starting to grow little buds where its leaves had died.

    He set it in the light by the window and gave it a little water from his waterskin. From there Riakon took up the story and told Miriana how he ended up finding Grok, who did his part by laying belly up on the couch next to Miriana who obliged him with a belly rub.

    Roden approached the next part of their story with some trepidation. He wasn¡¯t sure how his mother was going to react at the news he had been in the city, off and on for the past couple of weeks. Roden tried to gloss over their time in the arena by skipping right to their communication with Bo about the werewolves, but Errrkkkk had other ideas.

    ¡°Hey don¡¯t forget our arena fights, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Oh well, mom doesn¡¯t need to hear about all that. I mean, we had a fight¡­ or three and everything was fine.¡±

    Miriana¡¯s face grew harsh, ¡°You fought in the arena three times.¡± her eyes bore into Roden and he actually felt himself begin to sweat under her scrutiny.

    ¡°Oh yes, Roden was a big help in those fights. Especially, when Errrkkkk went down against the raptors.¡±

    ¡°Went down? You mean he was knocked unconscious.¡±

    Errrrkkkk puffed up his feathers a bit, a small sign of indignation, ¡°briefly, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°It was alright, I wasn¡¯t ever in any real danger.¡±

    ¡°Mmmmhhhhmmmm, tell me all about these fights in the arena.¡±

    Begrudgingly, Roden told his mother a rather tame version of their fights in the arena. Occasionally, shooting glares at Riakon and Errrkkkk when he wanted them to go along with his less dangerous version of events.

    When he finished telling her of their fight with the raptors, he switched gears and took the opportunity to broach the reason for their visit, a welcomed distraction from their time at the lycan village.

    ¡°Actually, the arena is one of the reasons we are here, mom. I was hoping we could use the backyard for some training. We are going to enter the Champions Tournament and need somewhere to prepare.¡±

    Miriana thought for a long moment and sighed, ¡° I guess boys will be boys. As much as I don¡¯t love the idea of you fighting like that, I suppose I¡¯d rather you do it here than somewhere else. You can use the backyard just be careful around my flowers.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Ma.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Roden¡¯s mom.¡±

    ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am, cacaw.¡±

 Interlude

    Interlude

    That night Roden slept in his own bed. It was still strange to him to be somewhere so familiar and yet so foreign. He was getting used to the memories that were not his own, it was the emotions that he had a hard time managing.

    His companions had requested he set up his treehouse so Errrkkkk could have his nest to sleep in. Thus Roden was not terribly surprised when his mother paid him a visit later that night as everyone readied for bed. She appeared in his doorway dressed in her all black nightshirt and matching silk pants.

    ¡°Hey Roden, do your companions have everything they need?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah those guys are good. The treehouse is plenty for those two.¡±

    ¡°That is good then. How about you? You seem a little different since you came back home.¡±

    This was what Roden was worried about. This was supposed to be his mother, of course she would notice a difference in his behavior.

    ¡°I¡¯m good mom, it''s just been a bit since I left home and I¡¯ve been through a lot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say! You¡¯ve been in some real fights out there.¡±

    ¡°Yeah I suppose it comes with the job.¡±

    She looked thoughtful for a moment, ¡°There is no doubt about that.¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°You know, your father was a prodigious adventurer in his day.¡±

    ¡°I knew he was one, but I never heard too many stories.¡±

    ¡°Those are his stories to tell, but I wanted to remind you that adventuring is in your blood. If you put your mind to being an adventurer then there is nothing that can stop you from being great.¡±

    Roden was deeply warmed by Miriana¡¯s kind regard. She truly was a great mother to Roden, which made her existence as Zamira all the more confusing. Then Roden had a thought.

    ¡°Hey mom?¡±

    ¡°Yes, dear?¡±

    ¡°We never really talked about it before I left, but are you upset I didn¡¯t choose Zamira as my Goddess?¡±

    The question seem to catch Miriana off guard, she stood thoughtful in the doorway, before answering,

    ¡°Upset, no son. I am perhaps a little disappointed because our worship is something we could share if you had chosen the correct Goddess.¡± She said the last bit with a strong touch of sarcasm. ¡°But, at the same time. I know that being a cleric of Era is a much safer choice while out on the road. People are more likely to help members of Era¡¯s church. I love my lady, but the masses haven¡¯t grown to see her as I see her just yet, but one day they will.¡±

    She had a look of determination in her eyes unlike any he could remember seeing on her face. Roden knew the Goddess was ambitious. She had played a pivotal role in the real life version of this game. It was then Roden realized he had made a huge mistake.

    He had written his mother as a priestess of Zamira as a way to explain his decision to become a cleric. The problem was he had made her an important priestess. What he had forgotten at the time was that there was only one such person who fit that description in Coastall, and that was the woman who went on to become Zamira¡¯s vessel or as he suspected was already Zamira in the flesh.

    He feared his mental lapse had rewritten the story of a major player in the upcoming conflict. He had so many questions. All of the possibilities surrounding his unintended rewrite soared through his mind. He had originally written Zamira and this woman to be bold and brash. She was to be full of passion and angst.

    The woman who stood before him longing to tuck her little boy into bed after he returned home from a dangerous journey was not the same woman. He cursed himself for being so careless. If he was being honest with himself, it actually made a strange sort of sense.

    In order to hang with Errrkkkk and Riakon, he needed to be special. He needed to be someone who was capable of changing the fate of the world. The lowly son of a priestess and retired adventurer turned monk didn¡¯t bring to mind thoughts of a valiant hero, but he had to admit being the son of Rolen the Archlich¡¯s right hand man during the Dark Times and the Goddess of Death had a nice ring to it, except he wasn¡¯t supposed to know either of those things. His final thoughts before drifting off to sleep were of the mess he had made of his world.

 Chapter 26- Sparring

    Chapter 26

    The team¡¯s preparations for the upcoming tournament were intense and varied. Riakon and Errrkkkk took it upon themselves to enact a rigorous training regiment. Errrkkkk nearly dragged Roden out of bed before the sun was even cresting the horizon. They began their day with a lengthy run around the property before they took a break for their morning prayers.

    Roden had gotten into a routine with his morning prayers. He¡¯d do his meditation and when he¡¯d appear in his grove of spell selection, he¡¯d just walk the path to the end and leave that place. Roden was quite happy with his current collection of spells, but one morning Roden realized his Blooming Recovery would serve no purpose in the Arena Tournament. Death wasn¡¯t possible while under the safety precautions of the arena.

    He kicked himself for forgetting to ask Mu¡¯Tumbo about the seed he needed for the spell. Roden had an inkling a seed from Mu¡¯Tumbo¡¯s family tree would be able to get the job done, but he had forgotten all about it in the aftermath of the gathering.

    With that Roden set to deciding which spell to take in its place. There were a few spells that immediately drew his attention. He heavily considered taking the area effect spell that surrounded him in a powerful arcane aura that was devastating to anyone who got within its range.

    The spell was incredibly enticing especially considering his recent predilection towards his close quarters fight as of late. Roden was reaching out to absorb the spell when a wisp caught his eye.

    It floated and bobbed in the air with a different cadence than the rest. It was an uncanny thing. Roden felt a need to at least consider whatever spell was contained within the strange orb. The knowledge contained within the mysterious wisp flooded his mind.

    The spell was unlike anything he had ever encountered. It was a spell that could alter fate. At its core, it was a spell of limited future sight. Its base effect was to guarantee a specific outcome of a particular action. It couldn¡¯t change a person¡¯s free will or make someone do something they otherwise wouldn¡¯t, but it had strong applications in a situation where he needed to succeed.

    Roden considered the spell deeply, he figured this must be the world¡¯s interpretation of a spell that allowed a reroll or something that allowed a player to change the outcome of a dice roll. He had to admit it sounded way cooler in his current situation. In the game, Roden hated effects that made a failure a success. He felt it took away the randomness of the game. However, his life was on the line here,

    ''to hell with randomness,'' he thought.

    Without any further hesitation Roden grasped the spell. It was an odd sensation to have a spell leave his mind as the new one entered; to feel himself forget something while actively thinking about it was an unnerving feeling.

    His new spell was consumed and with no pause was drawn into his Adventure domain. The spell twisted and morphed, more than ever before the spell was altered. His new spell was called Divine Gambit.

    It was a spell that granted him a brief moment of intense prophetic insight. At first he thought it wasn¡¯t changed at all until he realized this spell would show him when something was fated to happen and would give him the opportunity to change it.

    It was a strange spell in that it took longer than his combat spells to cast, meaning he had to prepare and cast it well before he¡¯d need it. Roden had to admit he didn¡¯t love the spell on paper. He hoped it would be more useful in practice. He wasn¡¯t sure how loosely the spell defined the concept of fate.

    In Roden¡¯s mind the vast majority of this world had a fate set down when Roden had played with campaign with his friends. He considered the spell while standing on the path in his grove of spell selection and he realized a massive benefit to his new spell.

    He could use that spell to ensure the storyline, if his actions made a mess of things. He had to admit the spell did give him a sense of comfort in knowing the spell would most likely be able to save him from a killing blow too.

    Then he groaned, he really had taken a spell that was tantamount to once a day plot armor in the event it saved him from death. If this was a game he was GMing, he might care and would probably even try to talk his players out of such a spell, but it was his life on the line and he had no intention of being killed. He was going to see this through to the end and get back to his wife.

    Roden came out of his meditation and immediately set to casting his new spell. When he had completed all of the required movements and enacted the spell matrix, a warm feeling rippled through his body. He could feel the power coalesce behind his eyes.

    His vision became slightly more clear, colors were more vibrant, and his mental clarity shot through the proverbial roof. The increase in stimuli staggered him a bit, but he adjusted quickly.

    With their morning prayers out of the way, their training began in earnest. Both Errrkkkk and Riakon wanted to spar more than anything else. It was decided that between Riakon and Roden they could afford to spar all out.

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    They put all of their abilities on the table except Roden had to preserve his Never the Time and Place ability and Riakon had to save his Faith Healing, just in case one of them took a shot that knocked them down.

    Errrkkkk moved to the center of the portion of the yard they had designated their arena. He rolled his shoulders, stretched his muscles, and said ¡°Hey Roden, you and I are up first, cacaw.¡±

    Roden had a feeling this was coming. He had already fought Riakon and Errrkkkk wasn¡¯t one to miss an opportunity to fight someone new. Roden was excited that Errrkkkk wanted to even fight him.

    He took it as a compliment, knowing that Errrkkkk would only be this eager if he thought Roden was strong enough to give him a challenge. Roden took his place opposite Errrkkkk on the field, Riakon counted them down before shouting, ¡°Fight!¡±

    Roden¡¯s first move was to manifest his Grove Armor, and activate his Moment of Ignition. He still got a kick out of what he must look like when those abilities were active together.

    In his mind, he looked like a wooden knight with a cape of flames. He wasn¡¯t entirely wrong either, he however, couldn¡¯t see the scorching his cloak left on his armor. It was superficial, but even Riakon had to admit it looked pretty cool.

    While Riakon watched Roden prepare for Errrkkkk¡¯s charge, he decided he wanted a cape so he could look cool too. He wanted to stand resolute, his cape billowing in the wind, a picture of heroic magnificence.

    Errrkkkk closed the distance and prepared to unleash an assault of fists and feet. Before he could get within range to strike he felt the sting of Roden¡¯s aura. It burned and singed his feathers ever so slightly, but he pushed through.

    Errrkkkk gave one more powerful flap of his wings and propelled himself into a straight cross. Just as his punch was about to connect, Roden activated his Pilgrim¡¯s Rebuke. The resulting shockwave sent Errrkkkk sprawling back.

    Roden wasted no time and shouted, ¡°Conflagration¡± the flame shot from his open hand straight towards Errrkkkk, who anticipated a follow up. The spell erupted in a plume of bright flames, boosted by Roden¡¯s Elemental Augmentation.

    Without waiting to see the result of the blast, he activated Blaze. Errrkkkk appeared out of the flames covered in cinders as he rose into the air, having avoided the brunt of the explosion.

    Errrkkkk fired a barrage of chi blasts from his hands. Roden was thrilled, when his blasts were confronted by his aura and were summarily halted in their tracks as their energy was burned up. A look of consternation spread across Errrkkkk¡¯s face, the fight clearly not going as he had imagined.

    Roden took his opportunity to overcharge an Ignition Bolt, ¡°Ignite!¡± The bead of concentrated fire shot straight towards his target. Errrkkkk was too fast. He dodged deftly and in the same motion dove towards Roden in a kamikaze attack. This time, Roden had no safety net to deflect Errrkkkk¡¯s incoming melee.

    Each strike collided with Roden¡¯s armor. He was protected from the direct contact, but that did very little to blunt the force of each blow that knocked him around. ¡°To arms!¡± He was barely able to get the incantation out amidst Errrkkkk¡¯s blows. He manifested the sword in the air to his right and directed it to thrust down.

    Errrkkkk leapt back to avoid the incoming thrust, but was halted mid-jump. He hadn¡¯t noticed Roden had lashed out with a vine and caught him around the waist. There was nothing Errrkkkk could do as Roden pulled him onto the incoming thrust. The conjured blade pierced his shoulder straight through. The offending vine that halted his retreat went limp, the Common spell¡¯s magic exhausted.

    Errrkkkk was furious at his performance. He channeled his anger into his aura. His chi surged, and blasted outward. The force of it sent a powerful blast of air out in all directions buffeting the trees and their audience of Riakon and Grok.

    Fucking hell was Roden¡¯s initial thought at Errrkkkk¡¯s transformation. He had felt like the fight was going well for him. He was feeling less optimistic now that Errrkkkk was fully powered up. He did have one plan. He figured if he could do enough damage and then wait Errrkkkk¡¯s transformation out, he might be able to win. With Errrkkkk this close, Roden rushed forward. He directed his sword switch sides and slash across at Errrkkkk¡¯s other shoulder.

    Errrkkkk feigned a block at Roden¡¯s sword strike anticipating a more powerful one coming from Roden himself. Errrkkkk was vindicated when he saw the purple arcane energy arcing off Roden¡¯s fist. The sword strike dug into his shoulder, the pain of the blow tempered by the torrent of chi coursing through him.

    It was Roden¡¯s spell-powered punch he was set on avoiding. Errrkkkk faded to his right, sidestepping the attack causing the spell to arc out uncontained into the air where Errrkkkk had been.

    In this form Errrkkkk felt invincible. His strikes were faster and his chi was always at his talon tips. He hit Roden with a swift left kick to the midsection followed by a wing powered jumping back kick. When Roden stumbled from the second kick Errrkkkk thrust his hands forward.

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡± was all Roden could hear after his Wounding Touch failed. He had never really considered what it must feel like to take Errrkkkk¡¯s Cacaw Wave. He was unsurprised to discover it was not a fun experience.

    The blast ripped through his Grove Armor and was unaffected by his Moment of Ignition. The sensation of the beam on his skin was similar to a painful sunburn, which in hindsight seemed pretty obvious to him.

    In the aftermath of the blast, Roden was still standing. He had managed to get his arms up to shield himself as much as possible. His arms and legs were left bare to the open air as his wooden gauntlets and greaves fell to the ground, cracked and splintered.

    There wasn¡¯t much left in his arsenal. He could either save up his magic and use a couple Trainee spells or he could manage maybe one more Initiate tier. Errrkkkk didn¡¯t look much better to him other than his golden aura, which gave him a divine visage.

    The two men locked eyes, both were determined to win and knew the end was coming. Roden called his blade to his hand and brought it to guard. Errrkkkk dropped into a sideways martial arts stance with one leg back and his knees bent. In a flash, both men charged.

    They clashed in the middle, both men missing with their melee strikes. Roden¡¯s sword strike sailed wide as Errrrkkkk ducked and moved to deliver a strike to Roden¡¯s damaged breastplate. Roden twisted out of the way and shouted the incantation he had prepared, ¡°Burn!¡± He dumped every last bit of magic he could into that Burning Finger.

    Errrkkkk came out of his missed strike with his hands already together. The second his back foot hit the ground he was thrusting his beam out. It was then Errrkkkk saw Roden intended to meet his beam with a wave of his own. Errrkkkk bore down on his chi and put as much of his energy into his attack as he could.

    Riakon watched as the two attacks raced across the yard towards each other. As Roden cast his spell, Riakon noticed a slight surge in the aura around him. Riakon had seen this spell up close and personal during their fight with the spiders, but there was something different about it this time.

    It wasn¡¯t just the color of the flames from when he had made that advancement. This was something else, it was as if he had cast a perfect version of the spell.

    Riakon knew from his own experience that spells didn¡¯t always function perfectly. In some cases, it was all about timing. In other cases, it was about how well the spell hit the target. In this case, Roden had somehow managed to force the spell to be perfect.

    The beam and the swirling flames met in a confrontation of two unlike things. Errrkkkk¡¯s beam ripped through the center of Roden¡¯s flames. The outer flames crawled up Errrkkkk¡¯s beam all the way to Errrkkkk¡¯s himself. Roden was caught squarely in the chest by the blast, while Errrkkkk was engulfed in bright orange fire.

    When the dust settled, Roden was on the ground a faint glow emanating from his body, his ability already rousing him back to consciousness. On the other side, Riakon could see the glow of Errrkkkk¡¯s golden aura still shining, the birdman still standing tall. Riakon was just about to shout congratulations to his brother as Errrkkkk¡¯s aura dissipated he swayed on his feet and fell face first into the ground.

 Chapter 27- Bad Breath and the Multiverse

    Chapter 27

    Over the next month their days blended together in various iterations of that first day. They would run further each day before prayers. They would spar or do a rigorous calisthenics routine devised by Errrkkkk.

    Both Riakon and Roden struggled to keep up with the hollow boned avian. It wasn¡¯t until Roden suggested Errrkkkk wear extra weights were their performances a bit more even. Roden was surprised he didn¡¯t struggle more than he had during those first few days.

    He hadn¡¯t written himself with any particular predilection towards exercise, but he supposed it came with the stats. A fifteen dexterity made him a nearly superhuman acrobat. His fourteen constitution meant he could train for hours and not get tired.

    It was around then he realized he hadn¡¯t really had time to put much thought into his stats or what they meant for him in this world. He had always figured the numbers were just some arbitrary metric of the game that tilted the odds of success or failure just enough to create variation in game play. However, in his current situation those numbers were who he was in that moment.

    In his musing, he had to admit he was actually impressed with himself for having remembered all of his stats and the skills he had chosen what seemed like ages ago. He rapidly concluded that was a direct result of his twelve intelligence which amounted to peak human intellect and his astronomical sixteen wisdom.

    In play, those two stats were always hard to divide in terms of their effect on a character¡¯s cognitive ability. While training, Roden felt he was beginning to understand what his wisdom was doing for him. It contributed in many ways.

    He found it played a role in his instincts and muscle memory. He would find himself moving without thought or he would be able to perfectly reproduce a movement after seeing it done once. To call it purely intuition didn¡¯t do it justice, but it was damn close.

    As helpful as it was to train and become more aware of his new body¡¯s abilities, it was the sparring that made the biggest difference in all three men. Riakon and Errrkkkk had been together for all three years of Errrkkkk¡¯s life. They had trained together and their styles were complimentary. It was no surprise Roden didn¡¯t have the same level of symbiosis with them as they had with each other.

    A big part of their training ended up working to integrate Roden and his abilities into their existing teamwork. It was during that portion of their training they discovered Riakon had a new ability. During one of their sparring sessions Roden caught Riakon with his Flame blade, but in his fatigue he hadn¡¯t imbued it with his Elemental Augmentation.

    Roden¡¯s flames barely hurt Riakon at all despite him taking a slash to the forearm. When it happened everyone stood around in a bit of confusion. Roden had assumed the strike would require near immediate healing just to avoid the pain instead Riakon was barely hurt.

    ¡°It tickled more than anything.¡±

    ¡°Is Roden¡¯s sword going a little limp, cacaw?¡±

    Roden narrowed his eyes at the birdman, ¡°I think it¡¯s something else cause look¡­¡±

    Roden nonchalantly stabbed Riakon in the shoulder, this time with everyone¡¯s eyes glued to the Dragonkin they saw the faint red glow come from Riakon¡¯s opposite shoulder. Errrkkkk pulled Riakon¡¯s shirt aside, ¡°Stab him again, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Hey wait¡­¡± Roden pushed his blade in again.

    Just as expected, a red glow emanated from the central dragon head of Riakon¡¯s scar.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned, that looks like a resistance to fire to me.¡±

    There was a moment of silence between the three men as they all began to realize just how Riakon acquired his new found feature. Roden wasn¡¯t sure what to say. He didn¡¯t really know Riakon like all that. He knew his friend Jo and how he might respond as Riakon, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily how this Riakon would respond here.

    ¡°At least something came out of that gathering, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon grew shifty at Errrkkkk¡¯s statement, which the bird noticed immediately.

    ¡°Riakon, what else happened, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­Ummmm you see, I have felt like there has been a new power inside me.¡±

    ¡°What kind of power, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°It feels like my holy water, but different.¡±

    ¡°Well go on, give it a try, cacaw.¡±

    At Errrkkkk¡¯s suggestion, Riakon had walked to the ledge, a faint red glow grew visible on his chest and rose up his body until small flames escaped his maw. He reared back and breathed out a swath of flames into the sea air.

    ¡°Well ain''t that a thing.¡± Roden said not having to feign his awe. He knew the power was granted to Riakon by Tiamat during the gathering, but that didn''t mean he wasn''t amazed at the sight of Riakon, a two meter tall Dragonkin actually breathing fire.

    ¡°Riakon held up a finger, ¡°hang on¡­there is more.¡±

    This time a whitish blue light crawled up his chest, small arcs of electricity crackled around him. Riakon opened his jaws wide, releasing a bolt of lightning that ripped through the air, leaving a faint scent of ozone in its wake.

    ¡°Are you done, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± a bright green light already pulsing in his throat. Riakon took a deep breath and exhaled a green cloud. The no doubt toxic plume hung in the air just off the cliff edge, eventually swept away by the ever present ocean breeze.

    ¡°Hang on, I need a minute.¡± Riakon held his stomach, a queasy look came over his face. He began retching. He covered his mouth with his hand until it became clear to Riakon he was in fact going to throw up, except instead of vomit, Riakon projected a spray of caustic sickly green looking liquid over the grass. It sizzled and smoked as the liquid rapidly turned the grass from its vibrant green to a morbid black.

    ¡°Aww man that¡¯s nasty.¡± Roden said, turning his nose up at the stench of decaying grass.

    ¡°Cacaw.¡±

    Riakon panted with his hands on his knees. ¡°Okay, I think I am good¡­¡±

    A white light began working its way up from his belly, ¡°Oh not again.¡±

    That time Riakon expelled a blast of super chilled air that left everything it touched covered in a layer of frost.

    ¡°I think he''s done now.¡±

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    ¡°I sure hope so, cacaw.¡±

    That day they had taken time to rest and allow Riakon to recuperate from his ordeal. During their break they discussed Riakon¡¯s new found abilities,

    ¡°So Brother you¡¯ve got yourself some new attacks, cacaw!¡±

    ¡°It looks that way.¡±

    ¡°Why so glum?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to use her gifts.¡±

    ¡°Why, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Because, I don¡¯t want anything to do with her.¡±

    ¡°Is that really something you can ignore, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t mattered before, why should it start now?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s got a point.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯d be stronger if you did, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yes well, I¡¯ll be strong without her.¡±

    Roden couldn''t help, but point out the obvious, ¡°Not much you can do about the elemental resistance, and if I was a betting man I¡¯d bet you have a resistance to each of the elements you can project.¡±

    ¡°I figured as much, as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame, I don¡¯t see the harm. It¡¯s not like you asked for it, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Well if I ever get to meet Basmu, I want to be able to say I was strong and wasn¡¯t tempted by his greatest enemy.¡±

    ¡°He has a point there.¡±

    Errrkkkk just shrugged, and let the topic die.

    After their discovery of Riakon¡¯s Tiamat given gifts, their training took a more individually focused turn. Riakon spent his time studying his spells and trying them out in their numerous sparring sessions. His Thundering Blow was his bread and butter. He¡¯d used it in nearly every fight they had since Roden joined them, but they were figuring out he had some other useful spells that added an effect to his hammer when he hit his target.

    Errrkkkk spent a lot of time attempting to perfect his transformation. For him, that meant being transformed as much as possible. When they weren¡¯t sparring Errrkkkk would zip around powered up performing chi beams and aerial blasts. When they were sparring, Errrkkkk grew to learn his new form as if it was just another kata put in front of him by his old teachers.

    Errrkkkk was gradually mastering his abilities. When they would spar he was able to deliver debilitating strikes that disrupted Roden and Riakon¡¯s chi without having to worry about running out of his own chi energy. From his previous uses, they had deduced his form would keep him conscious and fighting even if he was past his limit.

    It was a strange thing for Roden to watch Errrkkkk work through exactly what his transformation did for him. For Roden everything was intuitive. His spells filled him with everything he needed to execute them.

    It seemed to him, these extra abilities didn¡¯t come with that same intuitiveness for Errrkkkk or Riakon. Roden wondered if he would ever find himself in a similar situation, but put it out of his mind to focus on his training at hand.

    With the tournament on the horizon, Roden felt it was important for him to solidify his fighting style. Up to that point he was a bit of a mess. He wasn¡¯t the ranged spell specialist he set out to be when he chose his class. At the time he figured choosing Cleric would let him be a solid support caster then use his fire domain to add some ranged elements to his kit.

    Thanks to his meeting with Mu''Tumbo, he got access to his Grove Armor and he¡¯d become more of a close quarters fighter, which was the opposite of what he imagined for himself.

    Roden figured he had gotten lucky up to this point. He took a few big shots that had broken through his armor, none more painful than when Seven sent him through the wall during their botched gathering.

    He kicked himself a bit for ignoring his own nature. Whenever he made characters he always made sure he had options in every situation. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be any different here.

    Roden thought long and hard about his role in the party. He had the best long ranged damage with his Ignition Bolt and Conflagration. He had to admit Errrkkkk was at least his equal at the midrange game. His spells were more powerful than Errrkkkk¡¯s basic chi blasts, but Errrkkkk could do those indefinitely.

    In melee, he felt like he couldn¡¯t compare to Riakon at all. The smiting blows he landed were devastating in a way that he couldn¡¯t replicate¡­But then Roden remembered their fight with the Manticore. He¡¯d landed a pretty nasty Wounding Touch.

    After some hard thinking, Roden came to the conclusion that he was the middle ground between Riakon and Errrkkkk. He was their only source of long ranged damage and could help Errrkkkk in the midrange. Riakon was a close up specialist in a way Roden could never be, however Riakon was a power puncher, where Roden was able to provide a steady offense with his conjured swords and close range spells like Burning Finger and Wounding Touch.

    As much as Roden tried to determine a style to fit his skill set he eventually came to terms with the fact he had a style all of his own. He considered swapping his spells around to have his skill set be more specialized, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to lose his utility spells like Blessed Traveler or Basking Embrace, but he did realize he wouldn¡¯t be needing his Sight of the Magi for the upcoming tournament.

    He had truly forgotten all about that spell as it had sat unused for so long. Part of him wanted to immediately take that Apprentice level spell he considered before, but he was hesitant to replace a Trainee tier spell with a spell that required so much more magic to cast. While walking among his wisps of spells along his path of spell selection Roden spotted a spell he passed over long ago. It was the weaker Trainee healing spell he had not taken way back when. He had opted for the stronger, touch based one that became his Triage spell.

    He remembered back to the fight with the raptors and how nice it would have been to revive Errrkkkk from a distance rather than having to fight their way over to him. When Roden took the spell he felt it being pulled into his Elven magic. The resulting combination was Nature¡¯s Melody, a spell that stimulated its target¡¯s natural healing instead of providing its own.

    On the surface, Roden wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the spell. In theory, it did what he wanted, but that still remained to be seen in practice. He did however, love the thematics of it. The spell no longer needed an incantation instead it only required him to hum a tune. In Roden¡¯s mind, there was something beautiful about magic that was propelled through music.

    The training itself was taxing and often had the men sleeping hard shortly after their evening meal. Unlike Errrkkkk and Riakon, Roden had the added element of his mother. Miriana was kind and understanding, but Roden didn¡¯t want to hurt her feelings by acting like a stranger.

    When Errrkkkk and Riakon would head to the treehouse to sleep, Roden would stay inside the house to talk and spend time with his fictional mother. It was a strange thing to care about the feelings of someone he knew was not real. However, when that line of thinking would tumble through his mind he began to have less conviction in his belief that this world wasn¡¯t real.

    By the time their window for training neared its end, Roden and Miriana had developed a bit of a routine. After dinner they would have simple conversations about their day. She would riddle him with questions about his progress and he would ask her about her day at the temple.

    Eventually, they would play a casual game of some kind. On one of their first nights, Roden spied a chess board and had suggested they play. Miriana was a truly solid player, she would rarely launch her own attacks and was content to let the games fizzle out into drawn positions.

    Roden, however, was thrilled in being able to play a game he loved. It was a small piece of home amidst a sea of unfamiliarity. It made the numerous nighttime conversations flow more easily as they casually moved their pieces. It was during these conversations Roden began to feel like the world he was in wasn¡¯t just some dream. He began to imagine he was in some alternate reality. That perhaps he was dead and this was his afterlife or that maybe he was in some kind of altered state.

    It was during one of those games they got into a conversation of the afterlife and Roden took a chance,

    ¡°Hey mom, do you think there are other realities out there?¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm, other realities? Like the other planes?¡± she said as she slowly pushed her pawn to start the game.

    ¡°Sort of, but not. Like places that are completely different from here.¡± he met her pawn push with one of his own attacking her central pawn.

    She let out a small giggle, ¡°well, I assure you the other planes are quite different from our own, but I get the idea you mean something else.¡± She moved her pawn forward into his territory.

    Roden was unsure how to broach the topic so he tried to ease into the conversation gingerly, ¡°Yeah I mean like different versions of this plane.¡± He jumped his knight attacking her pawn again.

    Miriana looked thoughtful, ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. Although, I supposed it is possible. The universe is vaster than we can even imagine.¡± She protected her pawn with one on its flank.

    Roden blitzed out his pawn attacking her pawn protecting its ally in the center. ¡° Would it even be in the same universe?¡±

    ¡°You and your gambits.¡± She rolled her eyes as she protected her pawn with the one on its left. ¡°If there are other universes I can only imagine there must be a planet such as Mir.¡±

    He captured her pawn. ¡°Hmmmmm, so not another reality, but a different planet?¡±

    Miriana took back, solidifying her center. ¡°That would make the most sense to me. It would be incredibly wasteful to have alternate realities.¡±

    Roden was taken aback by her response, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Consider for a moment there is a single reality. Why would nature ever deviate from that reality?¡±

    Roden felt like he was walking into a trap, but pushed on ¡°Because there are infinite possibilities¡­¡±

    ¡°Certainly, but the generation of a whole reality based on the possibility of something happening is counter to all natural principles. Nature only reacts to what is, not what could be. ¡±

    Roden had to admit she had a point, he switched gears ¡°Could magic make it between planets?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not, although there is the body matter problem.¡±

    Roden was actually stumped by her statement, ¡°come again?¡±

    ¡°The body matter problem, the inability to send matter over extraplanetary distances through teleportation. In essence, you can¡¯t leave the magisphere.¡±

    Roden was dumbfounded, he was here so she couldn¡¯t be¡­then it dawned on him. He wasn¡¯t here, or at least his body wasn¡¯t here. He was in the body of Roden the character, who must have already existed here.

    ¡°Did I lose you dear? You haven¡¯t made a move.¡± she gestured at the board.

    ¡°Oh uhh.¡± He hastily moved his bishop to stare down the long diagonal of the board. ¡°I think I get what you are saying, it¡¯s just really interesting. What about sending just magic from one planet to another?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, if there was a link or connection of some kind between the two.¡± Unfazed Miriana pushed her central pawn creating a blockade in the center of the board.

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what kind of link you would need to reach those kinds of distances.¡±

    ¡°A powerful one I am sure.¡± She said it nonchalantly, but Roden noticed a small slip in her persona. The ever so slight rise in her tone wasn¡¯t an immediate give away, it was her weariness at the prospect that caught his attention. She knew something she wasn¡¯t telling. Now didn¡¯t feel like the time to make accusations though.

    Laying in bed that night, Roden made a decision. That conversation changed his perspective on his situation. He must be on another world, if not in body then in mind or spirit. That meant his time here must matter. He couldn¡¯t be here purely by coincidence. Too much was happening as he knew it would for this to be some fever dream.

    It was his connection to Zamira that was the biggest change here. In his world, she was power hungry, passionate, and calculated. She killed off her father and absorbed his domains. Now she was just a woman practicing her religion and raising her son.

    Even the lore on her seemed more tame in comparison. Roden felt like he was scratching at the edges of something important, but just couldn¡¯t pull aside the curtain. He knew one thing, whatever he had to do, he would get home somehow. He would see his wife again.

 Interlude

    Interlude

    Ever since the gathering Riakon hadn¡¯t been sleeping well. In those quiet moments as he lay in bed awaiting the sweet embrace of sleep he would hear her whispers.

    ¡°Riakon,¡± the voice would come to him softly in the unmistakable hiss of Tiamat. ¡°I can help you. We are family.¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Riakon wasn¡¯t completely sure he was actually hearing anything or if he was just going crazy. When it would happen like this he would look to Grok. In this case, Grok was sleeping soundly. His paws were curled and his belly was up as he snored softly, the occasional snot bubble would form and pop as his breathing caused his chest to rise and fall. Riakon laid back and shut his eyes tight.

    ¡°All you have to do Riakon is use my gifts. I can give you more. I can give you more than you could ever imagine my son.¡±

    Riakon strained, gritting his teeth, ¡°Go away.¡± his thought echoed in the void of his mind.

    ¡°I will always be with you, my son. I am your family...¡± the voice trailed off leaving Riakon in a sleepless silence.

 Chapter 28-With Dignity

    Chapter 28

    The day of the tournament had finally come after their month of training. Errrkkkk was ready to burst in his excitement. Roden had to admit Riakon looked a bit haggard comparatively, but figured even he would look haggard next to Errrkkkk on Tournament day.

    Errrkkkk had made sure they were all up early and were ready to go by the time they were usually saying their morning prayers much to Miriana¡¯s displeasure.

    ¡°Boys boys, slow down. The arena isn¡¯t going anywhere and you have plenty of time for some breakfast.¡±

    Roden and Riakon both looked at Errrkkkk, the longing for food and a moment to breathe on their faces. Errrkkkk shook his feathers, ¡°Okay, but nothing too heavy. We need to be light and fast today, cacaw.¡±

    Miriana smiled at his acquiescence and set to laying out a nice simple breakfast for them. As they ate, Riakon addressed Miriana, ¡°So Lady Miriana, will you be attending our match today?¡±

    Roden nearly choked on the coffee he was drinking.

    ¡°Well I was actually waiting for an invitation from my son, but seeing as I never got one I suppose I will not be attending.¡± Her tone held a hint of motherly affrontedness as she refused to look at Roden.

    Both Errrkkkk and Riakon shot Roden with displeased looks, prompting him to respond.

    ¡°Mom¡­¡± He said tentatively, ¡°Would you like to come watch the tournament today? I¡¯m sure we would get you a private box or something.¡±

    Miriana turned to face her son, ¡°Why yes dear, I would love to come see you in your tournament today. How thoughtful of you to offer.¡± she managed it all with a straight face and picturesque poise as if she hadn¡¯t just guilt tripped him into the invitation.

    ¡°When you boys are all finished with your breakfast just leave. I have to stop at the temple and run a few errands before I head over to the arena. Be good boys and good luck.¡± with that she slipped out the door and was gone.

    ¡°Good luck finding a woman who can live up to her standards.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea.¡±

    When the men arrived, the arena lobby was a madhouse. Workers and Adventurers were hustling about with little rhyme or reason. The usual lines for registration were a tangled mess of bodies. Roden managed to force his way through the crowd with Riakon as his wedge.

    When they reached the counter the frazzled man behind it had them checked in and assigned a room in minutes with minimal discussion required. Roden managed to get him to sit still long enough to request a box for his mother and slip the man a few myrtium as payment.

    With all their preparations set, all that was left was to wait for their fight. It was a double blind tournament so matchups were not revealed until after all of the teams were shut away in their preparation rooms.

    All they could do was speculate at what kind of opponents they may be put up against. Roden had made sure to cast his Divine Gambit while they waited, he figured these fights might just come down to a bit of luck and that spell could tip the scales in their favor.

    They were instructed of the rules of the tournament when they signed up. These fights would take place on a stage. If a participant touched the ground outside of the stage, they were out of bounds, and could no longer participate in the fight.

    There was a strict rule against dispelling anyone''s Safety Ward that would prevent them from dying and the creation of antimagic areas was not allowed. None of those rules affected Roden and his team. However, Riakon was intrigued by the idea of throwing someone out of the ring. Neither Roden nor Errrkkkk intended to use that tactic, but told Riakon to be careful and wished him the best if he tried it.

    Waiting for their match time was grueling. Roden wasn¡¯t even sure how many hours had passed by the time an attendant came by and told them they were up next. It wasn¡¯t long after that they were walking down the tunnel to the arena. Roden already had his suit of buffs spread around them. They looked like they were blessed by the sun itself as they exited the tunnel blazing with flame like energy.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Riakon stood in the middle with Roden and Errrkkkk on either side of him as they strode to their mark on their side of the ring. Roden had to admit Riakon struck a commanding figure with his blazing aura and the golden glow granted by his Faith Shield and Sanctify.

    ¡°Innnnnnnn the Red Corner, we have a team known to put on a show. They are the strong, the powerful, the faithful, Sons. of. Era-rchy!!!!¡±

    To the men¡¯s surprise the crowd exploded with cheers. Errrkkkk immediately started waving and soaking in the admiration. Riakon remained relatively stoic, his focus aimed at the opposite tunnel where their opponents would enter the arena.

    ¡°Innnnnnnn the Blue Corner, we have a group that is voracious, they are fierce, they are the Ruff Riders!!!!¡±

    As the announcer spoke four figures walked out of the tunnel. Three of them were small hillfolk with short brown hair dressed in various leather armors carrying long spears as they walked.

    The other figure was a stocky creature with long tusks. It was just as tall as its teammates. It wore a leather saddle that wrapped around its midsection and held a bit in its mouth. When the three hillfolk took their places the announcer wasted no time.

    ¡°All of you know the rules, any rule violations will be handled swiftly and those decisions are final. Let¡¯s have a good fight!¡±

    ¡°Ready!!! Set!!!! Fight!!!!¡±

    In that instant the hillfolk opposite Roden dropped to his hands and knees. Fur began growing all over his body as he expanded into a huge white bear. It finished its transformation with a deafening roar.

    ¡°Well fuck...¡±

    Riakon hefted his hammer, ¡°I¡¯ll take the bear.¡±

    The fighter across the stage from Errrkkkk hopped on the back of his boar, couched his spear, and charged straight for Errrkkkk. It all started to click in Roden¡¯s mind. They were riders as in they rode mounts, or each other in the case with the bear and the last little man.

    By the time Roden had an Ignition Bolt ready and it was hurtling towards his target the bear was bounding across the stage with the last hillfolk on its back. The bead of smoldering arcane energy erupted across the bear¡¯s torso in a swirl of cinders and flames. With a snap of his fingers, Roden activated his Blaze ability, engulfing the bear.

    Riakon charged the bear team without hesitation. His hammer flared with a cherry red flame. They met in the middle of the arena. The spear thrust of the rider shot passed Riakon¡¯s head. He twisted, swinging his hammer around toward the bear. He connected with the beast''s shoulder making it grimace in pain.

    The blow caused it to rise up on two legs, which only added power to the swipe of its meaty claw that raked across Riakon¡¯s chest. If not for Roden¡¯s Basking Embrace the blow might have been devastating. Instead it ended up as more of a scratch. The bite on his leg from the bear¡¯s jaws sent pain through him like a thunder clap.

    Errrkkkk was offended at being left to handle the lesser of the two teams. He wanted to fight the strongest and here he was stuck with the stragglers. Errrkkkk made a show of slowly rising up into the air with deliberate and effortless flaps of his wings.

    He drew chi from his body, formed it into a Soul Sphere and began drawing in sunlight. By the time his opponent had arrived at his side of the arena, Errrkkkk was out of his reach. He tried throwing some darts at Errrkkkk, but they were swatted away with a nonchalant kick. Seeing his attempts as futile the rider changed his focus and rushed off towards Roden.

    Roden watched the situation with Errrkkkk from his peripheral vision and saw his pig riding opponent give up and turn straight towards him. He had hoped this time he would be able to just hang back and cast his spells. At this point Roden really didn¡¯t want to deal with what amounted to an angry child and a feral pig.

    When Roden¡¯s Conflagration erupted and enveloped the boar and its rider, he wanted the maneuver to be definitive. His Divine Gambit had shown him just where and when he needed to send his spell for it to have the greatest impact. The rider and mount were torched black, when Roden¡¯s blaze ability finished its course. Both combatants lay motionless on the floor of the stage, never having made it the full distance to their target.

    Riakon heard the explosion behind him, but couldn¡¯t spare a moment to see the results. The bear was dragging him across the stage towards the middle edge. When Riakon would take a moment to fend off the bear, the rider would lash out with his long spear.

    Riakon¡¯s frustration had built to an all time high when he gripped his hammer at the base of its head and slammed it into the bear¡¯s face, a thunderous boom erupted throughout the arena at the strike. Riakon was abashed to find the bear was unmoved. Instead it snarled, crouched, and threw Riakon into the air by the leg in its jaws.

    Riakon sailed high into the air, the bear and its rider beneath him. This would be perfect for a crushing hammer slam if he wasn¡¯t off balance and tumbling. While the bear was standing just having tossed Riakon like a bag of flour, a bright blue orb slammed into the beast.

    The explosion sent Riakon soaring over the edge of the stage and the dreaded out of bounds area. Riakon had no wings and nothing in his skill set could change his trajectory. He resigned himself to at least land in a dignified manner. That was until he felt something grab his ankle and tug.

    Roden had seen Errrkkkk launch his Soul Sphere at the bear and its rider. He had also seen Riakon get blown over the edge by the explosion. It didn¡¯t take much for him to cover the distance with a swift teleport. He threw out his hand and his vine grabbed his airborne companion. He managed to pull him back into the field of play albeit with a less than dignified landing.

    When the dust cleared Roden could see the bear and its rider were still conscious. The bear rose up on its hind legs and roared in a guttural voice. Riakon managed to drag himself back to his feet and stand resolute in front of the angry beast. As it bellowed, Riakon charged the creature, a look of determination cemented on his face. The bear took a swipe at him, its claw dug into his back as he barreled forward.

    In one motion, Riakon dropped his hammer and lowered his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around the bear¡¯s waist and hips. His hands clasped together just under its tail. He drove his legs and strained against the creature''s weight. Despite the combined efforts of rider and mount, Riakon was able to lift the bear off the ground enough to propel it backward off the edge of the stage.

    A trumpet blared a tune of celebration as the bodies landed outside of the arena. The crowd exploded in applause and cheers.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he actually did it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure we will hear all about it, cacaw.¡±

    Roden turned to Errrkkkk, with a raised eyebrow.

    Errrkkkk let out a self-deprecating laugh as he set off to help his brother.

    The announcer declared them victorious over the cacophony of the crowd.

    Roden felt like the fight was a bit anticlimactic. Riakon had manhandled the bear team out of the ring and he had one shot the rider and his animal companion with a fireball. They had done all this training over the last month and blew these guys out of the water in what couldn¡¯t have been more than a minute or two.

    Roden wasn¡¯t positive how this tournament was going to go, now that he was part of the team, He had an inkling if the rest of the teams were like this then the team they meet in the finals will definitely be the same one he had put against Errrkkkk and Riakon all those years ago. If that was the case, then they were in for a brutal ordeal.

 Chapter 29- Advancement

    Chapter 29

    When they made it back to the recovery room, they were all surprised to find Miriana sitting on one of the couches scratching Grok behind one of his big ears. The garg had grown so much over the last month that to say he was the size of a large dog was pushing it. While the statement was mostly true. Grok was starting to spend more and more time squatting on his hindlegs with his forepaws off the ground.

    His quadrupedal giant was shifting to be more gorilla like than dog like. His arms had grown so much longer, they outpaced his hindlegs and now drooped too low to allow a smooth running motion. Despite his rapid growth, Grok clearly still saw himself as the loveable lap creature he was when Riakon first found him, evident by his current position half draped across Miriana¡¯s lap while she gave him a scratch.

    ¡°Grok! What are you doing? You need to be careful, you are crushing that poor woman.¡±

    The garg turned his face towards Riakon and let his eyelids flutter as the feeling of Miriana¡¯s ministrations must have been too delicious for the garg to care about propriety.

    ¡°Oh no Grok is becoming a teenager.¡± Roden said through a small laugh.

    ¡°You boys leave him alone. He is being such a good boy, keeping me company while I waited for you.¡± Miriana gave the men a once over, scrutinizing them for wounds and bruises as she worked her way out from under Grok¡¯s bulk. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like you boys took very many hits out there.¡±

    ¡°No way, they were a cake walk, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yeah they were a lot weaker than I expected.¡± Roden said scratching his head.

    ¡°Well next time you can take the bear by yourself.¡± a hint of indignation peppered Riakon¡¯s tone as he spoke.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who wanted to throw them out of the ring, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well it worked.¡±

    Miriana rolled her eyes at the brotherly squabble, and turned to Roden, ¡°So what is your plan now that the fight is over?¡±

    Roden shrank under her gaze, ¡°Oh ummmm, I kind of figured we¡¯d go to the Golden Dew to celebrate our win.¡±

    Her eyebrow went up, ¡°The Golden Dew.¡±

    Her motherly tone must have hit a subconscious cord in the character of Roden as he felt himself begin to sweat. ¡°Yeah¡­ is there something wrong with the Golden Dew?¡±

    ¡°No, that place is actually quite nice. Good on you boys for choosing a higher end tavern, instead of slumming it in one of those dockside scum pits.¡±

    ¡°What about you my Lady?¡±

    Roden shot Riakon a death glare out of Miriana¡¯s sight, as if to say ¡°Do not invite my fucking mother!¡±

    Miriana was one step ahead, ¡°No no, I wouldn¡¯t want to intrude on your celebration. A mother knows when to let their little one fly free, and you boys deserve a night out. You¡¯ve been cooped up at home for too long. I don¡¯t expect I¡¯ll see you boys for dinner then.¡±

    Even though she was being incredibly accommodating, Roden still felt a pang of guilt at ditching her. ¡°Yeah we will probably eat at the Golden Dew.¡±

    ¡°Okay well, I will be off then and leave you to your celebration. You boys did well today, but I expect tomorrow will be a bit tougher when you meet up with those mages.¡±

    She gave Roden a hug, and moved to the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be here tomorrow to watch you boys. Be sure to put on a show.¡± with that she slipped out the door.

    ¡°Did she say mages, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon looked at his brother nodding, ¡°She did.¡±

    ¡°She must have seen the pairings for tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°So we have a team of mages for our fight tomorrow. Should be easy, cacaw.¡±

    A wicked grin spread on Riakon¡¯s toothy maw. ¡°Oh yes, I will definitely be throwing them around.¡±

    Roden had a bad feeling growing in his gut. ¡°Unless they do to us what I did to the boar and his rider.¡± Images of being blasted by fireballs and lightning bolts raced through Roden¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Speak for yourself, they have to catch me first, cacaw.¡±

    Roden¡¯s eyes narrowed on the shifty birdman.

    Riakon gazed at his recently acquired dragon brand ¡°I don¡¯t think their fire and lightning will bother me either.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you guys.¡± Roden joked, ¡°I mean if yall hang me out to dry, you¡¯ll just have to deal with my mother when we get back in here.¡±

    Riakon looked at Errrkkkk and they both shuddered. ¡°Fair enough.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, we¡¯ll protect the squishy caster, cacaw.¡±

    The walk from the arena to the Golden Dew had become a familiar one at this point in their journey. They entered their favorite establishment through the VIP entrance, taking the mezzanine all the way to their usual booth in the roped off section. They spared no expense in their food and drink. Riakon even managed to finagle another bottle of Dragonblood Fallow out of the bartender.

    When it arrived at their table Roden was asked if they wanted their tab for the evening to come out of his donations account, which surprised all three men. Roden had forgotten about that conversation with the stage manager. When the sommelier told them the amount he had racked up their jaws dropped. Not only was it enough to cover the wine, but it would probably cover their bill for that night as well.

    Unfortunately for Roden, this meant that for the rest of the night his friends ribbed him to go up and play some songs. As much as Roden loved the spotlight, playing music and singing was still a foreign experience.

    In his human mind, he knew he didn¡¯t know how to play an instrument, but his half-elf self definitely knew how to play, and was at least average at the endeavor. As they prodded him he scoured his mind for a song he knew well enough to sing, but then he realized something. Up to this point he was relying on his human memory to pick songs he knew in his real life.

    He felt like an idiot. ¡°Why the fuck haven¡¯t I been using the real Roden¡¯s repertoire.¡± he thought to himself. He thought long and hard to drum up all the songs Roden learned over his life prior to him taking over. He wasn¡¯t surprised to find they shared the same interests and there were songs he was actually quite excited to remember.

    In some ways, he was a little embarrassed how much Elton John had made its way into his setlist. That was quickly swept away by the memories of playing all those songs from Disney movies for his mother. He found solace that no one listening to him would know the songs came from children¡¯s films. Fortunately, he had a song that fell into both categories and he settled on that song for the night.

    When it came time for him to step onto the stage he was a fair bit drunker than he intended to be for his performance. The lights came down and he stood on the stage alone except for the crystal microphone. He went to place his fingers on the strings and to his horror he had no idea where they belonged.

    His mind was horribly fuzzy and he couldn¡¯t remember a single note. He began to sweat profusely as he attempted to recall the song. His hazy mind was not doing him any justice. If only he could sober up, he thought. It was then he remembered he could do just that.

    He set his instrument down gently then looked across the room towards his friends and vanished from the stage. He reappeared far behind the crowd, just passed the rope that separated the main floor from the VIP section.

    Roden ran up to Riakon, ¡°Riakon!¡± He snapped his fingers at the inebriated dragonkin. ¡°Woah, where did? You¡¯re suppo¡­¡± Roden cut him off,

    ¡°Yeah I know, but I¡¯m too drunk to perform so I need you to sober me up.¡± Riakon slapped him, not too hard, but just enough to rouse a person. Roden was caught off guard, but realized his mistake.

    ¡°No mate, I meant your Faith Healing.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Well just say that.¡± Riakon placed a hand on Roden¡¯s arm purging the alcohol from his blood with his magic.

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    Roden shouted ¡°Thanks!¡± as he teleported back to the stage.

    ¡°Sorry about that folks. Had to sober up a bit.¡± He tried his best to make it sheepish, yet nonchalant.

    He knew he needed to bring it now that he made everybody wait, so he rolled into his song. The notes fluttered as he played them. It wasn¡¯t a complex rhyme, which spoke to just how drunk he must have been. The crowd seemed unimpressed by the first few chords. Then he started to sing,

    ¡°There¡¯s a calm_____ sur-ren - der to the rush_____ of day,___

    When the heat_____ of the roll-ing world____ can be turned__ a¨C way.__¡±

    His mind was clear and he found himself truly getting pulled into the song. He had to allow himself to be possessed by the spirit of the song. He was caught up in the melody as he neared his personal favorite part.

    ¡°It¡¯s e ¨C nough__ for this rest ¨C less wor-rior just to be____ with you._____ And

    Can you feel__ the love___ tonight?___ It is where__ we are______¡±

    As he sang out his eyes were closed, so he could feel the music and throw himself into it. Whenever he sang about love it inevitably brought him thoughts of his wife, Joy. He missed her so much and he felt like he was nowhere closer to getting back to her. He started to get choked up and despite his sober mind, the song and his playing went to shit.

    When he opened his eyes the crowd was just staring back at him. No one was dancing, most just had a look of confusion on their face, which to him came across as ¡°what the fuck am I watching right now?!¡±

    Roden had resigned himself to cut his losses and exit the stage. However, as he bent down to pick up his things, he felt heavy footsteps climb the stage. To Roden¡¯s complete surprise instead of their being a burly security guard coming with a long hook, he saw Riakon, clear eyed and resolute.

    ¡°Riakon, what are you doing?!¡± Roden whispered to him.

    ¡°Do you remember the other song you sang from that play?¡±

    Roden was dumbfounded, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°The song! You sang it the night we met. It¡¯s from the same musical right?¡±

    Roden thought long and hard. He couldn¡¯t believe what Riakon was suggesting.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I love that song.¡±

    Roden figured he had nothing to lose so he started playing, and sang the intro,

    ¡°Wee¨C ee ¨C ee ¨C e ¨C he ¨C he ¨C ee¨C ee¨C e ¨C ee- um ¨Cum ¨Cbuway.____

    O-Wim - o - wee, o - wim - o - wee, o wim - o - wee, o - wim - o - wee, o¡±

    To Roden¡¯s utter shock Riakon actually started singing,

    ¡°In the jun___ gle, the might - ty jun___ gle, the li - on___ sleeps__ to-night._¡±

    Riakon¡¯s singing voice was a spectacle all to its own. It wasn¡¯t overly high as the song was usually done. He sang slow and steady. He let the bass resonate through his voice. His song was like a warm blanket over the cold crowd. It never brought the crowd to dance, but they listened. All of their attention was fixed on Riakon as he belted out the lyrics.

    Roden played the melody and would provide the background vocals when they would enhance Riakon¡¯s own. It was safe to say no one in the building was expecting this from the large dragonkin.

    The song wasn¡¯t a long one and Riakon brought it to a close by trailing off on his final note. He had done something rarely seen. They had done something rarely seen. They had taken a crowd of dancing people and brought their party to an abrupt halt. Then as Roden had lost them, Riakon came in and turned the vibe to one of relaxation and calm. The crowd gave a polite and steady applause like one would expect to hear at a jazz club. Roden had an idea.

    ¡°Hey Riakon, do you remember the other song I sang that first night?¡±

    He thought for a moment and leaned away from the crystal microphone, ¡°The one about the moon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah that one.¡±

    ¡°Some of it, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Bet, follow my lead and jump in when you think you have it.¡±

    Roden could tell the crowd was warmed up from his earlier debacle. He strummed a few notes and rolled into his song.

    ¡°Oh fly me to the moon___ and let me play a-mong the stars._____¡±

    Riakon stepped up to the mic,

    ¡°let me see what spring___ is like on Ju - pi - ter and Mars._____¡±

    They played their way through the song with Roden taking the majority and Riakon either taking small parts for himself or joining Roden in harmony. Having never performed together meant their teamwork wasn¡¯t seamless, but it was an endearing sight to watch two grown men experiment musically on stage.

    Roden ended the song with an abrupt note. This time the applause was full and lively. Roden grabbed Riakon¡¯s wrist and held it up. They took a bow in tandem and waved to the crowd.

    When they got back to the table Roden started grilling Riakon,

    ¡°Dude! What was that?¡±

    ¡°That was me, saving your ass.¡± he punctuated each statement by pointing at Roden then himself.

    Roden narrowed his eyes at his friend, ¡°Yeah and thank you for that, but how?¡±

    ¡°How what?¡±

    ¡°Mainly, how did you know that song?¡±

    Riakon looked puzzled, ¡°What do you mean? It''s a popular song.¡±

    Now it was Roden¡¯s turn to look puzzled. ¡°It is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. It''s from that one play, King something or other.¡±

    ¡°The Lion King?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I don¡¯t remember, I saw it a few times when I was younger. The songs stuck with me and you just sang it, so it was fresh.¡±

    Roden was incredibly confused, and the more he thought about it the more his head began to hurt. He let the subject drop.

    ¡°As thanks for saving you, you can help me get my buzz back.¡± he said signaling the waitress over.

    ¡°What?¡± Roden said dumbly.

    ¡°I had to sober myself up to do all of that, so I am starting over.¡±

    They ordered more drinks and started their celebration anew. Errrkkkk, however, did not last long as his sobriety was not renewed. Within a few rounds, Errrkkkk was sleeping soundly on the table. After a few more rounds they decided to call it a night and the two bandmates carried their friend off to bed.

    In the morning, Roden was pleasantly surprised to find he had leveled up. He wondered how he hadn¡¯t noticed it the night before, but reasoned that perhaps he had gained just enough experience points from his performance with Riakon to push him over the edge. He decided on breakfast before dealing with his level up and strolled into the main sitting room.

    He walked in on a strange sight. Errrkkkk was perched on the balcony railing. A balcony Roden didn¡¯t even know existed. He had assumed the room didn¡¯t have a balcony with it being in a demiplane outside of their plane, except there it was with sky and all.

    Riakon was seated on the couch as was typical when he didn¡¯t drink too heavily the night before.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with Errrkkkk?¡±

    ¡°Oh him? He got up late, so he¡¯s doing his advancement now.¡±

    ¡°Advancement?¡±

    Riakon looked at him as if he was a complete idiot. ¡°Yeah, you know, like when you meditate to consolidate your magic.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, what?¡±

    ¡°Roden, you mean to tell me with all that meditating you do, you¡¯re not consolidating the levels of magic you absorb? What are you doing then?¡±

    Roden wasn¡¯t sure if he was more confused or concerned.

    ¡°Ummmmm well, I meditate and then I go to my headspace.¡±

    A knowing look came over Riakon, ¡°Exactly, and then you pick your spells or your ability thresholds are met when you¡¯ve absorbed enough magic.¡±

    ¡°Ability thresholds?¡±

    ¡°Roden, who the hell was your teacher? Master Rolen would be so disappointed.¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes, ¡°Yeah yeah, I get that. Explain these advancements.¡±

    Riakon let out an exasperated sigh, ¡°Well for you and I, the advancements are simple. We meditate and our God gives us spells and abilities. Not much to it. Sometimes, I can consolidate my magic reserves into my body to give me a boost to my strength or constitution, but¡­¡±

    Roden cut him off, ¡°You keep saying consolidate magic. What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the magic you absorb.¡±

    ¡°I absorb magic?¡± Roden felt like he was scratching at the walls of his predicament. He felt as though he should know all of these things by the way Riakon was talking.

    ¡°Geez Roden, did you get hit on the head? Of course you absorb magic. How else are you able to be an adventurer?¡±

    Roden laughed weakly, ¡°So wait, all adventurers absorb magic?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, how do you think fighters get so strong or the barbarians are so thick skinned?¡±

    Roden had to admit he had a very good point. ¡°So even Errrkkkk absorbs magic?¡±

    ¡°Yeah he does, it¡¯s just focused on his body and he has all that special training to convert it into chi.¡±

    Roden¡¯s head was hurting something fierce at his revelation. He winced in pain, but pushed through it to get at the rest of what Riakon knew. ¡°Did you get an advancement recently?¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°Yeah I did mine when I woke up. Finally had enough magic to generate a paladin aura.¡±

    Roden¡¯s mind was racing with all of the implications. What did it all mean? He thought to himself. His attention was ripped away when his body started tingling and letting off a faint glow.

    ¡°Ha! Looks like you have an advancement waiting for you too. Best get to it before we get our day going.¡±

    ¡°Last question, how long do your advancements take?¡±

    ¡°Oh yours and mine are instant a perk of having our abilities granted by the Gods. Everyone else¡¯s takes time. Errrkkkk usually only takes fifteen minutes or so, but he was awfully hungover when he started so I¡¯m sure he will take longer.

    Roden skipped grabbing breakfast and went straight to the shower to start his advancement as Riakon had called it. He sat on the floor of the shower, the hot water beating down on him and closed his eyes.

    He opened his eyes and saw his grove. He was happy to see everything was as he left it. The large tree on the far end, the fire burning in the middle, and the path behind him. The fire was burning particularly vigorously that day and drew his attention.

    He approached the flame and examined its contents. He saw his holy symbol as he had before, but he felt there was no spell to be had, he reached out anyway and was surprised to find it was a Domain ability. The ability flowed into him, and revealed itself to be an ability called Flashpoint.

    It built upon his other Fire Domain gifts. It required an enemy to be suffering from his Blaze ability to enter his Moment of Ignition area of effect. When that happened Roden would be able to use the power from his cloak to cause a flashpoint explosion at that enemy¡¯s location.

    He instinctively knew it would be a powerful attack. He was a bit annoyed it cost him his defensive ability in the process, but he realized he could use his Moment of Ignition twice now before needing to rest.

    His conversation with Riakon had him seeing things differently here. He had thought of this place as his character creation zone, but that can¡¯t really be the case if all adventurers experience something similar when they advanced their abilities.

    He realized the rest was all about regaining magic reserves and not some arbitrary game mechanic. He must have reached a point where he was able to retain enough magic to use the ability again without needing to replenish his reserves.

    When he really thought about it, the way the world worked started making more and more sense. The magic for his spells came from the Magisphere, even he had written that much when he built this world. He had built much of the world based on how magic would permeate the world, but never solidified the method for how the people in the world interacted with that internal magic. He had never gone that far because no one he played with would ever need to know that.

    Now it was clear to him his domain abilities came from his own magic reserves, which made the fact that he had two Domains a bit out of place. Did that mean his reserves were twice and large as a typical cleric? What the hell was going on with this world? He railed at no one in particular.

    Then he eyed his tree, the one that represented his Elvan magic and that opened a whole new line of questions about internal magic and how it came about that he really didn¡¯t want to delve into until he knew more about how things worked.

    He was a little disappointed to see his Elvan magic didn¡¯t have anything new for him, but figured it needed more time to build up its reserves. He shook his head at the thought that he was becoming a set of magical batteries. Or would it be more accurate to compare himself to a capacitor?

    He was doing it again.

    He left the tree and set off toward his Adventure Domain path. His holy symbol was floating there as expected. It never failed to remind him of that scene from Harry Potter when Dumbledore first appears on Privet Drive.

    He grasped his holy symbol within the light absorbing his new Adventure Domain ability. By this point, Roden had stopped trying to guess what his Adventure Domain would bring his way. It was truly a wildcard in his repertoire. He held out hope that his abilities would make fighting at a distance a more viable tactic. His new ability did nothing of the sort.

    He gained the ability Adventurer''s Aegis. He wasn¡¯t mad at the prospect of some kind of shield, but as he analyzed the ability he grew giddy at his new power. On the surface, it let him construct a shield. Considering the fights he had recently a shield would have been incredibly helpful.

    He took a moment to be annoyed with himself for not thinking about using a shield sooner. This ability produced a shield that had some additional benefits to keep him safe behind its protection. He really wished he had this ability when Seven sent him through that wall.

    His next order of business was to pick his new spell. He was pleasantly surprised to find there were Common tier spell wisps floating not far from his starting point. He jumped at the chance to add a ranged Common spell to his arsenal.

    He found the spell he was looking for straight out of the Adventure and Antics handbook. He absorbed the baby sized spell. To his horror, he felt the spell be pulled towards his Adventure Domain. He cursed his luck. Whatever method was used to decide which way his spells went was his newest source of irritation.

    Then the spell revealed itself to him and all irritation washed away. He shouted as the name of the spell and its effects flooded his mind. He felt like a kid on Christmas morning.

    ¡°Fucking eye beams!¡±

 Chapter 30-Round 2

    Chapter 30

    As soon as the men were ready, they hustled off to the arena and got themselves checked in. Roden made sure to reserve a box suite for his mother just in case she decided to attend. At that point, money wasn¡¯t much of an issue, Riakon¡¯s dimensional bag was full of all the money they would ever need for common things.

    They didn¡¯t have to wait nearly as long for their match that day, given they had arrived a fair bit later than the day before. Roden noticed Errrkkkk wasn¡¯t in the best shape that morning, but some breakfast and coffee had him bright eyed and bushy feathered. Roden facepalmed at his own mental joke.

    Riakon hadn¡¯t brought up their conversation from earlier that morning and Roden was content to leave it shelved for now. He definitely wanted to pick their brains about it all, but he wasn¡¯t confident he could manage it without making himself look like an idiot or worse an imposter. He pushed all of those thoughts aside and focused on the fight at hand.

    They were set to take on a team of mages. If Roden was a betting man he¡¯d bet they would be able to counter some of his spells. He had a sinking suspicion that meant he was going to have to get up close and personal in order to be effective against these glass cannons.

    When it came time to make the walk through the tunnel Roden was buffed to the gills. First, he had prepared his Divine Gambit, which was a morning ritual at that point. He had his Basking Embrace on each of them, granting their signature flaming glow as they made their way through the darkness.

    He was clad in his Grove Armor as always with his Moment of Ignition cape flowing behind him. It was his newest addition to his buffs that bolstered his new look. His Adventurer¡¯s Aegis was clad to his left arm, it was an obnoxiously large round shield that he imagined made him look like Leonidas from ¡®300¡¯ minus the abs of course.

    The announcer took over as they made their entrance,

    ¡°Innnnnnnn the Red Corner, we have a fan favorite folks, if their last couple fights are any indication! They are quick, they are powerful, they are the ever faithful, Sons. of. Era-rchy!!!!¡±

    They took their places at their marks for their corner as the crowd showered them in applause. Roden took in the crowd a little differently this time. He realized that yeah, they had earned the applause. They put on good shows and weren¡¯t overly arrogant about it all. He raised his shield arm high in a sign of respect to the crowd, who began to quiet as the announcer introduced their opponents.

    ¡°Innnnnnnn the Blue Corner, we have a team shrouded in mystery, they hail from the far off city of D¡¯Oreizahn in the shadow of The Great Tower. They are the mystical, the mighty, the Darkhaus Elves!!!!¡±

    Out of the tunnel stroud three identical figures all clad in dark blue cloaks with their hoods drawn. When they took their places on their marks they raised their arms from their sides in a pose that reminded Roden of a crucifixion. In that instant, each figure tripled leaving Roden and company staring at nine identical looking images.

    ¡°Well fuck.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Ready!!! Set!!!! Fight!!!!¡±

    With the announcer¡¯s cue they were off. Errrkkkk launched into the air and raised his talons to the sky setting up a Soul Sphere. Roden knew these mages were going to pick him apart from range if he was just sitting up there. He followed Riakon in a headlong charge straight towards the hoard of elves. As they ran, he flung his hand out and shouted his favorite incantation ¡°Conflagration!¡±

    His fireball flew passed Riakon and crashed in the center of their enemies. However, instead of it being the cataclysm he had hoped for, Roden saw them waving their hands projecting barriers of concentric circles.

    It wasn¡¯t clear to him if his spell had done anything other than distract them. He activated his Blaze ability as it had the added benefit of signaling if the enemy had been touched by his flames. To his surprise all of the figures started smoldering as his Blaze took effect.

    Riakon bellowed a war cry that sounded like it was straight out of one of those Viking period shows. By the time he reached his targets they were a jumble of figures.

    Roden saw his hesitation and yelled to him, ¡°Riakon, they are illusions just start swinging!¡±

    That was all he needed to hear. Using the momentum of his charge Riakon swung his hammer. When he connected with one of them, the figure shattered. It sounded like he had put his hammer through a bay window, but there was no glass, just wisps of magic fading into the air. His second strike, while in the midst of them, was just as successful as another duplicate shattered to pieces. Unfortunately for Riakon, his attacks left him nearly surrounded.

    The charred mages started casting all at once. It was nearly impossible to decipher what was being cast or which one was casting which spell. All Roden knew was the ground beneath his feet was suddenly the slipperiest surface he had ever touched. He slid on his heels straight toward the group without any way to stop himself.

    Riakon was in an even worse position, he could do nothing as two of the mages unleashed gouts of flames from their mouths in a racing torrent that washed over Riakon and headed straight for Roden.

    Both men were engulfed in enemy flames. Their auras from Basking Embrace were burned away. Roden was fortunate to have his armor and shiny new shield, which prevented most of the remaining damage he would have taken. Visibly, Riakon had taken the spells point blank.

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    What most missed was the faint glow that came from his shoulder, his Tiamat given resistance blunting their flames. Riakon grinned wickedly, knowing they wouldn¡¯t be expecting him to counter so swiftly. He drove his hammer around with all his might and slipped on the now flaming oil at his feet. He crashed to the ground with a gut wrenching thud that made Roden cringe.

    With Riakon¡¯s attack halted, Roden cast Instant Destination, putting himself over Riakon. It was Roden¡¯s turn to grin as he activated Flashpoint. His cloak flared and burned up as if it were a fuse. When it reached his shoulders it winked out. The moment seemed to hang in the air for an eternity before three of the flaming figures erupted in bright pillars of fire.Again the three mages brought up personal barriers to halt his flames.

    As much as he wanted to pour on the fire. He knew the spell they were using and its resistance lasted for longer than he had to capitalize on their inattention.

    Seeing Riakon struggling to get to his feet behind him gave him an idea, ¡°Riakon, give me your hand!¡±

    From his kneeling position Riakon looked a bit confused, but offered his hand all the same. Roden leaned back with all his weight. He dug into the floor of the stage with his shield. With a great heave he yanked Riakon not just to his feet, but skiing across the oil.

    Roden wasn¡¯t expecting much from the maneuver, but he figured Riakon on his feet was better than casting a spell the mages were already shielding against.

    Riakon had other plans.He let his hammer trail behind him, the second his clawed foot gained traction, he used the momentum from his slide to power his swing. He shattered another image with the first strike, and found home with the second.

    He caught the mage in the chest. His hammer exploded with a thunderous boom. Out of rage Riakon poured a dose of divine magic into the strike creating a smiting blow. The mage was sent tumbling off the edge. Even if they hadn¡¯t fallen out of the arena there was no way they could continue.

    The other mages were left with a real dilemma. They now had to deal with the fact they were outnumbered and had an unhappy Dragonkin in their faces. One of the elves began waving their arms about ending their gesture with a pulling motion. A powerful gale came ripping through the arena buffeting Roden, who was still in the oil. He started sliding uncontrollably.

    Riakon was the picture of resolute focus. He slammed his hammer into the floor and was unmoved by the wind. Roden was heading straight for Riakon when the second mage started casting their spell.

    Electricity rose from their fingers as they threw their hands out. A bolt of lightning shot straight through Riakon. Stray arcs built up around him and continued to pass in a line. Roden just managed to get his shield up as he was struck with the spell.

    Roden found being electrocuted a novel experience. Preferably, one he would never have to endure again. It was sometime around then that Roden wondered,

    ''Where the hell is Errrkkkk?!''

    He turned his head around in the direction Errrkkkk flew off in at the beginning of the fight. Roden was amazed to see Errrkkkk hovering high above the arena floor, a Soul Sphere the size of a smart car held above his raised hands. The timing was just right as Errrkkkk threw the ball of energy straight toward the fight.

    From the ground Roden didn¡¯t feel good about their chances of getting away from that beast of Soul Sphere, but he had to try. Roden shimmied the rest of the way to Riakon¡¯s feet and grabbed him by the ankle. Riakon looked down with fury in his eyes, which was tempered when he saw it was Roden.

    That was when he saw Errrkkkk¡¯s Soul Sphere. That was also when Roden activated his Instant Destination, he had to overcharge it to do what he needed, but he figured the fight was over anyway. Just as the massive ball of energy was upon them, Roden and Riakon vanished.

    When the dust cleared, the Darkhaus Elves were all laying flat on their backs, a faint shimmer of magic preserving their life. The arena however, was in much worse shape. The Blue Corner was no more, not that it was an actual corner in the first place, but it was safe to say that side of the arena was destroyed by the blast.

    Errrkkkk floated down the only unscathed participant in the arena.

    ¡°That was too easy, cacaw.¡±

    Roden couldn¡¯t believe the bird had the nerve to be both smug and irritated at the same time.

    ¡°If you hold him, I¡¯ll cook him.¡±

    ¡°I would, but I¡¯m sure he would taste terrible. He¡¯s all feathers and no muscle.¡±

    Errrkkkk narrowed his eyes, as the two laughed at his expense.

    When they returned to their preparation room they were greeted by Miriana, who was standing this time, attempting to feed Grok some of the food from their tray of snacks.

    Miriana looked up from the little garg, and smiled as they entered the room. ¡°Well well, the victors have arrived! You boys definitely made that one look easy.¡±

    Roden greeted his mother with a hug, ¡°I don¡¯t know about easy, but it wasn¡¯t as bad as some of our other fights.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say it was pretty easy, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon dropped into a chair, ¡°Yeah well you weren¡¯t the one being set on fire.¡±

    Roden laughed, ¡°To be fair, they were the ones being set on fire.¡±

    They all shared a chuckle. Miriana reached down and gave Grok a pat on the head.

    ¡°Ma, are you leaving already?¡±

    She turned her head to look at her son, ¡°Yes, I should get going. I am sure you boys have plenty of celebrating to do and need to plan for your fight tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Any advice for us?¡± He said with a hint of knowing expectation.

    Miriana thought for a moment, ¡°I would suggest you boys do what you do best. I¡¯m sure everything will work itself out.¡± Her words stuck out to Roden as having something implied. He racked his brain trying to figure out her unsaid intention.

    She had told them they were going against mages, which while helpful was something Roden already knew and really didn¡¯t matter. However, Roden knew from his campaign that the next fight was not going to go well for them if they did what they do best.

    He had planned to change the outcome of that fight. He wanted them to win, but Miriana¡¯s words made him feel like she wanted them to lose.

    That didn¡¯t make sense to him. ¡°Why would she want them to lose?¡± The question plagued him on the entire walk from the arena to the Golden Dew. It plagued him through their meal and drinks. The only thing that interrupted his rumination was when a figure approached the table.

    It was a Dragonkin, just like Riakon except she was a lady Dragonkin. She had scales of a glossy golden color that laid together smoothly creating an almost skin like appearance. She had the typical Dragonkin face with a long snout that promised a large toothy maw behind her thin lipped smile. She wore a long silky black dress that brushed against the floor. The dress had a slit up the side that exposed a tasteful amount of golden leg.

    Roden wasn¡¯t in a position to judge a non-human¡¯s appearance, but by the look on Riakon¡¯s face he liked what he saw.

    Roden couldn¡¯t make out their hushed conversation, but before he could ask, Riakon moved to stand and quickly excused himself to go dance with his new enchanting friend.

    Roden dismissed the distraction from his mind and homed in on the problem at hand.

    ''Why did Miriana want them to lose tomorrow?'' Then a thought came to him, ''it wasn¡¯t Miriana who wanted them to lose. It was Zamira.''

    An uneasy feeling washed over Roden like fever chills. His revelation brought about too many questions.

    ''What stake does Zamira have in the fight?''

    If Miriana is Zamira and has an interest in what happens then everything that has already happened must be part of some plan of hers, but how was that even possible, he just got to that world a couple months ago.

    He was starting to spiral, when it occurred to him that there was no way Zamira knew about the game that had already taken place.

    She didn¡¯t know they needed to lose to follow that path, she just wanted them to lose so that things progressed in a way that was beneficial to her plans.

    Roden just couldn¡¯t wrap his head around what possible advantage she was getting from them losing. She hadn¡¯t been introduced in the campaign when they had this fight nor did she have a stake in that fight when it happened. He groaned to himself, there was too much to consider and he didn¡¯t have enough information.

    A funny thought tripped through his mind ''is this what being a player at his table felt like?''

 Interlude

    Interlude

    Silas walked into his preparation room trialed by his pair of fiends. He unwound his headwrap and took a deep breath. He hated wearing the damn thing, but it saved him from having to deal with people''s reactions to his appearance. Silas was a Changer, a race of people who could change their appearance at will.

    While some people were fascinated by his ability, generally that fascination turned sour when the suspicion crept in. Silas understood their trepidation. It was hard to truly know someone when they could be anyone. Hell, it was hard for him to even know him sometimes, hence the fiends. They didn¡¯t care if he was a Changer. They didn¡¯t care what face he showed them.

    He never really set out to be a Fiendologist, he just happened to have the aptitude and read a dusty tome during one of his many research sessions in the Port Sept library. His first fiend was Desdemona, a succubus with a predilection towards enchantment and blood magic.

    Her presence didn¡¯t help his social status as nearly all people believed archaic lore about succubi. She was not a sex demon who fed on the life energy of men. Well at least not the first part. She definitely could feed on life energy, but it wasn¡¯t limited to men, or women for that matter. Her real skill lay in her hemocraft, blood magic.

    For those first few years she was his only stalwart companion. If he was being honest to himself, she was his best friend. They had worked hard to build up a reputation as a reliable adventuring team. Sure there were bumps along the way before they started hiding their appearances.

    Back then there must have been something about an alabaster skinned man and a cherry red woman that made people uneasy. Eventually, they got smart and changed their appearances to better fit the crowd. For Silas all it took was a headwrap and baggy clothes.

    Desdamona, however, needed to use her shapeshifting to turn her skin to a more olive tone, and hide her devilish tail and wings. Things had been going so well Silas had advanced enough to summon another fiend to his group.

    That was when things started going a little sideways. He hadn¡¯t done his due diligence on the fiend he was signing his contract with and when they finally appeared he was horrified to find himself face to abs with a monstrous fiend.

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    The fiend in question was Orina. If she wasn¡¯t nearly seven feet tall she could probably pass for a Fiendling with her reddish tan skin and horns that stuck out of her mane of hair on either side of her head.

    The real nail in the coffin of any chance of being inconspicuous was her arms. Her right arm was massive and gave her a lopsided asymmetry. Her left arms were a more modest size and wouldn¡¯t look out of place except for the fact there were two on one side.

    Orina was a Birek fiend, a name he suspected was probably given for their propensity to wreck everything in their path. For that reason, Silas rarely kept her summoned when in populated areas like Coastall. He felt bad about hiding her away, but despite her simple nature she understood the necessity.

    They had just wrapped up their second fight in the Coastall Adventurers Arena Tournament and were happy to have the win. It had come pretty easy compared to some of their other fights in the arena.

    Orina was a bit of a secret weapon in these fights as any last minute plans their opponents came up with when they saw Silas and Desdamona on the opposite side of the arena went out the window the second Orina came into the picture.

    With their last win they secured themselves a spot in the championship against¡­

    ¡°Hey Dez, what is the name of the team we face tomorrow?¡±

    Her voice came from her lips like a light rain, hushed and subtle. ¡°I believe it was the Sons of Era-rchy.¡±

    Silas nodded his memory sufficiently jogged. When they scouted them out over the last couple days, Silas was worried to see they were all of a holy persuasion, exactly what he didn¡¯t want to have to face in the arena while backed up by two fiends.

    ¡°Hey Boss, why you look so worried! We gonna crush them!¡± Orina¡¯s voice was like falling on gravel. Burning hot gravel¡­with glass in it.

    Silas sighed before he addressed the fiend, ¡°As much as I believe in the two of you, I am worried about their affinity towards holy damage.¡± He looked between the two, ¡°The big guy hits hard as shit, and the birdfolk is a real problem if he gets going.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the big guy boss, I¡¯ll fucking destroy his ass.¡±

    Silas and Desdamona both put their face in their palms at the fiend''s gratuitous use of vulgar language.

    ¡°Orina, how many times do I have to tell you, there is no way they will let him go one on one with you. Obviously, they will have at least two of them on you while the other keeps us two busy. You can¡¯t fight two on one.¡±

    ¡°Yeah well, says you.¡± She harrumphed at the suggestion she was weaker than two highly capable fighters.

    Silas sighed, ¡°We need to come up with a plan.¡±

    Desdamona perked up ¡°I have a plan, Sigh.¡± she said demurely using her nickname for him.

    He eyed her warily, while he trusted her with his life, her plans were always dubious in their morality.

    ¡°Okay, what¡¯s your plan?¡±

    ¡°This!¡± as the word left her lips she raised her hands up either side of her as if she was putting on a dress. Which in a sense, she was. A ripple of magic followed her hands and transformed her appearance. Her tight leather armor became a flowing black dress that hung low to the floor. Her skin had changed to the color of sunset with a scaly pattern. Then Silas saw her face had changed to that of a golden Dragonkin.

    Silas facepalmed again.

 Chapter 31- A Cruel Exercise in Endurance

    Chapter 31

    In the morning Roden joined his two companions in their sitting room as had become their morning ritual when they stayed at the Golden Dew. Everything seemed normal that morning until Roden got a good look at Riakon.

    ¡°Jeezus, what happened to you?!¡±

    Riakon had a sullen look on his face. He looked drained in every sense of the word. He had dark bags under his eyes, something Roden didn¡¯t know could happen to a scaly individual such as Riakon.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a little tired after last night.¡±

    Errrkkkk rolled his eyes, ¡°Yeah cause you stayed up with that girl, cacaw.¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow,

    ¡°Nothing happened, we had a good time drinking and dancing. Then I went to bed.¡±

    Errrkkkk tutted, ¡°Don¡¯t lie. I saw yall kissing in that dark corner, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon looked alarmed, ¡°What?! How?!¡±

    The smirk on Errrkkkk¡¯s face told everyone that he hadn¡¯t seen anything and had just baited Riakon into revealing himself.

    ¡°See Roden, he¡¯s not focused on the fight, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just need to rest a bit more¡­ And maybe get an energy potion¡­¡±

    By the time they made it to the arena, Riakon did not look any better. Riakon felt like he had been squeezed dry as if he were an already desiccated sponge left in the desert sun at noon. Nothing he tried had helped.

    Coffee did next to nothing. The energy potion they swiped from G¡¯Vaddle barely took the edge off. He had even slipped himself a little Faith Healing when Errrkkkk wasn¡¯t looking with less results than the fucking coffee. In that moment, while they stood in front of the arena, he knew he had fucked up.

    As they approached the entrance, Roden noticed Miriana was standing off to the side looking around, presumably for them. Roden directed the guys attention to his mother and they walked over.

    ¡°Hey Mom, what are you doing out here?¡±

    She gave him a hug in greeting, ¡°I just wanted to see you boys before your match, and let you know I booked a front row seat for today. So you should be able to see me cheering you on.¡±

    Roden was conflicted, of course he wanted his mother to watch them, but he still felt something was off with her. He was conflicted in the notion that he both wanted her to watch so he could see her be proud of him, but also struggled with the fact this wasn¡¯t his fucking mother.

    His feelings were becoming more and more intertwined with his character. He had a sinking suspicion that this world and his place in it were starting to blend too perfectly and it all came back to Miriana, or Zamira.

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s great, Mom! But do you really want to be around all those people? At least let me buy a few seats around you so you can have some space.¡±

    Miriana smiled, ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary, most people tend to give me a wide berth already.¡±

    Roden had to admit she wasn¡¯t wrong. Her priestess attire with all of its Goddess of Death and Storms regalia marked her as a follower of Zamira. Once people spied that, they kept their distance out of prejudice or fear.

    Roden gave a small laugh, ¡°Okay okay, well I suppose we should get in there.¡± He said looking at the other two.

    ¡°Hell yeah, cacaw!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ yeah.¡± Riakon just managing to sound coherent.

    That time when they entered the arena lobby they were quickly ushered to what was being called the Champions room. It was the most magnificent preparation room they had seen yet. Complete with all the food and drinks their hearts desired. The spread of fruits both common and exotic actually had Roden¡¯s mouth watering despite his uneasy stomach.

    He was nervous. He didn¡¯t know what to think about the current situation. Based on his recollection, they lost this fight. He thought he had created it to counter the tactics they had used up to that point in the campaign. They had failed because they failed to adapt in the moment.

    His inclusion in the team already changed the way they fought. His presence shored up a lot of Errrkkkk and Riakon¡¯s weaknesses. He tried to remember if there were any repercussions from this tournament, but he couldn¡¯t remember everything.

    He knew they ended up leaving the city for greener pastures, but they could still do that even if they won. He had to change his mindset and stop thinking like a player and focus on what he had going on behind the scenes.

    He thought long and hard while he waited in the preparation room for their match. He struggled to recall what happened to their opponents after they had won. When the idea occurred to him there was something about it that drew his focus.

    He felt like he had figured out the key point. Something happened with their opponents after this that played a role in the campaign''s overarching narrative. He just couldn¡¯t remember what that was for the life of him.

    The thought plagued him like an itch he couldn¡¯t scratch all the way through the tunnel and into the arena. The thought plagued him so he didn¡¯t even hear their introduction by the announcer. It was their opponents¡¯ introduction that jogged his memory.

    ¡°Innnnnnnnn the Blue Corner, we have a truly spectacular group to behold. Don¡¯t close your eyes for a single second with this group or you will regret it. They are the sensational, the daring, the deep sleepers of the tournament, The Dream Team!!!¡±

    The fucking Dream Team¡­It all finally clicked. His team did need to lose. If the Dream Team didn¡¯t win, they wouldn¡¯t get sent on a very important mission. Instead it would be given to his team and then they wouldn¡¯t be where they needed to be at the right time, they would be off doing whatever the hell that contract entailed.

    ¡°Ready!!! Set!!!! Fight!!!!¡±

    Oh shit, he thought. The fight had started. He wasn¡¯t a complete idiot, he had all of his precursory spells cast and ready. His Grove Armor gave him his usual wooden knightly image with his Aegis on his arm and his flame cloak hung from his shoulders.

    His head wasn¡¯t in the fight as usual, but he knew what to do. Regardless if they were supposed to win or lose he had to make this look good and if he was being honest he wasn¡¯t terribly happy with the situation.

    Fuck these people and fuck this world. He grit his teeth. He was stuck in this fucking world of fantasy and was getting tired of being the goddamn arbiter of the story. Maybe it was time to change some things, maybe that was how he was supposed to get home. He was supposed to make the changes he wished he had all those years ago.

    Errrkkkk and Riakon rushed across the stage as he expected. The team on the opposite side of the arena was a strange one compared to the ones they had fought up to this point. There were only two figures standing in the Blue Corner and they were both covered head to toe in dark baggy wrappings.

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    That changed rapidly when the figure on the left, he knew was named Silas, but went by Morpheus, slapped his hand on the ground causing a surge of dark arcane energy to burst from the ground in front of him.

    Out of the crackling magic rose a huge fiend with reddish skin. The fiend was Orina, a Birek fiend of Roden¡¯s own creation specifically for this fight. She was Riakon¡¯s counter and he had to admit she looked it.

    Fuck this, he thought. Roden raised a hand up and aimed at the Blue Corner, ¡°Conflagration!¡±

    His spell sprang to life in his hand before he cast it off towards the team of fiends and master. Just as the spell was about to connect he watched it be pulled off course as if hit by a gale force wind.

    To his horror he saw Silas with his hand up, an eddy of bluish energy in his hand sucked in his Conflagration like a vacuum. His eyes went wide, his confidence in their ability to win diminished precipitously.

    Errrkkkk and Riakon ignored the demise of Roden¡¯s spell and laid into the big fiend. Errrkkkk arrived first with a flurry of airborne kicks at the bruiser. She fended off each one expertly with high forearm blocks, swatting away his attacks with her left hands.

    Riakon arrived in the midst of Errrkkkk¡¯s assault and swung his hammer. To his shock the fiend caught it with her oversized right hand. She bellowed a war cry of rage and fury. Her muscles tensed and her eyes glowed. She yanked on the hammer, pulling Riakon off balance. Her follow up was a clothesline from hell from her massive veiny forearm straight to Riakon¡¯s chest and neck.

    Roden winced at the display of raw power, when he was struck by a spell he had not seen coming. Lucky for him, his various auras had blunted the bolt¡¯s power. He saw the third member of the team had taken to the sky.

    Her bat like wings were spread wide, and flapped just enough to keep her dainty frame aloft. That was Desdemona, the succubi that followed Silas around. She had shed her wrappings to unfurl her wings, showing off her clearly fiendish features.

    Roden actually laughed to himself at the plan that formed in his mind. He narrowed his eyes and drew on his magic. He felt the power rise up and coalesce behind his eyes. The power grew until it felt like a dog pulling at its leash ready to chase down the squirrel that just ran by it.

    He loosed the power and bright beams leapt from his eyes, straight toward Desdamona except the twin beams missed her completely, one passing on either side of her. This was definitely going to be tougher than he thought.

    Silas was a Fiendologist, that meant the vast majority of his magic was tied up in the fiends he summoned. It was hard to remember all of the rituals and summoning matrix that allowed him to keep them at the ready. His mind didn¡¯t have room for much more than that.

    Thus he was left with his trusty Occult Arrow spell. It was an easy spell to remember, and had a ton of utility. It wasn¡¯t terribly powerful and unlike other Common tier spells it never advanced to be more powerful as that would complicate the spell¡¯s matrix. Instead he was just able to cast it faster as he grew more accustomed to the spell. He could currently manage two arrows at a time.

    He ran to his right and cast both arrows straight at the birdfolk. One struck him in the wing, while the other sailed far right. He felt good about himself until his target stopped flipping around and focused his attention directly on him. Errrkkkk rushed the exposed summoner. His speed was blinding, and the series of strikes leveled at the cloaked man were impeccable. Silas was not used to taking punches from¡­well anything.

    Riakon was not used to being laid out by a single punch, let alone being overpowered so handedly. The fiend loomed over him like an older sibling might do to strike fear into their younger counterpart. Riakon knew she was a fiend and that gave him great pleasure as he called up his holy water and blasted the unholy thing directly in her smug face. There were only a handful of creatures who took damage from his holy water and fiends were one of them.

    He hopped to his feet as she stumbled back. The holy water sizzled and burned her skin like acid would a normal person. It was then Riakon remembered he could also use an acid breath. A voice tickled the back of his mind, ¡°Do it!¡± He shook the voice away.

    The momentary distraction was enough for Orina to close the distance between them and swing her massive fist at his head. It was Riakon¡¯s turn to stop her attack in its tracks. He threw up his forearm in a high block.

    Just as her fist was about to connect, his Faith Shield triggered, producing a golden barrier just above his skin halting her blow. Riakon saw this and grew confident, until he felt her two other fists slam into him from the other side. One fist crashed into his face, while the other delivered a brutal rib shot that nearly doubled him over.

    The two beams passed on either side of Desdemona. The fact he missed was a good thing for her. Desdemona looked over and saw the fight was going just as they had planned. Unfortunately, that meant she had to deal with this guy all on her own until one of the others could come help. The plan was to stay out of reach of his swords and just keep him busy.

    She charged up another Blood Bolt and sent it after the wooden knight. Between that damn aura of his and that big ass shield she wasn¡¯t accomplishing much.

    The succubi¡¯s spell broke over his shield, not accomplishing much. As annoying as it was for him, he needed to get close. Roden devised a plan to rectify the situation. He ran toward her location and leapt into the air. His wood elf leaping ability helped him close the distance then just as he neared her, he vanished.

    He reappeared about ten feet behind her. He immediately started to fall out of the air, not having any means of keeping himself aloft. He lashed out with a vine that wrapped around her waist. The combined force of his weight and the pull from his vine was enough to send his target crashing into the ground.

    Roden managed to land a bit more gracefully. His armor absorbed the tiniest bit of the impact allowing him to keep his feet. He took that moment to glance over at Riakon and saw the Dragonkin was not having a good day.

    Riakon¡¯s groan caught Errrkkkk¡¯s attention. He moved to take off toward his brother when he was struck with a wave of crackling energy. He turned and saw his opponent had drawn a scroll that was glowing with the same crackling energy. Errrkkkk knew very little about magic.

    His knowledge essentially ended at, he absorbed magic and turned it into chi. However, there was no mistaking the feeling that came over him. That spell was a binding spell, an insidious binding spell that bound him to the ground, leaving him unable to fly.

    That man was more clever than Errrkkkk had given him credit for, he had waited until Errrkkkk was too far away from either enemy to reach them without his wings. Errrkkkk grit his beak, and allowed his anger to bubble over. He drew on the chi from his entire being, he threw his head back letting out an avian screech as his aura surged.

    Bright golden energy poured out of him in a torrent toward the sky. Wind whipped through the arena, buffeting everyone. Silas looked on, the horror on his face masked by his headwrap. The thought crossed his mind that maybe taking on the monk alone was a bad idea.

    With his opponent in the dirt, Roden glanced over and saw Riakon and the big fiend were exchanging blows. Neither one gave much attention to defense. For every two of Riakon¡¯s hammer strikes the fiend was landing three. He needed to do something, he held up his hands, aimed the bead of energy and spoke the incantation, ¡°Ign¡­¡± before he could finish the word, he felt his body slowly begin to lock up.

    His word came out as a garbled ¡°mmmmmm¡±. He couldn¡¯t even turn his head to see the surprised look on Desdemona''s face. She had thrown that spell out of desperation; she hadn¡¯t thought it would actually work on a cleric, a type of caster known for their mental fortitude. There was something strange about it though, as if something had cut down his natural defenses, or the even crazier thought crossed her mind, someone had tipped the scales in her favor.

    Silas clicked his boots and launched himself into the air. The little wings on his ankles fluttered mightily as they lifted him into the sky. He fired off more Occult Arrows at his feathered opponent.

    If looks could kill Errrkkkk¡¯s would have wiped out the entire arena in front of him. To be grounded and then see his opponent fly was too much for the birdman to handle. He fired off a barrage of golden beams at the hovering Silas. The two combatant¡¯s attacks passed by each other in midair.

    Silas was unprepared for all four blasts to connect one after another, each one hurting more and more. The last nearly struck him in the head, but veered ever so slightly and took him in the shoulder. He couldn¡¯t have been more thankful and out of reflex thanked the Gods, a habit he always found ironic considering his profession.

    One of Silas''s arrows flew wide of Errrkkkk, while the other was slapped out of the air by Errrkkkk¡¯s wing. Silas reeled from the attacks, but could see things were going his way. Orina was wearing the paladin down and Desdemona had somehow caught the cleric in a binding spell of her own. He was starting to think they had this in the bag.

    The way Riakon saw it, things were not looking good. Sure he was landing shots, but for every one he landed it felt like he was getting hit twice. That voice in the back of his mind was getting louder, ¡°Do it!¡± was its constant command.

    He had made up his mind in the beginning, he was not going to use his mother¡¯s gifts. She could burn in hell for all he cared. The fiend¡¯s big fucking fist slammed into him again. He had grown to hate that big fucking fist. It was a constant threat and when he would block the damn thing, he¡¯d get battered by the other two from the left.

    The fiend had pressured him all the way to the other side of the arena. Her nonstop assault kept taking ground away from him. They were nearly at the edge of the stage and Riakon was feeling exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to heal up and start the fight over, but he had little faith he could find the time in the midst of her onslaught.

    He shoved back against that hated fist and tried to twist into a strike when an armored boot slammed into his chest ending him flying. He slid to a halt, his head hanging over the edge of the stage. He was starting to feel less confident in this fight, but at least he had found the time to heal.

    A golden glow came over his body wiping away his bruises and reknitting the broken ribs he didn¡¯t know he had until they clicked back into place. He stood once more, hammer up, ¡°You ready for round two you big bitch!¡± Orina just smirked in reply as their fight began anew.

    Roden could only watch as the succubus strolled up to him. She had already pulled the restraints from her dimensional bag.

    ¡®Who the fuck carried restraints to an arena fight!¡¯ He railed from his mental prison.

    In a matter of seconds, Desdamona¡¯s practiced hands had him wrapped up like a fat ham ready for the oven. She gave him a wink as she took off toward Errrkkkk and her master, leaving him alone and unable to move even if the spell wasn¡¯t preventing him.

    Grounded as he was, Errrkkkk was robbed of his greatest asset, his speed. In this situation, he wanted nothing more than to leave this pathetic summoner and go help Riakon. Without his wings he''d have to run. He focused his aura into his talons. They dug in, the ground cracked at the force he exerted. Without warning, he darted away from his flying opponent and raced toward Riakon his wings tucked back to avoid them slowing him down.

    He felt two of those arrows catch him in the back as he ran, but did not care to acknowledge their master. He saw Riakon had used his Faith Healing and was looking better than he had the last time Errrkkkk had seen him. Errrkkkk leapt into a flying side kick at the fiend¡¯s back. Errrkkkk felt his kick connect, but the fiend didn¡¯t even move.

    He pushed off and twisted. He threw a second kick at the fiend¡¯s head which connected just below her jaw. Again the fiend did not move. She simply reached up and grabbed his leg with her massive hand. Errrkkkk moved quickly and felt himself slip from her grasp only for her to redouble her grip at the last second and hurl him through the air over Riakon¡¯s head.

    As Errrkkkk laid on the ground he felt the binding spell lift from his body. After all his training nothing could save him from gravity. He could do nothing, but watch as Riakon was pummeled by all three members of the opposing team. The big fiend had been too much for him already, adding in the other two was just a cruel exercise in endurance for the Dragonkin.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Riakon joined him on the ground having been kicked from the arena by the big fiend¡¯s boot. In a twisted sense of humor, the fiend even carried Roden over wrapped up like a bundle of sticks and tossed him down beside them.

    Roden hit the ground hard, bound as he was, he could do nothing to soften his fall. They had lost, and it didn¡¯t feel good. It didn¡¯t even feel close. Nothing had gone their way in that fight¡­

    ''Shouldn¡¯t his Divine Gambit have kicked in? He had prepared it that morning as always. Yet, here he was never having used it, but the spell¡¯s effect was gone as if he had never cast it at all.''

    That disturbed him more than anything else.

 Chapter 32- A Change of Scenery

    Chapter 32

    The walk from the arena to their preparation room was the longest walk of their lives. The walk from Bo¡¯s to Coastall had taken a week and wasn¡¯t half as draining as the hundred feet it took them to reach the door. Inside Grok was bouncing around excited for them to return.

    When he saw their faces, his ears tucked back and he immediately went to Riakon. He looked him over for wounds or signs of injury. Even with his superior vision, Grok couldn¡¯t see their bruised pride, but he sensed it from their expressions.

    The room felt cold to them as they wallowed in their self pity. No one spoke, the only sign of life in the room was Grok trying to nestle himself under Riakon¡¯s hand. He was too big at this point to be able to manage the maneuver as he once had so instead he just lifted Riakon¡¯s hand and put himself under it.

    They sat in silence until a knock came from their outer door. A voice spoke from the other side muffled by the barrier between them.

    ¡°Boys, are you there? Can I come in?¡±

    It was Miriana as Roden had expected.

    ¡°Yeah, come on in Mom.¡±

    The door opened and Miriana strode into the room a smile on her face.

    ¡°Awe you poor boys. You put up a good fight. Don¡¯t let one loss get to you.¡±

    No one made a sound.

    ¡°Oh come now. How about we gather your things and we go home, hmmm? I¡¯ll make you guys a nice meal and you can recuperate.¡±

    Roden wasn¡¯t hungry, but had to admit her plan sounded better than staying there any longer.

    Miriana was true to her word. When they arrived at her home she had Roden conjure up his tree house,

    ¡°Oh and this time son, make the lower floor a bathhouse so you boys can relax and clean up, while I cook.¡±

    Roden was a little confused, but figured it was worth a try. To his surprise it worked. He imagined a luxurious spa on the bottom floor of his tree house and sure enough when they opened the door the entire room was a bath. Steam filled the air and the water was hot. All three men stripped down to their shorts and waded into the water. The chorus of moans that came from the men couldn¡¯t have sounded masculine in any way, but that was the last thing on their minds.

    They hadn¡¯t spoken much if at all since the arena.

    Roden figured they better at least address it, but he let them just soak for a good while before he said anything.

    ¡°So that was some fight, aye?¡±

    Errrkkkk responded with the most defeated, ¡°Cacaw.¡±

    ¡°You got that right brother.¡±

    ¡°I would say it could¡¯ve been worse, but I got tied up and thrown out like a sack of garbage so yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°At least you have an excuse for why you got thrown out, cacaw. I just got tossed out for being weak, cacaw.¡± He punctuated his statement by sinking up to his eyes in the water.

    ¡°Now, now, brother, they had you bound too. Had you your wings, it would¡¯ve been a completely different story. I¡¯m the one who fucked up. I shouldn¡¯t have let myself get so exhausted last night. I don¡¯t know what happened, but I definitely wasn¡¯t at full strength today.¡±

    ¡°Even still guys three on two would¡¯ve been a hard ask even for you two badasses.¡±

    Riakon looked over at Roden, ¡°How did you end up getting trapped in that binding? I thought clerics were practically immune to those kinds of spells.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Well definitely not immune, but yeah I know what you mean. I¡¯m a little confused myself. My spell failed too.¡±

    ¡°Which spell, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°My Divine Gambit, it never activated and it wasn¡¯t there like it always is after I''ve cast it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite weird.¡±

    A knock and a voice came from the door. ¡°Oh boys! The antipasto is ready! Hurry up before Grok eats it all.¡±

    Her words were made all the more prophetic when they entered the house and saw Grok hovering over the platter of various meats, fruits, veggies, breads, and dips. The garg was practically drooling¡­No, he was drooling by the time Miriana got the tray away from the garg. As the men dug into the spread, she spoke,

    ¡°So what next for you boys?¡±

    All three were a little taken aback at her forwardness. They looked between themselves and each shrugged. In situations like this it was expected Roden would deal with his mother so he did,

    ¡°Uuhhh well, we¡¯re not really sure just yet. I guess we''ll go back to adventuring after a bit of rest.¡± His friends nodded in assent to his words.

    ¡°That sounds nice boys.¡± She paused for a moment, ¡°What would you boys say to a little change of scenery?¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow at his mother, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    She talked nonchalantly as she prepared what looked like to be a three course meal. Complete with soup in a pot over a magical flame off to the side of the kitchen, some kind of meat that looked like a tenderloin of a moderately sized animal, and whatever she had just finished and placed in the box that passed for a freezer in this world.

    ¡°Well, I was thinking. I need to make a trip to the temple in Port Sept sometime soon and who better to guard me on the journey than my boy and his friends.¡±

    Roden couldn¡¯t argue with her logic on that one so he turned to Errrkkkk and Riakon to gauge their reactions. Neither one seemed put off by the idea.

    Riakon spoke up for the two of them, ¡°Ya know Lady Miriana, I think a change of scenery is exactly what we need.¡±

    ¡°How wonderful! Now don¡¯t you worry I am in no rush, take all the time you need and we can go whenever you boys are ready.¡±

    Miriana ladled out bowls of soup and they ate merrily as the sunlight faded to a deep orange color. She carved up thick slabs of meat for each of them including Grok to his elation. The thing that shocked Roden the most were the mashed potatoes.

    Nearly all of the food in this damn world was foreign to him. Sure the wine and ale had similar themes of flavor as back home, but he wasn¡¯t getting Miller products or a Bourbon. Yet, on his plate before him sat mashed fucking potatoes. They were buttery and delicious. They were so fluffy, they nearly melted in his mouth.

    He noticed everyone was staring at him, ¡°What?¡± he said through a mouthful of mashed goodness.

    ¡°Are those good, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Yeah Roden, if your mother wasn¡¯t here I would think you were doing something dirty.¡±

    ¡°Oh uhhh¡­¡±

    Miriana swatted the air between his friends, ¡°Leave him alone, those were always his favorite.¡± She said giving him a wink only he could see.

    They ate the rest of their meal by the light of sunset. It was nice to wind down after such a toiling day. Everything they had done for the last month led up to today and they had botched it. Roden laid in bed that night thinking over his thoughts from that day. He felt foolish for thinking they could win that fight. They had lost before and that was bound to happen.

    He hadn¡¯t addressed the Game Master in a while, but figured why bother at this point. It seemed pretty definitive that this story was going to take place as it was intended and that was that. It gave him a sense of confidence to think that he did know what was going to happen even if it didn¡¯t happen in the exact way it had before, no matter what the outcome would be the same.

    Those thoughts made him feel better about their shitty performance in the arena, but there was still one issue that nagged at him.

    ¡®What the fuck had happened to his Divine Gambit? And what about Miriana¡¯s comment from before.¡¯

    So much was starting to pile up and now they were taking her with them to Port Sept, which definitely didn¡¯t happen in his game. When sleep finally came over him it was like a balm soothing a fresh burn.

    Over the next few days the party took advantage of Miriana¡¯s hospitality. They lounged and relaxed. Errrkkkk, of course, found multi-mile long runs relaxing and set out every morning. They hadn¡¯t given Miriana a time table as to when they wanted to leave, but there was an unspoken understanding that it wouldn¡¯t be long.

    After just a couple days they started gathering provisions and equipment. It was on one such journey that they stopped at J.B''s Forgeworks and Refinery to pick up their opal steel jewelry.

    For the first time they actually saw Jehb smile as they approached. Roden could tell the man was practically bubbling with excitement. He quenched the piece of metal he was working on and met them with a handshake for each of them.

    ¡°Well if I ain¡¯t glad to see you guys! Come on back here. I got your stuff.¡±

    They walked to the back of Jehb¡¯s Forgeworks to a small office tucked into a closet with no door. He went to a small safe that was set into the wall and popped it open with a quick spin of the dial, his hand clearly trained to the combination. He produced a folded cloth and laid it on the table. Once opened, Roden could see there were three glittering objects; a ring, a pendant, and an earring that looked more like a thumbtack.

    ¡°Now it took some doing, but I got it done.¡±

    Each man took his item and held it. Errrkkkk slipped the pendant around his neck, while Riakon placed his ring on his finger. Roden just looked at his earring annoyed at Errrkkkk for suggesting it then tucked it in his pocket to deal with later.

    ¡°Now I don¡¯t want to bore yall with the details, but your items are the first of their kind. Made with my completely new method for refining Opal Steel!¡±

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Riakon said while studying the ring on his finger.

    ¡°I thought so too. It¡¯s a shame the stuff is so hard to get or I¡¯d be as rich as the king of Vairhon.¡± Jebh laughed at his own joke.

    Errrkkkk saw an opportunity, ¡°How hard is it to get, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Well it''s less that its complicated, and more just expensive. Money solves all problems when it comes to a supply chain.¡±

    ¡°How much money, cacaw?¡±

    Jehb was caught off guard by the birdfolk¡¯s intensity, ¡°If I had to guess I could get enough to get rolling for¡­¡± the big man paused and thought hard before answering, ¡°It¡¯d have to be an order of at least fifty thousand gold.¡±

    The three men shared a look and Riakon set to pulling out fifty myrtium from his dimensional bag. Jehb looked like he had seen a dragon take a shit on his front yard.

    ¡°What the hell!?¡±

    ¡°Okay, here is your fifty thousand gold. We will call it an investment in your business. Consider us silent partners. You do your thing and we will fund it. Eventually, we will need some repayment, but we can figure that out once you are incredibly rich.¡±

    Riakon was as smooth as silk when it came to negotiating deals Errrkkkk had already put in motion. They all shook hands and Jehb quickly set off to put in his order. As he hustled down the road, Roden couldn¡¯t help, but think they had just made that man¡¯s dream come true.

 Chapter 33- The City of Port Sept

    Chapter 33

    The journey to the city of Port Sept was exactly what the guys needed. Errrkkkk got to soar in the open air high above the Green Sea. He stretched his wings wide and was able to glide on the warm updrafts. Riakon took the opportunity to work with Grok on some people skills. They practiced smiling in a less toothy manner with little success.

    He did manage to teach Grok to make simple hand gestures to describe his needs for things like food or a need to relieve himself. A truly fortunate feature of gargs was their prodigious digestive systems. Which meant Grok almost never needed to poop and when he did it was reminiscent of a tootsie roll that just happened to weigh a pound. That tidbit of information ended up being the most eventful part of their trip between cities.

    When they arrived in the city of Port Sept, they were greeted with the spectacle that made the city a famous destination on Mir. The city itself was built out of a high cliff. The city had been constructed at the height of magic prior to the Dark Times. Mages had used elemental magix to shape the stone and redirect the waters. The site of Port Sept was selected for its port access, but also because of its position on a conflux of Magi-Meridians.

    The overlaying meridians caused a concentration of magic in the area which led to one of Port Sept¡¯s main attractions, The Great Geyser. Which was a plume of water that, prior to the intervention of people, flowed vertically up through the rock of the cliff and flowed over in a waterfall. The builders of Port Sept turned that magical geyser into a source of power for everything the city could possibly need.

    All throughout the city of Port Sept were water wheels of various sizes that served any number of purposes. Some were used to power the massive lifts that moved people and goods from the lower port level to the other levels that formed plateaus across the city. Many of the plateaus were connected by bridges or walkways of some sort.

    Indoor plumbing was ubiquitous throughout the city as much as the spectacular outdoor fountains that put on dazzling displays of water artistry. If any city on Mir could be considered metropolitan it was Port Sept.

    There were essentially three ways to enter Port Sept. The first way was the most obvious and required docking by boat via the Eastern Sea. The most common route was to enter through the gates at the port level.

    Port level was the lowest and most inhabited level of the city. That was where the vast majority of the city¡¯s everyday business took place. However, unlike Coastall, Port Sept¡¯s major export was people. Primarily, the clergy of the various churches built into the cliffs that gave the city its name.

    Port Sept was the capital of worship for the entirety of Vairhon and the kingdom. There were temples for nearly all of the dozen or so gods regularly worshiped by the people of Mir. Not all of the gods were worshiped or maintained a congregation.

    Some of the more malevolent gods were more appeased than worshiped and as such did not have a church. In those cases many of them did have shrines so the people of Mir may at least pay respects to those capricious gods.

    The third way to enter Port Sept was by taking one of the large lifts to the top of the cliffs known as the Heaven''s level or its less grandiose name, the Cloud level. The lifts were massive platforms that traveled up the steep slope of the cliff at a steady pace.

    Each one was large enough to fit multiple wagons at a time. These lifts got their power from a series of massive water wheels placed directly into the Great Geyser. It was such a spectacle it was made open to the public to encourage tourism.

    The lifts were exactly how Roden and his group were first introduced to Port Sept. His mother had brought a rather large and luxurious travel wagon on their trip which required it to be stored on the Cloud level. The view from the lift was beautiful. From their vantage they got an amazing view of the Southern Sea. They had arrived in the late morning of their fourth day of travel so they got to enjoy the sun¡¯s rays on the ripples of the water.

    Once they had everything situated with the wagon, at what amounted to a ye old parking garage, they had to take a much smaller lift to the city proper. Miriana was the leader of this expedition as she had visited Port Sept many times in her duties as a Priestess of Zamira.

    She took them to a building reminiscent of the Golden Dew except the sign read ¡°Silver Wind Inn¡±. Miriana spoke with the man at the door and flashed a small black card that made the burly man¡¯s eyes go wide.

    The four were then escorted around the back of the building where there were multiple villas situated on long docks of expertly carved stone. Each villa looked as if it had been sculpted out of a single block of granite then slowly worn smooth by years of weathering, which wasn¡¯t far from the truth.

    ¡°Wow Lady Miriana! This place is huge!¡±

    ¡°Oh this place? It¡¯s okay, I stay here whenever I have to come to Port Sept. You boys can have the rooms on the lower floor if you like or I¡¯m sure you can convince my son to set up his treehouse for you.¡±

    All three men were a little surprised to find there were in fact stairs that led down to a lower floor. There was a rather large sitting room with three walls of clear glass from floor to ceiling granting everyone a view of the reef from under the waves.

    Errrkkkk was the only one who didn¡¯t take a room with an underwater view instead opting for a very personalized version of the treehouse complete with a nest that spanned the entirety of the tree top.

    Roden was absolutely loving the customizable nature of his Adventure Domain spell. There really couldn¡¯t have been a better spell for him, a consummate city boy thrust into a world where sleeping in a bed was a luxury instead of the norm for an adventurer.

    Miriana had priestess things to do during the day so she left the three men lingering around their villa and the Silver Wind Inn for the first few days while they got their bearings in the new city. At some point, they popped over to the Port Sept Adventurers¡¯ Outpost to register and establish their place of residence in the city.

    It was on the walk back to the Silver Wind Inn that Roden noticed a sign that caught his eye. The sign read ¡° The Enchanting Enchanters Applicable Applicators¡±, at first Roden thought the name was ridiculous and was way too wordy for a shop name. Then it occurred to him that he had come up with that name and it was paramount they entered that shop.

    ¡°Hey guys, we should check out this shop over here.¡±

    Errrkkkk and Riakon stopped at his words, shrugged and followed.

    The inside of the shop was relatively plain, especially in comparison to G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s in Coastall. The major difference though was that instead of rows of selves there were revolving columns that resembled impulse towers that cluttered up the check out line of every retail store.

    Each tower had a few small items, mostly jewelry or a magic foci of some kind such as a wand or spellbook.

    One wall held a large bookcase full of various scrolls sorted neatly. There was a tall man with shaggy brown hair standing in front of the scroll case with an arm load of scrolls. He turned at the sound of the men entering the shop and greeted them with a surprisingly jovial voice,

    ¡°Oh hey dere guys! Welcome to The Enchanting Enchanters Applicable Applicators! I am Pa¡¯teem the owner of this fine establishment. What can I do for you today?¡±

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    Errrkkk and Riakon stood slack jawed at the sight of the big man. He was nearly eleven feet tall with long drooping arms. His skin was a darkish green, which was left visible by the sleeveless vest he wore over a bare chest. Pa¡¯teem was a troll, if the rest of him didn¡¯t make it clear enough his long hooked nose, bright yellow eyes, and sharp teeth were a dead give away.

    ¡°Hello, I am Roden and these are my friends Errrkkkk and Riakon. It¡¯s nice to meet you, good sir.¡±

    Roden stretched out a hand for the troll to shake. Pa¡¯Teem¡¯s massive hand gripped Roden¡¯s in a way that made Roden feel like a small child shaking hands with a grown man.

    ¡°Well hello der Roden! What brings you gentlemen into my shop today?¡±

    ¡°Well, we just so happen to have some items we need enchanting and I was hoping you could help us out. Do you do custom work here?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, we do plenty of custom work whether you are looking for a specific enchantment or you are looking to create a custom effect we here at The Enchanting Enchanters Applicable Applicators can help you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Roden turned to Errrkkkk and Riakon, ¡°Guys, show him your items from Jehb so we can get these things commissioned.¡±

    Each man produced their items and placed them on the counter. Pa¡¯teem¡¯s eyes went wide at the pearlescent shimmer of the collection.

    ¡°Oh wow! Opal steel, I don¡¯t see much of dat. Do you boys know what enchantment you would like placed on your items?¡±

    Riakon piped up first, ¡°I would love something that let me hit harder or gave me some added protection.¡±

    Pa¡¯teem looked over the Dragonkin, he eyed the hammer on his back before picking up the ring he had set down.

    ¡°Hmmmm something that could make you hit harder¡­¡± He tapped his chin with a long finger,

    ¡°You know an idea does come to mind. Are you able to wield a shield?¡±

    Riakon nodded.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s great! I could put an enchantment on this here ring that would make any weapon you pick up feel about the same weight as a typical long sword. That would make it so you could use a shield with that big ol¡¯hammer of yours.¡±

    Riakon perked up at the thought of swinging his hammer around one handed.

    ¡°I love that idea! Would I be able to get a second enchantment on there too?¡±

    Pa¡¯teem waved a hand over the ring and his eyes sparked with arcane energy.

    ¡°Oh yes! It seems there is enough room on this ring and all of these items for two moderately sized enchantments. Did you know what else you wanted?¡±

    Riakon thought hard, but came up empty. ¡°Come back to me, I¡¯m going to think about it while I walk around.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough, what about you guys?¡± he said looking at Roden and Errrkkkk.

    Roden gestured for Errrkkkk to go first.

    ¡°I would like something to help with ranged attacks, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Oh okay, are you talking about projectiles or more area of effect stuff?¡±

    Errrkkkk thought for a moment considering, ¡°I think something for area of effects would be nice, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s easy I could put an enchantment on here that would grant you a specific resistance to particular elemental attacks.¡±

    It was Errrkkkk¡¯s turn to pause in consideration, ¡°Could you make it so I could change the type?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, not your own, but if you brought it back to me I¡¯d be able to change it to a different type rather easily.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, cacaw.¡±

    Pa¡¯teem studied Errrkkkk with a thoughtful expression, ¡°Now don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but you look to be a practitioner of the martial arts, yeah?¡±

    Errrkkk nodded.

    ¡°Excellent, well then I assume the majority of area of effects you are dealing with are from those pesky spells, yeah?¡±

    ¡°More or less, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°What if I placed an enchantment on here that created an area of noiselessness that you could turn on and off? That way those pesky casters couldn¡¯t cast spells if you were up close doing your thing with your martial arts.¡±

    The thought of being able to nullify enemy spellcasters was too tantalizing for Errrkkkk to pass up.

    ¡°Yes, I want both of those enchantments, cacaw¡±

    ¡°Great! And last, but not least. What would you like?¡± He said, turning his glowing eyes to Roden.

    ¡°I am not really sure.¡± Roden admitted.

    ¡°Well what is your main method of attack, by looking at ya I¡¯d guess caster.¡±

    Roden looked himself over, he didn¡¯t think looked like a caster based on his clothes and realized the troll must be referring to his physique.

    ¡°You would be correct, but I also have spells for getting up close.¡± Roden said a little defensively.

    Pa¡¯teem put his hands up, ¡°Ope, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to offend. I was just thinking that if you were a caster you could use some extra protection, aye?¡±

    ¡°That would be nice. Maybe one enchantment for offense and one for defense?¡±

    ¡°My thoughts exactly! What would you say to an enchantment that gave you a little boost to all of your defenses. It will boost your mental defenses against mind attacks. It¡¯ll give your reflexes a boost so you are better at dodging things, and if all that fails it has a tiny buffer that dampens the damage you do take.¡±

    Pa¡¯teem was clearly getting excited at the prospect of all the enchanting and getting to talk about his work.

    Roden spoke honestly, ¡°I really like that. Now what about something offensive? I mostly use fire spells if that matters.¡±

    ¡°Hmmmmm well do you have an Elemental Augmentation for fire?¡±

    Roden was shocked at the question. His brow furrowed. He was unable to put together the question and his answer.

    Errrkkkk spoke up for him, ¡°Is that the thing that changed your flames colors, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Oh yep that¡¯s an Elemental Augmentation for ya. So no on that one¡­Hmmmmm what about something that gave you more control over your flames?¡±

    Roden finally found his voice, ¡°That sounds interesting. What kind of control?¡±

    ¡°Well I could make it so you could create safe zones inside your wide area spells so you don¡¯t hit your friends. Or I could make it so you could expand the area of your spells.¡±

    ¡°Hmmmmmmmmm¡± was all Roden could do in the moment when faced with such good options. He imagined how each option would look in a fight. Dropping a Conflagration on himself while surrounded by enemies just sounded like fun, but felt a little underwhelming considering Pa¡¯teem was great at custom work.

    ¡°Would it be possible to make it so my own fire makes me stronger somehow?¡±

    It was Pa¡¯teem¡¯s turn to ¡°Hmmmmmmmmmm¡­¡± He trailed off to a moment of silent thought before he shook his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure my friend. Let me ask the others. Hey Pa¡¯t and Eem can you guys come up here for a minute? I need a consultation.¡±

    Out from behind the curtain that led to the backend of the shop came two shorter versions of the troll. One was slightly taller than the other, a little over five feet. Besides their height they looked identical to the shopkeeper.

    The taller of the two mini-trolls spoke his voice identical to the original ¡°What can we do for ya prime?¡±

    ¡°Thanks for coming out here, but this fella here is asking for a custom enchantment for his fire spells.¡±

    The shorter of the trolls gave a disgusted look, while the intermediate of the three looked more excited than anything.

    ¡°Oh how fun!¡± He turned to Roden, ¡° I am the combat magic specialist among the Pa¡¯teems. I do some great work with fire magic. What would you like?¡±

    Roden was feeling less confident in his request with so many glowing troll eyes on him.

    ¡°I¨CI was just thinking it would be cool to have my fire spells give me a buff or something¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmmmmmmmmm¡­¡± The troll tapped his chin with a finger. ¡°What about an effect that triggers when you get burned?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not get burned.¡± Roden said flatly.

    ¡°Oh yeah true true. What about an effect that triggers when you are about to get burned?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯ve been working on a sort of fire protection for umm¡­ folk who have a greater aversion to fire than your average trol¡­I mean adventurer.¡± He smiled broadly showing all of his sharp teeth.

    ¡°So like fire resistance?¡±

    ¡°No No, the enchantment is a healing enchantment that triggers when you get¡­are about to get burned. So you¡¯d heal instead of being burned. The enchantment heals a bit based on how strong the flames were that almost burned you.¡±

    Roden had a sinking suspicion he was going to get burned in the process of all that, but figured it was as good as he was going to get. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± he offered his hand for the troll to shake.

    The intermediate troll was ecstatic and pumped his hand up and down. ¡°You won¡¯t be disappointed my friend. I have been working on this for a long while now. I am beyond excited to see it get some field test¡­I mean see it go to a worthy adventurer.¡±

    With the deal struck they started haggling on price when Riakon stepped up with an arm load of items, much to Errrkkkk¡¯s annoyance. Riakon had pulled so many things off the shelves that they made a mound on the counter.

    They sorted through it all and started calculating the cost of everything. Riakon had to put back the majority of it after Pa¡¯teem told him the prices. By the time he had to put back the boots of flying Riakon was grumbling profusely.

    Eventually, they had come to an agreement for the enchantments on their opal steel items, plus Riakon was able to purchase a black cloak that could wave about as if tussled by a slight breeze at the touch of the fastener. Riakon had also picked out an Empathy balm that when applied to him and Grok would eventually confer the ability for him to be able to feel how Grok was feeling. Pa¡¯teem seemed particularly proud of that item and bragged a bit.

    ¡°Oh boy that one is a favorite of mine! If you and that little guy develop a strong bond over time you should be able to share mental images too.¡± He pointed at Grok as he spoke, who was laying belly up getting a rub from the smallest troll clone.

    It was then Pa¡¯teem pointed at Errrkkkk, ¡°Would you want something for your little guy too?¡±

    A look of utter confusion appeared on Errrkkkk¡¯s face. ¡°What little guy are you talking about, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°That one der, in your pack.¡± He pointed toward the branch protruding from Errrkkkk¡¯s backpack. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what that is?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, but it¡¯s just a branch right now, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah for now, but you give that little guy a few years and he¡¯ll be moving about. Or if you are interested I have a Wand of Growth here that could have him up and about in a few weeks.¡±

    Errrkkkk¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°We¡¯ll take it, cacaw!¡± his wings flapped ever so slightly in excitement.

    ¡°Now I¡¯m not a hundred percent sure exactly what that little guy is going to be, but I am sure if you checked the Port Sept Library they¡¯d have plenty of information on various sentient plants.¡±

 Interlude

    Interlude

    Riakon took to the library like a kid in a candy store. As much as he hated studying for tests and other academic topics, he always enjoyed books of lore, especially monster lore. The Port Sept Library was a vast collection of knowledge that had survived the Dark Times. It was said that the Library itself was blessed by Aur, the God of Magic, himself to preserve its contents.

    While Errrkkkk and Roden were off searching the stacks for information on sentient plants, Riakon took the opportunity to pursue topics of his own interest. He started by hunting down a book on garg, but was disappointed to find the tiniest bestiary of Transmogrified creatures that didn¡¯t provide anything new other than gargs were created by a wizard who vanished near the end of the War of the Barons nearly one hundred years ago.

    After that Riakon, turned his sights to researching other creatures common to the Wilds. Much of what he found was remarkably similar to the information he had read from Bo¡¯s library. Just as he was about to abandon his search he ran across an old dusty tome tucked behind a stack of books on a shelf.

    The cover was worn and barely hung on to the spine. It had two stylized dragons that were so faded their original colors were a mystery to him. The thing that stood out the most was that one of the dragons had five distinct heads.

    Against his better judgment, Riakon opened the book and started perusing the table of contents. He quickly realized the text was written in draconic, a language he could speak conversationally, but had always struggled to read or write.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    When in doubt, he just flipped through the pages looking for pictures. He was relieved to see the author had included a generous amount of colorful illustrations detailing a story of some kind.

    From what he could surmise, the five headed dragon was Tiamat. She ruled over some unnamed land before she was confronted by a warrior who fought her until he was bloodied and fell. Then another warrior stepped in, and fought Tiamat back until she could be sealed in some kind of prison deep underground by a radiant light that came out of the sun.

    As neat as the story was, the artist seemed to put a negative connotation to the events. Riakon kept flipping through until he found the next series of pictures that depicted a group of robed figures that stood before the gate to Tiamat¡¯s prison.

    The next pages held diagrams of various geometrical shapes. At first, Riakon ignored them as he was no mage and as such understood nothing of arcane Symbology. It was the last such diagram that caught his attention.

    Riakon recognized one of the words written in bold scarlet lettering within the title of the diagram. It read ¡°Commune¡±. Riakon looked around to see if anyone was nearby, and when he saw he was alone, he sat down and studied the diagram.

    It was quite simple. It required red lines to be drawn straight until they converged into the common point where the architect of the ritual was to stand during its use.

    As much as he hated the idea of Tiamat being his mother, he had to admit, at least to himself , that she had answers to his questions that no one else had. If he could just talk to her again, maybe he could get some closure or peace of mind.

    His whole life all he wanted was answers. At least before the gathering, he at least could still hope that some answers were out there, but now he had all, but lost hope that he would find answers anywhere by chance. If Tiamat was truly his mother only she could answer his most burning questions.

    He discreetly tucked the book into his pack satisfied he had found something worth taking and set off to find his friends.

 Chapter 34- Rush Job

    Chapter 34

    The party¡¯s spirits were high after leaving the Library. Errrkkkk had found a handful of books that detailed common sentient plants and even a few on some of the more rare ones that popped up under special circumstances. They had concluded the little branch in Errrkkkk¡¯s pack would likely grow up to be some kind of treant variant.

    Roden had noticed Errrkkkk was pretty confident it would become a Druwidaent, but that didn¡¯t seem right to Roden as they were speculated to only arise from a treant blessed by the gods, but Errrkkkk seemed so sure Roden couldn¡¯t bring himself to burst his bubble.

    On their way back to the Silver Wind Inn, they were in such high spirits they stopped into the Adventurer¡¯s Outpost to check out the notice board. They had all simultaneously decided it was time to get back out there and take on a mission.

    As they skimmed over the available listings Roden had a thought bubble up to the forefront of his mind. He realized they were off track. They had deviated from his original story by more than he intended. He started to dismiss his concern as unnecessary when an attendant came up to the board and pinned a job fresh off the presses.

    The title of the posting read ¡°*Rush Job*Gremlins in Pescatin.¡± Beneath was a small map that denoted Pescatin¡¯s location up the east coast along the Fisherman¡¯s Gulf. Roden¡¯s blood ran cold when he finished reading the notice.

    Errrkkkk pulled the notice off the board and held it up.

    ¡°This one looks perfect, cacaw!¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°How so?¡± He was doing his best to remain calm and act normal.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s a rush job, which means we can go immediately, cacaw!¡± He said while rolling his shoulders.

    Riakon nodded his head, ¡°I do believe it is time for us to get back out there.¡±

    Roden¡¯s suspicions were vindicated, they were off track and he wasn¡¯t ready for what was going to come, but it was upon them and he couldn¡¯t stop it now.

    ¡°Okay well let¡¯s do it then.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw.¡±

    Once they squared away the job with the attendant at the Outpost, the party headed back to their rooms to pack for their trip.

    Roden took some time and stopped in by his mother and let her know their plan. He found her in the upper sitting room watching the waves. She smiled and closed her book when Roden entered the room.

    ¡°Hey mom, we took a job up in Pescatin. So we are going to be heading out here.¡±

    ¡°Oh okay dear, I was wondering when you boys would get back out there. Just be safe.¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°We will, as usual.¡±

    Miriana stood, placing her book on the end table, and walked over to give Roden a hug. While she held him she said into his ear, ¡°Just do your best and everything will work out just fine.¡±

    Her words were innocent enough, but Roden couldn¡¯t help, but feel there was something more behind them. He had yet to figure out exactly what his mother¡¯s role was in his situation. His mind raced with questions.

    ¡®Is she really Zamira? Is she just Miriana? What does she know? Is it all just me being overly suspicious?''

    Roden took a chance, ¡°Hey mom?¡±

    ¡°What is it dear?¡±

    ¡°What would you do if you knew something terrible was going to happen and you could stop it, but knew if you did, it could make things much worse?¡±

    Miriana¡¯s face revealed nothing. She put on a thoughtful expression.

    ¡°Well depending on the situation, I might say it is best to go with the more clear outcome. Why set yourself up for a possibly worse consequence?¡±

    Roden scrutinized her every word, ¡°But what if the terrible thing was truly terrible?¡±

    Miriana sighed, ¡°Well then you would have to decide if you are ready to live with the potentially worse consequences of intervening. I can remember a story I once heard of a man who fought a valiant battle against a great dragon. In the end he lost, but had weakened the monster enough that his brother was able to step in and win the day. The victorious brother was vain and didn¡¯t want to share the spotlight with his younger brother and so he claimed his brother was no help and had betrayed him to fight on the side of the dragon. The first brother knew he had little chance of convincing anyone his brother was lying after seeing how happy his victory had made everyone. So instead of refuting his brother¡¯s claims, he owned it. He became the villain his brother had made him.¡±

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    Roden was confused, ¡°Why would he do that?¡±

    Miriana gave a knowing look, ¡°Because he knew if he fought back it would destroy everything he had fought for. By becoming the villain he gave his people the gift of solidarity. He allowed his brother to be the great hero his people could rally around.¡±

    ¡°So he allowed the terrible lie to be known to avoid a civil war?¡±

    Miriana nodded, ¡°Exactly, he knew some of his people would stand with him and that civil war would destroy everything, so instead he took the path with a more clear result.¡±

    Roden considered her words very carefully. Of course, nothing stood out to him that confirmed any of his suspicions. It all sounded like motherly or at least priestess-ly advice to him.

    ¡°I think I understand, thanks mom.¡±

    ¡°Anytime son, don¡¯t worry yourself over such things. Fate is an ever guiding hand on our journey of life. I will say a prayer to my lady to watch over and guide you.¡±

    When they finally stepped out of the gates of Port Sept they had everything they felt they would need. Roden wished they could¡¯ve waited for their magic items from Pa¡¯teem, but he needed a few days to get everything enchanted and they were on a rush job after all.

    Roden beat himself up for nearly the entire journey to the small fishing town of Pescatin. He berated himself for coming up with gremlins all those years ago. Gremlins were his answer to the conundrum of what happens to the collective unconscious fears of the people on Mir.

    Everything he wrote about Mir took into account the idea of the Magisphere. An extra atmosphere of magic that permeated everything on the planet. In his mind, the gods were a direct result of the collective unconscious imaginings of the people of Mir until they coalesced enough through faith to become a true magical apparition that could become more powerful through the faith of the people.

    That part was easy and he felt good about that when he wrote it, but then he just had to decide what negative imaginings would look like and he got gremlins.

    They were short primitive creatures that were a manifestation of negative emotions. Everyone on Mir knew about gremlins as they filled folktales and nightmares. They weren¡¯t a true species, they only came into existence through spontaneous manifestation in places with vast amounts of negative emotion. Which wasn¡¯t really a problem, as they could only really manifest a few at a time. They were mean, hairy, doll-like creatures with red eyes and a mouth that took up half their face and was full of needle-like teeth.

    The problem with gremlins is that if they are able to reach a large enough population they can manifest faster than they can be killed. With gremlins it is always a matter of morale. The mission they were currently on was a worse case scenario. A band of gremlins had appeared and attacked Pescatin. There were few enough, the townspeople were able to drive them off, but the militia took a few deaths leading to an overall drop in the town¡¯s confidence, which left them at greater risk of another larger gremlin attack.

    What Roden couldn¡¯t figure out is the timing. The timing was wrong when he compared it to his game back home. There were some, for lack of a better word, filler missions that should have taken place after they arrived in Port Sept.

    Roden had a sinking suspicion something more than he knew was going on with the gremlins and he didn¡¯t like that thought a single bit.

    By the time they reached Pescatin, on the third day since leaving Port Sept, he was in complete despair. Between the terrible thing he knew was to come and his uncertainty with the gremlins, Roden wanted nothing more than to just set up his wards and get this mission over with.

    He let Riakon go speak with the mayor of the town and gather the details of the previous attacks. While he went out to start setting up wards. Roden figured he could set up wards all along the northern edge of the town as he knew that was where the gremlins were going to come from or at least that was where he had them come from.

    He conjured up his treehouse just on the edge of the town giving them a great vantage to see the gremlins coming, especially from Errrkkkk¡¯s nest at the top of the tree.

    The town of Pescatin was shabby compared to the other cities he had visited. Pescatin was a fishing town whose only purpose was to supply fish to nearby settlements such as Port Sept and Sentima. The town was slowly built up to house around a hundred hard working salt of the Mir people.

    The houses weren¡¯t fancy and most were at least a little crooked in places, but the people here were generally happy with their humble lives. One could even say they were just starting to get a taste of real prosperity. Which is probably what made the gremlin attack so devastating. Nothing is worse when things are looking up than getting knocked back down.

    When Riakon returned from speaking with the mayor he climbed up to the nest of the treehouse and sat with the rest of the group.

    ¡°Well what did the mayor say, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Not a whole lot. The gremlins came under the shadow of night and just started destroying things. When the people came to the defense of their homes they were attacked and some didn¡¯t make it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never fought gremlins before, cacaw. Are they strong, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Not from what I remember and I think if the townsfolk can handle a couple. I can¡¯t imagine they will give us much trouble.¡±

    Roden tried hard not to let his despair leak into his response, ¡°I guess we see when they get here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah if they even come tonight.¡±

    ''Oh they were coming tonight,'' Roden thought, but kept to himself.

    The moon had long passed the midway point in the sky by the time Roden started thinking he was wrong. By then he was the only one still in the nest. Down in the room Errrkkkk and Riakon were teaching Grok to play Go Fish with some limited success. The tricky part seemed to be when they had to tell him to ¡°go fish¡±, he would get a confused look on his face, put his cards down, and look towards the water. It took hours to get him to grasp the words meant to draw a card.

    Roden sat in the nest fuming. He couldn¡¯t believe the gremlins hadn¡¯t come. Not a single of his wards were tripped and he never saw a single hint of movement, not a squirrel or even a bird¡­

    Oh shit, was the first thought that crossed his mind. He stood and looked across the houses towards the other edges of town. He couldn¡¯t see anything. A cold sweat ran down his back. He dropped into the room beneath the nest disrupting the game.

    ¡°Hey what?!¡±

    ¡°Guys I think we should take a patrol of the town.¡±

    Errrkkkk perked up, ¡°Why did you see something, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°No, but that¡¯s kind of the problem. I¡¯m not even seeing squirrels.¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm that could be something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in, I could use a chance to stretch my wings, cacaw.¡±

    Grok stood as everyone else did and stretched his little wings, which were growing out nicely, but were still too little for him to fly.

    ¡°Oh no Grok, you stay here and do not leave the treehouse.¡±

    The garg narrowed his big eyes at Riakon, but still sat down on his haunches.

    ¡°Should we split up to cover more ground or should we stay as a group?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m flying so yall can stay together if you want, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°That works, Errrkkk can try and spot them from the air with his nonexistent ability to see in the dark and Riakon and I will patrol together.¡±

    Errrkkkk rolled his eyes, stepped out the door and took flight into the night air. Roden and Riakon climbed down and set off down the nearest road that wrapped around the outer edge of the town. Their patrol took them around to the front of the town with no sign of any gremlins when a buzzing went off between Roden¡¯s ears, one of his wards had triggered. What came next was a cacophony of mental alarms that he killed immediately.

    Riakon looked at his wincing friend, hefted his hammer, and rapidly searched the area.

    ¡°Where are they? What is happening?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my wards¡­ they all triggered.¡±

 Chapter 35- Wish Me Luck

    Chapter 35

    They took off in a run back toward the edge of town. When they rounded the corner to the road they had started on, Roden saw a swarm of little black silhouettes rustling about the street and the homes. They looked like ants haphazardly making their way through a picnic.

    ¡°We need to tell Errrkkkk somehow!¡±

    ¡°Yeah I think I got that covered.¡± Roden brought a flame to his hand, ¡°Conflagration!¡±

    The flame looked like a torch as it was lofted through the darkness. Many of the gremlins actually turned and followed the bright light on its journey to the largest group. The explosion rocked the ground and shook the homes. Any gremlins caught in the blast were vaporized by the bright white orange flames.

    Riakon nodded ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯ll get his attention.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s time we get in there.¡±

    Both men were already activating their personal buffs. Riakon burst with yellow light from his Faith Shield and Sanctify. While Roden sprouted his Grove Armor and his Moment of Ignition cloak. He stretched out his hands, one to either side, a goofy grin wide across his face as his Flame blade erupted into his left hand and a slightly shorter version of his golden flamberge dropped into his right hand. He was finally going to have his Anakin moment.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the left side of the road.¡± Riakon said, pointing with his glowing hammer.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take the right. I¡¯ll watch your back.¡±

    ¡°And I yours.¡±

    They both gave resolute nods and started running.

    Roden was faster, his leaping about allowed him sail through the air and land amidst a loosely packed group of gremlins. He landed in a half crouch, took a deep breath, and launched into a flurry of sword strikes. His form would have been impossible with real swords, but his swords lacked the weight. He was able to whip them around at blinding speeds. Each cut left its victim sprawled out on the ground maimed or dead.

    He fought his way down the road the majority of his attention was focused on the gremlins attempting to break into the homes of the townsfolk. He stabbed one gremlin who tore at the door of one such house. His Flame blade popped as it vaporized the ichor like blood that poured out of the wound.

    Any gremlin that got the idea to charge him was unfortunate to confront his Moment of Ignition aura that was nearly enough on its own to incapacitate the weaker gremlins. Roden hadn¡¯t realized it before, but his style was practically perfect for this kind of fight. His steady output of reliable attack and passive damage made it nearly impossible for the gremlins to even touch him.

    Riakon was not having the same kind of luck. Fights like this were the antithesis to Riakon¡¯s style. Sure, each of his hammer blows crushed each gremlin significantly more than was necessary, but his slow movement led to him being easily surrounded.

    Riakon had burst through the doorway of a home to find a group of gremlins brandishing small knives at the family of townsfolk huddled in the corner of what was probably their living room. His hammer ripped through a couple, but the others were able to run past him and back out the door.

    Riakon looked at the terrified people, ¡°Are you okay? Are any of you injured?¡±

    They all shook their heads no. Riakon nodded in reply and stepped toward the door. However, the light from the door was replaced by numerous roiling shadows. Just outside the doorway Riakon could see a sea of gremlins. As confident as he was in his ability to knock out the biggest and baddest creatures. He hated everything about this fight.

    Then that voice crept into his mind, ¡°Do it!¡± the voice hissed

    No! he thought back at the voice.

    ¡°Riakon, they will all die if you don¡¯t. My power can help you, help them.¡±

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    The gremlins were jostling to be the first one in the door as others started toward the windows.

    ¡°Do it, Riakon!¡±

    Riakon looked toward the family, saw the fear in their eyes and the hopelessness on their faces. In an act of desperation he took a deep breath, stepped to the door kicking the first gremlin who got in his way and exhaled a wave of fire over the horde of gremlins.

    The sound of the gremlins being burned alive was drowned out by the voice in his mind coaxing him on, ¡°Yeessssss! Good! That is it! Show them your power!¡±

    On the other side of town, Errrkkkk was fighting a losing battle. The gremlins had orchestrated an attack on two fronts. Errrkkkk only assumed it was on two fronts from the fiery explosion that he saw back by their treehouse. Errrkkkk wasn¡¯t in any real danger, but he couldn¡¯t keep track of every gremlin at once.

    He rapidly concluded his only option was to transform. He needed the extra speed and chi as his reserves were rapidly depleting.

    He focused his chi between his wings and bore down on it until it met with that spark deep inside of him and it exploded. The torrent of chi surged out of him in a great aura. He wasted no time. He zipped through the throng of gremlins delivering powerful strikes while on the move. When he noticed a group of them had banded together to confront him, he crouched and pivoted. He brought his hands together before thrusting them forward toward the mob and shouted,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    His most recent advancement allowed him to pour more chi than ever into the blast, increasing both its power and range. The beam raced across the road and tore into the gremlin ranks. Those caught in the golden beam met a swift end.

    The fighting raged on throughout the night. Each man fought tirelessly, but there were just too many for the three to account for all of the gremlins. Eventually, the town¡¯s militia was gathered up and they helped keep the gremlins away from the rest of the town¡¯s people, but as each fighter fell, the despair of the people only grew.

    The fighting raged for so long Roden¡¯s golden sword had to be recast. Riakon¡¯s Faith Shield had ended and he no longer had enough magic to recast it. Errrkkkk had burned through all of his chi by the time his second transformation ended.

    They had regrouped back at the base of the treehouse; the majority of the remaining gremlins had been pushed back just beyond the edge of town, but everyone could still hear their chattering.

    All three men showed signs of wear. Roden¡¯s armor was scuffed and he was panting heavily. Errrkkkk looked tired, but had few wounds of note. Riakon however, was covered in small cuts and punctures. He bled from nearly every space of exposed skin.

    Even more shocking was Grok, who stood next to Riakon. His front claws were covered in dark gremlin blood and he too had a few scratches.

    ¡°Well boys, what do we do here?¡± Roden said while trying to catch his breath.

    ¡°Do you have any fireballs left?¡± Riakon said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Just one, but I don¡¯t know if it will be enough.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more me, I¡¯m spent.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Me too, cacaw.¡±

    Fuck, was all that came to Roden¡¯s mind. He had burned through much of his repertoire saving townsfolk from the gremlins or trying to keep them from destroying the town itself. He still had enough magic left over for a few spells and most of all, he still had his Divine Gambit. As that very thought crossed his mind his attention was drawn toward the center of the gremlin mob.

    He saw within their ranks was a slightly taller gremlin holding a staff that glowed with a sickly black energy that he could just barely make out in the dim light. Roden breathed a sigh of relief and trepidation all at once. He knew if he could take out the shaman the gremlins would scatter without their leader, but he also knew that staff meant that shaman was charged up with more magic than a gremlin was supposed to be able to wield.

    ¡°Hey guys, can yall see the shaman in the middle of the gremlins?¡±

    Both men squinted and peered toward the mass of hairy creatures.

    ¡°Yeah, I can totally see them with my non-existent ability to see in the dark, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon seconded Errrkkkk¡¯s statement with a ¡°Cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Well there is one, and I am going to try and end this. If I fall in there please take my body to my mother, she might be able to at least bring me back.¡±

    All three men shared a moment of silence and even more so respect.

    Roden resolved himself to his course of action. First, he casted Blessed Traveler on the three of them, he needed to be faster. Next, he activated his second use of his Moment of Ignition, he needed the aura to keep the gremlins off him long enough to reach the shaman.

    ¡°Wish me luck.¡±

    Both men answered solemnly ¡°Good luck, cacaw.¡±, ¡°Good luck.¡±

    Roden took off in a run that built up speed toward the gremlin horde. He could see the light of the moon reflecting off of their viciously pointed teeth. The glow of their red eyes seemed to hover formless in the dim light of the moon.

    He had dismissed his Flame blade when he had cast his Blessed Traveler so he was empty handed when he brought his Conflagration into his hand. He was a flaming figure in the dark, his flaming cloak trailed behind him as he ran. The gremlins held back until he was close enough for them to smell his fear.

    The mob surged forward toward Roden. Before they could reach him he planted a foot into the ground and leaped high into the air. He soared over their heads, fire in hand. He finally got a good look at the gremlin holding the staff. It had a knowing look in its eyes as it took in Roden in his full glory falling straight toward him.

    Roden loosed his spell, ¡°Conflagration!¡± just as he saw the glimmer of his Divine Gambit urging him to throw it. The spell landed at the shaman¡¯s feet and erupted into an inferno. Roden himself was caught in the rush of flames as he had no way to prevent himself from falling into the blast.

    The shockwave from the explosion was the part he hadn¡¯t considered in his calculations. The force of it shattered parts of his armor and left him exposed to the flames. He did his best to curl up and protect his head, but it still hurt like hell.

    His landing was not nearly as glorious as he had hoped. He had been too dazed by the blast to land on his feet and instead found himself shaking off his stupor while sitting on his ass surrounded by scorched gremlin bodies.

    Roden was absolutely shocked to see the shaman had managed to stay on his feet. A swirling barrier had managed to blunt his flames just enough to save him. Time for plan B,

    ¡°Blaze!¡±

    The cinders smoldering across the shaman¡¯s clothes ignited. Roden dragged himself to his feet and inched closer to the flaming gremlin. As soon as his aura contacted the fire of his Blaze ability, he activated Flashpoint. His cloak burned up in an instant. The shaman could do nothing as he exploded. His Flashpoint explosion shook the ground and was followed by a second explosion of even greater force as the shaman¡¯s staff unleashed all of its stored energy, with Roden at the epicenter.

 Chapter 36- To Hell with the Unknown

    Chapter 36

    Roden remembered thinking the most painful hit he had taken since coming to this world was when Seven put him through a wall. This was far worse.

    His entire body hurt. His ears were already ringing from his up close introduction to his own Conflagration spell. When the shaman¡¯s staff exploded he was deaf before the shockwave even hit him.

    He woke up to his Never the Time and Place ability healing his wounds. As great as the ability was, it did little for the pain of his injuries as they essentially underwent the entire course of the healing process in seconds. He blinked repeatedly to try and clear his blurry vision.

    When he looked around he saw three figures chasing a few small black silhouettes. He laid his head back onto the ground and closed his eyes. Either they had won or he was just going to lay there until a gremlin decided it wanted to try him.

    When he opened his eyes again he realized he must have dozed off. He could hear some people talking softly. There were some sobs that cut through the hushed conversations.

    When Roden sat up he could see the townspeople were heading back to their homes, their weapons put away. Errrkkkk was the first familiar face Roden saw when he had worked his way back to his feet.

    ¡°Hey man, how are you doing, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± His voice did not come easily, ¡°I¡¯m still a bit shaken up from it all, I think.¡±

    ¡°No surprise there! That blast left a crater you could stand in, cacaw!¡±

    Roden hadn¡¯t realized he had been moved closer to the base of the treehouse. He looked around and saw Errrkkkk was right. Out past the edge of town there was a good sized hole in the ground presumably where the shaman¡¯s staff had detonated.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but you can take it easy, we are handling the clean up, cacaw.¡±

    Roden had a pit in his stomach, but he had to know, ¡°How many townspeople did we lose?¡±

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    Errrkkkk clenched his beak, ¡°There were four dead, and five seriously injured, cacaw.¡±

    His words were a blow to his very core. People had died because he couldn¡¯t live up to what they needed from him. Thoughts of self doubt washed over him. It took everything in him to keep from crying at the loss of those he was to protect and what he saw as his own failure.

    ¡°Hey man, don¡¯t worry too much! We saved a lot of people, and the ones who died did so fighting, cacaw!¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s just so sad to see it.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk placed a hand on Roden¡¯s shoulder in solidarity, ¡°Hey if you have any magic left you could go help Riakon heal the injured. He¡¯s got them in the market, cacaw.¡±

    Roden¡¯s world swam as he was possessed by an intense wave of vertigo. Errrkkkk¡¯s words echoed in his mind. It was finally happening, Riakon was in the market and the fight was over. He felt his heart start to race.

    He could hear the thumping in his ears. The sweat already covering him went cold as ice in the night air. He had never had a panic attack, but this felt like what he imagined they would be like. It took everything in him to get out the words, ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    Errrkkkk eyed him with a hint of suspicion, but must have chopped up his condition to his recent trauma. ¡°Okay man, take a break if you need it. I¡¯ll be around looking for any stragglers, cacaw.¡±

    Roden walked through the dark paths between the buildings of Pescatin, his mind racing. He did have enough magic left to cast a couple healing spells. He could save those people, but at what cost?

    He wandered aimlessly. He wasn¡¯t really looking for the market, he just didn¡¯t want to be around anyone while the terrible thing he wanted so much to avoid was happening.

    He stopped alongside the back of one building and leaned against it, his head in his hand while the other braced him on the building. So many questions plagued his mind.

    ¡®Did he really have to let this happen?¡¯

    ¡®Was it really necessary?¡¯

    ¡®Couldn¡¯t there be another way?¡¯

    ''Fuck this world,'' he thought. Then he heard a noise. Instinctually, he crouched into the shadow of the building. He couldn¡¯t see anything from where he was, but could see the roof of the building wasn¡¯t too high. He put a foot on the wood siding of the structure and leapt up the side of it.

    He landed on the roof of what he hoped was an uninhabited shop. From there he crept forward just enough until he saw the small cul de sac that made up the town market. Laid out on one side of the market was five figures. Each one lay mostly still, but occasionally Roden could make out a faint whimper.

    Standing above them was a large figure. It was in the shape of a man. It stood perhaps two meters tall. The definitive gray scales and draconic features stood out in the moonlight and made it clear the man was a Dragonkin.

    He wore a black cloak that rustled as if blown by a slight breeze over his shoulders with dark brown pants, and a dark green shirt stained with blood. It was Riakon, and it was time for him to enact the terrible thing Roden wanted nothing more than to prevent.

    ¡®Fuck that,¡¯ he would prevent it. ¡®To hell with the unknown.¡¯

    He moved to leap off the roof when a hand touched his shoulder. Roden nearly fell off the roof, he was startled so greatly. His heart nearly burst from his chest; it was beating so fast.

    It was there in the moonlight, on the roof of a random shop in the small fishing town of Pescatin, he saw the face of his mother, Miriana, but in that moment he knew it was Zamira who had placed her hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°I am sorry my son, but you cannot go through with what you just decided. I had hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to this so soon, but it is time we have a talk about why I brought you here, but first you need to see this.¡±

 Interlude

    Interlude

    Errrkkkk walked around the town of Pescatin after their battle with the gremlins. He could have never imagined a simple contract would turn into such a mess. Errrkkkk was not happy with the way things had gone for them. If they had planned better they might have anticipated the gremlins would attack on two sides. Roden had just seemed so sure they would attack from the North he hadn¡¯t really questioned it.

    The behaviors of creatures and the study of such things were not things Errrkkkk was interested in. He actually preferred to not know such things as it was the not knowing that made the fight all the more challenging. This was definitely a challenge, but because the enemies were strong. They fought dirty, and without any regard for themselves.

    So many times they had tried to ground him by grabbing at his wings or piling on him to weigh him down. After what had happened during the tournament fight, he would never let himself be grounded again.

    Except, walking was all he had the strength to do at the moment. His chi was spent and his muscles were sore in a way he had never experienced in all his three years. He wanted to go curl up in that beautiful nest he had crafted on top of the foundation Roden¡¯s treehouse provided, but he couldn¡¯t go rest while those guys were still working. Thus he walked around the town, nearly dragging his feet at times looking for any last gremlin or townsfolk.

    He didn¡¯t imagine there would be any of either. The town was small enough that everybody knew each other and no one said anything about anyone being missing. As for the gremlins, they all ran like cowards after the chain reaction of explosions set off by Roden¡¯s fire magic.

    Errrkkkk made a mental note to start working on a similar ability of his own. Sure he couldn¡¯t produce fire, but a purely chi powered ball of energy that did some damage in an area would be a great addition to his skill set.

    After he made one pass around the perimeter of the town, he worked his way toward the inner streets. He figured searching the area in a spiral made the most sense, at least that¡¯s what he would have done from the air so he figured it¡¯d work on the ground as well.

    He grew more and more weary with each building he passed. It wouldn¡¯t be so bad if he had least had the sun¡¯s rays to warm him. The light of the sun always made him feel like his Lady Era was with him and he felt that when she was with him he could do anything.

    Unfortunately, it was dark and the moon was no substitute for his lady¡¯s light. Of course their fight with the gremlins had to take place at night when he couldn¡¯t use his Soul Sphere to its fullest. He really appreciated Bo teaching him that technique when they had spent that month with him training. But he had some complaints with the ability. It wasn¡¯t terribly strong on its own, and it took, in his opinion, too much time to set up.

    It also didn¡¯t work well with the transformation he had managed to gain through some strange kind of breakthrough. The advancement for that ability had been strange and unlike anything else Errrkkkk had gone through for the abilities he had up to that point.

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    When he had fallen in that fight and his vision faded to black, he found himself in a strange space. It was a place of endless sky. The power welled up from deep within his core and had washed over him in a torrent through every fiber of his being.

    While not totally different from his practiced martial arts abilities in the feeling of the advancement itself. His transformation was instinctual. Once he knew how to draw on that power it was as easy as flapping his wings like it was a part of him.

    Errrkkkk¡¯s had wandered to the far side of the town that was shaded in nearly complete darkness. Errrkkkk didn¡¯t necessarily hate the dark, but if it was up to him it would be light all the time. Well at least twilight, just enough of the sun peaking through to be a comforting light in the night¡­Hmmmmmm, night light, Errrkkkk made a mental note of that idea to discuss with G¡¯Vaddle the next time he saw him.

    While walking through the shadows of the building, the feathers on the back of his neck stood up. It wasn¡¯t exactly out of fear. He had a feeling that something strong was nearby, but he couldn¡¯t quite place the feeling. He wished he had that necklace to create an area of noiselessness, but he had to settle for his naturally light feet.

    He hugged up against a wall and peered around the building. He didn¡¯t see anything down the road on either side. Quietly, he slipped from one shadow to the next, still uncertain if there was even something to be hiding from. Still he saw nothing. He cursed his lack of ability to see in the dark.

    He nearly gave up hiding when he saw movement on the roof of one building near the market. It looked like it was a small shop of some kind with the various knickknacks in the window. Errrkkkk could just barely make out a shadowy figure perched on the roof. He couldn¡¯t imagine why someone would be on the roof this late after an attack on their home. Last he knew, he was the only one out roaming the town.

    Roden and Riakon were supposed to be in the market. The figure was crouched low and he might have mistaken it for a gremlin, but the figure stood and he saw it more clearly in the moonlight. It looked like Roden, which made Errrkkkk let out a sigh of relief. He really didn¡¯t want to fight more gremlins¡­for once.

    He could tell Roden was watching something intently. Just as Roden was about to move, another figure appeared out of thin air behind him. Errrkkkk couldn¡¯t tell exactly what happened, but Roden stopped in his tracks. He could see the figure behind him appeared to be a woman by the long hair and dress.

    Before Errrkkkk could make a decision about what to do, Roden turned back and set to watching whatever it was that appeared to be happening. Errrkkkk followed his gaze and determined he must be looking into the market. Errrkkkk wasn¡¯t far so he walked around the few half buildings that made up some of the more permanent market stalls.

    It was there he saw a tall figure bathed in moonlight. It was Riakon, and he was standing over what looked like bundles of something. It was when he saw Riakon raise his hands and the pools of liquid started to crawl toward his feet that Errrkkkk knew something wasn¡¯t right.

    He wanted to rush over and stop him, but this wasn¡¯t his choice. Riakon was making a decision and Errrkkkk had to trust his brother knew what he was doing¡­even if it looked like he was summoning a big ass demon like that guy during the tournament.

    Errrkkkk watched as the liquid crawled up Riakon¡¯s legs and clung to his scales. It wasn¡¯t until it was half way up his body that Errrkkkk could see the red color glint in the moonlight.

    ¡®Was that blood, cacaw?¡¯

    As whatever the liquid was, reached Riakon¡¯s neck there was an explosion without sound. Riakon was thrown back as if hit by an invisible wall of force. The liquid and the bundles on the ground were vaporized leaving no trace they were ever there to begin with.

    Errrkkkk remembered Roden had been on the roof and set to searching for him. It didn¡¯t take long for Errrkkkk to spot him. It was the other figure who caught his attention far more. From what Errrkkkk could see, which unfortunately wasn¡¯t as clear as he would like. It appeared to be Miriana in the flesh on the roof standing next to Roden.

    If he had more time Errrkkkk would have gone over to investigate further, but he saw Riakon was still on the ground from the explosion with no sound. He started his walk over as worry over Riakon¡¯s safety crept into his mind.

    He saw Riakon sit up, look around and hang his head. He approached the big Dragonkin as he sat, head down. Errrkkkk could tell his brother was not well. He didn¡¯t know exactly what happened, but it couldn¡¯t have been good.

 Epilogue

    Epilogue

    Power was the only thing on Riakon¡¯s mind as he stomped through the ashes of the gremlins. He could feel the power throbbing in his brand. The voice urged him on to do more, to unleash more, to tap into more power.

    He tried to push the voice away. It was fine he thought, He had only used the power once. That didn¡¯t mean Tiamat had any power over him.

    Once outside the house he saw the road was lousy with gremlins. Many had followed Roden around the corner past the treehouse. Riakon could see Roden was better built for this fight than he was. Riakon saw the gremlins turn their attention toward the treehouse. Grok was still in there. He hefted his hammer and charged down the road splattering any gremlin that got in his way. He had settled on saving his magic for his Faith Shield as he was already obliterating the gremlins with his unenhanced hammer blows.

    When he reached the treehouse the mob was ripping at the trunk. He saw them all clustered together and the voice hissed through his mind, ¡°Do it! Show them your power! Show them you are the son of the Queen of Dragons!¡±

    He felt the power inside of him pulse with expectation like it was begging to be released. Riakon shook his head and charged the swarm, No! He only used that power to save that family!

    The fight amidst the swarm was messy. He couldn¡¯t get any wind up with his hammer. He had to settle for gripping it just below the head and smashing it into faces and skulls. He wasn¡¯t making the kind of headway he expected.

    Once enough of the gremlins realized he was in their midst they started jumping onto him, which slowed him down. Their teeth bit into him, blood started running down his chest, staining his shirt. His blood dripped down his arms and made his hands slick.

    One gremlin leapt onto his back and was biting at his face. Before he could do anything to halt it, he felt something slam into the gremlin. Whatever it was bought him enough time to raise his head up and take a breath. He saw a furry winged figure ripping into the gremlin it had pinned to the ground. It must have felt his eyes or heard him because it turned its head around to look at him.

    Riakon saw Grok, his mouth covered in that sickly dark gremlin blood. Grok¡¯s eyes were blazing a bright orange-ish color full of intensity, but when he saw Riakon his mouth split into a toothy grin.

    Riakon was stunned and proud all at once. His moment of hesitation cost him dearly. The gremlins were piling on him now. The last thing he saw before he lost his balance was two gremlins tackle Grok in a tumble of fur and teeth.

    ¡°I can give you the power to save him! Use it!¡± the voice hissed.

    It was the thought of Grok being hurt that drove Riakon to call upon that power within himself. From within the heap of gremlins Riakon released a cloud of poisonous gas. He felt a surge of power rush through him at its release. He grunted and pressed the suffocating gremlins off of him.

    Riakon burst from the cloud with a roar fit for war. He found the gremlins attacking Grok. One was already dead, a gaping hole in its neck. The other was circling Grok with its small knife. It didn¡¯t see Riakon¡¯s hammer coming.

    ¡°Grok! Get back to the treehouse!¡±

    The garg¡¯s smile at seeing Riakon drooped and his ear dropped.

    ¡°Ugggghhhhh fine, you can help me, but stay close¡­And great job saving me back there.¡±

    The garg flapped his wings in delight and nodded. Together they drove into the flood of gremlins pouring onto the road. The fight was dirty and when it would look hopeless or that they were going to be overrun, Riakon would tap into that power once again and unleash it on the horde.

    With each breath used the power within him would throb and pulse. He felt himself getting fatigued, but his strength was as potent as ever. At one point the blood on his hands caused his hammer to slip from his grasp and he was forced to resort to using just his fists.

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    ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± The voice roared in his mind, ¡°Be the dragon you are!¡±

    He felt a power course through his brand, the body glowed with a dark purple light that rippled up his arms. The scales on his hands grew more prominent, his fingers and nails grew more claw-like than ever before. He tore out throats with swipes of his new claws. His hammer all, but forgotten in the melee.

    He had no way of knowing how long the battle raged on for, but it seemed like forever. When they were nearing the last of their strength and the gremlins were looking fewer and fewer. Riakon and Grok had found a group of townsfolk had barricaded themselves in a small shed. The shed was surrounded and wasn¡¯t holding up well to the gremlins'' assault. When Riakon stepped into their view they rushed them.

    He was so tired, even Grok looked up at him with an uneasy look. He needed no urging, he knew what he needed to do. He gave himself over to the power in his core and let it loose upon the world. The arc of lightning that screamed down the road nearly vaporized the gremlins it touched. With the last power used he felt empty. He felt hollow in a way that he hadn¡¯t felt since before Errrkkkk came into his life.

    He hadn¡¯t realized just how comforting that power inside of him had been. He felt nothing, but despair and crushing sadness at having lost that piece of himself. The voice came back to him like a lifeline in the depths of his darkness, ¡°Good I am proud of you my son, but we can do so much more together¡­I have done all that I can for now¡­The power I left you is nearly gone¡­Reach out and we can do so much more¡­¡± The voice trailed off, once again leaving him cold and alone.

    Riakon and Grok with the help of the town¡¯s militia and the rest of his group drove the gremlins back to the edge of town. Roden came up with his plan of taking out the gremlin shaman as he was the best suited and really the only one with anything left to give. Riakon had nothing left, standing was all he could really do. Even his claws had reverted back to hands, the power he had always felt from his brand was gone. He was long since out of magic. Riakon had never felt so helpless in his life.

    He watched as Roden charged toward the gremlins. He saw him bound over the frontline and dropped his fireball. The eruption was incredible, and would¡¯ve been a decisive blow to the gremlins on its own.

    Yet he followed it up with another fiery explosion that rocked the very ground he stood on. The third explosion was unexpected and sent Roden flying. Him and Errrkkkk had shared a glance of worry for their friend, but they could see his ability had kicked in and saved him from his wounds.

    Errrkkkk had flown in anyway to finish driving off any gremlins that lingered. Grok and Riakon followed, but were significantly slower. Riakon felt like he could barely move despite not having any major wounds. He had saved his Faith Healing as much as he could in case there were any townspeople who needed it.

    Once it was clear the gremlins were gone they had set to helping clean up the town. Riakon wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and sleep for a week. The militia had already gathered the grievously wounded in the market just in case their adventurer saviors could do anything for them. Many were excited to hear their friends might be saved by the Dragonkin.

    By the time Riakon had dragged himself over to the market the weight of everything was too much to bear. His vision of his performance was clouded heavily by his feelings of powerlessness.

    His thoughts were tainted by his inability to do what the others could. He grew angry and resentful of his Goddess and Basmu. He stalked down the main road of the market to the cul de sac where the bodies were laid out seething.

    His thoughts were dominated by feelings of betrayal. He felt betrayed by his teachers. He felt betrayed by those who urged him to follow the light and it would give him answers. The light had done nothing for him here. The pitiful power it gave him did nothing, but make him a punching bag.

    By the time he stood over the bodies of the villagers he was only thinking dark thoughts. He saw the five of them laid out as parallel lines. He didn¡¯t care about these people. They didn¡¯t care about him. Why should he help them? They wouldn¡¯t help him if he needed it.

    The sight of the five laying there still, and unconscious, brought an image to mind. His ears were deaf to their whimpers of pain as he moved them into position. He drew the tome out of his dimensional back and flipped to the diagram in question.

    The words on the page were no longer illegible. He read them as clearly as if they were in English. It was a communion ritual to the Queen of Dragons. He saw for the first time the ritual called for a sacrifice.

    That was fine, he had five right there, five sacrifices who could finally do something for him. He walked over to the first sacrifice. He gripped its throat and tore. Its blood immediately pooled at his feet. He walked from one sacrifice to the next ripping throat after throat until he had the five pools he needed.

    He stepped back to his place at the conflux of his sacrifices and raised his hands to the sky and spoke the draconic words. He saw the pools of blood were drawn toward him. When they were at his feet he recognized the symbol they made on the ground was the same as the one on his shoulder. As the pool of sacrificial blood touched his feet he felt a massive surge of power.

    The voice returned louder than ever, ¡°YESSSSSS! MY SON! MORE more! I can give you unlimited POWER!¡±

    The blood touched his scales and turned them a dark red, deeper than any dragon he had ever heard of or seen. It worked its way up his body first his legs then his chest and down his arms. Just as it reached his neck there was a flash and a thunderous boom.

    He was knocked from his feet and landed hard into the dirt. When he regained some semblance of where he was, he saw his ritual had been destroyed. The bodies were nowhere to be seen. His scales were back to their usual platinum color and showed no sign of the blood that once covered him.

    The realization of what he had just done crashed into him like a tsunami. He had killed those people¡­

    In the moment, they had just been sacrifices. Greatly needed sacrifices that he deserved, but now he saw things clearly. Something had corrupted his mind, he hadn¡¯t been thinking clearly. That despair he felt was gone. He couldn¡¯t understand what was happening or what had happened for that matter.

    He sat up and looked around to see what was left of his shameful act. Everything seemed to be as he had remembered it. He looked out toward the coast. That was when he saw a figure in the dark slowly walking in his direction. His palms began to sweat. He started to panic. How was he going to explain this? He thought maybe he would have to fight, but when he reached for his magic, it was gone.

    Gone in the sense that it wasn¡¯t there at all. He knew in his core it wouldn¡¯t be coming back either. He had broken Era¡¯s values and betrayed the ethics of her church. He had broken his oath and she had taken her power back. He was cut off from the divine and he knew it.

    He hung his head in shame. The figure approached him as he sat, head down. A familiar voice cut through his myriad of thoughts.

    ¡°Brother, what did you do, cacaw?¡±

    THE END

 Preface

    I want to take this moment between Book 1 and Book 2 to do a couple things.

    First, as I am wont to do, I want to thank my loyal readers, and followers.

    I know I say this a lot, but I am truly grateful for everyone who comes on this journey with me.

    So from the bottom of my heart and with my undying gratitude,

    Thank you all

    Second, I want to thank those around me who have helped keep this thing going.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    I want to thank my wife for giving me the encouragement to start writing a book. She is my inspiration, my muse, and my greatest source of love. Without her I couldn''t be who I am today.

    I want to thank my oldest friend Brandon. He has always been the first person to stand up for the things I do, he is my greatest fan, and with out him this book couldn''t exist.

    I have to thank everyone who has ever played at my D&D table. The countless hours of laughter, revelry, and collaboration have honed my storytelling to what it is today.

    An author couldn''t ask for a better group of people to have around them.

    In closing, I want everyone to know I have found a passion in this writing and I don''t see a time where I will ever stop. I am full of stories and the world of Mir has lived with me for so long it is like a second home. I hope I continue to entertain you and maybe even provide something to help you forget about the world for a little while.

    Sincerely,

    R. C. Vetta

 Chapter 1- Time for Some Answers

    Chapter 1

    Roden stood on that rooftop in the dead of night and watched Riakon perform his strange ritual. If not for Miriana¡¯s, correction Zamira¡¯s, intervention he would have intervened. He knew this was going to happen.

    He had wanted so much to avoid it here in this world, but art tended to imitate life in an exaggerated way. And just as Jo had been going through things in his own life, when he had made this dark turn with his character, so too was Riakon dealing with dark thoughts.

    Roden knew this was more than what had happened at his table. First, Riakon didn¡¯t perform such an elaborate ritual. He wasn¡¯t that clever of a Game Master by that point in his Adventures and Antics career.

    In a way, what had happened at the table was a shallow poorly acted out version of this scene as if it had been first passed through a game of telephone.

    When the explosion with no sound had finished, Roden could see Errrkkkk walking directly up to the grounded Riakon. Not wanting to be seen, he crouched down and retreated back to the far side of the roof.

    Roden realized Miriana was nowhere to be seen¡­

    ¡®It was Zamira damn it!¡¯ He chasited himself. He knew it was Zamira in his core. There was no mistaking it now after her intervention.

    Roden hopped off the backside of the roof and into the shadow. When he stood Miriana was standing to his side.

    ¡°Jeezus!¡± He exclaimed, startled greatly by her sudden appearance. ¡°Would you stop doing that!¡±

    The woman just chuckled, ¡°Oh Roden.¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°I really wish it didn¡¯t come to this, but I suppose it makes sense you would figure it out eventually.¡±

    It was safe to say Roden was confused, but saw an opportunity to make her think he knew more than he did, which wasn¡¯t much if he was being honest.

    ¡°Okay Zamira, it¡¯s time you tell me what you¡¯re doing here and why you stopped me from stopping Riakon.¡±

    She took a deep breath and let it out in a huff, ¡°Okay okay, but I¡¯m not doing it here standing behind a peasant shed in the shadows. Meet me in your room in the treehouse and we will talk.¡±

    Roden eyed her intently.

    She rolled her eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, I am still your mother. I will be there when you are ready and be sure to come alone. There is no telling what damage would be done if Errrkkkk and Riakon were to find out I am here.¡±

    Roden kept his gaze pinned on her, but conceded to her plan with a nod. He needed to check on the others anyway and he felt like it was going to be a long conversation, preferably one over tea and a pipe.

    He walked around the building and into the market where Riakon had performed his ritual. To his surprise, it looked as though nothing had happened.

    The bodies were gone and so were Errrkkkk and Riakon. Roden was wary of that seeming discrepancy in reality, but figured they must have fled the scene of the crime as quickly as possible.

    When Roden returned to the treehouse he saw Errrkkkk was up in the nest, just getting settled into his cozy bed.

    ¡°Hey Errrkkkk.¡±

    The birdman peered over the side of the nest down at him. ¡°Oh hey Roden, glad you made it back, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, is everything okay? Where is Riakon?¡±

    Errrkkkk studied Roden for a long moment, ¡°Yeah everything is fine¡­ Riakon¡¯s okay. He just needs some rest, cacaw.¡±

    Roden noticed a hint of hopefulness in his voice as if he was trying to will his words into reality.

    ¡°Okay mate, well, have a good night then.¡±

    ¡°You too, cacaw.¡±

    Roden went to the door to his room and hesitated before opening the door. Inside that door was hopefully at the very least some of the answers he was looking for.

    ¡®What does it all really mean though?¡¯

    He struggled to grasp everything that his next conversation could reveal.

    ¡®Is all of this actually real real?!¡±

    He gathered up all of his courage and stepped into his room, where, by all accounts, a god was waiting for him. He tried to enter the room as confidently as possible, but he didn¡¯t feel confident.

    He saw Miriana was sitting at the table before the fire. On the table was the chess board from their home. The one they had shared so many games on over the course of his time at his home.

    Miriana raised her eyes to meet his, ¡°Would you like to play while we talk? For old times sake?¡±

    Her warm motherly smile nearly broke his spirit. The night had been so taxing already that he truly didn¡¯t feel strong enough to muscle through the conversation.

    ¡°Okay, but no bullshit, please I am exhausted already.¡±

    She nodded, ¡°Okay dear.¡±

    Roden dropped all of his gear before taking a seat at the table across from Miriana. He figured he might as well get right to it.

    ¡°So who are you right now? Are you Roden¡¯s mother Miriana or are you Zamira?¡±

    She had given him white for this game so he led by pushing his pawn two squares.

    ¡°Before we get too deep into all of this I should preface this by saying I can¡¯t tell you everything. There are going to be things I simply do not know and there are going to be things I must keep secret for the safety of this world.¡±

    She sighed and pushed her pawn to mirror his move. ¡°As to your question, the answer is complicated. In ways I am both. However, it may be more accurate to say I am Miriana now, but I was Zamira before.¡±

    ¡®She admitted it!¡¯

    The fact that he had been right filled him with elation and relief. He wasn¡¯t going crazy.

    ¡°What do you mean by you were and are now?¡±

    He pushed another pawn setting up his favorite opening, the King¡¯s Gambit.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Miriana shook her head playfully, ¡°You and your gambits.¡± she said, taking his gambited flank pawn.

    ¡°I suppose the easiest way to explain things is to say I am both in the same way you are both Roden and August.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t heard his real name in so long it felt like a distant memory. He had locked that part of himself away as touching it hurt too much. It brought too many memories of home and the life that felt so far away.

    ¡°What do you know about that? How do you know about me?¡± He snapped, the questions spilling out nearly on top of each other.

    ¡°It is as I said before I brought you here and I brought you here because I need you. The only way to do that was to bring you here as Roden.¡±

    Her answer did little to remedy his confusion. He grappled with his thoughts and rotated his knight from its home square.

    ¡°What do you mean by as Roden?¡±

    It was Miriana¡¯s turn to knit her brows in slight frustration.

    ¡°I am not sure I can answer that question fully just yet, but as I am sure you have figured out already. Roden had a life before you arrived. You currently are sharing the controls of Roden¡¯s body that is why you have both yours and his memories.¡±

    Roden was stunned, too many thoughts and implications were racing through his mind. Miriana steepled her fingers and kept talking before their silence became deafening.

    ¡°I am in much the same situation, I was once only Zamira, but certain events resulted in me joining with Miriana¡­For certain reasons I cannot share with you.¡±

    Roden knew there was a lot she was leaving unsaid beyond the things she was admitting she wasn¡¯t telling him.

    ¡°Okay so then can you at least tell me why you brought me here? And for that matter where the hell is here?¡±

    Miriana was growing visibly vexed at the topic of the conversation. She seemed to strain under his questions as if being crushed by a great weight.

    ¡°Well the basics of it is I need your help with my plan. That plan needs you to do one very specific thing. I need you to ensure your journey here with Errrkkkk and Riakon plays out as you know it should. No more no less.¡±

    She seemed a little relieved to finally get at least some of her intentions out in the open. She moved her bishop to a central square attacking his weakened king''s side.

    ¡°Okay, but doesn¡¯t me being here already change things?¡±

    She nodded, ¡°It does, but I have accounted for that much. As long as you don¡¯t change big events, everything should be fine.¡±

    Roden was not happy with this revelation. She had taken him from his wife and his home. She had given him no direction or help¡­

    ¡°You!¡±

    Miriana looked startled at his sudden raise in his voice.

    He continued his tirade, ¡°You were the GM when I was at the Outpost! You made me think this was all just a game!¡±

    Miriana winced, ¡°I did, and I am sorry about that. I thought it would be an easier transition to a new world if you had something familiar to hold onto.¡±

    ¡®Ha! She admitted it! Wait¡­ so this isn¡¯t a game at all?!¡¯ his thoughts were all over the place as the repercussions of her admission washed over him. His mouth dropped open and he raised a hand to cover it. He spoke quietly, his voice was shaky.

    ¡°So¡­Everything here is real then.¡± He said it as a statement and a challenge as if daring her to deny it.

    Instead she nodded yes.

    For how he felt she might as well have punched him in the chest. He got up from the table and started pacing the room.

    ¡®The world was real¡­Mir was real! How in the fuck?¡¯

    She turned away from the board and their forgotten game.

    ¡°Roden, I know you have a lot of questions, but I need you to understand just how important it is that you follow my plan. I know you are angry. I can see it in your eyes. You know¡­The eyes of my son, who I have raised for nearly thirty years.¡±

    She had caught him off guard with that. He was in fact quite angry, but part of him had a hard time staying angry at her.

    ¡®That must be Roden¡¯s feelings,¡¯ he thought.

    He took a deep breath to calm himself. ¡°Okay let¡¯s just say I do follow your plan and I fail. What happens?¡±

    Miriana¡¯s face scrunched in a distasteful look. ¡°Well best case scenario, this world is ruled by a tyrant. Worst case scenario this world is destroyed.¡±

    ¡®You have got to be fucking kidding me!¡¯ Roden was beginning to regret wanting to be a player on that night, however long ago now.

    ¡®If that wish even mattered¡­¡¯

    ¡°Okay so I can¡¯t change things. I can do my best, but ummmm¡­I don¡¯t know if you realize this or not, but you have already changed things.¡±

    At his own words another realization struck him, ¡°As a matter of fact you aren¡¯t even the same Zamira I wrote.¡±

    She smiled at his second bit, ¡°Ha, you have that right. There are many things that are different from what you had done in your life on Earth. This Mir is not exactly the Mir you created, but it isn¡¯t not the Mir you created either.¡±

    ¡°Do not tell me one is possessing the other or I am going to lose it.¡± He said flatly

    She laughed, ¡°No no, they are one in the same. The details just don¡¯t always make the journ¨C¡± She cut herself off.

    ¡°Just keep thinking of this place as your world. Between your knowledge and Roden¡¯s memories you shouldn¡¯t have any troubles.¡±

    Roden¡¯s frustration was bubbling up to the surface. None of her answers were helping him piece together anything other than his quest, or rather the quest she demanded of him.

    ¡°Well jeezus, you¡¯re not really helping me here. If you want me to do something then at least do something to help me help you¡­ I just want to get home.¡±

    His words seemed to strike a cord in Miriana as her face softened. ¡°I have been helping you. I have helped as much as I can with what power I have left. How else did you think you ended up with two Clerical Domains?¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?!¡±

    She nodded, ¡°Yes dear I was the one who granted you the Adventure Domain¡­I also must apologize I had to slightly modify Roden¡¯s memories to avoid some suspicions. There are no Adventure Clerics in this world as there are no gods who have laid claim to adventure. But, I have and you are my first champion of Adventure.¡± She said it with a weak smile.

    Roden puzzled over his experience with his Adventure domain. It made a strange sort of sense when he considered it. That domain¡¯s abilities had done everything to keep him safe and comfortable in this strange and dangerous world.

    ¡°Also do you have any idea how hard it is for a god to maintain a connection to a cleric who doesn¡¯t worship them?¡± She raised a well manicured eyebrow at him.

    Roden winced, ¡®That was definitely a sore spot between her and her son.¡¯

    ¡°Quite difficult I imagine¡­¡±

    ¡°It is quite difficult.¡± She harrumphed in godly affrontedness. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough you pray to that tawdry ginger wench every morning, but receiving no prayer is just hurtful to a goddess¡¯ pride.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± He said sheepishly, he had seen this look before on the many women in his life and knew to tread carefully.

    She shook her head and huffed. ¡°It is not your fault, you didn¡¯t know and as you correctly assumed, following her was the correct way to ingratiate yourself with those boys.¡±

    ¡°Okay right, but can you appreciate how frustrating it is to be hanging out with friends one minute and then waking up on a DIFFERNT FUCKING PLANET!¡±

    A hint of indignation crossed her face, but softened quickly. ¡°Yes I know, and again I am sorry. I had to do it. If you must know you are the only one who can do what I need done and not because of some great magic. Only you can do it because you already know what needs to be done¡­and before you say anything, keep it all to yourself. Even the gods of this world must not be privy to what you know.¡±

    That took a bit of the heat from him, she seemed desperate. It was hard for him to see his mother so desperate.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just frustrated. I didn¡¯t ask for this.¡±

    She looked him in the eyes, ¡°But if I had asked you, you would have come? Wouldn¡¯t you? You are that kind of man even in a world where you don¡¯t have to be.¡±

    He had to admit she had him there. If she had asked him to save her world and he knew he was the only one who could¡­Of course he would have agreed. He would have liked to say good bye to his wife before he left though¡­

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± He admitted, ¡°So what now?¡±

    A bit of relief seemed to wash over her, ¡°Well you just keep doing what you have been. You have done a wonderful job keeping them on course. Just be sure you don¡¯t actively change anything too major.¡±

    ¡°Okay okay¡­ I guess I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    He walked over and sat back down at the board across from her.

    She watched him closely, ¡°Well don¡¯t look so defeated, you¡¯ll break your mother¡¯s heart.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just a lot to take in and it''s been a rough day.¡±

    She reached out and placed her hand on his. ¡°I do have one final thing I really should tell you before you get too comfortable.¡±

    Roden groaned, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I was hoping that once we had this conversation I could perhaps convince you to¡­ change your Order¡­? Roden sensed a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

    ¡°What do you mean? You already said I was your champion.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but you only have a full connection with Era. We don¡¯t have anything of the sort. It would be a great help to me to have my champion fully on my side.¡±

    Roden considered for a moment, ¡°What would that mean for me?¡±

    ¡°Well it would mean your powers would come from me instead. I could be more of an asset to you as your Goddess. I could answer your prayers and guide you in ways that¡­Your current Goddess does not.¡±

    ¡°Would my abilities change?¡± He asked even though he knew they would, but he had to hope.

    She nodded, ¡°You would be able to keep your Adventure abilities, but Fire is not one of my domains. We would have to find you something else.¡±

    He was disappointed at the thought of having to give up his fire spells. They were all so cool and being a pyromancer had been an amazing experience. Then he realized he¡¯d been burning things to death since he had gotten those powers and his overall enjoyment dropped precipitously.

    ¡°Any suggestions? You would know best.¡±

    Miriana¡¯s eyes sparkled at his answer and a wide girlish grin spread across her face.

    ¡°How would you feel about taking my Death or Storm Domain?¡±

    He gave her a half lidded look, ¡°Don¡¯t those seem a little sinister to you?¡±

    She gasped and placed a hand to her chest, ¡°Sinister! Says the man running around setting fires.¡±

    He continued to stare at her, clearly not affected by her melodrama.

    ¡°Fine, I could also grant Fate or a subdomain of the three.¡±

    Roden grew annoyed as he pondered which would supplant his Fire abilities as seamlessly as possible.

    ¡°If you were picking for your son and you didn¡¯t want him to have to carry the negative connotation of being a Cleric of Zamira, which domain would you choose?¡±

    She seemed a little taken aback by the way he phrased his question.

    ¡°Fair enough, I would choose Storm. While I am sure you imagine it to be all thunder and lightning, you be wrong. There is much more to my Storm domain than such simple things.¡±

    Roden did like the thematics of having storm abilities, but trading fire for lightning felt like trading a grenade launcher for a bazooka.

    ¡°Would you care to elaborate?¡±

    She rolled her eyes, ¡°Well there is also the element of water included in the suite of possible abilities as well as some for wind and clouds.¡±

    Roden considered her words and nodded, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Miriana looked shocked, ¡°Really?!¡±

    ¡°Yep, how do we do this?¡±

    She clapped her hands, ¡°Easy silly, we pray.¡± She reached across the table, her hands on either side of the game board.

    He placed his hands in hers and closed his eyes. He felt a rush of coolness wash over him like a wave of cool water on a hot day. He felt himself fade into his mindspace once more, but this time Miriana, no Zamira was guiding him.

 Chapter 2- Character Creation 2.0

    Chapter 2

    Roden opened his eyes only to be blinded by a bright light. He threw up his hand to block some of it so he could squint enough to see. He saw he was laying on sand. He sat up and looked out over a vast ocean with no sight of land.

    Looking around he saw he was on a wide beach, the ocean slowly lapping up against the sand just out of reach of him. He pushed himself to his feet and turned around. He saw a small stand of trees with a large tree in the center. He recognized it as his grove. The one he had always appeared in when he would level up, or undergo his advancement as Riakon had put it.

    To Roden¡¯s surprise he saw Miriana was lying on a lounge chair in the shade of his tree. She appeared to be reading something, but as he approached she closed her book and looked over her shoulder at him.

    ¡°Oh great! You are finally awake! Sorry about the rough landing, I haven¡¯t done a swap like that in a very long time.¡±

    Roden shook his head to clear some of the fog. ¡°So wait, are we in my head?¡±

    She rolled her eyes, ¡°More like your soul dear, but sure. I hope you like what I have done with the place. I have always enjoyed the tropics.¡±

    Roden shrugged, ¡°I usually prefer cold weather, but this ain¡¯t so bad. It¡¯s peaceful.¡±

    Miriana nodded, ¡°I thought you would like that.¡± She clapped her hands, ¡°Now that you are awake, what do you say we get started?¡±

    ¡°Uuhhhh¡­Sure?¡± He answer full of uncertainty

    Her brows knit together, ¡°What''s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m just¡­I¡¯ve always been alone here. It¡¯s a little strange to have someone else here.¡±

    She smiled, ¡°Well you don¡¯t ever have to be alone here again if you so choose. As my champion and my Cleric, I can visit you here if you send for me. All you have to do is pray while here and I will hear it and join you.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit, that¡¯s pretty awesome.¡±

    Miriana cracked a wry smile, ¡°That is in fact some holy shit.¡±

    Roden groaned at his unintended pun. ¡°Okay so what first?¡±

    Miriana was as giddy as a school girl to show him around his own soul space. She introduced him to the entire island that made up his new space. As they walked the sun bore down on him and he started to sweat. He wiped the perspiration from his brow and stared up at the sun.

    ¡°Too hot for you? No problem.¡± She waved a hand and some fluffy white clouds appeared to, well, cloud the sun¡¯s rays, just enough to cast the island in a soft shade. She looked into the sky with a smile of satisfaction on her face.

    ¡°Did you intentionally make it too hot here just so you could do that?¡±

    Again Miriana looked aghast, ¡°What?! Why I never!¡±

    ¡®More godly melodrama¡¯ he thought to himself

    ¡°Never mind that. C¡¯mon now.¡±

    She showed him the path that represented his Adventure domain that meandered all around the island. The wisps that represented his spells were still present along the path, which was comforting to him for some reason.

    His tree was still the same with its bushy leaves and long branches. It stood the tallest among the palm trees that dotted the island. Then she walked him to the beach where he saw a slight glow in the water a few feet from the edge. She urged him to walk out and take it.

    Figuring that was what he was there for he did just that. To his surprise the water parted as he stepped down. As he walked towards the light it was slowly carried up to meet him by a controlled wave. He saw the holy symbol of Zamira, the familiar symbol of a cloud with a lightning bolt striking into an abyss meant to represent the afterlife.

    He reached out and grasped the glowing symbol and felt the divine magic course through him. He felt the waters wash away his powers over fire and cleanse him of his connection to Era. There was the briefest moment of emptiness that was immediately filled by a cool feeling of refreshing rain. He felt calmer after the exchange.

    ¡®Had my fire domain been making me tense?¡¯

    The divine knowledge of his first Storm domain ability coursed into him. The ability was called Storm Strider. It was an interestingly complex ability that granted him an intense boost to his speed and reactions by recycling small amounts of lightning magic. It also gave him the option to channel some of that energy into his next melee attack by discharging the built up lightning. Roden was actually quite surprised with the versatility. He was happy to see it would fit the style he had cultivated as well.

    Next came the ability, Mozzetta of Clouds. The name didn¡¯t tell him much when it came to him, other than it was a word that was either Italian or Latin in origin.

    ¡®What the fuck was a Mozzetta?!¡¯

    The knowledge of the ability revealed it to be a cloak made of clouds. Which he was actually really excited about. When active it would give his movements an ethereal cover that would make him harder to hit. The other aspect of it was a little surprising to him. When he moved the cloak would build up an electrical charge. Once the voltage reached a high enough level it generated an electromagnetic aura around him that he could use to direct the energy to damaging effect.

    ¡°Well? Do you like it?¡± Miriana¡¯s voice cut through the sounds of the waves as he consolidated his magically infused knowledge.

    He laughed at her obvious anticipation, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty cool actually¡­Although...¡± He trailed off.

    She put her hands on her hips, ¡°Although what?¡±

    ¡°Did you make it a cloak out of spite because I had the fire cloak from Era.¡±

    She turned her nose up at him, ¡°I do not know what you are talking about. Now come on, take the next one!¡±

    Roden had forgotten he already had so many advancements into his domains. Again the glowing symbol rose up in a controlled wave of water. He reached out with his hand and pulled it into himself. The ability that revealed itself to him made him laugh hysterically.

    By the time he stopped laughing he saw that Miriana was barely containing her rage. Small dark clouds had even started forming in the sky over her head.

    Roden quickly threw his hands up to placate her before he even said anything. ¡°No no, its not the ability. In fact, I love it more than you probably know.¡±

    The clouds above her dissipated a little. She tilted her head in a sign for him to continue explaining himself.

    ¡°It''s what it does.¡±

    ¡°I thought you would want the ability to fly.¡± She pouted.

    ¡°Oh make no mistake, I''m bursting at the seams to try it.¡±

    ¡°Then what is so funny?¡±

    Roden got a big grin on his face, ¡°Riakon,¡± was all he said, banking on her knowledge of what was to come.

    At first, her face didn¡¯t change. As the implications built up in her mind her face shuttered and she burst into a fit of laughter. ¡°Oh me! I hadn¡¯t even thought of that!¡±

    They both laughed as they walked back to the center of the island and made their way over to the wisps.

    Miriana gestured around at the wisps, ¡° Okay so fun thing here, now that I am your only object of worship. All of your domain spells will appear here.¡± She spread her arms out towards the field of wisps.

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    ¡°Wait the wisps were you?¡±

    ¡°Actually, the wisps are you. Everyone who becomes a Cleric has their own interpretation of what spells should look like in their inert form. Your domain spells, however, are me.¡±

    As she spoke she swirled both hands on either side of her and up rose two distinct shapes. On her left was a small cloud that crackled with lightning. On the other was the familiar floating lantern like light that hung in the air like a street lamp.

    Roden reached out for his new domain cloud when Miriana stopped him.

    ¡°You should start with the one you know already.¡±

    Roden looked confused for a brief moment, ¡°Oh I got a level up!¡± Then he remembered, ¡°I mean I got an advancement.¡± He said glaring at her.

    ¡°Yes, you got an advancement. Your body has absorbed enough magic at rest to be able to contain more of my gifts.¡±

    ¡°Would you mind clarifying that whole thing so I don¡¯t sound like a fucking idiot the next time it comes up?¡±

    Miriana winced, ¡°Okay I will take the blame for that one, but Riakon did a surprisingly good job. Essentially, this space in your soul is a byproduct of the Spark inside of your body. Everyone has a Spark, but not everyone¡¯s Spark draws in the ambient magic from the Magisphere of Mir. Adventurer¡¯s have Sparks that have Advanced beyond the ordinary. As a Cleric anything you acquire here is a result of a direct connection to your God, in your case me.¡± When she said the last bit, a wide smile crossed her face.

    ¡°What about everyone else?¡±

    ¡°Everyone else is a bit more complicated. Most have to actually practice the abilities they want to develop and don¡¯t really have a space like this in their soul. Errrkkkk for example, meditates to gauge his magic levels. He has trained his Spark to convert magic into chi. He trains to develop abilities to use that chi. No training, no more abilities.¡±

    Roden pondered her words for a few minutes trying to gather up all of the implications.

    ¡°So wait, how come I can have two domains? Do I have more magic than others?¡±

    Miriana looked hesitant, ¡°Oh that well ummmm¡­Yes you do have more magic than others like you.¡±

    Roden motioned for her to continue knowing she was leaving things unsaid.

    ¡°Oh fine, you have more reserves because you are the son of a Goddess. You might say you are a Demi-god.¡±

    Roden went slack jawed and no words came to him. He had his suspicions, but never truly believed that Zamira was Roden¡¯s mother. He had assumed it was Miriana and then Zamira had just swooped in at some point.

    ¡°Wow okay ummm I suppose I should have seen that coming, but wow just wow!¡±

    Miriana rolled her eyes, ¡°Yes yes, but don¡¯t go spouting that to random people you meet. Even in a world of Gods people will still think you are crazy¡±

    ¡°What about Errrkkkk and Riakon?¡±

    ¡°We will have to talk about what exactly you can and can¡¯t tell them. Errrkkkk saw us on the roof last night so he may have some questions and it is imperative you give the right answers.¡±

    ¡°Oh shit¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah no kidding, that wouldn¡¯t have happened if I was at full strength, but my intervention cost me a lot of my reserves. I didn¡¯t have enough to comfortably hide us from him, but that is for later. Let¡¯s get back to your spells. You have a new Adventure domain spell and your shiny new Storm domain spells and then you can pick a new spell.¡± She clapped her hands together in excitement.

    Roden just shook his head in amazement. This was not the Zamira he wrote so long ago. The woman before his eyes was borderline flamboyant and girlish. The Goddess of Passion he wrote was serious and cunning. He wondered what had happened to make her like this.

    ¡®Did it have anything to do with why she brought me here?¡± He tucked that thought away for a later date.

    ¡°Okay let''s do this.¡± He reached out and grasped the light of his Adventure domain and absorbed the gifted spell. To his surprise he received an offensive spell. For the first time he had received an actual damaging domain spell from his Adventure domain.

    He let out an involuntary, ¡°Woooooo¡± like he was Rick Flair.

    ¡°Oh so you like that one?¡±

    ¡°Who the fuck wouldn¡¯t want a spell called Hero¡¯s Strike?!¡±

    ¡°Well perhaps someone who intended to be a ranged specialist.¡±

    Roden looked up and away, ¡°Point taken.¡±

    ¡°Okay okay now do the Storm ones.¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°You seem really excited about this.¡±

    She huffed, ¡°It¡¯s not everyday your son takes on one of your primary domains. Now stop stalling.¡±

    At her urging he plunged his hand into the glowing cloud. The sheer volume of magic that flooded his mind was overwhelming. He nearly fainted and had to sit down.

    ¡°Wow okay ummm¡­ that was¡­a lot.¡± He said through strained gasps.

    ¡°Sorry, I was excited. I should¡¯ve held back the flow a bit more, but you¡¯re fine. What do you think of your new spells?¡±

    Roden blinked a few times to steady his swimming vision. Then pursue the spells he knew. First was the lowest tier spell Cloud Bank. Pretty basic, cover an area in a cloud¡­Roden felt like he must be missing something, but figured it wasn¡¯t important at that moment.

    Next came Winter''s Blast, an ice spell¡­ ¡°Well I¡¯ll be¡­.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°I get to be Sub-zero!¡±

    Miriana just rolled her eyes, ¡°If you''re excited about that one just wait¡­¡±

    ¡°Lightning Bolt too!¡±

    Okay he was less upset about losing his Fire domain now.

    ¡°Well it''s Lightning Burst, not bolt, but close enough.¡±

    ¡°Awe shit, wait I took that Augmentation for my fire spells. I don¡¯t have any of those now.¡±

    Miriana thought for a moment, ¡°Oh right¡­Don¡¯t worry about that. You actually don¡¯t have that anymore. That one came from your other patroness¡­ You¡¯re not much of an elemental specialist anymore. So you might want to choose a different Augmentation,¡±

    ¡°Oh crap I hadn¡¯t even noticed it missing. Any suggestions?¡±

    ¡°Well it would be a mother¡¯s dream if you took the Augmentation for your fortitude. What would you call it?¡± She tapped her chin in thought, ¡°Oh yeah, the one that gave you extra hit points.¡± She made air quotes with her fingers around the last words.

    ¡°Oh I hadn¡¯t really thought about it like that. I guess this not being a game meant those are really a thing huh?¡±

    She nodded, ¡°You would be correct, I manipulated some things to make this place feel more game-like to you, but the reality is, no, there are no hit points or levels, or anything of the sort. Just people and a world with a naturally occurring phenomenon that produces what you would consider magic-like effects.¡±

    ¡®Did she just say naturally occurring?¡¯

    ¡°I think I know which one you are talking about, but I¡¯d rather have the boost to Constitution¡­ Wait there aren¡¯t stats either are there?¡±

    ¡°That one¡¯s tricky. Technically, the people of Mir have set up a way to measure an adventurer¡¯s physical abilities. They don¡¯t use the numbers you are familiar with though. It''s a zero and up scale. Non-adventurer¡¯s very rarely rank anything beyond a zero and never more than a 1. It¡¯s relatively consistent among those who have similar training, but the numbers are a little subjective across different areas of training.¡±

    ¡°For example?¡±

    ¡°For example, your mostly untrained dexterity of two is not the same as was Errrkkkk¡¯s rigorously trained two back when he had a ranking of two. Just like how your divinely enhanced Wisdom of three is beyond Errrkkkk¡¯s Wisdom of the same score. People mostly use the scores for themselves to know how to allocate their magical reserves.¡±

    It all made perfect sense to Roden, he always wondered how the flat math of Adventures and Antics translated to real life. He wasn¡¯t surprised to find it didn¡¯t translate well at all.

    ¡°Works for me, so if I understand correctly. What I am suggesting is I allocate my magic into my body¡¯s Constitution?¡±

    ¡°Yep, and that will have the effect you are looking for.¡±

    ¡°How do I?¡±

    Miriana just waved her hand over him and he felt a warm sensation ripple through his entire body. When it was gone he actually felt¡­sturdier.

    ¡°I did it for you this time for brevity, but next time you will actually have to consolidate your magic yourself.¡±

    Roden got up off the ground, the vertigo from the influx of his domain spells having subsided.

    ¡°Okay well all that is left is for me to choose my last spell, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sort of?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well you have those spells that were tainted by your fire domain. You will have to relearn them with your new domain option.¡±

    Roden groaned he had forgotten all about that.

    ¡°Honestly I¡¯d rather start fresh. Can we just wipe the slate clean?¡±

    Miriana nodded and waved her hand through the air in the directions of the wisps. More wisps winked into existence among their fellows. Roden walked among the wisps and studied each spell

    Without even thinking he scooped up his tried and true healing spell. It was pulled once again toward his Adventure domain becoming Triage.

    Next he located what was his Wounding Touch. This time instead of being pulled into his Adventure Domain it was absorbed into his Storm domain and became Storming Smash. Besides the overly dramatic name, Roden loved what the spell became. It was reminiscent of Riakon¡¯s thundering blow, but it wasn¡¯t built up around a weapon. Not much had actually changed from when it was his Wounding Touch other than it did require a strike of some kind in place of a touch.

    When he ran across his old Hero¡¯s Armament he actually kicked himself for having removed that one. He loved it in its previous form. To his horror, he felt the spell drift away from his Adventure domain and settle in his Elven magic.

    ¡°Booooooo!¡± came from Miriana behind him.

    The resulting spell was Sylvan Weaponry, it significantly reduced his options for conjurable weapons. He could only call forth a sword or to his surprise, a bow. The sword had to be held, but he knew it came with a significant speed boost compared to his previous version which seemed to make up for its reduced power. The bow could only be directed remotely, but could be placed in a single location and be used as long as he was within sight of his target and within the bow''s range. Overall not the worst trade off. He was still bummed he couldn¡¯t have his Leonidas moment with shield and spear.

    After that he ran across his bread and butter fire spell. He will miss his Ignition Bolt. It served him well from the moment he got to this fucking world. He was hoping for it to slide over to his Storm domain so he could hopefully throw around more lightning, but it was almost instantly absorbed into his Adventure domain. Luminary Lance was the spell that flooded his mind.

    ¡®Huh¡­I guess I¡¯ll get my Leonidas moment after all.¡¯

    He passed over the lower tier wisps in search of his Divine Gambit. He reached out for it, but paused before he touched it. He turned to look back at Miriana.

    ¡°Was this spell your doing?¡±

    She giggled, ¡°Yeah that one was me. I was worried about you so I crafted it and made it available to you.¡±

    ¡°Crafted it?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am a God and you are my Cleric. I can craft spells for my clergy. It just requires some effort of will on my part.¡±

    ¡°So I should probably take it then?¡±

    ¡°If you are asking me then I insist.¡±

    For once he wasn¡¯t surprised when the spell remained the same as it was before nestled firmly in his Adventure domain as Divine Gambit.

    His library of spells had grown quite extensive in the time since he chose them for the first time. He had access to ten non-domain cleric spells on top of the eight domain and three elven spells, not including any of his Common spells.

    He had to take his two go to buff spells, one of which was drawn into his Elven magic much to Miriana¡¯s displeasure. Who grew all the more frustrated when his two healing spells were also drawn into it as well.

    He could only choose one more spell and he selected the one that had been just out of his grasp since he first saw it. The spell landed in his Storm domain much to his excitement. He had hoped it would gain the elemental side of his power set. The spell became Storm Guard. When cast it would create a slowly swirling fog around him that would blast whomever was within it that he chose with an obnoxious amount of lightning.

    When he was all done choosing spells he was exhausted.

    ¡°Is that it?¡± He said from his seated position on the ground.

    ¡°Yeah that''s it¡­¡±

    Roden looked up at her, ¡°Why do you sound so sad?¡±

    ¡°Well this is goodbye for now. I won¡¯t be in the room when you return.¡±

    ¡°Oh I just assumed¡­but you¡¯ll be in Port Sept when we get back right?¡±

    She smiled, ¡°Yeah I¡¯ll be there when you get back. Until then take care of yourself, and don¡¯t get into too much trouble. You can tell Errrkkkk and Riakon about Zamira as you won¡¯t have much choice when it comes to your abilities.but do not tell them I am also Miriana. Just say she pulled you away because she has big plans for you.¡±

    Roden thought over the cover story, ¡° Okay so I¡¯m supposed to say I just swapped Gods?¡±

    Miriana had a smug grin touch the edges of her mouth, ¡°Precisely.¡±

    ¡°Well considering what just happened to Riakon. I guess that¡¯ll be an easier pill to swallow than, I did a ritual to a dragon god and lost my powers.¡±

 Chapter 3- That Was Some Night

    Chapter 3

    By the time Roden woke up it was late into the morning. He emerged from his room in the treehouse to find the townspeople cleaning up the damage caused by the gremlins. Roden quickly spied Errrkkkk and Riakon. Once everyone regrouped they made haste gathering up their things and leaving Pescatin before anyone could ask too many questions. As they were leaving the people of Pescatin clapped and hailed them as their saviors. Roden noticed Riakon wince ever so slightly at each genuine thank you.

    After a few hours of walking on their way back to Port Sept. Roden broke the silence,

    ¡°That was some night, aye guys?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­I¡¯ll say.¡± Riakon hung his head.

    Errrkkkk gave Riakon a soft glare, not of spite, but of concern. ¡°At least it was a good fight, cacaw.¡±

    Roden figured then was as good of a time as any to break the news to the guys.

    ¡°So guys, ummmmmm, something happened last night and I¡¯m not really sure how to approach it.¡±

    Riakon looked at him with a hint of fear in his eyes, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Well I was walking around the town after the fight looking for Riakon in the market and I ran into a woman.¡±

    Relief washed over Riakon¡¯s face, ¡°Oh yeah?¡± He raised an eyebrow toward him.

    Roden sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not like that, she was a Goddess.¡±

    Riakon¡¯s brows knit together, ¡°I mean beauty is in the eye of the one eyeing.¡±

    ¡°No mate, I mean she literally was a Goddess. The Goddess Zamira to be exact.¡±

    He braced himself for their reactions.

    Riakon looked at him blankly before he broke out into a barking laugh.

    ¡°Ha! Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, pretty serious. We ended up having a conversation and one thing led to another and I¡¯m now a Cleric of Zamira¡­¡±

    Both men stopped walking and their jaws dropped at his emission.

    ¡°What?¡±

    The two non-humans looked at each other and started laughing.

    Roden looked at them affronted, ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, it¡¯s not that bad.¡±

    ¡°You mean, you really gave up the Goddess of the Sun to follow the Goddess of Death?¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes, ¡°Well when you say it like that. It doesn¡¯t sound great, but it¡¯s really not that bad. Zamira was pretty adamant in her conviction that she needed me to be her champion¡­¡±

    The two non-humans looked at each other again and started laughing.

    ¡°Fuck you guys.¡± Roden said with mostly sarcasm.

    Errrkkkk wiped a tear from his eye, ¡°Just wait there is more, cacaw¡­Riakon, why don¡¯t you tell him what happened to you last night.¡±

    Riakon¡¯s laughing trailed off and he winced. ¡°Oh ummm well. I uuuhhhhh¡­¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon spit it out, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon glared at his brother then let out a deep sigh, ¡°I may have accidentally gotten myself caught up in a ritual to Tiamat and lost my connection to Era¡­¡±

    It was Roden¡¯s turn to laugh. He laughed at Riakon¡¯s description of events rather than what had transpired.

    ¡°You accidentally got caught up in a ritual?¡±

    Riakon looked away from Roden¡¯s scrutiny, ¡°pretty much.¡±

    ¡°He was tempted and gave in to the temptation, cacaw.¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°I get that. So no powers huh?¡±

    Errrkkkk glared at Riakon as the big Dragonkin started to respond, ¡°Yeah¡­no powers.¡±

    Roden looked to Errrkkkk, ¡°So what¡¯s the plan then?

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Not much we can do with a powerless paladin, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Ooof I see¡­We could probably check in with my mother for some advice on the situation.¡±

    Riakon went a little pale, something Roden didn¡¯t know was possible for a Dragonkin. ¡°I mean do we have to? Are there any other options?¡±

    ¡°I think asking Miriana is a great idea, cacaw!¡±

    The men continued walking and endured a long period of silence before Roden spoke.

    ¡°So what happened with Tiamat?¡±

    ¡°Well I¡­ Ummmm have been hearing her voice in my mind ever since the gathering and I ran across a book in the library that had what I thought was a ritual to contact her. During the fight with the gremlins I had to use the power she gave me or we might not have won. It must have influenced me somehow because before I knew what was happening I was performing this ritual not of communing, but one of power. Something seemed to stop me before it could finish it and when I came to I couldn¡¯t feel my connection to Era anymore.¡±

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    Roden was a little surprised by his retelling of events. Much of that hadn¡¯t happened as he described it at his table. He had to improvise that moment at the time and it was way less detailed. It most certainly wasn¡¯t a formal ritual as Riakon described.

    ¡°Hmmm well if I had to guess it sounds like you¡¯ve got some sins to atone for.¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°Yeah¡­I suppose I do.¡±

    More silence followed until Errrkkkk broke it. ¡°So Roden, you don¡¯t have the same abilities either huh, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t have Era¡¯s Fire domain any more. Instead I have Zamira¡¯s Storm domain.¡±

    Errrkkkk perked up, ¡°Storm? Can you still do the same things or do we have to change up our strategy even more, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not really sure. My initial thought is that not a whole lot has changed in the sense of it affecting my style, but until I get some practice in I don¡¯t really know.¡±

    Riakon stopped walking and started setting his stuff down.

    Roden looked over his shoulder at him, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Riakon just shook his head, ¡°You said the magic words.¡±

    Roden looked up in thought trying to recall his exact words.

    ¡°Sounds like a perfect reason to get a sparring session in, cacaw!¡±

    ¡®Oh those magic words¡­¡¯

    Once Errrkkkk got it in his mind to train there was no changing it. They hadn¡¯t covered all of the distance they usually would on a normal day of travel, but they weren¡¯t in any great hurry to get back to Port Sept. They moved off their path and put themselves closer to the coastline. Roden conjured forth the treehouse and they got their camp mostly set before Errrkkkk took his place in the mostly flat area he clearly intended for them to use as their arena.

    ¡°Okay Errrkkkk, if we have to do this, what rules are we using?¡±

    ¡°All out, cacaw.¡±

    Roden hesitated, he was hoping he wouldn¡¯t say that. ¡°Is that really a good idea? I mean we are out in the open here¡­¡±

    Errrkkkk just shook his head, ¡°All out. We need to see where you are at. Especially with our powerless paladin over there, cacaw.¡±

    ¡®He has a point.¡¯ Roden thought while trying to keep his face from showing it.

    ¡°Okay okay, all out it is.¡± With the terms set, Roden started activating all of his buffing spells and abilities.

    First came his Grove Armor and Aegis. His wooden armor formed around him as his glowing shield materialized around his left arm. Next he activated his Mozzetta of Clouds, the ability caused a cloak of fluffy cloud material to billow out from his shoulders. It gave him a wispy fog like shroud that obscured his overall visage just enough to not be fully visible.

    Lastly, he held his hand to the side and called forth his Sylvan Weaponry with a new incantation,

    ¡°For the Grove!¡±

    A long slender hilt formed out of the wood of his armor. Out of the hilt grew the golden blade of an elven saber. The blade had a pronounced curve that denoted it as a slashing weapon. Its long hilt allowed for a two handed grip, but given its lightweight, that wouldn¡¯t be necessary.

    ¡°Are you finally ready, cacaw? I think I might die of old age before this guy is done, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Roden said while dropping into a stance his shield forward and his other hand tucked behind it.

    Riakon gave them the countdown, ¡°Ready¡­Set¡­Fight!¡±

    Roden immediately launched the spell he was hiding. With a punching motion he shot a swirling mass of blue energy from his sword hand. He loved that his Winter¡¯s Blast spell required no incantation and he was able to use nearly any motion to cast it as long as the motion provided the spell a direction.

    The spell caught Errrkkkk just as he moved to avoid it. The mass of energy burst out in a small area from the point of impact. Everything in the blast radius was frozen in a mass of crystalline ice. All of Errrkkkk¡¯s right side was trapped within the icy prison.

    Unhappy with his predicament, Errrkkkk rotated his remaining leg around in a brutal knee strike, shattering the ice holding him. Once freed he shot into the air, seemingly out of Roden¡¯s reach.

    Roden saw Errrkkkk take flight and couldn¡¯t help, but smile. With a mental command he called on his Holy Nimbus. The golden cloud burbled into existence at his feet. Roden took a tentative step onto the cloud and found it solid beneath his feet.

    With both feet settled on the cloud, he directed it to fly straight toward Errrkkkk. The initial acceleration of the thing took Roden by surprise. He never felt in danger of falling off, but he found himself crouching to hold a more solid base. Roden wasn¡¯t sure if it was surprise he saw on Errrkkkk¡¯s face as he didn¡¯t have long enough to confirm it before multiple blasts of chi shot straight for him.

    Roden blocked with his shield, each blast breaking over his defensive wall. Just as he moved to peer out from behind his cover, he saw a blur to his right. Errrkkkk had darted around, hands clasped at his waist a glowing bead of chi, compressed and ready to be unleashed held between his claws.

    Sword in hand Roden pointed his middle and index fingers at Errrkkkk ready to cast his Burning Finger, only to realize too late, he no longer had that spell.

    Errrkkkk¡¯s charged up beam ripped into him. His shield and armor took the brunt of the attack, but Roden still felt the force of it. His nimbus was truly remarkable in that it kept him from falling out of the sky. It maneuvered him with the blast, keeping him from being forced off his cloud.

    Roden shook off the haze that came from absorbing one of Errrkkkk¡¯s chi blasts. He located the smug birdman and charged him. Roden felt his cloak had built up a decent charge by that point and wanted to see what it could do. This time he pointed his sword at Errrkkkk and directed the lightning down the blade. His cloak had grown a grayish color as more charge was gathered. As soon as he let it free, the gray washed out and the gathered energy leapt from the tip of his sword in a crackling arc of electricity.

    The current struck Errrkkkk in the wing and sent him tumbling down a ways before he was able to stretch out again and hover in place. Roden wasted no time and activated his Storm Strider ability. Electricity danced around him in small bursts. He felt his heart beat faster and his perception began to slow ever so slightly.

    He leaned forward and his ability launched him toward his target as if shot out of a cannon. He was a blur by the time he reached Errrkkkk. He swung his sword itself crackling with power. Errrkkkk threw up a block, but Roden¡¯s sword bit into his forearm nonetheless, its edge having been bolstered by his ability. Before Errrkkkk could react he used his new weapon¡¯s enhanced speed to draw the blade across and slash back down.

    As fast as Roden was, Errrkkkk was still faster. His second slash caught only air as Errrkkkk flew backward, only to use that momentum in a flipping kick toward Roden¡¯s head. The wood of his helmet cracked at the impact of Errrkkkk¡¯s kick. The follow up strike to his ribs was just as painful.

    Roden needed space from the monk and didn¡¯t anticipate him backing off. He pulled on one of his newest spells, in the moment he hadn¡¯t thought of a good incantation and instead just said the name of the spell, ¡°Cloud Bank¡± much to his own annoyance.

    The spell activated and the area around him was immediately covered in a thick cloud like vapor. It wasn¡¯t fog as it had the composition of a cloud from the upper atmosphere. Roden realized that had one purpose, to conduct electricity. Roden discharged his cloak¡¯s charges once again. The lightning leapt from him and raced throughout the cloud.

    Roden listened for any sign of Errrkkkk being struck by the circulating electricity, but nothing came. Roden ended the spell causing it to clear. When his sight was no longer obscured he saw Errrkkkk was high in the sky holding a bright orb between his raised hands.

    He hadn¡¯t had too long to charge it up, but it was still large enough to give Roden pause. Errrkkkk hurled that great ball of energy straight at Roden. Roden knew he could probably slide out of the way on his Nimbus, he also wanted to test out a new spell.

    He dropped his sword, which to his surprise just floated around him at waist level. He raised his hand palm forward and fingers splayed out. He felt the magic build up in his arm as he drew the spell up and spoke the magic word.

    ¡°Burst¡± was the incantation he chose for the spell. The built up magic blasted out of his palm in a jagged beam of arcing plasma. It collided with Errrkkkk¡¯s Soul Sphere in an explosion too bright for Roden to see anything.

    Roden was still blinking the spots from his vision when Errrkkkk appeared next to him shrouded in all his golden glory. Roden snatched his sword by the hilt and the two exchanged a flurry of attacks. Roden felt clunky. His movements were not as fluid as they once were and he was not practiced with his new sword.

    His spells gave him the instincts and a strong foundation for how to fight, but it was those months of practice that made him capable of using his old swords properly. His shield was giving him trouble as well. It was a little too large to maneuver comfortably while flying. In the midst of one particularly aggressive series of strikes by Errrkkkk, Roden made a mental note to never again engage in melee combat while riding a cloud.

    Roden wanted their sparring to be over. It was too much for him to try and keep all of his new abilities and spells straight. He felt like the gears in his mind were grinding as his instincts pulled him back and forth.

    Their fight had lasted a few minutes already, but neither man had taken any real damage. Roden allowed his cloud to take him to the ground. He was about to yield when Errrkkkk pulled back to begin charging up one of his more powerful beams.

    ¡®Fuck it.¡¯

    Roden dropped his shield and threw his sword away. This was going to be it for him. One final test before he called a stop to this exercise in futility. He drew up as much magic as he could overcharging his spell. He held it paused on the edge of release. Little arcs of blue white energy crackled around his shoulder and down his arm. Roden saw Errrkkkk push his hands forward and drive his beam straight toward him.

    ¡°Burst!¡± Roden bellowed the word causing the spell to activate.

    The bolt he unleashed was beyond what he imagined. It shot straight into Errrkkkk¡¯s beam. The two attacks collided in a clash of chi and magic. After a moment Errrkkkk¡¯s beam was pushed back, Roden¡¯s lightning was too much.

    Errrkkkk redoubled his effort and poured more chi into his beam causing it to surge and push back Roden¡¯s in a fantastical display of energy.

    Seeing they were at a stalemate, Roden gathered up the charge from his cloak and forced that raw magical energy into his beam causing a surge of his own. His surge broke the draw and sent his blast ripping through the center of Errrkkkk¡¯s.

    Errrkkkk was struck by the blast which burst into a spray of electrical arcs. When it all settled Errrkkkk was still hovering in the air. His feathers were a bit ruffled, but he looked resolute.

    Roden immediately raised his hands and ended all of his abilities.

    ¡°I yield!¡±

    Errrkkkk flew down a puzzled look on his face, ¡°Why would you give up, cacaw?¡±

    Roden scratched the back of his head, ¡° Because I¡¯m clearly outmatched. I don¡¯t know my abilities well enough to keep up with you. I need a lot more practice.¡±

    Errrkkkk pondered his words before nodding.

    ¡°Knowing and admitting when you are beat is a good sign you are learning, cacaw.¡±

 Chapter 4-Learning to Run Before You Can Fly

    Chapter 4

    Naturally, Errrkkkk didn¡¯t ease up on Roden¡¯s training. With Riakon severely weakened without his magic, Errrkkkk seemed to make it a personal goal to whip Roden into shape with his new abilities. They went back to the basics. Roden had to relearn his sword. His old flamberge was longer and hit harder. His new Elven style blade was more finesse than power. Roden didn¡¯t love that, especially when training against Errrkkkk.

    After that first night when they had sparred, Errrkkkk made it a point to get some sparring in before they relaxed for the evening. After their third session on the evening of their second night on the road, Roden fell to the ground exhausted.

    ¡°What? Are you tired already, cacaw?¡± He said while also breathing heavier than usual.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m tired. You¡¯re whipping my ass. It¡¯s pointless for me to try and match your speed.¡±

    ¡°Then stop trying to, cacaw.¡±

    Roden narrowed his eyes, ¡°when I do that I end up getting hit twice for every one of mine that hits you. And if you hadn¡¯t noticed I¡¯m not exactly doing twice as much damage.¡±

    ¡°No shit, your sword isn¡¯t your only weapon, cacaw.¡±

    That made Roden pause, he hadn¡¯t really considered if he was being too hard on himself. Maybe he was expecting too much from his new sword. His old swords were able to make up a lot of the difference in skill between him and his opponents because they packed more of a magical wallop, even his Flame blade was less about being a sword and more about just touching his target with a piece of solid fire.

    ¡°Okay what do you suggest?¡±

    Errrkkkk thought for a moment, ¡°Well you are faster than before, but not just with your sword. You need to mix in your ranged stuff more to make up the difference in damage, cacaw.¡±

    Roden ran their recent sparring sessions through his mind. Upon review, he had to agree with Errrkkkk. He had been expecting his current sword to fulfill the same role as his old one and he wasn¡¯t using his ranged abilities, which would probably make up the difference in damage. His cloak gave him much faster ranged attacks than when he just had ranged spells and didn¡¯t require any incantation or drain on his own reserves.

    ¡°Good point, I¡¯ll think about it and we can try again tomorrow.¡±

    Roden spent a good piece of the night reconsidering his fighting options. After really considering his new spells, abilities, and Errrkkkk¡¯s words it became clear to him, he had been going about things all wrong. Some of his more powerful new spells would make it impossible for enemies to do what Errrkkkk was doing to him without them paying a hefty price for it. Having his abilities changed while already being at such a high level¡­

    ¡®How do people in this world describe how strong an adventurer is without level?¡¯ He thought with a hint of frustration at Miriana¡¯s deception.

    His other domains had been with him from the very first day on the road. He had a lot of time to get used to those abilities and they had been through some intense fights. Roden was amazed at just how wild his experiences had been during his months on Mir. Where he came from people didn¡¯t fight monsters. People hunted animals, but that wasn¡¯t a fight. People fought people, but rarely would someone actually fight to the death.

    It was truly a one of a kind experience reserved for fantasy and story¡­It was then he remembered the fights that were to come and he started to panic. He took a calming breath and tried to push those horrific thoughts from his mind. Not long after finding himself in this world, he had come to the conclusion he couldn¡¯t focus on what he knew was going to come. He would let himself strategize a bit, but even then he tried his best to not let those thoughts linger. He was always the type to never worry about things he couldn¡¯t change and given his divine mission to keep things as he knew them to be, worrying about the things he couldn¡¯t change wasn¡¯t going to do him any good.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    As he drifted off to sleep, he was content to block out his worries by imagining just how different the next sparring session with Errrkkkk was going to be.

    Their next day of travel should have been their last, but they had been moving much slower than their usual pace. Errrkkkk had taken the lead for the most part and would stop them early. Again they stopped with more than a few hours of daylight left.

    Riakon had stayed relatively sullen compared to his pre-ritual self. Even Grok seemed to be a bit depressed, most likely feeding off of Riakon¡¯s own disposition. Roden hoped things would get better for him once they got back to Port Sept and had a better idea of what they could do for the big man.

    They set up camp as usual and once the chores were done, Errrkkkk started stretching to prepare for their sparring. Roden manifested his Grove Armor and set to his stretches too. He had gotten into the habit of stretching in his armor as he was rarely without it in combat. At first he was shocked by just how flexible the wooden armor was despite its rigid appearance.

    When Errrkkkk was done he hopped up and down a few times before addressing Roden.

    ¡°Okay so what rules are we going with this time, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°I think we could stick with basic ranged stuff, no beams. I¡¯ll use my cloak and Storm Strider. You can use your chi blasts. Sound good?¡±

    ¡°Errrkkkk nodded, ¡°sounds like a good choice, cacaw.¡±

    Roden activated his usual suite of abilities. He snatched his sword out of the air as his cloak and shield formed. However, this time his shield wasn¡¯t as large as it had been in the past. Roden made it a point to shrink it down into something smaller and more rectangular.

    Errrkkkk dropped into his martial arts stance. Roden had taken to calling it Eagle style in his mind for obvious reasons. They each settled in and waited for Riakon¡¯s cue.

    ¡°Ready¡­Set¡­Fight!¡±

    Errrkkkk was off in a flurry of movement. He immediately leapt into the air and twisted, unleashing a series of spinning kicks. Roden met him with his shield high, absorbing each impact. Errrkkkk spun off Roden¡¯s defense, landing behind him.

    ¡®He was using that insane speed again.¡¯

    Roden just managed to get his shield around in time to block Errrkkkk¡¯s punches. Roden was stuck on the defensive as he backed up and continued to use his shield to blunt Errrkkkk¡¯s assault.

    Errrkkkk was a master of movement with his practiced style of aerial strikes and rapid wing and footwork. He poured on attack after attack, each one bouncing off Roden¡¯s shield. Until one of his kicks snuck around the edge and knocked it to the side leaving Roden wide open.

    Except Roden had been waiting for something like that to happen. His blade had been poised ready to thrust out the moment his defenses were breached. He dismissed the shield and threw himself forward. His surprise thrust caught Errrkkkk off guard and out of position.

    Just as it seemed his blade would strike home, Errrkkkk fell backwards avoiding the strike while causing Roden to overextend. Errrkkkk used a taloned hand on the ground to pivot his lower body enough for a sweeping kick over top of Roden¡¯s shoulder.

    Seeing Errrkkkk fall back Roden activated Leap. He bounced into the air as if on a trampoline. He sailed over Errrkkkk in an aerial flip. He landed softly as Errrkkkk kick whipped threw the space Roden¡¯s head had just vacated. Errrkkkk used the momentum from his missed kick and a slight flap of his wing to spring up to his feet. An intense expression on his face. He charged Roden again.

    Roden¡¯s back was to Errrkkkk so he spun his blade around in a reverse grip and loosed a jolt of lightning from the tip of the sword. He had built up a decent amount of charge that the discharge for the attack struck Errrkkkk with just enough force to slow his rush. The discharge alone was all Roden needed as he activated his Storm Strider ability.

    He absorbed the stray arcs of energy increasing his speed twice over. He used that speed to dart back and forth around Errrkkkk in short zig zagging attacks. Errrkkkk was fast enough to block or dodge most, but he wasn¡¯t able to land any successful attacks, which was Roden¡¯s whole plan.

    His instincts had told him he just needed to get Errrkkkk on the defensive. Once that happened he could use his boosted speed to at the very least build up an even greater charge. As Roden darted around Errrkkkk, he noticed his cloak growing darker and darker, going from a dingy gray to an almost black storm cloud that crackled as he moved. He was gathering more charge than he was expending.

    Errrkkkk would lash out from his stationary position, but Roden¡¯s combination of abilities made him incredibly difficult to pin down, now that he had gotten going. Roden would strike out with his sword in passing, he would empower each strike with a bit of the charge he was collecting adding to his damage, but more importantly fueling his Strom Strider ability.

    Seeing the current situation was not to his advantage, Errrkkkk made his move to take to the sky. Roden had no intention of letting him leave his cloak¡¯s aura. Roden pointed his sword at Errrkkkk, directing all of his stored electrical energy straight toward the birdman. The resulting bolt was incredible and greater than anything his ability had produced up to that point.

    Before the incredible bolt reached its target, Roden saw a golden light erupt around Errrkkkk followed by a bellowing, ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    Errrkkkk¡¯s golden beam met Roden¡¯s bolt in a flash. The light was blinding. After his vision returned Roden could see Errrkkkk had glided back to the ground.

    Roden couldn¡¯t help, but let a smug grin spread across his face, ¡°You broke the rules.¡±

    Errrkkkk nodded, ¡°Yeah yeah, you win this time, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Barely, I still have a long way to go. I haven¡¯t even worked in my spells yet.¡±

    Both men then looked to Riakon who sat with Grok off to the side, both man and garg just listening to their exchange. When he noticed them both looking at him he spoke,

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You need to do some sparring too, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon looked crestfallen, ¡°I mean I guess¡­¡±

    ¡°I was talking to Grok, cacaw.¡±

 Chapter 5-Time to Tell Your Mother

    Chapter 5

    By the time the party made it back to Port Sept, Roden was drained. Errrkkkk had pushed him hard everyday. Roden didn¡¯t blame him, they were in for a rough ride as long as Riakon was powerless. Although Roden was starting to feel like everyone was being a little hard on Riakon, including Riakon. In terms of his fighting ability, he was still a force to be reckoned with when he was swinging that hammer around. Eventually, they would have to put that to the test, but for now they were content to wait and see what path lay ahead for the fallen paladin.

    Eventually they made it all the way back to the Silver Wind Inn. Miriana wasn¡¯t around when they arrived so they let themselves in and were finally able to relax. Roden conjured up his treehouse with the spa on the main floor as he had grown accustomed to doing when they weren¡¯t using it for sleeping. Roden soaked in the hot waters as long as he could stand it. He was so worn out from all of Errrkkkk¡¯s training even his healing magic hadn¡¯t been enough to completely wash away his soreness. Roden was submerged up to his eyes when he heard a knock.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Riakon¡¯s resonating voice came from the other side of the door, ¡°Your mother is back and wants to hear all about our adventure¡­She said to meet her in the main sitting room.¡±

    ¡®Here we go. Better get this over with¡­¡¯

    ¡°Okay I¡¯ll meet yall there.¡±

    When Roden joined everyone in the sitting room, the overall vibe of the room was peculiar to say the least. Miriana was seated on the couch while the others two chairs on the opposite side semi-facing her and the big window that looked out at the sea.

    Miriana smiled warmly when she saw him, ¡°Roden! Dear, please come sit already. These two have been so tight-lipped about everything I am dying of suspense.¡±

    Roden took his seat and looked to Riakon, ¡°Do you want to tell her or should I?¡±

    Riakon¡¯s face scrunched up in a distasteful look, ¡°Well do you want the good news or the bad news first?¡±

    Miriana looked a little shocked, ¡°bad news! Most definitely start there! What happened?¡±

    Riakon sighed, ¡°Well ummmmm¡­I uhhhh¡­Had a bit of a complication, after we drove off the gremlins.¡±

    Miriana¡¯s brows drew together, ¡° If you drove off the gremlins, it couldn¡¯t be that bad.¡±

    Riakon winced, ¡°Oh well, I uhhh had to tap into the power Tiamat gave me to fend them off.¡±

    Miriana raised a hand to cover her mouth, ¡°oh my¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ it was fine, until it wasn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Miriana gave Riakon a motherly look usually reserved for a child about to be reprimanded. ¡°And what exactly made it not fine?¡±

    ¡°I¡­uhhhh¡­¡± Riakon stumbled.

    ¡°He did a ritual to Tiamat and lost his connection to Era, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said, shooting Riakon with a sharp look.

    Shock spread across Miriana¡¯s face as the implications appeared to set in. Roden knew it was all an act, but in his opinion it was a performance worthy of an Oscar.

    Miriana gave Riakon a piteous look and a weak smile, ¡°I¡¯m sure that was hard for you. We all struggle with our faith. It is not our falls that define us, but how we rise from the pit of despair that determines who we are.¡±

    Riakon was briefly overwhelmed by her kindness, but managed to give a smile of appreciation.

    Miriana addressed Riakon again, ¡°do you have any plans to seek redemption?¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°yeah I¡¯m just not sure exactly how to go about that.¡±

    Miriana thought for a moment, ¡°well traditionally speaking you could seek out some grand gesture and offer it to Era as an apology. Are you looking for her forgiveness?¡±

    Riakon pondered the idea for a moment before answering, ¡° honestly¡­no, I¡¯m not. I know what I did was wrong and I want to atone for that, but I don¡¯t feel like Era is the goddess for me anymore. I feel like she abandoned me. None of my prayers were answered. She never even gave me a clue to lead me in the right direction¡­¡±

    Miriana nodded approvingly, ¡°I can see your point there. That only leaves seeking atonement through a different divinity.¡±

    Her eyes sparkled and a cunning smile touched the corner of her mouth. ¡°I would bet my Lady Zamira would be willing to work with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh uhhhh¡­I¨CI¨CI¡­was thinking I might look into a god more..uhhhh martially inclined.¡± He said with the weakest smile Roden had ever seen.

    Miriana rolled her eyes, ¡°I suppose that makes sense. You could probably search through the Sept Archives if you were looking for information on the rest of the gods in the pantheon. Switching clergy is no small feat. You better make sure you make the right choice. I doubt you will get a third chance.¡±

    For the first time since Roden woke up the morning after the gremlin attack, Riakon actually looked hopeful.

    ¡°Besides, it''s not like you killed anyone.¡± Miriana said offhandedly.

    All three men cringed so dramatically, Miriana didn¡¯t follow up her statement. Their expressions were enough.

    After a brief pause, Miriana changed the subject. ¡°So what¡¯s the good news then?¡±

    Roden took up the conversation at that point, ¡°well we were able to successfully fend off the gremlins. The fight was hard and we lost a few townsfolk, but we won the day.¡±

    ¡°Oh that is good news!¡± Miriana perked up a bit

    ¡®Man this woman is good!¡¯ Roden thought to himself.

    ¡°Yeah we were never in any serious danger, there were just a lot more of them than we anticipated.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Errrkkkk laughed and gave Roden a smug look, ¡°no danger?! You blew yourself up¡­twice, cacaw¡±

    Roden glared at Errrkkkk, as Miriana¡¯s expression turned into that of a storm cloud.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®he blew himself up¡¯?¡±

    Roden hadn¡¯t been sure if she knew about that part or not. From her reaction, he was pretty sure she hadn¡¯t known about it.

    ¡°Oh that¡­Well uhhhh¡­ There was a gremlin shaman and we needed to make a statement so I hit it with a fireball.¡± Roden said giving her what he hoped was a placating smile.

    Miriana narrowed her eyes, ¡°and then what happened?¡±

    ¡°Well I noticed the shaman had a weird crystal thing on his staff and figured it was the main source of his power. So I put everything into making sure I destroyed the staff. It worked and there was a small explosion.¡±

    Both Errrkkkk and Riakon started cackling like a couple idiots. Which drew a glower from Miriana.

    Riakon raised his hands in defense, ¡°It was a rather large explosion. Whatever that stone was, it left a crater big enough to stand in.¡±

    Roden¡¯s hand met with his face, a common reaction to Riakon sharing too much information.

    To Roden¡¯s surprise Miriana switched gears, ¡°what kind of stone was it?¡±

    Both Errrkkkk and Riakon shrugged so she turned her attention to Roden.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. It was definitely crystal-like, and it gave off a black energy. It held a lot more power than I thought it did.¡±

    Miriana looked genuinely puzzled as she considered his words. ¡°That is strange. Do you think the gremlins will come back?¡±

    Roden looked at Errrkkkk and Riakon. All three men nodded in the affirmative.

    ¡°Yeah they¡¯ll be back. We may have won the fight, but there were so many that got away I can¡¯t imagine that will be the last time we hear about gremlins.¡±

    ¡°Sounds about right to me¡­¡± Miriana trailed off, ¡°how was you getting blown up good news?¡±

    Errrkkkk and Riakon both started giggling to themselves.

    ¡°Oh that wasn¡¯t the good news¡­I had a bit of a change myself. After the battle was over I was walking around the town and I was stopped by a woman who revealed herself to be Zamira.¡±

    For her part Miriana looked wholly stunned as if she was hearing it all for the first time.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it happened alright. She was a bit insistent that I be her champion for the events that she says are supposed to come.¡±

    Miriana even managed to squeak when Roden mentioned being Zamira¡¯s champion.

    ¡°Does that mean?...¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°yes, of course I agreed. Only a fool would deny a goddess who asks you in person.¡±

    Miriana practically bounced to her feet, ¡°that¡¯s amazing Roden! Who would have thought my boy would be Zamira¡¯s champion?! Oh goodness that makes me so happy! We have to celebrate!¡±

    True to her word Miriana threw together a celebration like the men had never seen. She bought out a massive section of the Silver Wind Inn, catered in an exorbitant amount of food, and invited nearly every person who would listen. Throughout the entire night people Roden didn¡¯t know would walk up and congratulate him despite having no idea what they were in fact congratulating him for, but it was the thought that counts.

    The party that night was a vastly different affair than his first party while on Mir while in the village of lycans. That night was a modest affair, but full of genuine revelry. The celebration his mother threw for him was more akin to a wedding reception. The dancing was formal and mainly done in pairs.

    Thoughts of Roden¡¯s own wedding drifted through his mind. He remembered how beautiful his wife had looked on that day and he had to hold back tears. He missed her dearly. She was the light of his world back home. He had been without that light for so long he could scarcely bear the memories.

    There were multiple instances while he was doing his best attempt to appear as if he wasn¡¯t sulking that women would ask him to dance, and he would refuse politely. He imagined it would be quite easy for someone in his situation to be caught up in the life of Roden, but he wasn¡¯t the actual Roden. He had a brief moment of sympathy for his host as he was quite possibly ruining his chances at making a connection during what may be the largest event centered on him until his wedding, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to feel too bad about it.

    Instead Roden made it a point to just enjoy the atmosphere and partake in as much recreation as possible. He quickly discovered acquiring drugs was shockingly simple in a place like the Silver Wind Inn. Being that drugs were merely frowned upon and not strictly illegal, a quick conversation with the bartender and he was directed to a corner booth with a swarthy dwarf. Roden approached the table and sat down opposite the smaller man and addressed him cooly,

    ¡°What¡¯s up man?¡±

    The dwarf rolled his eyes, ¡°What do ya need?¡±

    ¡°Right, so I¡¯m looking for something to make me feel good.¡±

    The dwarf scoffed, ¡°I¡¯ma need something more specific then that if I¡¯m going to make a recommendation.¡±

    He dug into the dimensional bag he kept on the seat next to him and pulled out three small vials. He pointed to the first one which appeared to contain an opalescent powder.

    ¡°This one will make you feel so good, you will feel like you are flying.¡±

    He moved his finger to the next vial full of a ruby red liquid.

    ¡°This one will turn all your pain into pure pleasure.¡±

    Roden perked up at that one, ¡°What do you mean by pain?¡±

    ¡°You drink this and it¡¯ll make getting a tattoo feel like the greatest massage of your life.¡±

    Roden frowned, ¡°Oh so only physical pain¡­¡±

    The dwarf frowned, ¡°yeah¡­why you trying to escape something?¡±

    ¡°You could say that¡­More like get back to something I¡¯m missing.¡±

    The dwarf nodded, ¡°I thought you had that look about you. You¡¯re gonna want this one then.¡± He said pointing at the last vial with a black powder.

    ¡°This one will give you a wakeful dream. As in you take this and you¡¯ll have a nice dream with your eyes wide open.¡±

    A puzzled look spread across Roden¡¯s face. ¡°How does that help me?¡±

    The dwarf just shook his head, ¡°trust me, I¡¯m in the business of attracting repeat customers. It don¡¯t do me no good if I scare people away by giving them the wrong thing.¡±

    ¡®He got a point.¡¯ he thought, ¡°okay how much?¡±

    ¡°Two gold for three doses.¡± He said while shaking the vial of black powder.

    Roden dug in his pocket, pulled out his coins and exchanged them for the vial.

    ¡°Should I even ask what this is?¡±

    The dwarf laughed, ¡°it¡¯s ground nightstone. The witches whip it up to spice up their seances.¡±

    Roden shrugged and took his leave, giving the dwarf a casual nod of the head in goodbye.

    Roden hadn¡¯t had much of any dreams while on Mir. It was a deep hope of his that he would see his wife in the dreams it gave him. He was growing quite lonely having been away from his wife for so long. He hoped that everything was okay with her back home. Since coming to Mir, he had wondered what had become of his life back on Earth, but never had much to go on.

    After talking with Zamira, he now had good reason to believe his body was still back on Earth and only his mind was transported to this strange world. He hoped his poor wife wasn¡¯t stuck in some hospital somewhere grieving at his bedside, or worse, alone thinking he had abandoned her.

    Roden sat back down in his booth and poured a little of the black powder onto the table. He took a pinch of it between his fingers, held it up to his nose, and breathed in deeply. The sensation was not terribly pleasant. It burned a bit, but nothing he couldn¡¯t tolerate.

    He waited a few minutes to see if there were any effects. A slight tingling started in his fingertips, but after a few more minutes nothing else came. He leaned on the table with his head in his hands. He was just so tired of it all. This party, his quest, the magic and most of all the responsibility of supposedly being the only one who can keep everything from falling apart.

    He felt a wave of contentment wash over him. The tension in his neck and shoulders vanished. He hadn¡¯t even realized how tense he was until it was gone. He took a deep breath and felt every bit of the air fill his lungs. He breathed out slowly judging the euphoria coming over him as quite pleasant.

    He felt, more than saw. someone approach his table. He sat back and saw a woman had walked up to him. He really didn¡¯t want to deal with another silly girl so he tried to wave her off as politely as possible, until he saw her face.

    She had bright green eyes and long wavy brown hair. Her features were soft and feminine, from her round nose to her lips. She was tall, with a womanly figure. She wore a flowing white dress with a pattern of bright yellow and green sunflowers across it. It was Joy, his wife. He tried to speak, but no words came out. She smiled at him. It was her small smile she had only ever given him. The one he fell in love with all those years ago.

    ¡°Hey Honey.¡± she said, her voice like a balm to his aching heart.

    ¡°Hey Baby.¡± was all he could manage as tears welled up in his eyes.

    That was their routine exchange. Everyday of their lives together produced that very exchange.

    She smiled again as she slid into the seat next to him. ¡°How are you Honey?¡±

    Roden pressed his lips together holding back his emotions. ¡°I am so much better now.¡±

    ¡°That''s good, I miss you. When are you coming home?¡±

    Hearing those words from her nearly snapped his heart in two. Before it all could turn into despair or something darker, he felt an overwhelming feeling of comfort like the cozy feeling of waking up in the morning under warm blankets in a cold room. He felt that feeling in his soul. It gave him the strength to look his wife in the eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, baby. But I will. I¡¯ll be back, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    She smiled, ¡°I¡¯m not worried, you always come back to me.¡±

    Out of pure habit he reached out to hold her hand and to his shock, he took her hand in his. He could feel her soft skin and the sharp points of her dagger like acrylic nails.

    ¡®So this was what the dwarf had meant by a wakeful dream.¡¯

    Roden took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He knew none of it was real, but he didn¡¯t care. It felt so good to just sit there and hold his wife¡¯s hand. He got her talking by asking about her day and as she was wont to do she started in about all the things that made her who she was. She talked about going shopping and all the cute things she found and couldn¡¯t wait to show him. She talked about how much their dog missed her daddy. She went on for what seemed like hours as Roden listened, laughed, or cracked a joke to make her laugh. Roden wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been when she turned and reached into her purse. She pulled out her phone, looked at the time, and frowned. She let go of his hand and started to get up from the booth

    ¡°I have to get going Honey or I am going to be late. Hurry home, Love. I¡¯ll be there waiting.¡±

    Roden knew this meant the drug must be wearing off, ¡°I will Baby. I love you.¡±

    ¡°I love you, Honey. Always you!¡±

    ¡°Always you, Baby.¡±

 Chapter 6- Temple Street

    Chapter 6

    The morning after the night of celebration found the men nursing appropriately sized hangovers given their level of revelry from the night before. Errrkkkk and Roden both cursed Riakon for not having his handy hangover cure on account of him no longer having any divine magic.

    When Miriana walked into the main living area, Roden noticed she was bright eyed and bushy tailed as always. Which despite being a priestess wasn¡¯t consistent with the amount of wine he had witnessed her drink the night before.

    ¡°Hey mom.¡±

    ¡°Yes, dear?¡± She said while rummaging around the kitchen.

    ¡°How are you not hungover?¡±

    Still not turning to face him, ¡°That¡¯s easy dear, I purified before I went to sleep.¡±

    The three hungover men each raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°How?¡±

    Miriana turned around and put a hand on her hip, ¡° I cast a Restoration spell. Don¡¯t you keep one prepared?¡±

    The gazes of Roden¡¯s companions shifted to him.

    ¡°N-n-no¡­I ummmm, don¡¯t have that one¡­¡± He said sheepishly, under dual scrutiny.

    Miriana rolled her eyes, ¡°well then hurry up, I¡¯ll cleanse you boys and then I have to run. Busy day at the temple. We have a new group of initiates and I cannot be late.¡±

    Miriana cured each man of their hangover with a touch of her hand and a brief aura of golden light.

    ¡°Okay boys I am off! Have a wonderful day!¡± She said as she closed the door behind her.

    Riakon looked to Roden, ¡°Ya know, I knew she was a priestess, but I keep forgetting she can use magic.¡±

    Errrkkkk elbowed him,

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember her healing us during our training for the tournament, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon scratched at his temple, ¡°Nope¡­¡±

    Errrkkkk shook his head, ¡°So what is the plan for today boys, cacaw?¡±

    Roden went to the kitchen to pour himself a cup, before making his way over to one of the lush chairs by the window.

    ¡°I figure we have to go to the library, right?¡±

    Both men looked to Riakon, ¡°Yeah¡­ the library.¡±

    Errrkkkk narrowed his eyes on his brother, ¡°You¡¯ll be staying with me this time, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon winced, ¡°fair enough.¡±

    Roden took a long pull from his coffee, which in his mind was not quite coffee, but it would do.

    ¡°So the plan is to research the pantheon for a new religion?¡±

    ¡°Seems like the only option to me, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°Yeah I think I just need something¡­different.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you guys can handle that on your own? I want to look into that black crystal the gremlin had. I have a rather bad feeling about that rock.¡±

    Errrkkkk just shrugged, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯ll take us that long to find something new so this sad sack over here, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon glared at the birdman, ¡°Yeah, you are probably right. I am already considering Erjorn, and Byote¡­I just can¡¯t remember what their tenets or rituals are.¡± He said a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

    Errrkkkk shook his head again, ¡°See, just like I said, bad paladin, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yeah well Era just wasn¡¯t a good fit for me. Once I find the right God I¡¯ll be good as new.¡± He punctuated his statement with a stern nod.

    Errrkkkk rolled his eyes and gestured around, ¡°well let''s get going. The sooner we get your powers back the sooner we can get back to work, cacaw.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t long after that the men were pouring over various scrolls, books,  and tomes for information. Errrkkkk and Riakon scoured the religious texts looking for something that fit Riakon better than Era¡¯s tenets.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Roden was more concerned about the black rock the shaman was using during the gremlin raid on Pescatin. At the time he had assumed correctly that the crystal was both magical and powerful. Unfortunately, the literature on powerful magical rocks and gems was abysmal in terms of categorization and origin.

    Hours of searching pulled up numerous accounts of various minerals that had some magical properties such as the desert sands from The Barons that were reported to flow like water creating a sea of sand the natives used boats to sail across. There were a variety of reports on manufactured magical stones that bore no resemblance to the stone he had seen on the shaman¡¯s staff.

    One fascinating report came from a survey done on blue stones from The Tower Mountain known to repel magic primarily ambient magic. With the massive dossier on that peculiar mountain Roden found what appeared to be ancient geological records that reported evidence of an ancient meteor strike. Roden couldn¡¯t help, but find all of the history of the place fascinating. Despite not finding anything relevant to his search, he kept reading out of sheer curiosity.

    ¡®How often does a person get the chance to read direct reports about a planet?¡¯ Was the thought that propelled him forward.

    It was when he ran across a scrap of a report titled, ¡°Proposal for naming of Mountain MRIR #3¡±. The document was so old it was barely held together.

    ¡®How old is this paper?¡¯

    The ink used in the printing of the document was incredibly faded and Roden could only make out certain words, but the gist of what Roden could make out was a proposal to name a mountain, presumably the one now known as The Tower, Meteor Mons. The reasoning listed in the proposal was too faded to decipher, but it was stamped as rejected due to possible cultural contamination.

    While Roden was replacing the papers, Errrkkkk appeared at one end of the row of stacks Roden informally commandeered.

    ¡°Hey Roden, Riakon has decided to go with the church of Erjorn. He wants to pop over there before it gets too late. Are you good to go, cacaw?¡±

    Roden shrugged, ¡°yeah let¡¯s go, I haven¡¯t found anything even remotely resembling what I am looking for.¡±

    The three men left the library and made their way over to the famed Temple Street that gave Port Sept, the Sept portion of its name. The street was lined with huge structures that made up the various unique places of worship for the various gods of Mir¡¯s pantheon.

    The clergy of Port Sept took their objects of worship very seriously and went to great lengths to entice others into the service of their god.

    For example, the church of Ay, the God of Magic, Knowledge, and Education, looked more like a small college than any church Roden had seen. Which served the needs of its clergy whose daily lives were more like that of professors than priests.

    Next to that was a building that looked more like a factory than anything else. Out front were multiple tents, stands, and tables of people attempting to sell various pieces of art, pottery, and other creative productions. That was the Studio of the God of Craft, Art, and Fire, Otell.

    It was truly a sight to behold as each temple was not just a work of art in reverence to its patron deity, but they exemplified their major domains. Byote, the God of the hunt had a temple more akin to a hunting lodge. Surrounded by a generously sized wooded park that made up the place of worship for the acolytes of Mirohna, the Goddess of the Seasons and Life, as well as the wife of Byote as depicted in the lore of each.

    Next to that was a huge tavern-like building dedicated to the twin goddesses, Fala and Eetili. Fala was the Goddess of Civilization and Hospitality. While Eetili was the Goddess of Luck. The pair¡¯s joint place of worship served as both an Inn and borderline casino, which is quite possibly why it was the most opulent of the temples on Temple Street.

    A defining feature of Temple Street was it came to a fork which divided the primary deities worshiped by the masses of Mir and the Gods of a more malevolent nature. If a person walking down Temple Street kept straight at the fork they would most definitely find their eyes drawn to the temple positioned high up the hill.

    The image from the street was that of a beautiful monastery with a truly massive tree growing out of the center of the temple courtyard. That monastery belonged to Era, the Goddess of the Sun and Nature. In the shadow of Era¡¯s magnificence was a small building that lacked any great embellishments. It showed wear and was in disrepair.

    There was a large banner over the door that read ¡°The Brave shall inherit all!¡±, a saying that Roden found a little heavy handed even for the God of War and Strength, Erjorn.

    When the men finally made it to Erjorn¡¯s temple, both Errrkkkk and Roden made a face of distaste at the sight of the building¡¯s entrance. Meanwhile, Riakon had a glint in his eyes at all the war and battle motifs that could hardly be considered decorations.

    ¡°Are you sure this is the god you want to follow, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon looked at Errrkkkk appalled, ¡°what do you mean? This is perfect!¡±

    A simultaneous facepalming followed, before Riakon started walking through the front arch of the building. Inside the main room was just a large square of plain gray stone. Various weapons, suits of armor, and heraldry adorned the walls in a seemingly haphazard pattern. At the head of the room was a large table with a topographical map of Mir built into the surface, complete with mountain ranges and channels that represented the canals that ran through the center of the shattered continent.

    Eventually the men were able to grab the attention of one of the Battle Brothers, who directed them to the Priest General. A tall burly human man with a large scruffy gray beard, dressed in a disheveled suit that reminded Roden of a Civil War reenactor.

    He addressed the men in a deep booming voice, ¡°Good day Brothers! What can the god of war do for you?¡±

    Riakon took the lead and spoke to the man, ¡°Good day sir, I have come seeking redemption. I have broken my oath to the Goddess Era and I seek redemption through serving Erjorn.¡±

    The big man¡¯s eyebrows shot up at Riakon¡¯s forwardness. ¡°Well straight to the point. I respect that. Well if you are serious the only thing to do is to hold a communion with Erjorn himself and see what he says about it.¡±

    A myriad of emotions covered Riakon¡¯s face. He showed surprise, apprehension, fear, and yet too many more to decipher independent of one another as his emotions were tumultuous.

    Riakon nodded, ¡°Understood, I am prepared.¡±

    A big grin spread across the Priest¡¯s face, ¡°I suppose I could fit in a commune in about a month or so. Maybe two.¡±

    Riakon¡¯s jaw dropped in shock, ¡°Oh I¨CI was hoping to get in today.¡±

    The Priest knew he had him, ¡°Well I could perhaps squeeze you in now, if you were to make a good and proper donation.¡±

    Errrkkkk and Roden both rolled their eyes at the man¡¯s obvious bilking of a desperate man.

    Riakon pulled out a myrtium piece and held it up to the man, ¡°Is this enough of a donation?¡±

    ¡°Why that is a perfect donation for the situation. Follow me.¡±

    The Priest General led them through a door on the side of the main room and down a long hall. When they reached the door at the far end of the hall, the general opened the door with a key and ushered the men inside.

    The room was more akin to an armory than an office. There were weapon ranks along the walls and barrels that held various long shafted weapons. Along the wall opposite the door was a stone altar with the sword and hammer across a round shield, the symbol of Erjorn on a wall spanning banner behind it.

    The big man walked up to the altar and knelt down before it. He motioned for Riakon to do the same. He drew the sword at his hip. He touched the flat of the blade to his forehead before placing it on the altar.

    The man started a singsong chant,

    ¡°Fighting soldiers from the sky,

    Who are men, who just might die,

    Men who do, just what they may,

    The brave men, of Mir today.

    Men who fight, day and night,

    Have lived a life, in your light.¡±

    At the culmination of his song, the priest threw his head back, a bright white light poured from his eyes and mouth as he was possessed by a divine power. Riakon held firm in his position beside the priest. The white light began to form cracks branching out from the man¡¯s eyes and mouth down his face and neck.

    Roden and Errrkkkk exchanged looks of concern, and uncertainty as the priest¡¯s communion went on for minutes that seemed like hours.

    The lines along the priest¡¯s body started receding before being completely swallowed up by their source. There was a flash of brilliant light that left everyone with spots in their eyes.

    In the aftermath of the flash and what appeared to be the culmination of the ritual. The priest was hunched over, still kneeling in front of the altar, but not moving. Riakon placed a hand on the bearded man¡¯s shoulder, which seemed to rouse him as he took a deep breath.

    He sat up straighter before opening his eyes and looking straight at Riakon. His stare could have bore a hole through the Dragonkin. The priest looked haggard and exhausted. Without saying a word he rose to his feet and sheathed his sword. He fetched a cup from his small desk and dug around beneath it, retrieving a dark bottle which he emptied into the mug.

    He took a long drink, before looking directly at Riakon,

    ¡°What did you do?¡±

 Chapter 6- Temple Street

    Chapter 6

    The morning after the night of celebration found the men nursing appropriately sized hangovers given their level of revelry from the night before. Errrkkkk and Roden both cursed Riakon for not having his handy hangover cure on account of him no longer having any divine magic.

    When Miriana walked into the main living area, Roden noticed she was bright eyed and bushy tailed as always. Which despite being a priestess wasn¡¯t consistent with the amount of wine he had witnessed her drink the night before.

    ¡°Hey mom.¡±

    ¡°Yes, dear?¡± She said while rummaging around the kitchen.

    ¡°How are you not hungover?¡±

    Still not turning to face him, ¡°That¡¯s easy dear, I purified before I went to sleep.¡±

    The three hungover men each raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°How?¡±

    Miriana turned around and put a hand on her hip, ¡° I cast a Restoration spell. Don¡¯t you keep one prepared?¡±

    The gazes of Roden¡¯s companions shifted to him.

    ¡°N-n-no¡­I ummmm, don¡¯t have that one¡­¡± He said sheepishly, under dual scrutiny.

    Miriana rolled her eyes, ¡°well then hurry up, I¡¯ll cleanse you boys and then I have to run. Busy day at the temple. We have a new group of initiates and I cannot be late.¡±

    Miriana cured each man of their hangover with a touch of her hand and a brief aura of golden light.

    ¡°Okay boys I am off! Have a wonderful day!¡± She said as she closed the door behind her.

    Riakon looked to Roden, ¡°Ya know, I knew she was a priestess, but I keep forgetting she can use magic.¡±

    Errrkkkk elbowed him,

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember her healing us during our training for the tournament, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon scratched at his temple, ¡°Nope¡­¡±

    Errrkkkk shook his head, ¡°So what is the plan for today boys, cacaw?¡±

    Roden went to the kitchen to pour himself a cup, before making his way over to one of the lush chairs by the window.

    ¡°I figure we have to go to the library, right?¡±

    Both men looked to Riakon, ¡°Yeah¡­ the library.¡±

    Errrkkkk narrowed his eyes on his brother, ¡°You¡¯ll be staying with me this time, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon winced, ¡°fair enough.¡±

    Roden took a long pull from his coffee, which in his mind was not quite coffee, but it would do.

    ¡°So the plan is to research the pantheon for a new religion?¡±

    ¡°Seems like the only option to me, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°Yeah I think I just need something¡­different.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you guys can handle that on your own? I want to look into that black crystal the gremlin had. I have a rather bad feeling about that rock.¡±

    Errrkkkk just shrugged, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯ll take us that long to find something new so this sad sack over here, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon glared at the birdman, ¡°Yeah, you are probably right. I am already considering Erjorn, and Byote¡­I just can¡¯t remember what their tenets or rituals are.¡± He said a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

    Errrkkkk shook his head again, ¡°See, just like I said, bad paladin, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yeah well Era just wasn¡¯t a good fit for me. Once I find the right God I¡¯ll be good as new.¡± He punctuated his statement with a stern nod.

    Errrkkkk rolled his eyes and gestured around, ¡°well let''s get going. The sooner we get your powers back the sooner we can get back to work, cacaw.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t long after that the men were pouring over various scrolls, books,  and tomes for information. Errrkkkk and Riakon scoured the religious texts looking for something that fit Riakon better than Era¡¯s tenets.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Roden was more concerned about the black rock the shaman was using during the gremlin raid on Pescatin. At the time he had assumed correctly that the crystal was both magical and powerful. Unfortunately, the literature on powerful magical rocks and gems was abysmal in terms of categorization and origin.

    Hours of searching pulled up numerous accounts of various minerals that had some magical properties such as the desert sands from The Barons that were reported to flow like water creating a sea of sand the natives used boats to sail across. There were a variety of reports on manufactured magical stones that bore no resemblance to the stone he had seen on the shaman¡¯s staff.

    One fascinating report came from a survey done on blue stones from The Tower Mountain known to repel magic primarily ambient magic. With the massive dossier on that peculiar mountain Roden found what appeared to be ancient geological records that reported evidence of an ancient meteor strike. Roden couldn¡¯t help, but find all of the history of the place fascinating. Despite not finding anything relevant to his search, he kept reading out of sheer curiosity.

    ¡®How often does a person get the chance to read direct reports about a planet?¡¯ Was the thought that propelled him forward.

    It was when he ran across a scrap of a report titled, ¡°Proposal for naming of Mountain MRIR #3¡±. The document was so old it was barely held together.

    ¡®How old is this paper?¡¯

    The ink used in the printing of the document was incredibly faded and Roden could only make out certain words, but the gist of what Roden could make out was a proposal to name a mountain, presumably the one now known as The Tower, Meteor Mons. The reasoning listed in the proposal was too faded to decipher, but it was stamped as rejected due to possible cultural contamination.

    While Roden was replacing the papers, Errrkkkk appeared at one end of the row of stacks Roden informally commandeered.

    ¡°Hey Roden, Riakon has decided to go with the church of Erjorn. He wants to pop over there before it gets too late. Are you good to go, cacaw?¡±

    Roden shrugged, ¡°yeah let¡¯s go, I haven¡¯t found anything even remotely resembling what I am looking for.¡±

    The three men left the library and made their way over to the famed Temple Street that gave Port Sept, the Sept portion of its name. The street was lined with huge structures that made up the various unique places of worship for the various gods of Mir¡¯s pantheon.

    The clergy of Port Sept took their objects of worship very seriously and went to great lengths to entice others into the service of their god.

    For example, the church of Ay, the God of Magic, Knowledge, and Education, looked more like a small college than any church Roden had seen. Which served the needs of its clergy whose daily lives were more like that of professors than priests.

    Next to that was a building that looked more like a factory than anything else. Out front were multiple tents, stands, and tables of people attempting to sell various pieces of art, pottery, and other creative productions. That was the Studio of the God of Craft, Art, and Fire, Otell.

    It was truly a sight to behold as each temple was not just a work of art in reverence to its patron deity, but they exemplified their major domains. Byote, the God of the hunt had a temple more akin to a hunting lodge. Surrounded by a generously sized wooded park that made up the place of worship for the acolytes of Mirohna, the Goddess of the Seasons and Life, as well as the wife of Byote as depicted in the lore of each.

    Next to that was a huge tavern-like building dedicated to the twin goddesses, Fala and Eetili. Fala was the Goddess of Civilization and Hospitality. While Eetili was the Goddess of Luck. The pair¡¯s joint place of worship served as both an Inn and borderline casino, which is quite possibly why it was the most opulent of the temples on Temple Street.

    A defining feature of Temple Street was it came to a fork which divided the primary deities worshiped by the masses of Mir and the Gods of a more malevolent nature. If a person walking down Temple Street kept straight at the fork they would most definitely find their eyes drawn to the temple positioned high up the hill.

    The image from the street was that of a beautiful monastery with a truly massive tree growing out of the center of the temple courtyard. That monastery belonged to Era, the Goddess of the Sun and Nature. In the shadow of Era¡¯s magnificence was a small building that lacked any great embellishments. It showed wear and was in disrepair.

    There was a large banner over the door that read ¡°The Brave shall inherit all!¡±, a saying that Roden found a little heavy handed even for the God of War and Strength, Erjorn.

    When the men finally made it to Erjorn¡¯s temple, both Errrkkkk and Roden made a face of distaste at the sight of the building¡¯s entrance. Meanwhile, Riakon had a glint in his eyes at all the war and battle motifs that could hardly be considered decorations.

    ¡°Are you sure this is the god you want to follow, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon looked at Errrkkkk appalled, ¡°what do you mean? This is perfect!¡±

    A simultaneous facepalming followed, before Riakon started walking through the front arch of the building. Inside the main room was just a large square of plain gray stone. Various weapons, suits of armor, and heraldry adorned the walls in a seemingly haphazard pattern. At the head of the room was a large table with a topographical map of Mir built into the surface, complete with mountain ranges and channels that represented the canals that ran through the center of the shattered continent.

    Eventually the men were able to grab the attention of one of the Battle Brothers, who directed them to the Priest General. A tall burly human man with a large scruffy gray beard, dressed in a disheveled suit that reminded Roden of a Civil War reenactor.

    He addressed the men in a deep booming voice, ¡°Good day Brothers! What can the god of war do for you?¡±

    Riakon took the lead and spoke to the man, ¡°Good day sir, I have come seeking redemption. I have broken my oath to the Goddess Era and I seek redemption through serving Erjorn.¡±

    The big man¡¯s eyebrows shot up at Riakon¡¯s forwardness. ¡°Well straight to the point. I respect that. Well if you are serious the only thing to do is to hold a communion with Erjorn himself and see what he says about it.¡±

    A myriad of emotions covered Riakon¡¯s face. He showed surprise, apprehension, fear, and yet too many more to decipher independent of one another as his emotions were tumultuous.

    Riakon nodded, ¡°Understood, I am prepared.¡±

    A big grin spread across the Priest¡¯s face, ¡°I suppose I could fit in a commune in about a month or so. Maybe two.¡±

    Riakon¡¯s jaw dropped in shock, ¡°Oh I¨CI was hoping to get in today.¡±

    The Priest knew he had him, ¡°Well I could perhaps squeeze you in now, if you were to make a good and proper donation.¡±

    Errrkkkk and Roden both rolled their eyes at the man¡¯s obvious bilking of a desperate man.

    Riakon pulled out a myrtium piece and held it up to the man, ¡°Is this enough of a donation?¡±

    ¡°Why that is a perfect donation for the situation. Follow me.¡±

    The Priest General led them through a door on the side of the main room and down a long hall. When they reached the door at the far end of the hall, the general opened the door with a key and ushered the men inside.

    The room was more akin to an armory than an office. There were weapon ranks along the walls and barrels that held various long shafted weapons. Along the wall opposite the door was a stone altar with the sword and hammer across a round shield, the symbol of Erjorn on a wall spanning banner behind it.

    The big man walked up to the altar and knelt down before it. He motioned for Riakon to do the same. He drew the sword at his hip. He touched the flat of the blade to his forehead before placing it on the altar.

    The man started a singsong chant,

    ¡°Fighting soldiers from the sky,

    Who are men, who just might die,

    Men who do, just what they may,

    The brave men, of Mir today.

    Men who fight, day and night,

    Have lived a life, in your light.¡±

    At the culmination of his song, the priest threw his head back, a bright white light poured from his eyes and mouth as he was possessed by a divine power. Riakon held firm in his position beside the priest. The white light began to form cracks branching out from the man¡¯s eyes and mouth down his face and neck.

    Roden and Errrkkkk exchanged looks of concern, and uncertainty as the priest¡¯s communion went on for minutes that seemed like hours.

    The lines along the priest¡¯s body started receding before being completely swallowed up by their source. There was a flash of brilliant light that left everyone with spots in their eyes.

    In the aftermath of the flash and what appeared to be the culmination of the ritual. The priest was hunched over, still kneeling in front of the altar, but not moving. Riakon placed a hand on the bearded man¡¯s shoulder, which seemed to rouse him as he took a deep breath.

    He sat up straighter before opening his eyes and looking straight at Riakon. His stare could have bore a hole through the Dragonkin. The priest looked haggard and exhausted. Without saying a word he rose to his feet and sheathed his sword. He fetched a cup from his small desk and dug around beneath it, retrieving a dark bottle which he emptied into the mug.

    He took a long drink, before looking directly at Riakon,

    ¡°What did you do?¡±

 Chapter 7-The Big Damn Quest

    Chapter 7

    Riakon was startled by the Priest General¡¯s question,

    ¡°Uhh, I-I uhhh¡­¡± Sweat started to bead on the Dragonkin¡¯s brow.

    The priest waved it off, ¡°nevermind, if it is that bad. I don¡¯t want to know.¡±

    He reached into a drawer, pulled out a rolled up scroll and spread it across his desk. He used various things on hand to hold the corners down as he started to draw circles on various locations.

    The men moved closer and saw it was a map of Mir spread out and the man was circling various regions using a piece of charcoal. When he was finished he tossed his writing implement onto the desk and dusted off his hands.

    ¡°Look I don¡¯t know what you did, but your connection to the divine is nearly non-existent. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before. When I called upon Erjorn to observe you there was a tremendous amount of feedback that prevented Erjorn himself from making a connection with you.¡±

    At the man¡¯s words Riakon hung his head, his last hope nearly extinguished.

    The priest raised a meaty hand, ¡°before you get all lost cause on me. Erjorn was able to grant you a boon. He has given me a divine mandate to send you on a quest of redemption. A divine mandate is some of the most powerful magic a god can exercise.¡±

    Riakon¡¯s mood changed from the depths of despair to pure joy.

    ¡°Yes, what is it?! Whatever it is, I will do it!¡±

    The priest winced, ¡°Yeah well in all my days I¡¯ve never heard of a quest like this one.¡± The Priest General stood up tall and spoke in a clear commanding voice,

    ¡°To atone for your sins, by divine decree of Erjorn himself, you Riakon, must slay the four remaining dragon lieutenants of Tiamat. That is the will of the gods, fail this quest and face exclusion from the bliss of eternity in the light of the Gods.¡±

    Riakon and Errrkkkk¡¯s jaws dropped lower than ever before. Roden saw this and followed suit, albeit a bit slower.

    Riakon struggled to speak through his shock. ¡°W¨Cwhat do you mean, slay dragon lieutenants?¡±

    ¡°Look I wasn¡¯t given all of the details or Erjorn¡¯s reasoning. All I know if that is the quest and¡­¡± He held up the map he was drawing circles on before. ¡°Here are the locations of the lieutenants. I wish you the best of luck¡­You are going to need it.¡±

    The men left the church of Erjorn in vastly different dispositions. Riakon was in shock and disbelief. Roden was resigned to the course Riakon¡¯s quest had now guaranteed they would have to take. Errrkkkk was the least happy about the situation. He grumbled under his breath the entire way out of the church and the majority of the way back to the Silver Wind Inn.

    Without any direction they all took a seat in the main sitting room for a team meeting.

    Roden got right to the matter at hand, ¡°So I guess we¡¯re fighting dragons, huh?¡±

    Errrkkkk continued to grumble to himself.

    Riakon finally gathered himself enough to speak. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s what the man said¡­Can we even do it?¡±

    ¡°You mean can Roden and I even do it, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk snapped.

    Riakon recoiled slightly and raised his hands in surrender, ¡°fair point, I imagine your guys¡¯ contribution will be greater than my own until I get my powers back.¡±

    Roden winced, ¡°Errrkkkk has a point¡­but how cool will it be to be able to say we slayed a bunch of dragons?¡±

    He eyed Errrkkkk appealing to his never ending urge to fight challenging opponents.

    Errrkkkk tried to maintain his scowl, but the prospect was too tantalizing.

    ¡°Yeah, it will be pretty cool, cacaw¡­But we need to get you up to speed with your new abilities or this is going to be a shitshow, cacaw.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Roden nodded, ¡°Agreed, and quite honestly I was thinking we might need to ¡®advance¡¯ a bit more before we head off to take on any dragons.¡±

    Riakon looked at Roden with an eyebrow raised, ¡°Why did you use air quotes when you said ¡®advance¡¯? We definitely should advance again before we attempt this quest. I did just get one, but¡­It was a little underwhelming...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you probably didn¡¯t receive anything because you¡¯re no longer a paladin, cacaw¡­¡± Errrkkkk puffed up as he chastised Riakon.

    He smoothed himself out before continuing. ¡°I agree another advancement will go a long way for our overall power level, cacaw.¡±

    Roden couldn¡¯t help himself, ¡°oh yeah? Is our power level over nine thousand?¡±

    The two men looked at him puzzled, Riakon leaned over to Errrkkkk and spoke in a stage whisper,

    ¡°I am starting to think this guy¡¯s training was severely lacking in advancement education.¡±

    Errrkkkk shook his head, ¡°Master Rolen would be so disappointed, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you guys.¡± Roden said, rolling his eyes. ¡°But seriously, what should we do about the advancement situation?¡±

    The three sat in collective thought for a long moment, even Grok got in on it mimicking Riakon¡¯s thinking pose with a fist to his temple.

    Riakon was the first to make a suggestion, ¡°should we just head to the arena and train there?¡±

    Errrkkkk considered it then shook his head no, ¡°nah, I don¡¯t want to tarnish our good name by looking weaker than we were before, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon hung his head as Errrkkkk shot down his idea.

    Roden had a thought occur to him, ¡°well I definitely need more practice with my new abilities and spells before I go out fighting anything too challenging.¡±

    Errrkkkk cut him off with an abrupt, ¡°cacaw.¡±

    Roden glared at him, ¡°hey I¡¯m not that bad with my new stuff.¡±

    ¡°You are definitely worse than you were before. Not as bad as Riakon, but still worse, cacaw.¡±

    Roden smirked, ¡°still good enough to beat back your beam though.¡±

    Errrkkkk glared at him, but couldn¡¯t argue the point.

    Riakon cut the brief competitive tension,

    ¡°So our plan is to get some practice in and just hope we get an advancement? Doesn¡¯t seem like a very good plan.¡±

    Roden gave it some thought, ¡°we could check in with the Outpost from time to time and see if anything interesting comes up.¡±

    Riakon nodded in approval, ¡°now that is a good plan.¡±

    Errrkkkk scoffed, ¡°sounds like I won¡¯t be getting much training, cacaw.¡±

    Roden looked at Riakon and then at Errrkkkk, ¡°oh no, with us a bit weaker than before, you get to train against both of us at the same time.¡±

    A toothy grin spread on Riakon¡¯s face at the idea. Errrkkkk tried to keep his stubborn expression, but couldn¡¯t hold back his excitement at what he saw as a potentially good challenge.

    ¡°We are going to need somewhere to train, cacaw.¡±

    Roden got a smug look on his face, ¡°I¡¯ve already got a plan for that.¡±

    With their plan set the men enjoyed one final night of relaxation before their rigorous training began. In the morning Roden prepared their training room by casting his Adventurer¡¯s Refuge. However, instead of creating a treehouse with bedrooms or anything they had been using before he generated the perfect training dojo.

    The outside of the structure was that of a stone gray sphere that sat on four long pillars that secured it to the sea floor. The door opened like a drawbridge connecting it to the dock of their villa. Inside was a completely circular room that was four stories in height now that Roden could overcharge the spell thanks to his most recent advancement.

    Each day the team would congregate in their dojo and train their various abilities. Errrkkkk used their coastal location to his advantage to train his various chi based attacks without worry of damaging anything important.

    In the moments Roden was able to observe Errrkkkk training by himself, he noticed the birdman had an intense focus on his directing of his chi. Whether he was creating small blasts or his Soul Sphere. He was deliberate about his movements. When he would launch his more powerful beams out over the water his timing was impeccable.

    Roden had come to realize that his spells had a ¡®zone¡¯ or perfect moment they should be cast within. He figured he might not have ever noticed it on his own if not for his Divine Gambit Spell that would prompt him during its activation.

    Errrkkkk wasn¡¯t using spells, but he was still abiding by the same principle of releasing his ability at just the right moment of conflux. Watching Errrkkkk was like poetry in motion. He didn¡¯t have nearly as many weapons in his arsenal as Roden, but his tools were precision instruments in the hands of a master.

    Roden did his best to mimic Errrkkkk¡¯s precision given that his abilities were no longer geared toward wide area effects. His new spells were significantly more focused and required him to aim his spells and abilities just as precisely, if not more than the monk.

    It was during their training that Roden got to try out his Luminary Lance for the first time. He stood inside the dojo and was prepared to cast his spell at one of the training dummies he had added after their first day at Riakon¡¯s request.

    He spoke the incantation, ¡°Lux¡±. The spell¡¯s incantation came preloaded of sorts. Other spells he was allowed to use his own words, but this one was different. When he cast it, a rod of golden energy materialized in his hand. Once fully formed Roden recognized it to be the spear he had imagined when the knowledge of the spell was granted to him.

    He waved it about briefly, getting a feel for its weight and balance. He twirled it in his hand like a baton. The motion was effortless, the spear was his to command. However, this was not a stabbing weapon, it was intended to be thrown at a target.

    With a final spin, he brought the weapon around into a throwing grip. He set his sights on the dummy and heaved. The spell had two major effects once thrown. First, the spell did not ¡®fly¡¯ through the air. Instead it arrived at its target almost instantly. The second effect was it pierced the target. The depth it sank was proportional to the power of the spell against the defense it encountered, but that added another dimension to how it would affect those hit by it.

    Roden did notice the range of the spell was less than it had been as his beloved Ignition Bolt, but it did appear to do more damage to its victims, so he couldn¡¯t complain too much. Once Roden started getting some practice with his new spells he felt more confident in his move over to being a Cleric of Zamira, even though the decision wasn¡¯t entirely his own. He felt like he was well on his way to getting back to full strength.

    Riakon was a different story. Without his magic, he was mostly left with just his hammer and his natural Dragonkin abilities like his hardened scales and his breath attacks. It took some coaxing and a bit of supervision, but eventually all three men agreed he should try using the breaths he received from Tiamat. Even though it had appeared those gifts were what allowed Tiamat to corrupt Riakon on that fateful night, Riakon didn¡¯t have a lot of other options.

    When it became clear the use of those breaths weren¡¯t giving Tiamat any influence over him any more, Riakon spent much of his time incorporating them into his fighting style. After a few days of getting used to his new breaths Riakon mentioned he wanted to go pick up their commissioned items from Pa¡¯teem. He wanted to be able to train with his ring on to get used to his new hammer and shield style.

    It was around then that Roden realized he had made a grave error. His Opal steel earring was being enchanted for fire magic¡­

    A magic he was no longer capable of¡­

    He really hoped Pa¡¯t wouldn¡¯t be angry with him.

 Chapter 8-Someone to Talk to

    Chapter 8

    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t want it?¡± The medium sized troll was aghast.

    Roden sighed, ¡°I already explained this to Pa¡¯teem here. I don¡¯t have fire magic anymore, so the enchantment doesn¡¯t do me any good.¡±

    The troll grumbled to himself as the larger one interjected, ¡°well that der puts us in a bit of a pickle, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m sorry about that, I suppose it''s already paid for so at least it''s not hurting your pocket ¡­¡±

    Roden paused for effect then added, ¡°I supposed I can sell it to recoup some losses.¡±

    Pa¡¯t¡¯s eyes flared bright, but his mouth was quickly covered by the pint sized Eem.

    ¡°Well hang on, let¡¯s not get hasty. That der enchantment is a one of a kind, Enchanting Enchanters Applicable Applicators original piece. I couldn¡¯t settle for someone else having it in their store.¡±

    Roden hoped that would be the troll¡¯s response, but he was never really sure about Pa¡¯teem.

    ¡°Oh, yeah I can see how that might be a bit unsavory. Do you have a suggestion?¡±

    ¡°Well I suppose we could do for a trade, but I don¡¯t have any Opal steel pieces here. That stuff is mighty rare.¡±

    Roden thought on it, ¡°a trade huh? Hmmmmm...¡±

    As Roden pondered his options he felt Errrkkkk¡¯s eyes boring a hole through him.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t trade that Opal steel, cacaw.¡±

    Roden furrowed his brow, ¡°why not?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s sentimental, cacaw.¡±

    ¡®Crap, he had a point¡­¡¯

    ¡°Alright, fair enough.¡±

    Roden turned back to Pa¡¯t, ¡°do you have any way to make that enchantment lightning or storm themed?¡±

    Before the medium troll could respond Pa¡¯teem spoke, while Eem held Pa¡¯t back.

    ¡°I was thinking about dat. I had an idea about changing the healing from burning to coming into contact with say magical or magically created water. Would that be something helpful to ya?¡±

    Roden cycled through his suite of spells and abilities in his mind. ¡°Would a cloud count?¡±

    Pa¡¯teem though on it then looked at Pa¡¯t, ¡°I believe if the cloud were dense enough it could generate a healing effect.¡±

    Riakon cut in, ¡°could he jump in a lake and heal that way?¡±

    Pa¡¯teem shook his head, ¡°no, the enchantment requires the medium to have some residual magic to power the healing factor.¡±

    ¡°What about ice, cacaw?¡±

    All three trolls turned their heads up in thought then nodded, ¡°I think we could stretch the enchantment to be able to siphon the magic from water in any state of matter, but it does require physical contact with whatever medium. So you would need to be in a cloud or touching water or ice.¡±

    ¡°I can work with that¡­By chance would you have something to mount it on. I¡¯d rather not have to pierce my ear to make it work.¡±

    Pa¡¯teem laughed a bold belly laugh, ¡°oh yeah I could seat it in a ring for ya.¡±

    ¡°Sold, any idea how long it will all take?¡±

    The larger troll looked at the medium sized one who had calmed down to the point the little one had released them.

    ¡°I could have it done in a few hours.¡±

    ¡°Perfect! Riakon, handle the price.¡±

    As Riakon haggled with the troll, Errrkkkk and Roden stepped outside the shop.

    ¡°Ya know, now might be a good time to stop at the Outpost and check the boards for anything interesting.¡±

    Errrkkkk thought on the idea for a long moment, ¡°do you really think you and Riakon can handle going out in the field, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°I figure we need to at some point. Even if we take something trivial it¡¯ll go a long way to getting our confidence back up and we can get a better idea of our new teamwork.¡±

    Once Riakon joined them they headed over to the Outpost where they were confronted with a strange occurrence. The clerk at the desk informed them they had a message from the Court Mage of Port Sept. He requested a meeting for three weeks from the day. The three men looked at each other, shrugged and accepted the meeting.

    On their way back to the Silver Wind Inn, they mused about what the meeting could be about.

    Riakon was clearly the most nervous for obvious reasons, but the time frame put the party at ease a bit. If it was something to do with their most recent mission, there would no doubt be more urgency.

    When they arrived back at their villa, Miriana was in a tizzy.

    ¡°Boys! Come come, you have to see this!¡±

    She ushered the men inside and aimed their attention at the window, or more accurately Errrkkkk¡¯s little branch sitting in the window. Over the last week or so since Errrkkkk had purchased the wand of growth from Pa¡¯teem, he had been casting the growth enchantment on the little branch everyday.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    The once little buds had grown into their own small branches giving it the appearance of a sapling tree instead of just a big twig.

    The three men looked from Miriana to the plant and back again, none of them seeing anything out of the ordinary.

    Miriana huffed and began to coax the plant with motherly words, ¡°oh don¡¯t be shy little guy. These are your friends. The ones who saved you.¡±

    Errrkkkk stepped forward and knelt down next to his plant and started chirping in a quiet bird song. Only then did two slits on the trunk of the sapling split open revealing two small holes that held faint green lights giving the impression of pupils. A third split appeared beneath in a crude mouth. When the mouth opened a series of chirps and soft screechs emerged to Errrkkkk¡¯s delight.

    Riakon leaned over to the others, ¡°what the hell is going on?¡±

    Roden chuckled to himself, ¡°Errrkkkk must have instilled birdfolk as the little guy¡¯s primary language.¡±

    Riakon looked confused, ¡°how did he teach a plant language?¡±

    Roden shook his head, ¡°he didn¡¯t teach it to him. I think he gave it to him through the spell he''s been casting. Just like you are Grok¡¯s handler. Errrkkkk is that little plant¡¯s main person.

    ¡°Why would he have him learn a language no one speaks?¡± Riakon said still not getting it.

    Errrkkkk glared at him, ¡°so I finally have someone to talk to.¡±

    Miriana clapped in her girlish way, ¡°how wonderful! We have to mark it down as his birthday!¡±

    Riakon laughed, ¡°haha, yeah Errrkkkk you are the father!¡±

    Roden laughed before he caught the reference from Riakon and couldn¡¯t help, but question it.

    ¡®How the fuck?...¡¯He shook off the impossible thought and chopped it up to coincidence.

    Miriana rubbed her hands together, ¡°so what are you going to name him?¡±

    Errrkkkk thought for a moment and let out a clipped chirp. When met with only blank stares, he rolled his eyes.

    ¡°His name is Branch.¡±

    Miriana chuckled, ¡°a little on the nose, but it''s cute.¡±

    ¡°So how long until he¡¯s up and walking about?¡± Riakon said, eyeing up Branch¡¯s pot.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking he¡¯ll be ready to go by the time we tackle your dragons, cacaw.¡±

    Roden could feel Miriana¡¯s eyes on the back of his neck. She definitely played up her motherly role around Errrkkkk and Riakon. When they had mentioned to her the nature of Riakon¡¯s divine quest she put on a truly dramatic performance. Even at the mention of their quest she would glare at Roden to outwardly display her displeasure.

    With the emergence of Branch as the newest addition to their growing family, Miriana demanded they hold a private birthday party for the little guy. She whipped together a home cooked meal and a fruitcake that was significantly more fruit than cake. Roden plucked out happy birthday on his instrument and everyone sang along to his surprise.

    When all of the traditional festivities were done and everyone was preparing to head off to their rooms Miriana placed a hand on Roden¡¯s arm grabbing his attention.

    ¡°Would you want to play a game of chess before bed? I could use a game or two to relax.¡±

    Games of chess before bed had been their routine in Coastall so he was a little surprised they hadn¡¯t continued it since then.

    ¡°That sounds great actually. Your moves always put me to sleep.¡±

    Miriana swatted at him, ¡°oh you don¡¯t want to see me go on the offense.¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°bring it if you dare.¡±

    They sat down at the table where Miriana had laid out their chess board from back home. She started with the white pieces and pushed her pawn two squares. Roden mirrored her, deciding he did want to see what she considered an offensive game. After a few more moves Roden was surprised to see her move her bishop completing the configuration of her pieces that was labeled the Italian game.

    ¡°Hey mom, what is this position called?¡± He said, gesturing to the board.

    A small smile touched the corner of her mouth. They had an unspoken agreement to never discuss incriminating information unless they were in complete privacy. Which meant they hadn¡¯t been able to discuss much of anything with Errrkkkk and Riakon always around.

    ¡°This setup is called the Eesil game after the island.¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°Oh right, right.¡± He moved his bishop, changing the position to a Giuoco Piano. ¡°What about now?¡±

    ¡°This is known as the Quiet variation.¡±

    ¡®Hmmmm they kept the translated version¡­¡¯

    ¡°Interesting how they name these things, no?¡± Roden hoped he was putting enough subtext in his word choice to pull any kind of information from her.

    ¡°It is an interesting thing, but don¡¯t think I have forgotten. You just like playing the openings with cool sounding names, like the dragon or the lion.¡±

    ¡®Oh shit! Those were the same as back home.¡¯

    ¡°You got me there, but who hears the Dragon defense and doesn¡¯t want to play it?¡±

    She rolled her eyes, ¡°such a boy thing to say.¡±

    They played their game going move for move. Roden knew the positions well from either side, the opening being one of his favorites. However, after twenty or so moves he realized he was in a losing position. No great mistakes had been made on his part. Miriana had just calmly positioned her pieces to attack his castled king. Her finishing combination was a beautifully executed Greek Gift sacrifice that left Roden either mated or down a significant amount of material.

    ¡°Okay okay I resign. That was brutal. What¡¯s that little maneuver called?¡±

    Miriana smiled like a fox in the chicken coop, ¡°oh son how have you forgotten? That is called Zamira¡¯s Gift.¡±

    Roden stared at her flatly, ¡°you¡¯re kidding.¡±

    She shook her head, ¡°no really. Not by choice of her clergy, but by reputation. Many early practitioners saw the sequence as too dangerous for beginners to learn so they named it after the Goddess of Death to scare them off, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Wild business that is.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a rather appropriate name actually. The uninitiated should always beware a storm at their door and probably shouldn¡¯t accept any gifts they didn¡¯t ask for unless they know what they are doing.¡±

    Roden thought on her words, ¡°that is actually pretty good, I suppose in that way it does fit nicely.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention when done properly the maneuver mimics a storm in motion. One minute the situation is calm and quiet and the next you are getting struck by a bolt of lightning.¡±

    Roden chuckled, ¡°yeah I¡¯ll say. I think I was too busy looking at clouds to see that bit of lightning coming.¡±

    ¡°You know¡­as a Cleric of Zamira, you really should start thinking more in line with her teachings.¡±

    Roden opened his mouth to respond, but realized he couldn¡¯t. Even Roden¡¯s memories were of little help on the topic.

    ¡°Mmmmhhhhmmmm, as I thought. You don¡¯t even know her core philosophies, do you son?¡±

    ¡°Uhhhh¡­no¡­no I don¡¯t, now that I think about it.¡±

    ¡°Tisk tisk, how shameful. The son of a¡ª¡± Roden interrupted her melodramatic solilaque.

    ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯m a bad cleric. Can you just help me out?¡±

    Miriana huffed, ¡°no fun, I¡¯ve been working on that speech to chastise you.¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m sure you have, but I¡¯d rather just get to it.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± She said pushing back from the table and standing. ¡°Come with me.¡±

    ¡°W¨Cwhat?! Now?!¡±

    ¡°Yes now, there are a lovely bunch of heavy clouds coming and I don¡¯t want to miss them.¡±

    Once outside and standing on the dock Miriana noticed Roden¡¯s glare, ¡°what now?¡±

    ¡°You planned this. You knew this would happen.¡±

    Miriana pressed her lips together, ¡°planned, yes, hoped, yes, knew, no¡­¡±She looked around before continuing. ¡°I am not omniscient, none of the gods of Mir are, but you seem to keep forgetting Roden is my son.¡±

    ¡°Yeah you keep saying that, but how is that possible?¡±

    Miriana closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, ¡°when a man and a woman love each other very¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop, obviously I understand that part¡­¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t buy it.¡±

    Miriana looked between Roden and the dark blanket of clouds that hung in the air high above the ocean waters.

    ¡°Fine¡­I can tell you that being Miriana was what I wanted. At first being Miriana was my only plan. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t work out the way I had hoped. So I had to make some decisions¡­¡±

    She trailed off, seemingly to gather her thoughts before continuing. Roden could tell in that moment she was working hard to avoid telling him too much.

    ¡°From what I could see at the time, I thought Mir might need a very specific hero someday who could¡ª¡±

    ¡°Clean up your mess?¡±

    She glared at him, ¡°sure, for lack of a better more cordial way of saying it. A hero who could fix any problems I might have caused.¡±

    ¡°So how did you end up with Rolen?¡±

    Miriana snorted, ¡°oh that part was easy¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ewww.¡±

    She looked at him flatly, and a little embarrassed, ¡°not what I meant. I had to choose Rolen. He was the being on this planet with the greatest connection to you and the others.¡±

    Roden was taken aback, ¡°why did that matter?¡±

    ¡°That I can¡¯t explain for various reasons, but I can say¡­¡±

    Roden noticed a far away look in her eyes, while she thought about her answer.

    ¡°I can say it was a pleasant experience.¡±

    ¡°Ewwww.¡±

    ¡°Not like that! I am talking about having a family. Rolen wasn¡¯t interested in being a fulltime father and I wasn¡¯t really interested in having a husband. So we made a deal.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­So Rolen knows about you?¡±

    Miriana nodded, ¡°yes, he knows¡­some. Just like you I couldn¡¯t tell him everything, but he was amiable to my conditions.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why.¡±

    ¡°His reasons were always his own, but I imagine he thought of it as a way to make up for his past deeds in some way. He was the right hand of the Lich after all. No amount of water will ever wash away that amount of blood, but perhaps giving the world a hero who can save it will tip the scales a bit.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine he was too upset about dating a Goddess either.¡± Roden said under his breath with a half-smirk.

    ¡°You are terrible. Are you satisfied now? The storm is almost here.¡±

    Roden waved her on, ¡°yeah I¡¯m good¡­for now.¡±

 Chapter 9- Ride the Storm

    Chapter 9

    Miriana had Roden teleport them from the relatively safe dock out to various rocky outcroppings that jutted out of the sea. He had to cast his spell a couple times before they were out far enough for Miriana¡¯s liking. Roden was not excited about being a few hundred feet from shore just as a storm was rolling in.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± He had to raise his voice over the quite loud crashing of waves and howling winds that tore at their increasingly wet clothes.

    Miriana gazed up at the coming storm and smiled broadly, ¡°we take in the storm dear. What did you think we were going to do way out here?¡±

    Roden shook his head, ¡°why would we do that? This does not look like it¡¯s going to be a storm we can just sit through.¡±

    Miriana tutted and sighed, ¡°Roden, no August. You are still thinking like a human from Earth. You are not a human from Earth at the moment. You are Roden, a half-elven adventurer of Mir. You are the champion of the Goddess of Storms and Death. If you can¡¯t sit through a storm, who the hell could ever hope to be able to?¡±

    Roden was stunned by the hint of fire, no¡­electricity in her voice. Her face softened at his shocked expression.

    ¡°Look, I am trying to do what is best for my world here and you have the potential to be the one who can do what is best. I need you to be the best you can be and I don¡¯t know how much time we have to get you there.¡±

    Roden frowned, ¡°okay sure all that is very flattering, but why so much urgency now? Before you were content to let me bumble around with Errrkkkk and Riakon, half thinking I was going crazy because I was in a game.¡±

    Miriana¡¯s mouth twisted up, ¡°Hmmm touch¨¦¡­¡± She took a deep breath and let it out just as a light rain started to fall.

    ¡°Before you knew what was going on, the stakes were low, and Errrkkkk and Riakon could handle just about anything you managed to get into¡­¡±

    Her intent dawned on Roden as she trailed off, ¡°and now Riakon is powerless and I will need to be the Robin to Errrkkkk¡¯s Batman?¡±

    Miriana bobbed her head as if debating his words, ¡°I always thought of you as fulfilling a more of a Flash-esk role, but yeah that is a big part of it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the rest of it then?¡±

    Miriana rolled her eyes, ¡°you are really pushy sometimes you know that?¡±

    Roden narrowed his eyes and gestured around them to the crashing sea and brewing storm, ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m being quite reasonable given the circumstances.¡±

    ¡°Fine, once Riakon lost his powers¡­I got a sinking feeling that you were in greater danger than ever before¡­ I just want to make sure you are prepared.¡±

    The warmth in her words were a stark contrast to the tempest nearly on top of them. August knew in his core, she was worried for her son. As Roden he could sense her fear and trepidation. He could recognize the uncertainty in her face.

    Roden nodded, ¡°I think I understand now¡­This must be hard for you.¡±

    ¡°Hard? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I just mean me being here, instead of your son.¡±

    Miriana smirked, ¡°actually, you two are so much alike I forget about it sometimes and have to remind myself. It¡¯s the nature of the connection between you and him¡ª¡±

    A massive gale ripped through ending their conversation as Roden nearly lost his balance and fell off their rock. Roden braced himself against the oncoming gust and looked to Miriana.

    ¡°Can we get to whatever you brought me out here for?¡±

    ¡°This is what we are out here for. You have to start thinking like a Cleric of the Storm Goddess.¡±

    ¡°Okay yeah your platitudes are great and all, but I don¡¯t really think now is the time for metaphors.¡± He said as he could feel his feet sliding under him.

    ¡°You need to embrace what storms symbolize. To be a cleric of storms means to embody the symbolism at work.¡±

    Roden put on his teacher hat and set to work piecing the problem apart.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Okay so what? Power, change, the unyielding presence of nature¡­¡±

    Miriana smiled and nodded, by then the rain had soaked them both through. Her hair clung to her face in dark lines.

    ¡°Good, you are starting to get it. That is all for the average person though. You need to come to terms with what it means for you as a champion of the domain. Start with why a god even has that domain.¡±

    Roden felt like he was back in college and Miriana was his professor. The scene would have been uncanny if they weren¡¯t on a rock surrounded by ocean with a monsoon bearing down on them.

    ¡°Well the people of Mir don¡¯t exactly worship Zamira, but show deference, right?¡±

    ¡°You would be correct.¡± Miriana said, begrudgingly.

    At that point the storm had ramped up to the point he was shouting.

    ¡°Okay so then they want protection from the storms¡­That protection is me?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, you must be the storm. Be one with the storm. But always remember storms are so much more than power and a source of fear. Storms can be gentle, they can bring people together. They can change a landscape. You must embrace all aspects of them before you can truly own your abilities.¡±

    Roden thought over her speech¡­

    ¡®It was a good speech.¡¯ He admitted to himself.

    ¡°Any suggested methods?¡±

    Miriana smiled like a cat in a canary¡¯s cage. ¡°Easy, ride the storm.¡±

    Roden had hoped that wasn¡¯t going to be her answer, but his abilities fit a method such as that too well.

    Figuring he didn¡¯t have much of a choice and being on that rock was getting unbearably uncomfortable. He activated his cloak and cloud. Both materialized from swirls of mist. He stepped onto his Holy Nimbus and looked back at Miriana who looked on bursting with excitement.

    Roden shook his head, ¡°you definitely planned this.¡±

    Before she could respond, he leaned forward and urged his cloud into the sky. As he flew the wind and rain pelted him. His first thought was to activate his Grove Armor to avoid the discomfort, but dismissed the idea. That would defeat the point. If he was going to embrace Miriana¡¯s advice he needed to throw himself in the deep end.

    He rose higher and higher in a gently circling route. The clouds were just above him, heavy with rain and the promise of lightning. Roden plunged into the dense blanket of clouds, which unlike his Nimbus were entirely permeable. He would be lying if he said flying through clouds wasn¡¯t a fantasy of his.

    He expected the clouds to be wet. He barely noticed the extra dampness on his skin and clothes. What he didn¡¯t expect was the palpable current of energy. He could feel every aspect of the storm around him. The crackle of lightning yet to be unleashed. The force of the wind driving the entire thing forward toward the shore.

    In a flash of unbelievably bright light, he lost all orientation. A shudder ripped through him, the wind on his skin was no longer cold. He felt nearly nothing. His body vibrated and hummed with energy. He wasn¡¯t sure just how long it took, but when he regained his senses, he was falling.

    His cloak of clouds flapped as he plummeted to the roiling waters below. His most pressing issue however, was the sheer amount of energy rippling over him. He reasoned out he had been struck by lightning, that much was certain.

    The tricky part was what to do with that information. He called for his Nimbus and saw it trailing him too slow to keep up with him in free fall.

    ¡®This is going to hurt¡­¡¯

    With the waves rapidly approaching he did the only thing that made sense to him. He waited until just before impact and activated his Pilgrim¡¯s Rebuke.

    The shockwave dashed any remaining surface tension to ribbons. His dive into the water didn¡¯t hurt nearly as bad as he expected, but it was then he realized the damage the lightning had done. His skin burned as soon as the salt water touched it. He nearly sucked in a mouthful of water at the sudden shock.

    When he managed to breach the surface, he was tossed around by the waves until he was able to climb aboard his Nimbus. He sprawled out on the cloud face up lying on his back. Multiple casts of Triage later and his wounds were much more manageable.

    In that moment, lying on a cloud in what might as well be the middle of the sea, looking up at a raging deluge of rain and lightning. Something about it all clicked for him. His approach to this world had always been surviving long enough to get home. He never knew he was living someone''s life until Miriana told him. He had thought Roden and his life was all a backstory he had hastily imagined in his first trip to his mind space.

    Part of him still wasn¡¯t sure what exactly Miriana expected him to understand by coming out in the middle of that storm. It was all very mysterious and fantastical, but real people don¡¯t do that. Sure, they might sit in the rain or watch lightning, but people don¡¯t fly up into thunderclouds to ¡®ride the storm¡¯ or whatever nonsense he imagined.

    He had been so concerned with his powers, abilities, and fighting he had started to see himself as a character rather than a person. Roden wasn¡¯t numbers on a page or a random collection of ideals. He was a real person, who should be living a real life.

    Being an adventurer is part of that, but it is a job like any other. A dangerous job to be certain as it meant getting struck by lightning some days, but in the grand scheme of things it was just a job to the majority of people in this world. He knew he had lost sight of that with the impending holy dragon slaying mission. Being told, only he could save that world was overwhelming to say the least, but the more he felt a part of the world the easier it was to shoulder that burden.

    He had to take things one step at a time. His abilities were always just an extension of himself, a tool he used to survive, but it was his decisions that had actually done what was necessary. Roden never really considered himself overly brave.

    He had always hoped he would be brave if a moment ever arose that he needed to be brave to protect his family or those he cared about, but bravery in the real world wasn¡¯t fighting monsters. Bravery in his world was getting up early every morning and going to work. Bravery was doing the things needed to be done day in and day out. Every day at his job he could see the fear in his students. The fear of becoming an adult and having to hoist up their responsibilities. In a way, journeying to slay a dragon was easier.

    He had a clear goal with a clear end in sight. Adventure was easy, living was hard. Living had no clear end goal. Everyone just had to do it and do it well, whatever the hell that meant. Determining victory in life wasn¡¯t clear cut. He did plenty of hard things during his life. He¡¯d slayed all of the metaphorical dragons life had thrown at him so far. He was at a point in his life where his biggest worries were behind him, until now.

    Roden took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He felt a little silly lying on a cloud thinking existential thoughts, while possessing a body of what to him was an alien.

    ¡®My life has gotten awfully weird¡­¡¯

    He picked himself up, and stood on his cloud again. He flew back to where Miriana was standing on the rock. She seemingly hadn¡¯t moved from where he left her. She was soaked through. Her clothes clung to her every movement. When he was close enough to hear she spoke over the storm.

    ¡°Did you figure it out?¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°I think so¡­This wasn¡¯t about being a follower of Zamira was it?¡±

    Miriana smiled and held her hand up giving the gesture of a teetering scale,

    ¡°yes and no. I hoped you would discover what you needed through my philosophies, and maybe come to see your place here a little differently.¡±

    ¡°Yeah I think I got it now.¡±

    ¡°Then it is time I ask you¡­¡± She paused for a long moment. She gathered her breath and spoke resolutely, ¡°August, will you as Roden be my champion. Will you take up the divine mission to save this world from the forces set to destroy it, by my own folly. Will you accept the quest I have laid out for you?¡±

    Being expressly asked to shoulder the burden of a world by a magical apparition of the collective unconscious of the world¡¯s inhabitants made for a heady feeling. Roden couldn¡¯t keep the smug grin from his face as he answered,

    ¡°Fuck yeah.¡±

 Chapter 10-Clash of Sheer Willpower

    Chapter 10

    Roden woke up the next morning a moderately changed man. He had a new outlook on his time on Mir. He wished it hadn¡¯t taken getting struck by lightning to do it, but apparently that was what happened when being stubborn was taken to adventurer levels.

    In his mind, it was time to stop complaining about what had been, and start dealing with what was at hand. That morning he drank his coffee and started a rough map of how long it would take to finish his mission on Mir. With everything he knew it was going to take at least four or five months before they reached what he knew was the end and that was just on this plane of existence.

    ¡®Well at least it wouldn¡¯t be years¡­¡¯ he thought.

    When Errrkkkk came inside after his morning flight around the cliffs, Roden set down his coffee.

    ¡°Hey Errrkkkk.¡±

    ¡°Hey Roden, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°You up for a real spar today?¡±

    Errrkkkk¡¯s eyes grew with an intensity only matched by the sheer joy emanating off of him.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time, cacaw.¡±

    Errrkkkk practically dashed to their dojo.

    Roden was thankful he had been recasting the building in the evening inside of the mornings. He assumed it was going to need recasting after this fight.

    They took their places opposite one another. Errrkkkk took his typical mostly sideways martial arts stance, this time with his staff across his back. As Roden¡¯s Grove Armor and Mozzetta of Clouds spread over his body, he cast one of his new Storm spells Static Coil, immediately a faint blue aura of crackling energy rippled around him, which in turn primed his Storm Strider ability.

    ¡°With no Riakon you can call the start, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said smugly.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    Errrkkkk leapt forward in a rush of wings. His powerful flapping carried him across the dojo in a blur. Once within range he unleashed a combination of punches followed by a twisting aerial roundhouse kick toward Roden¡¯s head.

    Roden was able to fade with the punches taking off the majority of their sting before using his enhanced speed to zip around to Errrkkkk¡¯s right. This was his new plan, no more sword. He wasn¡¯t a swordsman and neither was Roden. He had been fooling himself before and it was time to go back to what he had been relying on since he got to this world.

    His fist was drawn back ready to deliver his counter strike. Just as he saw his moment he cast his Storming Smash. Arcane lightning erupted around his hand as he clenched his fist and delivered a perfect right cross to Errrkkkk¡¯s head.

    The condensed energy of the spell blasted out of his punch in arcs. Errrkkkk took the shot as well as could be expected. A lesser man would be fighting for his life, but Errrkkkk was built for this kind of fight.

    He flipped back to the ground and kipped up in a smooth motion. He allowed his momentum to carry him straight at Roden in a flurry. The first punch came at him with Errrkkkk flying. It connected with his helm discharging the aura of his Static Coil.

    The shock rippled through Errrkkkk, but didn¡¯t slow him down. Errrkkkk¡¯s second strike was a spinning elbow to his chest, cracking his breastplate and sending him bouncing off the wall of the dojo. His body thudded hard against it. It was the ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡± That followed that made Roden cover up.

    Errrkkkk smiled as his beam dissipated, both satisfied and smug. The latter diminished rapidly when he saw Roden had managed to block his beam with his golden Aegis. Roden seized that moment, ¡°For the Grove!¡± a golden bow formed in the air over the top of his shield and loosed an arrow of light.

    Errrkkkk deflected the arrow, but didn¡¯t see the twin beams from Roden¡¯s eyes until the last second. The beams struck him just enough to cause him to dance backwards, giving up ground to Roden.

    As the gold of his eyes dissipated Roden prepared himself for their next exchange. As Errrkkkk¡¯s back foot touched the ground he shot forward. This time Errrkkkk¡¯s assault was blunted by Roden¡¯s Aegis. His first kick connected with the shield dead center. Errrkkkk flipped off into an axe kick that was blocked by raising his shield high.

    ¡°On Guard!¡± was Roden¡¯s newest incantation causing his Storm Guard to spread its mist around him. It was too late for Errrkkkk to leave its range and he was caught by a bolt of lightning from out of the spell¡¯s mist.

    The bolt shot Errrkkkk across the dojo. He twisted in the air and landed on his feet, in a three point stance, with one hand on the ground. Errrkkkk stood to his full height, chest up, and shoulders back. He bent forward and couched both fists at his hips. His aura began to surge, in a flash of light he was cast in his golden energy.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Roden stood resolute; his armor mostly intact, his cloak swirling, the mist roiling around him, his shield steady at his side. Roden made the first move by discharging his cloak in a flying jolt of energy toward Errrkkkk, who meant the attack with a chi blast of his own. Roden¡¯s was stronger, but missed its target and punched a hole in the wall of the dojo to Errrkkkk¡¯s left.

    Errrkkkk drew his staff from his back, gripping it in both hands as the head glowed with a green energy. An arrow from Roden¡¯s conjured bow drew Errrkkkk¡¯s attention. He managed to deflect it, but it kept him busy while Roden used his Storm Strider ability to put Errrkkkk within range of his Storm Guard mist.

    With that ability Roden merely needed to get close enough to his targets and it would do the rest. Errrkkkk was a remarkably seasoned warrior for being so young, but he was a prodigy through and through. He blocked the arrow and absorbed the bolt from the mist on his staff.

    He returned fire with a volley of chi blasts. Each one clanged off of Roden¡¯s shield as he continued his charge toward the birdman. ¡°Lux¡± was the command that preceded a shining spear of energy that soared from Roden as he completed his throwing motion.

    His spell struck Errrkkkk embedding itself in his shoulder. In a swift motion, Errrkkkk shattered the shaft of the energy spear with his staff and used the motion to throw himself into a spinning back kick powered by his wings. The kick caught Roden flat footed and nearly shattered his already damaged breastplate.

    Roden slid back from the force. He looked up just in time to see Errrkkkk spinning parallel to the ground with a glow emanating from his clasped palms. Roden had no choice, but to meet his beam with one of his own. Against Errrkkkk, the faster the better because the more time he had to pour chi into that beam the more powerful it would become.

    Roden gathered magic into his right arm and brought it forward. Lightning surged around him, as the spell neared completion he activated his Divine Gambit. His perception of time slowed just enough to give him a clear sign when his spell was at its zenith.

    ¡°Burst!!!¡±

    Roden¡¯s lightning ripped through the space between them, its power was such that stray arcs left rents in the floor behind it. Errrkkkk completed his flip and braced himself before driving his hands forward with his signature.

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    The two streams crossed in a cacophony. The dojo around them shook and cracked as the power of the collision sent shockwaves cascading away from their epicenter. There was a brief moment where the beams were matched, but Roden¡¯s Divine Gambit boosted Lightning was too powerful. It shredded Errrkkkk¡¯s beam and struck him hard.

    Errrkkkk bounced off the wall behind him. His aura faded and he was down on one knee. It was then Roden noticed a faint blue glow emanating from around Errrkkkk¡¯s neck. His eagle eyes shot up and a wicked grin came over his face.

    The realization hit Roden nearly instantly, ¡®that bastard took resistance to my lightning!¡¯

    With chi empowered movements, Errrkkkk shot forward as if fired out of a cannon. The series of strikes that followed caught Roden unprepared and out of position. Roden couldn¡¯t be sure what Errrkkkk was hitting him with as each strike was on the heels of the one before it.

    Roden tried to bring his shield up, but Errrkkkk kicked his arm away like a boxer sweeping away his opponent''s glove to open him up for a powerful strike. Roden didn¡¯t see the kick that shattered his helm at all. The onslaught caused Roden¡¯s grip on his Storm Guard to loosen and he lost the spell¡¯s matrix causing the spell to fail.

    Out of sheer desperation Roden fired his bow. When Errrkkkk went to deflect the arrow, Roden drove a Winter¡¯s Blast straight into the bird¡¯s chest. The ice immediately raced across him like a blue crystalline disease.

    Before the ice could completely encase him Errrkkkk let out an avian screech. His aura erupted once more, shattering the ice, leaving him golden once again.

    ¡°Oh come the fuck on.¡±

    Roden lamented, he knew Errrkkkk had taken more damage than he had, but Errrkkkk also had much more left in the tank. Roden was on his last wisps of his magic. He had enough for one big spell or a few of his Initiate tier ones. After that he¡¯d be left with just his non-spell abilities.

    Errrkkkk rushed forward again, Roden noticed he was using his chi to empower his movements instead of increasing his striking speed. Had to end this before he ran out of magic. He threw his hand to the side, giving a mental order to his bow to change form into his sword. The hilt of the sword met with his hand as Errrkkkk primed to strike out with his staff. Roden met his attack with the blade of his weapon.

    ¡°Finally, brought out your sword, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I need it for this.¡±

    Roden twisted off the attack and parried Errrkkkk¡¯s follow up swing with his shield. Roden poured his remaining magic into his blade causing bright white arcane energy to flow up and off the blade like billowing flames. His Hero¡¯s Strike spell was everything he ever wanted in a magic powered sword strike.

    He gathered momentum as he spun, just as he came around anticipating Errrkkkk¡¯s position, he hadn¡¯t seen Errrkkkk¡¯s retort.

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    Errrkkkk¡¯s beam raced toward him from just a few feet away. With no time, Roden brought his sword down to meet the beam. The two energies crashed, Roden¡¯s spell cut into Errrkkkk¡¯s beam splitting the current of energy around him. The force of the colliding forces was too great and shockwaves ripped out from their point of collision.

    When the dust cleared, Roden saw Errrkkkk standing, still in his semi-crouched stance he used when bracing his beams. The bewildered look on Errrkkkk¡¯s face was rather satisfying for Roden. He took a deep breath trying to calm his racing heart. He scraped up every last bit of magic to cast his spell, Elven Grace.

    Elven Grace was the spell that replaced his Blessed Traveler when he reselected his spells back in Pescatin. He chose that for his last spell as it was supposed to grant him greater precision in his attacks and his movements.

    If figured the only way he was beating Errrkkkk at this point was going to be with a bit of luck. He just needed a lucky strike.

    Errrkkkk gathered himself from the shock of Roden cutting through his beam. He didn¡¯t have much more time left in his transformation. He needed to end this now before he ran out of chi.

    The two men stood there each staring at the other, neither moving. A piece of the dojo¡¯s roof crashed to the ground and the sound sent both men off toward each other like a starting gun.

    What followed was an exchange any onlooker would be hard pressed to follow. Both men were a blur, Roden moved in sharp lines, while Errrkkkk flowed around him. Each man took his turn on the offensive. Errrkkkk¡¯s strikes hand Roden¡¯s armor in shambles, but he was covered in small cuts from Roden¡¯s blade for his trouble.

    Errrkkkk noticed Roden was slowing down. His Storm Strider ability had run out of energy without any lightning spells to keep it going. Errrkkkk waited for the moment it completely ended and bounced into the air. Errrkkkk put the last wisps of his golden aura into one final beam.

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    Roden felt his Storm Strider end and watched as Errrkkkk leapt back and up. His intent was clear, another point blank beam to finish it all, except Roden had planned for this. He activated his Pilgrim¡¯s Rebuke just as Errrkkkk¡¯s beam got within range.

    The shockwave halted the beam momentarily, but wasn¡¯t enough on its own. Which is why Roden unleashed all of the energy he had built up in his cloak during their last round of fighting.

    The bolt of lightning tore through Errrkkkk¡¯s beam and struck him cleanly. When he touched down the energy still sparked off of his body, but his necklace had absorbed enough of the power to keep him standing even as his aura faded.

    ¡°Can we call it a draw?¡± Roden said hoping with his whole being Errrkkkk would just agree.

    ¡°Why should we, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk shot back.

    Roden sighed, ¡°well I have taken less damage than you, but I am significantly more vulnerable now without my armor. ¡° He gestured to his exposed everything. ¡°But, if I have it right, one more well placed hit from my sword and you¡¯re done too. So what is more likely to happen first ends up being the question.¡±

    ¡°Sounds interesting to me, cacaw.¡±

    Roden gritted his teeth and gripped his blade. The energy from his last bolt of lightning wrapped around him, empowering his Storm Strider once more.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡±

    The two men launched themselves at each other in a final clash of sheer willpower.

 Chapter 12- Letéˆ¥æªš Split Up Gang

    Chapter 12

    Roden¡¯s first steps on solid ground were more comforting than he ever imagined. After flying over open water for so many hours aboard a cloud, he had started feeling uneasy without solid ground beneath him.

    They had chosen to land on a cliff around the eastern side of the island just in case anyone could still see them from the mainland.

    The island was mostly scrub land primarily coveted in short wide vegetation. The island itself was a raised plateau with no easy access to water, a main reason for its lack of habitation. The scroll given to them by Yan the court mage, had a few details about the island and where they might find the conflux.

    Riakon took the lead as the men formed up in a loose line and started into what served as the tree line. Once again they found themselves trekking through wild lands with little information to go on. Roden could only hope they would stumble across a friendly village with a fireweed smoking elf. It was needless to say he wasn¡¯t holding his breath for such an outcome.

    They didn¡¯t have enough daylight to search the entire island so as soon as they found a suitable clearly Roden set to conjuring up the treehouse with the intent to continue their search the following day.

    That night after a light dinner of bread and a spiced shredded meat, packed for them by Miriana, the men laid in the nest on the roof staring at the stars. The stars were brighter than ever. With the island being twenty or so miles from the city there was no light pollution of any kind.

    Roden had made sure the treehouse didn¡¯t have any gaps or windows either to keep their light from alerting anyone or anything to their presence on the island. Roden was surprised to see that the cities on Mir did in fact have light pollution even with their lack of incandescent lighting, apparently mage lights were enough to give the cities an unnatural glow.

    ¡®Is it technically unnatural if magic is a naturally occurring phenomenon?¡¯

    Roden shook his head at yet another brain wracking question brought about by his non-native sensibilities. He¡¯d been on Mir for months by then and time kept ticking by. Each day was another day he felt he was getting further and further away from his life back on Earth.

    Yet, he didn¡¯t know if he would even be able to go home if given the opportunity. He couldn¡¯t help, but feel an obligation to the world around him. If he abandoned his task then by Miriana¡¯s words he¡¯d be dooming the world to a terrible fate.

    Thus he stared at the stars and wondered if his Sun was up there shining its light on him all the way to wherever the hell he was in the wide cosmos.

    ¡®Fucking Neil deGrasse Tyson would shit his pants if he knew what I know¡­Note to self, email NGT when I get back to Earth¡¯

    The thought about the astrophysicist was rapidly dashed by a strange sound that drew Roden¡¯s attention.

    Of course the sound had to come from the thickest parts of the trees and of course it had to be at night when he was the only one who could see fuck all.

    He lowered his voice to a whisper and roused his two companions who had nodded off during their stargazing. ¡°Hey guys, there is something going on out there.¡±

    ¡°What? Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Where, cacaw?¡±

    Roden gestured in the general vicinity where he heard the noise. ¡°Over there somewhere and no I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s anything. I think it bears checking out though.¡±

    Errrkkkk promptly sat up and started loosening up, ¡°we¡¯ll be ready if you signal us in, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°be careful.¡±

    Roden nodded and conjured up his cloud. It was moments like that where he was crouched on a cloud slowly floating his way through an island canopy in the middle of the night investigating a random sound that he wondered what the fuck he was doing.

    He did not know what possessed him to pull a Scooby-doo while on a deserted island, but there he was. Luckily, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness hours ago and with the added light from the stars he could see nearly perfectly.

    He made a slow methodical circuit of the nearby trees and didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, not that he had much of a frame of reference. It was then his Divine Gambit pulled his attention, he had grown used to the ability prompting him in ways such as this so he allowed the ability to engage.

    His vision was enhanced to such a great degree he was able to see an unnatural movement to the vegetation below. Figuring if his spell had homed in on something such as that, it must be worth taking a closer look. He steered his cloud around so as to approach from the backside of the movement.

    He activated his Grove Armor ability hoping the wooden exterior would blend in with the trees more than his regular clothes. He stepped off the cloud onto a thick branch and allowed his Nimbus to float up and out of the treetops.

    He crept along the branch in the direction he had seen the movement. He had to work up the courage to hop from one tree to the next. The rustling of the leaves caused by his landing gave him pause, but he figured it didn¡¯t sound too out of the ordinary.

    If not for his spell he might have given up on his search. He was much farther from the treehouse than he intended to go by himself, but his instincts told him there was something there.

    Just as he was pushing through a particularly dense cluster of branches, he saw a faint blackish glow that seemed to suck in the light around it coming from just ahead of his path. He laid on his stomach and pulled himself along an outstretched branch. When he was as far out as he dared he managed to see a small figure in the darkness.

    It was short, no more than a meter tall. It was the red glow coming from its eyes that gave Roden pause. There was no mistaking that glow for him. He knew it was without a doubt a gremlin. He watched on as the gremlin moved around the area in a curious pattern.

    When the gremlin turned around to continue its search in Roden¡¯s direction, he saw the creature was holding something that gave off that dark, light stealing glow. When the gremlin raised the object over his head it cast his immediate area in a darkness so dense even Roden could not see through it.

    That gave Roden pause and made his sweat run cold. The feel of his wooden armor on his skin gave him the idea to try out an ability he hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to use since he had received it. He focused on his elven magic and drew out the magic from within him. He felt himself slowly descend into the branch that held him.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Once he was fully encased in the tree he used what control he had to slide himself down the branch and into the trunk of the tree proper. The sensation was strange and Roden imagined that was what it felt like being one of those popsicles that came in the plastic sleeve.

    When he had reached his desired location he could hear the gremlin chanting in a strange guttural language, which was curious to him as gremlin¡¯s didn¡¯t have a language of their own as far as he had written.

    Next he heard a soft popping noise followed by more low chittering. The voice that came out of the dark scared the shit out of Roden.

    ¡°Who be hiding in trees?¡± The voice was deep and harsh. ¡°I know you be there, hugan.¡±

    ¡®What the fuck is a hugan?¡¯

    Because of his ability Roden couldn¡¯t see anything other than the inside of his helmet, but he could feel the tree he inhabited. He focused his attention on every part of the tree hoping some part was close enough to give him an idea of what was happening.

    It was the roots of the tree that served his purpose. The gremlin, correction gremlins, were standing just above the outstretched roots of his tree.

    ¡®Where the hell did the others come from?¡¯

    ¡°You can¡¯t stop us hugan. Come out and I let you be maker instead of killing you.¡±

    Roden thought hard about the situation. As much as he hated it, this felt like a great chance to get some information. Gremlins shouldn¡¯t even be here, let alone speak English. Roden allowed himself to step out of the trunk of the tree and into the small clearing the gremlin had been searching. Simultaneously, he activated his Mozzetta of Clouds for some added protection.

    When his eyes readjusted he saw there were at least three gremlins now, the one he saw first stood in the middle of two slightly shorter gremlins whose eyes glowed bright red in the shadows.

    ¡°Okay gremlin you have my attention. What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhhh, there you are hugan.¡±

    ¡°Yeah you keep calling me that. My name is Roden, not this hugan you seem to be looking for.¡±

    The gremlin let out a disgusted noise, ¡°hugan be any non-gremlin. hugans be all the lesser folk.¡±

    ¡°Woah lesser folk? Calm down there hitler, no need for that. You know you¡¯re awfully talkative for a gremlin.¡±

    ¡°Bah, no thanks to you hugan. You wipe out our people. You destroy us.¡±

    That gave Roden pause.

    ¡°Fair point, but yall haven¡¯t really shown yall can coexist either.¡±

    The gremlin spit on the ground, ¡°we are born from you hateful creatures. Do not preach to me about coexist. I, Grumell am born of a man¡¯s intent to murder. I would not be if you hugan coexist.¡± The gremlin words were full of venom as he grew more animated.

    ¡°Hmmm, okay then explain to me how you¡¯re here talking to me like no gremlin I have ever seen.¡±

    Grumell gestured to the gremlins on either side of him, ¡°we are born rabid of dark thoughts. Our great god gave us the power to grow beyond our origin, something you hugan never wanted.¡±

    ¡°Uhhhh yeah mate, cause yall kill people.¡±

    Grumell took a hard step forward, his anger evident as he spoke, ¡°and you made us that way! You hugan abandoned us to our fate. Now our great god gave us real life.¡±

    Roden raised his hands up in a placating motion, ¡°okay okay, I can see how you¡¯d be mad, but to be fair we didn¡¯t know yall were capable of more.¡±

    ¡°Bah you hugan are ashamed of us. You try to hide your evil behind lies. No more can you hide from us.¡±

    Roden had to think fast, this was getting out of hand. Grumell was getting angrier as the conversation progressed and whatever was in his hand was beginning to throb with power.

    ¡°So what man, you are going to wipe out all non-gremlins? Then what? There would be no more gremlins.¡±

    A wicked wide grin spread on Grumell¡¯s face. ¡°We no kill you all. We keep you as maker.¡±

    Roden didn¡¯t like the sound of that at all.

    ¡°Yeah that doesn¡¯t sound fun at all mate.¡±

    Grumell chuckled, ¡°fun for me. Very painful for maker.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to pass.¡±

    Grumell snorted, ¡°you no have choice when we descend on you. Now get out of my way hugan. I have work to do.¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°what kind of work?¡± He could feel he was close to getting some vital information, and the gremlin didn¡¯t seem to care about revealing plans.

    ¡°Work not for hugan. Now leave or try to stop me. We are more civil. I prove by letting you go.¡±

    ¡®Shit, this little bastard put him in a catch twenty two.¡¯

    Grumell turned around and raised his hands high. A dark energy started flowing off the object in his hand. The air in front of him rippled and seemed to bend. A force pushed back the vegetation and sent a slight shockwave through the air.

    As the gale buffeted him, Roden got a strong scent of vanilla that reminded him of that cave from his first adventure with Errrkkkk and Riakon. That could only mean one thing, the gremlin had found the conflux. Whatever the gremlin was doing appeared to be having an effect as a sliver of energy started to form amidst the outpour of energy.

    ¡°Hey man, I don¡¯t think you should be doing that.¡±

    Gremell glazed over his shoulder, he had to shout as whatever he was doing was building up into a low roar.

    ¡°I do what the great god says. I claim this in the name of Renjor, the great god.¡±

    ¡°Yeah that''s a big nope from me bud.¡±

    Against his better judgment Roden immediately brought a lance to hand and cast it toward Grumell. He shouted the incantation in the hopes Errrkkkk and Riakon would hear it, if they hadn¡¯t heard the conflux already.

    The spell flew true. Roden thought it had connected with Grumell¡¯s back until he saw Grumell had been covered by something of utter blackness. The rod of golden energy remained lodged in the black thing that had shielded the gremlin.

    The darkness moved aside revealing Grumell was now facing Roden, the conflux at his back. Roden could see that somehow Grumell had created two arms of black energy that stretched out from the sliver of power like the shadow of a giant made tangible.

    Grumell laughed a deep knowing laugh, ¡°I knew you hugan couldn¡¯t resist the opportunity to stab someone in the back.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you man. You are threating my world with genocide, don¡¯t give me that philosophical bullshit.¡±

    The sliver within the conflux was making Roden nervous. From his own knowledge of the phenomenon, the gremlin had clearly tapped into the power through whatever was in his hand and it didn¡¯t appear to be a good thing for Roden and his friends. That was exactly what they were there to avoid.

    Roden raised his hand palm up, ¡°burst!¡±

    The lightning leapt to his will. A cascade of small arcs crawled around his shoulder and down his arm. With a flash the beam of lightning shot toward Grumell who simply raised his hand. That was when Roden could see he was holding the same kind of black crystal the shaman had used in Pescatin.

    His Lightning Burst met with Grumell¡¯s outstretched hand and was halted and absorbed. Roden blinked as he watched the gremlin do a remarkable impression of Yoda when he absorbed the force lightning in episode two. Roden was thankful he didn¡¯t throw it back.

    That was enough of a cue for the two lesser gremlins to charge him, their red eyes floating in the darkness around them. A mass of swirling dark purple energy came flying over their heads and caught Roden in the chest.

    Roden could hear his breastplate crack and splinter under the force of the magic. He hadn¡¯t lost his feet, but the spell had pushed him back a good foot or so.

    ¡°For the Grove!¡±

    As his sword landed in his hand, Roden activated his Strom Strider. With the magic coursing through him he launched himself forward. With two clean cuts he left the lesser gremlins incapacitated on the ground. His real problem was Grumell, who in the meantime had started drawing together a prodigious amount of power in the air between his raised shadow hands.

    ¡°Oh fuck me man.¡± escaped Roden¡¯s lips as he promptly changed direction.

    The power coalesced into a bright purple orb that burst into jagged tendrils of energy. Each one seemed to home in on Roden. He dashed about in a haphazard path to try and avoid the assault. He succeeded for the most part. One of the lines of power struck his leg, but did little to him beyond slightly damaging his armor.

    Roden did not like how the fight was going at all. ¡®Where the fuck are Errrkkkk and Riakon?!¡¯

    If they needed a bigger signal he would give them one.

    Roden raised his sword to the sky and released the charge within his cloak sending a bolt of blue energy into the night sky. He had to dodge another blob of dark purple energy before he could go back on the offensive.

    With his enhanced speed Roden ran parallel to Grumell; his main plan was to avoid his spells while building up a charge in his cloak. That plan became less important when he heard,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    From out of the trees behind Grumell a beam of golden light slammed into the gremlin knocking him forward. Everything around him shuttered with the impact. The shadow arms wriggled and writhed before being absorbed back into the growing sliver inside the conflux.

    Grumell pushed himself up on his hands and knees. ¡°Again you hugan attack from the back.¡±

    Riakon burst from the trees in front of Roden to Grumell¡¯s left, On the opposite side, Errrkkkk dropped out of the sky and landed in a fighting stance.

    ¡°I hope we aren¡¯t too late, cacaw.¡±

    Roden smiled, ¡°earlier would¡¯ve been better.¡±

    ¡°Is that a gremlin?¡± Riakon¡¯s bewilderment cut through some of the tension.

    Grumell took the initiative to answer the dragonkin, ¡°I am Grumell, I am no simple gremlin. I am one of the sacred shagrem of the great god.¡±

    Riakon raised an eyebrow, ¡°I didn¡¯t know these things could talk.¡±

    Grumell rose to his feet and slowly started backing toward the conflux. ¡°There are a great many things you hugan do not know.¡± He said the last word with finality and drove his fist clutching the stone straight into the sliver of the conflux.

 Chapter 11- Off to See the Wizard

    Chapter 11

    After their weeks of training the time had come for the men to take the lift up to the highest peak of the many spires of Port Sept. On that peak was the residence of the Vicar Vairh. When their lift reached the end of its journey to the top most landing the men saw one of the greatest attractions of Port Sept, the Vicar Vairh Vasilica.

    Roden couldn¡¯t help, but kick himself for the ridiculous alliteration of the governing title, ruling family, and building until he remembered he wasn¡¯t actually responsible for it. Miriana had said he didn¡¯t create this world, so nothing here was actually his doing.

    That realization nearly made him burst into laughter, but he knew it would make him look like a crazy person so he stifled it. Then he started to wonder how the hell he knew about it all then, but that line of thought made his head hurt. So he tucked that away for another day.

    Roden couldn¡¯t help, but be impressed by the massive building. The structure itself was built into the side of the massive spire as if the builders had sheared off the right half of the tip and plopped the stone structure down and nestled it up against the cliff they had created.

    Roden knew it was actually a much more impressive feat that had brought about the construction of the Vasilica. He had written it such that the structure was created by the combined might of all of the churches of Port Sept as a show of gratitude to the Vairh family for giving them a place to establish their churches, and presumably for the lack of taxation of their donations.

    Each clergy had contributed in a way that fit their God¡¯s domains. The Otellians were the ones who had carved the spire down using powerful earth shaping magix. The resulting structure inhabited nearly the entire spire including a shaft that ran from the peak to the sea below.

    The Ayians had used their magix to create a smaller version of the Great Geyser to supply water and create the beautiful waterfalls that poured out from the various terraces built into the cliffs. The entire spire was enchanted so heavily it was untouched by the Lich Orvell during the Dark Times as it was said undead were unable to set foot on the premises.

    When they finished their ogling of the beautiful structure the men made their way to the main gate of the residential portion of the building as they were directed in their summons. When they approached the gate to the palace portion of the Vasilica complex they showed the guard at the gate their summons and were promptly led through the gate and into the home of the Vairh and his most trusted advisors.

    The inner building was a testament to the wealth and success the Vairh had accumulated over the centuries they ruled over Vairhon. The men barely had enough time to take in all of the opulence as they were being led to the west wing or as it was labeled, The Wizard¡¯s Wing.

    Roden leaned over to Riakon and whispered, ¡°these people and their alliteration.¡± He said it rolling his eyes.

    Riakon just stared at him blankly.

    Roden sighed, the joke lost in the meager vocabulary of the Dragonkin. But Roden couldn¡¯t help, but take advantage of a teachable moment.

    ¡°Alliteration is what it is called when someone uses words in order with the same sound at the front of the word.¡±

    Riakon blinked, ¡°when would I ever need to know that?¡±

    Roden¡¯s language loving heart hadn¡¯t recovered by the time they reached the door to the Court Mage¡¯s chamber. He sulked as he sat on the incredibly soft leather couch in the sitting room the guard had left them in.

    Riakon sat as well while Errrkkkk snooped around the room taking in the beautiful wood paneling and various works of art. Despite his defeated mood Roden eyed the bookshelf in the corner and started to stand to go pursue the shelves when the door on the opposite side of the room opened. A man dressed in floor length velvet robes, the color of the sea at night, stepped into view.

    The man had a long white wizard¡¯s beard and a hat that reminded Roden of the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter. There was no sign of hair beneath his hat and his hands were tucked in his sleeves. Roden suspected the man to be a human because of his advanced age, but one could never be too sure in this world.

    The man spoke in a shaky voice weathered by time and use. It held an air of authority by virtue of the undeniable competence of its host.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Good day gentlemen, I am Yan Mikeln, Court Mage of Port Sept, Grand Mage of Vairhon, and Deputy Archmage of Mir.¡±

    Roden didn¡¯t have to feign his awe. The man was remarkable in presence and title. He also wasn¡¯t the man Roden had written. At his table Roden had thrown together a simple non-player character who could serve as a quest giver or resource for the party if needed. The man in front of him was anything, but simple.

    Riakon spoke up for the group, ¡°good day to you sir. It is a pleasure for us to meet you. I am Riakon, this is my brother Errrkkkk, and this is our friend Roden.¡± He gestured to each man in turn.

    Yan nodded to each man, ¡°it is a pleasure to meet you as well. I have been eagerly awaiting this meeting ever since I heard about your contract.¡±

    A bead of sweat trickled down Riakon¡¯s cheek as he spoke in a hesitant voice, ¡°which uhhh contract was the one you wanted to discuss?¡±

    Yan withdrew a scroll from an inner pocket of his robes and unfurled it.

    ¡°I believe this was one of your first contracts as registered adventurers. It was originally a missing person investigation. Your report was that it was a necromancer who captured and¡­modified his victims.¡±

    Riakon looked to his companions and nodded, ¡°that does sound accurate.¡±

    ¡°Well a description of excellent work and a troubling situation that is not what I found interesting. It was what the necromancer found that was of great interest to me.¡±

    ¡°The table, cacaw!¡±

    Yan nodded sagely, ¡°exactly, the table in that cavern was a constructed magical tool that harnessed the power of a conflux of magi-meridians.¡±

    ¡°Sounds fancy, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Quite fancy indeed. I called you boys here for two reasons.¡± He held up one finger, ¡°First, I need you boys to agree to utter and complete secrecy on your previous contract and any contracts I grant you in the future.¡±

    Yan eyed the men waiting. All three nodded vigorously so the mage continued.

    ¡°Second, I have a quest of a similar matter. I have a report of a new conflux manifesting and I would like to assign you lot to the quest given your dealings with an individual harnessing a conflux.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you think someone is harnessing the conflux, cacaw?¡±

    Yan pursed his lips, ¡°I have a strong suspicion there is something there.¡±

    Roden shared a look with the others and they all nodded in silent agreement.

    ¡°We will do it¨C¡± Riakon cut in,

    ¡°But we will have to negotiate reasonable compensation of course.¡±

    Yan gave a small laugh and drew a small scroll from his sleeve. He handed it over to Riakon.

    ¡°Can¡¯t imagine any negotiating will be necessary. The amount listed is for your continued silence about your contracts as well as for the quest I just described.¡±

    Riakon unfurled the scroll revealing it to be a letter of withdrawal to the Vairhon Treasury. The amount listed was staggering. If Roden hadn¡¯t been sitting he would have needed to sit down.

    ¡°You have a deal, cacaw.¡±

    Yan smiled broadly, ¡°good! I have everything you need here including a map to the island where the conflux is located. There is one condition. You may not charter a ship to the island as we must maintain complete secrecy on this. If an enemy were to gain control over a conflux so close to the mainland the consequences could be disastrous. I trust you can come up with a solution to that little hindrance.¡±

    All three men nodded at once.

    ¡°Splendid! Then we have an accord. When you have completed your task send word via the Adventurer¡¯s Outpost tell them the message is for ¡®the gray wizard¡¯. They will know what that means.¡±

    The men walked in relative silence on their way back to the Silver Wind Inn. They agreed before leaving the Vicar Vairh Vasilica they wouldn¡¯t discuss the mission while in public just to be safe.

    Arriving back at their villa they immediately started making a plan. Their first item of business was travel. It was obvious Errrkkkk and Roden would be happy to fly from the mainland to the island. As much as Riakon wanted to fly, it wasn¡¯t a feasible solution to their problem without spending an exorbitant amount of coin on potions and the risk that Riakon would get potion sick.

    The last bit was news to Roden as potion sickness was not in the rules of the game he played. It made a lot of sense knowing what he knew about the world. A potion essentially forced the drinker¡¯s magic reserves to first draw in more ambient magic and shunt it into whatever spell matrix was embedded within the potion.

    The best option they had come up with was to have Riakon walk. Roden knew he should have a spell that would grant all of them the ability to walk on water, he just needed to go in and select it in the morning.

    They wrapped up their planning and packed for their journey the following day.

    The morning of their trip, Roden sat in the shower and entered his soul space. He walked among the wisps and released his hold on his Blooming Recovery spell, without a seed he couldn¡¯t cast the spell anyway. It didn¡¯t take Roden long to find the spell he wanted. He didn¡¯t care which of his magic sources the spell slipped into as long as it didn¡¯t change the target¡¯s ability to walk on water.

    The spell was drawn into his Adventure domain and revealed itself to him as a spell called Unbroken Path. All of the features of the spell were to his liking, it even had a feature that settled the liquid being traversed. Considering they were about to cross the open ocean, it was a much welcomed change to the spell.

    Once everything was prepared the men stood before the lapping waves outside of their villa. They said their goodbyes to Miriana who wished them luck on their journey and naturally swore to secrecy, not that any of them were worried about her spoiling their contract. It was agreed that Grok and Branch would stay under Miriana¡¯s care at the villa. Grok was nearly full grown by this point, but Riakon was not confident enough in his fighting abilities just yet to take part in dangerous contracts.

    Roden stepped onto his cloud and rose just above the incoming waves. Errrkkkk soared high above as he was wont to do when they were no longer constrained by a city. Riakon begrudgingly trudged across the surface of the sea visibly annoyed by his lack of wings.

    The journey from villa to island took the better part of a day. They made excellent time given none of them were particularly eager to stop. Roden had to refresh his spell on Riakon a few times throughout the day, but the spell was similar to his Resting Ward in that its spell matrix was compatible with being cast through a protracted ritual.

    The process allowed the matrix to draw in ambient magic directly into the spell instead of it having to pass through Roden. Thus preserving his reserves in case their trip became more eventful than anticipated.

    This was one of the rare moments since arriving on Mir that Roden had very little knowledge of what was to come. He wasn¡¯t sure if things had changed dramatically, but from what he could remember he hadn¡¯t sent the party on a mission to a remote island. That fact alone worried him greatly.

 Chapter 12- Letéˆ¥æªš Split Up Gang

    Chapter 12

    Roden¡¯s first steps on solid ground were more comforting than he ever imagined. After flying over open water for so many hours aboard a cloud, he had started feeling uneasy without solid ground beneath him.

    They had chosen to land on a cliff around the eastern side of the island just in case anyone could still see them from the mainland.

    The island was mostly scrub land primarily coveted in short wide vegetation. The island itself was a raised plateau with no easy access to water, a main reason for its lack of habitation. The scroll given to them by Yan the court mage, had a few details about the island and where they might find the conflux.

    Riakon took the lead as the men formed up in a loose line and started into what served as the tree line. Once again they found themselves trekking through wild lands with little information to go on. Roden could only hope they would stumble across a friendly village with a fireweed smoking elf. It was needless to say he wasn¡¯t holding his breath for such an outcome.

    They didn¡¯t have enough daylight to search the entire island so as soon as they found a suitable clearly Roden set to conjuring up the treehouse with the intent to continue their search the following day.

    That night after a light dinner of bread and a spiced shredded meat, packed for them by Miriana, the men laid in the nest on the roof staring at the stars. The stars were brighter than ever. With the island being twenty or so miles from the city there was no light pollution of any kind.

    Roden had made sure the treehouse didn¡¯t have any gaps or windows either to keep their light from alerting anyone or anything to their presence on the island. Roden was surprised to see that the cities on Mir did in fact have light pollution even with their lack of incandescent lighting, apparently mage lights were enough to give the cities an unnatural glow.

    ¡®Is it technically unnatural if magic is a naturally occurring phenomenon?¡¯

    Roden shook his head at yet another brain wracking question brought about by his non-native sensibilities. He¡¯d been on Mir for months by then and time kept ticking by. Each day was another day he felt he was getting further and further away from his life back on Earth.

    Yet, he didn¡¯t know if he would even be able to go home if given the opportunity. He couldn¡¯t help, but feel an obligation to the world around him. If he abandoned his task then by Miriana¡¯s words he¡¯d be dooming the world to a terrible fate.

    Thus he stared at the stars and wondered if his Sun was up there shining its light on him all the way to wherever the hell he was in the wide cosmos.

    ¡®Fucking Neil deGrasse Tyson would shit his pants if he knew what I know¡­Note to self, email NGT when I get back to Earth¡¯

    The thought about the astrophysicist was rapidly dashed by a strange sound that drew Roden¡¯s attention.

    Of course the sound had to come from the thickest parts of the trees and of course it had to be at night when he was the only one who could see fuck all.

    He lowered his voice to a whisper and roused his two companions who had nodded off during their stargazing. ¡°Hey guys, there is something going on out there.¡±

    ¡°What? Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Where, cacaw?¡±

    Roden gestured in the general vicinity where he heard the noise. ¡°Over there somewhere and no I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s anything. I think it bears checking out though.¡±

    Errrkkkk promptly sat up and started loosening up, ¡°we¡¯ll be ready if you signal us in, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°be careful.¡±

    Roden nodded and conjured up his cloud. It was moments like that where he was crouched on a cloud slowly floating his way through an island canopy in the middle of the night investigating a random sound that he wondered what the fuck he was doing.

    He did not know what possessed him to pull a Scooby-doo while on a deserted island, but there he was. Luckily, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness hours ago and with the added light from the stars he could see nearly perfectly.

    He made a slow methodical circuit of the nearby trees and didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, not that he had much of a frame of reference. It was then his Divine Gambit pulled his attention, he had grown used to the ability prompting him in ways such as this so he allowed the ability to engage.

    His vision was enhanced to such a great degree he was able to see an unnatural movement to the vegetation below. Figuring if his spell had homed in on something such as that, it must be worth taking a closer look. He steered his cloud around so as to approach from the backside of the movement.

    He activated his Grove Armor ability hoping the wooden exterior would blend in with the trees more than his regular clothes. He stepped off the cloud onto a thick branch and allowed his Nimbus to float up and out of the treetops.

    He crept along the branch in the direction he had seen the movement. He had to work up the courage to hop from one tree to the next. The rustling of the leaves caused by his landing gave him pause, but he figured it didn¡¯t sound too out of the ordinary.

    If not for his spell he might have given up on his search. He was much farther from the treehouse than he intended to go by himself, but his instincts told him there was something there.

    Just as he was pushing through a particularly dense cluster of branches, he saw a faint blackish glow that seemed to suck in the light around it coming from just ahead of his path. He laid on his stomach and pulled himself along an outstretched branch. When he was as far out as he dared he managed to see a small figure in the darkness.

    It was short, no more than a meter tall. It was the red glow coming from its eyes that gave Roden pause. There was no mistaking that glow for him. He knew it was without a doubt a gremlin. He watched on as the gremlin moved around the area in a curious pattern.

    When the gremlin turned around to continue its search in Roden¡¯s direction, he saw the creature was holding something that gave off that dark, light stealing glow. When the gremlin raised the object over his head it cast his immediate area in a darkness so dense even Roden could not see through it.

    That gave Roden pause and made his sweat run cold. The feel of his wooden armor on his skin gave him the idea to try out an ability he hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to use since he had received it. He focused on his elven magic and drew out the magic from within him. He felt himself slowly descend into the branch that held him.Stolen novel; please report.

    Once he was fully encased in the tree he used what control he had to slide himself down the branch and into the trunk of the tree proper. The sensation was strange and Roden imagined that was what it felt like being one of those popsicles that came in the plastic sleeve.

    When he had reached his desired location he could hear the gremlin chanting in a strange guttural language, which was curious to him as gremlin¡¯s didn¡¯t have a language of their own as far as he had written.

    Next he heard a soft popping noise followed by more low chittering. The voice that came out of the dark scared the shit out of Roden.

    ¡°Who be hiding in trees?¡± The voice was deep and harsh. ¡°I know you be there, hugan.¡±

    ¡®What the fuck is a hugan?¡¯

    Because of his ability Roden couldn¡¯t see anything other than the inside of his helmet, but he could feel the tree he inhabited. He focused his attention on every part of the tree hoping some part was close enough to give him an idea of what was happening.

    It was the roots of the tree that served his purpose. The gremlin, correction gremlins, were standing just above the outstretched roots of his tree.

    ¡®Where the hell did the others come from?¡¯

    ¡°You can¡¯t stop us hugan. Come out and I let you be maker instead of killing you.¡±

    Roden thought hard about the situation. As much as he hated it, this felt like a great chance to get some information. Gremlins shouldn¡¯t even be here, let alone speak English. Roden allowed himself to step out of the trunk of the tree and into the small clearing the gremlin had been searching. Simultaneously, he activated his Mozzetta of Clouds for some added protection.

    When his eyes readjusted he saw there were at least three gremlins now, the one he saw first stood in the middle of two slightly shorter gremlins whose eyes glowed bright red in the shadows.

    ¡°Okay gremlin you have my attention. What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhhh, there you are hugan.¡±

    ¡°Yeah you keep calling me that. My name is Roden, not this hugan you seem to be looking for.¡±

    The gremlin let out a disgusted noise, ¡°hugan be any non-gremlin. hugans be all the lesser folk.¡±

    ¡°Woah lesser folk? Calm down there hitler, no need for that. You know you¡¯re awfully talkative for a gremlin.¡±

    ¡°Bah, no thanks to you hugan. You wipe out our people. You destroy us.¡±

    That gave Roden pause.

    ¡°Fair point, but yall haven¡¯t really shown yall can coexist either.¡±

    The gremlin spit on the ground, ¡°we are born from you hateful creatures. Do not preach to me about coexist. I, Grumell am born of a man¡¯s intent to murder. I would not be if you hugan coexist.¡± The gremlin words were full of venom as he grew more animated.

    ¡°Hmmm, okay then explain to me how you¡¯re here talking to me like no gremlin I have ever seen.¡±

    Grumell gestured to the gremlins on either side of him, ¡°we are born rabid of dark thoughts. Our great god gave us the power to grow beyond our origin, something you hugan never wanted.¡±

    ¡°Uhhhh yeah mate, cause yall kill people.¡±

    Grumell took a hard step forward, his anger evident as he spoke, ¡°and you made us that way! You hugan abandoned us to our fate. Now our great god gave us real life.¡±

    Roden raised his hands up in a placating motion, ¡°okay okay, I can see how you¡¯d be mad, but to be fair we didn¡¯t know yall were capable of more.¡±

    ¡°Bah you hugan are ashamed of us. You try to hide your evil behind lies. No more can you hide from us.¡±

    Roden had to think fast, this was getting out of hand. Grumell was getting angrier as the conversation progressed and whatever was in his hand was beginning to throb with power.

    ¡°So what man, you are going to wipe out all non-gremlins? Then what? There would be no more gremlins.¡±

    A wicked wide grin spread on Grumell¡¯s face. ¡°We no kill you all. We keep you as maker.¡±

    Roden didn¡¯t like the sound of that at all.

    ¡°Yeah that doesn¡¯t sound fun at all mate.¡±

    Grumell chuckled, ¡°fun for me. Very painful for maker.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to pass.¡±

    Grumell snorted, ¡°you no have choice when we descend on you. Now get out of my way hugan. I have work to do.¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°what kind of work?¡± He could feel he was close to getting some vital information, and the gremlin didn¡¯t seem to care about revealing plans.

    ¡°Work not for hugan. Now leave or try to stop me. We are more civil. I prove by letting you go.¡±

    ¡®Shit, this little bastard put him in a catch twenty two.¡¯

    Grumell turned around and raised his hands high. A dark energy started flowing off the object in his hand. The air in front of him rippled and seemed to bend. A force pushed back the vegetation and sent a slight shockwave through the air.

    As the gale buffeted him, Roden got a strong scent of vanilla that reminded him of that cave from his first adventure with Errrkkkk and Riakon. That could only mean one thing, the gremlin had found the conflux. Whatever the gremlin was doing appeared to be having an effect as a sliver of energy started to form amidst the outpour of energy.

    ¡°Hey man, I don¡¯t think you should be doing that.¡±

    Gremell glazed over his shoulder, he had to shout as whatever he was doing was building up into a low roar.

    ¡°I do what the great god says. I claim this in the name of Renjor, the great god.¡±

    ¡°Yeah that''s a big nope from me bud.¡±

    Against his better judgment Roden immediately brought a lance to hand and cast it toward Grumell. He shouted the incantation in the hopes Errrkkkk and Riakon would hear it, if they hadn¡¯t heard the conflux already.

    The spell flew true. Roden thought it had connected with Grumell¡¯s back until he saw Grumell had been covered by something of utter blackness. The rod of golden energy remained lodged in the black thing that had shielded the gremlin.

    The darkness moved aside revealing Grumell was now facing Roden, the conflux at his back. Roden could see that somehow Grumell had created two arms of black energy that stretched out from the sliver of power like the shadow of a giant made tangible.

    Grumell laughed a deep knowing laugh, ¡°I knew you hugan couldn¡¯t resist the opportunity to stab someone in the back.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you man. You are threating my world with genocide, don¡¯t give me that philosophical bullshit.¡±

    The sliver within the conflux was making Roden nervous. From his own knowledge of the phenomenon, the gremlin had clearly tapped into the power through whatever was in his hand and it didn¡¯t appear to be a good thing for Roden and his friends. That was exactly what they were there to avoid.

    Roden raised his hand palm up, ¡°burst!¡±

    The lightning leapt to his will. A cascade of small arcs crawled around his shoulder and down his arm. With a flash the beam of lightning shot toward Grumell who simply raised his hand. That was when Roden could see he was holding the same kind of black crystal the shaman had used in Pescatin.

    His Lightning Burst met with Grumell¡¯s outstretched hand and was halted and absorbed. Roden blinked as he watched the gremlin do a remarkable impression of Yoda when he absorbed the force lightning in episode two. Roden was thankful he didn¡¯t throw it back.

    That was enough of a cue for the two lesser gremlins to charge him, their red eyes floating in the darkness around them. A mass of swirling dark purple energy came flying over their heads and caught Roden in the chest.

    Roden could hear his breastplate crack and splinter under the force of the magic. He hadn¡¯t lost his feet, but the spell had pushed him back a good foot or so.

    ¡°For the Grove!¡±

    As his sword landed in his hand, Roden activated his Strom Strider. With the magic coursing through him he launched himself forward. With two clean cuts he left the lesser gremlins incapacitated on the ground. His real problem was Grumell, who in the meantime had started drawing together a prodigious amount of power in the air between his raised shadow hands.

    ¡°Oh fuck me man.¡± escaped Roden¡¯s lips as he promptly changed direction.

    The power coalesced into a bright purple orb that burst into jagged tendrils of energy. Each one seemed to home in on Roden. He dashed about in a haphazard path to try and avoid the assault. He succeeded for the most part. One of the lines of power struck his leg, but did little to him beyond slightly damaging his armor.

    Roden did not like how the fight was going at all. ¡®Where the fuck are Errrkkkk and Riakon?!¡¯

    If they needed a bigger signal he would give them one.

    Roden raised his sword to the sky and released the charge within his cloak sending a bolt of blue energy into the night sky. He had to dodge another blob of dark purple energy before he could go back on the offensive.

    With his enhanced speed Roden ran parallel to Grumell; his main plan was to avoid his spells while building up a charge in his cloak. That plan became less important when he heard,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    From out of the trees behind Grumell a beam of golden light slammed into the gremlin knocking him forward. Everything around him shuttered with the impact. The shadow arms wriggled and writhed before being absorbed back into the growing sliver inside the conflux.

    Grumell pushed himself up on his hands and knees. ¡°Again you hugan attack from the back.¡±

    Riakon burst from the trees in front of Roden to Grumell¡¯s left, On the opposite side, Errrkkkk dropped out of the sky and landed in a fighting stance.

    ¡°I hope we aren¡¯t too late, cacaw.¡±

    Roden smiled, ¡°earlier would¡¯ve been better.¡±

    ¡°Is that a gremlin?¡± Riakon¡¯s bewilderment cut through some of the tension.

    Grumell took the initiative to answer the dragonkin, ¡°I am Grumell, I am no simple gremlin. I am one of the sacred shagrem of the great god.¡±

    Riakon raised an eyebrow, ¡°I didn¡¯t know these things could talk.¡±

    Grumell rose to his feet and slowly started backing toward the conflux. ¡°There are a great many things you hugan do not know.¡± He said the last word with finality and drove his fist clutching the stone straight into the sliver of the conflux.

 Chapter 13- Men vs. Wild

    Chapter 13

    The explosion that rocked the small island was enough to knock all three men off of their feet. From the ground Roden could see the sliver within the conflux was no more. In its place hovered a large black crystal nearly the size of Grumell.

    For his part, Grumell was already grabbing at the thing and pulling it down into his arms. A low laugh came from the gremlin as the crystal slid into his clutches. His laughter grew into a maniacal cackling as the power visibly warped the air around him.

    ¡®Well fuck.¡¯ Was Roden¡¯s only thought.

    ¡°It has been fun hugan, but it is time for me to go. Until we meet again.¡± As he spoke, tendrils of dark energy lashed out and drew in thick vines and branches. The appropriated vegetation formed around the black rock obscuring it. In seconds, the mass of greenery had formed into a semi-humanoid shape that stood nearly eleven feet tall. With all the green plants woven into the body the thing looked like a literal garden variety incredible hulk.

    Riakon started them off by unleashing a gout of fire from his toothy maw. The flames washed over the creature eliciting hissing and popping as the green plants attempted to burn. Grumell was nowhere to be seen, presumably absorbed into the mass of herbage.

    The three men had their new foe surrounded on three sides. Riakon¡¯s flames had done little, but draw its attention. The creature lashed out in a sweeping motion with its huge arm. Riakon braced himself behind his shield as it slammed into him.

    For everything it lacked in speed the sheer mass of the thing was enough to send Riakon staggering back.

    Errrkkkk fired off a series of chi blasts at the creature¡¯s back as it focused in on Riakon. Each one seemed to pass through the creature harmlessly.

    ¡°Guys! I think we are going to need something big for this one!¡± Roden said as he sent a Winter¡¯s blast straight at the creature lumbering toward Riakon. The ice magic rapidly froze the plant material causing it to crack and shatter as the thing continued its path toward Riakon.

    The plant hulk raised both arms up and brought them down hard intent on smashing Riakon into the ground. Lucky for Riakon he was able to just avoid the strikes by diving out of the way. Strangely even though Riakon had moved the creature continued moving in the same direction, ignoring the men.

    After a few steps it became clear Grumell had no intent on fighting them in that form. He was trying to flee with the crystal.

    ¡°Fuck! He¡¯s trying to run!¡±

    Roden fired off another Winter¡¯s blast as he rushed in with the last remnants of his Storm Strider magic. His ice magic was having the greatest effect as it slowed it down and forced it to leave some of its mass behind.

    Riakon followed suit with a blast of super chilled breath that froze a large portion of the creature¡¯s legs. Errrkkkk promptly shattered the frozen section with a diving staff strike from above. The top half of the creature fell on its chest having lost its lower half to Errrkkkk and Riakon¡¯s combination.

    It dragged itself forward along the ground in what looked like a sad attempt to escape until it started drawing in more plant material from the surrounding scrub. Instead of reproducing the same thick elephant-like legs it created a series of spider-like legs out of branches and logs.

    When it rose to an upright position on its new legs, the space that looked to be the thing¡¯s face twisted and opened up to reveal Grumell sunk into the thing like a mech pilot. His eyes locked on Roden as he spoke,

    ¡°Give it up hugan, I am too strong for you to stop me.¡±

    ¡°Maybe, but we¡¯re going to kick your fucking ass in the process.¡±

    From Roden¡¯s right Riakon fired a bolt of lightning straight into Grumell¡¯s cockpit. From behind him,

    Errrkkkk rose up into the air, his golden silhouette against the night sky, and rained down a flurry of chi blasts, each one striking around where Grumell rested.

    Roden held his sword out to the side and poured his magic into it. Bright energy rushed out of him like billowing white flames. He charged toward Grumell. His speed was no longer enhanced, but Storm Strider wasn¡¯t his only option. The others¡¯ attacks had distracted the gremlin enough to allow Roden to call his Nimbus back to him.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Atop his cloud once more he gripped his sword tightly and prepared to unleash his spell. He drove the sword straight into the hulk¡¯s neck, where he hoped Grumell¡¯s body would be.

    Hero¡¯s Strike erupted out of his sword. The white holy magic blasted a hole through everything in its path. When the energy dissipated, the mass of foliage slumped before falling into an incohesive pile.

    Roden poked through the vines of its chest until he found the black crystal Grumell had forged out of the conflux. The three men stared at the shiny object on the ground for a long moment, before Errrkkkk looked to Riakon,

    ¡°What are you waiting for, put it in your dimensional bag already, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon shrugged and took a step forward. As he did, both Errrkkkk and Roden took big steps back.

    ¡°Ha ha, real funny guys.¡± He scooped up the crystal with little fanfare and slipped it into his bag before repositioning it back on his hip.

    Roden looked to Errrkkkk, ¡°welp, I guess we have an idea of where the shaman¡¯s black crystal came from.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but that means the gremlins already have control over at least one conflux, cacaw.¡±

    Roden frowned, ¡°yeah that can¡¯t be good. We should probably bring the crystal back to the court mage.¡±

    Both men nodded in agreement, before Riakon spoke, ¡°yeah, but we should sleep first. I don¡¯t want to do that run in the middle of the night.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw.¡±

    The following morning the men sat and enjoyed a cup of tea before they packed and set off back to the mainland, when a thought occurred to Roden.

    ¡°Hey guys, did either of you get an Advancement?¡±

    Riakon  shook his head no.

    Errrkkkk closed his eyes briefly before repeating the gesture, ¡°I don¡¯t think we were under enough stress to force our bodies to advance.¡±

    Roden pursed his lips knowing he was about to ask a question that was going to make him sound dumb.

    Riakon cut in front of him, ¡°oh brother it looks like he is about to ask another advancement question.¡±

    Roden glared at Riakon, but sighed, ¡°yes I was going to ask what you mean by enough stress?¡±

    Errrkkkk clicked his tongue, ¡°in order to advance, adventurers need to stress their bodies and minds. Some people can gain advancements through rigorous study of materials that are too complex for non-adventurers, but most gain advancements from surviving dangerous situations.¡±

    ¡°It has to be real danger too. You really have to feel like you are in danger for your body to react enough.¡± Riakon added.

    ¡°Hmmm, so it¡¯s like an adrenaline thing?¡±

    Errrkkkk and Riakon stared at him blankly.

    ¡°That excited feeling you get when you are about to get in a fight. That feeling comes from adrenaline. It¡¯s a chemical in your body that tries to protect it by making you more alert and stuff.¡±

    Errrkkkk thought for a moment, ¡°then yeah it¡¯s like that. You have to believe you are in danger in order for your body to push its limits. Life or death scenarios are the best for the greatest progress toward advancements, but less dangerous situations can still work, cacaw.¡±

    Roden felt like he was starting to get it, ¡°like when we are in the arena? It''s dangerous, but not life-threatening.¡±

    Riakon nodded sagely, ¡°exactly, if our lives were on the line in those fights it would push us much harder and we would advance faster. I don¡¯t think we were in any great danger last night beyond that crystal exploding like the one in Pescatin.¡±

    At his own mention of the town Riakon¡¯s face flashed a grimace.

    ¡°Well damn, there goes our plan of using this mission to advance.¡±

    Errrkkkk looked to Riakon, ¡°he has a point there, cacaw.¡±

    All three men sat in thought for a good while as they sipped their tea. Roden actually remembered to pull out his pipe and have a light smoke while they batted around ideas.

    They tossed out going back to the arena. Without having had a real challenge to test their current arrangement of abilities, they couldn¡¯t be sure they were at a level comparable to their last fight against the Dream Team.

    Roden found himself in a particularly awkward position. He was supposed to ensure things happened as closely then as they did at his table, but their current mission was already so different from his game. It was strange to him as the discrepancies were major yet made some semblance of sense.

    For example, they hadn¡¯t flown to an island for a conflux. He had Errrkkkk and Riakon investigate an underwater temple where they discovered a forge of power and no gremlins. However, they had run into a plant-like creature that possessed a magic gem within it, but again no gremlins.

    Both of those encounters were essentially things that just happened to be going on in his world when his players ran across them. They had no significant connection to anything greater, Yet there he was on an island investigating a conflux where a gremlin forged a magical gem that a plant creature carried within it.

    Roden shook his head in frustration as he blew out a large cloud of tasty smoke. He really wished Miriana was a bit more forthcoming with the details of his situation.

    ¡°Well boys, I¡¯ve got nothing. Unless we want to go try and hunt down some random things in the Wilds, I don¡¯t know where we are going to find anything worth our time.¡±

    Riakon tapped his chin with one of his clawed fingers before his brows shot up and he plunged his hand in his dimensional bag.

    When he withdrew his hand he clutched a small smooth rock. He held it up for the others to see and spoke excitedly.

    ¡°We should ask Bo! He might know about something in the area.¡±

    ¡°Yeah just don¡¯t mention your lack of magic or he¡¯ll call you a shithead, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Good point. Roden you do the talking.¡± Riakon said, shoving the stone into Roden¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Awe fuck why me?!¡±

    The other men¡¯s hands upon their noses told him everything he needed to know. Resigned to his fate he held the stone up to his mouth like a trucker on a CB radio and spoke into it. At his words the stone began to glow a faint blue.

    ¡°Hey Bo, it''s Roden and the boys. We don¡¯t have  a contract. Do you have anything for us around Port Sept?¡± There was a pause, the stone still glowing, Roden assumed the magic needed a few more words to complete the enchantment on the stone so he quickly added  ¡°Riakon has no magic.¡±

    ¡°Awe c¡¯mon.¡±

    Roden gave him the middle finger, ¡°you should¡¯ve done the talking then.¡±

    Errrkkkk stood up and drained his tea. ¡°Well no point in waiting around here for his answer. Let¡¯s hit the skys, cacaw.¡±

 Chapter 14- Dear Shitheads

    Chapter 14

    The men returned to Port Sept with the utmost haste. Only Errrkkkk was particularly comfortable being over open water. Even Roden didn¡¯t feel entirely at ease flying on a cloud. Riakon was the least happy with the arrangement having to run across the surface of the sea.

    It was evening by the time they were stepping on the dock of their villa. They were all tired from their travels that day, but they wanted to do away with the crystal as soon as possible given the volatility it had shown previously.

    The stop in at the Outpost to deliver their message was handled as expected until the clerk handed over a contract scroll with their names sealed onto it. Riakon took the scroll and held it up,

    ¡°What''s this?¡±

    The squat man behind the counter pointed his sausage-like finger at a portion of the paper in front of him, ¡°I would think it¡¯s a contract, but I can¡¯t be sure. All I know is it says to give that to you.¡±

    Errrkkkk was clearly suspicious by the look that crossed his face.

    ¡°What if we hadn¡¯t come in today, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°In that case, it would¡¯ve been sent to your residence on file tomorrow morning.¡±

    Riakon broke the seal to the scroll as soon as they walked out of the Outpost. The message read,

    ¡°Dear Shitheads,

    I got your message, but figured it¡¯d be easier to send a missive through the Adventurer¡¯s Outpost instead of trying to relay a fuck load of detail in a few words through the stone.

    I got word this morning of an ongoing situation in your area that might be perfect for you boys.

    There is a merchant ship stranded off the coast of Coastall, I have included a map with the best approximate location I can give yall.

    Their distress signal went out across adventurer channels as they are in a particularly dangerous area of the sea, quite a few miles off the coast. The last news anyone has heard is they are being held up by pirates of some variety, but no one has been able to get close enough.

    My guess is they have been taken over by seafolk of some kind, most likely Selaki or Ikthains. Yall need to be on ya toes if it''s the Selaki, they are big as hell, impulsive and even dumber than a magic-less Riakon. The Ikthains move in numbers so keep your eyes open.

    Good luck,

    Shitheads

    P.S. Use the stone to tell me you are done. This is an official contract unlike the one with the wolves, which yall failed to fill me in about, so you can turn it into the Outpost when yall are done for payment.¡±

    Roden and Errrkkkk read the letter over Riakon¡¯s shoulder when they deemed the dragonkin was taking too long.

    Roden looked at Errrkkkk when it was clear they were both done, ¡°sounds like an excellent mission if you ask me.¡±

    ¡°Perfect to push us onto our next advancement, cacaw!¡±

    ¡°Heeeyyy¡­¡± Riakon said in a huff, presumably having reached the part at the bottom of the letter where Bo called him dumb.

    ¡°Shit do we head out now?¡±

    Errrkkkk put a talon to his chin, ¡°it did say it was ongoing, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon, finally having finished the letter, joined the conversation.

    ¡°We¡¯d be leaving them overnight if we don¡¯t go now.¡±

    The three men gave themselves a period to weigh the options.

    Riakon spoke up before the others, ¡°so we¡¯re going I take it.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yep, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Roden said with a shrug.

    The journey to the location on Bo¡¯s map was not a terribly fun experience for anyone involved given it was their second such stint of extended travel for the day.

    To no one¡¯s surprise Errrkkkk was the one to locate the ship, but more importantly he saw they were marooned on a dot of land anyone would be hard pressed to call an island.

    From the air, Roden and Errrkkkk both deduced the crew made up the majority of the figures they could see on the island. It was the two largest figures that gave them pause.

    Roden recognized the two figures as being Selaki, a race of shark-like humanoids who were significantly more shark than human. They each stood well over eight feet tall and looked to be substantially more muscled than their captives.

    The one who seemed to be interacting with the crew had the appearance of a hammerhead shark with eyes on the opposite ends of its large T-shaped head. The other Selaki was truly massive. Where their companion was muscular and sleek the other was as wide as a dumpster.

    Together they cut an image of the typical brawns and brains team up. Based on Errrkkkk and Roden¡¯s observation that assumption seemed pretty spot on.

    When they returned to Riakon, who they had left sitting on the surface of the water, they started discussing their plan.

    ¡°So it¡¯s a hostage situation?¡± Riakon said, looking between the two.

    ¡°More or less yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I saw the body of one who had already been killed, cacaw.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    They sat and weighed their options and decided a full frontal assault was not their best option. Instead it was agreed that Riakon would act as their bait and draw the attention of the Selaki. From there Errrkkkk would position himself in the light of the sun and charge up a Soul Sphere.

    If all went according to plan the Selaki would either leave peacefully or Errrkkkk would have enough time to charge up his biggest Soul Sphere yet and make the ensuing fight a lot easier than if they tried to fight those monsters head on.

    Roden¡¯s job in all of that, was to be Riakon¡¯s backup. If it looked like Riakon was about to go from being bait to being a snack then Roden would be close enough to step in while they waited for Errrkkkk to join them.

    Roden flew in low and stayed behind the ship that the Selaki had somehow beached on the small island''s sandbar. He placed his hands on the hull of the ship and tapped into his elven magic. The energy welled up within him from his core to his finger tips. He felt his hands slip into the wood of the ship. He leaned into the sensation until he stepped fully into the hull of the vessel.

    Whilst inside of the ship''s wood he was able to move his consciousness through its entirety. He felt every board and plank. He could feel the sway of the mast in the wind and the coarse sand on the keel. He followed that feeling until he could hear the sound of Riakon¡¯s voice.

    Riakon as their plan had dictated strode up to the beach where the Selaki stood menacingly over their hostages. The larger of the two Selaki seemed to be the one doing the vast majority of the menacing while the other mostly berated the crew. He spoke in a much higher pitched voice than Riakon expected. His accent was nearly as exotic sounding as Riakon¡¯s own, but had a twang about it.

    Riakon could just make out what the Selaki was saying as he approached the beach.

    ¡°Now you lot listen here. I done search da boat and I aint found no sign of anything valuable. Either you start talkin or Brucey over there is going to start snacking.¡± The sharkman gestured over to the other Selaki he¡¯d named Brucey, who for his part just stood there looming over the hostages mouth agape.

    Riakon had reached the beach by that point and raised a hand, ¡°hail to the Selaki!¡±

    When the Selaki who had been talking turned around Riakon could see he wore an old captain''s jacket that was incredibly faded as well as sailor''s pants that looked more like shorts on the large sharkman.

    Riakon¡¯s greeting started the man and he whirled around frantically to meet the intruder.

    ¡°What?! Who are you?!¡±

    ¡°Me? I am Riakon. I was just passing by when I saw you had commandeered this fine vessel. I thought I could perhaps give you a hand. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?¡±

    The sharkman tilted his head back so he could focus both eyes on Riakon at the same time.

    ¡°Name''s Martee and that big cunt over there is Brucey. What do you mean when you say give a hand? I already have two hands.¡±

    Riakon groaned inwardly, ¡°I just meant that I could help in your scavenging. It seems you have your hands full with these gentlemen.¡±

    Martee sneered as he looked over the crew of the ship sitting on the beach,

    ¡°Ahhhhh they aint worth nothin, but a meal. That ship is empty.¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°hmmm well maybe I could talk to the men and see what they say.¡± Riakon was only about ten feet away from where the crew sat on the beach so raising his voice enough to be heard by them was no great task.

    ¡°Gentlemen, your captors here are looking for anything of value on your ship. Does anyone know of anything that they might take an interest in?¡±

    A young human man spoke before anyone could so much as think, ¡°we told them already. We have a few horses in the hold under the main deck, but we mainly dive for seanuts.¡±

    At the man¡¯s words, Roden discovered he could in fact laugh while inside of wood.

    Riakon did a much better job of maintaining his composure before turning to address the Selaki.

    ¡°Well my friend you heard the man. They have some horses, but the rest are just nuts.¡±

    Martee stared at Riakon blankly.

    ¡°Horses are the four legged animals that people ride from place to place.¡±

    Martee tilted his head and focused one of his big eyes on Riakon, ¡°I didn¡¯t see no horses in dere.¡±

    The young man from before abruptly shot up from his crouched position shouting, ¡°they¡¯re beneath the main deck! You can¡¯t reach them unless you¨C¡±

    Brucey cut off the man with a nonchalant backhand that sent the smaller man flying. Riakon immediately rushed towards the brutish sharkman.

    ¡°Hey he was just trying help! Try that on someone your own size!¡±

    Brucey wasn''t terribly bright. Actually to call him dim would be a generous assessment of his mental faculties, but he knew a challenge when he heard one.

    The great white Selaki stomped his way straight up to Riakon. Roden saw in that moment Errrkkkk had released his Soul Sphere. The conditions had been met as per their plan. Riakon had gotten the two Selaki close enough together for Errrkkkk to hit them both.

    Roden threw himself out of the hull of the ship onto the beach. Two casts of Instant Destination later and he had Riakon a safe distance from the anticipated point of impact.

    The appearance of Roden within their midst had been enough to confuse the Selaki. His and Riakon¡¯s disappearance only compounded their confusion.

    The Soul Sphere Errrkkkk had managed to create was indeed his largest yet. The blueish orb the size of a two car garage slammed into the Selaki, rapidly enveloping them in the accumulated chi energy. The impact of the sphere and the tiny island was so great it left a massive hole in the beach that immediately filled in with sea water.

    To everyone¡¯s surprise the Selaki were still standing. Brucey seemed to have taken the worst of it. In addition to being ravaged by the force of the blast, he was missing a hand and his dorsal fin. Martee had managed to retain all of his limbs, but his no doubt stolen attire was in ribbons.

    Riakon looked at Roden while hefting his hammer and equipping his shield, ¡°I¡¯ve got the big guy.¡±

    Before Roden could respond Riakon charged off toward his chosen opponent. Roden shrugged before conjuring up his lance and sent it flying toward Martee with the incantation, ¡°lux!¡±

    The golden spear instantly slammed into the unsuspecting sharkman. When Martee turned his huge head to locate his attacker, Errrkkkk descended upon him with a flying side kick to his face that sent him stumbling. Errrkkkk followed up his dynamic entry by landing in a semi crouch. He rocked forward, hands clasped, unleashing his signature, ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    Riakon threw himself at his great white adversary. He swung his huge hammer one handed, his new ring affording him the new adaptation. His attack hit home, but Brucey showed little indication of any pain. Riakon followed up with another strike, that time to the creature¡¯s massive chest. Riakon could feel the thud and impact of each strike, but his opponent showed little reaction.

    Roden watched as Riakon struck out at Brucey to seemingly little effect. However, the strikes must have stirred something from deep within the sharkman because he set upon Riakon in a frenzy. Brucey wasn¡¯t sophisticated in his offense. He swung his huge head around to and fro until he managed to clamp his jaws around Riakon¡¯s shield arm.

    Seeing Riakon was in greater danger, Roden activated his Mozzetta of Clouds and set his sights on the bigger of the two Selaki. He focused and drew magic into his hand. When he saw his opening he fired off a Winter¡¯s Blast that covered Brucey¡¯s entire left side in a layer of ice.

    Errrkkkk was feeling pretty good about their plan by the time he was unleashing his beam on Martee. That all changed when he saw the Selaki pushing his way into his beam as if he was walking up a river. When Errrkkkk¡¯s beam reached its conclusion Martee was nearly on top of him.

    Unlike his much larger companion Martee was more than capable of using a weapon, which he demonstrated by drawing a saber far too large for any normal person to wield one handed. Martee¡¯s first swing was a horizontal slash aimed at Errrkkkk¡¯s head.

    He leaned back narrowly avoiding the swing except for the tip which nicked his beak. With a twist of his wrist Martee brought his blade back around slashing Errrkkkk from shoulder to hip. The cut wasn¡¯t incredibly deep, but it was a wound that would require healing later.

    Blood was in the air and Martee got a crazed look in his eyes. The thrust that followed was wild and despite Errrkkkk catching the wide blade between his talons it slipped through his defenses and pierced his chest with the very tip of the blade.

    Martee leaned in, putting all of his bulk behind the pommel of his saber.

    ¡°Ello little bird. I could use a snack.¡±

    Errrkkkk grinned, ¡°oh yeah? Then eat this, cacaw!¡±

    He twisted off the blade forcing Martee to step forward. Errrkkkk ducked and drove a fist into the meat of the Selaki¡¯s thigh muscle. His aim wasn¡¯t to damage his opponent, but to disrupt his chi. Not all beings of Mir could control their chi so by injecting some of his own into an opponent Errrkkkk was able to overwhelm his target¡¯s reactions.

    His plan had worked perfectly, he watched as Martee stepped forward and froze in his tracks. Errrkkkk could feel the moment when his chi overtook Martee¡¯s. He wasted no time, he continued his combination with a leaping kick that saw his foot travel three hundred and sixty degrees through the air before slamming into the Selaki¡¯s neck.

    Riakon slammed his hammer down over and over trying to dislodge his arm from the Selaki¡¯s mouth with no success. Each blow only added to Riakon¡¯s predicament by seemingly driving its teeth deeper into Riakon¡¯s shield. Roden¡¯s ice had restrained Brucey''s one good arm and hand so between its grip on his arm and the ice, Brucey wasn¡¯t going anywhere. Riakon used that to his advantage by drawing in a deep breath and releasing a sickly green liquid dousing the creature. The liquid immediately started sizzling and popping as it ate away at its skin.

    Roden was already running when he saw Errrkkkk twist off Martee¡¯s big freaking sword. By that point, there was a lot of ground to cover between the two fights. Needing the boost of speed Roden first discharged his cloak in a bolt at Brucey that seemed to have no effect, but the casting was all he needed to activate his Storm Strider ability.

    The lightning magic rushed to his legs and feet enhancing his speed and propelling him forward. He shot across the beach in a blur. When he reached Martee, Errrkkkk had the Selaki dazed. Roden blasted the sharkman with the overcharged Storming Smash he prepared as he dashed across the sand. When his fist impacted with Martee¡¯s chest the spell released a torrent of arcane lightning straight through the sharkman leaving a jagged hole in its wake.

    The sound of ice shattering filled the air as Brucey lashed out in fury at the death of his comrade. When he threw his great white shark head back it lifted Riakon off his feet. His grip on Riakon¡¯s arm loosened just enough to allow it to fall deeper into his maw. When he crunched back down he had the majority of Riakon''s left side in his jaws and began to viciously shake from side to side.

    Riakon found he could do very little to extricate himself from his painful predicament. Instead he exhaled a cloud of green fog that enveloped both of them. Riakon held his breath as best he could despite the violent back and forth movement. After a few painfully long moments, Riakon felt the jaws slacken. He wasted no time slipping out of Brucey¡¯s mouth and onto the sandy beach below.

    He scrambled to his feet to see the sharkman had dropped to one knee. He was finally succumbing to the effects of everything they had thrown at him. Errrkkkk¡¯s Soul Sphere, Riakon¡¯s acid and poison breaths had all amounted to an un-ignorable amount of injuries. When Riakon¡¯s eyes met with Brucey¡¯s they both tensed for a final confrontation. The Selaki stood and charged all in one motion. Riakon stood his ground, reared back and unleashed a gout of bright orange flames that left the beach smelling of an awful combination of fish and decaying flesh.

 Chapter 15- Point of Convergence

    Chapter 15

    After the fight with Brucey was over, Riakon had looked around frantically for Errrkkkk and Roden only to find his two companions were standing off to the side watching the fight. They gave Riakon a muted golf clap in response to his victory, much to Riakon¡¯s initial annoyance. They had insisted the one on one fight was good for the Dragonkin¡¯s confidence, which he had to admit was true.

    Roden let Errrkkkk and Riakon handle the crew while enjoyed the view. When they were finished they had apparently purchased the boat and hired the crew. The rationale they provided to Roden was something along the lines of ¡°now we have a boat if we need one.¡±

    Turns out the captain had been killed during the initial takeover and he didn¡¯t have any family the crew knew about. The men negotiated with the crew and in the end it was determined the men would continue their work as seanut divers for the Sons of Era-archy.

    At Riakon¡¯s urging, the party rode the ship back to Port Sept in order to discuss the finer details and determine payments. By late morning on the following day, the ship arrived in port and the crew set to docking and preparing to unload their meager bounty.

    Riakon and Errrkkkk felt good about themselves for having secured what Riakon called ¡°passive income¡±. Roden just rolled his eyes at their slightly morbid opportunism. Roden had other things on his mind. When he had woken that morning he could feel his advancement had come. The familiar tingle in his fingertips and the slight glow that accompanied him when he stood still for a bit too long.

    The men walked to the Outpost and gave their report. The payment was more than enough to make up for what they had paid for their ship and crew. However, that wasn¡¯t all they received. In addition to their payment they were given another missive that directed them to meet up with the Court Mage again at their earliest convenience.

    Roden found himself all the more irritated by one more thing standing between him and his advancement. There was something different about this advancement. The amount of magical energy within him was frustratingly palpable. He felt like he was coming apart at the seams.

    He considered just getting it done and over with while on the ship, but Errrkkkk and Riakon had suggested they talk over their advancement options. Fortunately, when they arrived at the Vicar Vairh Vasilica the guard instructed them that the Court Mage was not available for appointments, so they left a message and returned to the Silver Wind Inn.

    It wasn¡¯t until they were all relaxing in the hot waters of the treehouse spa that they were able to discuss the topic over a pipe.

    ¡°So guys what¡¯s so important about this advancement I had to wait all day?¡±

    Riakon shook his head, ¡°it¡¯s official this guy knows nothing about advancements.¡±

    ¡°Yep, pretty sure we already established that. Now will someone please tell me what¡¯s going on?! It feels like I have lightning in my veins.¡±

    Errrkkkk nodded, ¡°we are at the Point of Convergence, cacaw.¡±

    Roden gestured for him to keep going.

    Riakon picked up where the birdman left off, ¡°The Point of Convergence is when the amount of magic you absorb and can store rewires your meridians. The effects are slightly different for everyone, but there are going to be quite a few changes and we figured you wouldn¡¯t know what you were doing so we wanted to talk with you first.¡±

    ¡°Okay so what is going to happen to me?¡± A bit of concern leaked into his voice.

    Errrkkkk shrugged, ¡°not sure, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Wow thanks, I feel so prepared.¡± Roden said dryly.

    Riakon took a scholarly pose, ¡°for example, Errrkkkk here is going to gain much greater control over his chi. Before his body was trained to do what he wanted it to do. Now that training and his physical nature will converge. You might say he is currently a person who has trained to be a monk. After his advancement, he will be a monk in all aspects.¡±

    Roden was a little shocked at the revelation. In Adventures and Antics each level up was essentially the same. Sure they granted new abilities or features for a character, but never anything like what they described. He supposed nothing about that game was relevant anymore considering it was just a ruse by Zamira in the first place, but he couldn¡¯t help, but notice similarities.

    Roden took a deep breath and let it out, ¡°so you¡¯re saying my next advancement will make me a true Cleric?¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°yeah actually that''s a nice way to think about it. You¡¯ll have a much greater connection to your God, that much is for sure. Chances are you will be offered more powerful sub-domains or an evolution of your current one. There will definitely be an Augmentation available so allocate that carefully.¡±

    Roden took it all in and nodded, ¡°okay anything else I should know?¡±

    His two friends looked at each other in thought before shaking their heads neither able to think of any more wisdom to share.

    ¡°Well gentlemen if it is all the same to you, I am going to do this Advancement now while I sit in this tub and smoke this pipe. You are welcome to stay, it won¡¯t take me long.¡± He ended his words with a wink before striking a meditative pose and fell into himself.

    Roden opened his eyes and was met by a cool ocean breeze. He was barefoot, his toes and the soles of his feet warm in the soft sand of the beach. He walked over to the center of the island under the shade of the tall palm trees. He closed his eyes and prayed to Zamira to come help him at her earliest convenience. His prayer had barely finished when he heard her familiar voice.

    ¡°Oh you boys finally reached the Point of Convergence aye?¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°yep we made it alright. But I don¡¯t know what the hell that really means for me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your panties in a twist, I will help you figure it out. Actually I have a recommendation if you are open to it.¡± She said it with more hope in her voice than she had used before.

    Roden nodded, ¡°fine by me. What¡¯s your plan?¡±

    Zamira clapped her hands together, ¡°really? That¡¯s great! Okay so now that you¡¯ve reached the Point of Convergence as a Cleric we have a much greater connection. Your spark is now tuned to the frequency of my divine magic. I can now give you so much more in the way of specific abilities. Given our close relation I can be a bit more selective in what I grant you.¡±

    ¡°Okay if I¡¯m following you right, a lot of what I already can do is common among your Clerics?¡±

    Zamira gave a gesture of uncertainty before shrugging, ¡°sort of, your storm domain is consistent with some Clerics I have had in the past. One way to think of Clerical magic is each god has domains, and each domain has a collection of abilities the god can grant. Through their actions, Clerics demonstrate an affinity to some of those abilities and thus the god grants them the ability they have the greatest affinity with.¡±

    Roden was surprised how much sense it all made when she put it that way.

    ¡°Okay so what about now with this whole Point of Convergence thing?¡±

    A wide grin spread on Zamira¡¯s face, ¡°well one way to think about it is Clerics who reach that level become the test subjects for new abilities of their gods. I should probably point out reaching the Point of Convergence is pretty rare. There are perhaps only a handful of Clerics who have advanced that far on the entirety of Mir.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°Holy shit.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes holy shit indeed. But let''s get cooking! I am dying to see what we can come up with for my Champion.¡±

    Roden couldn¡¯t help, but smile at her enthusiasm, ¡°by your own words I have an affinity with certain abilities you already can bestow.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, but forget those. I am trying to make something new here. You are my first Champion in over a hundred years. I need to set a precedent here.¡±

    Roden pulled back in mock surrender, ¡°okay okay, what are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°One of the things Clerics can do during this advancement is they can supplant one of their domains with a subdomain of their current one and you my wonderful son have given me the perfect opportunity and affinity to unveil a subdomain of Adventure.¡±

    ¡°Well don¡¯t hold me in suspense.¡±

    ¡°So my thought is to create a Hero subdomain for my Adventure domain!¡± Her words came out with so much enthusiasm it was infectious.

    ¡°Hero huh? Isn¡¯t that a little dramatic?¡±

    The energy that crackled off Zamira had Roden backpedaling instantly,

    ¡°Kidding. I was just kidding. I love the idea actually.¡± He said sheepishly trying to placate the short fused Goddess.

    Zamira narrowed his eyes at him, but smiled nonetheless. ¡°Good, so what should we do?¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°you¡¯re asking me?¡± he said with incredulity.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m asking you. I can¡¯t just whip up everything on my own, you know.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Well yes I could, but where is the fun in that when we have the ability to do it together?¡±

    ¡°Fair point.¡± Roden thought for a moment that dragged into a much longer moment.

    Zamira stood in front of him expectantly, ¡°well?¡±

    Roden shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t think of anything I¡¯d want.¡±

    Zamira stared at him blankly, ¡°you mean to tell me you have a goddess of an alien world standing in front of you offering untold magical power and you can¡¯t come up with anything?!¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°yeah that isn¡¯t exactly something that happens every day.¡±

    Zamira harrumphed, ¡°true enough, I suppose. Is there any magic you wish you had?¡±

    ¡°I mean having fireball was cool, but that doesn¡¯t seem terribly hero themed to me.¡±

    ¡°No, no it doesn¡¯t. Speaking of old abilities, what if you got your sword back?¡±

    ¡°My sword? From Hero¡¯s Armament?¡±

    ¡°Yeah that one. What if I made it into an ability instead of a spell?¡±

    ¡°Are you just trying to one up my Sylvan Weaponry?¡±

    Zamira looked aghast, ¡°of course not! I just know how much you like that spell.¡±

    ¡°I did like that spell.¡± He said a bit more sullen than he intended.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s do that!¡±

    Roden held up a hand, ¡°hang on a minute, I spent a bunch of time relearning how to fight without it. I¡¯m not trying to go backwards.¡±

    ¡°Booooo.¡±

    ¡°Did you really just boo me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes I did.¡± She said, turning her nose up at him. ¡°C¡¯mon Roden I need my Champion to strike a glorious pose here and a sword is the quintessential hero¡¯s weapon.¡±

    ¡°I already have a sword.¡±

    Zamira rolled her eyes, ¡°can you even call that dainty thing a sword?¡±

    ¡°What else can we do?¡±

    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s see. You can fly, you have excellent ranged abilities, you have an awesome shield that would go great with a cool sword¡­¡± She trailed off, ending her snarky tirade, her intent gaze fixed on Roden.

    ¡°Why are you staring at me like that?¡±

    ¡°It has come to my attention you are incredibly weak for a hero.¡±

    ¡°Woah! What are you talking about? You just listed all the ways I am awesome.¡±

    ¡°I mean physically weak. As in I am surprised you can carry an Adventurer¡¯s pack without help.¡±

    Roden¡¯s face scrunched up in displeasure at her very true words. He had rolled a seven way back when¡­

    ¡°Hey wait a minute, when I made Roden back at the Outpost did anything I did there actually matter?¡±

    Zamira snorted, ¡°nope.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°It was all just a clever ruse to trick you a bit into feeling like you had some control. The illusion of choice if you will. All of the results were predetermined, it just looked like it was random.¡±

    ¡°So the stats I rolled didn¡¯t matter?¡±

    Zamira shook her head, ¡°nope, I made the dice show what I wanted. I knew you would put things in the right places given your connection to Roden¡­¡± She trailed off.

    ¡°There is that connection you keep mentioning.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, forget about that. Let¡¯s get back to how weak you are.¡±

    ¡°Fine I guess¡­ I suppose it¡¯s fair to say I am quite physically weak. What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°Well given the way you have been fighting in this world I am starting to feel that you have enough of an affinity to strength to make something work.¡±

    ¡°Hmmmmm keep talking.¡±

    ¡°Well any ability I give you here for the subdomain is going to replace either your Pilgrim¡¯s Rebuke or your Adventurer¡¯s Aegis.¡±

    ¡°Boooo.¡±

    Zamira shrugged, ¡°them''s the breaks kid. The abilities are that strong though. What if the ability gave you strength equal to a fighter of the same level?¡±

    ¡°You should know that I have no idea what that means in this world.¡±

    ¡°Right, well in your world you¡¯d call it super strength.¡±

    ¡°Ding ding ding we have a winner! Dose me up!¡± he said, spreading his arms out wide.

    ¡°Now who''s being dramatic?¡±

    He glared at her, ¡°what''s the hold up?¡±

    ¡°These subdomain abilities are really powerful. Super strength is just one part of it. I need more to fill out the available space.¡±

    Roden was confused, ¡°available space?¡±

    ¡°I just mean that the ability you can have now has access to a much larger reserve of magic than before. By extension it should use up all of the available magic otherwise it is a waste. At least in my godly opinion.¡± She said the last part with an amount of smugness only available to a god speaking to their worshipper.

    ¡°Okay so super strength and what else?¡±

    ¡°Well what else should a hero be able to do? C¡¯mon mister literature, dig deep.¡±

    ¡°Well damn, I don¡¯t know. I already move fast. I have armor, a sword, and a shield.¡± His eyebrows shot up, an idea blossoming in his mind.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could have it teach me how to fight?¡±

    Zamira thought for a moment, ¡°probably not. Or at least not enough to give you the Neo moment you are looking for.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t¨C¡±

    ¡°Do not lie to a Goddess in front of your mother.¡±

    Roden raised a finger to protest, but she had caught him.

    ¡°As much as I want to explore that statement, I¡¯m going to let it pass for now. So you can¡¯t make me better at fighting at all?¡±

    ¡°Well I could make you better at what you already know, but I couldn¡¯t give you anything new.¡±

    ¡°Would that mean dusting off all of those martial arts classes from my childhood?¡±

    ¡°Essentially.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯d have the skills of a purple belt?¡±

    Zamira laughed a bit too hard for Roden¡¯s liking, ¡°yes and no, your skills would be brought to their best, but I would also be giving you the potential to be Adventurer level. So yes you would start as a purple belt, but you could dramatically improve with training.¡±

    ¡°Well hot damn!¡± Roden¡¯s excitement was at an all time high, when a realization hit him like a bus.

    ¡°All of that is going to be temporary huh?¡±

    Zamira gave him a weak smile, ¡°yes, you would only be able to use the strength and skills for a period of time. From what I¡¯m thinking with what we are looking at right now you could maintain the ability for about an hour, maybe an hour and a half if you push yourself.¡±

    ¡°Damn that is plenty of time! I¡¯m in.¡±

    Zamira nodded happily, ¡°I like it too. Which ability should we replace? Personally, I¡¯m thinking Pilgrim¡¯s Rebuke. You¡¯ve outgrown that one a bit.¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°yeah me too. It was a great ability when I was starting out, but now I¡¯m rarely sitting in one place waiting to be attacked.¡±

    Zamira rubbed her hands together, ¡°perfect! Now onto our next item of business. What are you doing for your Augmentation?¡±

    ¡°That! Is a great question. I think I was originally planning on increasing my Wisdom stat.¡± Roden paused uncertainly. ¡°Is that even the right way to say that?¡±

    ¡°Sort of, the people of Mir who care about such things would say you were Advancing your Intuition. Intuition, belief, and faith are highly connected for the people of Mir. Clerics use magic through their intuition and as such have preternatural intuition.¡±

    ¡°Right on, well what do you think?¡±

    ¡°I had hoped you would do either that or advance your dexterity.¡±

    Roden got a puzzled look on his face, ¡°why dexterity?¡±

    ¡°Because you are going to fight dragons and dragon breath is notoriously painful if you don¡¯t get the hell out of the way fast enough.¡±

    ¡°Dexterity it is!¡±

    ¡°Hang on, you actually have two options here. First you could focus it on your overall agility. It would make you better at all around dexterous things. The other option is to narrow your focus and improve your reflexes and reaction times.¡±

    ¡°Why do I get the feeling you want me to do the second thing?¡±

    ¡°Probably because I want you to do the second thing.¡±

    ¡°Fine by me, better reflexes and reaction times can¡¯t be bad. How do I do that?¡±

    ¡°Oh right, I forgot you haven¡¯t had to do that yet¡­¡±

    Zamira shook her head back and forth before waving a hand over him causing both her hand and him to glow. Roden could feel the energy within him move around as if he was a pot and she was stirring the stew inside him. When the glow subsided, he felt a renewed sense of energy.

    ¡°Woah!¡±

    Zamira sighed, ¡°you are really going to have to do that for yourself one of these days.¡±

    ¡°I totally would, but having you do it is incredibly convenient.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just say thank you then.¡±

    Zamira smiled, ¡°you are welcome. Okay so last, but not least you get another spell.¡±

    ¡°Sweet, any thoughts on what I should take.¡±

    Zamira shook her head, ¡°no you misunderstand this is a subdomain spell. It¡¯s unique to your subdomain and by extension you for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Bet, what is it?¡±

    Zamira got a look in her eyes that said in no uncertain terms she had already decided what he was getting and there was nothing he could do about it.

 Chapter 16- Goodbye Port Sept

    Chapter 16

    The next few days were spent relaxing from the consequences of their most recent missions and their advancements. Roden was particularly anxious to get back to training with his advanced skill set. Errrkkkk was similarly excited to demonstrate the benefits of his advancement.

    Riakon was less enthused by his advancement given his lack of any particular direction to empower his development. He found he was unable to actually engage in the Point of Convergence. Miriana hypothesized he was unable because his body was too accustomed to his paladin abilities and thus his only avenue for Convergence was as a paladin.

    On the second morning after their return, they were visited by the Court Mage at their Villa. Yan was excited to hear what they found, but was quickly troubled by the news of an intelligent gremlin attempting to harness the conflux. When they produced the black crystal Yan couldn¡¯t help, but fawn over the object.

    ¡°My word boys! This is magnificent! Tell me again how was this forged?¡±

    Roden took charge detailing the event ¡°well Grumell the gremlin was going on about his Great God before he jammed a much smaller crystal just like this one into the wrinkle that we assumed was the conflux. A shockwave of force later and this thing appeared within the conflux.¡±

    Yan nodded as Roden spoke validating each assumption, ¡°fascinating! Let me try a little analysis¡­¡±

    Yan trailed off as his eyes flared a light blue color. Roden had no doubt that he was casting some version of Sight of the Magi to get a more thorough look at the specimen.

    Abruptly, Yan recoiled as if burned. His eyes slammed shut as he reeled back. He would have tumbled over the footrest behind him if Errrkkkk hadn¡¯t snatched ahold of his shoulder and held him mostly upright.

    Roden moved alongside the man in case he was in need of healing. ¡°Yan, are you okay?¡±

    The court mage blinked a few times, his eyes having returned to normal. He waved the men off.

    ¡°Thank you friend, but I am okay. I was just taken by surprise at this thing¡¯s unusual aura.¡±

    ¡°Unusual how, cacaw?¡±

    Yan¡¯s brows knit together, ¡°the best I can gauge from that pitiful essay is that the crystal pulls in its own magical reserves.¡±

    ¡°Forgive us good Sir, but my brother and I are not mages. Can you elaborate?¡±

    ¡°To put it simply, most items with a magical aura are charged with magic that will eventually run out. Except for a few rare circumstances all magic items are limited in their lifespan. This crystal here draws in magic directly from the magisphere.¡±

    Roden pondered his words and allowed his own knowledge of the world to mingle until he arrived at a conclusion, ¡°that is why the gremlin¡¯s with these crystals are using magic that should be well beyond their ability.¡±

    Yan nodded, ¡°I would agree that is the case. However, there is also the issue of their increased intelligence. That can only be the result of extended existence. The formation of culture and language is no rapid process. I fear something has been brewing under our noses for a long time and it is just now coming to fruition.¡±

    ¡°How can we help, cacaw?¡±

    Yan thought for a moment, ¡°I may need you boys to track down that conflux from your first mission and make sure it is secure.¡±

    ¡°Is it even possible to secure these things?¡± Riakon interjected.

    ¡°No, not really. However, I can mobilize Adventurer¡¯s from the Outpost to defend the cave. My worry is if the gremlins have already secured the conflux then the average party of adventurers may not be enough to overwhelm a gremlin shagrem like Grumell.¡±

    Errrkkkk and Roden looked at each other, both men weighing the mage¡¯s request with their previous plan to assail the dragon near Rock¡¯s Edge. Roden addressed the mage,

    ¡°We have an engagement near Rock¡¯s Edge that we need to attend first. How long would it take for you to have some adventurers holding down the cave.¡±

    ¡°I should be able to have them there within a couple days. Finding adventures in the know or suitable to include in our confidence is more difficult. How long will your engagement take?¡¯Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°With travel and everything I can''t imagine we would be at the cave in less than a week.¡±

    A deep frown spread across the man¡¯s face, ¡°a week is not good at all. How did you intend to travel to Rock¡¯s Edge?¡±

    ¡°By boat!¡± Errrkkkk and Riakon both hopped at the chance to mention their newest acquisition, ¡°cacaw!¡±

    ¡°To Kreg then over land to Rock¡¯s Edge.¡± Roden added in an attempt to calm the elderly mage.

    Yan shook his head, ¡°no that won¡¯t do. Is your engagement time sensitive?¡±

    Riakon spoke, ¡°the sooner the better.¡±

    ¡°Great! I will see that you are transported there via the Circle Array. I will inform them the moment I leave. You must leave at once. Head to the Outpost and they will see you are transported to Rock¡¯s Edge.¡±

    All three men were left speechless at their fortune and a mix of trepidation. Landing in Rock¡¯s Edge that much sooner meant they would be fighting a dragon much sooner than anticipated.

    ¡°Pick up your jaws men and get ready to leave. I will be in touch.¡± Yan gave them a slight bow of his head before seeing himself out of their villa.

    ¡°Shit guys¡­I guess we are fighting a dragon.¡± Roden said with a hint of mirth.

    ¡°Fuck yeah, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°And I get my powers back!¡±

    Both Errrkkkk and Roden glared at Riakon cause the big dragonkin to shrink. The ever present conflict of Roden and Errrkkkk having to pick up the slack of Riakon¡¯s diminished power level evident in their glares.

    The men quickly set to packing their things and gathering up any supplies they had on hand. They planned to purchase mountaineering gear when they arrived in Rock¡¯s edge so their packs were relatively light.

    Miriana wasn¡¯t around so they made it part of their plan to stop at her temple and let her know the change in their agenda.

    Both Errrkkkk and Riakon gave Grok and Branch instructions. Roden couldn¡¯t understand what Errrkkkk was saying as he spoke to the plant in bird song, but he got a kick out of Riakon¡¯s conversation with the now nearly full grown Grok.

    ¡°Okay little guy, we are going on a trip to fight a dragon. You are going to stay here with Miriana and Branch. Now you be on your best behavior. Be careful on the furniture and make sure to thank Miriana when she feeds you. If you need some exercise you don¡¯t leave the area around the villa and if anyone sees you make sure you get inside right away.¡±

    For his part Grok mostly nodded, but the look on the garg¡¯s face was anything, but satisfied. When Riakon had finished his instructions and stood, so did Grok.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Grok gurgled and jawed at Riakon before pointing to the door of the villa.

    ¡°No you are not coming with to fight a dragon.¡±

    Grok gurgles turned more energetic and guttural.

    ¡°Maybe not time you can come along. Don¡¯t slack off on your training while we are gone and we will see if you are ready when we come back.¡±

    Grok harrumphed at Riakon before sitting back on his heels and crossing his arms.

    ¡°Good bye Grok, I love you.¡±

    ¡°Grrrrkkkkk luggg goo.¡±

    ¡°Good boy.¡± Riakon said tousling Grok¡¯s hair between his ears.

    The men left the villa and headed directly to Temple Street to find Miriana. They easily found Zamira¡¯s temple just beyond the curve of the main street. From the outside Zamira¡¯s temple seemed subdued. It lacked any flamboyance or gaudy decorations. The outside and courtyard reminded Roden of the Parthenon with large straight columns that held carved clouds at their peaks instead of Greek decorations.

    Inside however was a different story. The inner chambers of Zamira¡¯s temple were lavish in comparison to the more standard temples around Mir. Through conversations with Miriana Roden knew the temple survived as the primary tomb of powerful adventurers.

    The grounds of all temples were hallowed against undead intrusion, but Zamira¡¯s temple was said to be particularly unforgiving to any attempt to breach the tomb beneath for nefarious purposes. That meant despite the temple¡¯s position off the main street. It was quietly one of the riches in the city.

    Miriana had made it a point to make those who came to grieve were comfortable and placated with food and drink. People could come and lay their loved ones to rest without having to worry about the great cost of a funeral or preparing for a service.

    Roden caught Miriana¡¯s eye as they moved through the lobby of the temple. She was front and center greeting people as they entered. She was surrounded by a group of four novices who showed her great reverence.

    Miriana smiled when they approached, ¡°what are you boys doing here all geared up?¡±

    She gave Roden a hug, before he addressed her question, ¡°we have to go. We are being given transport to Rock¡¯s Edge as soon as we leave here. We wanted to stop by and let you know we are leaving Grok and Branch at the villa while we are gone. We have another thing to attend to once we are done and will be back as soon as we can.¡±

    Miriana pursed her lips, ¡°I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. Are you boys ready?¡±

    ¡°Cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said resolutely.

    ¡°As ready as I can be.¡±

    Roden looked her in the eyes, ¡°no choice, but to be ready.¡±

    Miriana nodded and addressed the novices around her, ¡°well girls, we have three gentlemen adventurers here about to go off on a dangerous mission. What should we do about it?¡±

    The novice on her immediate left spoke in a soft voice, ¡°we should say a prayer over them for a blessed adventure, my lady.¡±

    Miriana nodded approvingly, ¡°good, anything else?¡±

    The novice on the far right spoke up, ¡°if the adventure is dangerous we could light a vigil.¡±

    ¡°Very good, you girls go get some candles and we shall set them here.¡±

    The girls returned moments later with three candles, one for each man.

    While each girl blessed each man, Miriana presided over the vigil while the girls light the candles in order.

    Miriana concluded the ceremony ¡°for as long as you hold breath in your chests, life in your heart, and the adventure in your souls. These candles shall burn until your return.¡±

    Each man bowed their heads in reverence, ¡°thanks mom.¡±

    Miriana smiled warmly, ¡°of course dear.¡±

    With another hug for his godly mother, the men left the temple heading straight for the Outpost. Once inside they spoke to a clerk who quickly directed them to the Circle Array. Roden noticed a middle aged Elven man stood in attendance of the Array, when it occurred to him that nearly all Elven people appeared to be middle aged, no doubt a byproduct of their dramatically slower aging.

    The clerk exchanged words with the man before he began the ritual that would send them to the mountain town of Rock¡¯s Edge. They stood in the center of the circle as it began to glow. The pattern on the floor was actually a series of concentric rings with a spiral in the center. The ritual culminated when the entire pattern on the floor winked out and the men felt themselves lurch forward. Their arrival was nearly instantaneous. Their only notion of anything having happened was the small bit of momentum that made them all take a step once inside the Circle Array at Rock¡¯s Edge.

    The men stepped out of the Outpost in Rock¡¯s Edge, the cold crisp air buffed their Coastally clothes and invaded their lungs as they took their first look at the famed Violet Mountains that served as a brilliant and beautiful backdrop to the city, where their journey to slay their first dragon was set to begin.

 Chapter 17- Proverbs and Dragons

    Chapter 17

    As it turns out, mountaineering isn¡¯t all that hard when two of your three team members can fly. They had acquired all of their supplies for a relatively paltry some given their proximity to the mountains and the surplus of cold weather gear.

    Roden had opted for a coat lined with the wool of a local yak-like creature called a Yurak. The big furry beasts ranged the high plateaus around Rock¡¯s Edge when the city was founded and were quickly brought to heel by those first generation settlers.

    Roden was primarily concerned with range of motion and the lighter coat was only slightly more impeding than his typical gear. With his Grove Armor over top to keep out the wind, Roden was confident he wouldn¡¯t be too cold.

    Riakon had chosen to go for something even lighter and instead chose something primarily to cut the wind. The winter leather he settled on was light grey in color, but looked more like fall wear than mountaineering equipment. If it wasn¡¯t for Riakon¡¯s gift of resistance to extreme cold Roden might have been worried.

    Errrkkkk was a similar case, having changed his amulet¡¯s resistance to cold back when Roden had returned to Pa¡¯teem¡¯s to recover his earring turned finger worn ring. He settled for a thick robe he could easily cast off in the event of a fight.

    With heavy packs they hopped up the side of the mountain. Riakon was easily belayed up the side of the mountain in fifty to one hundred foot increments with occasional periods of hiking to the next obvious hopping point.

    The winds made flying a difficult process even for Errrkkkk, who often seemed more at home in the sky than on the ground. The winds were one of the many reasons they had elected to ascend the mountain rather than attempt to secure Riakon a means of flight so they could fly straight to the summit.

    After a few hours of travel they were already running out of daylight, the men not having accounted for the higher latitude. With his companions'' nonexistent ability to see in the dark they set to make camp as soon as they found a ledge they felt large and sturdy enough to hold Roden¡¯s treehouse.

    Given their current environment Roden chose a different aesthetic for his mountain treehouse. Roden had put a lot of thought into just exactly what he would do when they finally made the journey to the icy dragon¡¯s peak. He hadn¡¯t fully decided his plan when Yan sent them on their way, but a little improvisation was always a part of the plan anyway.

    Casting the treehouse had been one of Roden¡¯s favorite spells since his arrival on Mir. It was one of the few spells he felt he was actually doing magic. His other spells just sort of happened. They manifested at a word, gesture, and thought, beyond those components he had little to do with the casting. His treehouse required him to build the structure by projecting his imagination and setting the magic in place.

    He wasn¡¯t entirely sure why he was doing the things he was doing, but it felt right and the spell reacted the way he intended it to as he made his choices. For this treehouse he went with a large evergreen tree for the primary structure.

    The bottom floor served as his room with the floor above his acting as their communal sitting room. Riakon¡¯s room was just above that with Errrkkkk¡¯s specially crafted nest on the roof of that room.

    Errrkkkk¡¯s nests were always the most time consuming part of his work, but also the most rewarding. For this treehouseRoden had chosen to enclose the entire nest in glass or whatever the hell the spell decided was the appropriate material for what Roden directed it to do.

    The result was a cozy circular room that gave a nearly three hundred and sixty degree view of the night sky. Roden had forgone a fireplace to keep the room unlit instead he had contrived ventilation from the other three fires to warm the room which he discovered had worked perfectly when all three men retired to the nest room for what had become their tradition of star gazing while out on adventure.

    It wasn¡¯t unusual for the men to remain mostly silent during their tradition, but that night Riakon had something he needed to get off his chest.

    ¡°Hey guys?¡±

    Both men grunted in response urging him to continue.

    ¡°I wanted to thank you guys for doing this for me. I know I really fucked up back in Pescatin and I should¡¯ve been more careful. If it wasn¡¯t for you guys I would be stuck as an Oathbreaker.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said nonplussed

    Roden raised an eyebrow at the Birdfolk before responding to Riakon, ¡°it¡¯s all good man. Shit happens especially when fucking around with magic.¡±

    ¡°Thanks guys, I¡¯ll try my best to make you both proud. I swear it.¡±

    Roden smirked, ¡°do or do not, there is no try.¡± he intoned knowingly.

    ¡°Right! Yes, I really need to remember those Proverbs.¡±

    Roden was taken aback ¡°Proverbs?¡±

    ¡°Yeah you know the Scrolls of Proverbs I¡¯m pretty sure I remember hearing that one from the readings of the proverbs at the monastery.¡±

    ¡°What other Proverbs do yall remember?¡±

    Riakon smirked and glanced over at Errrkkkk, ¡°birds of a feather flock together.¡±

    Errrkkkk glared at him, ¡°fools rush in, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put all your eggs in one basket.¡±

    ¡°Ignorance is bliss, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Okay okay I get it. I¡¯m shocked yall know so many.¡±

    They both looked at him, ¡°which ones do you know, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Oh ummm¡­¡± He paused while trying to drum up any proverbial phrases that weren¡¯t too Earth specific. It wouldn¡¯t do to mention anything he couldn¡¯t reasonably explain away. He dredged his mind for anything and all he could think of were crappy idioms and literary quotes. He went with the latter.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°It is a wise man¡¯s duty to save himself for tomorrow and not risk everything on one day.¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°ooo that is a good one. Do another.¡±

    Roden had a thought bubble up to the surface of his mind. It was a memory of his mother while practicing his music. A proverb from Roden¡¯s actual memory found its way into the forefront of his thoughts.

    ¡°Life without music would be a mistake.¡±

    Roden was pretty sure that was Nietzsche, but wasn¡¯t positive if it was actually correct. Nietzsche always talked in overly complicated ways and that proverb seemed a little too straight forward.

    ¡°Of course, the musician would say that, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, do a better one.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, let me think¡­To be or not to be, that is the question?¡±

    ¡°Boooo, these are terrible.¡±

    ¡°Geez tough crowd, how about fortune favors the bold.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better!¡±

    ¡°We should probably end there. I don¡¯t think he has any better one, cacaw.¡±

    Roden thought long and hard. The silence hung in the air for just long enough that to arouse suspicion he might not have another proverb to offer, when one of his all time favorite quotes came to mind. It was an obscure one and Roden assumed it probably wasn¡¯t in their Scrolls of Proverbs, but it was one close to his heart so he spoke it aloud without preamble.¡±

    ¡°Deserve victory.¡±

    Each man absorbed his words and in the following silence allowed the meaning to sink in. It was a phrase that needed no explanation for men who were about to face such a monumental task as slaying a dragon. Among the three there was some doubt whether they had done enough preparation to deserve victory in the upcoming fight, but they had little choice in the matter. Riakon needed his powers back in order to help take on the gremlins and their dark machinations.

    The men rose early the next morning intent on continuing their figurative climb up the mountain. The map given to them by the High Priest of Erjorn identified the tallest peak of the Violet Mountains as the home of their first dragon lieutenant.

    Roden had always found Dragons to be an endlessly fascinating bunch of creatures. He had written them as having developed out of the conscious imaginations of the people of Mir. Which unlike other beasts and horrors that stalk the lands of Mir that had evolved and adapted to the magic permeating their environment. Dragons were born of magic in a similar manner as the gods.

    The first dragon was Tiamat who herself was a primal magical apparition. That much was common knowledge to any resident of Mir. From her was born all of dragonkind. Historical texts mention the ancient times when Tiamat was the primary deity of the people. It was during those times the Dragonkin race was said to have been born.

    The major dragons of the variety reminiscent of fantasy came after Tiamat¡¯s defeat by the gods of Mir. However, the major dragons were capable of sustaining themselves without the worship of the people. As such most dragons sought refuge away from people preferring anonymity as their primary defense against adventuers trying to be a dragon slayer.

    As mortal creatures derived from the magic of the magisphere they had an innate connection to their environment. Some dragons took to the sea and became more serpent or fish-like. Others went into the deepest parts of forests and deserts.

    Their current target was a dragon who chose to make their lair in the frigid mountain peaks. During their weeks of preparation for both this fight and regaining their strength the men had scoured the Port Sept Library for information on cold adapted dragons.

    Eye witness accounts of dragons were few and far between. Accounts of someone slaying a dragon was typically cause for an epic poem or at the very least a great celebration. Some credit King Roderick the First¡¯s defeat of the Lich¡¯s Dark Dragon as the primary reason he was chosen to be king after the fall of Orvell the Archlich.

    The little information they could gather was mostly things they had already anticipated. All dragon¡¯s were known to breathe out some form of elemental magic. In this case it was no doubt going to be some version of intense cold or frozen projectile.

    Despite being a rare trait the men were prepared for the dragon to be able to camouflage itself to its environment especially considering they were hunting it in its home. The idea of a dragon¡¯s lair was common, but the reports were inconclusive. Some suggested over time dragons created a domain so closely attuned to their presence they could manipulate the area to their benefit.

    The only report they found on this was from an account of a forest dragon who had cultivated a particularly dense grove of tall greens they could bend and move seemingly at will. The one consensus on the topic was that regardless of their environment dragons were always the apex predator.

    One thing Roden found fascinating was the disparity between Dragons and Dragonkin in terms of color. Dragonkin like Riakon were typically identified by the color of their scales, which usually correlated to the elemental breath they could use. That was not the case with major dragons. They were dependent entirely on their environment. The longer a dragon spent in a single area the more adapted they became.

    One truly intriguing account Riakon had found detailed the observations of a man who had followed and studied a dragon from the cold mountain peaks down into the desert. The elf observed the dragon for a number of years and documented the changes he observed.

    Over time the dragon had lost its whitish blue coloration and adopted a more yellowish tan color. It became more of an ambush hunter, choosing to hide in the sands to avoid detection before swallowing its prey. Unfortunately, that was the last useful observation from that journal as its founder mentioned discovering the tome half buried in the ever shifting desert sands with no sign of its elven author.

    Out of all their research on the subject of dragons the most startling gap of knowledge was their intelligence. Some reports claimed dragons were vicious apex predators that would sooner eat a person than hold a conversation. Then there were the much older accounts that made dragons out to be creatures of great cunning and scheming.

    Unfortunately, the issue with all accounts was the sheer scarcity of dragons with the last sighting being the Lich¡¯s Dark Dragon and that was nearly a hundred years prior to their dragon slaying adventure.

    Roden wasn¡¯t looking forward to this little adventure. He had known Riakon¡¯s holy mission was going to involve slaying dragons and in his mind he had made peace with that fact while sitting in the comfort of the villa sitting room. However, now that he was struggling to breath the thin air among the tallest peaks of the beautiful Violet Mountains he was having second thoughts.

    He had no thoughts of abandoning his friends, but to say he wished they were somewhere else would be an understatement. Miriana had made it mostly clear that despite his knowing how things should go, there was no guarantee anything would happen in the way he anticipated based on his prior knowledge. That had all been a game and this was all very real and this reality had no obligation to match up to his prophetic game.

    By midday the men had started their search of the tallest spires of the Violet Mountains. Their idea was to hopefully find some evidence of the dragon first and then either set up an ambush or track it to its lair.

    To their mutual surprise, the dragon¡¯s lair was not hard to find. It stuck out thanks to the massive haphazard array of frozen pillars, spikes, and walls of solid ice. At first sight, Roden knew the lair belonged to either the dragon or Elsa had made her way to Mir and had really let her ice palace go.

    Errrkkkk and Roden pulled Riakon up to a jutted of rock that allowed the men to group up in the shadow of the frozen lair. Just before them was the mouth to what amounted to an elaborate cave made of ice. That dashed their hope Errrkkkk would be able to hit the creature with a super charged Soul Sphere. They stood before the entrance to the cave and steeled themselves for the fight to come

    ¡°Man, I was really hoping our fight would be in the sunlight.¡± Roden said with as much playfulness he could muster in the face of the task before them.

    Riakon nodded, ¡°yeah well I guess we shall fight in the shade.¡±

    Errrkkkk looked at Riakon sourly, ¡°who wants to fight in the shade, cacaw?¡±

    Roden held up a finger to try and broach the subject of Riakon¡¯s near perfect quote of ¡°300¡±, but banished the thought so he could focus on what was to come.

    ¡°Any last minute thoughts guys?¡±

    Riakon fastened his shield on his left arm and gripped his hammer firmly in his right hand.

    ¡°Hit hard and hit fast boys.¡±

    Errrkkkk clucked, ¡°don¡¯t worry guys. You¡¯ve got me, cacaw.¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°just so you guys know. There aren¡¯t any other people on all of Mir I¡¯d rather fight alongside me.¡±

    Both men smirked in agreement, before all three took their first steps toward the dragon¡¯s lair.

 Chapter 18- Enter the Dragon

    Chapter 18

    Walking into a dragon¡¯s lair was a novel experience for Roden. At first the sheer magnitude of it was spine tingling. By the end of the first hour of stomping through the icy caverns the novelty was wearing off and the place started to remind him of a date he had planned for his wife where they got to walk through marvelous structures made out of solid ice. He was pretty sure they were billed as Ice Castles, but to call those structures a castle while on the world of Mir seemed like sacrilege.

    Everything around him appeared to be solid ice. The men hadn¡¯t anticipated the lair to be quite so large. From the outside it looked like an icy crown on top of the mountain. At that point they knew it was more involved than simply sitting on top of the peak.

    The walls were clear in places and allowed sunlight to shine into the deep tunnel they walked. To call it a lair seemed a bit generous to Roden. The entire thing was just a winding chamber that wrapped around the top of the mountain contrary to what the outside had suggested. Despite his growing frustration, Roden couldn¡¯t help, but feel a sense of awe at the beauty of the icy walls as they shined and glistened in the sun¡¯s rays.

    As they neared a bend in the tunnel, Errrkkkk raised a hand halting the group. Riakon and Roden both looked at him expectantly.

    ¡°I think I hear breathing, cacaw.¡±

    Once he had drawn attention to it, Roden could make out the sound as well. It was the sound of smooth bellows, or the sound a soft breeze makes as it slips through an alley.

    ¡°I hear it too.¡±

    Riakon unable to hear the sound, but still wanting to be involved hefted his hammer. ¡°Then it¡¯s almost showtime gentlemen.¡±

    As quietly as their training and skill would allow, the three men rounded the bend and were greeted to a wide cavern dug into the side of the mountain. Unlike the tunnel, the cavern had dark walls made of mountain stone.

    However, it wasn¡¯t the drab stone walls that drew their eyes. That honor belonged to the sparkling piles of gold and ice that wrapped around the mostly circular room. Roden could just make out the various odd pieces of treasure poking out of a pile here and there, but the majority of the bounty was gold with a layer of ice over top.

    In the center of the horde was the strangest and largest pile. It was pure white snow sprinkled with gold, which gave it the look of an unfinished sundae. If not for the inherent draw of gold, the snow would have been significantly more striking, but no adventurer worth their spark could avoid eyeing up such a magnificent treasure, even Roden was no exception.

    ¡°Gentlemen, I think the dragon might be in the pile of snow.¡±

    If not for the enormity of the situation Errrkkkk and Roden might have put their heads in their hands and shook their heads, but in the presence of a dragon all jokes must be pushed aside. Instead they shared a glance and nodded.

    They were about to enact one of their many plans. Catching the dragon unaware was one of the last things they thought would happen, but hoped and prepared as best they could. Roden applied all of his buff spells and activated his cloak as Errrkkkk took a position a little deeper in the tunnel from where they had come.

    Riakon had been the hardest to incorporate into the battle plan. His only resource for reliable damage to a fucking dragon was going to be his breaths, but the idea was to save those for if the dragon was out of reach.

    Instead Roden conjured his Nimbus and hooked it to Riakon. They hoped the added mobility would be enough to keep him within reach of the dragon¡¯s more sensitive areas. The places where a hammer blow wouldn¡¯t be easily ignored.

    Then came the part Roden wasn¡¯t particularly looking forward to performing. He stepped out of the mouth of the tunnel into the movie theater sized cavern and began the process of drawing magic into his arm and hand.

    He overcharged the spell as much as he could before raising his arm toward the dragon under the pile of snow. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He could feel the cold air enter his lungs. He waited until just the spell had just reached the zone of perfection. He released his grip on the magic¡¯s leash and sent it streaking toward the waiting mound of powder and saurian with its incantation spoken no louder than a whisper, ¡°burst.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    The beam of lightning crashed into the lower portion of his target. On impact, snow was thrown high into the air as the beam erupted into a cascade of jagged arcs within the falling snow. The sound that followed the crash of lightning was ear splitting.

    A sharp piercing screech rang through the cavern rattling Roden¡¯s bones. Within the cloud of snow Roden could see the shadow of a massive figure. It had reared back in pain and surprise, but it was rapidly gaining consciousness and clarity.

    When it slammed its foreclaws into the ground its head managed to leave the obscuring cloud of snow. At that moment Roden was struck by the sight of a living breathing dragon. When its eyes locked on him, he felt a weight bear down on his very consciousness.

    Every part of his survival instincts told him to leave and never return to this god awful place. He nearly drowned in the feeling before his mind recognized the intrusion and he was able to push back against it. When he felt that crushing presence leave him, he let out a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he had been holding.

    The dragon before him was strange, it didn¡¯t have the typical craggy appearance he came to expect. The head that poked out from the flurries that concealed its body was sleek, almost smooth. It held no horns or sharp protrusions. It had a more lizard-like appearance than the typical dragon from myth.

    Its most distinctive feature was a long bright blue flap that stuck out below its jaw. To Roden¡¯s surprise the dragon addressed him in a sharp voice spoken far too loudly.

    ¡°Who the fuck!¡± The dragon stood up strong and bellowed, ¡°You insignificant¨C¡±

    His soliloquy may have continued, except while the dragon had its attention on Roden, Riakon atop his Nimbus zipped across the head and delivered a strike with his hammer to the dragon¡¯s head. Seeing Riakon go on the offensive brought their plan back into the forefront of Roden¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Lux!¡±

    He spoke the incantation and launched the spell. Riakon¡¯s blow did little to move the dragon, but Riakon¡¯s strength was enough to garner its attention as he completed his flyby hammering. Roden¡¯s lance sprouted from the dragon¡¯s cheek before it could formulate an attack.

    They executed that very plan repeatedly. Roden would deliver a spell powerful enough to draw the dragon¡¯s ire, alternating between his lance and eye beams all the while his Sylvan Bow peppered the dragon from just over Roden¡¯s shoulder.

    When the dragon would turn its attention on Roden, Riakon would harry it with powerful strikes to its joints and head before flying off again on Roden¡¯s cloud. While effective in keeping the dragon distracted, both men could tell they were barely damaging the huge lizard.

    Once the snow had settled into dust on the floor of the cavern Roden was able to see the entire dragon for the first time. Which in his mind looked like a giant lizard. It had four powerful legs and a sleek wide body.

    Its white and grey scales appeared smooth, counter to their expectation the dragon would be heavily armored. As the beast swiped and snapped at Riakon, Roden started thinking of the beast as nothing more than a magical lizard. That was until one of his attacks caught it in its eye.

    That time the dragon braced itself on all fours, turned its head toward Roden, opened its mouth and drew in a great breath. Its body ballooned out, its ribs expanding to accommodate the sheer volume of air it pulled in.

    The pull was great enough to drag Roden a few feet. Which in his mind was a few feet in the wrong fucking direction. The frill below the dragon¡¯s jaw began to glow blue before it slammed back like a lever action rifle.

    A gale of super chilled air escaped the dragon¡¯s maw. Roden wanted to be anywhere else, but he could tell he had nowhere to run. Instead he manifested his Aegis and hunkered down behind it as the dragon¡¯s arctic breath slammed into his shield. Any thought of the thing before him being just a big lizard vanished as the truly frigid air sapped the warmth from his core.

    While in his icy predicament, some part of Roden¡¯s mind had solved his long standing question about how exactly cold magic functioned. There couldn¡¯t be such a thing as cold energy. Anyone who had taken a physics class knew cold was the absence of heat energy. As he felt his warmth being pulled away by the rushing wind he realized cold magic was actually a vacuum that pulled energy, by extension heat, into itself. That coupled with a blast of super chilled gas was more than enough to chill something to death.

    The thought distracted him enough to endure the pain of being nearly frozen solid. If not for his aegis, he may have been completely encased. Luckily, his Aegis had taken the brunt of the dragon¡¯s attack and left him with a thin layer of frost covering the rest of his body.

    Roden dared to peer over the top of his shield and saw the dragon had reengaged with Riakon, but with its full attention. It darted after him. Riakon flew higher toward the ceiling to avoid its claws. To his horror the dragon leapt onto the wall and scurried after him like a gecko after a fat bug.

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,¡±

    The sound coming from the tunnel was their signal. Riakon was unfortunately the one they had decided should be the bait for their plan and he executed it dutifully. He dipped down and flew straight toward the tunnel.

    As they had hoped the dragon chased after. It dug its pickaxe-like claws into the icy walls and pulled itself into the tunnel like a kid trying to go fast down a waterslide.

    Roden couldn¡¯t see what happened next, but he heard their trap being triggered with Errrkkkk¡¯s familiar,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    Up to that point in the fight Errrkkkk had been hiding. He waited in the tunnel absorbing the sun¡¯s rays and gathering his chi. Unlike Riakon, Errrkkkk had reached his Point of Convergence in his full power. Not only were his chi techniques more powerful and easier for him to execute than before, but he had devised new tactics and techniques.

    He took all of the power gathered up in his Soul Sphere and primed it in front of him as an orb nearly the size of the tunnel. Next he focused his chi and crushed the sphere concentrating the power into a beach ball sized orb that hummed as it floated before him.

    The next step was to gather up his chi in a supercharged Cacaw Wave. Both techniques were new and took him a long time to prepare which made them perfect for use as their secret weapon. He drew out his signature cadence as he brought forth his golden aura.

    When Riakon entered the tunnel Errrkkkk was primed. When Riakon shot past him Errrkkkk unleashed everything he had stored up. His condensed Soul Sphere was propelled faster than ever before his beam that was more powerful than any he had unleashed against a foe.

    The two techniques mingled and joined together into a wall of unrelenting energy. The blast washed over the creature as an irresistible force. Errrkkkk strained against the energy he was releasing. He dug his talons into the icy ground beneath his feet and leaned into his beam. However, when the energy attack dissipated there was no sign of the dragon. All that remained in its place was a gaping hole in the ice wall that let in a chilling mountain wind.

 Chapter 21- Back to Where It All Started

    Chapter 21

    Roden made his way silently through the dark of the cavern. The dank air smelled of stagnant water and the musty odor of an all too moist basement.

    The fact a nerdy wizard had lurked in the basement of this already dark place made Roden chuckle while he scouted the cave. The group hadn''t seen any evidence of the gremlins from the outside, so they had decided to have Errrkkkk and Riakon guard the entrance. Roden was automatically the only choice to search the cave considering he was the only one who could see in the dark. Roden was on his way to the main chamber when he realized he didn''t have Sight of the Magi available to check the other chamber.

    He could have dosed himself with the mushroom spores Errrkkkk and Riakon had used on their first visit, but the prospect of being alone in the dark while tripping on alien mushrooms didn''t seem like a recipe for success.

    After he gave the main chamber a once over and found nothing, Roden worked his way back to his friends. He found the two men lounging on the grass beyond the mouth of the cave.

    ¡°Are yall really just out here chilling, while I''m in there working?¡± Roden said mockingly while approaching the two.

    Without missing a beat, Riakon spoke, ¡°I''m working. I am supervising.¡±

    ¡°Supervising?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I''m supervising Errrkkkk while he is watching for gremlins.¡±

    Both men looked at Riakon flatly

    ¡°Just another time where I¡¯m doing all the work, cacaw.¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes, ¡°division of labor aside, we have two problems. First, I don''t have the spell prepared to get in the lower cavern and second I can''t prepare it until tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like we will have to watch from all directions tonight, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said while putting talon to chin in a thoughtful pose.

    ¡°I''ve actually been thinking about that and I think I have an idea.¡±

    ¡°Well please enlighten us.¡± Riakon said while lounging in the lush grass.

    Roden took a deep breath and started his explanation, ¡°Well my idea is to conjure my treehouse in the¡­¡±

    Roden trailed off when he saw Errrkkkk gave Riakon a smug look, which engendered a groan from the Dragonkin.

    ¡°What was that all about?¡± Roden said irritation laced in every word.

    ¡°I bet Riakon that whatever plan you came up with would involve your treehouse, cacaw.¡± He stifled a laugh before continuing,

    ¡°Now he owes me some of his Fireweed, cacaw.¡±

    Roden glared at his briefly, ¡°unless you have a better way to close off the cave entrance, I''m pretty sure that is our only option.¡±

    Errrkkkk chuckled, ¡°oh no, it''s definitely the best choice. Which is how I knew it''d be your plan, cacaw.¡±

    Then was Roden¡¯s turn to laugh.

    ¡°Okay smart guys, how are you supposed to make a treehouse fill in that hole, huh?¡± Riakon said with a hint of indignation.

    ¡°I''ll just make it a bush.¡±

    ¡°He''ll make it a bush, cacaw.¡± the men said simultaneously.

    With that it was settled. Roden wondered the area around the cavern looking for an appropriate shrub or suitable specimen of vegetation to mimic in his spell. He eventually settled on a thorny shrub. He chose that one not out of any illusion that thorns would keep the gremlins out, but in the hope that it would keep them from even looking in its direction with any great attention to detail once they saw its unsavory thorns.

    Deciding on which plant to use as his muse was simple compared to the arduous task of casting the spell. Typically, the spell was easy to cast once he had an idea. However, he had never had to work inside of such a restricted space. Roden started the spell as he had dozens of times before. First, he had to lay the spell matrix down, that step created a space for him to build the spell in three dimensions. From that point, he would draw out the various lines that created the architecture of the spell and the desired result. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    His first attempt had gone as normal. He crafted everything just as he imagined it, but when he attempted to complete the spell, the spell''s matrix refused to collapse, completing the casting. Roden puzzled at the problem for a few moments before noticing the shifting lines that represented the various boundaries of the spell were too close to the walls of the cavern.

    He hypothesized that if the spell were to collapse into existence then it would impact the walls of the cave. Thus he had to rearrange the spell¡¯s matrix over and over until every last branch, thorn and leaf did not touch the walls. He imagined the task would have to be much simpler for a wizard or literally anyone even a little trained in the execution of magic of this variety.

    His ward spell had no such limitations. It was an area that only triggered against things with hostile intent. No need for it to trigger against a squirrel looking for a nut or a curious raccoon. In theory, Roden could place a ward covering the area of dirt beneath his feet if he chose. That spell was unimpeded by physical boundaries. Which Roden realized a bit late into his ranting thoughts was because it didn¡¯t produce anything tangible.

    After over an hour of working at it the spell¡¯s matrix finally collapsed in on itself and produced his treehouse. Although this time it might be more accurate to call it a bush bunker. The result of his ministrations was a mostly round structure of gnarly thorn covered branches with thick waxy leaves.

    The outer door was likewise covered to conceal its existence, but to him as the caster and architect, its location was obvious. Roden then took the time to show the men everything he had put together for their bunker.

    Starting from the outside, the first inner room was the size of a halfway decent closet. It was a small half circle about six feet wide and five feet high. All of the men had to crouch to even get in.

    ¡°What the fuck are you doing to us Roden?¡± Riakon griped.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see, just hang tight. This room ain¡¯t for us.¡± Roden assured the man as the big Dragonkin struggled to fit into the too small space.

    The wall opposite the door looked to be plain stone. Roden tried his best to imprint onto the structure a similar stone as the cave and cliffs, but it definitely wasn¡¯t exact, especially when examined under any great scrutiny.

    He intended for that room to serve two purposes. First, he intended for that room to be their buffer in case the gremlins got through the door. Without any obvious sign of entry to the rest of the structure he figured it would at least slow them down.

    Directly above the front door was a trapdoor in the ceiling. When Roden was showing Errrkkkk and Riakon his creation he pushed open the hatch and pulled himself onto the next level.

    When it was Riakon¡¯s turn, he stood up and everything above his shoulders seemed to pop out of the floor of the upper loft. Once all of the men were up, Roden locked the hatch effectively sealing off that first room from the rest of the rooms.

    The loft was a little nest tucked into the branches. It was tight and there was just enough room for Riakon to sit upright. Roden wanted to make it taller, but at that point in the cave he only had a nine foot clearance. He had to lower the ceiling of the entry room to even have enough room to sit up.

    That nest room was still a room with a ceiling unlike some of his other iterations. From that room someone could keep watch using the very carefully concealed peep holes. When crafting that portion of the room Roden had wished he knew more about mirrors and optics.

    He really wanted to have telescopes, binoculars, or something to help them keep watch, but he couldn¡¯t make the spell produce something he didn¡¯t understand. A spa was simple, all it took was water and a heat source. Basic furniture was no problem, but apparently a tube full of mirrors and lenses was too complex to create with only a passing understanding of what was going on.

    From the loft, there was a set of stairs that led to the main room. It was an eight by eight sitting room with all the basic amenities. Roden felt they needed the room to at least have some level of comfort while on their mission so he included two beds for whomever wasn¡¯t on watch that night and a small kitchen area for them to make something better than travel rations.

    The next and final room was of course everyone''s¡¯ favorite. Roden had made the room into his spa. He had decided on that for two reasons. First, was the selfish reason, he just wanted to be able to soak in the hot water. The second reason was more strategic. He felt he would have an advantage in that room if it came down to fighting gremlins.

    Beyond the spa was another small room similar to the one in front just in case any gremlins came from within the cave. Roden had gone through the trouble of covering the entire hedge shaped house in leaves and thorns even though its presence to anyone coming from inside the cave would be out of the ordinary. Additionally, he had not placed a door to the house on the inside of the cave, instead he created a hatch from the rear loft that dropped a ladder they could climb if they needed to go deeper into the cave.

    Once the walk through was complete the men took seats in the sitting room to discuss their plans. Errrkkkk took the lead by addressing Roden first.

    ¡°So will this thing stand up to the gremlins on its own, cacaw?¡±

    Roden shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I mean a bit. I don¡¯t actually know for sure. The spell and my instincts tell me it can absorb some punishment, but I don¡¯t think it can handle much.¡±

    Errrkkkk nodded, ¡°I figured as much, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°If it''s any consolation, I included those small rooms on either end of the house to take the brunt of any magic they throw at us. I¡¯m pretty sure unless they have a spell with the piercing ability of my Lightning Burst, we are pretty safe in this room.¡± Roden added.

    ¡°That¡¯s good thinking there Roden!¡± Riakon said, perking up a bit.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that, but what do we do if it comes down to a fight, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk said pointedly.

    All three gave the dilemma some concerted thought.

    Roden took a deep breath before offering his insights. ¡°My thought was to hold them back in the narrow caverns. Riakon and I can form a shield wall in a tight space and we can take away their number advantage.¡±

    Roden left off, ¡®just like the Spartans!¡¯ That part he kept to himself.

    ¡°Yeah boys ahhh we have a small problem.¡± Riakon included nervously. ¡°In all the excitement of getting my magic back I forgot my hammer was ruined back at the dragon.¡±

    The news was met with tandem face palms. When a thought occurred to Roden.

    ¡°I may have a solution.¡± He rose and started rummaging through his pack until he found it coiled at the bottom. He produced and presented the weapon he had selected so long ago before tossing it onto Riakon¡¯s lap.

    ¡°A whip!?¡± Riakon said with a mix of incredulity and astonishment.

    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s the best I got.¡±

    Riakon groaned, ¡°brother, let me use your staff.¡±

    Errrkkkk shook his head, ¡°no way, you¡¯ll break it just like you did your hammer.¡±

    Riakon moved to rebuttal, but knew he had already lost.

    ¡°To be fair, the goal isn¡¯t to have to fight them in here at all so you¡¯ll only really need it if we are out in the open.¡± Roden offered to sooth the big Dragonkin.

    Riakon nodded begrudgingly, ¡°yeah I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Besides, if it gets to that point Roden and I are going to be doing most of the work anyway, cacaw.¡±

    Roden couldn¡¯t help, but chuckle at Errrkkkk¡¯s jibe.

    ¡°Well, is there anything else we need to cover?¡± Roden said with a standing stretch.

    ¡°I¡¯m good, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Same.¡± Riakon¡¯s lack of enthusiasm evident in his response.

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯m going to hit the spa.¡±

 Chapter 19- Fastball Special

    Chapter 19

    Roden heaved with all of his new found strength and launched Riakon with as much force as he could muster. Riakon for his part was enthusiastic for the person about to be the ball in the ol¡¯ fastball special.

    After being released, Riakon squeezed his arms and legs together hard. He shot toward the dragon¡¯s back like an arrow. Riakon had leapt at the chance to execute such a badass maneuver, partially for the bragging rights if it worked and partially because he would otherwise be useless in midair combat.

    To avoid shattering every bone in his face, Riakon pulled in his legs and tucked his head a few meters from the dragon. The move caused him to flip around and crash into the dragon feet first.

    To say the impact was jarring would be an understatement. Riakon was pretty sure he broke bones when he slammed into the dragon¡¯s back. That wasn¡¯t something he could deal with at that moment. Instead he shook off the pain, raised his hammer, and swung down hard.

    The dragon turned its head to see what was happening and caught the head of Riakon¡¯s hammer on the brow of its right eye. The blow was painful, but more startling than damaging. In all of his years, no one had the gall to ride Ven¡¯zet¡¯s back in this manner.

    Ven jerked about in surprise. The suddenness of the rapid exchange made him lose sight of his landing spot. He pulled back too soon and came up short of the frozen cliff face. Riakon was forced to grab a hold of the dragon or risk falling hundreds of feet down the side of the mountain.

    Roden watched from atop his cloud as Riakon did his part. He had slammed into the dragon and was able to lay into it with his hammer before being forced to abandon his offensive. Roden¡¯s part was next. He brought forth his newest spell straight from the spell forge of Zamira.

    When he had reached his Point of Convergence, Zamira had insisted he get a spell specially crafted for Clerics of her Hero Domain. That spell was responsible for the solid black spear couched under his arm as he flew straight for the dragon that was struggling to find purchase on the cliffside.

    The spell was called King¡¯s Spear, Roden had suggested they find a different name, but Zamira had been insistent. To Roden, it sounded too provincial as if he was the King¡¯s Spear. That was until he manifested the thing and saw that it looked like a weapon one might use to kill a king and he wished they had done away with the whole connection, but there was no changing her mind.

    Riakon had done what he was supposed to do. He forced the dragon to land. Next was Roden¡¯s turn, he gripped his new spear with both hands and prepared for impact. The dragon was vertical, clawing at the wall for purchase. Before the dragon could get a firm hold Roden barreled into his back.

    The resulting collision shattered the thin wall of ice that stood between them and the inner cavern Ven¡¯zet had been attempting to reach when he originally took flight. Roden¡¯s new ability, Herald¡¯s Strength, was to blame for the initial thud. The force that shared the ice like a baseball through a bay window was his spear¡¯s doing.

    The spell was Journeyman tier and concentrated all of that energy into a tangible weapon of solid magic. The idea was for the spear to be powerful enough for a King to defend his people or for a lone hero to stand up to a King¡¯s guards. In this case, the target was a dragon that it sent flying.

    The spear came loaded with two effects. He could either cause a concussive blast of force in a wall away from the spear on impact as he had done with the dragon or he could focus it all down to a pinpoint strike. Lucky for him, he had two more uses before the spear exhausted its magic.

    Riakon was thrown from the dragon¡¯s back causing him to tumble through the air like any other piece of debris sent crashing into the inner chamber of yet another icy mountain top. He shook off his daze and saw Roden¡¯s silhouette in the gaping hole in the side of the wall.

    Roden flew over to Riakon and cast Triage as soon as he noticed his obviously broken ankles. Roden gave him a smirk as his bones snapped back into place.

    ¡°There you go mate, be sure to ice that later.¡±

    Riakon could only laugh, ¡°fuck that! I want the hottest spa you¡¯ve ever made once we are done here!¡±

    They joked at that moment, but only because they both knew the battle was not over and in the face of a situation so out of their control, laughter seemed the only reasonable response. Roden turned and saw the form of the dragon roiling from the impact of his strike.

    On a purely physics level, the King¡¯s Spear conserved all of the force Roden built up into his target. Unfortunately for the dragon, all the force that could be shared across dozens of enemies was sent through his lone body. Any lesser being would be severely injured given how fast Roden was moving and his new found super strength courtesy of his Point of Convergence ability.

    Ven¡¯zet rolled to his feet, pain evident in each slow movement. Riakon and Roden stood opposite their draconic foe within the inner chamber of the icy cavern. To their right snow drifted in, blown around via the swirling winds from beyond its jagged entrance.

    Roden glanced at Riakon and then the opening. Riakon nodded in silent affirmation. Roden hooked his Nimbus to Riakon once more. Roden began drawing magic to his left arm. The dragon had managed to right itself and face the two men. The dragon¡¯s voice rippled out as it addressed his attackers.

    ¡°Well you¡¯ve managed to wound me. I congratulate you for the deed, but I am much too tired for this. Go back and take what treasure you can carry and leave me be.¡±

    Riakon jumped at the chance for a dramatic monologue, ¡°I am here on behalf of Erjorn. It is his Divine Mandate that I finish what he started when he defeated Tiamat! You foul creature will pay for your allegiance to a fallen idol!¡±

    The dragon boomed in a thunderous cackle. Which made Roden and Riakon look at each other in confusion. Even Roden had no clue what the dragon found so amusing. This was supposed to be one of Tiamat¡¯s four most trusted dragons. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°You know nothing pup. You ants scurry around this world with no memory of what was. You are the play things of the very things you created. Even now you quake in front of me an unintended consequence of your own peoples¡¯ voraciousness. You think I wanted this life!?¡±

    Ven¡¯zet¡¯s final declaration reverberated throughout the cavern. Roden felt the sheer bass of the dragon¡¯s voice in his bones. His revolve was faltering, even for him the dragon¡¯s words were a surprise. Part of him wondered how much they could trust its words when  Riakon put voice to the same ideas plaguing Roden.

    ¡°Big words for a wounded lizard trying to save its hide!¡±

    The big dragon shook his head, ¡°no you fucking idiot, strike me dead and you will suffer a far worse fate than you could ever imagine! I have half a mind to let you suffer that fate.¡± The dragon added the last as an afterthought before suddenly dashing forward.

    As soon as Ven¡¯zet stepped into the light of the sun that shone through the hole in the ice, a golden beam ripped through the air and slammed into its upper body at the shoulder. The beam acted as a wall of energy that forced the dragon into the floor of the cavern. Ven¡¯zet let out a guttural roar in a mix of pain and shock.

    He moved slowly under the torrent of energy. Just when it seemed he was getting his feet under himself. Riakon braced himself and released a bolt of lightning from his maw, which Roden paired with a discharge from his cloak. Both bolts struck the struggling dragon who was unable to defend the bolt. The rush of Errrkkkk¡¯s beam slowed before dissipating, leaving a smoldering dragon in its wake.

    Roden saw Errrkkkk land on the ledge, his golden aura vanishing as he dropped to a knee, no doubt exhausted from so many powerful chi techniques. Roden was also running out of reserves. He had his spear and a few more spells to give before he¡¯d be left with just his non-spell abilities.

    Before anything could be said Riakon saw his opportunity and charged in. The added speed from the cloud gave Roden no time to halt his advance. Riakon was determined to deal the final blow. He cast off his shield to grip his hammer in both hands.

    In a motion reserved for action films, Riakon rose into the air and leapt from the cloud intent on delivering a falling blow to the top of the dragon¡¯s head. Unfortunately, as Roden had expected Ven¡¯zet was playing dead. As soon as Riakon soared helplessly through the air, the dragon¡¯s massive form shot up on its hind legs and opened its jaws wide.

    Riakon sailed into the waiting chasm of teeth and tongue. Errrkkkk let out a dreadful avian screech as his gold aura surged around him. His aura created a pressure in the cavern that pushed Roden back a foot or two before he could brace himself.

    In one moment Riakon and Errrkkkk were gone and in the next Errrkkkk had reappeared beneath the dragon in a jumping front kick to its neck just as its upper body was returning to the ground. The kick snapped its head up and Errrkkkk vanished again, reappearing in a flying side kick to the side of its head.

    The dragon retaliated with a series of wild clawing swipes in the air. To Roden, it looked like a giant trying to swat a bee as Errrkkkk zipped around the massive draco lizard.

    A downward swipe managed to catch Errrkkkk and pin him to the ground between two of the dragon¡¯s claws. The dragon smirked at his catch and made a show of swallowing hard. Both men watched as the lump in his throat bobbed up once and then slipped down into its gullet.

    ¡®Welp that wasn¡¯t supposed to happen,¡¯ was the only thought that came to Roden¡¯s mind as he watched the ridiculous situation play out in front of him.

    Roden called his cloud back to himself. Once he was standing on its fluffy surface, he activated his Storm Strider. The crackle of electricity was absorbed into the cloud turning it a darker grey from its usual white. The combination of his two abilities had a profound effect on his movement. He planned his path in his mind before releasing his cloud¡¯s leash.

    In a blur of movement, Roden rammed his spear into the arm of the dragon pinning Errrkkkk. That time he put all the force of the spell into the strike itself guided by his Divine Gambit. Roden had expected to bury the spear into the dragon and hoped it was enough to allow Errrkkkk to escape. The result was a thrust that ripped a chunk out of the dragon¡¯s bicep exposing the bright white bone.

    Errrkkkk, already struggling against the dragon with all of his might, was free and on the offensive before the dragon was able to cry out in pain. A thunderous kick crushed the exposed bone leaving the arm dangling and unresponsive.

    Ven¡¯zet writhed in pain at the injury. Indignation flooded him like never before. His primal fury was unleashed. His eyes grew dark and his body began to ripple with waves of whitish blue energy. A deep growl escaped his throat as he felt the power course through him.

    The Ven¡¯zet they had been fighting to that point had been careful, uninterested, and deliberate in his actions. The newest series of attacks that came were anything, but careful or uninterested. Ven¡¯zet whirled into a frenzy of claws and teeth.

    His attacks were unpredictable and haphazard. There was no room for counter attack as the dragon used every part of its being in the offensive. When Roden wasn¡¯t dodging a claw or the snapping jaws, he was dealing with a tail that seemingly just came alive.

    Roden was caught off guard when the tail first slammed into him. He fell off his cloud and skid across the ground while Errrkkkk avoided the frontal assault. Errrkkkk was moving so fast even Roden couldn¡¯t always keep an eye on him, but the dragon seemed to have little trouble.

    After a slamming strike that buried a claw into the cavern floor, Errrkkkk vanished. He reappeared above his foe already in a downward kick except the dragon had already spun to meet him mouth agape, the frill beneath its jaw slammed back followed by the rush of super chilled air.

    Roden took that moment to send an overcharged Luminary Lance into the dragon¡¯s maw. The instantaneous arrival of the spell¡¯s projectile was key to the tactic. Roden hoped it wouldn¡¯t catch Riakon as it pierced the dragon¡¯s throat, but figured being speared, while in a dead dragon, was better than being eaten in a living one.

    A golden glow erupted out of the white haze of the dragon¡¯s breath surrounding Errrkkkk,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaa¡ª¡±

    Errrkkkk''s signature attack was interrupted by an unseen downward strike that sent the birdfolk skipping across the carven. Roden immediately flew over to his friend whose aura flickered before disappearing.

    ¡°No! No no no no no! Errrkkkk wake the fuck up. I can¡¯t fight this dragon alone here.¡± Roden tried to gently slap Errrkkkk¡¯s face to rouse the heavily dazed man. It took a casting of Triage to finally bring him back to his senses.

    ¡°Oh thank fuck!¡± Roden explained the panic in him subsiding slightly.

    Errrkkkk shook his head, ¡°we have a bigger problem, cacaw!¡± He said while pointing.

    The dragon was crouched, it had ballooned its body out again except this time it glowed bright white. They both knew what was coming. The next breath that came out of that thing was not going to be the same as they had seen. Something had changed when they injured it before. They had awakened something deep within it.

    Errrkkkk drew in a deep breath and let it out. He took his sideways stance and began his usual call as he drew in energy for his beam.

    ¡°This is it Roden, cacaw! It''s all or nothing, caaaaaa,caaaaawwww!¡±

    Roden shook his head, ¡°man¡­fuck!¡± was his answer, mostly out of disbelief at what his life had become.

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,¡±

    He gripped his spear tightly in one hand. It had one more use left. He had hoped to be able to land a blow to the dragon¡¯s body, but now was too afraid it would kill Riakon in the process. His lance was one thing, but after what that spell had done to the dragon¡¯s arm, he didn¡¯t want to risk it.

    Roden took two steps forward and spun his spear around into a throwing grip. Errrkkkk¡¯s aura flared bright and Roden needed to see far. He left his cloud behind, he needed solid ground beneath him for his target was far away. With the spear just above his shoulder Roden started to run after a few steps for momentum he hurled his King¡¯s Spear.

    His Herald¡¯s Strength propelled it through the air to cover the distance. His aim was true enough. Time seemed to slow for everyone in that fateful cavern. Both Errrkkkk and Ven¡¯zet were locked into their preparation for the final confrontation. Roden¡¯s spear sailed through the air in a long arc.

    Its journey nearly completed Roden hopes rose and were subsequently dashed as the dragon¡¯s tail lashed out. Despite hitting the spear sideways the spell activated, shredding the dragon¡¯s tail on contact. The dragon shuddered for a brief moment at the pain.

    Errrkkkk¡¯s aura surged as he rocked forward and thrust out his hands.

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    Roden dove to the side as Errrkkkk beam exploded from him. His exaltation was met by a primal roar from the dragon as the dragon¡¯s aura coalesced into a beam of bright white magic from its mouth. The blast of concentrated cold magic left a layer of ice across the ground beneath it, just as Errrkkkk¡¯s chi energy left a grove in its path.

    The two beams crashed into each other in a collision that threw Roden back into the wall behind him. The two adversaries held their trump cards in a clash of will and power. They were not evenly matched, Errrkkkk¡¯s beam was pushed back. Even with all his power and prowess he could not stand alone against a dragon.

    Roden dragged himself to his feet and threw his arm forward and cast his last spell.

    ¡°Burst!¡±

 Chapter 23- A Call From the Wilds

    Chapter 23

    As soon as Roden got situated for his watch that night he took the time to meditate. He fell into his soul space, for once arriving on his island on his feet instead of lying in the sand. He immediately called out to Zamira.

    ¡°Goodness dear it is quite the hour. Even a goddess needs her beauty sleep, you know?¡±  Her voice was like a bright bell accompanied by the gentle sloshing of the waves against the beach.

    Zamira stood before him, her face looking as if she had just rolled out of bed. Her clothes however, were as prim and proper as any other time he had spoken with her, no doubt a byproduct of his soul space.

    ¡°Hey Mom, I¡¯ve got news.¡±

    Zamira¡¯s eyes popped open, realization washing over her.

    ¡°Oh! Right! I take it, things went well with the dragon?¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°surprisingly well actually. Riakon was eaten, but Errrkkkk and I managed to finish it off.¡±

    Zamira covered her yawn with the back of her hand, ¡°that is great dear.¡± Her brow furrowed, ¡°is that all you called me for?¡±

    Roden shook his head, ¡°no, we have a small problem and I figured it would be faster to just ask you in case I needed a plan B.¡±

    Zamira gestured for him to continue.

    ¡°Do I have access to a spell for communicating over long distances? I need to get a message to Yan. The adventurers he set to meet up with us ran into a band of gremlins and didn¡¯t make it. We handled the gremlins when they showed up at the cave, but now we are stuck here without anyone coming to relieve us.¡±

    Zamira snapped her fingers and a wisp appeared between them.

    ¡°Here you go. This is the spell you need. Even with any domain changes you should be able to get your message through to the old mage.¡±

    Relief flooded Roden¡¯s nerves. He had grown anxious at their predicament. Knowing he could contact Yan for reinforcements was a much needed safety net.

    ¡°Thank goodness for that. I was sweating that pretty hard. I was pretty sure a cleric should have access to a spell like that, but I don¡¯t take any of my game knowledge for granted on Mir.¡±

    ¡°That is probably for the best.¡± She said through another wide yawn.

    ¡°You¡¯re awfully sleepy for a goddess.¡± a hint of mocking in his tone.

    Zamira rolled her eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, I¡¯m catching up on my sleep, thank you.¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°catching up?¡±

    Zamira groaned, ¡°yes catching up. Gods can¡¯t sleep, but I can as Miriana so I am taking advantage of it.¡±

    ¡°How strange. Do you dream?¡± His curiosity overflowed at the implications.

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but essentially Miriana dreams while I just hang out in the background.¡±

    Zamira eyed him suspiciously, ¡°it should be the same for you.¡±

    Roden was taken aback, ¡°oh, I don¡¯t dream.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± was all she said in response.

    ¡°Nope, don¡¯t do that. I¡¯ve already got too much on my mind for you to be leaving me hanging with a one word answer like that.¡±

    Zamira giggled at his fervor, ¡°it''s nothing like that, it''s just interesting. One would think between the two of you someone would be having dreams, but I suppose it makes sense. Growing up Roden didn¡¯t have dreams either.¡±

    Roden saw a chance and took it, ¡°must be that connection you keep mentioning.¡± He tried to make it a nonchalant statement in the hopes of catching Zamira too sleepy to realize it, but her glare was a clear indication his ploy hadn¡¯t worked.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Nice try, but you¡¯ll have to do better than that to trip me up.¡± She said as a smug grin spread across her sleepy face. ¡°Is there anything else you need my son or can I go back to sleep?¡± Another yawn splitting her face.

    ¡°I should be good. Hopefully, we can get back to Port Sept in a couple days. I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s going to be easy for Yan to gather up some mid-tier adventurers to come hold down the fort.¡±

    An idea flashed across Zamira¡¯s face as she just remembered something.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall if we talked about it before you left, but make sure you and the boys stop by Bo¡¯s place before coming back to the city. There is something very important waiting for you there.¡±

    ¡°Bo¡¯s place? Why would we need to stop there?¡± Roden said, confused.

    ¡°I am going to let that one slide given the hour. You have to remember these things. Make sure you make it to Bo¡¯s before coming back to Port Sept.¡±

    Roden couldn¡¯t for the life of him remember going back to Bo¡¯s during his game with his friends. Until the memory blossomed in his mind and he remembered exactly what had happened at Bo¡¯s. Realization was all over his face when he answered.

    ¡°Yep I remember now. Is that really about to happen?¡±

    Zamira nodded, ¡°sure is.¡±

    The implications sent Roden¡¯s mind tumbling.

    ¡°Am I going to be safe around all of that?¡±

    It was Zamira¡¯s turn to look confused, ¡°of course you¡¯d be safe. Why wouldn¡¯t you be?¡±

    ¡°I just figured that our connection might make things a little awkward.¡± He said answering her question.

    Zamira just shook her head and let out the tiniest chuckle, ¡°let¡¯s just say it¡¯d be a bad day for anyone involved, if our connection resulted in any mistreatment of my son.¡±

    On the surface her words were almost playful, but Roden knew her too well. She was dead serious with an extra helping of dead for the recipient of her ire.

    Her intensity made Roden smile. There was something about her material ferocity that tickled him.

    ¡°Good to know.¡±

    Zamira clapped her hands together, ¡°good now take your spell so I can go back to bed. You are lucky I am not actually missing any sleep for this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to stick around for the spell?¡±

    Zamira looked at him flatly.

    Roden laughed, ¡°you can¡¯t help yourself, can you?¡±

    Zamira rolled her eyes, ¡°just get on with it already.¡±

    ¡°Okay okay.¡±

    He reached out and drew the spell into himself. He released his hold on his ranged healing spell Nature¡¯s Melody to make room for his new spell. He felt the spell slowly drift over to his Elven magic and become molded by it.

    ¡°Oh for fucks sake.¡± Zamira said, throwing her hands up. ¡°I am going to strangle that elf.¡±

    Roden blocked out Zamira¡¯s tirade so he could focus on his new spell. It did exactly what he needed it to do, but with some Elven flair. All he had to do was say his message into a leaf of any kind. Once his message was attached to the leaf the spell would carry it all the way to his designated recipient in seconds. From there, Yan would be able to send a message back, easy breezy.

    When Roden finally came out of his trance-like state that came with spell preparation he saw Zamira standing with her hands on her hips.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You think its funny, don¡¯t you?¡± her question an obvious accusation.

    ¡°I plead the fifth?¡± He tried sheepishly.

    ¡°Jokes on you, the fifth amendment of Mir¡¯s Constitution refers to the right of a defendant to answer questions under a Veracity Spell in order to prove their innocence.¡±

    ¡°Well fuck.¡±

    Zamira just shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m going back to bed. good night, I love you.¡± She said with a wave.

    ¡°Good night, mom I love you too.¡±

    With their goodbyes, Roden closed his eyes and returned to his body.

    He was lying in the lookout just as he had left it all, his morning tea was even still hot.

    Roden sat and sipped his tea while he thought about what he should say in his message to Yan. He wanted to be sure to get the message correct the first time just in case more gremlins showed up, he didn¡¯t want to burn up all his magic on what amounted to a magical voicemail.

    When he decided he had his message just right he hopped down the hatch and popped outside to grab a leaf. He avoided getting too close to the gremlin bodies as he had learned back in Pescatin that they rapidly decayed and smelled absolutely awful even after one night.

    Leaf in hand he cupped it between his hands and spoke into the space between his thumbs.

    ¡°Yan, this is Roden. We are at the cave. Gremlins took out your adventures on their way to us. Send reinforcements. We¡¯ll wait.¡±

    With his message finished he opened his hands and blew the little leaf until it took into the air. A few moments later an identical leaf came floating back and landed in his hand. As soon as the leaf settled he heard Yan¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Bags! Hold out, I will send better adventurers to take your place. Good job boys, send me a message when you need transport back.¡±

    Roden was pretty satisfied with Yan¡¯s answer. There wasn¡¯t much more they could expect other than maybe a time table, but they didn¡¯t have anywhere pressing to be and if Roden was being honest with himself he wasn¡¯t in any hurry to get over to Bo¡¯s.

    Unfortunately for him, Yan worked very fast. By midday a large group of adventurers poured out of the trees bearing Yan¡¯s official seal and missive. Once everyone was satisfied with the arrangement, Roden broke down his hedge house to the groans of the adventurers and the men were on their way to Bo¡¯s.

    It didn¡¯t take much to convince Errrkkkk and Riakon to head over to their old mentor¡¯s place, especially with them already so close.

    ¡°Man it feels like it has been forever since we saw ol¡¯Bo.¡± Riakon said, striking up a conversation as they walked through the Wilds.

    ¡°How long has it been, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Good question.¡± Roden paused while giving it some thought, ¡°well we were there for about a month right?¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°that sounds about right.¡±

    ¡°Then it took almost two weeks to get to Coastall, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Right, then we messed around for what? Another week before we ended up by Mu''Tumbo''s.¡± Roden mused aloud.

    ¡°Then we had a month of training for the tournament.¡± Riakon intoned knowingly.

    ¡°Man I miss training like that, cacaw.¡± longing obvious in the birdman¡¯s voice.

    Riakon looked puzzled ¡°What do you mean? We just had a bunch of time to train before we came out here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m talking about full powered training, cacaw.¡±

    Roden winced, ¡°he¡¯s got you there.¡±

    Riakon rolled his eyes, ¡°any way. After the tournament, we hung around Miriana¡¯s and then went to Port Sept.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, and after that it wasn¡¯t long before we went to Pescatin, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon went silent. So Roden picked up the thread for him.

    ¡°And then we had a break until we met up with Yan and it¡¯s been about a week since then.¡±

    ¡°Wow it''s been about three months since we last walked these woods.¡± Riakon said with a hint of genuine surprise.

    ¡°Hard to believe we¡¯ve been at this for almost half a year.¡± Roden added with his own incredulity.

    He¡¯d really been on Mir for almost half a year. How time flies when you hit the ground running.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe yall are still this weak after that long, cacaw.¡±

 Chapter 20- Dragon Shit

    Chapter 20

    The fight was over. All that mattered was which side won the magical shoving contest. On his own Errrkkkk put up a stiff resistance, but wasn¡¯t strong enough to fend off a dragon alone. When Roden stood beside him and added his Lightning Burst, they gained back some ground. When Roden discharged his cloak they finally were able to stand toe to toe in the contest.

    When Errrkkkk saw that, he sensed a moment of weakness. The dragon had faltered as if he had lost concentration or was growing too fatigued to keep up the beam of cold magic. Knowing in his core that was the only chance they had of saving Riakon, Errrkkkk committed his whole aura into his beam.

    His golden aura gathered into his hands and was unleashed with a screeching,

    ¡°Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    At his urging, all the energy of his aura was absorbed into his beam. His Cacaw Wave surged like a rushing rapid river. It became jagged and lost its uniformity. Everything happened so fast. From the initial collision to Errrkkkk¡¯s final gambit only seconds had passed, but the gravity of the conflict had made it feel like a lifetime.

    Errrkkkk final attack overwhelmed the dragon. The tsunami of energy slammed into the monster and pinned it against the wall of the cavern until its energy ran out. When it was done, all the men could see was the monster of a dragon they had been sent to slay, was indeed slain. It was no longer moving and the great eye that stared back at them carried no life.

    In their fatigue, the men collapsed in the snow before the foe that had pushed them to their limits. They looked at each other and Roden held up a fist, which Errrkkkk promptly bumped with his own in a silent declaration of victory.

    The two men lay on the floor of the cavern unmoving except for their heaving chests. While neither had taken life threatening damage, neither had anything left to give. Had their last effort failed they would have been at the dragon¡¯s mercy and they knew it.

    ¡°We should probably get Riakon out of there.¡± Roden said while staring at the ceiling of the cavern.

    ¡°Cacaw.¡± he said in agreement.

    When the men sat up, they saw the dragon had started to shimmer. Flakes of energy began to float off its body as it laid there unmoving.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡±

    ¡°What, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°It looks like snow.¡±

    They watched the snow that wasn¡¯t snow drift off the body and up into the air of the carven before vanishing like snow on warm ground. It was slow and subtle at first, but grew to be larger sections some the size of perfect snowballs.

    The majesty of it all was summarily interrupted when the body of Riakon tumbled out of the chest of the magically evaporating dragon. He looked ragged and moist. He was slightly coated in a slimy yellow green liquid. When he dragged himself to his feet Riakon gave his friend a toothy grin.

    ¡°Aye we did it!¡±

    Roden looked at Errrkkkk who rolled his eyes and flopped onto his back once more.

    Riakon furrowed his brow, ¡°what¡¯s up with him?¡±

    Roden pointed at Riakon¡¯s lower half, barely covered by the remnants of his pants and the nubs that remained of his toes and feet.

    ¡°Oh,¡± was all Riakon could say as he stared at his poor appendages.

    Roden dragged himself to his feet, walked over to the big man, and used his Never the Time and Place ability to heal the man. Over the next few seconds, all of Riakon¡¯s injuries healed.

    Riakon nodded in approval of his new clawed toes,

    ¡°Thanks Roden.¡±

    Roden shook his head, ¡°don¡¯t thank me yet. We have a problem.¡±

    Errrkkkk sat up, ¡°what now, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any magic left to cast the treehouse.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    All of them groaned at the prospect of a frigid night in the mountains. Errrkkkk worked his way to standing.

    ¡°Well better get moving, we sure as hell can¡¯t stay here, cacaw.¡±

    *********

    Despite their intense fatigue, the trip down the mountain was a much faster endeavor than climbing it had been. Between Errrkkkk and Roden¡¯s Nimbus, they were able to descend the mountain in a couple hours, although it would be more accurate to say they essentially fell off the mountain repeatedly using limited flying to control their rapid descent as neither of their modes of flight were designed to carry passengers.

    By the time they hauled themselves into a rooming house in the city of Rock¡¯s Edge, they were exhausted and famished. Ordering food to be brought up to their room with a generous tip to the hostess was all they could manage before ascending the stairs.

    Dinner was a simple thick potato stew with big chunks of bacon and a few other vegetables that Roden didn¡¯t recognize at first. He had quickly grown accustomed to just eating the food of Mir despite rarely knowing what it was.

    Roden¡¯s memories were helpful enough to encourage him and sooth any apprehension that what he was eating shouldn¡¯t be eaten or would taste awful. His instincts rarely served him wrong in those moments.

    Once their dinners were eaten, Roden was too tired to even lay his wards at their doors. He had pity for anyone who dared interrupt their sleep that night as he couldn¡¯t imagine the rage that would accompany such a disturbance.

    Thankfully, no one disturbed their rest or at least none enough to rouse the men out of their complete and utter unconsciousness.

    ******

    Roden woke to a scream. It wasn¡¯t clear where or who it came from until he blinked the sleep from his eyes and saw Riakon bouncing up and down like a child on Christmas morning.

    ¡°Riakon, what the fuck are you doing?¡± Roden¡¯s mood gradually turned from alert to surly the more clear it became that there was no danger.

    ¡°I got my powers!¡±

    Errrkkkk perked up, ¡°really, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Some, not all, but I can touch my magic again.¡± His toothy grin and voice full of elation.

    ¡°At least, he¡¯s got something.¡± Roden added before dropping back into bed and pulling up the thin covers.

    ¡°Oh no we have to get moving.¡±

    Roden groaned. He was still so exhausted. Sure he had superhuman endurance and a mental fortitude greater than most, but even all of that couldn¡¯t combat his love of sleep and a warm bed.

    Errrkkkk stretched and let out a chirp for the effort.

    ¡°C¡¯mon Roden, we have a conflux to secure and probably another shagrem to fight off, cacaw.¡±

    Roden let out a sigh. He had forgotten about that part of their trip. It wasn¡¯t part of his game back when he was running the show at the table.

    ¡°Fuckin hell alright.¡±

    The men got themselves together in various degrees of urgency. It was clear Riakon was completely giddy at the prospect of having some powers returned to him. Errrkkkk seemed a bit less disappointed in his adoptive brother. While Roden was the least enthused, at least until he got some coffee and a spot of breakfast.

    The trip back to the cave of their first mission wasn¡¯t terribly far from Rock¡¯s Edge. They purchased Riakon a horse so he could at least keep up with Roden and Errrkkkk who had superior modes of travel to walking.

    Based on their best guess, the cave was approximately eighty miles away. At top speed, it would take them one full day of travel with them arriving sometime on their second day of travel. That night they were finally able to enjoy Roden¡¯s treehouse spa thanks to a slightly overcharged casting of the spell.

    Roden did his best for Riakon¡¯s horse by opting for his evergreen conifer model that allowed them to walk the horse into an alcove of branches. The horse probably would have been fine just tied up, the air wasn¡¯t nearly as cold on the steppe between Rock¡¯s Edge and the Timber Wilds, but Roden would take any excuse he could get to play around with his treehouse design.

    The following day they made haste to reach the cave before any gremlins showed up. When they reach the trees, they made the decision to release Riakon¡¯s horse with the hope it wouldn¡¯t be a casualty when the gremlins showed up.

    They trekked through the dense forest, careful to keep the northern ridge in sight as that was their only point of reference for the cave¡¯s location. Whenever they could they would walk along the ridge wall.

    When the craggy uneven land made constant travel along that route impossible for Riakon on his own, Roden would hook his cloud to the Dragonkin and use his leaping ability to take to the trees. He hadn¡¯t had much practice swinging through the trees as he had seen in his vision months ago with Mu¡¯tumbo, but he found he was a bit of a natural.

    Around midday, Errrkkkk started to see various caverns starting to appear more frequently than before. After a couple hours they started seeing various thin threads dangling from the trees and vegetation. That alone signaled to the men they were getting close.

    ¡°Did you see that Roden?¡±

    ¡°The webbing? Yeah of course, why?¡±

    ¡°Do you remember that first fight with the spiders?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I remember.¡± Roden said, anticipating the shit talk about to come his way.

    ¡°Man you froze like a scared deer in torchlight.¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes as he perched on a thick branch.

    ¡°Yeah well it was my first real fight.¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°we figured as much. I gotta say, I wasn¡¯t sure you had it in you to do the job.¡±

    ¡°Shit me either.¡±

    Errrkkkk clucked, ¡°well there is no doubt now, cacaw.¡±

    Roden beamed, that was the highest praise from Errrkkkk.

    ¡°Awe thanks man.¡±

    ¡°No for real, Riakon would be dragon shit right now if it weren¡¯t for Roden helping me slay that dragon.¡±

    And there was the typical sardonic comment Errrkkkk couldn¡¯t help, but include.

    ¡°He¡¯s got a point there. You would be dragon shit.¡±

    Riakon shook his head, ¡°no way, I was fighting it from the inside. Besides, I helped, it didn¡¯t die until after I burned it. The thing¡¯s insides practically exploded.¡±

    ¡°Yeah sure, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said dismissively.

    ¡°Oh come on, I definitely deserve some credit for helping kill that dragon.¡±

    ¡°What do you think we give him Errrkkkk? I¡¯m thinking we say he¡¯s ten percent responsible.¡±

    ¡°Ten!?¡±

    ¡°I was going to say five, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Five!?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I mean what all did he do other than be bait and get eaten?¡±

    Riakon was incredulous, ¡°What do you mean?! I helped!¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah? What is the one job of the person being the bait, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon hung his head, ¡°to not get eaten.¡±

    ¡°Egg-xactly, cacaw.¡± The birdman said with finality.

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°Errrkkkk did you just say egg-xactly?¡±

    ¡°No, I said egg-xactly.¡±

    Roden looked for Riakon amidst the trees for confirmation.

    ¡°You got eggs on the brain there Errrkkkk?¡±

    ¡°He must have seen a particularly fetching seagull up there!¡± Riakon shouted from the trees.

    Roden nearly slipped off his branch as he started laughing uncontrollably.

    ¡°Next time, I am going to let the dragon eat both of you, cacaw.¡±

 Chapter 21- Back to Where It All Started

    Chapter 21

    Roden made his way silently through the dark of the cavern. The dank air smelled of stagnant water and the musty odor of an all too moist basement.

    The fact a nerdy wizard had lurked in the basement of this already dark place made Roden chuckle while he scouted the cave. The group hadn''t seen any evidence of the gremlins from the outside, so they had decided to have Errrkkkk and Riakon guard the entrance. Roden was automatically the only choice to search the cave considering he was the only one who could see in the dark. Roden was on his way to the main chamber when he realized he didn''t have Sight of the Magi available to check the other chamber.

    He could have dosed himself with the mushroom spores Errrkkkk and Riakon had used on their first visit, but the prospect of being alone in the dark while tripping on alien mushrooms didn''t seem like a recipe for success.

    After he gave the main chamber a once over and found nothing, Roden worked his way back to his friends. He found the two men lounging on the grass beyond the mouth of the cave.

    ¡°Are yall really just out here chilling, while I''m in there working?¡± Roden said mockingly while approaching the two.

    Without missing a beat, Riakon spoke, ¡°I''m working. I am supervising.¡±

    ¡°Supervising?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I''m supervising Errrkkkk while he is watching for gremlins.¡±

    Both men looked at Riakon flatly

    ¡°Just another time where I¡¯m doing all the work, cacaw.¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes, ¡°division of labor aside, we have two problems. First, I don''t have the spell prepared to get in the lower cavern and second I can''t prepare it until tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like we will have to watch from all directions tonight, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said while putting talon to chin in a thoughtful pose.

    ¡°I''ve actually been thinking about that and I think I have an idea.¡±

    ¡°Well please enlighten us.¡± Riakon said while lounging in the lush grass.

    Roden took a deep breath and started his explanation, ¡°Well my idea is to conjure my treehouse in the¡­¡±

    Roden trailed off when he saw Errrkkkk gave Riakon a smug look, which engendered a groan from the Dragonkin.

    ¡°What was that all about?¡± Roden said irritation laced in every word.

    ¡°I bet Riakon that whatever plan you came up with would involve your treehouse, cacaw.¡± He stifled a laugh before continuing,

    ¡°Now he owes me some of his Fireweed, cacaw.¡±

    Roden glared at his briefly, ¡°unless you have a better way to close off the cave entrance, I''m pretty sure that is our only option.¡±

    Errrkkkk chuckled, ¡°oh no, it''s definitely the best choice. Which is how I knew it''d be your plan, cacaw.¡±

    Then was Roden¡¯s turn to laugh.

    ¡°Okay smart guys, how are you supposed to make a treehouse fill in that hole, huh?¡± Riakon said with a hint of indignation.

    ¡°I''ll just make it a bush.¡±

    ¡°He''ll make it a bush, cacaw.¡± the men said simultaneously.

    With that it was settled. Roden wondered the area around the cavern looking for an appropriate shrub or suitable specimen of vegetation to mimic in his spell. He eventually settled on a thorny shrub. He chose that one not out of any illusion that thorns would keep the gremlins out, but in the hope that it would keep them from even looking in its direction with any great attention to detail once they saw its unsavory thorns.

    Deciding on which plant to use as his muse was simple compared to the arduous task of casting the spell. Typically, the spell was easy to cast once he had an idea. However, he had never had to work inside of such a restricted space. Roden started the spell as he had dozens of times before. First, he had to lay the spell matrix down, that step created a space for him to build the spell in three dimensions. From that point, he would draw out the various lines that created the architecture of the spell and the desired result. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    His first attempt had gone as normal. He crafted everything just as he imagined it, but when he attempted to complete the spell, the spell''s matrix refused to collapse, completing the casting. Roden puzzled at the problem for a few moments before noticing the shifting lines that represented the various boundaries of the spell were too close to the walls of the cavern.

    He hypothesized that if the spell were to collapse into existence then it would impact the walls of the cave. Thus he had to rearrange the spell¡¯s matrix over and over until every last branch, thorn and leaf did not touch the walls. He imagined the task would have to be much simpler for a wizard or literally anyone even a little trained in the execution of magic of this variety.

    His ward spell had no such limitations. It was an area that only triggered against things with hostile intent. No need for it to trigger against a squirrel looking for a nut or a curious raccoon. In theory, Roden could place a ward covering the area of dirt beneath his feet if he chose. That spell was unimpeded by physical boundaries. Which Roden realized a bit late into his ranting thoughts was because it didn¡¯t produce anything tangible.

    After over an hour of working at it the spell¡¯s matrix finally collapsed in on itself and produced his treehouse. Although this time it might be more accurate to call it a bush bunker. The result of his ministrations was a mostly round structure of gnarly thorn covered branches with thick waxy leaves.

    The outer door was likewise covered to conceal its existence, but to him as the caster and architect, its location was obvious. Roden then took the time to show the men everything he had put together for their bunker.

    Starting from the outside, the first inner room was the size of a halfway decent closet. It was a small half circle about six feet wide and five feet high. All of the men had to crouch to even get in.

    ¡°What the fuck are you doing to us Roden?¡± Riakon griped.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see, just hang tight. This room ain¡¯t for us.¡± Roden assured the man as the big Dragonkin struggled to fit into the too small space.

    The wall opposite the door looked to be plain stone. Roden tried his best to imprint onto the structure a similar stone as the cave and cliffs, but it definitely wasn¡¯t exact, especially when examined under any great scrutiny.

    He intended for that room to serve two purposes. First, he intended for that room to be their buffer in case the gremlins got through the door. Without any obvious sign of entry to the rest of the structure he figured it would at least slow them down.

    Directly above the front door was a trapdoor in the ceiling. When Roden was showing Errrkkkk and Riakon his creation he pushed open the hatch and pulled himself onto the next level.

    When it was Riakon¡¯s turn, he stood up and everything above his shoulders seemed to pop out of the floor of the upper loft. Once all of the men were up, Roden locked the hatch effectively sealing off that first room from the rest of the rooms.

    The loft was a little nest tucked into the branches. It was tight and there was just enough room for Riakon to sit upright. Roden wanted to make it taller, but at that point in the cave he only had a nine foot clearance. He had to lower the ceiling of the entry room to even have enough room to sit up.

    That nest room was still a room with a ceiling unlike some of his other iterations. From that room someone could keep watch using the very carefully concealed peep holes. When crafting that portion of the room Roden had wished he knew more about mirrors and optics.

    He really wanted to have telescopes, binoculars, or something to help them keep watch, but he couldn¡¯t make the spell produce something he didn¡¯t understand. A spa was simple, all it took was water and a heat source. Basic furniture was no problem, but apparently a tube full of mirrors and lenses was too complex to create with only a passing understanding of what was going on.

    From the loft, there was a set of stairs that led to the main room. It was an eight by eight sitting room with all the basic amenities. Roden felt they needed the room to at least have some level of comfort while on their mission so he included two beds for whomever wasn¡¯t on watch that night and a small kitchen area for them to make something better than travel rations.

    The next and final room was of course everyone''s¡¯ favorite. Roden had made the room into his spa. He had decided on that for two reasons. First, was the selfish reason, he just wanted to be able to soak in the hot water. The second reason was more strategic. He felt he would have an advantage in that room if it came down to fighting gremlins.

    Beyond the spa was another small room similar to the one in front just in case any gremlins came from within the cave. Roden had gone through the trouble of covering the entire hedge shaped house in leaves and thorns even though its presence to anyone coming from inside the cave would be out of the ordinary. Additionally, he had not placed a door to the house on the inside of the cave, instead he created a hatch from the rear loft that dropped a ladder they could climb if they needed to go deeper into the cave.

    Once the walk through was complete the men took seats in the sitting room to discuss their plans. Errrkkkk took the lead by addressing Roden first.

    ¡°So will this thing stand up to the gremlins on its own, cacaw?¡±

    Roden shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I mean a bit. I don¡¯t actually know for sure. The spell and my instincts tell me it can absorb some punishment, but I don¡¯t think it can handle much.¡±

    Errrkkkk nodded, ¡°I figured as much, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°If it''s any consolation, I included those small rooms on either end of the house to take the brunt of any magic they throw at us. I¡¯m pretty sure unless they have a spell with the piercing ability of my Lightning Burst, we are pretty safe in this room.¡± Roden added.

    ¡°That¡¯s good thinking there Roden!¡± Riakon said, perking up a bit.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that, but what do we do if it comes down to a fight, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk said pointedly.

    All three gave the dilemma some concerted thought.

    Roden took a deep breath before offering his insights. ¡°My thought was to hold them back in the narrow caverns. Riakon and I can form a shield wall in a tight space and we can take away their number advantage.¡±

    Roden left off, ¡®just like the Spartans!¡¯ That part he kept to himself.

    ¡°Yeah boys ahhh we have a small problem.¡± Riakon included nervously. ¡°In all the excitement of getting my magic back I forgot my hammer was ruined back at the dragon.¡±

    The news was met with tandem face palms. When a thought occurred to Roden.

    ¡°I may have a solution.¡± He rose and started rummaging through his pack until he found it coiled at the bottom. He produced and presented the weapon he had selected so long ago before tossing it onto Riakon¡¯s lap.

    ¡°A whip!?¡± Riakon said with a mix of incredulity and astonishment.

    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s the best I got.¡±

    Riakon groaned, ¡°brother, let me use your staff.¡±

    Errrkkkk shook his head, ¡°no way, you¡¯ll break it just like you did your hammer.¡±

    Riakon moved to rebuttal, but knew he had already lost.

    ¡°To be fair, the goal isn¡¯t to have to fight them in here at all so you¡¯ll only really need it if we are out in the open.¡± Roden offered to sooth the big Dragonkin.

    Riakon nodded begrudgingly, ¡°yeah I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Besides, if it gets to that point Roden and I are going to be doing most of the work anyway, cacaw.¡±

    Roden couldn¡¯t help, but chuckle at Errrkkkk¡¯s jibe.

    ¡°Well, is there anything else we need to cover?¡± Roden said with a standing stretch.

    ¡°I¡¯m good, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Same.¡± Riakon¡¯s lack of enthusiasm evident in his response.

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯m going to hit the spa.¡±

 Chapter 22- Gremlin Goo

    Chapter 22

    The instructions they were given from Yan the Court Mage were to hold down the cave until the company of adventurers arrived from the Outpost. The problem that started plaguing the men as soon as they set terms for watches that night was simply that those adventurers should by all accounts have beaten them there.

    All their traveling up the mountain and across the steppe had taken more than the couple days Yan had estimated for the adventurers to arrive. That fact didn¡¯t sit well with the men as they took their turns at watch.

    In the hours of night just before dawn Roden watched the tree line. He felt his Divine Gambit pull his attention. In moments, he started to see movement among the vegetation. Little dark shapes darted about the trees like ants at a picnic.

    There were only a couple at first, but that number quickly grew to over a dozen. By that point Roden roused Errrkkkk, who roused Riakon. The others gathered on the stairs while Roden kept eyes on their foes.

    ¡°How many?¡± Riakon asked in a hushed voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ve counted fourteen, but there could be more.¡± Roden replied.

    ¡°What are they doing, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Not much really. Just sort of scurrying about. If I had to guess, they are looking for this cave.¡±

    ¡°Do you think they know it¡¯s supposed to be here, cacaw?¡±

    Roden shifted uncomfortably over to a different peephole.

    ¡°With as many as I¡¯m seeing I can¡¯t imagine they are completely ignorant. No shagrem yet though.¡±

    As if prophesied, a lanky gremlin strode out of the trees flanked by a gaggle of smaller gremlins. His staff was adorned with another of those black crystals. However, the most alarming thing to Roden was the second smaller black crystal in his hand that he moved around with careful deliberate gestures.

    ¡°Awe fuck.¡± Roden said under his breath, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure this shagrem has a locator spell or something.¡±

    Errrkkkk immediately started stretching, ¡°sounds like it''s only a matter of time then, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Riakon said as he too loosened up his arms and shoulders.

    While the men talked in hushed voices, Roden never turned away from the gremlins. He watched the shagrem survey the landscape and eventually point to their location.

    ¡°Welp we¡¯re made guys. I expect magic is coming as soon as they realize they aren¡¯t going to be able to pull down the branches.¡±

    ¡°I say we let them bang their heads against this wall then hit them once they¡¯re tired.¡± Riakon said punctuating the statement with a fist to palm punch.

    Roden and Errrkkkk both stared at him in surprise.

    ¡°What?¡± Riakon said, uneasy under their gaze.

    ¡°That¡¯s actually a good idea, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Man fuck you guys, I have good ideas.¡±

    Errrkkkk tilted his head at Riakon¡¯s comment.

    ¡°Sometimes¡­¡± Riakon added.

    For the next couple hours, the men took turns watching the gremlins attempt to remove their hedge hideout from their path. At first, gremlins simply walked up to it and began pulling at the branches with nothing to show for it beyond frustration at their ineptitude.

    Their next effort was to attempt to break the branches with rocks. They only succeeded in hurting their hands and making smaller rocks as their most basic tool broke after repeated use.

    Dawn had broke by the time the shagrem got involved. The gremlin cleared the common gremlins out of the way before casting a spell that produced a dark blue flame. Roden was called up to watch as the gremlin cast the flame toward them. It crashed into other branches, but unlike the real thing, these branches wouldn¡¯t burn.

    It was that reason that Roden was concerned they might try fire. He figured as soon as they tried to set the bush on fire and it failed miserably they would know something wasn¡¯t right. To his relief the shagrem must have thought too highly of himself as he appeared to be enraged by the bush that wouldn¡¯t burn.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    A dozen more little blue fireballs later and the gremlins were cackling at their shagrem¡¯s attempts to remove the offending shrubbery. Roden had surmised the spell must be a common or Trainee tier spell in order for his Apprentice tier Adventurer''s Refuge to be taking such little damage.

    It was the laughter of his subordinates that sent the shagrem over the edge. He drew a substantial amount of power from the two black crystals in his possession. The amount of arcane energy he was taking in from the rocks was much greater than anything he¡¯d done before. It was that swirl of visible magic that gave Roden an idea.

    ¡°Guys get back a big spell is coming and I¡¯m going to try and fuck it up. Watch my back!¡± He yelled the last as he hopped down the hatch into the front door room. He was already preparing the spell by then.

    When he dropped the front door to the surprise of every gremlin within sight, he¡¯d already had his arm raised and was shouting the incantation, ¡°burst!¡±

    The beam of lightning magic shot out from his palm straight to the shagrem who nearly fumbled his spell in shock. Roden¡¯s spell crashed into the shagrem causing a plume of dust and debris to be thrown about as the shagrem had done something to save himself from the brunt of the magic.

    When the dust began to clear, Roden had already raised the door back leaving no evidence of the opening having been there. Inside the small room Roden crackled as his Storm Strider ability snatched stray bits of lightning magic.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening out there?¡± He yelled up the hatch, hoping someone had taken his look out position. He was relieved to hear Errrkkkk¡¯s voice.

    ¡°They seem really confused. The shagrem is still trying to piece together what just happened, cacaw.¡±

    Roden smiled, his plan had worked.

    ¡°I have another idea, but I¡¯d really appreciate some back up if it goes to shit.¡±

    ¡°Fucking go for it, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Tell me when they are distracted enough for a surprise attack.¡± Roden said while taking a runner''s stance, assuming his armor and conjuring his Elvan blade.

    ¡°Now, cacaw!¡±

    Roden dropped the door and blitzed forward. He saw the shagrem had moved back a ways and the common gremlins had moved in, but none were focused on him or even looking in his direction. He covered the distance in a flash and immediately slashed his way through the gremlins.

    His main target was the shagrem, but he took the opportunity to injure any gremlins that got too close. He knew he couldn¡¯t afford to stop or slow down. He was only a few strides away from his target when the majority of the gremlins took note of him and a shouting alarm went up.

    ¡®I¡¯m not going to make it.¡¯  he thought as the gremlins closest to him turned on him and started a feeble, but obstructing attack.

    ¡®Time for plan B.¡¯

    Just when it seemed he would be buried in gremlins, a mist spread out from Roden as he shouted, ¡°on guard!¡±

    His Storm Guard spell¡¯s matrix collapsed and the spell activated releasing an arcing bolt of electricity throughout the mist surrounding him. He may still bemoan the loss of his Conflagration spell, but he got plenty of area of effect with his Storm Guard.

    As the gremlins fell around him he felt like a human bug zapper. He looked up and saw a clear path to the shagrem, whose face held a combination of rage and disbelief.

    ¡°Yoou! Hugan! Yooooouuuu!¡± He shouted before resolving to fight.

    That was a bad choice in Roden¡¯s estimation. All he had to do was get the shagrem within the range of his Storm Guard and it was over for the gremlin. He felt pretty strongly about that opinion until he saw the gremlin was not casting his spell at him, but at the fallen gremlin all around him.

    ¡®Oh shit.¡¯

    Before he could react, undead hands grabbed at his legs. Reanimated claws dug into his wooden armor. They were overwhelming his spell, which could only fire once every few seconds. He tried to use his Storm Strider to dash backward, but to his horror he felt himself falling, too many gremlins had gotten ahold of his legs and made running impossible.

    Roden hit the ground with a thud. He felt no pain other than a wounded pride at letting himself get tripped while out on what should have been a solo strike and retreat. What was done was done. He knew Errrkkkk would be around any second.

    Just as he thought it, so it was. Errrkkkk darted over him delivering vicious strikes to gremlin skulls. Not wanting to get in his way, Roden laid on the ground until he was sure Errrkkkk had moved past him. Roden sat up only for Riakon to appear at his side and hoist him to his feet.

    ¡°You good?¡± Riakon¡¯s voice boomed over the din of Errrkkkk crushing gremlins.

    ¡°Oh for sure, I just fell.¡±

    Riakon chuckled, ¡°sure you did.¡± The Dragonkin gave him a wink before drawing out the whip Roden had given him and started in on the gremlins with the unfamiliar weapon. After watching him put the lash to a few gremlins he could tell Riakon was starting to enjoy the weapon even though he was having mixed results. Some strikes didn¡¯t crack and instead ended up being more of a bludgeoning weapon in those instances.

    Back on his feet Roden set to locating the shagrem. Which he found being battered by Errrkkkk, who had backed the rustic mage up against a tree. Errrkkkk had him trapped like a boxer trapping his opponent in their corner. He unleashed a savage combination of blows that seemed they were never going to end until Errrkkkk delivered a rising knee that snapped the shagrem¡¯s head back so hard he crumpled into a pile at his feet.

    With their shagrem defeated the few remaining living gremlins still around dashed off into the forest. Roden darted after them and managed to stop one with a well placed Luminary Lance and grab another with his vine and pull him from the tree he had tried to hide in.

    When he made it back to Errrkkkk and Riakon they had finished off the reanimated gremlins and had secured the shagrem. He wouldn¡¯t be much trouble with his crystals safely tucked away in their dimensional bag.

    The thing that caught Roden¡¯s attention was the look of concern on his friends¡¯ faces.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on guys?¡± Roden said, flipping up his helmet¡¯s visor.

    Riakon held up a beat up backpack, ¡°I think we figured out where that group of adventurers ended up.¡±

    The implication plain for Roden to see he frowned, ¡°fuck that¡¯s trash mate.¡±

    ¡°Yeah now what, cacaw?¡±

    Roden wracked his brain for an idea and one dawned on him spawned from his Game Master days.

    ¡°I think I might have a solution, but it¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow when I can change my spells.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡± said Riakon

    ¡°Nothing special, I vaguely remember I might have access to a spell that would let me send a message to Yan, just like the stone we have for Bo.¡±

    ¡°Well look at that brother this guy has been holding out on us.¡± Riakon said jokingly.

    ¡°Yeah well let¡¯s hope it¡¯s that easy, cacaw.¡±

    Roden looked at the shagrem Errrkkkk had incapacitated.

    ¡°You think this guy is going to wake up?¡±

    ¡°Nah I just thought it was funny to have Riakon tie him up while we waited for you, cacaw.¡± He said with a smug look.

    Riakon gave him a flat stare before starting to undo the knots on his restraints.

    ¡°Dammit Errrkkkk now my rope has gremlin goo all over it.¡± Riakon complained.

    They all chuckled at the phrase ¡®gremlin goo¡¯ like a couple of school kids at recess.

    ¡°Was it just me or was that really¨C¡± Riakon started to say, but was interrupted by Errrrkkkk putting a hand over his snout.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do it. Don¡¯t you dare say what you are about to say, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said without a hint of humor.

    Riakon batted his hand away and furrowed his brow. ¡°I was going to say it was really hard.¡± He said unconvincingly.

    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s how you ended up with gremlin goo all over your rope.¡±

    More laughter ensued.

 Chapter 23- A Call From the Wilds

    Chapter 23

    As soon as Roden got situated for his watch that night he took the time to meditate. He fell into his soul space, for once arriving on his island on his feet instead of lying in the sand. He immediately called out to Zamira.

    ¡°Goodness dear it is quite the hour. Even a goddess needs her beauty sleep, you know?¡±  Her voice was like a bright bell accompanied by the gentle sloshing of the waves against the beach.

    Zamira stood before him, her face looking as if she had just rolled out of bed. Her clothes however, were as prim and proper as any other time he had spoken with her, no doubt a byproduct of his soul space.

    ¡°Hey Mom, I¡¯ve got news.¡±

    Zamira¡¯s eyes popped open, realization washing over her.

    ¡°Oh! Right! I take it, things went well with the dragon?¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°surprisingly well actually. Riakon was eaten, but Errrkkkk and I managed to finish it off.¡±

    Zamira covered her yawn with the back of her hand, ¡°that is great dear.¡± Her brow furrowed, ¡°is that all you called me for?¡±

    Roden shook his head, ¡°no, we have a small problem and I figured it would be faster to just ask you in case I needed a plan B.¡±

    Zamira gestured for him to continue.

    ¡°Do I have access to a spell for communicating over long distances? I need to get a message to Yan. The adventurers he set to meet up with us ran into a band of gremlins and didn¡¯t make it. We handled the gremlins when they showed up at the cave, but now we are stuck here without anyone coming to relieve us.¡±

    Zamira snapped her fingers and a wisp appeared between them.

    ¡°Here you go. This is the spell you need. Even with any domain changes you should be able to get your message through to the old mage.¡±

    Relief flooded Roden¡¯s nerves. He had grown anxious at their predicament. Knowing he could contact Yan for reinforcements was a much needed safety net.

    ¡°Thank goodness for that. I was sweating that pretty hard. I was pretty sure a cleric should have access to a spell like that, but I don¡¯t take any of my game knowledge for granted on Mir.¡±

    ¡°That is probably for the best.¡± She said through another wide yawn.

    ¡°You¡¯re awfully sleepy for a goddess.¡± a hint of mocking in his tone.

    Zamira rolled her eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, I¡¯m catching up on my sleep, thank you.¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°catching up?¡±

    Zamira groaned, ¡°yes catching up. Gods can¡¯t sleep, but I can as Miriana so I am taking advantage of it.¡±

    ¡°How strange. Do you dream?¡± His curiosity overflowed at the implications.

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but essentially Miriana dreams while I just hang out in the background.¡±

    Zamira eyed him suspiciously, ¡°it should be the same for you.¡±

    Roden was taken aback, ¡°oh, I don¡¯t dream.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± was all she said in response.

    ¡°Nope, don¡¯t do that. I¡¯ve already got too much on my mind for you to be leaving me hanging with a one word answer like that.¡±

    Zamira giggled at his fervor, ¡°it''s nothing like that, it''s just interesting. One would think between the two of you someone would be having dreams, but I suppose it makes sense. Growing up Roden didn¡¯t have dreams either.¡±

    Roden saw a chance and took it, ¡°must be that connection you keep mentioning.¡± He tried to make it a nonchalant statement in the hopes of catching Zamira too sleepy to realize it, but her glare was a clear indication his ploy hadn¡¯t worked.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Nice try, but you¡¯ll have to do better than that to trip me up.¡± She said as a smug grin spread across her sleepy face. ¡°Is there anything else you need my son or can I go back to sleep?¡± Another yawn splitting her face.

    ¡°I should be good. Hopefully, we can get back to Port Sept in a couple days. I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s going to be easy for Yan to gather up some mid-tier adventurers to come hold down the fort.¡±

    An idea flashed across Zamira¡¯s face as she just remembered something.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall if we talked about it before you left, but make sure you and the boys stop by Bo¡¯s place before coming back to the city. There is something very important waiting for you there.¡±

    ¡°Bo¡¯s place? Why would we need to stop there?¡± Roden said, confused.

    ¡°I am going to let that one slide given the hour. You have to remember these things. Make sure you make it to Bo¡¯s before coming back to Port Sept.¡±

    Roden couldn¡¯t for the life of him remember going back to Bo¡¯s during his game with his friends. Until the memory blossomed in his mind and he remembered exactly what had happened at Bo¡¯s. Realization was all over his face when he answered.

    ¡°Yep I remember now. Is that really about to happen?¡±

    Zamira nodded, ¡°sure is.¡±

    The implications sent Roden¡¯s mind tumbling.

    ¡°Am I going to be safe around all of that?¡±

    It was Zamira¡¯s turn to look confused, ¡°of course you¡¯d be safe. Why wouldn¡¯t you be?¡±

    ¡°I just figured that our connection might make things a little awkward.¡± He said answering her question.

    Zamira just shook her head and let out the tiniest chuckle, ¡°let¡¯s just say it¡¯d be a bad day for anyone involved, if our connection resulted in any mistreatment of my son.¡±

    On the surface her words were almost playful, but Roden knew her too well. She was dead serious with an extra helping of dead for the recipient of her ire.

    Her intensity made Roden smile. There was something about her material ferocity that tickled him.

    ¡°Good to know.¡±

    Zamira clapped her hands together, ¡°good now take your spell so I can go back to bed. You are lucky I am not actually missing any sleep for this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to stick around for the spell?¡±

    Zamira looked at him flatly.

    Roden laughed, ¡°you can¡¯t help yourself, can you?¡±

    Zamira rolled her eyes, ¡°just get on with it already.¡±

    ¡°Okay okay.¡±

    He reached out and drew the spell into himself. He released his hold on his ranged healing spell Nature¡¯s Melody to make room for his new spell. He felt the spell slowly drift over to his Elven magic and become molded by it.

    ¡°Oh for fucks sake.¡± Zamira said, throwing her hands up. ¡°I am going to strangle that elf.¡±

    Roden blocked out Zamira¡¯s tirade so he could focus on his new spell. It did exactly what he needed it to do, but with some Elven flair. All he had to do was say his message into a leaf of any kind. Once his message was attached to the leaf the spell would carry it all the way to his designated recipient in seconds. From there, Yan would be able to send a message back, easy breezy.

    When Roden finally came out of his trance-like state that came with spell preparation he saw Zamira standing with her hands on her hips.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You think its funny, don¡¯t you?¡± her question an obvious accusation.

    ¡°I plead the fifth?¡± He tried sheepishly.

    ¡°Jokes on you, the fifth amendment of Mir¡¯s Constitution refers to the right of a defendant to answer questions under a Veracity Spell in order to prove their innocence.¡±

    ¡°Well fuck.¡±

    Zamira just shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m going back to bed. good night, I love you.¡± She said with a wave.

    ¡°Good night, mom I love you too.¡±

    With their goodbyes, Roden closed his eyes and returned to his body.

    He was lying in the lookout just as he had left it all, his morning tea was even still hot.

    Roden sat and sipped his tea while he thought about what he should say in his message to Yan. He wanted to be sure to get the message correct the first time just in case more gremlins showed up, he didn¡¯t want to burn up all his magic on what amounted to a magical voicemail.

    When he decided he had his message just right he hopped down the hatch and popped outside to grab a leaf. He avoided getting too close to the gremlin bodies as he had learned back in Pescatin that they rapidly decayed and smelled absolutely awful even after one night.

    Leaf in hand he cupped it between his hands and spoke into the space between his thumbs.

    ¡°Yan, this is Roden. We are at the cave. Gremlins took out your adventures on their way to us. Send reinforcements. We¡¯ll wait.¡±

    With his message finished he opened his hands and blew the little leaf until it took into the air. A few moments later an identical leaf came floating back and landed in his hand. As soon as the leaf settled he heard Yan¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Bags! Hold out, I will send better adventurers to take your place. Good job boys, send me a message when you need transport back.¡±

    Roden was pretty satisfied with Yan¡¯s answer. There wasn¡¯t much more they could expect other than maybe a time table, but they didn¡¯t have anywhere pressing to be and if Roden was being honest with himself he wasn¡¯t in any hurry to get over to Bo¡¯s.

    Unfortunately for him, Yan worked very fast. By midday a large group of adventurers poured out of the trees bearing Yan¡¯s official seal and missive. Once everyone was satisfied with the arrangement, Roden broke down his hedge house to the groans of the adventurers and the men were on their way to Bo¡¯s.

    It didn¡¯t take much to convince Errrkkkk and Riakon to head over to their old mentor¡¯s place, especially with them already so close.

    ¡°Man it feels like it has been forever since we saw ol¡¯Bo.¡± Riakon said, striking up a conversation as they walked through the Wilds.

    ¡°How long has it been, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Good question.¡± Roden paused while giving it some thought, ¡°well we were there for about a month right?¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°that sounds about right.¡±

    ¡°Then it took almost two weeks to get to Coastall, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Right, then we messed around for what? Another week before we ended up by Mu''Tumbo''s.¡± Roden mused aloud.

    ¡°Then we had a month of training for the tournament.¡± Riakon intoned knowingly.

    ¡°Man I miss training like that, cacaw.¡± longing obvious in the birdman¡¯s voice.

    Riakon looked puzzled ¡°What do you mean? We just had a bunch of time to train before we came out here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m talking about full powered training, cacaw.¡±

    Roden winced, ¡°he¡¯s got you there.¡±

    Riakon rolled his eyes, ¡°any way. After the tournament, we hung around Miriana¡¯s and then went to Port Sept.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, and after that it wasn¡¯t long before we went to Pescatin, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon went silent. So Roden picked up the thread for him.

    ¡°And then we had a break until we met up with Yan and it¡¯s been about a week since then.¡±

    ¡°Wow it''s been about three months since we last walked these woods.¡± Riakon said with a hint of genuine surprise.

    ¡°Hard to believe we¡¯ve been at this for almost half a year.¡± Roden added with his own incredulity.

    He¡¯d really been on Mir for almost half a year. How time flies when you hit the ground running.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe yall are still this weak after that long, cacaw.¡±

 Chapter 24- Divine Interjection

    Chapter 24

    The men stood in front of Bo¡¯s house as they had months ago when they said their goodbyes. While they hadn¡¯t stayed with Bo all that long in the grand scheme of things their time with Bo had left a deep impression on their journey.

    Bo was both a mentor and a comrade. He was there when they had fought Kazan and his Zolem. Bo had lost his leg in that fight despite their best efforts to heal it. They had even tried Roden¡¯s Never the Time and Place ability, but either it was too far gone or it was too late by the time he had recouped it.

    The loss of his leg barely slowed down the old adventurer. He¡¯d immediately healed up his stump and crafted himself a fully functional prosthetic. In the eyes of Errrkkkk, Riakon, and Roden, Bo was the epitome of what it meant to be an adventurer for life.

    Bo was the one to help Riakon study enough to learn a spell. He¡¯d helped Errrkkkk learn the Soul Sphere from one of his many scrolls. He¡¯d even helped Roden understand how to be a cleric as an adventurer. Each one of them had Bo to thank for at least some of their success thus far.

    It was those facts that made approaching his home after so long a daunting task. They had a lot to tell him and not all of it was going to be easy, Riakon most of all. Yet, each man looked forward to talking shop with their old mentor.

    A disembodied voice came out of nowhere, ¡°aye shitheads! Are you going to stand out there all day or are you going to come inside?¡±

    They hadn¡¯t seen any evidence of anyone around and the house sat still, nestled in the trees and carefully crafted landscaping that made the house blend into the surrounding vegetation. The door swung open to reveal Bo standing in the doorway with his hand to his mouth.

    ¡°Get the hell in the house before dinner gets cold.¡± Even though they could see him the voice still came from seemingly everywhere at once.

    Riakon was the first to speak up, ¡°hey Bo, good to see you!¡± he said, raising a hand in greeting.

    ¡°Yeah yeah, c¡¯mon bugs are getting in.¡±

    Bo ushered the men into his home with jovial pats on the back as they passed by their old friend. The men dropped their gear and took seats at Bo¡¯s table that was already set for four.

    ¡°How¡¯d you know we were coming, cacaw?¡±

    Bo chuckled, ¡°as if my wards could miss yall tearing through the Wilds on your way here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah that tracks.¡± Riakon said through a mouthful of hot beans and rice.

    Bo took his seat at the table, ¡°so how have these been going for you boys?¡±

    The men looked at each other and started telling the story of their adventures since leaving Bo¡¯s.

    During Errrkkkk¡¯s retelling of their encounter with the Treant, Bo interjected.

    ¡°Woah you ran into a violent Treant?¡±

    ¡°Yeah he was a real dick.¡± Riakon added.

    Bo shook his head, ¡°strange things are happening in the Wilds these days.¡±

    Roden furrowed his brow, ¡°what do you mean?¡±

    Bo let out a huff, ¡°don¡¯t you boys know anything? Treants are supposed to be guardians of nature. There shouldn¡¯t be such a thing as a violent Treant. Rude, sure, but never violent to one of its own kind.¡±

    The men looked at each other, ¡°well he was definitely violent.¡± Roden said firmly.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t bode well for what is going to come.¡± Bo said, a mixture of alarm and worry.

    Riakon tried to put a positive spin on things, ¡°Errrkkkk got a little plant out of it.¡±

    Bo¡¯s face morphed into his ever present scowl,

    ¡°a plant?¡±

    The men picked up their tale from there explaining everything up to their encounter with the lycans and Mu¡¯tumbo.

    The men were sure to leave off the Lysander predilection toward strong mead and fireweed.

    Bo made it clear he found their time among the lycanthropes disturbing, but Roden couldn''t hold it against him.

    Bo was an old school adventurer from a time when the Timber Wilds were still harboring legitimate monsters spawned by the Archlich.Those creatures had no redeeming qualities.

    Errrkkkk made sure to tell Bo about every arena fight and how they''ve grown more powerful since their time training under Bo.

    The men were buoyed by Bo''s modicum of approval of their successes. It was around then they had to recount their time in Pescatin.

    Unlike when they told the story to Miriana. Bo wanted all of the details and Riakon had a lot of explaining to do.

    During Riakon''s hesitant story Bo remained stoic.

    When Riakon started explaining how Tiamat¡¯s influence came over him, Bo frown deepened.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    When Riakon explained the ritual he was compelled to perform, Bo put a hand on Riakon¡¯s arm.

    ¡°It''s okay son. There is only so much us mortals can do in the face of those manifestations.¡±

    Riakon was shocked by Bo''s understanding.

    ¡°Really?¡± Was all he could manage.

    Bo chuckled, ¡°of course, there are any number of great adventures who''ve been corrupted by malevolent forces. What matters is casting off those forces.¡±

    ¡°Yeah about that. I''m not really sure how that happened either.¡± Riakon said, a little embarrassed.

    It was then a female voice cut into the conversation.

    ¡°That twas me.¡± The feminine tone interjected.

    The voice was motherly and bright. The source of the voice entered the small dining room from the kitchen doorway.

    The owner of the voice was a tall woman with dark red hair streaked with orange and blonde tied up in a wild bun that made her look as if she was on fire.

    Riakon and Errrkkkk both nearly leapt out of their chairs at the strangers entrance. Bo remained seated, but Roden could tell the older man had pulled a weapon under the table.

    ¡°Who are you, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk nearly shouted his accusation, but withered under the woman''s attention.

    Once it was all quiet again, she spoke again addressing Bo.

    ¡°We appreciate your hospitality and the help you have given these boys, but I must ask for a space for us to speak with our children.¡±

    ¡°Uhhh well I suppose you could use the backyard, but if you don''t mind me asking how''d you get in my house?¡± Bo said as he studied the woman.

    The woman waved off his question,

    ¡°Your shrine to the pantheon was all that was required for us to gain entry¨C.¡±

    ¡°You keep saying us, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said interrupting her.

    The woman nodded.

    ¡°I left my brother outside, I hope to take you.¡± She said looking to Riakon, ¡°to meet him.¡±

    Roden couldn''t take the general confusion anymore, ¡°you''re Era aren''t you?¡±

    He said it knowing it was correct. That encounter was what Zamira had reminded him of just that morning. The coming of Era and Erjorn was the main reason Roden made sure they made it to Bo¡¯s before heading back to Port Sept.

    The woman nodded again.

    ¡°Yes, it is as you say. I am Era, Goddess of the Sun and Nature.¡±

    As she spoke her name and title a bright glow emanated from behind her as if the sun was setting in Bo¡¯s kitchen.

    Errrkkkk threw himself to the ground in supplication, murmuring prayers of praise to the goddess before him.

    Era looked down at the birdman before she crouched and patted his head gently.

    ¡°Errrkkkk, all is well. We have much to discuss, my child. It is time you learn where you come from.¡±

    Era turned her head to look at Riakon, who was frozen in his chair.

    ¡°Do not be afraid, we did not come to punish you. This is a joyous day. Now come outside and we can speak on things that have long been secret.¡±

    Errrkkkk and Riakon both stood slowly and followed Era through Bo¡¯s kitchen and out into the backyard.

    When he heard the backdoor shut, Roden looked at Bo, ¡°I suppose we are just hanging out in here, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, seems like we aren¡¯t necessary.¡±

    Roden eyed Bo suspiciously, ¡°you seem pretty calm for a guy who just had a goddess show up during dinner.¡±

    Bo returned the gaze back to Roden, ¡°I could say the same about you.¡±

    Roden chuckled, ¡°fair enough, this isn¡¯t my first unexpected meeting with one of the gods.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡± Bo said with a mix of accusation and surprise.

    Roden nodded, ¡°yeah, when Riakon was busy with his ritual I ran into Zamira. That¡¯s how I ended up switching teams.¡±

    Bo¡¯s bushy eyebrow shot up in genuine surprise, ¡°well ain¡¯t that something.¡±

    ¡°Oh it¡¯s something alright. What about you?¡±

    A thoughtful expression washed over Bo¡¯s face as he thought of a long untouched memory.

    ¡°I ran across Byote on a hunt once. I was in a squad of adventurers and we were being hunted by aberrations left over from the days of the lich. They were truly brutal monsters that tore through our defenses. My squad was hiding in an abandoned den we¡¯d found and lucky for us our Cleric was able to make a sufficient plea to Byote, who came out of the woods and led us safely to the Outpost.¡±

    ¡°Ya know, it seems to me the gods are awfully involved in the lives of the people these days.¡± Roden said offhandedly.

    Bo clicked his tongue, ¡°by design I imagine.¡±

    Roden frowned, ¡°what do you mean by design?¡±

    Bo looked at Roden as if he¡¯d grown a second head.

    ¡°Boy you are a terrible Cleric. Don¡¯t you know anything about your profession?¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes, ¡°please enlighten me.¡± His voice dripped with sarcasm as he said it.

    ¡°Scholars figured it out a few years ago. Because of Orvell the gods became significantly more prevalent. Some would say exponentially more powerful on account of all the worship.¡±

    Roden stared at him, a steely look on his face, ¡°I don¡¯t get it. How did Orvell make the gods more powerful?¡±

    Bo took a deep breath, ¡°it¡¯s not so simple as he made them more powerful. It¡¯s more like his actions created an environment that allowed them to thrive.¡±

    ¡°How the fuck did he do that?¡± Roden replied, his interest obvious in his voice.

    ¡°Orvell¡¯s reign was a dark time, but he mostly left the people to their own devices. He isolated the cities from each other. That made it so each settlement had to become self-sustaining. As a natural effect of that it made people more reverent toward the gods. People who didn¡¯t used to farm were now praying to Mirohna for her blessing on their little plot of land. Any time someone had to venture far, Era and Byote were being given offerings for safe passage. The followers of Ay became teachers in an effort to preserve what basic skills they could. Each god benefited from the situation in a similar way.¡±

    Understanding was slowly coming over Roden, ¡°okay so people became more religious during the Dark Times.¡±

    ¡°You could say that again. People became nearly fanatical. They clung to their religion and it paid off. Without the gods it¡¯s hard to say if the people would have ever been able to overthrow Orvell. Some say the king was chosen by the gods to confront the lich. One of his biographers made the claim that the king was directly helped by the gods, but was never able to state which one specifically.¡±

    Roden slouched a bit in his chair. It was all quite confounding to him. In his game, he hadn¡¯t involved the gods in Orvell¡¯s defeat. He¡¯d just made up a band of adventurers and said they eventually defeated Orvell. He¡¯d thought that was because he had just wanted to progress the world he was building and didn¡¯t want to play a game during a time when the world was ruled by his old big bad evil guy.

    ¡°Hang on, you said by design before. What¡¯d you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Oh that? Well some scholars think Orvell was knowingly facilitating the empowerment of the gods of Mir through his policies. He never forbade religion although he did make an attempt to position himself among their ranks as a god-king. Not much ever came of that, but he had a cult who worshiped him.¡±

    Roden was struggling to find the connections in Bo¡¯s history lesson, ¡°why would a tyrant want his people to empower their gods? Seems counterintuitive to me.¡±

    Bo laughed through his nose, ¡°You and the majority of everyone else. The thing is though you can¡¯t deny the outcome. Ever since the defeat of the lich and the restoration under King Roderick, the gods have had a constant presence in the lives of the people. Before Orvell, the gods rarely manifested. Now each god has a highly devoted following and the most popular ones seem to have a public manifestation every few years.¡±

    Roden thought on Bo¡¯s words for a long moment. He tried to understand what exactly could be the benefit of empowering magical apparitions generated from the collective unconscious of the people. It was that thought that led him to consider what must have come before.

    ¡°Wait a minute, what were the gods like before Orvell?¡±

    Bo shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know. No one really knows. There are records, names, and some holy practices, but not much else from before.¡±

    Roden snapped his fingers and held up a finger, ¡°that¡¯s it!¡±

    It was Bo¡¯s turn to be confused, ¡°what¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Whether he intended to or not, Orvell codified the gods.¡±

    Bo furrowed his brow, ¡°what the hell are you talking about?¡±

    Roden was getting excited at his growing revelation, ¡°before and during the time the lich took over, I¡¯d be willing to bet the gods were a loose collection of ideas. Each town probably had their own idea of who each god was and how they should be worshiped, but by doing that the peoples¡¯ perception of each god expanded. I¡¯d be willing to bet some of the gods picked up new domains during that time.¡±

    Bo nodded slowly, ¡°there is some evidence to that.¡±

    Roden was on the edge of his seat, ¡°and I¡¯d be willing to put money once each settlement was able to communicate again, religion flourished as the varied beliefs were combined into a common belief across all people.¡±

    Bo thought on his words briefly, ¡°you have a point there son. I suppose you ain¡¯t such a bad cleric after all.¡±

    It was all making sense to Roden. Just like on Earth religion vied for the attention of the people. When two cultures interacted their gods would have a metaphorical battle in the minds and hearts of the people. The same thing happened with all the abandoned religions until all that was left was the monotheistic ones. Roden wondered if Mir could ever become monotheistic, but quickly dismissed the idea as unlikely given the obvious manifestations of multiple gods.

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m definitely a bad cleric, but I love a good mystery.¡± Roden said good naturedly.

 Chapter 24- Divine Interjection

    Chapter 24

    The men stood in front of Bo¡¯s house as they had months ago when they said their goodbyes. While they hadn¡¯t stayed with Bo all that long in the grand scheme of things their time with Bo had left a deep impression on their journey.

    Bo was both a mentor and a comrade. He was there when they had fought Kazan and his Zolem. Bo had lost his leg in that fight despite their best efforts to heal it. They had even tried Roden¡¯s Never the Time and Place ability, but either it was too far gone or it was too late by the time he had recouped it.

    The loss of his leg barely slowed down the old adventurer. He¡¯d immediately healed up his stump and crafted himself a fully functional prosthetic. In the eyes of Errrkkkk, Riakon, and Roden, Bo was the epitome of what it meant to be an adventurer for life.

    Bo was the one to help Riakon study enough to learn a spell. He¡¯d helped Errrkkkk learn the Soul Sphere from one of his many scrolls. He¡¯d even helped Roden understand how to be a cleric as an adventurer. Each one of them had Bo to thank for at least some of their success thus far.

    It was those facts that made approaching his home after so long a daunting task. They had a lot to tell him and not all of it was going to be easy, Riakon most of all. Yet, each man looked forward to talking shop with their old mentor.

    A disembodied voice came out of nowhere, ¡°aye shitheads! Are you going to stand out there all day or are you going to come inside?¡±

    They hadn¡¯t seen any evidence of anyone around and the house sat still, nestled in the trees and carefully crafted landscaping that made the house blend into the surrounding vegetation. The door swung open to reveal Bo standing in the doorway with his hand to his mouth.

    ¡°Get the hell in the house before dinner gets cold.¡± Even though they could see him the voice still came from seemingly everywhere at once.

    Riakon was the first to speak up, ¡°hey Bo, good to see you!¡± he said, raising a hand in greeting.

    ¡°Yeah yeah, c¡¯mon bugs are getting in.¡±

    Bo ushered the men into his home with jovial pats on the back as they passed by their old friend. The men dropped their gear and took seats at Bo¡¯s table that was already set for four.

    ¡°How¡¯d you know we were coming, cacaw?¡±

    Bo chuckled, ¡°as if my wards could miss yall tearing through the Wilds on your way here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah that tracks.¡± Riakon said through a mouthful of hot beans and rice.

    Bo took his seat at the table, ¡°so how have these been going for you boys?¡±

    The men looked at each other and started telling the story of their adventures since leaving Bo¡¯s.

    During Errrkkkk¡¯s retelling of their encounter with the Treant, Bo interjected.

    ¡°Woah you ran into a violent Treant?¡±

    ¡°Yeah he was a real dick.¡± Riakon added.

    Bo shook his head, ¡°strange things are happening in the Wilds these days.¡±

    Roden furrowed his brow, ¡°what do you mean?¡±

    Bo let out a huff, ¡°don¡¯t you boys know anything? Treants are supposed to be guardians of nature. There shouldn¡¯t be such a thing as a violent Treant. Rude, sure, but never violent to one of its own kind.¡±

    The men looked at each other, ¡°well he was definitely violent.¡± Roden said firmly.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t bode well for what is going to come.¡± Bo said, a mixture of alarm and worry.

    Riakon tried to put a positive spin on things, ¡°Errrkkkk got a little plant out of it.¡±

    Bo¡¯s face morphed into his ever present scowl,

    ¡°a plant?¡±

    The men picked up their tale from there explaining everything up to their encounter with the lycans and Mu¡¯tumbo.

    The men were sure to leave off the lycans'' predilection toward strong mead and fireweed.

    Bo made it clear he found their time among the lycanthropes disturbing, but Roden couldn''t hold it against him.

    Bo was an old school adventurer from a time when the Timber Wilds were still harboring legitimate monsters spawned by the Archlich. Those creatures had no redeeming qualities.

    Errrkkkk made sure to tell Bo about every arena fight and how they''ve grown more powerful since their time training under Bo.

    The men were buoyed by Bo''s modicum of approval of their successes. It was around then they had to recount their time in Pescatin.

    Unlike when they told the story to Miriana. Bo wanted all of the details and Riakon had a lot of explaining to do.

    During Riakon''s hesitant story Bo remained stoic.

    When Riakon started explaining how Tiamat¡¯s influence came over him, Bo frown deepened.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    When Riakon explained the ritual he was compelled to perform, Bo put a hand on Riakon¡¯s arm.

    ¡°It''s okay son. There is only so much us mortals can do in the face of those manifestations.¡±

    Riakon was shocked by Bo''s understanding.

    ¡°Really?¡± Was all he could manage.

    Bo chuckled, ¡°of course, there are any number of great adventures who''ve been corrupted by malevolent forces. What matters is casting off those forces.¡±

    ¡°Yeah about that. I''m not really sure how that happened either.¡± Riakon said, a little embarrassed.

    It was then a female voice cut into the conversation.

    ¡°That twas me.¡± The feminine tone interjected.

    The voice was motherly and bright. The source of the voice entered the small dining room from the kitchen doorway.

    The owner of the voice was a tall woman with dark red hair streaked with orange and blonde tied up in a wild bun that made her look as if she was on fire.

    Riakon and Errrkkkk both nearly leapt out of their chairs at the strangers entrance. Bo remained seated, but Roden could tell the older man had pulled a weapon under the table.

    ¡°Who are you, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk nearly shouted his accusation, but withered under the woman''s attention.

    Once it was all quiet again, she spoke again addressing Bo.

    ¡°We appreciate your hospitality and the help you have given these boys, but I must ask for a space for us to speak with our children.¡±

    ¡°Uhhh well I suppose you could use the backyard, but if you don''t mind me asking how''d you get in my house?¡± Bo said as he studied the woman.

    The woman waved off his question,

    ¡°Your shrine to the pantheon was all that was required for us to gain entry¨C.¡±

    ¡°You keep saying us, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said interrupting her.

    The woman nodded.

    ¡°I left my brother outside, I hope to take you.¡± She said looking to Riakon, ¡°to meet him.¡±

    Roden couldn''t take the general confusion anymore, ¡°you''re Era aren''t you?¡±

    He said it knowing it was correct. That encounter was what Zamira had reminded him of just that morning. The coming of Era and Erjorn was the main reason Roden made sure they made it to Bo¡¯s before heading back to Port Sept.

    The woman nodded again.

    ¡°Yes, it is as you say. I am Era, Goddess of the Sun and Nature.¡±

    As she spoke her name and title a bright glow emanated from behind her as if the sun was setting in Bo¡¯s kitchen.

    Errrkkkk threw himself to the ground in supplication, murmuring prayers of praise to the goddess before him.

    Era looked down at the birdman before she crouched and patted his head gently.

    ¡°Errrkkkk, all is well. We have much to discuss, my child. It is time you learn where you come from.¡±

    Era turned her head to look at Riakon, who was frozen in his chair.

    ¡°Do not be afraid, we did not come to punish you. This is a joyous day. Now come outside and we can speak on things that have long been secret.¡±

    Errrkkkk and Riakon both stood slowly and followed Era through Bo¡¯s kitchen and out into the backyard.

    When he heard the backdoor shut, Roden looked at Bo, ¡°I suppose we are just hanging out in here, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, seems like we aren¡¯t necessary.¡±

    Roden eyed Bo suspiciously, ¡°you seem pretty calm for a guy who just had a goddess show up during dinner.¡±

    Bo returned the gaze back to Roden, ¡°I could say the same about you.¡±

    Roden chuckled, ¡°fair enough, this isn¡¯t my first unexpected meeting with one of the gods.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡± Bo said with a mix of accusation and surprise.

    Roden nodded, ¡°yeah, when Riakon was busy with his ritual I ran into Zamira. That¡¯s how I ended up switching teams.¡±

    Bo¡¯s bushy eyebrow shot up in genuine surprise, ¡°well ain¡¯t that something.¡±

    ¡°Oh it¡¯s something alright. What about you?¡±

    A thoughtful expression washed over Bo¡¯s face as he thought of a long untouched memory.

    ¡°I ran across Byote on a hunt once. I was in a squad of adventurers and we were being hunted by aberrations left over from the days of the lich. They were truly brutal monsters that tore through our defenses. My squad was hiding in an abandoned den we¡¯d found and lucky for us our Cleric was able to make a sufficient plea to Byote, who came out of the woods and led us safely to the Outpost.¡±

    ¡°Ya know, it seems to me the gods are awfully involved in the lives of the people these days.¡± Roden said offhandedly.

    Bo clicked his tongue, ¡°by design I imagine.¡±

    Roden frowned, ¡°what do you mean by design?¡±

    Bo looked at Roden as if he¡¯d grown a second head.

    ¡°Boy you are a terrible Cleric. Don¡¯t you know anything about your profession?¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes, ¡°please enlighten me.¡± His voice dripped with sarcasm as he said it.

    ¡°Scholars figured it out a few years ago. Because of Orvell the gods became significantly more prevalent. Some would say exponentially more powerful on account of all the worship.¡±

    Roden stared at him, a steely look on his face, ¡°I don¡¯t get it. How did Orvell make the gods more powerful?¡±

    Bo took a deep breath, ¡°it¡¯s not so simple as he made them more powerful. It¡¯s more like his actions created an environment that allowed them to thrive.¡±

    ¡°How the fuck did he do that?¡± Roden replied, his interest obvious in his voice.

    ¡°Orvell¡¯s reign was a dark time, but he mostly left the people to their own devices. He isolated the cities from each other. That made it so each settlement had to become self-sustaining. As a natural effect of that it made people more reverent toward the gods. People who didn¡¯t used to farm were now praying to Mirohna for her blessing on their little plot of land. Any time someone had to venture far, Era and Byote were being given offerings for safe passage. The followers of Ay became teachers in an effort to preserve what basic skills they could. Each god benefited from the situation in a similar way.¡±

    Understanding was slowly coming over Roden, ¡°okay so people became more religious during the Dark Times.¡±

    ¡°You could say that again. People became nearly fanatical. They clung to their religion and it paid off. Without the gods it¡¯s hard to say if the people would have ever been able to overthrow Orvell. Some say the king was chosen by the gods to confront the lich. One of his biographers made the claim that the king was directly helped by the gods, but was never able to state which one specifically.¡±

    Roden slouched a bit in his chair. It was all quite confounding to him. In his game, he hadn¡¯t involved the gods in Orvell¡¯s defeat. He¡¯d just made up a band of adventurers and said they eventually defeated Orvell. He¡¯d thought that was because he had just wanted to progress the world he was building and didn¡¯t want to play a game during a time when the world was ruled by his old big bad evil guy.

    ¡°Hang on, you said by design before. What¡¯d you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Oh that? Well some scholars think Orvell was knowingly facilitating the empowerment of the gods of Mir through his policies. He never forbade religion although he did make an attempt to position himself among their ranks as a god-king. Not much ever came of that, but he had a cult who worshiped him.¡±

    Roden was struggling to find the connections in Bo¡¯s history lesson, ¡°why would a tyrant want his people to empower their gods? Seems counterintuitive to me.¡±

    Bo laughed through his nose, ¡°You and the majority of everyone else. The thing is though you can¡¯t deny the outcome. Ever since the defeat of the lich and the restoration under King Roderick, the gods have had a constant presence in the lives of the people. Before Orvell, the gods rarely manifested. Now each god has a highly devoted following and the most popular ones seem to have a public manifestation every few years.¡±

    Roden thought on Bo¡¯s words for a long moment. He tried to understand what exactly could be the benefit of empowering magical apparitions generated from the collective unconscious of the people. It was that thought that led him to consider what must have come before.

    ¡°Wait a minute, what were the gods like before Orvell?¡±

    Bo shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know. No one really knows. There are records, names, and some holy practices, but not much else from before.¡±

    Roden snapped his fingers and held up a finger, ¡°that¡¯s it!¡±

    It was Bo¡¯s turn to be confused, ¡°what¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Whether he intended to or not, Orvell codified the gods.¡±

    Bo furrowed his brow, ¡°what the hell are you talking about?¡±

    Roden was getting excited at his growing revelation, ¡°before and during the time the lich took over, I¡¯d be willing to bet the gods were a loose collection of ideas. Each town probably had their own idea of who each god was and how they should be worshiped, but by doing that the peoples¡¯ perception of each god expanded. I¡¯d be willing to bet some of the gods picked up new domains during that time.¡±

    Bo nodded slowly, ¡°there is some evidence to that.¡±

    Roden was on the edge of his seat, ¡°and I¡¯d be willing to put money once each settlement was able to communicate again, religion flourished as the varied beliefs were combined into a common belief across all people.¡±

    Bo thought on his words briefly, ¡°you have a point there son. I suppose you ain¡¯t such a bad cleric after all.¡±

    It was all making sense to Roden. Just like on Earth religion vied for the attention of the people. When two cultures interacted their gods would have a metaphorical battle in the minds and hearts of the people. The same thing happened with all the abandoned religions until all that was left was the monotheistic ones. Roden wondered if Mir could ever become monotheistic, but quickly dismissed the idea as unlikely given the obvious manifestations of multiple gods.

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m definitely a bad cleric, but I love a good mystery.¡± Roden said good naturedly.

 Chapter 26- Just like Old Times

    Chapter 26

    That night none of the men got much sleep. When Errrkkkk and Riakon had entered the treehouse outside of Bo¡¯s, they heard splashing coming from the spa room and decided against bothering Roden beyond a quick knock followed by a hurried reply that he was indeed just fine.

    Both Errrkkkk and Riakon were restless with thoughts of their new toys and potential. When the men did finally fall asleep they slept into the late morning. When they did finally wake, the men found Bo lounging in the sitting room of the treehouse.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned, yall really have moved up in the world. Where¡¯d yall get this?¡± Bo said, looking around the room.

    Roden, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, laughed through his nose, ¡°it¡¯s a spell of mine. I visualize what I want to make and then I conjure it.¡±

    Bo looked surprised, and let out a slow whistle, ¡°that is one hell of a spell.¡±

    ¡°It sure is.¡± Roden said, taking in his treehouse as he moved to make some tea.

    ¡°Well does anyone want to fill me in on what the actual hell happened last night?¡± Bo said indignantly.

    Riakon and Errrkkkk winced slightly.

    ¡°I¡¯m the son of gods, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said nonchalantly.

    Riakon glared at him, ¡°we are the sons of gods.¡±

    Bo sucked his teeth, ¡°yeah, I¡¯d figured that part out on my own. I¡¯m wondering why there was a divine gathering in my backyard.¡±

    Both men shrugged, Riakon answered first, ¡°not sure.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t care, cacaw.¡±

    Roden raised a hand to halt the conversation.

    ¡°I think I might have an idea.¡±

    All three men turned their full attention on him. Roden briefly shied away from their intense gaze.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess, geez. But, I¡¯m thinking it has to do with Riakon¡¯s divine mandate. It doesn¡¯t feel like a coincidence that we slay a dragon, he gets some magic back, and then all of a sudden the gods show up.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s attention then shifted to Riakon, who wilted under their scrutiny.

    ¡°Hey I have no idea what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m just glad I have some powers back and this.¡±

    Riakon raised a hand as if to grab something out of the air. There was a couple thuds and a scraping sound before something whizzed down the spiral stairs and into Riakon¡¯s outstretched hand.

    He held a jagged stone hammer firmly in his hand. Roden thought the hammer looked comically large in his one hand, but had to admit it was impressive.

    Riakon gave the men a wide toothy grin, ¡°my dad made this for me, once I showed him I was using a whip.¡± He said the last while turning his eyes to Roden.

    Roden held up his hands in defense, ¡°hey I never actually used the thing. I took it just to have something and it came in handy.¡±

    Riakon looked at his hammer with pride, ¡°I¡¯d say you can have it back, but my dad destroyed it out of disgust.¡±

    Roden just laughed at the thought of the God of War vaporizing a weapon because it wasn¡¯t enough of a weapon.

    ¡°What about you Errrkkkk? Did you get anything?¡± Riakon said, reading his adoptive brother¡¯s expression.

    ¡°I got a little something, cacaw.¡± He said and held out his hand just as Riakon had done. Except instead of a weapon coming to his call, a great wind rushed into the room and swirled around each of them. All of the men were slowly lifted off of their feet, or in Bo¡¯s case his ass.

    Errrkkkk lowered his hand and the wind cut off instantly dropping everyone back down with a slight jostle.

    Riakon¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°you can make people fly?!¡±

    Errrkkkk nodded, ¡°among a flock of other things, cacaw.¡±

    Roden shook his head, ¡°you know what that means.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Bo frowned, ¡°what does it mean?¡± his thick drawl drew out the words.

    Roden took a long sip of tea, ¡°it means he¡¯s going to want to spar.¡±

    To his surprise Riakon spoke first, ¡°dibs on first.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw!¡±

    Roden laughed, ¡°I only got a couple new spells so by all means yall go first.¡±

    Riakon and Errrkkkk froze and slowly turned their heads to look at Roden as if he¡¯d grown a second head.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You got an Advancement?¡± Riakon said, his tone made it sound like an accusation.

    ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t yall?¡±

    Both men responded simultaneously ¡°No.¡± followed by Errrkkkk¡¯s lone, ¡°cacaw.¡±

    Roden laughed a deep belly laugh that echoed through the room.

    ¡°Looks like yall got some catching up to do.¡±

    Riakon and Errrkkkk looked at each other and nodded to each other firmly before both men set to gathering up their gear. In a matter of minutes all of them were back in Bo¡¯s backyard, Errrkkkk and Riakon stood opposite one another, while Bo and Roden sat off to the side as spectators.

    Bo gave the count down, ¡°Three¡­Two¡­One¡­Go!¡±

    Riakon wasted no time and immediately threw his hammer forward. Errrkkkk moved to bat the weapon away until he caught the hum of magic coming off of it. Instead, he leapt into the air intent on turning the dodge into a falling kick.

    As he came down, Riakon already had his mouth open and unleashed a gale of wind infused with cold magic. Errrkkkk¡¯s kick cut through the elemental breath and crashed into Riakon¡¯s shield with enough force to shatter the thin crust of ice that formed on his leg.  Errrkkkk twisted, popping off Riakon¡¯s defense. A hard flap of his wings lifted him into the sky. As he flew back, he fired forward a series of short chi blasts.

    Riakon managed to raise his shield to the incoming attack. His shield alone may not have been enough to nullify Errrkkkk chi, but a yellow aura emitted from Riakon, a sign he had cast his Faith Shield. In the same motion Riakon had recalled his hammer and was already in a throwing motion before the dust around him had settled.

    Roden and Bo followed the fight intently as their two comrades traded attacks,

    Roden leaned in slightly and spoke softly to Bo.

    ¡°Man, these two are two sides of the same coin.¡±

    Bo never took his eyes from the fight, ¡°what¡¯d you mean?¡±

    ¡°Both of their styles revolve around not getting hit. Riakon just uses shields, while Errrkkkk dodges everything.¡±

    Bo grunted, the guttural nature of his response told Roden he should probably shut the hell up and watch. He hadn¡¯t realized until that moment how much easier it must be for him to follow than Bo. For Roden it was second nature, Bo seemed to strain just to keep up.

    To Roden the fight seemed like the two men were at a bit of a stalemate. Both men thrived in close range, yet their fight was taking place in the mid range. Errrkkkk was the one who dictated where the fight took place so Roden deduced that must be part of Errrkkkk¡¯s plan.

    The exchanges were becoming repetitive as Riakon would toss his hammer, Errrkkkk would dodge then fire off a volley of chi blasts, Riakon would block, rinse and repeat. That was the case until during an exchange Errrkkkk fired off a chi blast causing Riakon to turtle up.

    In a flash, Errrkkkk vanished and reappeared to Riakon¡¯s exposed flank. His hands were couched at his hip. He drove them forward unleashing a beam of chi energy with his patented,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    Riakon had grown complacent and took the beam head on. Things did not look good from Roden¡¯s perspective, As Errrkkkk¡¯s beam dissipated, Riakon¡¯s form was curled up behind his shield, but still standing.

    Steam came off the big Dragonkin, a byproduct of Errrkkkk¡¯s radiant energy attack. Riakon lowered his shield to reveal a wolfish grin. He swung his shield in a backhanded strike and stomped forward hard. Upon impact with the ground a bright red energy shot out in arcs around Riakon. Errrkkkk was caught in the field and struck by one of the haphazard streaks of magical energy.

    Errrkkkk danced backwards out of the field, but it was too late. The spot he was hit glowed a bright red, but otherwise the Birdfolk seemed unharmed. His gaze flicked to the mark on his chest and then back to Riakon.

    ¡°Is that all you got, cacaw?¡± He said smugly.

    Riakon¡¯s grin never faltered, that same red glow trailed off his eyes as he slowly moved forward.

    ¡°Oh that wasn¡¯t meant to hurt you, but this will.¡± He flung his hammer forward once again except instead of Errrkkkk easily dodging, the hammer found its mark in the midst of Errrkkkk¡¯s movement, the impact slammed into Errrkkkk hard nearly sending him sprawling.

    Errrkkkk squawked in surprise. Riakon charged after him, while calling his hammer back to his hand. Riakon lunged forward with a sweeping strike. Errrkkkk was caught off balance, he couldn¡¯t dodge. He met Riakon¡¯s hammer with a forceful chi powered block using his left elbow.

    What Errrkkkk hadn¡¯t seen was Riakon had turned the swing into a Smiting blow. The force of the added divine magic slammed through Errrkkkk¡¯s defense. Riakon¡¯s divine magic was slow compared to Errrkkkk, but when it was able to connect it was overwhelming in its power.

    Errrkkkk managed to fade with the strike and twist off, taking some of the force away, but both of the onlookers to the fight could see. Riakon¡¯s attacks were doing some damage.

    Errrkkkk flapped his wings hard, but instead of rising into the air, a gust of wind rushed through Bo¡¯s backyard and buffeted Riakon as he recovered from his attack. Riakon was unflappable, he braced himself against the wind and opened his toothy maw sending a bolt of lightning straight toward Errrkkkk.

    Errrkkkk must have anticipated Riakon¡¯s move because Errrkkkk was already prepared to meet the elemental attack with a beam of his own.

    ¡°Caaaaa, Caaawwww!!!!!!¡±

    Riakon¡¯s choice of lightning gave Errrkkkk little time to fully charge up his chi for his attack. His weaker beam was pushed back instantly by the lightning. A rush of chi erupted out of Errrkkkk as his golden aura surrounded him. His transformation empowered his beam resulting in a stalemating explosion at their point of contact.

    The dust cleared revealing Riakon standing tall with shield and hammer, his Faith Shield still granting him a faint glow. Errrkkkk stood opposite his aura surging and a smug grin on his face. He took his newly blessed staff in both hands and pressed the base into the ground.

    A green light traveled up the staff as if it were being drawn out of the ground beneath it. The light reached Errrkkkk¡¯s hands and began to mingle with his already thrumming aura. The two energies swirled like water and oil.

    Errrkkkk felt a rush of power as the nature energy from his staff was converted to chi within him. A dark green aura began to form within his golden aura. He felt his power swell. It was then that Riakon charged.

    Riakon threw his hammer with confidence, however that confidence evaporated as he watched Errrkkkk twist and knock his hammer off course with a swift kick. Riakon drew his hammer back to his hand.

    The exchange of blows that followed was nothing short of cataclysmic. Riakon¡¯s Smiting blows and power shots landed against Errrkkkk¡¯s new nature chi infused blocks and strikes. The two men attacked relentlessly, with neither man gaining any significant advantage.

    Roden and Bo watched intently as the fight dragged on.

    ¡°Not to interrupt again, but I think Riakon is slowly down.¡± Roden couldn¡¯t keep himself from saying.

    Bo grunted, ¡°yeah he¡¯s not up to his full power just yet no matter how great that new hammer is he ain¡¯t gonna be able to outlast Errrkkkk.¡±

    The fight carried on for another minute of nearly constant exchanges before it was clear Riakon didn¡¯t have any magic left in the tank. By Roden¡¯s estimation he should have run out of magic a few spells ago, but assumed his hammer must be picking up the slack.

    There was a pause in the action after a clash forced the men apart. Errrkkkk¡¯s auras dissipated, but he looked as if he had barely exerted himself. Riakon on the other hand looked as if he¡¯d run a marathon. He panted heavily, his hammer hung low in his hand, and sweat poured off of him.

    Errrkkkk smiled at his adoptive brother and newly discovered cousin, ¡°should we pause here and pick up another day when you aren¡¯t so tired, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon gave a big toothy grin, ¡°fair enough, I accept your rain check.¡±

    The feathers that served as Errrkkkk¡¯s eyebrow twitched at the notion that he couldn¡¯t finish Riakon off then and there, but the birdman let the Dragonkin have his moment.

 Chapter 25- Have Faith

    Chapter 25

    After his theological debate with Bo, Roden waited around with the old adventurer for Errrkkkk and Riakon to finish up their godly conversations. When the evening turned into night they eventually called it and went off to bed.

    Roden walked out into Bo¡¯s front yard, conjured up his treehouse, and took a dip in what had become his favorite attribute of his refuge. While soaking in the hot waters of his spa, he felt the familiar tingle of an Advancement.

    He expected an Advancement was coming, they had just slayed a dragon for gods sake. There he was once again in his spa with an Advancement to be had so he took the opportunity to go through with it.

    When he opened his eyes to blue skies and felt the sand beneath his feet Roden took a deep breath of the clean crisp air and let it slowly. He walked straight to the path that led to the wisps that represented his spells eager to see what he could take, except he found two wisps waiting for him each one representing one of his domains.

    ¡°Oh shit!¡± He said aloud, unable to contain his excitement, despite his fatigue.

    He reached out and nearly snatched the one representing his Storm domain. He absorbed the spell and was ecstatic at the information he felt being loaded into his mind. The spell was called Arctic Stream, another cold magic spell. For all intents and purposes, it was a beam of pure unaltered cold magic. By his understanding whatever was caught in that spell would be frozen in place or frozen solid.

    Part of him wondered if that domain spell was supposed to be lightning, but Zamira switched it because he complained about lightning being more brutal than fire way back when he converted from Era¡¯s to his mother¡¯s clergy.

    At this point in his journey the sheer number of spells and abilities occupying his mind was starting to feel overwhelming. Of course his mind could handle it especially after his Point of Convergence, but he couldn¡¯t think about all of them too much or his mind would become an eddy of magical nonsense.

    He shook off the after effects of the last spell and reached out to the spell from his Adventure domain. That domain was always a wildcard of spells and abilities. That time was no different, the spell was not what he expected. It was a powerful protective aura, any magical force attempting to target anything within its aura would be hindered significantly. Roden hoped that extended to dragonbreaths, but knowing Zamira or better yet, knowing Miriana it definitely covered dragonbreaths.

    With both spells taken, Roden nearly exited his soul space, but decided to give Zamira a call via prayer to see what she had to say about the current state of affairs. With Errrkkkk and Riakon now knowing of their demi-god status, he was beginning to feel like things were heading more along the lines of the campaign he ran way back when.

    Just as in their game, Riakon will without a doubt be even more motivated to complete his divine mandate and Errrkkkk will come with a need to travel to his father¡¯s demiplane. Both of which were going to be huge commitments of time and contain serious risks.

    Before Roden could even finish his prayer he heard Zamira¡¯s voice, ¡°so how¡¯d it go?¡±

    He could tell she was excited, and eagerly waiting for his answer.

    Roden shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know just yet. I think they are all still talking. They have a lot of bullshit to cover.¡±

    Zamira laughed, ¡°you can say that again. I¡¯m sure they are eating it up though.¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, who wouldn¡¯t be excited to hear they are descended from the gods?¡± He replied with his words full of mirth, the irony of the statement not lost on him.

    Zamira rolled her eyes, ¡°to be fair it is a pretty rare thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh really? You know what, I¡¯m intrigued. How exactly are they mortals with parents that are both magical apparitions?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Zamira frowned, ¡°damn. I¡¯d hoped you wouldn¡¯t ask that question.¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°It¡¯s relatively simple actually. They are in a similar boat as you are except they¡¯ve been doing it since they were in their eggs. The original personality never developed and they just became the only personality. Naturally, over time their bodies were changed and they adapted to the magic that permeates their being. To some degree their sparks are what ended up being manipulated to host their ¡®souls¡¯.¡± She said punctuating the last with air quotes.

    ¡°Wait wait wait, there is no such thing as a soul?¡± He said confused and alarmed.

    Zamira¡¯s expression showed the question required a complicated answer, but she soldiered on.

    ¡°The soul is a term used loosely to help conceptualize some of the unexplainable effects of the magisphere. Much of it can be explained as an exchange of energy or an effect generated by the existence of the magisphere field, but to say there is a quantifiable soul is a no. Sometimes we use soul in place of Spark to alleviate confusion.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, sounds pretty confusing to me.¡±

    Zamira held up her hands, ¡°hey don¡¯t blame me. That was your people¡¯s doing. They teach it that way. Probably some remnant of past human religions.¡±

    Roden narrowed his eyes, ¡°so when you changed this place and explained it to me as my soul space you were bullshitting?¡± His question an accusation.

    Zamira gave him a small smile, ¡°can you blame a mother for telling a small lie to help ease her child¡¯s troubled mind? You understand enough to make use of it, that is the essence of being a cleric. You have to have faith.¡± She added the last with a hint of smugness.

    ¡°Note to self, next time don¡¯t pick Cleric.¡±

    Zamira stuck her tongue out at him, ¡°says the guy who didn¡¯t pick Wizard because he didn¡¯t want to accidentally die.¡±

    Roden opened his mouth, but closed it, ¡°touch¨¦.¡± He let her have her moment before changing the subject.

    ¡°On another note, what should we do now?¡±

    Zamira frowned, ¡°what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well we have quite a few things going on here. I know the whole dragon side of things, but what the hell is going on with these gremlins?¡±

    Her frown deepened, ¡°elaborate.¡±

    ¡°While yes there were gremlins on my Mir, they weren¡¯t doing all this conflux business and what the fuck is up with these black rocks?¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm, I guess you boys will just have to figure it out.¡± She said with a shrug.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Hey you guys are the adventurers, I¡¯m just a god and single mother. I¡¯ll elect to stay in my lane.¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes, ¡°fine, so off to the next dragon then?¡± he said clearly defeated.

    Zamira nodded, ¡°yep, but you boys better stop by the villa first and pick up your pets. I have had it with those two. They are worse than toddlers¡±

    Roden laughed, ¡°I suppose they¡¯ve got to be pretty big by now. Do you think Errrkkkk and Riakon will want to take them along for the next one?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do with them, but they are not staying at my house alone while you go slay dragons.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough, I bet Grok is getting restless.¡±

    Zamira¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°you have no idea.¡±

    *****

    Before Roden even opened his eyes he felt the hot water of his spa and relaxed. Conversations with Zamira in his spark space¡­soul space were always interesting, but made the experience all the more draining. He always felt on guard with her in that space as if she was more of a god there than when he spoke to her over a game of chess at their home.

    Roden sat in the steamy waters and pondered his situation. He¡¯d been on Mir for months by that point and his timeline was progressing. Him and the guys had a few more major obstacles to overcome before he could safely leave all of it behind him and go back to his wife.

    It was thoughts of his wife that reminded him of the last time he saw her back at the Silver Wind Inn. Sure it was all a drug induced vision, but it was real enough to soothe his aching heart. He thought about her often, but had to keep from dwelling on those memories.

    He hopped out of the bath and dug around in his pack until he found the small vial of ground nightstone. He poured out a small pile into the indentation on the back of his hand. He brought it to his nose and breathed in. He repeated the process for the other nostril before capping the vial and wading back into the warm pool.

    He hadn¡¯t put too much thought to the idea when he had it, but once he was back in the water he had a sinking suspicion he¡¯d made an error. His want to see his wife had made him forget he was mostly naked in a bath. There was no telling what his mind was about to conjure up.

    He waited patiently trying his best to keep his thoughts on his want to just speak with his wife. When he heard her voice, bright as sunshine through a rain cloud.

    ¡°Hey Honey, can I get in?¡±

    Roden felt himself grow flush as he knew where his mind was inevitably going to go. But it felt so good to hear her voice he let go of his reservations. His experience with mind altering substances told him that the more he fought it the rougher the ride was going to be, so he let go.

    He wasn¡¯t sure what would come from this wakeful dream, but as long as he got to spend some time with his wife, even if it was just a memory or figment of his imagination he would enjoy it.

    ¡°Of course you can, baby.¡± He said scooting over so she could sit next to him.

    The euphoria of the drug started to wash over him slightly dulled by the hot water, but that only made it come on all the stronger once he was able to finally feel it. He turned his head to the side and saw her face. The face of his beautiful wife by his side once again. The way her bright green eyes sparkled in the magelights gave him goosebumps. Her long wavy brown hair carried the smell of her sweet perfume.

    He wished more than anything to be back home. He longed to be living out that fantasy rather than imagining it, but nonetheless he would enjoy his time with his wife, dream or no dream.

 Chapter 28- The Lucky Kettle

    Chapter 28

    The men awoke the next morning with fragments of memory of their night before. Roden was quick to deduce they must have consumed a prodigious amount of alcohol to induce such a state in all three of them.

    Unlike their lavish suit in the Golden Dew or the beautiful ocean view villa of the Silver Wind Inn, the Outpost was more form and function than luxury. Nonetheless Roden poured himself into the small shower and started his meditation.

    His daily meditation was usually quite simple and didn¡¯t require him to enter his soulspace.

    ¡®Or was it my Sparkspace?¡¯ he thought to himself as the hot water rushed over him.

    He banished the thought as he felt himself fall into that space. He made the trip that morning to pick up a spell he long had needed to grab for just such an occasion.

    He quickly found the spell he was looking for and absorbed the wisp, while relinquishing his grip on Sight of the Magi. The spell was pulled toward his Elven magic and became Cleansing Note. As usual the spell maintained its primary function and gained the option to cast the spell on any creature who could hear his incantation.

    Roden nearly wandered straight out of his space but a wisp he had yet to see caught his eye. It looked familiar, yet different. When he brushed up against it, he recognized it to be a more powerful version of his Triage spell.

    His mouth twisted up at the information he received. Roden didn¡¯t have any more room in his head for another spell. In his gamer soul he knew as the healer of the group he should take that spell. Unfortunately, it was a Mage tier spell as well. He¡¯d just received two spells of the same tier from his domains and even at his level of Advancement could only squeeze out one or two of those spells without setting his meridians on fire.

    He¡¯d cast his spells enough to know that pushing that much magic through his magi-meridians more than a couple times a day would be detrimental to his health. Even when he¡¯d exhausted his magic for the day he could feel his meridians ache at the exertion.

    Roden shook his head, ¡°I am such a bad Cleric.¡± he said to himself as he closed his eyes to leave.

    Once back in the shower, Roden hummed a little tune about believing he could fly to himself and immediately felt a warmth that washed away his hungover haze. With a clearer mind Roden made a connection between the tune and the sensation and he frowned at the irony of his choice. Problematic song choice aside he finished up his shower and made his way to meet up with Errrkkkk and Riakon.

    He found the two men already sitting in the main room of the Outpost ordering breakfast.

    ¡°Well don¡¯t you two look awfully chipper.¡± he said it more as an accusation than a general statement.

    A wide grin spread on Riakon¡¯s face, ¡°yeah I got my Faith healing back so I cured us.¡±

    ¡°Nice!¡± Roden said, sitting down at the table. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to have to burn up a bunch of magic on hangover cures.¡±

    Errrkkkk clicked his tongue, ¡°oh now he takes the hangover cure spell, cacaw.¡±

    Roden shrugged, ¡°at this point I assumed we were immune to a casual hangover.¡±

    A waitress stopped by their table delivering cups of hot coffee, what passed for bacon, and warm biscuits.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back with your eggs in a second, Loves.¡± the waitress added as she moved off.

    Roden breathed in the steam coming off his cup of coffee before taking a sip of the hot comforting  liquid. His moment of morning bliss was interrupted by the sound of Riakon crunching the crispy meat and the gnashing of teeth.

    ¡°So what¡¯s our plan?¡± Riakon said through a mouth semi-full of food.

    ¡°Breakfast and then contact Yan¡­¡± as he said it a memory bubbled to the surface from the night before.

    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± he said with an embarrassed chuckle.

    Riakon furrowed his brow, ¡°what?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember, do you?¡± Roden said.

    Riakon scratched the back of his head, ¡°ummmm no, I don¡¯t recall everything.¡± he said sheepishly. ¡°After Errrkkkk squawked out that song about a free bird, I don¡¯t remember much of anything.¡±

    Errrkkkk glared at him briefly before his expression changed to one of delight as a different waitress dropped off a plate of various sliced fruits that Roden did not recognize. Errrkkkk tore into his organic breakfast without so much as a word toward his companions.

    ¡°Well I have a fuzzy recollection of us sending Yan messages while we were outside.¡± Roden said.

    The first waitress dropped off a plate heaped with steaming fluffy scrambled eggs, which Riakon immediately started shoveling onto his plate.

    ¡°Well what did he say back?¡± Riakon said with his fork poised before his mouth.

    Roden shook his head, ¡°I have no idea.¡±

    Riakon laughed with his mouth full of his breakfast, ¡°I guess you better call him then.¡±

    Roden groaned.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Errrkkkk held up a talon, ¡°no need, I already did, cacaw.¡±

    Roden perked up at the prospect of not having to apologize. Riakon stared at the Birdfolk.

    ¡°What do you mean you already did?¡± he said, surprise clear in his tone.

    Errrkkkk got a smug look on his face, ¡°it was nothing, I just sent him a message on the wind. He said our transport is all taken care of, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Is that all he said?¡± Roden said, hoping it was.

    Errrkkkk shook his head, ¡°no, he told me to remind you to not practice magic of any kind while under the influence, cacaw.¡±

    Roden hung his head, ¡°duly noted.¡±

    When their breakfast was eaten and Riakon had licked the plates clean, the men made their way through the Outpost to where the Circle Array was situated. A brief conversation with the operator and a quick verification with their superior was all that was necessary before the men were transported to the sister Array in Port Sept.

    The three wasted no time returning to their villa, Roden could tell both Errrkkkk and Riakon were excited to see their little guys, Grok and Branch. The same was true for the other side of the equation as Grok nearly destroyed the front door as he tackled Riakon.

    Branch¡¯s response was more muted, but the chirps and tweets that came from what served as his mouth could only be described as enthusiastic, even if they were ear splitting at times.

    Roden looked around the villa for Miriana while the others were getting reacquainted, but did not find her. When he returned to the sitting room he found the rest of the group sitting in the living room in hurried discussion.

    Both Grok and Branch appeared to be telling their respective people something, but Roden lacked the familiarity with Grok to understand him to the degree Riakon did, and Branch was literally speaking another language so he had no hope there.

    Instead, he rummaged through the kitchen for a snack when he noticed the pantry and ice box were noticeably bare. Roden didn¡¯t have a perfect recollection of his childhood, but he distinctly remembered his mother always maintained an abundant supply of food.

    While puzzled over the lack of food, Roden noticed Grok¡¯s frantic gestures and the stern looks on Riakon and Errrkkkk¡¯s faces. Then his memory served up what Zamira had said in their late night communing during his Advancement.

    ¡°Awe shit.¡± Roden said, a wide grin spreading on his face.

    Everyone turned to look at him. The four pairs of eyes were a bit intense for his liking so he quickly added.

    ¡°I think these two must have gotten into the pantry while we were gone.¡±

    Riakon and Errrkkkk both slowly turned to face their charges. Grok shrunk, his shoulders rounded, and he looked up with pitiful eyes, it was quite the performance. Branch for his part wilted slightly as Errrkkkk squawked and presumably chastised the plant for getting into trouble.

    It was then Roden noticed just how much the two little guys had grown. In the few days they were gone Grok had grown another inch or so and had probably gained ten pounds of muscle. Branch on the other hand was no longer bound in his pot. He had two limbs that stuck out from his torso that allowed him to walk and crouch as he had been.

    Roden couldn¡¯t remember Miriana getting overly stern with him as a child, but there was no doubt in his mind that the Goddess of Death and Storms wouldn¡¯t lack the ability to drop the proverbial hammer down on misbehaving children.

    Having finally made it back to what had become their home away from home, they took the opportunity to lounge about and finally relax a bit before Miriana¡¯s return. Errrkkkk took Branch out for a quick flight while Riakon and Grok took to doing a little fishing off the dock.

    Without a little buddy of his own, and no desire to have one, Roden kicked back in the sitting room of the villa. It didn¡¯t take long before he felt the urge to nap come over him, he didn¡¯t fight the feeling and closed his eyes letting the coziness of the plush couch cradle him as he drifted off.

    Roden was roused from his afternoon nap by the sound of the villa door followed by a shout that made him jump.

    ¡°Grokwell! Branchington! Where are you two?!¡±  Miriana said, her unmistakable voice cut through the quiet like a knife.

    Her declaration had the desired effect as Roden could hear the clamor of what he assumed to be Grok rushing up the stairs. Roden rose up and peered over the top of the couch just in time to see Grok sitting before Miriana at the top of the stairs.

    Miriana stood her hands on her hips towering over the garg with her stance and presence.

    ¡°And just what do you think you were doing downstairs mister?¡± Miriana said, addressing the submissive Grok.

    Grok frantically started gesticulating down the stairs until his eyes caught Roden spying from just behind the couch. Grok pointed toward him as if he was trying to alert Miriana of a fire. Her eyes narrowed, but she followed his direction until her eyes landed on Roden.

    ¡°Hey mom, we¡¯re back.¡± he said with a clipped wave.

    Relief flooded Miriana¡¯s expression, ¡°oh thank goodness. Sorry about that Grok, I assume you were with the others down there.¡±

    Grok nodded vigorously,  She reached out and gave the garg a pat on the head.

    ¡°Okay okay go get the others, and have everyone wash up for dinner. We simply must go out to celebrate.¡±

    Before leaving for dinner Errrkkkk and Riakon made sure Grok and Branch were prepared for their evening alone. They even ordered a generous meal of various meats and fruits from the Silver Wind Inn to keep them tied over until they could return.

    Grok¡¯s need and love of juicy meat was often his downfall when left to his own devices. While Branch was a different sort. He didn¡¯t actually require food as Grok did, but he did enjoy the flavor of various things, particularly the pollen that often came with fresh fruit. As such honey was a favorite of the little treant.

    That night Miriana took the men to a place known as The Lucky Kettle. Despite its rather unimpressive name it was the best restaurant in all of Port Sept, and arguably the continent of Mir. Miriana guided them down Temple Street to what served as the temple to the twin goddesses of Fala and Eetili.

    From the outside the massive building looked like a rather ritzy Inn attempting a rustic theme. It reminded Roden of the waterpark hotels from back home.  Once inside it was clear a significant amount of planning and coin had gone into the building as it was divided into multiple sections.

    Once in the lobby a patron could continue straight into the temple of the two goddesses. If piety was not their mission then a visitor had two choices: they could turn to their right and enter the main tavern floor where they would find various tables with any number of games for them to test their luck and potentially win some coin, or they could turn to their left and head into the Lucky Kettle a restaurant blessed by the Goddess of Hospitality herself.

    The Lucky Kettle was every bit of a five star restaurant with the d¨¦cor of a home kitchen. A diner was just as likely to see someone eating a tomahawk steak with mashed potatoes and gravy as they were to see someone having a pan seared line caught white fish enrobed in a beurre blanc sauce infused with fresh vanilla paired with candied seasonal petals.

    The atmosphere of the Lucky Kettle was raucous, yet cozy. One of the many hosts showed the group to a table off in the corner. When they tried to hand out menus Miriana interrupted,

    ¡°Sorry we are celebrating this evening so we will have Fala¡¯s Feast for four, with the drink pairings as well. Please accommodate for one non-avian eater and¡­¡± she looked around the table at her guests, ¡°we will definitely need plenty of napkins.¡±

    The server gave her a slight bow of their head and responded with the deference reserved for those who garner the highest respect, ¡°right away, priestess.¡±

    Miriana rolled her eyes out of the server¡¯s view, ¡°please, while I am here with my family, dispense with the formalities.¡±

    The server, a young looking eleven man with long nearly white blonde hair, stood up straighter and smiled warmly, ¡°as you wish ma¡¯am. I will be back shortly with your appetizers and drinks.¡±

    Miriana returned a smile, ¡°thank you.¡±

    Once the server had left she turned her attention back to her guests, ¡°okay boys, now c¡¯mon regale me with your tale of adventure.¡±

    The three men looked amongst themselves before Roden was silently and unanimously nominated to tell their story as usual. Roden spun a story of their rapid ascent of the mountain and their worrisome hike through the dragon¡¯s icy lair.

    He cultivated suspense in his audience as he told of the pile of snow and their assault on the sleeping dragon, which caused Miriana to give a sour expression.

    ¡°What?¡± Roden asked, confused.

    Miriana returned a look of uncertainty, ¡°it''s just¡­ isn¡¯t it a little cliche to attack a sleeping dragon?¡±

    Riakon chimed in, ¡°it¡¯s effective.¡±

    ¡°And, you can¡¯t argue with the results, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk added.

    Miriana gave them a small laugh and a shake of her head, ¡°okay okay fair enough, continue.¡±

    Roden picked up their story, at the moment he engaged the dragon with Riakon¡¯s help. He told of how they overwhelmed the sleepy lizard and kept it off balance. He was careful to downplay the danger he was in when he took the dragon¡¯s cold breath on his shield.

    He enthusiastically detailed how Riakon baited the dragon down the tunnel straight into Errrkkkk¡¯s combination Soul Sphere Chi Beam that forced the dragon to break the wall and attempt to flee. Miriana was a perfect audience as always. She even gasped when Roden revealed the dragon had escaped the brunt of their trap.

    Just as he was building up to the part where he threw Riakon at the dragon with his Herald¡¯s Strength. Everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to the cluster of servers who approached their table carrying various platters of small foods, glasses and pitchers of unidentifiable liquids.

    A server walked around their table setting down a platter in front of each of them, while another dropped off a glass of ice water. Their table was quickly covered by numerous dishes of delicious looking foods. Once the bustle settled the elven server from before stood before their table and addressed them.

    ¡°Here is the first course of Fala¡¯s Feast. Let us begin.¡±

 Chapter 26- Just like Old Times

    Chapter 26

    That night none of the men got much sleep. When Errrkkkk and Riakon had entered the treehouse outside of Bo¡¯s, they heard splashing coming from the spa room and decided against bothering Roden beyond a quick knock followed by a hurried reply that he was indeed just fine.

    Both Errrkkkk and Riakon were restless with thoughts of their new toys and potential. When the men did finally fall asleep they slept into the late morning. When they did finally wake, the men found Bo lounging in the sitting room of the treehouse.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned, yall really have moved up in the world. Where¡¯d yall get this?¡± Bo said, looking around the room.

    Roden, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, laughed through his nose, ¡°it¡¯s a spell of mine. I visualize what I want to make and then I conjure it.¡±

    Bo looked surprised, and let out a slow whistle, ¡°that is one hell of a spell.¡±

    ¡°It sure is.¡± Roden said, taking in his treehouse as he moved to make some tea.

    ¡°Well does anyone want to fill me in on what the actual hell happened last night?¡± Bo said indignantly.

    Riakon and Errrkkkk winced slightly.

    ¡°I¡¯m the son of gods, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said nonchalantly.

    Riakon glared at him, ¡°we are the sons of gods.¡±

    Bo sucked his teeth, ¡°yeah, I¡¯d figured that part out on my own. I¡¯m wondering why there was a divine gathering in my backyard.¡±

    Both men shrugged, Riakon answered first, ¡°not sure.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t care, cacaw.¡±

    Roden raised a hand to halt the conversation.

    ¡°I think I might have an idea.¡±

    All three men turned their full attention on him. Roden briefly shied away from their intense gaze.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess, geez. But, I¡¯m thinking it has to do with Riakon¡¯s divine mandate. It doesn¡¯t feel like a coincidence that we slay a dragon, he gets some magic back, and then all of a sudden the gods show up.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s attention then shifted to Riakon, who wilted under their scrutiny.

    ¡°Hey I have no idea what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m just glad I have some powers back and this.¡±

    Riakon raised a hand as if to grab something out of the air. There was a couple thuds and a scraping sound before something whizzed down the spiral stairs and into Riakon¡¯s outstretched hand.

    He held a jagged stone hammer firmly in his hand. Roden thought the hammer looked comically large in his one hand, but had to admit it was impressive.

    Riakon gave the men a wide toothy grin, ¡°my dad made this for me, once I showed him I was using a whip.¡± He said the last while turning his eyes to Roden.

    Roden held up his hands in defense, ¡°hey I never actually used the thing. I took it just to have something and it came in handy.¡±

    Riakon looked at his hammer with pride, ¡°I¡¯d say you can have it back, but my dad destroyed it out of disgust.¡±

    Roden just laughed at the thought of the God of War vaporizing a weapon because it wasn¡¯t enough of a weapon.

    ¡°What about you Errrkkkk? Did you get anything?¡± Riakon said, reading his adoptive brother¡¯s expression.

    ¡°I got a little something, cacaw.¡± He said and held out his hand just as Riakon had done. Except instead of a weapon coming to his call, a great wind rushed into the room and swirled around each of them. All of the men were slowly lifted off of their feet, or in Bo¡¯s case his ass.

    Errrkkkk lowered his hand and the wind cut off instantly dropping everyone back down with a slight jostle.

    Riakon¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°you can make people fly?!¡±

    Errrkkkk nodded, ¡°among a flock of other things, cacaw.¡±

    Roden shook his head, ¡°you know what that means.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Bo frowned, ¡°what does it mean?¡± his thick drawl drew out the words.

    Roden took a long sip of tea, ¡°it means he¡¯s going to want to spar.¡±

    To his surprise Riakon spoke first, ¡°dibs on first.¡±

    ¡°Cacaw!¡±

    Roden laughed, ¡°I only got a couple new spells so by all means yall go first.¡±

    Riakon and Errrkkkk froze and slowly turned their heads to look at Roden as if he¡¯d grown a second head.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You got an Advancement?¡± Riakon said, his tone made it sound like an accusation.

    ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t yall?¡±

    Both men responded simultaneously ¡°No.¡± followed by Errrkkkk¡¯s lone, ¡°cacaw.¡±

    Roden laughed a deep belly laugh that echoed through the room.

    ¡°Looks like yall got some catching up to do.¡±

    Riakon and Errrkkkk looked at each other and nodded to each other firmly before both men set to gathering up their gear. In a matter of minutes all of them were back in Bo¡¯s backyard, Errrkkkk and Riakon stood opposite one another, while Bo and Roden sat off to the side as spectators.

    Bo gave the count down, ¡°Three¡­Two¡­One¡­Go!¡±

    Riakon wasted no time and immediately threw his hammer forward. Errrkkkk moved to bat the weapon away until he caught the hum of magic coming off of it. Instead, he leapt into the air intent on turning the dodge into a falling kick.

    As he came down, Riakon already had his mouth open and unleashed a gale of wind infused with cold magic. Errrkkkk¡¯s kick cut through the elemental breath and crashed into Riakon¡¯s shield with enough force to shatter the thin crust of ice that formed on his leg.  Errrkkkk twisted, popping off Riakon¡¯s defense. A hard flap of his wings lifted him into the sky. As he flew back, he fired forward a series of short chi blasts.

    Riakon managed to raise his shield to the incoming attack. His shield alone may not have been enough to nullify Errrkkkk chi, but a yellow aura emitted from Riakon, a sign he had cast his Faith Shield. In the same motion Riakon had recalled his hammer and was already in a throwing motion before the dust around him had settled.

    Roden and Bo followed the fight intently as their two comrades traded attacks,

    Roden leaned in slightly and spoke softly to Bo.

    ¡°Man, these two are two sides of the same coin.¡±

    Bo never took his eyes from the fight, ¡°what¡¯d you mean?¡±

    ¡°Both of their styles revolve around not getting hit. Riakon just uses shields, while Errrkkkk dodges everything.¡±

    Bo grunted, the guttural nature of his response told Roden he should probably shut the hell up and watch. He hadn¡¯t realized until that moment how much easier it must be for him to follow than Bo. For Roden it was second nature, Bo seemed to strain just to keep up.

    To Roden the fight seemed like the two men were at a bit of a stalemate. Both men thrived in close range, yet their fight was taking place in the mid range. Errrkkkk was the one who dictated where the fight took place so Roden deduced that must be part of Errrkkkk¡¯s plan.

    The exchanges were becoming repetitive as Riakon would toss his hammer, Errrkkkk would dodge then fire off a volley of chi blasts, Riakon would block, rinse and repeat. That was the case until during an exchange Errrkkkk fired off a chi blast causing Riakon to turtle up.

    In a flash, Errrkkkk vanished and reappeared to Riakon¡¯s exposed flank. His hands were couched at his hip. He drove them forward unleashing a beam of chi energy with his patented,

    ¡°Caaaaaaaaa, Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡±

    Riakon had grown complacent and took the beam head on. Things did not look good from Roden¡¯s perspective, As Errrkkkk¡¯s beam dissipated, Riakon¡¯s form was curled up behind his shield, but still standing.

    Steam came off the big Dragonkin, a byproduct of Errrkkkk¡¯s radiant energy attack. Riakon lowered his shield to reveal a wolfish grin. He swung his shield in a backhanded strike and stomped forward hard. Upon impact with the ground a bright red energy shot out in arcs around Riakon. Errrkkkk was caught in the field and struck by one of the haphazard streaks of magical energy.

    Errrkkkk danced backwards out of the field, but it was too late. The spot he was hit glowed a bright red, but otherwise the Birdfolk seemed unharmed. His gaze flicked to the mark on his chest and then back to Riakon.

    ¡°Is that all you got, cacaw?¡± He said smugly.

    Riakon¡¯s grin never faltered, that same red glow trailed off his eyes as he slowly moved forward.

    ¡°Oh that wasn¡¯t meant to hurt you, but this will.¡± He flung his hammer forward once again except instead of Errrkkkk easily dodging, the hammer found its mark in the midst of Errrkkkk¡¯s movement, the impact slammed into Errrkkkk hard nearly sending him sprawling.

    Errrkkkk squawked in surprise. Riakon charged after him, while calling his hammer back to his hand. Riakon lunged forward with a sweeping strike. Errrkkkk was caught off balance, he couldn¡¯t dodge. He met Riakon¡¯s hammer with a forceful chi powered block using his left elbow.

    What Errrkkkk hadn¡¯t seen was Riakon had turned the swing into a Smiting blow. The force of the added divine magic slammed through Errrkkkk¡¯s defense. Riakon¡¯s divine magic was slow compared to Errrkkkk, but when it was able to connect it was overwhelming in its power.

    Errrkkkk managed to fade with the strike and twist off, taking some of the force away, but both of the onlookers to the fight could see. Riakon¡¯s attacks were doing some damage.

    Errrkkkk flapped his wings hard, but instead of rising into the air, a gust of wind rushed through Bo¡¯s backyard and buffeted Riakon as he recovered from his attack. Riakon was unflappable, he braced himself against the wind and opened his toothy maw sending a bolt of lightning straight toward Errrkkkk.

    Errrkkkk must have anticipated Riakon¡¯s move because Errrkkkk was already prepared to meet the elemental attack with a beam of his own.

    ¡°Caaaaa, Caaawwww!!!!!!¡±

    Riakon¡¯s choice of lightning gave Errrkkkk little time to fully charge up his chi for his attack. His weaker beam was pushed back instantly by the lightning. A rush of chi erupted out of Errrkkkk as his golden aura surrounded him. His transformation empowered his beam resulting in a stalemating explosion at their point of contact.

    The dust cleared revealing Riakon standing tall with shield and hammer, his Faith Shield still granting him a faint glow. Errrkkkk stood opposite his aura surging and a smug grin on his face. He took his newly blessed staff in both hands and pressed the base into the ground.

    A green light traveled up the staff as if it were being drawn out of the ground beneath it. The light reached Errrkkkk¡¯s hands and began to mingle with his already thrumming aura. The two energies swirled like water and oil.

    Errrkkkk felt a rush of power as the nature energy from his staff was converted to chi within him. A dark green aura began to form within his golden aura. He felt his power swell. It was then that Riakon charged.

    Riakon threw his hammer with confidence, however that confidence evaporated as he watched Errrkkkk twist and knock his hammer off course with a swift kick. Riakon drew his hammer back to his hand.

    The exchange of blows that followed was nothing short of cataclysmic. Riakon¡¯s Smiting blows and power shots landed against Errrkkkk¡¯s new nature chi infused blocks and strikes. The two men attacked relentlessly, with neither man gaining any significant advantage.

    Roden and Bo watched intently as the fight dragged on.

    ¡°Not to interrupt again, but I think Riakon is slowly down.¡± Roden couldn¡¯t keep himself from saying.

    Bo grunted, ¡°yeah he¡¯s not up to his full power just yet no matter how great that new hammer is he ain¡¯t gonna be able to outlast Errrkkkk.¡±

    The fight carried on for another minute of nearly constant exchanges before it was clear Riakon didn¡¯t have any magic left in the tank. By Roden¡¯s estimation he should have run out of magic a few spells ago, but assumed his hammer must be picking up the slack.

    There was a pause in the action after a clash forced the men apart. Errrkkkk¡¯s auras dissipated, but he looked as if he had barely exerted himself. Riakon on the other hand looked as if he¡¯d run a marathon. He panted heavily, his hammer hung low in his hand, and sweat poured off of him.

    Errrkkkk smiled at his adoptive brother and newly discovered cousin, ¡°should we pause here and pick up another day when you aren¡¯t so tired, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon gave a big toothy grin, ¡°fair enough, I accept your rain check.¡±

    The feathers that served as Errrkkkk¡¯s eyebrow twitched at the notion that he couldn¡¯t finish Riakon off then and there, but the birdman let the Dragonkin have his moment.

 Chapter 27-Free Bird

    Chapter 27

    Saying goodbye to Bo was different the second time. Roden could tell there was less worry in the old adventurer than there had been when they went their separate ways the first time. Naturally Bo had his concerns about their path considering it was leading them straight into a fight with old dragons who were no doubt powerful in unpredictable ways.

    Yet, Bo knew his boys were as right for the task as any adventurers had a right to be. He still had called them shitheads and chastised them for never calling to tell him the job he¡¯d given them was complete, but it was those qualities that made Bo the perfect mentor for a band of demi-divine beings.

    After leaving Bo¡¯s the following day the men were able to enjoy a leisurely stroll through the Timber Wilds just as they had done months before until the dense trees and vegetation of the deeper wilds turned their stroll into a slog.

    Roden consistently found himself hung up on branches or thorns. After one particularly troublesome encounter with a prickly bush Roden had enough. He brought forth his Grove Armor and took to the trees.

    After some time jumping from tree to tree, he noticed Riakon was no longer powering through the brush as he had been moments before. Roden did his best to remain calm when he heard Riakon¡¯s deep voice from above him.

    ¡°Up here!¡±

    Roden turned his head up and saw Riakon floating just beyond a branch twenty feet above him.

    Roden instantly recognized what had happened. Errrkkkk had remembered he could grant Riakon flight with his new wind based abilities. From there Roden conjured up his Nimbus and the three men took to the skies in a majestic display of air superiority.

    As it turned out, Errrkkkk could not only grant limited flight to anyone within his immediate aura, but he had the ability to temporarily grant near perfect flight to a single target, in their case that was Riakon.

    With all three members of their group having achieved flight capabilities, travel became a trivial exercise. They flew above the trees, no longer subjected to the drudgery of slogging through the forest. Riakon looked elated by the experience of unabated flight.

    His enthusiasm was tempered when he flew high into the sky and Errrkkkk revoked his wind. Riakon plummeted like a punctured balloon. Of course, Errrkkkk didn¡¯t let him slam into the ground and instead used his new wind affinity to bestow flight once more. With Errrkkkk¡¯s wind around him again, Riakon floated gently to a halt just before he hit the tree canopy.

    Unscathed.  Riakon flew back to the group, his face set in a glare toward Errrkkkk, ¡°that was a dirty trick.¡±

    Errrkkkk smiled, ¡°never forget where your wings come from, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that also means if Errrkkkk gets knocked out you¡¯re screwed.¡± Roden added.

    It didn¡¯t take long into their air travel for the men to realize group flight was the far superior form of travel to hiking through the dense forest of the Timber Wilds. They were able to traverse the three day hike in less than two days of flying.

    Even finding the Outpost was easier thanks to their high vantage. It was clear to Roden that Errrkkkk¡¯s new affinity for wind had dramatically improved his flight capabilities. He was faster and more agile as he flew at the head of their staggered V formation.

    Riakon was the slowest and had to stay within Errrkkkk¡¯s aura. Roden on the other hand was able to keep up just by the use of his Nimbus. Roden had no illusions of being faster than Errrkkkk in a one on one race over a great distance, but in a short burst he thought he might have a chance.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Roden had grown more accustomed to flight since he¡¯d gotten his cloud, but he was still relieved when he caught sight of the massive revolving windmill that sat atop the Outpost. Entering the Adventurer¡¯s Outpost for the first time in what seemed like ages brought Roden back to that fateful day when he arrived on Mir. So much uncertainty had clouded his perspective. He remembered half believing he was dreaming or had gone bat shit crazy.

    Since then his life had gone from a strange unreal experience to a journey of monumental proportions. He had discovered Zamira had brought him to Mir, which turned out to be a world eerily similar to the world he¡¯d created for his Adventures and Antics games.

    He¡¯d learned that things were not always the same across his Mir and the one he stood on. He¡¯d even had to come to terms with the idea that he was piloting around the real Roden¡¯s body since that night he woke up inside that building.

    The general haze of intermingling smokes from fires and pipes were an immediate reminder of his first moments of Mir. The smell of the main tavern room carried a mix of old beer and wood weathered by the thousands of feet that walked across its floorboards.

    The men found their old table in the corner of the room and slid. It didn¡¯t take long before a serving maid was leaving their table with their order of drinks and food. Roden leaned against the hard backrest of the booth and let all of his tension drop out of his shoulders.

    He glanced over to the guys and saw they were doing much the same.

    ¡°Feels like it''s been a lifetime since we met here, huh?¡± Roden said, his gaze drifting out over the other patrons.

    Riakon nodded his head slowly, ¡°you can say that again.¡±

    Errrkkkk clucked, ¡°hard to believe everything that has happened, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon and Roden both slowly turned to look at the birdman, astonished by the sameness in his voice.

    ¡°What, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°You got something on your mind there, brother?¡± Riakon said attempting to coax Errrkkkk to continue.

    ¡°It¡¯s true though. We set out from the temple to have an adventure. To become famous adventurers, to make a name for ourselves, to get stronger, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk paused and sighed, ¡°it¡¯s just hard to believe we did so much of that already, cacaw.¡±

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I just thought it¡¯d be harder, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon rolled his eyes, ¡°there it is.¡±

    ¡°And he¡¯s back.¡± Roden added, sharing the sentiment.

    Errrkkkk bristled, ¡°no, seriously, I thought it¡¯d have been harder. I thought it would have taken longer. Us three are already some of the strongest adventures. Hell we are probably the strongest in this room, cacaw¡­¡± he trailed off, ¡°at least Roden and I are, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Shit Roden, I think he has a point. It all did come rather quickly.¡±  Riakon said after a brief moment of reflection.

    Some time passed while the men sat pondering the strange conundrum of Errrkkkk¡¯s seeming dissatisfaction. Roden ended up being the one to break the silence, ¡°ya know, there is more to being an Adventurer than just being the strongest.¡±

    ¡°No there isn¡¯t, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°No for real, think of all the adventurers who reach a point and stop advancing. Look at the old King, he chose to give up his adventures for a crown.¡± Roden said trying his best to not reveal anything he shouldn¡¯t know.

    ¡°That means he quit, cacaw.¡±

    Before Roden could speak, Riakon cut in, ¡°I see it now, he¡¯s afraid of having to give up adventuring.¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°that is actually my point. The way I see it, he exchanged one power for another. He became the most powerful man in the entire world by sitting down. I dare say anything he could have gained without the crown pales in comparison to what he gained by wearing it.¡±

    Errrkkkk frowned, ¡°that isn¡¯t the point, cacaw. Where is the challenge? If becoming the strongest is so easy, what happens when we¡¯ve reached the peak, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon looked thoughtful, while all Roden could do was chuckle.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk said, sounding as though he were truly on the verge of an existential crisis.

    ¡°Guys, I very well could be wrong, but one of the proverbs I have always found endearing is ¡®there is always a bigger fish.¡¯¡± Roden said, quoting Star Wars once again.

    Errrkkkk rolled his eyes, ¡°yeah maybe, but what if there isn¡¯t, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon patted Errrkkkk¡¯s shoulder, ¡°then we will find you a new challenge!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! As a matter of fact¡­¡± Roden trailed off looking around the room.

    ¡°What are you doing, cacaw.¡±

    A goofy grin spread on Roden¡¯s face, ¡°I think it¡¯s time for the Sons of Er-archy to make their debut on a different kind of stage!¡±

    Their food arrived at some point within their discussion of exactly what their debut was going to entail. Between Riakon and Roden they ordered enough liquor to stagger even their prodigious constitutions. It took a few hours for their general sobriety to give way to a mild intoxication.

    The near hour long series of drinking games were enough to push all of the men into what could be considered a solid drunken stupor. They took the stage that night, their minds shrouded in a haze of delight and nervous excitement, or excited nervousness.

    When it came time for someone to take center stage before the crowd Roden took a step forward, but was stopped by a taloned hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ve gots dis, ca¨Ccaw.¡± Errrkkkk said, the unmistakable smell of whisky lacing his words.

    Laughter rose unabated from deep within Roden, ¡°what song?¡± was all he could manage between gasps.

    ¡°Free Bird, cacaw.¡±

    The ensuing performance was not one for the record books and would never be recounted in the history of the best performances on any stage, but not a single soul who witnessed the Sons of Er-archy¡¯s set of bird and flight themed songs could deny those men were having a great time¡­and drunk¡­

 Chapter 28- The Lucky Kettle

    Chapter 28

    The men awoke the next morning with fragments of memory of their night before. Roden was quick to deduce they must have consumed a prodigious amount of alcohol to induce such a state in all three of them.

    Unlike their lavish suit in the Golden Dew or the beautiful ocean view villa of the Silver Wind Inn, the Outpost was more form and function than luxury. Nonetheless Roden poured himself into the small shower and started his meditation.

    His daily meditation was usually quite simple and didn¡¯t require him to enter his soulspace.

    ¡®Or was it my Sparkspace?¡¯ he thought to himself as the hot water rushed over him.

    He banished the thought as he felt himself fall into that space. He made the trip that morning to pick up a spell he long had needed to grab for just such an occasion.

    He quickly found the spell he was looking for and absorbed the wisp, while relinquishing his grip on Sight of the Magi. The spell was pulled toward his Elven magic and became Cleansing Note. As usual the spell maintained its primary function and gained the option to cast the spell on any creature who could hear his incantation.

    Roden nearly wandered straight out of his space but a wisp he had yet to see caught his eye. It looked familiar, yet different. When he brushed up against it, he recognized it to be a more powerful version of his Triage spell.

    His mouth twisted up at the information he received. Roden didn¡¯t have any more room in his head for another spell. In his gamer soul he knew as the healer of the group he should take that spell. Unfortunately, it was a Mage tier spell as well. He¡¯d just received two spells of the same tier from his domains and even at his level of Advancement could only squeeze out one or two of those spells without setting his meridians on fire.

    He¡¯d cast his spells enough to know that pushing that much magic through his magi-meridians more than a couple times a day would be detrimental to his health. Even when he¡¯d exhausted his magic for the day he could feel his meridians ache at the exertion.

    Roden shook his head, ¡°I am such a bad Cleric.¡± he said to himself as he closed his eyes to leave.

    Once back in the shower, Roden hummed a little tune about believing he could fly to himself and immediately felt a warmth that washed away his hungover haze. With a clearer mind Roden made a connection between the tune and the sensation and he frowned at the irony of his choice. Problematic song choice aside he finished up his shower and made his way to meet up with Errrkkkk and Riakon.

    He found the two men already sitting in the main room of the Outpost ordering breakfast.

    ¡°Well don¡¯t you two look awfully chipper.¡± he said it more as an accusation than a general statement.

    A wide grin spread on Riakon¡¯s face, ¡°yeah I got my Faith healing back so I cured us.¡±

    ¡°Nice!¡± Roden said, sitting down at the table. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to have to burn up a bunch of magic on hangover cures.¡±

    Errrkkkk clicked his tongue, ¡°oh now he takes the hangover cure spell, cacaw.¡±

    Roden shrugged, ¡°at this point I assumed we were immune to a casual hangover.¡±

    A waitress stopped by their table delivering cups of hot coffee, what passed for bacon, and warm biscuits.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back with your eggs in a second, Loves.¡± the waitress added as she moved off.

    Roden breathed in the steam coming off his cup of coffee before taking a sip of the hot comforting  liquid. His moment of morning bliss was interrupted by the sound of Riakon crunching the crispy meat and the gnashing of teeth.

    ¡°So what¡¯s our plan?¡± Riakon said through a mouth semi-full of food.

    ¡°Breakfast and then contact Yan¡­¡± as he said it a memory bubbled to the surface from the night before.

    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± he said with an embarrassed chuckle.

    Riakon furrowed his brow, ¡°what?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember, do you?¡± Roden said.

    Riakon scratched the back of his head, ¡°ummmm no, I don¡¯t recall everything.¡± he said sheepishly. ¡°After Errrkkkk squawked out that song about a free bird, I don¡¯t remember much of anything.¡±

    Errrkkkk glared at him briefly before his expression changed to one of delight as a different waitress dropped off a plate of various sliced fruits that Roden did not recognize. Errrkkkk tore into his organic breakfast without so much as a word toward his companions.

    ¡°Well I have a fuzzy recollection of us sending Yan messages while we were outside.¡± Roden said.

    The first waitress dropped off a plate heaped with steaming fluffy scrambled eggs, which Riakon immediately started shoveling onto his plate.

    ¡°Well what did he say back?¡± Riakon said with his fork poised before his mouth.

    Roden shook his head, ¡°I have no idea.¡±

    Riakon laughed with his mouth full of his breakfast, ¡°I guess you better call him then.¡±

    Roden groaned.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Errrkkkk held up a talon, ¡°no need, I already did, cacaw.¡±

    Roden perked up at the prospect of not having to apologize. Riakon stared at the Birdfolk.

    ¡°What do you mean you already did?¡± he said, surprise clear in his tone.

    Errrkkkk got a smug look on his face, ¡°it was nothing, I just sent him a message on the wind. He said our transport is all taken care of, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Is that all he said?¡± Roden said, hoping it was.

    Errrkkkk shook his head, ¡°no, he told me to remind you to not practice magic of any kind while under the influence, cacaw.¡±

    Roden hung his head, ¡°duly noted.¡±

    When their breakfast was eaten and Riakon had licked the plates clean, the men made their way through the Outpost to where the Circle Array was situated. A brief conversation with the operator and a quick verification with their superior was all that was necessary before the men were transported to the sister Array in Port Sept.

    The three wasted no time returning to their villa, Roden could tell both Errrkkkk and Riakon were excited to see their little guys, Grok and Branch. The same was true for the other side of the equation as Grok nearly destroyed the front door as he tackled Riakon.

    Branch¡¯s response was more muted, but the chirps and tweets that came from what served as his mouth could only be described as enthusiastic, even if they were ear splitting at times.

    Roden looked around the villa for Miriana while the others were getting reacquainted, but did not find her. When he returned to the sitting room he found the rest of the group sitting in the living room in hurried discussion.

    Both Grok and Branch appeared to be telling their respective people something, but Roden lacked the familiarity with Grok to understand him to the degree Riakon did, and Branch was literally speaking another language so he had no hope there.

    Instead, he rummaged through the kitchen for a snack when he noticed the pantry and ice box were noticeably bare. Roden didn¡¯t have a perfect recollection of his childhood, but he distinctly remembered his mother always maintained an abundant supply of food.

    While puzzled over the lack of food, Roden noticed Grok¡¯s frantic gestures and the stern looks on Riakon and Errrkkkk¡¯s faces. Then his memory served up what Zamira had said in their late night communing during his Advancement.

    ¡°Awe shit.¡± Roden said, a wide grin spreading on his face.

    Everyone turned to look at him. The four pairs of eyes were a bit intense for his liking so he quickly added.

    ¡°I think these two must have gotten into the pantry while we were gone.¡±

    Riakon and Errrkkkk both slowly turned to face their charges. Grok shrunk, his shoulders rounded, and he looked up with pitiful eyes, it was quite the performance. Branch for his part wilted slightly as Errrkkkk squawked and presumably chastised the plant for getting into trouble.

    It was then Roden noticed just how much the two little guys had grown. In the few days they were gone Grok had grown another inch or so and had probably gained ten pounds of muscle. Branch on the other hand was no longer bound in his pot. He had two limbs that stuck out from his torso that allowed him to walk and crouch as he had been.

    Roden couldn¡¯t remember Miriana getting overly stern with him as a child, but there was no doubt in his mind that the Goddess of Death and Storms wouldn¡¯t lack the ability to drop the proverbial hammer down on misbehaving children.

    Having finally made it back to what had become their home away from home, they took the opportunity to lounge about and finally relax a bit before Miriana¡¯s return. Errrkkkk took Branch out for a quick flight while Riakon and Grok took to doing a little fishing off the dock.

    Without a little buddy of his own, and no desire to have one, Roden kicked back in the sitting room of the villa. It didn¡¯t take long before he felt the urge to nap come over him, he didn¡¯t fight the feeling and closed his eyes letting the coziness of the plush couch cradle him as he drifted off.

    Roden was roused from his afternoon nap by the sound of the villa door followed by a shout that made him jump.

    ¡°Grokwell! Branchington! Where are you two?!¡±  Miriana said, her unmistakable voice cut through the quiet like a knife.

    Her declaration had the desired effect as Roden could hear the clamor of what he assumed to be Grok rushing up the stairs. Roden rose up and peered over the top of the couch just in time to see Grok sitting before Miriana at the top of the stairs.

    Miriana stood her hands on her hips towering over the garg with her stance and presence.

    ¡°And just what do you think you were doing downstairs mister?¡± Miriana said, addressing the submissive Grok.

    Grok frantically started gesticulating down the stairs until his eyes caught Roden spying from just behind the couch. Grok pointed toward him as if he was trying to alert Miriana of a fire. Her eyes narrowed, but she followed his direction until her eyes landed on Roden.

    ¡°Hey mom, we¡¯re back.¡± he said with a clipped wave.

    Relief flooded Miriana¡¯s expression, ¡°oh thank goodness. Sorry about that Grok, I assume you were with the others down there.¡±

    Grok nodded vigorously,  She reached out and gave the garg a pat on the head.

    ¡°Okay okay go get the others, and have everyone wash up for dinner. We simply must go out to celebrate.¡±

    Before leaving for dinner Errrkkkk and Riakon made sure Grok and Branch were prepared for their evening alone. They even ordered a generous meal of various meats and fruits from the Silver Wind Inn to keep them tied over until they could return.

    Grok¡¯s need and love of juicy meat was often his downfall when left to his own devices. While Branch was a different sort. He didn¡¯t actually require food as Grok did, but he did enjoy the flavor of various things, particularly the pollen that often came with fresh fruit. As such honey was a favorite of the little treant.

    That night Miriana took the men to a place known as The Lucky Kettle. Despite its rather unimpressive name it was the best restaurant in all of Port Sept, and arguably the continent of Mir. Miriana guided them down Temple Street to what served as the temple to the twin goddesses of Fala and Eetili.

    From the outside the massive building looked like a rather ritzy Inn attempting a rustic theme. It reminded Roden of the waterpark hotels from back home.  Once inside it was clear a significant amount of planning and coin had gone into the building as it was divided into multiple sections.

    Once in the lobby a patron could continue straight into the temple of the two goddesses. If piety was not their mission then a visitor had two choices: they could turn to their right and enter the main tavern floor where they would find various tables with any number of games for them to test their luck and potentially win some coin, or they could turn to their left and head into the Lucky Kettle a restaurant blessed by the Goddess of Hospitality herself.

    The Lucky Kettle was every bit of a five star restaurant with the d¨¦cor of a home kitchen. A diner was just as likely to see someone eating a tomahawk steak with mashed potatoes and gravy as they were to see someone having a pan seared line caught white fish enrobed in a beurre blanc sauce infused with fresh vanilla paired with candied seasonal petals.

    The atmosphere of the Lucky Kettle was raucous, yet cozy. One of the many hosts showed the group to a table off in the corner. When they tried to hand out menus Miriana interrupted,

    ¡°Sorry we are celebrating this evening so we will have Fala¡¯s Feast for four, with the drink pairings as well. Please accommodate for one non-avian eater and¡­¡± she looked around the table at her guests, ¡°we will definitely need plenty of napkins.¡±

    The server gave her a slight bow of their head and responded with the deference reserved for those who garner the highest respect, ¡°right away, priestess.¡±

    Miriana rolled her eyes out of the server¡¯s view, ¡°please, while I am here with my family, dispense with the formalities.¡±

    The server, a young looking eleven man with long nearly white blonde hair, stood up straighter and smiled warmly, ¡°as you wish ma¡¯am. I will be back shortly with your appetizers and drinks.¡±

    Miriana returned a smile, ¡°thank you.¡±

    Once the server had left she turned her attention back to her guests, ¡°okay boys, now c¡¯mon regale me with your tale of adventure.¡±

    The three men looked amongst themselves before Roden was silently and unanimously nominated to tell their story as usual. Roden spun a story of their rapid ascent of the mountain and their worrisome hike through the dragon¡¯s icy lair.

    He cultivated suspense in his audience as he told of the pile of snow and their assault on the sleeping dragon, which caused Miriana to give a sour expression.

    ¡°What?¡± Roden asked, confused.

    Miriana returned a look of uncertainty, ¡°it''s just¡­ isn¡¯t it a little cliche to attack a sleeping dragon?¡±

    Riakon chimed in, ¡°it¡¯s effective.¡±

    ¡°And, you can¡¯t argue with the results, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk added.

    Miriana gave them a small laugh and a shake of her head, ¡°okay okay fair enough, continue.¡±

    Roden picked up their story, at the moment he engaged the dragon with Riakon¡¯s help. He told of how they overwhelmed the sleepy lizard and kept it off balance. He was careful to downplay the danger he was in when he took the dragon¡¯s cold breath on his shield.

    He enthusiastically detailed how Riakon baited the dragon down the tunnel straight into Errrkkkk¡¯s combination Soul Sphere Chi Beam that forced the dragon to break the wall and attempt to flee. Miriana was a perfect audience as always. She even gasped when Roden revealed the dragon had escaped the brunt of their trap.

    Just as he was building up to the part where he threw Riakon at the dragon with his Herald¡¯s Strength. Everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to the cluster of servers who approached their table carrying various platters of small foods, glasses and pitchers of unidentifiable liquids.

    A server walked around their table setting down a platter in front of each of them, while another dropped off a glass of ice water. Their table was quickly covered by numerous dishes of delicious looking foods. Once the bustle settled the elven server from before stood before their table and addressed them.

    ¡°Here is the first course of Fala¡¯s Feast. Let us begin.¡±

 Chapter 29- Alien Food and a Dragonéˆ¥æªš Horde

    Chapter 29

    It was the first course of their meal and Roden was already overwhelmed. Up to that point the vast majority of what he had eaten, he¡¯d ordered for himself. To be safe he had stuck with primarily meats, potatoes, and bread. As much as he liked trying new foods in his life back home, he was taking a while to warm up to these alien foods.

    Their server presented their first dish to try, which he called a braevex, it amounted to a sweet brown bread sliced thin, toasted hard, and topped with a mixture of minced garlic and a bright pink vegetable called plenth. Roden found the vegetable to be rather flavorless instead it provided a moisture to the dish that paired well with the garlic and the sweet crunchy bread.

    Next their server described the jorban rolls. He said they were a fried noodle stuffed with mintrell and cheese, which Roden misheard as chanterelle and thought he was essentially biting into a mushroom egg roll. It turned out mintrell was a stringy vegetable harvested out of the southern sea that had a strong fishy flavor. While not awful, the initial shock of fish instead of savory mushrooms made Roden¡¯s first attempt at the dish unpleasant. His second, more well prepared, bite was more enjoyable for the newly familiar pallet.

    The aperitif paired with their first course was a cloudy liquor with a strong anise flavor and a light alcoholic note followed by a slight burn that overall Roden found quite pleasant. At the culmination of their introductions the server excused himself.

    ¡°That was quite the experience Miriana, I can¡¯t say I have ever been a part of something so fancy.¡± Riakon said, clearly impressed.

    Miriana beamed, ¡°I am glad you liked it. I thought something different was in order for our intrepid dragon slayers.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of that, I was just getting to a good part.¡± Roden said before picking up his story where he had left off.

    He detailed how Riakon was thrown onto the back of the dragon and kept him distracted until Roden crashed into him with his spear. At the mention of his spear Miriana jumped at the chance to bring up all of his new abilities.

    ¡°Say Roden, you mentioned your domains were Adventure and Storm.¡± Miriana said conspiratorially,

    ¡°Yeah, about that. I chose a subdomain at my Point of Convergence and it came with the King¡¯s Spear spell.

    Miriana looked at him flatly, ¡°don¡¯t bury the lead you.¡± she said, swatting at him mockingly.

    ¡°Okay okay, I got the Hero subdomain from my Adventure domain. That¡¯s where I got Herald¡¯s Strength from too.¡±

    Miriana beamed with pride, ¡°Amazing, to think my son would be the first Hero domain cleric of my goddess Zamira.¡± a thoughtful expression came over her face, ¡°now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think there has been a Hero domain Cleric of any god in quite a long time.¡±

    Both Errrkkkk and Riakon perked up at that revelation.

    ¡°You mean our boy here is one of a kind?¡± Riakon said, eyeing up Roden.

    ¡°As far as I know, yes he is one of a kind domain wise.¡±

    While Roden appreciated the ego shining that was going on he interrupted it, ¡°can I get back to the story now?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes please go on.¡±

    The second half of the fight was a much faster account given it didn¡¯t amount to much beyond Riakon getting swallowed and a clash of magical forces. However, when Roden described the dragon¡¯s glowing form Miriana got a stern look on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡± Roden said, pausing his story.

    ¡°Oh it¡¯s just I think I¡¯ve heard of dragon¡¯s capable of such an effect and from what I remember it¡¯s quite dangerous.¡± she said reluctantly.

    ¡°What is it, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk said as he finished off the fishy appetizers.

    ¡°If I remember correctly, dragon¡¯s who are old enough are capable of tapping into the very magic that allows them to persist as creatures born of pure magic. It is a primal magic that is rarely recorded in the annals of history.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that rare of a power, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk said, leaning forward in his chair.

    ¡°No, it is believed to be rarely recorded because there wouldn¡¯t be any survivors.¡±

    Her words left a pall of silence fall over their group.

    ¡°You boys are lucky that dragon was sleeping and still waking when you took it on had it been fully awake, I don¡¯t know if things would have gone the same.¡± Miriana said, her voice full of worry.

    Roden frowned, ¡°he seemed plenty awake to me.¡± Errrkkkk and Riakon nodded.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Miriana shook her head, ¡°no, that is not how dragons work. You woke that dragon from a torpor and it had maybe ten minutes of wakefulness before you defeated it. You probably only saw half of its real strength.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± Roden said, rubbing his temples.

    ¡°No, you boys got lucky.¡± she said gravely.

    Errrkkkk clicked his tongue, ¡°then it¡¯s a good thing we got way stronger, cacaw.¡±

    Miriana raised an eyebrow, ¡°way stronger, in what four days?¡±

    ¡°My over enthusiastic brother is actually quite right this time.¡± Riakon added.

    ¡°If yall would calm down I¡¯ll explain it all.¡± Roden said, growing irritated.

    He rolled back into their story of defeating the dragon by overwhelming its cold magic breath with their combined effort.

    Miriana gestured for him to speed up his account.

    ¡°What?¡± Roden said, confused.

    ¡°Get to the part where you ransacked the dragon¡¯s horde already. I''m dying to know what you found tucked away.¡±

    All three men groaned which caused Miriana¡¯s face to drop. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t get any treasure.¡±

    ¡°We got some, but we had to leave way more.¡± Riakon said defeated.

    ¡°Then what did you get?¡± she said expectantly.

    ¡°Needless to say we are filthy rich, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Just how filthy?¡± Miriana asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say we need another dimensional bag before we leave the city again.¡± Riakon responded with a toothy grin.

    Miriana¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°oh my.¡±

    ¡°We got a few items of note too, but the majority of the horde was stuck in ice a foot thick.¡± Roden said, annoyed remembering the situation.

    At that point they all noticed another group of servers were nearing their table with their second course, which put a halt to their conversation. Their server approached the table and introduced their second appetizer course. He described each dish as they were placed on the table.

    The first dish was a pickled onion the size of a basketball that was cut in half battered and fried until golden brown. While reminiscent of a blooming onion from one of the many restaurants Roden knew from home, he wasn¡¯t going to make any assumptions.

    The elf described the method to eat the dish was to pluck out one of the crispy squares and spread a thin layer of the country-style ground meat that accompanied the vegetable. To Roden, the combination was heavenly. The saltiness of the meat mingled with the tanginess of the onion¡¯s pickled flavor. Roden made sure to gather a small pile of the delectable snack on his plate.

    The other additions to the course were a sweet buttery cornbread like cake that made Roden long for some of his wife¡¯s homemade cornbread. Each of them was given a sweet dark tea that was intended to cleanse the palette for the first entr¨¦e course that would be coming out next.

    Once the servers had left and they each had a few moments to partake in their food, Miriana waved for Roden to continue their story.

    ¡°Are you going to show me what you found?¡± she said as she finished chewing a piece of cake.

    Riakon reached to his side and plunged his hand into his dimensional bag. When he withdrew it, he held a necklace of silver beads with ornate markings. ¡°We¡¯re not sure what exactly these are just yet, but Roden and I both think they are prayer beads of some kind. I¡¯m hoping they have a spell within them I can use.¡±

    He returned the beads to the bag and pulled out a forearm bracer made of gold and presented it to Miriana. ¡°We have no idea what this is, but it was loose and shiny so we took it. We really need to go see Pa¡¯teem to get all of these things checked over.¡± Riakon paused to give his two party mates a discreet glare, ¡°those two wouldn¡¯t let me try them without making sure they aren¡¯t cursed first.¡±

    Miriana laughed, ¡°that is probably for the best. Now what else did you find? Show me something impressive.¡±

    Roden chuckled, ¡°just show her the book already.¡±

    Miriana¡¯s face scrunched up, ¡°a book? How is that¡ª¡±

    She was cut off by the appearance of a massive book in Riakon¡¯s hands. The book was far too large to hold and read like a normal book. Its spine was two and a half feet long and while closed was at least eighteen inches. The most striking thing about the tome was the cover, which appeared to be made of solid gold.

    The entire thing was decorated in obscure runes and arcane symbols the men wanted no part of without proper identification. Riakon held it up, his enhanced strength made him the only one who was capable of moving it when they had found it.

    ¡°We have no idea what this is either, but it is beautiful.¡± Riakon said, a hint of strain in his voice from the book¡¯s weight.

    ¡°Goodness that is some find!¡± Miriana said, genuinely impressed.

    ¡°We got a bunch of other little things like potions and scrolls too, cacaw.¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°we plan to stop at our apothecary when we get back to Coastall to have those looked at.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a good choice before you go drinking anything you found in a cave.¡± Miriana said through a giggle. ¡°By the goddess here we go.¡±

    Roden craned his neck and saw the servers were coming once again, this time carrying plates that were set down in front of each diner. Their first entr¨¦e was described as a half year dry aged filet over a bed of sprouts and fried shaved potatoes.

    Naturally, everyone found the course delicious as it was essentially a steak and potatoes. Roden couldn¡¯t identify what kind of sprouts he was eating, but he couldn¡¯t identify sprouts back home either so he deemed their origin insignificant.

    While the food itself wasn¡¯t anything particularly foreign, the drink they paired with it was extraordinary. The glass came with a light brown liquid on the rocks garnished with a bright red peel of some kind. Before anyone took a sip the cocktails were set on fire. The real show began when the fire sunk to the bottom of the glass and stayed there as they drank the sweet liquor that to Roden tasted like a fine cognac with a smooth finish.

    Riakon was the first to finish his drink. As the last drops settled on his tongue, a strange look came over his face. There was a pause then a strain as he left out a small burp of blue flame. When everyone looked at him he just shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened.¡±

    Miriana finished her glass with a knowing look and proceeded to spew flames in a tight line above the table. Errrkkkk looked on amazed, and quickly finished his glass. Errrkkkk beak got in the way of a majestic controlled breath, but the sight of a Birdfolk exhaling fire was novel enough.

    Roden savored every bit of his drink and finished just before their next course arrived. He held his and belched out a small fireball. ¡°Ahhh just like the old days.¡± he said with a sly grin toward Miriana who caught his meaning and narrowed her eyes at him.

    Two more dinner courses followed their steak and potatoes. There was a savory smoked fish course that Errrkkkk devoured greedily. Riakon was partial to the final entr¨¦e course that was some deer-like roasted meat stuffed with minced meat from a rodent the server called a Skew and a vegetable medley that Roden couldn¡¯t identify.

    As off putting as it sounded to eat something possibly related to a rat, Roden had to admit the meat was quite possibly the most tender he had ever eaten in his life to that point.

    The desserts were primarily fruit in some configuration. The first was a cold fruit paste served with chips of frozen cream topped with honey. The last course was a pastry in the shape of a disc. It was two round wafers with a sweet spread between them that smelled of cinnamon and hazelnut. That course was served with small cups of roiling coffee that was used to warm the pastry before eating.

    By the time the four of them stepped outside the temple, none of them were eager to walk home and instead chose to have the valet hale them a carriage. Riakon and Errrkkkk fell asleep almost immediately upon getting settled in their seats in the front compartment.

    Roden and Miriana sat in the back and made small talk while they rode back to their villa. It was those small moments that made Roden feel like he could get used to Roden¡¯s life. Miriana was a great mother from what he¡¯d experienced and could remember.

    He couldn¡¯t believe how different she was from the Goddess of Death he¡¯d written for his Mir. As they talked he wondered what must have happened to make her the way she was, after all on his Mir, she was the ultimate schemer.

    Whether it was the drink or his sleepy disposition he asked the question that plagued him,

    ¡°Hey mom.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± she replied

    ¡°Why are you so different here than on my Mir?¡±

    Miriana pursed her lips and paused for a long moment before shaking her head and letting out a long breath.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a question I can answer dear. If I tell you, it could ruin everything.¡±

 Chapter 30- Splash

    Chapter 30

    The bustle of Port Sept at midday was more lively in the market district than one might expect from a town that thrived on its predilection toward divine services. Errrkkkk, Riakon, and Roden moved through the streets smoothly as they moved from street vendor to street vendor.

    Riakon still had a propensity for gobbling up street food at every opportunity, even Errrkkkk couldn¡¯t pass up a bag of fried and seasoned insects that Roden thought looked like beetles. His curiosity got the better of him and he ended up trying one of the off putting snacks.

    In Roden¡¯s mind flavor was king and he had to begrudgingly concede the beetles were quite tasty with a nutty flavor and crunchy texture. Roden hadn¡¯t quite gotten used to the presence of so many street vendors at every open corner or in some cases at the end of alleys. Port Sept was a city unlike any from his hometown on Earth.

    One major difference was the existence of shops like The Enchanting Enchanters Applicable Applicators. Riakon and Errrkkkk polished off their snacks before entering. Once inside they were immediately greeted by Pa¡¯teem.

    ¡°Welcome to the Enchanting Enchanters Applicable Applicators, I am Pa¡¯teem what¡ªOh hey guys!¡±

    Once he recognized them the troll merchant cut off his spiel and greeted them warmly.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going der guys? The enchantments holding up for you?¡±

    ¡°They are working perfectly Pa¡¯teem, we are actually here for a bit of a different kind of business today.¡± Riakon said, pulling out his dimensional bag.

    Pa¡¯teem looked on with the utmost attention as Riakon started laying out the various items they had collected from the dragon¡¯s horde. The enchanter¡¯s eyes were already wide by the time Riakon withdrew the huge golden book and laid it on the counter.

    ¡°Jeez guys, it looks like you found quite the treasure trove there!¡± the troll said, giving each piece a cursory once over. ¡°What uh did ya want from me? Are you looking for identification services or are ya lookin to sell?¡±

    ¡°Definitely identification, but possibly sell or trade if we have no use for it.¡± Riakon said, the glint of anticipation in his eye.

    Pa¡¯teem pushed back the sleeves of his robe and set to examining the book with intense scrutiny. After a few moments a look of awe mixed with astonishment came over his face.

    ¡°I take it, the book is as impressive as it looks.¡± Riakon said, already angling for a good price.

    ¡°I¡¯d say so, that right der is a rather old and esoteric spellbook with an arcane seal of significant complexity.¡±

    ¡°And would that be something you would be interested in?¡± Riakon said, capitalizing on the enchanter¡¯s amazement.

    Pa¡¯teem let out a quiet whistle, ¡°It would be something to sell such an artifact in my shop, but something of this nature belongs in an auction.¡± Before Riakon could inquire Pa¡¯teem added, ¡° We could come to an arrangement where I could introduce the book to the auction for a fee.¡±

    Riakon tapped a clawed finger to the tip of his long snout in a knowing gesture, ¡°perfect, we can figure out the details after we¡¯ve squared all accounts here.¡±

    The big troll nodded and moved onto the set of silvered beads. Pa¡¯teem cast his auditing charm again and examined the beads with the same attentiveness.

    He pulled back and scooped up the beads in one hand, ¡°these are in fact magical prayer beads as you suspected. From what I can tell they hold a spell of divine magic. I would guess the spell would produce a general boost to your reactions and coordination.¡±

    ¡°Excellent!¡± Riakon said, taking it from Pa¡¯teem and slipping it around his neck.

    Neither of his two teammates noticed as Errrkkkk was wandering the aisles casually pursuing all of the magical items he didn¡¯t need. Roden on the other hand was unsuccessfully avoiding Pa¡¯t who had been stocking the small charms display.

    ¡°Aye der Roden! How¡¯s the enchantment holding up?¡± Pa¡¯t said, excitement rapidly rising in his to Roden¡¯s chagrin.

    ¡°Oh uhhhh it¡¯s good. Yeah it¡¯s doing great.¡± Roden replied, trying to eject himself from the situation.

    Pa¡¯t might be small, but he was an astute observer of people. His eyes narrowed on his half-elven customer, ¡°what¡¯s the matter with you? You don¡¯t don¡¯t like the enchantment?¡±

    Roden sighed and resigned himself to having been caught, ¡°I like it, I really love the idea¨C¡±

    ¡°But.¡± Pa¡¯t interjected.

    Roden grimaced, ¡°but, I haven¡¯t really gotten to use it.¡± he said with a weak smile.

    The Pa¡¯teem¡¯s had a way of looking that if someone didn¡¯t know them they might think they were mad, but Roden knew better. He knew Pa¡¯t wasn¡¯t mad, he was just disappointed and just like a small child who¡¯d disappointed their parents, he was sad to have disappointed the troll.

    ¡°Well I suppose it¡¯s a good thing you haven¡¯t needed the healing.¡± Pa¡¯t finally said after an awkward silence.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy about that too. Listen I¡¯m real sorry, I know you probably want to know your work is going to good use, but I¨C¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Pa¡¯t raised a hand cutting him off, ¡°don¡¯t worry der bud, I had a feeling something of this nature would arise so I took the liberty of crafting something special for ya. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± he stood, dusted himself off, and walked into the back of the shop toward what Roden assumed was their work area.

    When he returned he held a leather drawstring back. He opened the bag and withdrew a sphere and handed it to Roden.

    ¡°That right der is a spherical piezo-dimensional liquid absorptive silica-glass housing filled with bidimensional acclimated liquid.¡±

    Roden understood most of those words, but hearing them from the troll in that moment was the last thing he expected. He held it up and saw inside was a solid blue substance that filled the glass sphere he held about half way.

    ¡°What do they do?¡± Roden asked, having given up on trying to decipher Pa¡¯t¡¯s incredibly technical jargon.

    Pa¡¯t rolled his eyes, ¡°dis ting right here is exactly what you need to help you incorporate my enhancement into your fighting style. You throw dis at whatever or wherever you plan to fight and these little beauties will break and flood the area with a type of water so concentrated with magic it''s a real wonder I was able to make it work.¡±

    Roden thought about how he would employ such a tool when he realized what Pa¡¯t was doing and narrowed his eyes ¡°you made me water balloons.¡±

    Pa¡¯t looked offended, ¡°highly magical water balloons. I wouldn¡¯t go hitting any children or anyone you care about wid dat der sphere. If dat breaks you¡¯ll flood wherever you are with about fifty gallons of arcanely invested heavy water.¡±

    Roden was impressed, ¡°well I¡¯ll be damned that sounds pretty brilliant, I¡¯ll take them.¡±

    Pa¡¯t beamed, ¡°that¡¯s great, there are three of them in that bag, I call them S.P.L.A.S.H B.A.Ls for short so if you need more just tell Pa¡¯teem and he¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Roden said annoyed

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to make me call them splash balls?¡±

    ¡°Yeah the big guy prefers acronyms, he says it makes it easier to write out receipts.¡± Pa¡¯t said matter of factly.

    By the time Roden returned to the counter, Riakon appeared to be completing his negotiations with Pa¡¯teem. He listened without joining the conversation directly.

    They agreed Pa¡¯teem would sell their golden book at auction in exchange for a small percentage of the selling price, which the enchanter assured would be substantial given the item¡¯s rarity.

    Riakon had also negotiated a second enchantment for his opal steel ring, which was added in the price of the troll¡¯s arcane verification services. Roden splash balls were reasonably priced given they should only be needed sparely.

    After all of their negotiations, which included a second and third dimensional bag, the men left Pa¡¯teem¡¯s shop in high spirits, especially Riakon who exuded an air of satisfaction at his negotiations.

    ¡°So what did we all get, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk asked as they walked the street of Port Sept on their way back to the Villa.

    ¡°Well I managed to get everything cleared for use. The beads are perfect for any of us to use as a personal buff. Each bead contains one use of an enhancement spell similar to Roden¡¯s. Pa¡¯teem said he could even recharge the necklace once it was spent. The bracer is intended to be used with a shield. It binds a shield magically to itself until the wearer chooses to release it. It also adds a magical enchantment to whatever shield is attached that improves its durability while reducing its weight for the wielder.¡±

    Roden chuckled, ¡°no wonder he¡¯s so excited, both of those fit his kit nearly perfectly.¡±

    ¡°No kidding, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon was unphased by their jabs, ¡°I also got us another bag for our money and a smaller bag for Grok.¡±

    ¡°Why does Grok need a bag, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Because I want him to have access to potions when he is out on missions with us.¡± Riakon said as if it was the most obvious reason for getting the garg a magical satchel.

    Roden raised an eyebrow, ¡°so you¡¯ve decided on bringing the little guys with us on our next adventure then?¡±

    Both men nodded.

    ¡°Branch understands more than he lets on. He¡¯s even dabbling with some simple nature magic when no one is watching, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said, sounding like a proud father.

    Riakon was an echo of a similar sentiment, ¡°I¡¯d bet Grok can hold his own against weaker adventurers, so as long as he doesn¡¯t get hit too hard by anything too big he should be alright.¡±

    ¡°If you guys think they are ready then it¡¯s fine with me.¡± Roden said, uneasy despite knowing those two were going to join them eventually.

    He felt strange including them knowing they were so young. At his table, they were introduced because running a game like Adventures and Antics for just two people was quite difficult. As a game master he wanted his players¡¯ characters to have more help in big fights. Having sidekicks like Grok and Branch made it a lot easier, but now that Roden was going to have to live out that decision with real lives on the lie was going to make things a lot trickier.

    Roden¡¯s line of thought was interrupted when Errrkkkk inquired about the rest of their purchases.

    ¡°Oh yes, I worked out a new enhancement for my ring!¡± Riakon said excitedly.

    ¡°What kind of enchantment, cacaw?¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯m not really sure how to explain it, but Pa¡¯teem said its an experimental enhancement he¡¯s been working on that interacts and assists in maintaining multiple spells at one time. That way I can use the beads and still cast my own magix¡±

    ¡°Did you end up getting anything Roden, cacaw?¡±

    Roden sighed, ¡°yeah I got some expendables to help me get more use out of my healing ring.¡±

    ¡°That sounds awesome! How do they work?¡± Riakon said,

    Roden took out one of the spheres from his pouch. They were about the size of a baseball and seemed to be made entirely of glass. He held it out for the others to see.

    ¡°Pa¡¯t said that when I throw this it will break and dump a shit ton of magic water wherever it breaks. My ring should trigger whenever I touch the water.¡±

    Riakon¡¯s eyes shot open wide, ¡°how much healing is that going to give you?¡±

    In the suddenness of it all, Roden hadn¡¯t really considered exactly how much healing he would get off the item. When he¡¯d originally gotten the ring the healing was supposed to be proportional to the spell he cast, which at the time was his Trainee level Cloud Bank.

    Roden shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t really know, but I¡¯d guess at least as much as my Triage.¡±

    Errrkkkk clucked, ¡°good, now you¡¯ll have more healing available for Riakon, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon glared at Errrkkkk, but didn¡¯t refute the statement. If his recently regrown toes were any indication, they would need all the healing they could get.

 Chapter 31- A Bunch of Bullshit

    Chapter 31

    With their mission for Yan taken care of and the first dragon on Riakon¡¯s holy mission slain, there was nothing keeping the men in Port Sept. Miriana had finished up her formal visit to the main temple in Port Sept and was more than ready to leave the hustle and bustle of the big city and return to her quiet country estate on the high hills of Coastall.

    Roden had mixed feelings about returning to his childhood home. Part of him, no doubt the true Roden, relished the opportunity to return while another part of him was plagued by his own homesickness. His longing for his wife and the comfort of their life together made for a bittersweet homecoming to Coastall.

    Roden found himself feeling particularly drained by their most recent string of adventures. Fighting and slaying a dragon felt monumental as did the following divine consultation of Era and Erjorn. However, to Roden it was the gremlins that plagued his thoughts.

    Even though their confrontations with the gremlins had been rousing successes each time they were pitted against them, Roden couldn¡¯t help, but feel their problems with the gremlins were only going to get worse.

    As much as Roden would like to devote his time and effort to curbing whatever it was the gremlins and their great god were doing he knew their return to Coastall was a clear indication they were going after the second dragon on Riakon¡¯s list.

    The journey from Port Sept to Coastall was an easy one. The long road between the two cities appeared, to Roden¡¯s surprise, paved. When he commented on the impressive nature of the medieval highway Miriana brushed it off as being the work of the Otellians. The clerics of Otell had apparently worked diligently to shape the stone to be one great slab, working mostly in five foot sections to create the relatively even surface many used to navigate between the two major southern cities.

    The return trip to Coastall was a bit different from their original trip to Port Sept. Riakon and Errrkkkk took the opportunity to fly and work out the limits of Errrkkkk¡¯s flight granting aura. Even Branch and Grok were able to take advantage of his bestowed flight. Needless to say, many passersby were confounded by the sight of their strange flock.

    Roden spent the majority of the journey driving the carriage with Miriana and their luggage. Roden didn¡¯t mind driving the carriage. The horses they had rented knew the road well and rarely needed any corrections, which left him plenty of time for his thoughts.

    By the second day of their three day journey Miriana, the ever doting mother, questioned him while the others were off flying lazy circles high above them under the guise of scouting ahead.

    ¡°Copper for your thoughts?¡± her words startled Roden as he was previously alone.

    ¡°Huh?¡± he responded looking around. He found Miriana had lowered the partition between the driver''s bench and the interior of the carriage.

    Miriana giggled, ¡°you looked like you were deep in thought. What is on your mind? And don¡¯t say nothing because you¡¯ve been like this since you returned.¡±

    ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just thinking.¡±

    Miriana rolled her eyes, ¡°Roden, you have an adventurer¡¯s level of intuition. There is no such thing as just thinking. Something must be on your mind.¡±

    Roden sighed, ¡°well if I¡¯m being frank, it''s this whole situation.¡±

    Miriana pursed her lips.

    His words poured out of him ¡°it¡¯s the fact that I¡¯m here and not home. It''s the fact that I don¡¯t know when or how I¡¯m getting home. It¡¯s the fact that a few days ago I helped slay a dragon. I have no business being here. This isn¡¯t my life.¡± his words hung in the air between them for a moment, his voice fell to a hush,

    ¡°I just want my life back.¡±

    Miriana opened her mouth to speak, but Roden cut her off.

    ¡°I know I know, we¡¯re saving the world.¡± he held his hands up placating whatever objection or platitude she was about to provide. ¡°It¡¯s just, I don¡¯t see the end of this. I know what is supposed to come, which that alone is confusing enough, but the more I think about the more I feel like I shouldn¡¯t fucking be here. Can¡¯t Roden handle it at this point? Couldn¡¯t we clue him in?¡±

    Miriana absorbed his words stoically, it was her turn to let out a long sigh.

    ¡°Look, I''m sorry. If there was any other way that is what I would be doing, but there isn¡¯t and trust me I tried.¡± her mouth closed tight, then she looked around and waved a manicured hand about as if she were doing her best Jedi impression.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    Roden felt the air get thick for a brief moment before Miriana slid closer and spoke conspiratorially,

    ¡°Look I know it is all a lot to ask and I¡¯ve required you to trust me to a degree I honestly have not earned. On top of that you¡¯ve had to give up more than anyone will ever know. For that I am truly sorry, so as recompense and to ease your troubled mind I have used up some of my precious divinity to shield us from the rest of the gods. If there is something you feel like you need to know to settle your mind, ask and I will try to answer if I can. It won¡¯t last long so be quick about it.¡±

    Roden¡¯s mouth twisted up, ¡°I mean I don¡¯t really know if that is exactly what I need, but alright¡­ ummmm.¡± he thought for a moment, ¡°do you know what is going on with the gremlins?¡±

    Miriana shook her head, ¡°nope those are a new variable to the equation.¡±

    ¡°Yep this isn¡¯t helping.¡±

    Miriana narrowed her eyes, ¡°then ask about something else.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to ask! I¡¯m just so tired of it all.¡± he nearly shouted.

    Miriana¡¯s expression softened, ¡°fair enough.¡±

    ¡°How much longer until I can go home?¡±

    Miriana winced, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t answer that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah I know, I figured it was worth a shot.¡± he paused, reconsidering his approach, ¡°ya know, how much of my game is actually going to play out here?¡±

    ¡°Was that a pun?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes it was and I don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°Quite a bit of it actually.¡±

    ¡°So are we going to have to go to the Shade?¡±

    Miriana nodded, ¡°yep.¡±

    ¡°How does that even work?¡±

    Miriana gave a vague gesture of uncertainty, ¡°sufficiently powerful beings figured out how to create them and now it¡¯s just a matter of getting there.¡±

    ¡°That is a terrible explanation of traveling to different dimensions.¡± Roden said, a small smile peeking through his melancholy.

    Miriana shrugged, ¡°I never said I would have good answers.¡±

    ¡°How is it that things are the same here as in my game back home?¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t.¡±

    Roden¡¯s frown returned.

    It was Miriana¡¯s turn to give a soothing gesture, ¡°okay okay, let me think.¡±

    Her face took on a thoughtful expression as she tilted her head to the side.

    ¡°It''s like this, imagine an event in your game and the same event here are bound to some degree. In your imagination the event already happened. The event coming to fruition here is the culmination of the binding between them.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like prophecy to me.¡±

    Miriana scoffed, ¡°I wish it was so simple as prophecy. You have no idea how long that little tidbit of quantology took me to figure out.¡±

    ¡°How isn¡¯t that prophecy?¡± Roden said confused.

    ¡°Because there''s no way of knowing which or how each event is bound. There is no indication of their connection until¡ª¡± Miriana cut herself off and gave him a rye smile, ¡°sorry, but that part would be a spoiler.¡±

    ¡°Wow, super helpful.¡± his tone full of sarcasm.

    Miriana shrugged unfazed, ¡°them¡¯s the breaks.¡±

    Roden pondered her description and found not much of it assuaged any of his frustrations. The fact his knowledge wasn¡¯t prophecy, but some form of science didn¡¯t make it any less troubling.

    ¡°Ya know, it occurs to me that your place in all of this doesn¡¯t make a whole lot of sense.¡±

    His accusation took her aback. ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°In my game, Zamira was an opportunist. She schemed her way into greater power until it was within her grasp and then snatched away. Why would Errrkkkk and Riakon¡¯s story be so¡ª¡± it was Roden¡¯s turn to trail off as he was struck by the multitude of possibilities.

    Miriana raised an eyebrow at the look of revelation on his face, ¡°well go on.¡±

    Roden turned an intense scrutiny on her with a glare, ¡°you aren¡¯t trying to change the ending of their story are you?¡±

    She shook her head, ¡°of course not, keeping it the same is why you are here.¡±

    ¡°You say that, but your role in the end can¡¯t be the same. You are already too involved.¡±

    Miriana nodded, ¡°there is that, but.¡± she held up a finger to emphasize her point, ¡°things must proceed as if it would. Again that is why you are here and the only one who could do this.¡±

    ¡°So you want me to strive for an impossible outcome?¡± Roden said, his incredulity building.

    ¡°Precisely.¡±

    ¡°But why is that outcome so important? Why all the song and dance if you and I already know the result?¡±

    ¡°Because of everything that must come before it.¡±

    Roden nodded, ¡°like time travel.¡±

    Miriana shook her head disapprovingly, ¡°sure, like time travel.¡±

    Roden let out a huff, ¡°ya know, this is one shitty task you¡¯ve got me doing.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yeah it is, I¡¯m literally just tagging along on the adventure of those two. Nothing I¡¯m doing has any bearing on my actual life then when it¡¯s all over I leave this place and all my work is attributed to Roden, the Champion of Zamira.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a truly heroic gesture.¡± She said while giving him a smile somewhere between devious and joyous.

    ¡°Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me.¡± Roden said on the precipice of sulking.

    Miriana smiled, and laid a hand on his shoulder through the window between them, ¡°then think of something that would make all of this worth your time and I will do my best to provide.¡±

    Roden looked at her hand suspiciously, ¡°really?¡±

    ¡°No hero has ever done something so great as to save a world without gaining something in return. Why should you be any different?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t get to stick around to enjoy the ending.¡±

    Miriana looked at him quizzically, ¡°would you want to stick around?¡±

    Roden shook his head, ¡°no, which quite honestly is part of the problem. There is nothing for me here. Everything is back home. My friends, my family, my wife, even my dog. Hell I haven¡¯t even been able to play a video game or listen to a good audiobook in what feels like ages. I don¡¯t know how yall manage it. This place is fucking boring when you¡¯re not fighting monsters to the death.¡±

    ¡°That may be the most human thing you¡¯ve ever said.¡± Miriana said while trying to stifle a giggle.

    ¡°Why is that funny to you?¡± Roden said, his ire raising ever so slightly.

    ¡°Because I think I know exactly what you need to reignite that spark within you.¡±

    ¡°What spark?¡±

    Miriana flung her arms up and out in a dramatic gesture ¡°The heroic spark for adventure, the force that drives a man to go beyond and confront the unknown!¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me.¡±

    Miriana just rolled her eyes, ¡°okay grumpy gills, you will just have to wait and see.¡±

 Chapter 32-The Magic Theater

    Chapter 32

    Upon returning to Coastall, Miriana was true to her word. She immediately started arranging various sorts of entertainment for Roden to experience. Her first attempt at cheering him up came with a trip to a magic theater. As the name suggested, Roden was not surprised to be treated to a play accentuated with magical effects. However, he found the play itself a bit surprising.

    ¡°What did you say was the name of this play?¡± Roden said in a whisper toward Miriana.

    ¡°I never said the name, but this is the Lionkin King.¡±

    Roden couldn¡¯t help, but chuckle, ¡°no fuckin way.¡±

    Miriana just nodded, ¡°yes way now shush people get really excited about the opening number.¡±

    A chorus rose and lights illuminated the stage in the deep golds and oranges of a bright sunrise. Soon the stage was populated with a varied collection of different Beastkin. Roden recognized many from art created for the many fantasy games back home.

    The stage was first set to appear as a lavish garden of sorts and each pair of actors came onto the stage dressed in their finery. They were greeted, to Errrkkkk¡¯s delight, by a colorful tropical looking Birdfolk dressed as a butler who ushered them from the left of the stage to the right. On the right of the stage stood a massive castle edifice, where each disappeared.

    When all of the guests had left the stage and only the butler remained he was joined by an old wizened simian-man who spoke the first audible line.

    ¡°It is time.¡±

    From that moment on, Roden was engrossed in the performance. The story followed a Lionkin king who ruled over the vast and prosperous Sun kingdom. The king¡¯s rule was widely respected and many even loved their king, especially those closest to him in the capital of Priock.

    Shortly, into the narrative the focus shifted to the arrogant son of the king named Kimba, who aspired to be king, just like his father despite lacking any of the qualities necessary to be a great king. Roden watched the play anticipating the story as he knew it, but still found himself surprised and intrigued by the various inconsistencies.

    The first significant change that piqued Roden¡¯s interest was the changes made to the king¡¯s brother. In the play he was shown to be a devious and secret wizard who consorted with dark forces from the Void lands beyond the Sun kingdom.

    His big musical number about being prepared was punctuated by his raising of many skeletons of the dead denizens of the Void lands who lived and died in squalor outside of the prosperity of the Sun kingdom. His message is one of rising up against the tyrant who was responsible for their plight and building a better world for everyone.

    Unfortunately, it is revealved the king is blind to his brother¡¯s machinations and is eventually tricked into a battle against his brother that results in the king being cursed by the treacherous wizard and transformed into a tree at the edge of the Sun kingdom. The only witness being Kimba, who runs away knowing he has no chance against his uncle.

    The last scene before intermission is that of Kimba running through a desert being pursued by skeletons commanded to kill him.

    During the break in the play, they all took the opportunity to step outside for some fresh air. Once outside Miriana produced three lengthy cigars and handed one to each of the men.

    ¡°While I may not partake in them myself, I assumed you boys would enjoy a nice smoke.¡±

    They all thanked her and immediately set to enjoying their gifts. After a few moments Miriana turned to Roden and asked, ¡°So what do you think of the play so far?¡±

    Roden took a long drag of his cigar and allowed the smoke to linger in his mouth. The notes of nuttiness, chocolate, and tobacco danced across his pallet.

    ¡°I¡¯m loving it, I¡¯ve never seen¨Cit performed like this.¡± Roden said catching himself, remembering he had already admitted to knowing about the Lion King to Riakon long before.

    ¡°It is a phenomenal production, I only ever saw the humble street version.¡± Riakon said, between puffs.

    Errrkkkk nodded while struggling to smoke his cigar without lips.

    Miriana looked pleased. ¡°Good I am glad you are enjoying it.¡±

    ¡°Not to look a gifted sword on the edge, but this is quite a lavish evening. Is there some occasion we are supposed to be celebrating?¡±

    Miriana glanced at Roden, ¡°Yes and no. It is great to be back home and that is always a good time to celebrate.¡± she tilted her head in Roden¡¯s direction, ¡°I thought you all could use a quiet night out where you could just escape from adventuring for a bit.¡±

    Errrkkkk and Riakon looked at each other and shrugged.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s not welcomed.¡± Riakon said seemingly speaking for both of them.

    She turned her gaze and smile to Roden who smiled back, ¡°Absolutely, I dare say it''s been a much needed distraction.¡±

    ¡°That is exactly what a mother wants to hear!¡± something inside the doors of their patio drew her attention, ¡°oh I think intermission is almost over. Best get back to our seats.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Once back in their seats, it wasn¡¯t long before the lights dimmed once more and the stage was transformed into a desolate wasteland of dry cracked dirt. The only figure on stage was that of an exhausted Kimba dragging himself along.

    The skeletons had finally caught up to him; he was too weak to fight. They attacked him viciously causing a slash across one of his eyes rendering it useless. The undead were prepared to finish him when a different figure galloped in and bashed the skeletons to pieces.

    The scene introduced two lycanthropic human characters, one cursed to a life of gluttony as a wereboar and the other punished to live in the shadows as a wererat, both were cursed by a spurned witch to live out their days within the bounds of a hidden oasis. Their curse forced them into their animal forms whenever they left their oasis thus becoming a prison of sorts.

    The two lycanthropes were comical characters who abandoned the outside world and defended their oasis from outsiders. They invited Kimba to join them in their exile as they saw him as a kindred spirit. It was there Kimba lived and grew to adulthood as they sang songs that expounded on the joys of frivolity, instant gratification, and a general abandonment of all responsibility.

    The magnificence of the oasis was accentuated by a myriad of illusory effects to create a lush sanctuary filled with plants and animals of every color. The magical scenery created a display that could only be described as a utopia of splendor. A stark contrast to the harsh desert surrounding it.

    After the time skip, it was clear Kimba has embraced the carefree lifestyle. He rapidly adopted the lifestyle of his two friends including their curious diet of fruits, flowers. and honey. The story picked up with the three on a casual walk while they gathered their lunch.

    Riakon elbowed Roden, ¡°here comes our song.¡± he said in a whisper.

    Sure enough a few moments later, Kimba left the stage and the two lycans sang the catchy ditty about lions sleeping.

    Their song was interrupted when their oasis was invaded by another Lionkin who attacked, first Kimba¡¯s friend and then Kimba himself when he rushed in to save them. The fight nearly results in Kimba¡¯s death until Kimba recognizes his attacker as his childhood friend.

    The two Lionkin have a small argument about Kimba running away and his uncle¡¯s actions as King that have resulted in the Sun kingdom being in a state of ruin. The argument results in both going off to separate parts of the oasis.

    The argument had plenty of subtext. When the two reconvened and sang a fourth wall breaking duet asking the audience if they can feel the love tonight as the two danced and flirted. Just as the song neared its ending and the romantic tension reached its climax their argument was reignited.

    Kimba¡¯s uncertainty about being able to defeat his uncle and shame at not living up to his father¡¯s expectations causes him to run away, but in his haste he unknowingly runs back to his father¡¯s tree at the edge of the Sun kingdom.

    There he speaks to the spirit of his dead father, who instructs him to make a staff out of one of his branches. With the weapon made from his father¡¯s tree, he returns to Priock and challenges his uncle after accusing him of murdering his brother, the old king.

    A line of loyalty was rapidly drawn between the two factions. First, those who supported the old king transferred their allegiance to Kimba, while the undead and inhabitants of the Void lands sided with his uncle.

    To Roden¡¯s surprise the ensuing fight was vicious. The show took full advantage of the magic at their disposal to produce visceral special effects. Gone were the cheeky songs instead they were replaced by an ensemble orchestral score full of brass and deep bass.

    The coup taking place on the stage was a mostly martial affair with the Lionkin smashing undead with their superior strength and coordination. Kimba chased his uncle all the way to the roof of the Priock Palace.

    Their fight was the classic tale of sword versus sorcery. Kimba rapidly gained the upper hand, his uncle no match for his powerful strikes. Just when it seemed he would cast his uncle off the edge, he spared him in a show of mercy. Kimba banished him to the lands beyond the Void lands.

    As his uncle began to slink off, he betrayed Kimba¡¯s mercy and attacked him with a spell of dark magic. Kimba was sent sprawling. His uncle berated him for being a fool just like his father. As his monologue rose to its peak, Kimba rose to his feet.

    Curiously, a golden light began to radiate from behind him. The sun rose its corona giving him a divine aura. The fight was renewed that time Kimba did not fall for his uncle¡¯s tricks and no mercy was shown. Kimba cast his uncle off the palace roof with a powerful kick.

    The play closed with a call back mirroring the beginning. Guests were arriving at the Priock palace. The Sun kingdom is shown to be prosperous once more. Kimba had made his childhood friend his queen and they presented their guests with their new born son.

    The entire audience erupted into a deafening standing ovation that carried on long enough for each member of the production to take a bow. Roden found the inclusion of the special effects mages a novel part of his first theatrical performance on Mir.

    By the time they returned home, it was far past their usual bedtime. Errrkkkk and Riakon quickly took off to bed. Roden intended to follow, but was stopped by a hand on his arm from Miriana.

    ¡°Care for a game before we turn in?¡±

    Roden smiled, ¡°sure.¡±

    They sat at the board and Miriana played her first move, pawn to D four.

    Roden played pawn to F 5.

    ¡°I assume you wanted to talk about something?¡± Roden said, adjusting his pieces to be more centered on their squares.

    Miriana paired her D pawn with her C pawn on the fourth rank.

    ¡°I was going to ask if you liked the show?¡±

    Roden chuckled, ¡°I have to say it was amazing. I love a good piece of theater then you mix in all the magic.¡± he brought his fingers to his lips concluding his statement with a chef¡¯s kiss.

    Miriana giggled at his gesture, ¡°That¡¯s great! I hoped it would help get your mind off things for a bit.¡±

    Roden shrugged, ¡°you know it''s weird. I¡¯ve been here for over half a year, the longest I¡¯ve ever been away from my home or my wife. In the pit of my stomach I have a nagging sense of homesickness. I don¡¯t know how people do it.¡±

    ¡°I suppose those people had a choice in what they were leaving behind.¡±

    ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth.¡± Roden said, letting out a huff.

    ¡°Although, those people are probably doing it for less noble reasons.¡±

    Roden gave her a small laugh, ¡°Touch¨¦, saving the world does feel like a pretty uncommon reason to metaphysically leave home for an extended period of time.¡±

    They played their next couple of moves in silence.

    When Roden realized he couldn¡¯t remember the next move in the opening, he tried to stall.

    ¡°Hey, what is this opening called here?¡±

    Miriana raised an eyebrow, ¡°Oh that one is the Nether Defense. Although, I think it''s had a few different names over the years.¡±

    ¡°Hmmmmmm.¡± was Roden¡¯s only response.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Oh it''s just always interesting to me to see how things are different. Like with chess, hell even the play.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡±

    Roden furrowed his brow, ¡°Oh yeah the play was quite different.¡±

    ¡°That I assumed, considering it''s adapted to mirror King Roderick¡¯s story.¡±

    ¡°It is?¡±

    Miriana nodded, ¡°It¡¯s Roderick overthrowing Orvell the Dark Lich Wizard.¡±

    ¡°Well ain''t that something, I suppose it didn¡¯t take that much adapting.¡±

    ¡°Did he really throw him off a roof?¡±

    Miriana shook her head, ¡°No and there is actually a lot of lore and rumor surrounding their final battle.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡±

    ¡°Heavens yes! The one alluded to in the play is that Era helped Roderick in Orvell¡¯s defeat.¡±

    Roden eyed her suspiciously, ¡°and what do you think happened?¡±

    Miriana rolled her eyes, ¡°there is no think son, I was there and yes that red cunt interfered.¡±

    Roden laughed at her insult, something about one god insulting another never got old.

    ¡°So the scheme with Rolen actually happened aye?¡±

    Miriana clicked her tongue, ¡°yep, she pretty much guaranteed Orvell would be dethroned.¡±

    ¡°I noticed you didn¡¯t say killed.¡±

    ¡°Of course he wasn¡¯t killed, just permanently exiled to the Shade.¡±

    Roden got a thoughtful look on his face as he remembered something from long ago. He ventured a guess at something from his old writings.

    ¡°What about Vol¡¯ler?¡± Roden said, almost nonchalantly.

    Miriana¡¯s face went stone cold. ¡°What about him?¡± the slight twitch in her expression told him he was on shaky ground.

    ¡°Is he going to be a part of all this?¡±

    Miriana¡¯s only response was to put a finger up to her lips in a show of silence hinting at a part of the story even Roden didn''t know.

 Chapter 33- Old Stomping Grounds

    Chapter 33

    After their night at the Magic Theater, the men decided to take a slower approach to their quest. They lounged in Coastall and took in the city before rushing off to slay their second dragon. Their delay came with a few benefits.

    First, the men were able to get Grok and Branch some controlled combat experience. A quick chat with some folks at the arena and they managed to secure a training room and opponent. The arena offered small room sized arenas as a sort of shooting range for adventurers to test abilities or tactics.

    In their case, they rented a battle construct for them to fight against. When all was set, Errrkkkk and Riakon gave their companions respective pep talks. Errrkkkk¡¯s speech was a series of squawks and chirps that Roden could not understand, while Riakon¡¯s sounded like a pre-game speech a coach might give before a football game filled with multiple grunts and ooo ras.

    For their part, Branch and Grok looked determined as they stood in the training arena opposite their opponent. The men had decided to pit them against a clay golem similar to the Zolem they had fought all those months ago.

    Grok stood tall with his dimensional bag strapped around him like a bandolier. He was essentially full grown by that point, all that was left was for him to mature. Gargs like humans grew stronger as they matured into their adulthood with a sharp decline as they became elderly.

    Branch looked quite unassuming standing next to Grok. He was about two feet shorter and about as broad as one of Grok¡¯s biceps. If Roden didn¡¯t already know what the little Treant could do, he¡¯d be worried for him.

    Riakon gave the signal for the match to start by shouting the Golem¡¯s command phrase. The Golem immediately rushed toward its opponents. Grok leapt into action, attempting to tackle the nearly eight foot construct. The two crashed into each other hard. The collision resulted in the Golem being stopped in its tracks with Grok holding it around the waist.

    When the Golem realized it couldn¡¯t move, it rose up to its full height intent on slamming down on Grok¡¯s back. Before it could start its downward motion, a wooden spike the size of a pencil sprouted from its chest. It turned its head and located Branch who stood in his starting location arm raised.

    Branch¡¯s arm had shifted and opened revealing a hollow cavity. A soft green glow came from the darkness within until it flashed releasing another wooden spike that flew out of his arm and into the Golems chest alongside the first one.

    With the Golem distracted Grok released his hold and swung his meaty claw in a wild overhand slash that left four gashes across the Golem¡¯s clay skin. He followed up with a horizontal slash across the Golem¡¯s midsection.

    While the Golem wasn¡¯t intelligent by the standards which one would judge a person. These training Golems were instilled with tactics. It weathered Grok¡¯s attacks and used Grok¡¯s inside leverage against him.

    The Golem seized Grok by the head with one of its meaty hands and hoisted him off his feet. Grok for his part struggled mightily, but his awkward position left him unable to match the Golem¡¯s strength. The powerful hook that came from the Golem¡¯s other hand slammed into Grok¡¯s chest, sending him flying a few feet.

    The Golem took a step toward Grok and found its foot stuck to the ground. Leafy green vines sprouted from the ground and were wrapping themselves around the Golem¡¯s leg. It only took the Golem a few seconds to pull its leg free, but that was enough time for Grok to recover.

    While distracted Grok had dusted himself off and leapt into the air. Roden recognized the tactic as the typical garg hunting method. He¡¯d written the gargs what seemed like forever ago, but he distinctly remembered imagining them performing an elaborate flying bounce that was part eagle snatching a fish and part tiger pouncing on an unsuspecting deer.

    Grok¡¯s instincts told him to go for the head and neck. The tactic would have worked except the Golem did not have those weak points. Grok¡¯s pounce looked devastating. He crashed into the Golem¡¯s back while digging his claws into its neck. Next came a vicious bite with his needle-like teeth.

    If the Golem had been made of flesh, Roden was quite sure Grok would have decapitated his target. Instead, Grok spat out a chunk of clay and the Golem turned around with its head flopping to the side settling on its own shoulder.

    Roden noticed a green glow coming from his left. When he spared a glance to the offending brightness, he saw Branch had reconfigured his arm into a spear like shape, his hand was transformed into a rough point.

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    The bright glow emanated out of the back of his shoulder, which had grown thick protrusions. With a flash of magical energy Branches arm shot off of his body like a rocket. The nearly foot long wooden stake pierced the Golem¡¯s back and jutted out the front a few inches.

    It was the consolidation of the druidic magic within the projectile that reminded Roden of what was to come and he shouted out of reflex.

    ¡°Get down!¡±

    Roden was relieved to see nearly everyone followed his instruction. Grok dashed away from the Golem as soon as he saw, Riakon dive to the side. Roden ducked behind the low wall in front of him just enough so he could still peer over.

    Errrkkkk and Branch both stood stoic and watched the wooden arm turned stake, first crack then splitter before exploding out in a concussive wave. The resulting explosion left the Golem¡¯s body above the waist in tatters. What remained of the Golem¡¯s arms fell to the ground under their own weight, the remnants of the torso were no longer capable of holding them up.

    With the Golem looking like a half eaten banana the man wrapped up their training session with Grok and Branch with a post fight meeting. While Errrkkkk and Riakon were reviewing the fight, Roden took the opportunity to walk around the arena a bit and take in the current main stage fight.

    Roden was both surprised and tickled at seeing the current fight was between a group of three adventurers fighting a rather nasty looking Timber Manticore. The fight was going rather well for the adventurers, they had managed to back the creature up against a wall while the three of them had it surrounded.

    The similarity to his own group''s fight gave his spectating experience an uncanny feeling. Unfortunately for this band of adventurers, they¡¯re tactics and teamwork didn¡¯t appear to be on the same level as the Sons of Er-archy.

    This group didn¡¯t appear to have a magic user of any substantial capacity. All of their members looked and fought in close, which gave the Manticore the advantage. Two members of the group ended up in the creature¡¯s back mounted claws, while the central adventurer bashed at its face with a massive greataxe.

    Roden¡¯s instincts told him if the group had better coordination, they could have chopped off those claws and had the manticore at their mercy. Instead the manticore smashed its two captives into one another before leaping on the lone standing combatant. Needless to say all three adventurers ended up with their safety wards being triggered, sparing their lives, as the Manticore¡¯s roar rattled the arena in triumph.

    That night the party celebrated their youngest members¡¯ victory courtesy of Miriana and her delicious home cooking. The return to Coastall appeared to be a benefit to everyone. Miriana was visibly more relaxed within her own home especially when she was able to spend time in her ocean view garden.

    Errrkkkk and Riakon appreciated the move back into Roden¡¯s treehouse as did Grok and Branch.

    Miriana had made it a point to try and ease Roden¡¯s troubled mind. She had the suspicion he was beginning to feel the absence of the things in his life that gave him purpose. She had made the conscious decision to show him just what life was like on Mir in the hope it would reignite his love of life.

    The trip to the Magic Theater had done wonders for his mood, and being able to discuss a play with another theater lover had temporarily put a pep in his step. Errrkkkk and Riakon were not oblivious to the situation, but allowed Miriana to handle it privately. Roden had not given them a reason to think his mood would be a detriment thus they left it alone.

    However, they did believe it was best to capitalize on Roden¡¯s good spirits so they made their final preparations for their encounter with the second dragon by making a trip to their old business partner, G¡¯Vaddle, for potions and other things.

    They were announced by the familiar chime of the arcane bell triggered by the opening of the shop door. The wiry gnome greeted them in his high singsong voice,

    ¡°Welcome to G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s Potions¡ª Oh! It¡¯s you boys!¡±

    A wide grin spread on all of their faces at the gnome¡¯s greeting. There was something about G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s disposition that was simply infectious. Roden wasn¡¯t completely convinced the effect wasn¡¯t the result of some external influence, but he felt no magic being pressed upon him nor had he written anything of the sort, but the inscrutable feeling of jubilation he and seemingly everyone got from entering G¡¯Vaddle¡¯s shop made him wonder.

    Riakon immediately went into his buy and selling pitch looking to procure a substantial supply of healing potions. Everything was going as expected until they got to negotiating price. G¡¯Vaddle simply waved his hand dismissing the matter.

    ¡°You boys have quite a healthy bit of credit saved up. No coin need be exchanged for these things.¡±

    A puzzled look spread across Riakon¡¯s brow, ¡°what credit?¡±

    Errrkkkk nearly knocked over a stand of small potion vials labeled, ¡°Discreet Favors¡±, while trying to reach the counter.

    ¡°Is it from the masks, cacaw?¡±

    G¡¯Vaddle nodded, ¡°Yes! I fine tuned them and managed to produce disposable pods for them which made them all the more popular among the non-adventuring types. Needless to say, you boys are making a tidy profit. I have the exact number in my ledgers¡­¡±

    Riakon pounced on the opportunity, ¡°no need for exact numbers among partners. We trust you.¡±

    G¡¯Vaddle beamed, ¡°Good! Good! So what are you gentlemen off to conquer with your trove of health potions?¡±

    Riakon leaned in conspiratorially, ¡°we are off to slay a dragon.¡± he said in a whisper.

    ¡°Oh! A dragon! How fun!.¡± he replied in a voice that bore no resemblance to a whisper. The trifecta of palms meeting faces didn¡¯t slow down the excitable gnome.

    ¡°Do you need anything ¡®extra¡¯ for your dragon slaying mission?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®extra¡¯?¡± Riakon said attempting to put the same inflection on the word.

    ¡°Oh, you know¡­¡±

    Riakon sighed, ¡°No actually I do not, I am not the brightest dragon in the clutch so please speak plainly.¡±

    ¡°Oh you¡¯re no fun! I love pretending to be a clandestine merchant to shadowy warriors.¡±

    The three men looked at each other in their brightly colored adventuring clothes clearly not suited for stealthy operations and shrugged discreetly.

    ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± Riakon said in an attempt to snap the shopkeeper out of his fantasy.

    ¡°Well my first thought was my Bitter Bombs, but no no those won¡¯t do for a creature as magnificent as a dragon! We simply must go bigger! I am thinking we use some Annul Beads!¡±

 Chapter 34- A Horse of Another Kind

    Chapter 34

    It was a balmy day in midsummer when they finally made their move to leave Coastall. After nearly two weeks of reacquainting themselves with their adoptive home the men made the decision to head off. Riakon had grown especially anxious to continue his mission partially out of his want to regain his access to his Paladin magic, but also partially out of his want to make his godly father proud.

    Roden was less concerned with the latter of his two motivations, but knew completing this part of Riakon¡¯s mission would bring him one step closer to going home. Before leaving the men mapped out their route. Despite Errrkkkk¡¯s ability to grant flight with the addition of Branch as another non-flyer, they were unable to fly at any great pace.

    Yet, when it came time to leave Branch had surprised all of them. The party stood atop the first large rise outside the city when Branch¡¯s frustration was made apparent. Errrkkkk attempted to calm the little Treant, who appeared to everyone else to be throwing a temper tantrum.

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem brother?¡± Riakon said, eyeing the grumbling Treant.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. I think he¡¯s mad that he¡¯s the slowest, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Riakon asked.

    ¡°He says he can go fast, but can¡¯t explain how, cacaw.¡± he said with a shrug.

    Everyone present made vague gestures about the legitimacy of the little plant¡¯s frustration. When making their plan they had all been very excited at being able to move rapidly until it was pointed out that Branch would be a hindrance, even though Errrkkkk made it clear to Branch he would be making Riakon walk,

    It was on that rise that Branch revealed the real reason for his consternation. Branch began to glow a faint green light. Riakon and Grok stepped away from him, but everyone watched in a mix of concern and curiosity.

    Branch¡¯s wooden exterior began to shift and undulate in an unwood-like manner. His bark cracked and rippled. His truck split open and he started to grow taller. He fell forward landing on his arms in a quadrupedal stance. His entire body had transformed into that of a four legged shape with four skinny legs that tapered into thick hinged branches that poked out of his now horizontal trunk which had expanded to nearly four feet around. It wasn¡¯t until the neck and head finished adapting to the new shape that Branch¡¯s intentions became clear to everyone.

    ¡°My gods, he¡¯s fucking horse!¡± Riakon exclaimed in surprise.

    Branch responded with a toss of his head followed by a trilling series of tweets that was wholly uncanny coming from a figure that should have snorted or neighed. Errrkkkk patted Branch¡¯s neck and murmured something to him in their language.

    Horse Branch moved over to Riakon and lowered himself down in what the Dragonkin rapidly deduced was an invitation. Simultaneously, horse Branch sprouted thick vines to serve as reins and stirrups. When Riakon was seated, he felt the wood beneath him mold and adjust to form a more comfortable seat.

    ¡°This is amazing, Branch! I had no idea you could¡ª¡± Riakon¡¯s praise was cut off when horse Branch rose into the air and galloped off toward the clouds.

    With Riakon riding atop horse Branch, all members of their group were able to take advantage of Errrkkkk¡¯s flight granting abilities. They had made it a point to stop at their favorite camping spot along the river where they had frequently fished during their travels.

    That night the newly expanded party enjoyed a rather lively evening by the river in Roden¡¯s treehouse. Everyone tried their hand at fishing, however, Branch rapidly made the endeavor unnecessary by skewering multiple fish with his wooden spikes in a matter of minutes, much to Riakon and Grok¡¯s dismay.

    ¡°How is it that the one who doesn¡¯t eat is the best at catching fish?¡± Riakon exclaimed in frustration while dragging himself out of the river.

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    After Errrkkkk and Branch exchanged some tweets and squawks, Errrkkkk translated.

    ¡°He said he just likes the competition, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Who cares, just make a fire and cook it up and don¡¯t even think about bringing that stinky shit in my treehouse.¡± Roden added.

    After dinner the men carried on with their tradition of star gazing from the comfort of their treetop nest albeit Roden noticed Branch and Errrkkkk had added some additional twigs and leaves for whatever reason. He knew that without him and his treehouse those two would be crafting nests by hand so he didn¡¯t take it personally.

    Once the sun was down each member of the team laid on their back and stared up at the dazzling night sky. Roden always looked forward to those moments. Ever since he was young and had discovered the majesty of space, he longed for the times he could escape the oppressive lights of the city.

    That night their conversation was a subdued one that carried no steady stream. Someone would point out a particularly shiny star or they¡¯d all share a moment of awe at a shoot star. Grok was the least impressed by the twinkling stars. He only lasted an hour or so in complete darkness before he hopped out of the nest to, as Riakon explained, grab a snack presumably speaking about one of the many nocturnal flying beasts out hunting insects.

    After a few hours they all grew tired and were about to head off to their rooms for sleep when Roden broached the topic of their destination.

    ¡°So we¡¯re off to Mu¡¯tumbo tomorrow.¡± he said it with the air of a question despite knowing that was their plan.

    ¡°Yeah back to the lycans.¡± Riakon answered unenthusiastically.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong brother-cousin, cacaw?¡±

    Riakon groaned, ¡°Don¡¯t yall remember what happened last time?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you destroyed their special spirit bone thing, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon huffed, ¡°I was actually talking about the gathering and communing with Tiamat, but yeah that too.¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡± Roden said with a carefree gesture.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think they will be mad or at least not as welcoming?¡±

    ¡°Mad at you maybe, but I didn¡¯t do anything, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°You mean we didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Roden added.

    ¡°You broke the wall of their gathering house, cacaw.¡±

    Roden had to think about his statement before it dawned on him, ¡°you mean when Seven tossed me through a wall?¡±

    ¡°See? You broke the wall, cacaw.¡±

    Roden rolled his eyes, ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be an issue mate. Their guy attacked and we took care of it and saved Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s life.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah I forgot about that part¡­¡± the dragonkin said reluctantly.

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m just looking forward to some of that mead and fireweed.¡± Roden quipped.

    A collective ¡°mmmmhhhhmmmmm¡± came from the three while Branch sat in silence.

    A memory floated to the surface of Roden¡¯s mind and he sat up, ¡°Holy shit! Yall do not let me forget to get some seeds from Mu¡¯tumbo!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Are you going to try and grow some fireweed in your mom¡¯s garden?¡± Riakon replied surprised.

    ¡°What?! No, one of my spells adapted to my elven magic and requires a blessed seed of sorts. I¡¯m pretty sure Mu¡¯tumbo has a tree that will meet the requirements.¡± Roden paused and slapped a palm to his forehead, ¡°Awe shit, I probably could have gotten one while we were in Port Sept too.¡±

    Errrkkkk clucked, ¡°geez such a bad cleric, cacaw.¡±

    Roden wanted to argue his point that it wasn¡¯t his forgetting about magical spell materials that made him a bad cleric, but he let Errrkkkk have his moment instead after all he was a relatively bad cleric for multiple other reasons.

    ¡°Ya know, we should have brought them some supplies as a peace offering.¡± Riakon lamented.

    ¡°Damn that would have been a great idea.¡± Roden agreed.

    ¡°Too late for that now, cacaw.¡±

    A moment of silence fell over them as they all thought hard on the idea. Nearly simultaneously all three men slowly turned to look at Branch, who for his part was lying quietly looking every bit like a fallen log.

    Roden gestured at Errrkkkk to ask the little Treant what they all were thinking.

    Errrkkkk whistled and warbled at his little companion who shrugged, responded in kind before starting to rise up to his feet.

    ¡°He said, he¡¯ll go get some fish for us, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°Perfect! What a good boy.¡±

    Once the Treant had started his climb down Errrkkkk added, ¡°He¡¯s a sassy boy. He said he¡¯d do it for some fireweed, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t know what that is.¡± Roden said.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a clue, but I said we¡¯d get him something else to pay him back, cacaw.¡±

    Another long pause followed. Riakon broke the silence.

    ¡°Can a tree even smoke?¡±

    ¡°It feels like a strange form of cannibalism, when you think about it.¡± Roden replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he wants to smoke it, I think he just wants it, cacaw.¡±

    ¡°What if we gave him mead?¡± Riakon suggested.

    Roden scoffed, ¡°Alcohol can¡¯t be good for a plant.¡±

    ¡°I figured we could scrounge up some honey, cacaw.¡±

    Riakon frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t know, those lycans loved their mead. I doubt they have any lying around that isn¡¯t already on its way to being mead.¡±

    ¡°Either way we can¡¯t give him either of those things, right?¡± Roden said as the topic of the conversation was starting to make him giggle uncontrollably.

    ¡°Neither can be good for a growing boy.¡± Riakon admonished no one in particular.

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about it. We can figure it out when we get there, cacaw.¡±

 Chapter 35- Let Sleeping Dragons Lie

    Chapter 35

    After pushing their way through the dome ward that encompassed the lycan¡¯s territory, the party rapidly located the village from the air. They had reduced their travel to essentially a single day allowing them to arrive around mid morning. They would have arrived sooner if not for Branch, who had stayed up the majority of the night fishing.

    When the men had awoken that morning they discovered Branch had managed to gather a mound of freshly caught fish. Transporting the fish wasn¡¯t an issue once they had decided to place the fish in Grok¡¯s dimensional bag, the hindering element was the lengthy discussion as to how to transport the fish as Riakon was highly objectionable to placing the fish in his dimensional bag do to as Riakon had put it, cross-contamination citing the situation with the fruit and mushroom spores from way back.

    Grok was nonplussed when asked to load the fish in his bag. Although, it quickly became necessary for everyone to pitch in as Grok was eating nearly as many as made it into the bag when left to his own devices.

    Upon arriving, Grok¡¯s bag was handed off to a villager to dispense with their fishy gift to Grok¡¯s displeasure. Since receiving the bag from Riakon, he had demonstrated a fierce attachment to it and did not like having to relinquish it.

    The men made their way to Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s home where they found the black complected elf sitting outside the front entrance smoking a pipe.

    Mu¡¯tumbo saw the odd collection of adventurers and a wide smile spread across his face showing all of his bright teeth, ¡°How you dey, boys?¡±

    Roden automatically took point for the conversation, ¡°We¡¯re fantastic! How have you been? How are things around here?¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s smile didn¡¯t waver, but he shook his head, ¡°Oh tins are no bi so gud, boys.¡±

    A look of concern spread across the men, Riakon asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo flipped his pipe over and tapped it out on the ground.

    ¡°You boys cari come me for inside and we go yan.¡±

    While Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s speech was difficult to follow, the invitation to follow him inside was easy enough even Grok understood. Once everyone was situated, Mu¡¯tumbo set to work grinding out various herbs.

    Riakon, ever the inpatient one of the group, asked again, ¡°Mu¡¯tumbo, what¡¯s been going on?¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo sighed , ¡°Oh it na di loss for awa haus for di ancestors¡±

    Roden braced himself for the guilt trip he knew was coming. Mu¡¯tumbo spent the following ten minutes regaling the men with all of the missed opportunities the village had suffered without access to their ancestors'' wisdom. Riakon and Errrkkkk weathered Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s pathos about as well as can be expected.

    When the joint made its way into rotation, Roden decided to cut Mu¡¯tumbo off and get to his point.

    ¡°Ya know mate, we feel really bad about breaking parts of the house, but I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re not just talking about the building. Yall definitely could have fixed that by now.¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo nodded, ¡°you de right, it na di skull dat needs be replaced.¡±

    Riakon winced at the mention of the skull he had smashed to pieces. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could put the original one back together?¡±

    ¡°No, we need new one.¡± Mu¡¯tumbo said taking the joint from Errrkkkk. Branch was monetarily mesmerized by the tiny ember as it passed in front of him.

    In an attempt to get things moving Roden in, ¡°and how do we get a new one?¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo took a long drag and exhaled a thick cloud about the ground between them all. He waved his hand over the smoke with an ephemeral glow shrouding his hand making the gesture. A four legged creature began to form on one side while multiple faceless humanoid figures appeared opposite the smoky beast.

    ¡°Di skull comes from a Urcwolf, dem be nasty creatures. Urcwolves com from di Shade di domain for shadows. Dem guard di places wia di vail between worlds fit be easily broken. Di skull lets we use di Shade as per medium for awa ancestors.¡±

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    As the black elf spoke the figures produced spears and circled the miniature Urcwolf. The creature lashed out snapping its jaws around one while the other two stabbed at its sides. The Urcwolf bore down on the smoke man in its mouth causing it to disperse before it too fell to the ground defeated.

    Riakon, who had been watching the theatrical performance, had a puzzled look on his face.

    ¡°If you know where they are, how come you haven¡¯t just gone and gotten a new one?¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo burst out, ¡°Ha! you must be joking. Urcwolves are vicious creatures and di shade na incredibly dangerous place. We only don one man i would dey comfortable sending on top such a task, but i would lai lai send am alone.¡±

    The men shared a look that signified the others had arrived at the conclusion Roden already knew. Errrkkkk spoke for the group when he agreed to help retrieve the Urcwolf skull.

    ¡°Dat na great bin dey boys! i go call marsh back go di vila and don am prepare for ya journey into di Shade.¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s excitement dissipated slightly and he raised his palm to his forehead.

    ¡°Goodness me, i fashi to ask, wetin brings you boys by awa vila?¡±

    Riakon nodded to the group, blew out his inhaled smoke and started the long story that explained the general aftermath of the gathering and his divine mandate. He softened and glossed over the parts that made him look particularly awful. Throughout Mu¡¯tumbo sat stoic, he¡¯d nod his head in understanding or purse his lips at the particularly unsavory parts, but once Riakon had finished he praised the Dragonkin for finding his way out of the darkness.

    ¡°Gud on top you for finding ya way back go di lait. No bi everyone don wetin it takes to do it. But you tok you de chasing afta a dragon who live for di swamp go di west?¡±

    ¡°That is right.¡± Riakon replied.

    Mu¡¯tumbo sucked his teeth at the confirmation.

    ¡°Dat na no bi gud boys,the dragon you de find na Shu''zet di Unsleeping¨C¡±

    ¡°Why do they call him the Unsleeping, cacaw?¡± Errrkkkk interrupted.

    Mu¡¯tumbo shook his head, ¡°Bicos im lai lai sleeps unlike most dragons. Im na incredibly paranoid especially afta im heard for ha broda''s death for di north. Which now i sabi na you boys.¡±

    Roden¡¯s eyes widened at the news Shu¡¯zet knew of Ven¡¯zet¡¯s death, that had not been the case in his game.

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming that its not good for dragons to not sleep?¡± Roden asked the elf.

    ¡°No bi gud for all, by now Shu''zet go de di strongest im get ever been. Dragons get weaker wen dem sleep, but dem live longer. Shu''zet suppose don get into a torpor long tey. Im na changed sake of it. Am jazz leaks komot for ha and into am domain. Im and am domain are e remain small one.¡±

    Both Errrkkkk and Riakon looked to Roden, their lack of understanding plain in their blank stares.

    ¡°He¡¯s saying this fight is going to be very different from the one with the dragon on the mountain. I am assuming he means that dragon wasn¡¯t at full strength, right?¡± Roden directed his question toward Mu¡¯tumbo.

    ¡°If wetin you tok na true then no. You say you woke dem up. If mai guess na right then dem de maybe for half strength.¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s words hit the men like a truck. Even Roden hadn¡¯t known just how much weaker Ven¡¯zet had been at the time of their attack. From there the men peppered Mu¡¯tumbo with a flurry of questions about the dragon he seemed to know so much about. Roden knew Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s knowledge came from his family¡¯s long history of living in those woods and the agreement they had reached to keep the peace between the lycans and their self proclaimed landlord.

    Their discussion came to its natural conclusion when none of the men could form coherent thoughts due to the sheer amount of fireweed Mu¡¯tumbo had passed around the tent. Before it got too late Roden had conjured up his treehouse and the men were able to enjoy the company of the villagers once again.

    Errrkkkk took it upon himself to procure some honey for Branch as payment for all of his fish. The little Treant cradled the jar as if it were a precious child. At one point Roden was pretty sure he caught Branch nestling the jar within a hollow space within his chest, presumably for safe keeping.

    After some of his general haziness wore off, Roden approached Mu¡¯tumbo asking about some seeds.

    ¡°Hey Mu¡¯tumbo, do you have a minute?¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo politely waved off the villager and excused himself.

    ¡°wetin fit i do for you?¡±

    ¡°I learned a cleric spell a while back that was absorbed into my elven magic. The new spell requires a seed from a divinely blessed tree. I thought your family¡¯s tree might work, could you spare some seeds?¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo thought for a moment, ¡°For you, i fit do dat. You de gud boi, strong wit di blood to don it overwhelm ya divine magic. You might be getting close go di next threshold. Shit you fit don already crossed it. Or maybe make you juss need a little push¡± he said eyeing Roden with the scrutiny one might give a dubious piece of jewelry.

    As they neared Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s family tree, Roden could see it had a lively green glow emanating from within its truck. Mu¡¯tumbo visibly grew excited at the sight.

    ¡°Aye mai boi you de ready!¡±

    Roden sighed, ¡°Do I even dare to ask for what?¡±

    Mu¡¯tumbo dismissed his concerns with a flippant hand motion and directed him to touch the tree as he had done before. When his hand touched the truck of the great tree, the glow brightened as soon as his fingers brushed against the bark. Roden closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off to his grove.

    His return was different than the last time he communed with the tree and its stored memories. Roden opened his eyes to a dense grove of trees and vegetation. It wasn¡¯t until he heard the rush and whoosh of the tide that Roden was able to confidently say he was on his island within his spark.

    The first tree that called to him was a tall winding thing that appeared to be more beanstalk than tree. Nonetheless he found himself pulled into a memory of a Grove Guardian of old. Roden had almost forgotten what it was like to be a bystander behind the eyes of the old elven warriors.

    It took him a few minutes to grasp the situation he had found himself thrust into. It appeared his host and his team of guardians were being pursued by some kind of large creature. Roden could hear it crashing through the trees behind them as they leapt from branch to branch.

    Roden could feel his host¡¯s palms sweating as the crashing grew louder and closer until they were knocked off their perch when the tree beneath them shattered somewhere far below. Roden hated falling, but his host thought quickly and reached out to the nearby plants with the hum of an elven tone. Before they smashed into the ground Roden felt his body caught and cradled by various vines before being gently set on his feet by his arboreal assistants.

    The second tree looked more like Mu''tumbo''s. It was tall and its branches spread out wide, its canopy created the feeling of being under a dome of leaves. The memory that it held left Roden dazed and confused. His mind was drawn to a scene of Grove Guardians clad in their wooden armor hustling into the trunk of a thick tree. One after another they each entered and disappeared. When it came time for Roden and his host, they plunged in and were met with a sensation of falling forward as if thrown at high speed. Before Roden could find his bearings he found himself once again standing in front of the tree with Mu¡¯tumbo, a cloud of smoke hanging in the air about him.

 Chapter 36-More Than You Can Chew

    Chapter 36

    The lycan camp was far behind them by midmorning the following day. Mu¡¯tumbo had recommended they avoid flying straight into Shu¡¯zet¡¯s lair. With that advice the group decided to approach the dangerous swamp from the north. Their information from the Erjornian high priest back in Port Sept told them their target called the southwestern corner of the Wilds home.

    Their plan of approach was simple, they flew straight to the western coast of Vairhon and followed the coastline south.

    When the land started its transition from solid robust forest to soggy decay ridden swampland, the men knew they were nearing Shu¡¯zet¡¯s lair.

    ¡°God it smells fucking awful around here!¡± Roden said in a stage whisper.

    Errrkkkk turned to look in Roden¡¯s direction, his face covered with a brown leather mask with two bulbs handing off the front looking like a medieval respirator.

    ¡°Awe fuck me throw me one.¡± Roden said, holding a hand up.

    With his mask on Roden took as deep of a breath as he could. The air wasn¡¯t exactly fresh, but it lacked the unbearable overwhelming scent of putrescence that permeated the bog they were currently hovering their way through, courtesy of Errrkkkk¡¯s ability.

    Roden was rightly wary of their current plan. With Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s help they had a better idea of what to expect from Shu¡¯zet than they did the dragon in the mountains. Mu¡¯tumbo was confident in his assumption they would find the dragon awake and most likely in the middle of a meal. Apparently, because Shu refused to sleep she had a voracious appetite that required constant snacking compared to her more drowsy kin who could eat a large meal then sleep it off for months.

    Mu¡¯tumbo also warned them of a tribe of subservient goblin-like creatures who worshiped Shu and served as her stewards. Mu¡¯tumbo couldn¡¯t say whether they would interfere in their fight with Shu, but did warn them they would expose their presence if they were seen by one. Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s final piece of advice was to abandon any hope of catching Shu unaware. Her paranoia was too great and guaranteed she would have methods of observing anything that entered her domain.

    The group took Mu¡¯tumbo¡¯s words to heart and crafted their various plans before they left the lycan village. Roden was not terribly happy with their main plan, but couldn¡¯t object without revealing he knew more than he let on. Their plan was not consistent with what his friends had done at the table and Roden was worried too much would be altered by what was about to happen.

    By midday the adventurers had reached the part of Shu¡¯zet¡¯s domain that contained her home. The bog turned into more solid land with pools of bubbling liquid. Roden knew the disgusting fluid was a type of acid born from Shu¡¯s breath weapon of choice.

    Way back when they had done their original research, they had discovered reports of dragon¡¯s using acid and Riakon¡¯s version of the attack confirmed the reports in their mind. The reports were mostly derived from accounts of dragon on dragon disputes that resulted in the death of the non-acid spewing dragon. From what they had deduced at the time, acid using dragons were more adapted to killing other dragons than most.

    They knew they had found their target when a voice boomed out from ahead of them.

    ¡°I know you are there! You can¡¯t hide from me!¡± the voice was pervasive. The hiss that bookended their speech sent a shiver down Roden¡¯s spine.

    Riakon knew his role, he nodded to the group and strode forward as everyone else followed slowly. They walked out of the tree line and into a large clearing of mostly solid ground. On the far side, Roden could see a large yet sleek scaled figure hidden in the shadow of a massive gnarled willow. He guessed they were about a hundred feet away which put the dragon within range of some of his spells, but hoped they were too far for her acid to reach them if things got hairy.

    Its head bobbed and swayed like a snake as Riakon made himself known. It fanned out its wings and hissed a sharp note.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve come for me too!¡± the accusation was biting, but the men anticipated such from a paranoid dragon.

    ¡°Yes and no, we have come for information, oh great Shu¡¯zet.¡± Riakon said without a hint of fear.

    Even Roden could tell his words had taken Shu off her guard. Flattery was always a dragon¡¯s weakness.

    Shu scoffed, ¡°Information about what?¡±

    By then Riakon had covered nearly half the distance between the dragon and the rest of the group. He stopped walking and stood tall with his head high and chest up. He held out his dimensional bag and out plopped a bag drawn tight.

    ¡°Do you know anything about the gremlins that are popping up around Vairhon?¡±

    Shu spit to the side at the mention of gremlins. ¡°Those little vile things do not come here.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Riakon shrugged, ¡°well I hear they are¡ª¡±

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±  Shu snapped in a belligerent interruption.

    Riakon was doing a phenomenal job of remaining nonplussed,

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. They are growing quite bold. They are pursuing the Confluxes and creating crystals to tap into their power. We hoped a great and wise dragon such as Shu¡¯zet would know something to help us.¡±

    Roden saw Shu¡¯s large yellow eyes narrow and focused on Riakon,

    ¡°and why would I help you?! You killed my brother!¡±

    As she spoke her wings fanned out behind her head and neck giving her the appearance of a cobra with its hood on display. Roden took it as a warning and mentally prepared to act.

    ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you. I slayed the dragon in the north, but that was his own fault. I merely sought him out for information as I have you. He attacked me and suffered the consequences.¡±

    ¡°And what did he say of these gremlins?¡± her tone remained neutral, Riakon¡¯s ploy seemed to be working.

    Riakon dismissed her question, ¡°He didn¡¯t know anything, he was too busy sleeping.¡±

    Shu spit again, ¡°Lazy.¡± she said with a hiss.

    ¡°That''s what I thought too. Then I heard of your wakeful magnificence and thought you must be more knowledgeable than any other.¡± Riakon infused his words with all the obsequiousness he could muster.

    The she-dragon breathed in and let out a haughty huff,

    ¡°Well you would be right, I know a thing or two, but what do I get in return for my help?¡±

    Riakon motioned to the bag at his feet, ¡°I have put together an offering of fish, gold, and enchanted items. If you help us it can be yours with almost no effort on your part.¡±

    Shu¡¯s wings lowered and she shifted her torso to a more relaxed posture with her forelegs poised in a thoughtful pose resting her head on one clawed hand.

    ¡°Those gremlin¡¯s crystals are tapping into the confluxes, yes?¡±

    Riakon nodded, ¡°That is what we think. I myself have fought a gremlin who had just forged one out of a conflux.¡±

    For a moment Roden could see surprise flash across Shu¡¯s face before she concealed it.

    ¡°Hmmmmm Conflux magic is not something to be taken lightly. It is an ocean of power unmatched by you lesser beings.¡±

    ¡°That is why we thought to ask a greater being such as you.¡±

    Shu tapped her chin, ¡°I say these gremlin¡¯s must have a powerful ally.¡±

    ¡°They made mention of a Great God.¡±

    A cackle escaped Shu¡¯zet, ¡°Gremlins have no gods, they are mistaken.¡±

    ¡°They seem pretty convinced¨C¡±

    ¡°Then they are being deceived! Only you mortal beings can create gods.¡±

    ¡°Deceived by who?¡±

    Shu paused and looked deep in thought then shook her head,

    ¡°It would have to be something strong enough to access the Confluxes on their own. These crystals are not natural. They are just foci forged from wells of great magical energy.¡±

    ¡°Have you seen them before?¡±

    Riakon had made a mistake in not assuming she had. His error irked the dragon, but he¡¯d built up enough credit for her to dismiss the slight.

    ¡°Of course I have! The elves of the Fey first brought them long ago.¡±

    Riakon¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°Wait so they are from the elves?¡±

    Shu shook her great serpentine head, ¡°No, those are long gone and only worked in the Fey as they were tied to their Great Trees. The last of those great trees on Mir were destroyed long before the elves returned.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me, but my simple mortal mind does not understand the connection.¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t.¡± Shu said knowingly, ¡°But perhaps one smarter than you will. So tell them this, the gremlins are being helped by a being on the level of an archfey or¡­they are being manipulated by one of your own gods.¡±

    ¡°Which god?¡±

    ¡°Tisk tisk, that is all this offering will grant you little lizard. Bring me more and I could possibly give you something greater.¡±

    As she spoke her long sinuous lower body worked its way out from beneath her. She had to pull herself forward enough for her tail to reach where Riakon had laid the bag. Her tail encircled the bag and pulled it toward her mouth.

    Even from Roden¡¯s vantage he could see her mouth was full of hooked teeth as she opened her maw and dropped in their offering. Little drops of green spittle fell to the ground as she crunched down on the bag of fish and gold. Riakon made no move until a faint glow began to radiate from between her lips. That light was a clear indication the Annul Beads they had hidden within the fish were about to mark the start of their attack.

    Shu didn¡¯t have enough of a warning to prevent the eruption of magical energy that ripped through her jaw. The initial blast was rather anticlimactic being just a shockwave of force. The guttural screaming hiss and roar that followed was more along what they had imagined. Shu whipped her head around in agony, and spat out a pool of blood, fish, gold, and most importantly teeth.

    Shu¡¯zet¡¯s eyes flared with an intense hatred at their betrayal. Despite her mouth injury the mighty she-dragon reared back on her serpentine lower half and sprayed a sputtering stream of magically charged caustic fluid over Riakon, who vanished beneath the deluge. When the stream petered out, Riakon was standing with his glowing shield raised. His newly acquired magical bracer had allowed him to call his shield to his defense in seconds. Which had given him time to activate one of his prayer beads. Roden for his part had hooked his Nimbus to Riakon before they¡¯d separated, granting Riakon even more shielding from the draconic spray.

    Shu looked down at her prey expecting to see a servile lesser being put in its place. What she saw was the platinum Dragonkin glowing with golden divine energy shrouded by clouds. With all of their defenses and preparation Riakon was nearly untouched by the acid and what little did splash onto him was easily resisted by his gift from Tiamat.

    What Shu didn¡¯t see was Riakon call his hammer from its loose hook on his pack. As soon as the handle touched his hand, Riakon launched himself into the air toward Shu¡¯s exposed chest. With his grip near the head of his hammer the blow was closer to a punch. Upon impact Riakon¡¯s spell activated and a thunderous boom set the dragon reeling.

    Roden saw his chance to act. He grabbed Grok and pulled him toward the tree he had chosen as his entrance. Roden¡¯s spell responded to his intent causing a thin line of bright green energy to appear along the truck before opening up into a portal big enough for the two of them to walk through. There was a windless rush of motion as if they had stepped onto a speeding train. They emerged from a similar portal opened on a tree in the midst of Riakon¡¯s battle.

    Riakon had thoroughly prepared Grok for that moment. Grok bounded into the action. His eyes glowed in the midday light as he flew toward his target. The big garg drew back a meaty forearm before raking it across the dragon¡¯s midsection as he flew by. Grok¡¯s strength was put on display as his claws ripped through the dragon¡¯s scales leaving a bloody line where each of his four claws touched the creature of myth.

    Shu had stumbled back from Riakon¡¯s blow, and twisted away from Grok¡¯s powerful slash. The assault took the dragon by surprise. In an attempt to regain her guard she began to coil and crouch. Her snake-like body looped around in lazy circles, while her wings shot up. Even with her two forelegs gripping the ground, her sleek scales and dark coloration made her look every bit like a threatened cobra.

    With her focus on Riakon and Grok she didn¡¯t notice Errrkkkk¡¯s chi blasts from high above. His shots peppered Shu¡¯s defenses. With three targets fighting for her attention, the dragon swayed. In a flash she rushed to her left and slipped into one of the many pools of burbling liquid that pockmarked her home.

    The period of silence that followed had sweat running down Roden¡¯s spine. Three pairs of eyes stared unwaveringly at Shu''s chosen exit, but Roden knew better so he clued in her team.

    ¡°The pools are connected! She could come from any of them!¡±

 Chapter 37- Swallowed

    Chapter 37

    Shu¡¯zet erupted from the burbling pool opposite the one she had fled into taking Riakon from the side. Her foreclaw slammed into Riakon dashing him to the ground. A powerful flap of her wings she pursued the downed paladin. Her second strike was a downward slam from her second claw that pinned her prey beneath her. With her prey secured, Shu twisted her lower body sending her tail careening across in a wide arc.

    Roden watched as her tail slammed into Grok sending him tumbling across the ground to the other side of their battlefield. His horror was tempered when he saw Grok raise himself up on his hands albeit more lethargic than usual. Roden turned his attention back to the dragon and noticed a red glow coming from beneath her claw and spreading up her arm.

    Not wasting the opportunity Roden drew one of his most powerful spells to mind and started toward the dragon¡¯s lower half. Once he was within range Roden drove his hand forward in a motion reminiscent of his Burning Finger spell from his days as a pyromancer. Instead of flames a blast of blue arcane energy leapt from his fingers in a cone of heat stealing wind.

    His Arctic Stream spell was one of his newest additions and it did not disappoint. He watched as ice formed across everything he directed the stream toward. He made sure to capture Shu¡¯zet¡¯s powerful tail from the point it sprouted from her torso. He hoped it would keep her in place, but he would settle for it slowing her down.

    While the she-dragon was distracted by Riakon and Roden, Errrkkkk took the opportunity to drive his staff into the ground. He did not relish having to land, but he needed direct contact in order to draw in the natural energy through his staff. He closed his eyes and visualized the process just as he had back in Bo¡¯s backyard. When his eyes flicked open a dark green energy burst from him.

    Errrkkkk locked eyes with Shu¡¯zet, his chi overflowed with natural energy. Her mouth opened and released a garbled choking sound followed by streams of blood. At the sight of her own blood and sound of her failed attempt at speech, the primal rage within her overcame her hold. Shu¡¯zet¡¯s dark form began to radiate a pale green light and her eyes blazed with fury.

    Riakon chose that moment to spew a plume of fire from his mouth across the dragon¡¯s chest and neck. The flames weren¡¯t powerful enough to deal a decisive blow, but they were enough to catch Shu off guard.

    Roden glanced over to Grok and saw the garg preparing to throw himself back into the fray. Roden immediately threw himself through the closest tree and appeared next to Grok with a hand out to restrain him.

    ¡°Wait mate, drink a potion.¡±

    Grok grunted and gestured vigorously toward the fight and Riakon.

    ¡°I know you want to get in there bud, but you need to heal up or you will get in the way.¡±

    Grok frowned so deeply Roden almost felt bad for his sternness. That all faded away as Grok reached into his bag to grab a potion and Roden could see a dark grey bone sticking out from Grok¡¯s lower abdomen.

    ¡°Jeezus Grok, you¡¯re fucking ribs are broken!¡±

    The garg glanced at the offending injury and waved Roden off, who returned his attention to the fight in time to see Errrkkkk crash into the dragon with a flying side kick. The blow bent her upper body back while lowering her snakelike neck attached to her long neck. Errrkkkk followed up with a series of strikes that each exploded with his green chi.

    The Birdfolk¡¯s attack drew Shu¡¯zet¡¯s focus. She unleashed a roar of pain filled with her draconic fury. The caustic energy surrounding her blasted out in all directions burning everything it touched as it rippled outward, shattering Roden¡¯s ice restricting her. Errrkkkk was thrown back, just managing to shield his face with his arms.

    Before he could assess the damage a claw slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Shu¡¯zet¡¯s second claw moved to strike, but her forward progress was halted by something restraining her lower body. Her head whipped back with a sneer and her eyes narrowed on Riakon, who had regained his feet and had both arms wrapped around her tail. He strained with all of his might to keep the rampaging dragon from reaching Errrkkkk¡¯s prone body.

    Shu¡¯zet reared up like a snake about to strike. Her head snapped forward, her jaw wide prepared to swallow Riakon whole if need be. The Dragonkin was saved by a blue streak of crackling lightning that slammed into Shu¡¯zet mid-attack. The bolt came from Roden who had repositioned himself to his original entry point from the trees opposite Grok.

    Shu¡¯zet writhed from the shock as she crashed to the ground. Roden watched the result of his spell and his confidence grew. They had her surrounded and each of them was holding their own. She hadn¡¯t even been able to land a solid blow on him yet. No sooner than the thought crossed his mind did he regret it.

    Shu¡¯zet coiled her long muscular tail and sunk into a defensive pose eyeing her three main opponents. It was a miscalculation on her part that allowed Grok to come from behind her unseen. The garg jumped on the dragon¡¯s neck with both claws digging into her scales and soft flesh beneath.

    One of her powerful claws snatched the garg and in a single smooth motion swallowed him whole. The men could only watch in dismay as the lump in her throat slowly descended down her gullet.

    Errrkkkk let out an avian screech as he exploded with yellow light. His aura became golden with his dark green clinging close to him like a second skin. He followed his transformation with his signature, ¡°Caaaaaaaaa¡­¡± He couched his hands back gathering his chi. Shu¡¯zet recognized what was happening and drew in a breath to meet his beam, except Errrkkkk vanished from his place on the ground.

    ¡°Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!¡± was the only indication of the birdman¡¯s location Shu gained before Errrkkkk¡¯s beam slammed into her face.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Riakon launched himself from the ground in an arcing leap. He crashed down onto Shu¡¯zet with a downward slam of his hammer. The blow resulted in a thunderous boom that shook the nearby trees.

    Roden saw his opportunity, he conjured his King¡¯s Spear to his hand and rushed toward the dragon with his lightning enhanced speed. He went for the dragon¡¯s throat hoping to free Grok before the garg was unfortunate enough to reach the draconic stomach acid that had claimed Riakon¡¯s toes in the mountains. Roden was a blur as he pushed off the ground, throwing himself into the air. His momentum carried him, but it was in the moment he thought he was about to deal a killing blow everything changed.

    Shu¡¯zet stiffened and her entire body began to glow and shimmer with an opalescent sheen. Light slipped through the places between her scales as those gaps began to expand. Roden saw what was happening and knew he had misjudged the situation and was about to pay for it.

    Shu¡¯zet had completely released her hold on the ancient power from within her. The energy coursed through every fiber of her being; healing, strengthening, and reforming everything it touched. With that power came a renewed sense of everything around her. She knew the damned bird was hovering to her right. She knew that traitorous lizard was racing to get off her tail as her body adjusted to her new power and she knew that dastardly storm worshiper was flying toward her. He had not earned a slow death as the others had so she moved to kill him quickly.

    Roden felt a wave of fear wash over him as his upward momentum was noticed by Shu¡¯zet, without any warning she opened her bloody mouth revealing what looked like white specks protruding from her jaw. Roden¡¯s bigger problem was the orb of sickly green energy that raced out toward him. Roden tried to meet the beam with the tip of his spear, but he had no leverage. His spear melted before his eyes and he was summarily engulfed by the caustic beam of magical energy.

    Errrkkkk could barely contain his own rage as he slammed his fist into Shu¡¯s head. Even as Roden was blasted out of the sky, Shu continued to change and reform. Errrkkkk launched his counter attack at her undefended face, but even his most powerful strikes barely moved the creature who had grown nearly half again as large from the start of their battle. Errrkkkk spun and whipped around a powerful kick to the dragon¡¯s neck.

    Shu¡¯zet twisted with the kick and stretched out her long neck. She coiled around Errrkkkk binding him with her powerful constricting muscles. With two of her attackers dealt with she turned her attention on Riakon who had flown around for a flanking attack. She lashed out with her tail batting the paladin to the dirt.

    Her voice cut through the near silence of their battlefield,

    ¡°You disgusting worthless ingrates! I will make you pay for everything!¡± Her voice was harsh and raspy. ¡°You will bleed for every scale, for every drop of blood spilled on my home!¡±

    Riakon dragged himself to his feet and addressed his towering adversary, ¡°You can certainly try!¡± Riakon accompanied her retort with a bang of his hammer on his shield before charging.

    Roden laid on the ground in a sort of numb agony. His Grove Armor had taken the brunt of the dragon¡¯s acidic magic, but apparently wood was no match for a dragon¡¯s breath especially when they¡¯d resorted to using an attack of pure elemental energy. Roden really didn¡¯t want to look and see the extent of the damage to his body, mostly out of fear he¡¯d never be able to unsee it, but also because he was pretty sure the cool tingling sensation he felt was the breeze on exposed bone. Instead he cast an overcharged Triage on himself and allowed his magic to do its job.

    Meanwhile, Errrkkkk struggled mightily against his muscular prison. To make matters worse for the Birdfolk he felt Shu¡¯zet squeeze him all the tighter as Riakon renewed his attack.

    ¡°Give it up lizard! I have already eaten one of you and this glorified poultry is about to follow after I¡¯ve ground his bones to dust!¡± Shu¡¯zet hissed with venom in every word.

    ¡°Fuck this bitch up, cacaw!¡± Errrkkkk shouted in defiance.

    His words were punctuated by Shu¡¯zet increasing the pressure of her already vice-like grip on him. It was all Errrkkkk could do to focus his chi and keep her from literally grinding his bones to dust.

    Riakon continued his assault despite the she-dragon¡¯s threats. He knew the only way any of them were getting out alive was if she was slain. He worried for Grok, who¡¯d been swallowed trying to help. He cursed himself for letting the garg take part in such a dangerous fight. Riakon¡¯s confidence wavered as each of his companions fell. Without Errrkkkk and Roden around to blast Shu¡¯zet with their energy attacks, Riakon didn¡¯t know how he was supposed to finish off such a formidable foe, after all he was just a strong guy with a big hammer and a little bit of magic.

    Riakon wasn¡¯t fast on his own and his flight didn¡¯t improve it much either. He threw himself at Shu¡¯zet from every angle. She parried every attack of his with a flick of her tail. Every swing of his hammer was met with a swipe of equal force. Riakon slid to a stop after being pushed back yet again. He gritted his teeth and stared up at his adversary.

    Shu¡¯zet wasn¡¯t toying with the paladin. His attacks were enough to keep her on the defensive, she knew better than to allow him to get anywhere near her vital areas with those smiting blows of his. However, this all played into her plan. The bird in her grasp was nearly unconscious, all she had to do was keep up this game until she could direct all of her attention on that dirty bastard in front of her.

    Roden knew he had to come up with something at the sight of Riakon fighting Shu¡¯zet to a standstill. He hesitated to even consider it a standstill with both Grok and Errrkkkk incapacitated. Roden still had acid burns across his arms, but from what he could tell he was mostly healed. He knew he needed something flashing to draw Shu¡¯s attention away from Riakon, but none of Roden¡¯s spells felt right. Each one presented its own complication. His primary concern being splash damage.

    Roden waited for Riakon to clash with Shu again before he released the S.P.L.A.S.H B.A.L from his hand. His Herald¡¯s Strength gave him all the power he needed to hurl the glass orb up to the dragon¡¯s face. Upon impact there was the sound of glass breaking followed by a torrent of water that surged out in all directions.

    Roden¡¯s distraction was enough for Riakon to slip past Shu¡¯s parry and deliver a smiting uppercut to the dragon¡¯s lower jaw. The strike resulted in a brief moment of disorientation for the dragon as her head was almost entirely encased in water as she tumbled down, her upper body no longer supported by her lower half.

    Roden took the opportunity to attempt to fly in atop his Nimbus and grab Errrkkkk¡¯s body as it fell limp from Shu¡¯zet¡¯s coils. Except Shu was ready for such an attempt. She slithered about reorienting herself over Errrkkkk¡¯s body, who for his part was gasping clutching at his chest. Shu glanced at Roden then directed her gaze at Errrkkkk. She raised a claw still emanating her caustic green magic then drove it down in what looked like a killing blow.

    Roden knew he wasn¡¯t fast enough and neither was Riakon. A pang of anguish coursed through him as he imagined Errrkkkk run through by one of her wickedly curved claws. Roden was already calculating how to bring Errrkkkk back to life when Shu recoiled in a dramatic display of pain. Roden looked toward Errrkkkk and saw his body had been covered over by a thick bramble of nasty looking thorns and spikes. Roden followed the glowing trail of magic back to its source and saw Branch with his hands to the ground, his hollowed eyes blazing green.

    Roden couldn¡¯t keep himself from laughing at the little Treant¡¯s timing. Branch¡¯s quick thinking gave Roden enough time, he laid a hand on Errrkkkk and cast an overcharged Instant Destination. The two reappeared some distance away next to a tree where he laid Errrkkkk down.

    ¡°Here mate, take this senzu bean and you¡¯ll be okay.¡± Roden said laying a hand on Errrkkkk while activating his Never the Time and Place ability. Errrkkkk looked up at Roden confused, but the relief that came from his wounds being healed quickly overtook his confusion.

    As Roden pulled away, Errrkkkk gripped Roden¡¯s wrist insistently and pulled himself up. Roden¡¯s magic was quicker than he remembered. The birdman looked as good as new in seconds. Roden knew that meant most of his injuries had to have been internal and were probably still knitting themselves back together, but he let the monk have his badass moment.

    Riakon circled around in time to see the others standing together on the edge of the trees. He flew in the relief evident on his face.

    ¡°Am I glad to see you both on your feet!¡±

    ¡°Yeah well don¡¯t get too excited this fight isn¡¯t over, cacaw.¡± his determination as renewed as his body.

    Roden shook his head, ¡°Gods damn this dragon just won¡¯t die!¡±

    ¡°Yes well we can take her on together now. We had her on the edge before.¡±

    ¡°How much do you have left in the tank?¡± Roden said, looking to Riakon.

    ¡°Just this.¡± he said, raising his hammer with a toothy grin.

    ¡°Well fuck¡­¡±

    ¡°So he¡¯s got exactly as much as he had for the entire last dragon fight, cacaw.¡± Errrkkkk said flatly.

    Roden chuckled, ¡°Touche.¡±